"Reporting to the Immortal Master, I have already sensed spiritual energy. I wish for the Immortal Master to test me so that I may join the Taixuan Sect and become an immortal seeker on the path to eternal life!"
The person speaking was none other than Yelin, dressed in the humble attire of a servant.
At this moment, all traces of servility had vanished from Yelin. His voice was resonant, echoing throughout the entire martial arts arena.
The expressions of everyone present shifted. The old patriarch of the Lin family narrowed his eyes but did not immediately speak to intervene. Here, the Immortal Master’s word was law; for anyone other than him to stop Yelin would be a breach of etiquette and an insult to the Immortal Master! Furthermore, when Immortal Masters from the Taixuan Sect descended to test for Spiritual Roots, the more disciples they brought back—and the higher the quality of their Spiritual Roots—the more generous the rewards they received from the sect. This was the fundamental reason Yelin dared to seize the opportunity to request a test.
The Taixuan Sect Immortal Master’s expression remained unchanged, still wearing a kindly mask. His gaze swept over Yelin, and Yelin felt as if he were standing naked, laid bare before the man's eyes.
"Hmm, a very courageous child. If you possess Spiritual Roots, you will surely be able to slay demons and eliminate evil for our Taixuan Sect."
With a wave of the Immortal Master's hand, the bronze-colored compass flew from his palm once more, hovering above Yelin’s head, shrouding him in a bronze light. Yelin felt the spiritual power within his body grow agitated, involuntarily beginning to circulate slowly through his meridians. He looked up and saw the five characters for "Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth" all glowing brilliantly.
The Immortal Master’s expression shifted slightly.
"Mid-grade Gold Spiritual Root, mid-grade Wood Spiritual Root, mid-grade Water Spiritual Root, mid-grade Fire Spiritual Root, mid-grade Earth Spiritual Root..."
The Immortal Master stared in stunned silence for a long while before finally uttering the words that would change Yelin’s destiny: "Excellent! You may enter my Taixuan Sect and pursue the vast path of immortality!"
Overjoyed, Yelin knelt and kowtowed until his forehead bled. "Thank you, Immortal Master, for granting me this immortal fate!"
The Immortal Master waved his hand, and Yelin felt a soft, clear current of energy lift him up. "In my lifetime, I have tested hundreds of juniors for Spiritual Roots, but I have never seen one with all five elements perfectly balanced, and all at the mid-grade—truly a rare find! Child, what is your name?"
"Reporting to the Immortal Master, this lowly one is named Yelin!"
"Good, good, good! Yelin, from this moment on, you are no longer a lowly servant. Your new identity is that of a Taixuan Sect immortal cultivator!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Immortal Master channeled a burst of spiritual energy into the flying boat. A hatch at the bottom opened, and Yelin felt a suction force pull him involuntarily toward the void beneath the vessel. Along with him, the three Lin family children wielding black iron swords were also lifted into the air. The crowd at the Lin residence stood dumbstruck, unable to utter a word. No one had expected that a lowly servant who usually bowed and scraped, accepting beatings and insults without a word, would suddenly step into the immortal gate and become an honored Immortal Master! In the blink of an eye, Yelin had risen above them all. Should he return in the future, even the old patriarch of the Lin family would have to kneel before him.
Yelin had finally shed his status as a servant! His body drifted slowly upward, his eyes looking down at the Lin family with indifference—there was no hatred in his gaze, but no joy either. He then looked up at the sky, at the flying boat that was about to carry him away. He had ascended in a single step; he had succeeded.
The flying boat was about ten yards long and two yards wide, seemingly carved from a single piece of massive wood with no visible joints. On the ground, Yelin hadn't realized how large it was, but upon boarding, he understood his own insignificance. Such a behemoth was a testament to the miraculous techniques of the Taixuan Sect. Yelin’s anticipation for the sect grew even stronger.
In the middle of the boat sat two Taixuan Sect female cultivators. Their hair flowed like waterfalls, and they were dressed in form-fitting light blue Taoist robes. They were quite beautiful and appeared much younger than the Immortal Master in charge of testing; it was impossible to guess their true age. They glanced at Yelin and the three Lin children who had just landed on the deck, their eyes lingering on Yelin’s servant rags with a flash of confusion. It was no wonder—this boat was primarily meant for transporting children from the great clans of Luoyun Prefecture, and Yelin’s threadbare, faded clothes clearly did not fit that profile.
Yelin and the three Lin children bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Immortal Masters!"
The middle-aged cultivator who had conducted the test said, "This boy is named Yelin. He was a servant of the Lin household, but he possesses excellent cultivation talent—all five elements are mid-grade. He is a rare find."
The two female cultivators’ eyes betrayed their surprise, and they could not help but cast another look at Yelin. One of them said, "No need for such formality. In the future, you may call us Senior Sister or Senior Brother. My surname is Zhou, and this is Senior Sister Wu. We are outer sect disciples, while Senior Brother Wang, who brought you here, is an inner sect disciple."
"Senior Sister Zhou, Senior Sister Wu, Senior Brother Wang!" Yelin and the three Lin children greeted them respectfully one by one.
Senior Sister Zhou smiled faintly. "You may move about the flying boat as you wish. We still need to pick up recruits from six other great clans in Luoyun Prefecture before returning to the sect. It will take about a day to reach our destination."
The Taixuan Sect was situated on Mount Taixuan in the Seeking Dragon Mountains, and Luoyun Prefecture was at the foot of those mountains. The distance was not vast. Of course, this was true for the flying boat; if one were to ride a horse capable of traveling a thousand miles a day, it would still take several days to reach the sect from the prefecture.
After speaking, the two female cultivators returned to their meditation. Senior Brother Wang gestured, and the flying boat slowly accelerated, tilting upward toward the clouds. The sound of whistling wind filled the air. Yelin and the three Lin children struggled to balance themselves, eventually walking to the railing and looking down. The entire Lin residence was rapidly shrinking.
As they were about to leave home, tears welled up in Lin Xiaoyu’s clear eyes. "Father, Mother, Great-Grandfather, please take good care of yourselves. Next time I return, I will surely have achieved the Foundation Establishment Realm and will bring you a surprise!"
***
Although it took only a day for the flying boat to reach Luoyun Prefecture from the Taixuan Sect, once one entered the sect, they were expected to sever ties with the mortal world and focus entirely on cultivation. Without special circumstances, the sect did not allow disciples to return home. Yelin had seen many Lin family children pass the test and leave, never to return, not even sending a single letter. No one knew what their cultivation levels were, whether they had truly severed their mortal attachments, or even if they were still alive. It was said that only by reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm could one possess a limited degree of freedom, and Yelin and his companions had not yet even entered the Qi Condensation Realm. The gap between the Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment realms was as vast as heaven and earth; one in a hundred rarely made it.
Lin Yuan and Lin Xiang clenched their fists, their eyes reddened as they fought back tears. Yelin looked toward the dwindling Lin residence with a complex expression, gritting his teeth, his face unreadable. That place was the cage where his ancestors had lived... where his father, mother, and all his forebears were buried.
Before long, the boat disappeared into the clouds. The Lin residence was completely obscured by white mist, and the flying boat began to cruise steadily through a sea of clouds.
The former young mistress of the Lin family—a person Yelin had once been unable to even look up to—now focused her gaze on him. Her expression held both curiosity and a touch of anxiety. Lin Xiaoyu bit her lip, hesitated for a long time, and finally gathered the courage to speak. "Yelin, I know people in the Lin house were not good to you before. In the future... in the future, I will try my best to take care of you and make amends. Once we enter the immortal gate, the mortal world is severed. I don't expect you to help us, but I hope you hold no resentment toward my brother and me... If you want to hate anyone, hate me."
"We are no longer the young master and mistress of the Lin family. We are all fellow disciples now, equal in status. Everyone gets a fresh start."
As the daughter of a great family, Lin Xiaoyu had been well-educated; she was sharp and understood much.
Yelin replied calmly, "Young Mistress, young masters, I do not resent you. It would be meaningless."
Yelin was not lying. His father had taught him to distinguish between kindness and enmity. The weak would be bullied everywhere—a truth Yelin had understood long ago. If he had the chance in the future, he would certainly not spare the steward who starved his grandfather to death, the servants who beat his parents, or the patriarch who turned a blind eye to the cruelty of his subordinates. But in his daily life, Yelin had been of such low status that he had never served Lin Xiaoyu, Lin Yuan, or Lin Xiang. He had no interaction with them, and they were not the administrators of the house; he had no reason to hate them. There were bad people in the Lin family, but also kind ones. He could not kill hundreds of people just because of the actions of a few. Furthermore, the Taixuan Sect, as a righteous sect, would not tolerate such a thing.
Lin Xiaoyu offered a sweet smile. "Thank you for your understanding. This black iron sword is for you—a small token of compensation." As she spoke, she handed over the black iron sword, worth a thousand taels of gold, without hesitation.
Yelin was stunned. He looked at Lin Xiaoyu with surprise, and Lin Yuan and Lin Xiang were equally astonished.
Lin Xiaoyu added, "Don't be polite with me. I have an older brother and sister in the sect. I hear my sister’s talent is excellent and she is already an inner sect disciple. We have always been close, and I am certain she will gift me an immortal blade when we arrive, so I won't need this one. Also, there is something you may not know: once formally initiated, all servant disciples can receive a black iron sword, but those are mass-produced and contain far less black iron than the ones our family’s elite blacksmiths forge."
Yelin glanced at the sword but did not accept it. He said coolly, "I do not accept rewards without merit. I do not hate you, nor will I accept your gifts. If I need one in the future, I will save my own money to buy one."
Yelin did covet the sharp black iron sword; he had dreamed of owning one. In his mind, martial arts heroes, wandering cultivators, and court generals all carried swords, and those who held such weapons were invariably majestic. As a lowly servant, being majestic and respected had always been his dream. He desired it intensely, but he had his own principles. Especially since shedding his status as a servant, his mindset had undergone a sea change. He would no longer accept charity or gifts from people he was not close to. To take it would be to owe Lin Xiaoyu a favor, and he couldn't reconcile that with the path he needed to take regarding his grandfather’s death.
Lin Xiaoyu smiled awkwardly and withdrew the sword.
Yelin had no further intention to speak with her. He found an empty corner, sat cross-legged, and began to practice his breathing technique.
Lin Yuan snorted coldly under his breath. "The man is of lowly status, yet his arrogance is immense. In the past, I would have had the servants break his legs. Sister Xiaoyu, there is no need to curry favor with him. In the future, I will surely achieve a mid-grade Spiritual Root and become an outer sect disciple, leaving his cultivation in the dust!"
Lin Xiang whispered, "Brother Lin Yuan, don't be angry. Perhaps you don't know, but I heard his parents were beaten by servants and died of illness not long after. He lost his parents at ten and had to do dirty, exhausting work day and night. He is quite pitiable..."
Lin Xiang was silenced by a fierce glare from Lin Yuan. Lin Xiaoyu sighed slightly. "It seems I will have to find another way to compensate him later..."
Scattered across the deck were twenty or thirty other children in ornate clothing. They were children of other great families in Luoyun Prefecture, some also holding black iron swords forged by their own clans. They were all excited, filled with expectations for the future. Seeing that the boat was steady, some children familiar with the Lin family began to greet Lin Xiaoyu’s group. Lin Xiaoyu was naturally intelligent and beautiful, with a rare mid-grade Spiritual Root; her future was boundless. She soon mingled with them, excitedly discussing their longing for the Taixuan Sect and their dreams of becoming immortals.
Several people approached Yelin to chat as well. After all, his Spiritual Root quality was rare, and even the inner sect elder in charge of testing had praised him. In the past, they wouldn't have even glanced at him, but now they were interested in making connections. However, Yelin declined their invitations, citing his need to focus on cultivation. After becoming an orphan, he had only been close to his pockmarked roommate, Wang Er. Consequently, he was socially inept and genuinely a solitary person. Compared to interacting with people, he found interacting with insects to be far more relaxing and pleasant.
***
Half a day passed quickly. During this time, the flying boat stopped and started, picking up children with Spiritual Roots from six other great clans in Luoyun Prefecture, bringing the total to thirty-seven children. With an announcement from the two female cultivators, the boat officially turned back, heading straight for the Taixuan Sect that the children yearned for.
Unfortunately, the weather took a turn. Shortly after leaving Luoyun Prefecture and entering an uninhabited mountain range, a fierce wind began to howl, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Soon, a torrential downpour began, soaking everyone on board. However, this rain could not dampen the children’s enthusiasm; they straightened their clothes and hair while chattering away about the tales of the cultivation world they had heard from their elders.
The flying boat was protected by formations and generally not susceptible to lightning strikes, but for safety, Senior Brother Wang ordered the boat to fly a hundred meters above the ground, slowing its speed.
Yelin, who had been meditating through the storm, suddenly opened his eyes.
*Buzz, buzz, buzz...*
He could clearly feel the insects in the sky suddenly becoming extremely uneasy.
*Boom!*
A bolt of lightning tore through the sky, suddenly plummeting downward and striking violently at the flying boat!
***
Seeing the thunderbolt fall from the sky, Senior Brother Wang’s expression shifted. Even though the flying boat was sturdy, the power of lightning was not to be underestimated—it was, if anything, stronger than immortal spells. He furrowed his brows and waved his hand, channeling spiritual energy into the deck. Instantly, the formation at the bottom of the boat activated, and a translucent barrier enveloped the entire vessel.
*Boom!*
Everyone felt as if the world had turned blindingly white, their sight temporarily obliterated. Electric snakes crawled all over the hull, and the boat began to shake violently, though after a few breaths, it stabilized.
Senior Brother Wang let out a small breath of relief. The two outer sect female cultivators looked pale, while the boys and girls on the deck were screaming in terror, shivering under the impact of the lightning.
Yelin quickly regained his vision.
Senior Brother Wang muttered, "That shouldn't be... Every flying boat is inscribed with a lightning-repelling formation. Even in a thunderstorm, it is difficult to be targeted."
"Perhaps... we just have bad luck?" Senior Sister Wu forced a smile.
No sooner had she spoken than another bolt of electric lightning descended from the sky. The target, once again, was the flying boat!
Senior Brother Wang’s expression changed completely. "No! Quickly, send the Taixuan Talisman for reinforcements!" He gritted his teeth and channeled more spiritual energy into the boat. The shield had just condensed when a deafening, earth-shaking roar erupted.
This time, Yelin had closed his eyes in advance, but the light of the lightning was so intense that even with his eyes shut, he felt a stinging glare. Just as Yelin closed his eyes, Senior Sister Wu slapped her storage pouch, and a glowing gold talisman flew out.
"Taixuan Sect Escort Boat Number Five is under unknown attack! Righteous cultivators in the vicinity, come to our aid at once! Go!"
*Whoosh!*
The Taixuan Talisman transformed into a streak of golden light, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
The flying boat began to shake violently again. This time, they were not so lucky. Amidst the tremors, the boat became uncontrollable and began to plummet toward the ground.
*Boom!*
At that moment, everyone heard a series of intense explosions. The explosions were coming from the bottom of the ship.
*Crack!*
Suddenly, the boat split into seven or eight pieces right in the middle. Yelin’s face went pale as he gripped the railing, falling rapidly toward the ground. Fortunately, the altitude wasn't great. With Yelin’s current physical toughness and the dense forest below, he might not suffer fatal injuries.
*Thud!*
The fragment of the boat Yelin was on slammed into a large banyan tree. The trunk couldn't withstand the violent impact and shattered, collapsing to the ground. Yelin, his head ringing, felt agonizing pain all over; his body was punctured by branches in several places, and his bones felt as if they were being rattled apart. It took more than ten breaths before he crawled out from the wreckage.
"What on earth is happening!" Yelin was terrified, his face ashen.
Just then, he heard a piercing, manic laugh.
"Hahaha! What a fine crop of children! Quickly, snatch up all the ones who aren't dead! They are perfect seeds for corpse puppets, cauldrons, and servants!"
"We must thank the Taixuan Sect for sending us such a generous gift this time!"
"Those hypocrites at the Taixuan Sect have lived in comfort for too long. For such an important task as escorting disciples, they didn't even send a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"
"They wanted to send one, but the Taixuan Sect has been weak for hundreds of years—do they have enough Foundation Establishment cultivators to spare? Aren't they afraid we in the Taixuan Demonic Path would raid their home base?"
"Ooh~ look at these pretty outer sect female cultivators, out running the world at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation! Hehe... don't bother trying to kill yourselves, we already anticipated that trick from you righteous women!"
The scene had devolved into utter chaos. The screams and wailing of children, the maniacal laughter of the demonic sect members, the thunder and lightning in the sky, and the pouring rain all merged into a single, terrifying sound.
Yelin was gripped by horror. "They are members of the Demonic Sect!"
Even a three-year-old knew that those of the Demonic Sect killed without blinking and stopped at nothing.
*Run!*
It was clear that the three Taixuan Sect cultivators were already defeated, their ability to resist shattered by the ambush. As for the dozens of children, they were not even cultivators; even with black iron swords, they were no match for these ruthless demons.
Yelin was determined not to be captured by the demonic cultivators to become a corpse puppet or a cauldron...