Seeing that Lu Ming did not refuse, a glimmer of hope flashed in Wang Ran's eyes. Not daring to hide anything, he spilled the whole story.
"Reporting to the immortal, my name is Wang Ran, and I am a member of the Wang Family at the foot of the mountain... I wish to enter the immortal gates but have been unable to do so. I implore the immortal grandfather to take me as a disciple. I am willing to swear that I will honor and serve the immortal grandfather with filial piety for the rest of my life and never betray you. If I break this oath, may I die a wretched death, fall into the eighteen layers of hell after death, and never be reincarnated."
"Is this kid really this sincere? Could I have misjudged him? Is he not cut out to be Old Devil Wang?"
Lu Ming pondered for a moment, quite fond of this child who bore such a striking resemblance to Wang Mazi.
"Regardless of whether he is or not, the boy has a pure and good nature, making him a decent investment target. Now that I have met him through the method of the 'Mystic Dream', it would truly be a pity to miss out."
Having made up his decision, he spoke deliberately.
"Your constitution is frail, and your Spiritual Root is obscured. Even if you forced yourself to cultivate, you would amount to nothing more than someone building up physical strength. With your aptitude, unless you use a heaven-defying divine fruit to make up for your foundation, you will ultimately never enter the gate of the Great Dao. I said before that you are fated with this deity, and taking you as a disciple is possible, but you must agree to three conditions."
Hearing this, Wang Ran was overjoyed. He kowtowed repeatedly and spoke honestly, "Master is above, your disciple kowtows to you. Whatever instructions Master has, your disciple will never disobey."
Lu Ming nodded with a smile. "First, today's events are known only to you and me. Without my permission, you are not allowed to mention my existence to anyone, not even those closest to you. Can you do this?"
Wang Ran: "I can."
Lu Ming: "Second, entering my sect requires taking an oath: you must never do anything heinous, bully the weak, or throw your weight around. Furthermore, you must always keep caution and steadfastness in mind. In the days to come, if your descendants branch out and multiply, this rule must also be strictly enforced."
Wang Ran: "Understood."
Lu Ming: "Third, show no mercy to your enemies. You must completely eradicate evil and leave no loose ends, erasing all traces afterward so that you do not implicate me."
Wang Ran: "Your disciple obeys."
Lu Ming: "In that case, take the oath and enter discipleship."
"Your disciple Wang Ran, from this day forth, enters Master's sect and will forever remember Master's teachings. Here I swear: without Master's permission, I shall not reveal the slightest information about Master; I shall not bully the weak or commit heinous acts. When dealing with enemies, I shall thoroughly eradicate evil, destroy their corpses, leave no trace, and under no circumstances implicate Master. If I violate this oath, may your disciple die a wretched death and never be reincarnated."
With that, Wang Ran heavily kowtowed three times.
Seeing this, Lu Ming smiled and helped Wang Ran to his feet, then flicked his horsetail whisk and spoke.
"Since you are my disciple, you should know my title. This deity's surname is Lu, and my title is the 'True Immortal of Profound Mystery and Moral Virtue'. You need only remember this; there is no need to mention my title to others. Furthermore, this deity is merely a projection within this domain and will soon dissipate. Close your eyes, for this deity has a Daoist technique to bestow upon you."
Complying readily, Wang Ran closed his eyes. Immediately, he felt a milky-white glow land on his forehead, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Then, a massive torrent of knowledge poured into his mind. It took a full joss stick's time before he finally opened his eyes again.
"The *Mystic Heaven Induction Chapter*? Thank you, Master, for bestowing this technique."
Wang Ran quickly bowed, but was stopped by Lu Ming.
"There is no need for that. This *Mystic Heaven Induction Chapter* is not a cultivation method in itself; it must be practiced in conjunction with the Immortal Seed. Once you wake up, a red fruit will appear before you. Remember, do not hesitate—swallow it directly. Then, using the *Mystic Heaven Induction Chapter* as your foundation, allow the Immortal Seed to dissolve into your Dantian and Purple Palace, gradually replacing your own obscure Spiritual Root. The longer you cultivate, the better it will make up for your foundation, until it is ultimately comparable to a Wood-type Heavenly Spiritual Root. From then on, you must practice it daily until the Immortal Seed completely grows into your Spiritual Root. Beware: without your master's permission, this technique must never be passed on to others. Otherwise, disaster will befall you, and your life may be forfeit."
Hearing this, Wang Ran nodded heavily, and then heard Lu Ming continue.
"This technique has another benefit: in conjunction with the Immortal Seed, you can communicate with this deity's divine sense at any time. Have you remembered your master's words?"
Wang Ran nodded. "Yes, Master, your disciple has remembered every word."
Lu Ming flicked his horsetail whisk. "In that case, simply wait to awaken."
With those words, the starry sky gradually faded, and everything became like a dream.
When Wang Ran opened his eyes again, he discovered that not far from him, a plump red fruit had actually rolled over.
"This is? The Immortal Seed?"
He looked around in disbelief. Everything seemed to be exactly as it was at first. But he clearly already knew the breathing technique of the *Mystic Heaven Induction Chapter*, proving that he was definitely not dreaming.
Remembering his master's instructions, without the slightest hesitation, he picked up the cherry-like fruit from the ground and put it into his mouth.
The Immortal Seed melted the moment it touched his tongue. Wang Ran didn't even have time to taste its flavor before he felt a stream of pure Qi flow down from his mouth, finally gathering and hiding within his Dantian.
"It truly is a miraculous immortal item."
He sighed with emotion, not daring to delay. He hurriedly circulated the technique of the *Mystic Heaven Induction Chapter* and crossed his legs to regulate his breath in a proper manner.
Whether it was his imagination or not, as he practiced the *Mystic Heaven Induction Chapter*, Wang Ran felt the pain all over his body subside significantly, and even his hunger vanished.
Watching with his own eyes as Wang Ran swallowed the Immortal Seed and seeing it gather within Wang Ran's Purple Palace, Lu Ming suddenly developed a strange sensation. It was as if, in the netherworld, a trace of his fate had become connected with this disciple, and he could even perceive Wang Ran's meridians and spiritual Qi pathways through the Immortal Seed.
A gentle breeze blew across the ridge, and an inconspicuous blade of grass swayed in the wind. A resilient youth was taking his arduous first steps across the threshold of cultivation.
It was not until early the next morning that Wang Ran suddenly opened his eyes, a bright gleam in them. After a night of bitter cultivation, he had finally successfully guided Qi into his body.
At this moment, using his mind's eye to look within himself, he could clearly feel that the fruit in his Dantian had taken root. Moreover, he had a peculiar sensation, as if he could already use the seed to sense a vast and boundless aura.
At the same time, Lu Ming also felt a surge of spirit.
"It worked?"
The very moment Wang Ran successfully guided Qi into his body, Lu Ming distinctly felt a trace of special power emerge from his grassy body. A wave of joy washed over him as he knew his plan had succeeded.
The most difficult step had been crossed. Next came guarding this cultivation novice and watching him grow as much as possible. After all, the higher Wang Ran's cultivation base, the more Lu Ming stood to gain.
However, Lu Ming was now stumped as to how to proceed.
The *Mystic Heaven Induction Chapter* could only be considered a mental cultivation method. Once mastered, it would run automatically, but on its own, it did not increase a cultivator's combat power. In terms of cultivation speed, it was even far inferior to the mental cultivation methods kept in sect archives.
If Wang Ran wanted to achieve anything on the path of cultivation, he still had to rely on a proper immortal sect. First, so he could learn spells and improve his combat skills; second, so he could study things like alchemy, weapon forging, array formations, or even spirit planting. Alternatively, he could follow the path of an immortal cultivation family and acquire resources on the black market, but the risk factor was far too high.
"Perhaps I can acquire the first pot of gold from within a sect, and then, backed by the sect, quietly walk the path of an immortal cultivation family."
With a plan in mind, he quietly waited for Wang Ran to finish cultivating.
When the euphoria of his first cultivation session subsided, Wang Ran opened his eyes once more. At this moment, he felt all the depression in his heart vanish. Everywhere he looked was full of vitality, and even his field of vision had broadened considerably.
Standing up from the ground, he realized that most of his bruises and injuries had healed. This immortal cultivation method was truly miraculous.
Filled with immense excitement, he quickly immersed his mind and spoke to the Immortal Seed within his body.
"Your disciple Wang Ran kowtows in gratitude for Master's grace in imparting the Dao."
Lu Ming experienced a strange sensation, as if a voice message had appeared within his soul space.
"Is this even a chat feature?"
Lu Ming: "Hm, there is no need for that. Through the Immortal Seed, Master has already vaguely sensed your situation. Since you have already refined Qi into your body, you have established the foundation of the Great Dao. You must not slack off and should cultivate even more diligently from now on. In addition, Master has two suggestions. Are you willing to hear them?"
Wang Ran: "Please speak, Master."
Lu Ming: "For a cultivator to achieve something, wealth, companionship, technique, and land are all indispensable. Among these, wealth is paramount. If you want to go further, the path of a rogue cultivator does not suit you. The *Mystic Heaven Induction Chapter* I passed on to you is not specialized in absorbing Qi and refining it; you will need other cultivation methods to progress. Therefore, the first suggestion is to find a sect to rely on as a starting point to accumulate wealth. Second, as the saying goes, where there is an impasse there is a way out, and heaven never cuts off all avenues. The more perilous a forbidden zone is, the more likely rare treasures are to appear. If you wish to leave this place, you must seek spiritual herbs or rare treasures to assist you. You should search around the cave. Remember, search carefully—do not miss a single thing, whether it's a grayish-black stone bead or any other jars or pots."
He deliberately emphasized the grayish-black stone bead to see if Wang Ran could find Wang Mazi's golden finger. If he really found it, then it was a confirmed fact. He would have to be doubly careful from then on; after all, given Wang Mazi's destiny as a lone star of heavenly doom, he himself might end up being sacrificed to the heavens in the second episode.
Hearing this, Wang Ran gathered his thoughts, feeling that his master's actions were indeed unfathomable and fully displayed the demeanor of an expert.
At this moment, the sunlight was just right, and the cave was well-lit. Guided by the light, he walked deeper into the cave. The bare cave was entirely unobstructed, leading him to discover a naturally formed water pool. The pool was not deep, only about the size of a washbasin, formed by rock moisture condensing into dew and dripping down.
The clear water reflected Wang Ran's youthful face. Cupping a handful of water in his hands, he gulped it down. Afterward, he felt instantly refreshed. He had been starving, so he simply lay down on the ground and drank directly.
Unfortunately, after just a few gulps, the spring water bottomed out.
Then, the mouth of a small porcelain bottle was revealed.
"Oh, what is this?"