The next day, at the Sect Master’s Peak of the Proud Sword Sect.
Feeling the soreness throughout his body, Yun Hao slowly opened his eyes.
Where am I?
Yun Hao looked at the layout of the wooden hut around him and sat up. His head felt somewhat dizzy as he tried to figure out where he was. He remembered walking up the stone steps of the sect with Senior Sister Luo Shuiling yesterday, and then he seemed to have passed out from exhaustion.
Recalling the events of the previous day, Yun Hao lowered his head in disappointment. In the end, he still couldn’t make it to the mountain gate on his own strength and ended up troubling his Senior Sister.
Fainted… Senior Sister…
That’s right! Where is Senior Sister?
Yun Hao realized he had been carried into the sect by his Senior Sister. Now that he was awake, she was nowhere to be seen, so he hurriedly stood up.
Rip—
Yun Hao sharply sucked in a breath. He had moved too abruptly and strained his still-unrecovered muscles. A wave of soreness shot straight to his head, making it difficult for him to take even a single step.
Yun Hao let out a silent sigh, his mood sinking to rock bottom. With a body this weak, how could he possibly hope to have any aptitude for cultivation?
Sixteen years of being beaten and ridiculed in the prince’s mansion had left Yun Hao with extremely low self-esteem. He had once dreamed of becoming like the great heroes in storybooks—suffering hardship in his youth but remaining strong and unyielding, eventually receiving guidance from a reclusive expert, mastering powerful martial arts, and roaming the world freely.
But reality was not like that. Endless chores, endless beatings, and endless mockery were Yun Hao’s daily life in the mansion. He wanted to have confidence, but sixteen years of experience wouldn’t allow it.
After wallowing in dejection for a while, Yun Hao pulled himself together. No matter what the final result was, he knew he had to face it. Especially Senior Sister, who had rescued him from slavery and was even willing to guide him onto the immortal path. This kindness was something he had to repay no matter what.
He straightened his clothes. The originally white garment was now somewhat wrinkled from being soaked in sweat the day before, but at least there was no strange odor. From a distance, he still looked presentable.
Creak.
Yun Hao pushed open the somewhat dilapidated wooden door. What greeted him was a flat stretch of land. Looking ahead into the distance, he could see an elegant pavilion. To the right front stood a sweet osmanthus tree. Beneath the tree was a stone table, where Luo Shuiling sat holding a cup of tea, seemingly savoring it with great care. Sitting opposite her was a withered old man. For some reason, Yun Hao always felt that the elder seemed to lack vitality, as if he was barely holding on.
Yun Hao gazed at the graceful figure ahead. After confirming his appearance was neat, he stepped forward.
“Good morning, Senior Sister. Good morning, Senior.”
He then added,
“Thank you for helping me yesterday, Senior Sister. Yun Hao is endlessly grateful.”
After listening to Yun Hao, Luo Shuiling said nothing more. Her beautiful eyes turned toward the old man sitting across from her as she spoke softly,
“I’ll leave Yun Hao to you, Elder Lin.”
She still needed to visit Jiang Shu’er. This morning, her master had sent a voice transmission saying she had found a spiritual spring a few days ago that had some effect on nourishing the soul and immortal foundation, and she wanted Luo Shuiling to come to the back mountain as soon as possible today.
Lin Xian stopped sipping his tea. He glanced at Luo Shuiling, then at Yun Hao, and nodded to indicate he understood.
Luo Shuiling paid no mind to Lin Xian’s attitude. He was a dying man after all—it didn’t matter.
Once she saw that everything was settled, she flew away directly on her sword. Seeing that Luo Shuiling didn’t say a single word to him, Yun Hao’s recently lifted spirits sank a little again. But remembering there was still an old grandfather accompanying him, he forced himself to perk up. He bowed respectfully and asked,
“Elder, what should we do now?”
Lin Xian continued sipping his tea. Only after a moment did he reply,
“You don’t need to do anything. Just stand there properly.”
Yun Hao stood respectfully to the side while Lin Xian slowly sat drinking his tea. The old man and young boy remained quietly under the sweet osmanthus tree for half an hour. Only after Lin Xian had nearly finished the entire pot of tea did he stand up. He walked in front of Yun Hao, raised his right hand, and a stone emitting a faint glow appeared in his palm as he looked at the handsome youth before him.
“Place your hand on it. Calm your mind and imagine slowly channeling your strength into this stone.”
Upon hearing this, Yun Hao gently placed his right hand on the stone.
It was a wonderful feeling—this was Yun Hao’s first impression. The moment his hand touched the stone, all the depression and low spirits in his heart seemed to vanish completely. A comfortable, relaxed feeling welled up from the bottom of his heart. He unconsciously closed his eyes. Something deep within his body seemed to flow slowly along his right hand into the stone. It wasn’t uncomfortable at all. Instead, it felt warm and extremely pleasant. The soreness from yesterday’s overexertion was washed away by this warm current and disappeared. His entire body felt light and buoyant.
Under the sweet osmanthus tree, Lin Xian stared at the increasingly bright Spirit-Testing Stone, growing more and more astonished. He looked at the youth before him. Logically speaking, with such a frail body, he should have suffered from malnutrition since childhood. Even if he had immortal aptitude as a child, it would have gradually faded naturally due to poor nutrition. This had been a rule in the cultivation world for thousands of years.
Yet this youth clearly possessed extremely high talent. While not quite matching Luo Shuiling from nineteen years ago or the personal disciples of the three great elders from over twenty years ago, he was still a natural-born cultivator by the standards of recent years. His aptitude ranked among the very best even within the inner sect disciples.
What a pity.
Lin Xian sighed inwardly. If this youth had come to the Proud Sword Sect a few years earlier, he would have certainly secured a prominent place in the future cultivation world. Unfortunately, he had arrived too late. Though his talent was extremely high, he was already more than twenty years behind Luo Shuiling and the others. The gap was simply too large.
Although a cultivator’s lifespan was extremely long and Yun Hao could eventually reach the Great Vehicle stage in the future, by then the power structure of the Proud Sword Sect would have long been settled. He would only be able to attach himself to one side and would find it difficult to establish his own influence—unless he left the Proud Sword Sect. But would the sect allow that?
Wait… This youth’s talent was so high, and he was currently completely clean. Perhaps he could become that person?
If that were the case, then he could pass on with peace of mind. But this was only speculation for now; nothing was certain. He still had a few months left. He could test the boy properly and see whether he could be entrusted with it. He needed to observe this child’s character and determine if he truly could become that person.
Lin Xian carefully observed Yun Hao before him and thought to himself,
He looks good too—very handsome, with high talent. Perhaps he really is the best candidate.
Yun Hao, with his eyes closed, naturally had no idea what Lin Xian was thinking. At this moment, he only felt that his entire body was warm and extremely comfortable. After a while, the warm current deep within his body slowly faded. Yun Hao opened his eyes, only to find the old elder staring at him intently, which felt a little eerie.
Could it be that my aptitude is terribly bad?! Even this elder finds it so strange that he can’t look away.
At this thought, Yun Hao’s face turned deathly pale, and his body began to sway unsteadily. If he couldn’t cultivate, he really didn’t know what he would do.
“Elder, is my aptitude too poor? Am I unable to cultivate?”
Yun Hao suppressed the despair in his heart and asked Lin Xian with a trace of sorrow.
Lin Xian had been wondering why the youth’s face suddenly turned so pale the moment he opened his eyes. Now, hearing Yun Hao’s words, he understood—he was worried he couldn’t cultivate.
Lin Xian gave Yun Hao a slight smile.
“No. You possess the talent for cultivation. You can step onto the immortal path.”
“R-really?”
Yun Hao could hardly believe it.
“It’s true. You can cultivate. On the path of immortality, you may be able to walk quite far.”
“I can really cultivate… I can really cultivate.”
Hearing Lin Xian’s definite answer, Yun Hao stood frozen in place, his expression dazed. His voice choked with emotion as he murmured,
“Mother, your son can cultivate now. Your son can truly cultivate. He can live a good life on his own now. Mother, if you are watching from heaven, do you know? Your son can finally make something of himself.”
At this moment, Yun Hao felt like crying. The ups and downs of life were truly unpredictable. A few days ago he had been a slave, and now he was stepping onto the immortal path to become a cultivator. If his mother was watching from the heavens, she would surely feel proud of him.
Lin Xian watched the choked-up Yun Hao and listened to his murmured words. He vaguely understood that the youth was someone who greatly valued filial piety. He couldn’t help nodding in satisfaction. A person who valued filial piety would likely not be lacking in other aspects either.
After a while, once Yun Hao’s emotions had calmed down, he straightened his expression and knelt down before Lin Xian in a deep bow of respect.
“Thank you, Elder, for guiding this disciple onto the immortal path. This disciple has nothing to repay you with at the moment and can only offer this gesture of respect to a teacher as thanks.”
“In the future, should Elder have any needs, this disciple will do everything in his power to repay today’s kindness.”
Looking at Yun Hao kneeling before him, Lin Xian felt a wave of emotion. In the past, when disciples learned they had cultivation talent, most would become arrogant and conceited. Even those with better dispositions would often put on airs and display the aloofness of a cultivator. Very few were as genuinely sincere in expressing gratitude as Yun Hao.
Mm. He has a grateful heart. Not bad.
Perhaps because he was nearing the end of his life, Lin Xian’s heart had grown softer. The earlier emotion also made him feel a sense of appreciation toward Yun Hao. He gently helped the kneeling youth to his feet and said with a smile while shaking his head,
“There’s no need. I merely tested the talent you already possessed. It doesn’t count as much.”
“Even so, this disciple should still pay his respects to Elder as a teacher to show his gratitude.”
Although Lin Xian said there was no need to mind it, Yun Hao still believed he should perform this gesture of respect and remember this kindness.
Seeing how insistent Yun Hao was, Lin Xian stopped trying to dissuade him and changed the subject instead.
“You don’t need to call me ‘Elder.’ My surname is Lin. Just call me Elder Lin.”
“Yes, Elder Lin.”
The more Lin Xian looked at Yun Hao, the more he liked the youth. He had a pure heart, strong filial piety, and knew how to be grateful. He was truly a promising talent.
“Where are you from in the mortal world? Are your parents still alive?”
Hearing Lin Xian’s question, Yun Hao looked a little embarrassed. After a moment, he replied,
“In the mortal world, I am from Hua Fu Kingdom. My mother passed away four years ago due to lung disease. As for my father…”
Yun Hao thought for a moment. That man who had never cared about him or his mother, who had allowed others to bully and humiliate them—could he even be considered a proper father?
He shook his head.
“I have no father.”
Lin Xian was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this. Yun Hao had just shown himself to be a highly filial person. Why would he say he had no father?
Yun Hao noticed Lin Xian’s confusion and slowly recounted his life before coming to the Proud Sword Sect.
After listening to Yun Hao’s story, Lin Xian couldn’t help but sigh.
“You really have had a hard life.”
Yun Hao could tell that Lin Xian’s sigh was sincere. However, when he thought of Luo Shuiling, an inexplicable sense of happiness and dependence welled up in his heart. He didn’t quite understand this feeling himself, but he knew one thing—he felt very happy right now.
He looked at Lin Xian and said,
“Elder Lin, perhaps I was very pitiful before. But now, I’ve met Senior Sister and I can cultivate. I feel that I am very happy.”
“Is that so?”
Lin Xian agreed with the first half of Yun Hao’s statement, but the latter part about meeting his Senior Sister made his heart skip a beat. He narrowed his eyes slightly. It seemed he would need to slowly guide this youth and turn his heart back in the right direction.
Just then, a streak of ice-blue sword qi appeared on the horizon. Luo Shuiling was returning.
Harboring his thoughts, Lin Xian slowly walked to the edge of the cliff.
“It’s getting late, and I still have some matters to attend to. Come to my cave residence in fifteen days. I will teach you some things about cultivation.”
Hearing Lin Xian’s words, Yun Hao felt pleasantly surprised. After all, the path of cultivation was long. Having someone to guide him would mean fewer detours.
“This disciple will remember. Please take care, Elder Lin.”
As Lin Xian walked away, he pondered. The youth had made a very good first impression. However, that matter could not be taken lightly. He still needed to test him further. Moreover, it seemed the boy currently had some feelings for Luo Shuiling, which made Lin Xian somewhat anxious. But then he thought of something else and felt slightly reassured. Only then did he fly away on his sword.