"Uncle Hong... what should I do now?"
Right now, Su Lin was resting in the same place where he had spent the previous night. Tomorrow, he would leave the sect along with the other unselected candidates.
Because of his failure, he remained in deep silence, thinking about everything that had happened and what he should do in the future.
'I failed the test, and they said I have no talent for cultivation. Is this my fate...?'
'And where can I find another sect to try? Maybe I can enter one there.' As Su Lin thought about those things and looked at the ring Uncle Hong had given him, a deep sense of helplessness filled his entire body. Before he could think any further, a familiar voice reached his ears.
"Brother Li, it's me, Chen Hao. Can you come outside? I want to talk to you." When Su Lin lifted his head and looked toward the window, he saw Chen Hao standing outside. After that, he walked outside and went over to where Chen Hao was standing. When he looked at him, he saw that Chen Hao was wearing the same white and black robes as the disciples. As soon as Chen Hao saw Su Lin, he smiled and spoke in a friendly voice,
"Brother Li, how are you?"
The moment Chen Hao saw Su Lin's expression, he felt that his question had been inappropriate.
"Sorry, Brother Li. I shouldn't have asked you that. I came here because I wanted to discuss something with you."
When Su Lin heard Chen Hao's words, he asked in a calm manner,
"What is it, Brother Chen?"
"Brother Li, do you know about cultivation manuals?"
When Chen Hao saw Su Lin's confused expression, he continued,
"It is a book that contains knowledge about immortals and their cultivation. Today, after we became disciples of Heaven's Dao Sect, each of us received one from the library.
Brother Li, although we have only known each other for a short time, because of that time we spent together, I wanted to tell you this." After that, Chen Hao told Su Lin everything about the library and how to get there. He also showed Su Lin his cultivation manual so that he would know what it looked like.
After explaining everything, Chen Hao left the place. As Su Lin pondered Chen Hao's words, a bold idea suddenly came to his mind.
After some time, he headed toward the library, every step filled with caution. An hour later, he arrived at the place Chen Hao had mentioned.
However, as he drew closer, he saw a disciple meditating at the entrance. Seeing this, he began moving toward another side of the library. Right now, Su Lin concealed himself with the surrounding trees and tall grass. When he reached a window, he quietly sneaked inside. After confirming that no one was inside, he jumped into the room and headed toward the bookshelves.
This library could not be considered large because of its location. It was situated in the outer part of the sect and contained only very low-level cultivation methods and manuals.
When Su Lin found what he needed, he picked up the cultivation manual and quietly made his way toward the window. Just as he was about to leave, the library door slowly opened, forcing him to halt in his tracks.
Five figures walked into the library.
Among them were Chen Hao, Hua Lan, the disciple who had been guarding the entrance, and two other selected candidates—one girl and a boy.
"Senior Brother, see? I was right. There really is someone sneaking into the library at night." Hua Lan's expression lit up with excitement. She pointed at Su Lin and spoke in a raised voice to the disciple guarding the library.
The moment Su Lin saw them, he more or less understood what had happened. He turned his gaze toward Chen Hao, but Chen Hao did not dare meet his eyes.
In his nervousness, Su Lin addressed the disciple guarding the library.
"Senior Brother, I can explain wha—"
Before Su Lin could finish speaking, the disciple interrupted him in a loud voice.
"What is there to explain? You tried to steal from the sect in order to become an immortal thats it. Now I will show you why you did not become an immortal... and why I am one." After saying those words, the disciple struck Su Lin across the face with all his strength.
The force of the blow sent Su Lin crashing to the ground. As he lay there, he briefly caught sight of Hua Lan's mocking smile. Before he could react, he felt the disciple grab him by the hair and drag him out of the library. At the same time, the disciple snatched the cultivation manual from Su Lin's hands.
"Take this manual and guard the library. I'll take this brat where he belongs to." On the way, the disciple handed the cultivation manual to Hua Lan before dragging Su Lin out of the library.
The intense pain from being dragged across the ground was something Su Lin could endure, but the humiliation he suffered could not be described in words.
From the day he met Feng Yin until now, Su Lin had known nothing but suffering. First, he lost Uncle Hong. Then he struggled to survive in the forest. After that, he lost his chance to become an immortal. And now, he was enduring a humiliation so profound that it could cut into a person's very soul and drive them mad.
As the disciple took Su Lin away, flying toward an unknown destination, Hua Lan burst into laughter. Her laughter soon drew the other two companions into joining her.
Chen Hao, however, did not laugh with them. He simply stood there, silently watching the direction in which Su Lin had been taken.
Some time later, Su Lin and the disciple arrived at a huge gate. After passing through it, they flew for another half hour before landing in a forest.
The disciple threw Su Lin onto the ground. After giving him a cold glance, he turned around and flew back toward the sect.
Su Lin lay motionless on the ground. After some time leter, he dragged his battered body toward a large stone and leaned his back against it for support.
After thinking about everything that had happened, he silently gazed at the night sky.
"Thank you, Hua Lan... for giving me another reason to become stronger." A faint smile appeared on Su Lin's face. He reached into his robes and took out a cultivation manual.
It was not the same manual the disciple had taken from him, but another one. Su Lin had hidden a second manual inside his robes in case something unexpected happened.
As for now, he had obtained what he wanted.
Inside a cave deep within the forest, a lone figure sat cross-legged on a rock in a meditative state.
That person was none other than Su Lin.
After being cast out by the Heaven's Dao Sect disciple, he had wandered through the forest for two days before discovering this cave. During those two days, he encountered many strange beasts, but each time he narrowly managed to escape.
In the end, he found this cave and chose it as the place where he would begin his cultivation journey.
After some time, Su Lin slowly opened his eyes, a confused expression appearing on his face.
"This is the fifth day, and I'm still unable to sense any spiritual energy. But I'm doing exactly what the manual says." Inside the cave, Su Lin had been trying to sense spiritual energy for five consecutive days, yet he still had not achieved what the cultivation manual described.
The cultivation manual Su Lin had obtained, it contained many details about cultivation that he had never heard before.
According to the manual, immortals cultivated by absorbing the spiritual energy of the world. Using this spiritual energy, they built their foundations and advanced toward higher realms.
However, this manual contained only the Qi Refining stage, the very first stage of cultivation. Even so, it allowed Su Lin to understand many things about how immortals cultivated and how much power a cultivator in the Qi Refining stage possessed.
"In order to cultivate, I first need to sense this so-called spiritual energy and step into the Qi Refining stage. The manual also clearly states that the foundation of a cultivator is established within the dantian, located in the lower abdomen."
After saying that, Su Lin placed his hand over his dantian once again.
Only then did he understand why Elder Sima Tai had placed his hand on every candidate's lower abdomen while examining their talent. Just as Su Lin was about to begin once again, he suddenly felt the ring on his finger—the one Uncle Hong had given him—begin to vibrate.
When Su Lin looked at the ring and noticed its abnormal behavior, confusion immediately filled his face.
"What is happening? Why did it suddenly start vibrating?"
Just as Su Lin was about to examine it more closely, the ring suddenly stopped vibrating. Before he could figure out the reason, an icy voice echoed through the cave.
"Because I'm here."
When Su Lin heard the voice, panic surged through him. He instantly turned toward its source.
The figure before him was a young man about his own age.
He stood tall, silently gazing at Su Lin. His black robe fluttered gently in the wind, while his long black hair reflected the sunlight. His jade-like skin possessed an otherworldly beauty capable of melting the heart of almost any woman.
However, Su Lin paid little attention to his appearance.
Instead, he felt an overwhelming sense of danger emanating from the youth.
It was his eyes.
Those deep black eyes were completely devoid of emotion. As they rested upon Su Lin, they resembled the gaze of an ancient beast, causing his entire body to stiffen in place.
"W-Who... who are you?"