The air outside the Immortal Living Pool Mountain turned cold as the sun began its descent behind the mist-veiled peaks. The grand gates of the sect slowly closed, cutting off the last glimpse of the outer world. The trials had ended. The duels had decided. Only 900 remained.
Among those who stood outside, defeated but not broken, was a young boy—his fists clenched, blood still fresh on his lips from the duel that cost him a place among the chosen. His eyes, however, held not sorrow, but silence—one that spoke of pride too strong to cry.
“Let’s go, Grandson… you fought well.” Master Lei Zhen said quietly, placing a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder. His long gray robe billowed in the wind, and his sharp, expressionless eyes were unreadable. He glanced once at the mountain, then turned without looking back.
The woman who came with Lei Zhen and Kent—a slender figure dressed in soft blue silk, her face veiled—watched the boy quietly but didn’t speak a word. Her eyes flickered toward the Living Pool Mountain, lingering for a moment before she too turned and walked inside her chambers on the mountain.
She expected Kent to be eliminated from selection while the grandson of Master Lei Zhen to get selected. But life is always a surprise for everyone.
No words. No promises. Just silence.
And then they were gone.
—-
Inside the Cultivation Chambers
While others were settling into their new lives as disciples, Kent was already several steps ahead.
The moment he received his jade token and stepped into his room, he had shut the doors with finality—as if sealing himself away from the rest of the world. He sat cross-legged atop the glowing purple stone tablet, its veins pulsating with slow, rhythmic waves of life energy. The air around him shimmered, thick with essence.
And he wasn’t alone.
More than thirty of his beast companions, evolved and faithful, were scattered across the chamber. Some sat like statues, some meditated like humans, and others floated slightly above the ground, their bodies absorbing the dense life energy that continuously leaked from the lower depths of the Immortal Pool.
Within minutes, a bubble of energy formed inside the room.
A barrier—thin, translucent, but unbreakable.
Kent’s brows furrowed in deep focus. His breath was silent. His heart slowed. His thoughts faded. He was no longer aware of time, or place, or even his own identity. Only one command echoed through every fiber of his being:
Absorb. Refine. Grow.
Outside, the days passed unnoticed.
Every morning, a servant of the sect would arrive and knock gently on every door.
“Morning duties begin in an hour! Lectures at the Inner Flame Pavilion! Don’t be late!”
But no matter how often they called, Kent never answered.
The servants, at first confused, then annoyed, had grown used to it. After the first week, they stopped expecting a response. After the second, they began treating it like routine.
“Just give it a soft knock and move on,” one of them muttered. “That guy? He’s either dead or cultivating into an immortal in one sitting.”
—-
One Month Later – Sect Enforcement Hall
Elder Xun, head of administrative discipline, sat cross-legged behind a desk of black wood and spirit crystal. Ten servants stood before him, pale with hesitation.
“He’s not responding even now?” the elder asked, his voice flat.
“No, elder. Not even after we banged the door. He’s been completely unresponsive for thirty days.”
The elder sighed and tapped the Keystone Token hanging at his side.
“Use this,” he said. “Unlock his door. But be careful. If he’s truly cultivating that deeply, disturbing him could be dangerous.”
—
Kent’s Room
The servants stood before Kent’s sealed chamber door, holding the glowing token nervously.
“Open it.”
The barrier shimmered as the master key resonated. A low hum echoed as the defensive spell collapsed.
The door creaked open.
A heavy wave of aura exploded outward.
“Ahh!” One servant stumbled backward, clutching his chest. The energy inside was so dense it felt like wading into a spirit ocean.
And then—they saw it.
The beasts—dozens of them—now fully evolved. Their bodies glowed with markings of ancient runes, some with wings, others with crystalized scales. The room pulsed with life.
And at the center—Kent.
He sat on the purple tablet, head bowed, arms resting lightly on his knees. His robes had changed color, stained faintly with traces of glowing purple light.
But the moment a servant stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder—
CRACK!
An explosion of golden lightning burst from Kent’s body.
The servant was hurled backward, crashing into the wall with a groan of pain.
“Ahh!!” he shouted, clutching his chest.
Kent’s eyes snapped open.
Glowing. Golden. Calm.
The room froze.
The beasts stopped absorbing and turned to look at their master.
Kent blinked once, then twice—confused. He looked around as if he had awoken from a long dream.
“…Where… am I?” he muttered.
The servant who had been thrown scrambled to his knees. “D-disciple Kent! P-please forgive me! We had to disturb you because you hadn’t left the room in a month! Your monthly mission—every disciple must complete one!”
Kent frowned. “…Mission?”
“Yes!” the servant nodded quickly. “You’ve been cultivating for a full month without pause! The sect rules require every disciple to complete at least one task every month! You must report to the administration hall!”
Kent stood up slowly, stretching his limbs, cracking his neck. His beasts obediently moved to the sides, opening a path for him.
“…Is it really necessary?” he asked, voice calm but firm.
“Yes, sir.”
Kent’s gaze sharpened. “What’s the point of these missions?”
The servant hesitated, then replied, “You earn Immortal Pool Credits. With them, you can exchange for cultivation resources. Especially… small vials filled with pure essence of the Immortal Living Pool itself.”
Kent’s eyes flared.
“Essence?”
“Yes! Even one drop can help a cultivator move up his cultivation!”
That was all Kent needed to hear.
Without waiting for another word, he brushed past the servants, opened the door wide, and stepped out. His beasts began to vanish one by one into his storage space.
“Lead me to the hall,” he said.
The servant stared for a moment, then bowed deeply.
“Yes, Disciple Kent!”
And just like that, the mountain stirred again—for the one who had been still for a month… was now walking again.