The Starfall Sect.

The recruitment event held once every five years.

The square was packed with new disciples.

Sienna Hart stood in the middle, her face cold and indifferent.

Thousands of years? Maybe tens of thousands?

Time had passed in a blur, yet today felt like a vivid memory.

"Sienna." A worried voice interrupted her thoughts.

Sienna glanced sideways and faintly smiled.

Lila Winters. Long time no see.

"Sienna," Lila said, her face lined with concern. "In the first round of the spirit root test, I was certified as having the rare Heaven-grade spirit root. But you—you were only found to have the lowest-tier Five-element spirit root. You won’t make it through the sect’s entrance test like this."

"Oh?" Sienna looked dispassionate. "What are you suggesting?"

Lila’s eyes sparkled faintly as she let out a soft laugh. "As you saw for yourself, my talent is exceptional. After the test, the Sect Master was almost ready to take me as a personal disciple on the spot—if not for the formalities that still need completing." "Your talent may be poor, but that’s okay. We’re good friends, aren't we? I just asked, and it turns out official disciples can bring along a servant or maid. I’ll just say you’re my maid. That way, you can stay here with me."

Lila Winters spoke with a tilt of her chin, the smugness in her eyes slipping through before she could hide it.

Sienna Hart.

The Hart family’s eldest daughter.

And her?

Just a foster kid taken in out of pity.

Years spent in the Hart Estate, trembling at every turn, her fate hanging by a thread.

Maybe the heavens had grown tired of the injustice. Now, here was the twist of fate.

The Hart family was destroyed in a single night—ruined, scattered. Only Sienna and Lila managed to escape. By luck or sheer desperation, they'd found themselves at the gates of Skystar Sect on recruiting day.

And then came the tests.

They both passed the first trial, their spiritual roots examined. Except Sienna had the lowest-tier Five Element Root.

Lila, though—she was the prodigy. A once-in-a-century Heaven-grade Root!

This moment was hers, and it was intoxicating.

So what if Sienna once carried herself like a noble?

What good were riches compared to immortality?

And besides, the Hart family's wealth was ash now. All Sienna had left was that heirloom ring on her finger.

From now on, their paths would be worlds apart.

Still, Lila thought herself generous. The Harts had once sheltered her, after all. She was willing to offer Sienna a place by her side—as her servant. Sienna Hart's gaze locked firmly onto Lila Winters. Suddenly, she broke into a mocking smile.

"What are you laughing at?" Lila frowned, her tone sharp. "Sienna, this isn't the time to throw your spoiled little tantrums! In the cultivation world, who cares about your status from the mundane world? I only offered this suggestion because it seemed you were failing the test and about to be kicked out. If you don’t want it, then just forget I said anything."

Sienna’s smile grew wider, brighter, almost taunting.

She remembered. In her previous life, Lila had said the same words.

Back then, she had been weak, scared, and hopelessly naive. She believed Lila’s sweet lies and agreed to be her maid, desperate to stay.

And where had it led her?

Lila was accepted as the disciple of the sect master himself, surrounded by doting senior brothers and sisters who would never let her endure anything unpleasant.

But those hardships had to go somewhere, and they had all ended up on her. On Sienna.

If Lila got hurt, Sienna, the maid, would bear the blame, scolded and cursed for failing to protect her "mistress."

If Lila was in a bad mood, Sienna would be interrogated, picked apart until someone decided she must’ve been the cause.

Lila would then stand in front of everyone, pretending to defend her, saying none of it was Sienna’s fault.

And what did that accomplish? Nothing, except emboldening her followers to torment her even worse in private.Sienna endured it all.

She remembered Lila saying she'd help her cultivate. So, after a year of diligently attending to Lila, Sienna worked up the courage to ask for some basic pills to aid her practice.

Lila had agreed without hesitation.

For a moment, Sienna thought her efforts were finally paying off.

But the very next day, she was kidnapped by one of Lila’s obsessive suitors.

The man accused her of being ungrateful, daring to make such an unreasonable demand of Lila. He claimed Lila had nearly been driven to tears, saying that merely giving Sienna a place to stay was kindness enough—more than she deserved!

Yet all Sienna had asked for was the most basic pills for the Qi Refining stage. For Lila, it was nothing.

But one teary-eyed complaint from her, and suddenly, Sienna was the villain.

Sienna tried to explain, but Lila’s suitor didn’t bother to listen. He unleashed soul-devouring ants on her, tormenting her through the night.

By the time Lila appeared, Sienna was barely clinging to life.

Lila held her in her arms, shedding false tears among a crowd of onlookers who gathered to comfort her.

As for Sienna? She might as well have been invisible. No one cared. Sienna Hart managed to endure. Somehow, she survived.

After that, she figured out Lila Winters had no real intention of helping her cultivate, so she decided to leave.

But then.

Lila put on her act again, all wounded and pitiful, questioning why Sienna would want to leave. She went on about how much she'd done for her, asking why Sienna was treating her so unfairly.

Before Sienna could get a word in, Lila's band of followers swarmed in, branding her with all sorts of foul names—ungrateful, greedy, shameless. The insults piled on like stones.

The final blow came when the sect leader himself issued a confinement order against her.

Still, Sienna hadn’t given up. All she wanted was to find a chance to escape.

But.

Lila’s so-called lover turned out to be the Demon Lord himself. He sneaked into Skyshine Sect to meet her, only to be discovered. That slip-up brought enemies down on them.

That night.

The demon clan attacked Skyshine Sect. It was carnage. The invaders, sworn foes of the Demon Lord, had learned he cherished someone in the sect. They intended to kill her, to break him completely.

But somehow, they mistook Sienna for Lila. Without a shred of mercy or explanation, they tore her apart.

After her death, Sienna Hart, now a wandering soul, watched Lila Winters and the Demon Lord in their twisted romance, leaving destruction and corpses in their wake. Nothing could touch them; their love burned bright amidst the ruins.

Even those who once chased after Lila met tragic ends, discarded like broken toys. And yet, Lila and the Demon Lord? They ascended to the Upper Realm, together.

What a joke.

Even as a ghost, Sienna couldn’t understand it—what had she done to deserve such a pitiful fate?

But then the system came. Binding her—forcing her into countless worlds, fixing the lives broken by others. That’s when the truth hit her. This wasn’t just any world. It was the twisted plot of a book.

And Lila Winters? The chosen heroine. The Demon Lord? The destined male lead. Sienna? Nothing but a forgettable stepping stone, not even worth a proper villain role. Just fodder to prop up their glory.

But why?

Why should she be the sacrifice?

No. She wouldn’t stand for it.

Not anymore.

Sienna dove headfirst into the system’s missions, mending shattered lives and fulfilling hopeless dreams. One hundred tasks later, she clawed back her freedom. A reward—a choice—a power to return home.

But this time?

She wouldn’t play by their rules."Lila! What's the matter with you!" Lila Winters snapped, her tone tinged with irritation. "I'm only trying to help. I know being a servant might hurt your pride, but at least it's a chance to cultivate! With your five-spirit root, what other option do you have? We’ve been close for years, haven’t we? I’d definitely back you up. It's better than staying some mortal, stuck with a lifespan of a mere hundred years. And don’t forget—after what happened to the Hart family, didn’t you say you're determined to uncover the truth and avenge them? Only through cultivation can you get the strength for revenge!"

Sienna Hart watched Lila Winters with an icy gaze, as if observing a hollow act on stage. She smiled faintly, her voice calm yet cutting. "Thanks for your kind offer. But I’d rather try it myself."

Lila's face hardened, her voice rising. "What’s the point of trying with trash like your five-spirit root? Sienna, if you keep being this stubborn, I swear I won’t bother with you anymore!"

Sienna nodded lightly, her expression indifferent. "Fine. Please don’t bother with me."

Lila froze, staring in disbelief. "...What?"