The moment Jian Dan's soul drifted from her body, she felt weightless, hollow—like a petal caught on the wind, detached from all clamor and chaos. Peaceful silence enveloped her.
No pain. No fear.
Only fragments of memories remained. Every experience she'd ever had flashed through her mind like a spinning lantern, first slow, then faster, as if she were walking through a corridor of time. Everything dissolved into points of light, finally converging into… a book.
"A book? How could there be a book? No—this wasn't right!"
She was a cultivator. When one perished, their soul should scatter to nothingness. Why was she here?
She forced herself to calm down and approached the book. Reaching out with a nearly translucent hand, she touched its cover. The moment her fingers met the surface, both her hand and the book glowed with a gentle white light—and in that light, her life unfurled once again.
Jian Dan forced herself to calm down and approached the book. She reached out with her nearly transparent hand, intending to flip it open. The instant her fingers touched the cover, a soft white glow emanated from both the book and her hand. And then—she saw her entire life.
The final scene froze on Du Yanran hiding behind a man, watching as Jian Dan drew her last breath. A faint smile curled Du Yanran's lips as she whispered:
"Farewell."
It was then that Jian Dan understood.
The white magnolia pendant hanging over her chest—it had saved her.
She had always believed it was just a high-grade spatial artifact, never suspecting it was a protective relic passed down through her bloodline. At the moment of her death, it had shielded her soul, hiding her from the heavens. The pendant was destroyed in her place, its sacrifice sparing her from true annihilation.
Only now did she see it all clearly.
The pendant Du Yanran once begged her for—the matching white magnolia earring—was part of the same set. That earring was the key to Du Yanran's meteoric rise in cultivation. She had bound it to herself after obtaining Jian Dan's cultivation opportunity but had kept its secrets hidden.
Now Jian Dan understood why Du Yanran had always coveted the pendant. She'd guessed at her intent long ago, when she noticed her obsession with the jewel. Jian Dan had merely told her it shattered during a beast attack, withholding the truth. That small deception… had bought her a sliver of hope.
A chance to live.
And yet, her whole life had been no more than the tale of a supporting role—one penned in the pages of a book titled Yanran's Long Road to Immortality. She was the one who delivered magical treasures, cleared obstacles, offered karmic chances… and ultimately perished to ensure the heroine's ascension.
No wonder she had always felt a subtle unease around Du Yanran, even during shared adventures or battles. Somehow, the victories always went to Du Yanran. The wounds? Always hers.
Upon entering the cultivation world, Jian Dan had learned that some people were born with extraordinary fortune—a kind of destiny that distorted the paths of those nearby. It became clear that Du Yanran was one of them. So, Jian Dan slowly and quietly pulled away.
Though both of them joined the Pill Sect, the growing gap in their cultivation drove them apart.
Jian Dan wanted nothing more than to avoid the unnatural gravity of Du Yanran's fate. She chose a solitary path, becoming a rogue cultivator, carving her own way forward.
She survived countless near-deaths, each one refining her Dao heart, each one forging her spirit anew. Through relentless trials, she climbed her way to the Divine Transformation stage.
And that's when Du Yanran found her—guided by the faint resonance between the magnolia earring and pendant.
How ironic. The thing that saved her… was also what doomed her.
The soft white glow began to dim. Jian Dan pulled her hand back as her soul, once transparent and flickering, slowly became more solid.
She let out a weary sigh.
"So what if I know the truth now? I'm already dead. Can I really defy fate and start over?"
[No. But you can correct the mistake. Do you accept?]
A deep, resonant voice echoed in her ears. Jian Dan froze for a few heartbeats… then nodded quickly.
"Yes! Of course I do!"
[Then go. May fortune guide you.]
She had no time to ask anything more. Her soul lifted from the ground and shot through the air, swallowed by darkness.
There are no second chances in life… but sometimes, there is a correction.