Outside, the wind whispered, and the crescent moon hung like a hook.
Inside the room, the bonfire crackled, radiating a bit of warmth. Dong Xiang sat on the threshold, hugging her knees, her small face flushed by the firelight.
She spoke softly, her voice gentle, with a hint of unintentional innocence:
"My name is Dong Xiang. Lu Li, Grandpa said that in the future, you and I will go to Illusion Immortal Sect to Cultivate."
She paused, tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then added:
"I'm a little older than you, twelve this year. In the future... you can call me Elder Sister Dong Xiang."
After speaking, she grinned at Lu Li, revealing a small, off-white canine tooth, like a little fox who had just come down the mountain.
Lu Li sat quietly to the side. Hearing this, he looked up, a perfectly appropriate respectful expression on his face:
"Young Miss Dong Xiang, don't worry. The Immortal has the kindness of collecting my corpse and introducing me to the Immortal Sect... Lu Li will certainly remember it in his heart."
His tone was neither humble nor arrogant, carrying an overly precocious politeness and sense of propriety.
But just as he lowered his head, in the shadow untouched by the firelight, a faint trace of hatred flashed in his eyes.
All of this, from beginning to end—
The old Daoist's so-called "goodwill," "Immortal Opportunity," and "kindness" were nothing but a carefully designed scheme to tame a slave.
He brought people up the mountain for the Corpse Core, Fairy Qiuyue's Storage Pouch, and... his own "controllable Soul Blood" as a cheap Dao Protector servant.
Collecting the corpse was a pretense; saving him was the price.
And now, with a Soul Blood contract and a declaration of master-servant relationship, he was clearly arranged.
The old Daoist beside him seemed extremely satisfied with Lu Li's answer.
He narrowed his eyes, nodded slightly, his tone subtly revealing the pleasure of a "caged bird being obedient":
"Knowing gratitude is good."
"Illusion Immortal Sect is not a place just any cat or dog can enter. The Opportunity you received is something you Cultivated in your previous life."
"You will handle the aftermath clearly, and tomorrow, we will depart."
After speaking, he turned and walked into the darkness with his hands behind his back.
That night, Lu Li did not speak again.
Early the next morning, before dawn, Lu Li alone carried the ashes and the corpse out of the village.
Although the villagers still had reservations, due to the old Daoist's deterrence, someone eventually offered help.
However—their help was not given for free.
Lu Li offered all the remaining few liters of rice and several pieces of dry food from his home to exchange for the strength to bury the corpse.
His elder brother's ashes were buried under an old locust tree behind the old house;
His grandfather's body was buried on a loess slope on the mountainside, facing east, where the morning sun could be seen.
The earth was sealed, the grass was scattered, there was no incense or candles, only Lu Li kowtowed three times, saying nothing.
Looking back again, he was homeless.
In the thin morning mist, Lu Li walked silently behind the old Daoist and Dong Xiang, carrying a worn-out bundle.
He looked at the glow in the sky and quietly told himself in his heart:
"Brother, Grandpa... don't worry."
"I'm going to the Immortal Sect, not for Ascension..."
"They say entering the Immortal Sect is a great Opportunity, a path to heaven, but having seen their methods, beneath the Immortal Sect are only blood and bones."
"The old Daoist kept talking about kindness, but then he extracted my Soul Blood and made me a slave; that Fairy Qiuyue, how is she like an Immortal? She regards human lives as ants, and she caused the death of my elder brother Lu Yuan; she is a Devil Head."
"If this is fate, then I refuse to believe it! If I live, there will always be a day in the future... when I will not leave a single one of these hypocrites."
...
The morning mist had not yet dispersed, and the three of them followed the mountain path into the forest, preparing to go to the Illusion Immortal Sect's registration area.
Xiang'er sat in the old Daoist's arms, looking around excitedly all the way, occasionally turning to look at Lu Li, but not daring to speak.
Lu Li kept his head down, his steps steady, not saying a word.
The old Daoist walked at the very front, with his hands behind his back, and suddenly spoke:
"Although your life is thin, being able to step onto the Immortal path is ultimately your fortune. Since you want to Cultivate Immortality, you must understand this world. Very well, today I will tell you about the structure of this Azure Vast Continent."
Lu Li looked up at his back, not speaking, just listening silently.
The old Daoist's voice was not loud, but in the forest, it sounded like a drum, heavily beating into people's hearts.
"There are countless Cultivators in this world, and Sects stand in great numbers, but only six truly stand at the Peak, known as the 'Six Dao Forces'."
"Three are the Immortal Dao, and three are the Demonic Path, all with a Legacy of thousands of years, standing unyielding."
"The Three Alliances of the Immortal Dao—"
The old Daoist slowly extended three fingers:
"First, Illusion Immortal Sect, one of the Three Immortal Dao, with strict Sect rules and extremely righteous teachings. The atmosphere within the Sect is extremely righteous, extremely pure, and extremely cold."
"Although emotionless, it has thus achieved the flourishing of all methods, abundant resources, and an unbroken Legacy of spells for thousands of years, truly the Peak of the Immortal Dao. People say: If you want to Cultivate spells, enter Illusion Immortal Sect."
"Second, Ascension Immortal Gate, the most prosperous among the various provinces. Its Sect style is elegant, and its Dao lineage is pure, truly embodying the meaning of 'Ascension to Immortality'."
"Its Cultivators have a natural aura, their robes fluttering like Immortals, hence they appear most like an Immortal Sect in the eyes of Mortals. Many provincial governors and noble children consider entering Ascension Immortal Gate an honor."
"However... most Ascension Disciples come from influential families, and the Sect emphasizes clear Legacy, requiring Opportunity to become a Disciple and time to gain methods. A slight mistake makes it difficult to gain a foothold. To put it nicely, it values etiquette and order; to put it bluntly, it is also a faction of indifference."
As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Li, the corner of his mouth slightly curved.
Lu Li's eyes narrowed, and the image of the woman with broken intestines and tongue in the Cave cave that day flashed in his mind.
That woman had clearly been imprisoned as blood food for ten years, and was finally killed by Lu Li when she attempted Possession of Lu Yuan. That old Devil Cultivator once said that she was "Fairy Qiuyue of the Ascension Immortal Gate."
Lu Li lowered his head, his eyes flickering.
The old Daoist smiled without speaking, and continued:
"Third, Limitless Immortal Sect, which places the most importance on Mind-Cultivation Technique, and has the longest Legacy, but its Outer Sect is harsh and extremely exclusive; Disciples without background are useless."
"The Three Sects of the Demonic Path—"
The old Daoist paused slightly, his tone noticeably lower:
"Earth Ghost Gate specializes in cultivating corpse Qi evil methods, excelling at manipulating vengeful spirits and evil spirits, and is an enemy of the Righteous Path of the world."
"Blood Refinement Sect believes in refining treasures from flesh and blood; people's faces change at the mention of it, and its Cultivators all use the blood of living people to forge their bodies, being insane and cruel."
"And finally—"
His tone paused, and his brows also showed a hint of solemnity.
"Reincarnation Hall."
"Rumor has it that there is only one person within it, who is the Sect Master. This person is in an uncertain place in the Nine Provinces, and his whereabouts are mysterious, but he appears once every hundred years, passing down the 'Reincarnation True Words'. Each appearance inevitably stirs up great chaos."
"—These are the Six Sects of the Azure Vast Continent."
After saying this, the old Daoist walked with his hands behind his back for a long time before turning to look at Lu Li:
"The rest are all ants."
"Including my 'Six Yuan Sect', it's just a small Sect, barely able to stand. It can't be presented on a grand stage."
Lu Li still did not speak.
The old Daoist continued:
"However, although my Six Yuan Sect is weak, it has at least produced a good seedling like Xiang'er, which can be considered a blessing from our ancestors."
He stroked Dong Xiang's head with one hand, his tone quite proud:
"Xiang'er possesses the rare second-grade mystic bone, with extremely high Aptitude. If she were born in a large Sect, she would have already secured a true Legacy. Unfortunately, my Six Yuan Sect is unable to Cultivate her, so we can only take advantage of Illusion Immortal Sect's recruitment Opportunity to send her into their Sect."
Dong Xiang said softly: "Grandpa said that as long as I work hard to Cultivate, I can become an Immortal in the future."
The old Daoist "hmm-ed" and then looked at Lu Li:
"And you..."
His expression suddenly became a few shades lighter:
"You are just the lowest grade, a fourth-grade yellow mystic bone. Although stronger than a Mortal bone, it is only the minimum requirement for entry."
"Your Aptitude is not high, and you were not originally among those I would bring in. However, your will is extraordinary, returning from a place like Demon Head Mountain is rare."
His tone paused slightly, his expression showing no praise, but rather a hint of cold scrutiny:
"If you can pass the Illusion Immortal Sect's entrance trial, you can become Xiang'er's official Dao Protector slave. From then on, she Cultivates, you protect; she encounters an enemy, you stand in front."
"If you can't pass..."
His tone suddenly turned colder:
"Then you are useless."
"I naturally won't keep trash to drag me down—and even less will I keep someone who might say what shouldn't be said."
Lu Li finally looked up and met the old Daoist's gaze.
His face was calm, his eyes indifferent, but within that calmness, a faint glint of coldness flashed.
After speaking, he turned and continued walking, no longer speaking.
After a long time, Lu Li lowered his head and murmured softly:
"mystic bones are divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow."
"And I am the lowest, a yellow mystic bone."
He lowered his eyelids, his fingers rubbing the small, split seam on the edge of the cloth bag.
"What if... I am not a yellow mystic bone, but something else?"
He lowered his head and looked at his chest.
The mystic bone hidden in his embrace was still silently emitting a slight warmth.
And just now, when the old Daoist was talking to him, he clearly felt—it subtly pulsed.
Finally, the old Daoist's voice sounded again:
"Besides these four types of mystic bones, there are also some mutated bones that are not orthodox but have miraculous effects."
"Some people have fire hidden in their bones, making them naturally immune to all poisons; some mystic bones can avoid fatal deceptions; and even a very few, though without a grade, can, once activated, rival the power of a heavenly mystic bone."
He paused in his speech:
"However, those kinds of bones... are too rare."
"You are not, and Xiang'er is not. If you truly had such a fate, you would have been snatched away by a Sect long ago."
At this point, he stopped and looked at the sky ahead.
Beyond the distant mountains, a spiritual light emerged from the sea of clouds, and the huge ethereal image of the Sect gate faintly appeared.
—Illusion Immortal Sect, about to arrive.