Vân Sái Mountain, located in Donggang, was a declining sect, one of six minor sects belonging to a lesser branch of the Jianri Sect.
Vân Sái Mountain was a very small sect, covering an area of 2,000 square meters and home to approximately 80,000 people. In Donggang, even sects possessing a minuscule amount of the Blood Ancestor's Treasure were said to be countless.
Despite this, to mortals, Vân Sái Mountain was still a lofty, superior sect, like stars in the sky they could never reach. In their eyes, Vân Sái Mountain was a place for Cultivators, or, in other words, a place where Immortals lived.
Today, Vân Sái Mountain was holding a special recruitment drive. Right below its gates, a long line of people stood waiting to join the sect. Most of those in line were children aged 10 or younger, with only a scattered few older individuals waiting.
Vân Sái Mountain had suddenly opened its doors for recruitment today. As long as one resided within their managed territory, even a mortal could come to register and join the sect.
"Next!"
Three Vân Sái Mountain cultivators were in charge of this recruitment drive: two disciples and a Hall Master. The two disciples were tasked with receiving the recruits, while the Hall Master handled the questioning and made all final decisions. This Hall Master's surname was Zhang; everyone called him Hall Master Zhang.
Hall Master Zhang's cultivation wasn't particularly high; frankly, in Donggang, in terms of strength, he was nothing special. But to mortals, it was different. In their eyes, he was like an Immortal from another world, a place they could never reach.
Hall Master Zhang didn't pay much attention, mostly keeping his eyes closed as if he were sleeping. Only when he detected someone with good aptitude would he open his eyes and make arrangements.
To determine a person's aptitude, whether good or bad, they were required to offer a drop of blood for verification. One disciple would call their name, they would step forward, and the other disciple would take their blood for verification. Everyone was required to do this, regardless of age. Therefore, when it was the children's turn to have their blood taken, despite the pain, they didn't cry out at all. The taken blood would then be dripped onto a stele.
On the stele was an item called the Immortal Tablet, which helped sects identify a person's aptitude, talent, and bloodline. The blood dripped onto the stele and flowed towards the Immortal Tablet, where extremely beautiful patterns were etched. In an instant, the patterns turned crimson, and at the same time, the stele glowed. Suddenly, a pale yellow Flying Cicada appeared on the stele.
"A Golden Cicada Life Soul, inheriting a Spiritual Pond Core, and furthermore, a Heavenly Dew Bloodline—a rare bloodline!" announced the disciple in charge of blood testing.
Upon hearing the disciple's announcement, everyone, including the Vân Sái Mountain disciples who had come to watch, couldn't help but be astonished.
"A Heavenly Dew Bloodline! This child's ancestors must have been someone of great background!" a Vân Sái Mountain disciple exclaimed in astonishment.
Having gained someone with such talent, Hall Master Zhang naturally immediately assigned that person to Vân Sái Mountain, the area reserved for disciples with outstanding talent. In other words, this person—no, this new disciple—would certainly become a key focus of their cultivation efforts.
Many of the children present here admired the new disciple, believing that with such a bloodline, they would undoubtedly become a key figure nurtured by Mount Vân Sái.
"Valley Bird Soul-Fate, no inherited Spirit Core, Profound Gate Bloodline," the blood-testing disciple announced.
Upon hearing the blood-testing disciple's announcement, the child's spirits plummeted. The Mount Vân Sái disciple seemed to understand what the child was thinking and immediately said:
"Are you willing to become an Alchemist? If so, you may stay."
The Profound Gate Bloodline was the weakest of all bloodlines. In other words, this child's ancestor was once a cultivator, but merely a low-ranking one whose highest cultivation realm was the Profound Gate Realm. This was why the child inherited the Profound Gate Bloodline.
Hearing the disciple's words, the child's mood suddenly improved, their gloomy face brightening with joy. Unable to contain their excitement, they immediately nodded in agreement. Even the child's parents were pleasantly surprised, shedding tears of joy. Although their child wouldn't become a Mount Vân Sái disciple, at least they would become an Alchemist, which could change their family's destiny.
"Azure Soul-Fate, no inherited Spirit Core, Primordial Bloodline. Failed," the blood-testing disciple announced, dismissing the child without hesitation.
For a cultivator, Soul-Fate and Bloodline were the most important, followed by Spirit Core. This was because Soul-Fate determined one's Dao root, and Bloodline determined one's innate talent. If neither of these two met the requirements, then no matter how good the Spirit Core was, one would still fail.
One by one, other children came up for the blood test. Some rejoiced, while others grieved.
The selection process for new disciples was brutal. Soul-Fate was what determined one's destiny. Bloodline was inherited from one's ancestors, and so was Spirit Core. Only Soul-Fate was innate.
Standing in the queue was a child, around fifteen or sixteen years old, with an utterly ordinary face and build. If he were to blend into a crowd, no one would pay him any mind. What was peculiar, however, was his extreme calm. Compared to the childish and innocent faces of the other children, this one appeared far more mature. Compared to the other children, who were curious, excited, or nervous, he seemed utterly normal, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
He calmly and silently watched parents and children rejoice over their successful selection, and families grieve, sobbing softly over their rejection. He remained unmoved, without a trace of emotion. And rightly so, for he had no parents. In other words, he was alone. His name was Yến Thập Tam.
"Next!" the disciple called out.
Yến Thập Tam stepped forward, looking at Hall Master Trương, who had his eyes closed, and said:
"I..."
"Hurry up, hurry up! Whatever you want to say, wait until the blood test is done." The Mount Vân Sái disciple, losing his patience, waved his hand, not giving Yến Thập Tam a chance to speak. He grabbed Yến Thập Tam's hand and began to draw blood.
This couldn't be blamed on the Mount Vân Sái disciple. Throughout the day, they had already drawn blood from over a thousand children. Who wouldn't get tired of doing the same thing over and over again?
When his blood was drawn, Yến Thập Tam didn't cry out, grit his teeth, or even frown in pain. His expression was so utterly calm that it couldn't help but surprise the blood-testing disciple.
The stele glowed, and on the Immortal Tablet, a Hôi Sắc Cáp appeared—in other words, a dying frog, one that could perish at any moment, even from a gentle breeze. Its Lĩnh Tâm was also Grey and Colorless.
“A Frog-Sick Life Soul, Primordial Lĩnh Tâm, Primordial Bloodline!” The disciple from Vân Sái Sơn couldn't help but glance at Yến Thập Tam as he announced.
“What kind of person is this? Not only is his Life Soul weak, but it's also a dying frog, one that could kick the bucket at any moment! His Dao Root is too poor! Even if we overlook his poor Dao Root, letting him cultivate Immortal Scriptures would be useless, only making things harder for him. What's more, his Life Soul and Bloodline are Primordial! He hasn't even inherited any Lĩnh Tâm!” This Vân Sái Sơn disciple observed for a moment before speaking.
“Haha, his ancestors must have been dirt-poor, generations upon generations of paupers, which is why his descendants turned out like this. Commoners truly are different!” Many Vân Sái Sơn disciples laughed, shaking their heads, some even guffawing as they said:
“With a Dao Root and Bloodline like that, even if we let him into the sect as a servant, we might not even need him!”
A wave of mocking laughter erupted. Even the children who had come to seek entry into the sect cast disdainful glances at Yến Thập Tam. After all, most of these children had ancestors who had cultivated to some extent, and compared to them, Yến Thập Tam was truly inferior, so it was no wonder they looked down on him.
“I haven't come to seek a master,” Yến Thập Tam said, shaking his head.
“I'm here to find Hall Master Zhang.”
Yến Thập Tam remained utterly calm in the face of these whispers and jeers, not taking them to heart. He had encountered such situations many times before, so he didn't blame them.
“What is it?”
At this moment, Hall Master Zhang opened his eyes and looked at Yến Thập Tam strangely. To be frank, he didn't know Yến Thập Tam at all.
Yến Thập Tam stepped forward, cupped his hands, bowed, and said:
“Greetings, Senior. I am Thập Tam, from Yến Village. I've come to pay my respects to Senior.”
“Ah, so you're Brother Yến's child? Come, come, follow me,” Hall Master Zhang immediately said upon hearing this.
The other children couldn't help but feel envious and jealous upon hearing this. An older child, hearing this, snorted with jealousy and disdain:
“Hmph, how shameless, relying on connections to enter the sect!”
“Exactly, with such trashy Life Soul and Bloodline, even the lowest-ranked sect wouldn't accept him, unless he relied on connections.”
Yến Thập Tam followed Hall Master Zhang into a room. The Hall Master sat in his seat, looked at him, and said:
“Child, what business do you have with me?”
“I wish to ask Senior Zhang about the burial place of my foster father,” Yến Thập Tam replied.
“About that...” Hall Master Zhang frowned, then said thoughtfully.
Seeing Hall Master Zhang hesitate and not speak, Yến Thập Tam immediately said:
“Senior, I've been traveling for two or three years now, searching for my foster father. I've been to every place I know of, and Senior, you are my last hope. From what I understand, my foster father came here once three years ago.”
Hall Master Zhang looked at Yến Thập Tam and said:
“If I knew, I would certainly tell you. I wouldn't hide anything from you, but truthfully, I don't know where he is buried. As you said, your foster father did come to me once three years ago, but he merely came to ask me a question. After he asked, he left immediately, and he didn't even say where he was going.”
"Is that really it?" Hearing this, Yan Shisan couldn't help but feel disappointed. He had been searching for a very long time, and this trip to Yunshai Mountain, he had hoped to uncover some information. But who would have thought the outcome would be like this?
Seeing Yan Shisan's disappointment, Hall Master Zhang pondered for a moment before speaking:
"It's true that Brother Yan and I have a connection, but it's not a profound one. I merely owe him a favor. I don't know Brother Yan very well myself. I heard that four years ago, he took you in as his adopted son, and I only learned about that later. However, I don't know if you're aware, but Brother Yan rarely stays in one place for long. He's always out and about."
"My child, from what I can tell, Brother Yan seems to be searching for something." Hall Master Zhang pondered for a moment longer before continuing:
"If you want to find Brother Yan, I'll give you a piece of advice: it won't be too late to search for him once you become stronger."
"Senior, what do you mean by that?" Yan Shisan was taken aback.
Hall Master Zhang said:
"Last time, Brother Yan came to my place to inquire about something. From what I can guess, it's possible he has gone to an extremely dangerous place."
"Where?!" Yan Shisan hastily asked.
Hall Master Zhang shook his head and said:
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you. Listen to my advice: wait until you are strong, then come back and ask me; it won't be too late. Otherwise, if I tell you now, it will lead to your death! If you are willing to stay, one day I will recommend you to become an inner disciple. Once you achieve success in the Great Dao, it won't be too late to go find your adopted father."
"Thank you, Senior." Yan Shisan pondered for a long time, but ultimately shook his head, refusing Hall Master Zhang's offer.
Hall Master Zhang did not try to persuade him further. Having no other choice, Yan Shisan had to leave Yunshai Mountain and return to Yan Manor.