Chapter 2 Doubting Life Before a Rock

The so-called Inquiry Heavenly Stone was a curious rock placed in the center of the high platform.

It appeared to be about three feet tall, half green and half yellow, resembling jade. In reality, it was a 'Magic Artifact' that had been refined.

One by one, children ascended the platform, surrounded by their anxious parents waiting below.

If these children were admitted into the Immortal Dynasty for cultivation, not only could they transcend the mortal realm and join the ranks of enviable Immortals, blessing them with longevity and prosperity, but they could also extend their blessings to their families and neighbors.

But today, for some reason, the light emitted by the Inquiry Heavenly Stone reached a height of only three or four inches at most and was mostly shades of green and blue.

Six stone chairs were set up behind the platform, with two white-haired elders in the center and two middle-aged men and women on either side, all with Taoist buns and dressed in simple long robes and skirts.

—They were envoys from the Immortal Dynasty.

Li Ping'an stood obediently in line.

Li Dazhi had someone bring a wooden chair to the very front of the crowd where he sat calmly; behind him stood several strong men clad in short blue shirts, all protectors from the Li family.

After waiting for almost two and a half hours, all the children in front of Li Ping'an had taken their turn.

Not one had caused the Inquiry Heavenly Stone to glow a foot in brightness.

The representatives from the Immortal Dynasty had seen this situation before and showed no particular reaction.

A Daoist boy on the platform then called out:

"Li Ping'an, please step forward."

Li Ping'an took a deep breath, stepped forward, greeted the Daoist boy with a bow, lifted the hem of his blue silk robe, and climbed the steps to the platform.

Upon reaching the platform, Li Ping'an bowed deeply to the elderly Immortals in the center, then respectfully to the cultivators on both sides.

—As an adult, he couldn't behave like the children, and it was always right to show more courtesy.

The two elders exchanged glances, each revealing a slight smile.

The Daoist boy beside him reminded, "Li Ping'an, you just need to place your hand on the Inquiry Heavenly Stone."

Li Ping'an nodded slightly and pressed his hand against the front of the strange rock, calming his mind and focusing intently.

Li Dazhi below could no longer sit still and stood up, frowning as he watched.

Though Li Dazhi knew in his heart that Master Chen had already secured a connection for his son, he couldn't help feeling nervous at such a critical moment.

Suddenly, a beam of purple light shot out from the Inquiry Heavenly Stone!

The purple light soared up to more than a zhang high, with the phantom of a green tree appearing above it.

The two elders showed a flicker of emotion and then a look of regret.

The surrounding people immediately started praising loudly. Though they did not understand what the purple light and green tree signified, they could see that the young master from the Li family was extraordinary.

Several who had previously belittled Li Ping'an now had pale faces.

"Fellow Daoist, you may withdraw your hand now," the Daoist boy said softly.

Li Ping'an withdrew his hand, pursing his lips and frowning, as he silently looked towards the two elders.

The elder with white beard and eyebrows on the left spoke slowly, "Indeed, your innate ability is superior and you are eligible to join our Immortal Dynasty. However... your name is Li Ping'an, correct?"

Li Ping'an calmly bowed, "Please, enlighten me."

The elder sighed:

"It's a pity that you were not discovered by our Immortal Dynasty in your youth, and missed an opportunity to become an Immortal.

"Such is life, such is destiny.

"Your Five Elements Spiritual Root is predominantly wood, yet you lack the earth element, showing signs of an unstable and floating Spiritual Root... This is not the ideal constitution for cultivation.

"At your current age, the innate essence you were born with has already dissipated. Observing the chaos in your brow, it seems you have lost your prime essence. While you can still pursue cultivation, the difficulty will be significant, and the effort may be in vain.

"Furthermore, your life's fortune is only above average. While your destiny is not bad, it's not enough to make up for your current shortcomings.

"Consider well for yourself. There are rules within our sect. If you join us and fail to achieve anything, you will be unable to leave the mountain and wander the world. If your elders are still living, it might be better to stay in the mortal realm to fulfill your filial duties. After a hundred years have passed for your parents, going to the mountain to cultivate will make little difference compared to going now."

Li Ping'an's brow furrowed slightly as he contemplated deeply and turned to look below the platform.

"Go on, go cultivate to become an Immortal!"

Li Dazhi waved his hand anxiously:

"With such a big family business we have built, what is a little hardship to me?"

Li Ping'an turned back and sighed, "Disciple... wishes to wholeheartedly pursue the Daoist path!"

"Good," the two elders nodded at the same time, "Come this way."

Li Ping'an turned to his father, his nose slightly tingling, as the image of his father sending him off to school appeared before his eyes.

It had been the same in this life as in the past.

A man should not be too indecisive.

He must strive in his cultivation, giving himself a fifteen-year deadline. If he truly was not suited for cultivation, he would decisively give up and apply to become an external disciple in the mortal realm, returning to accompany his father through the last stage of life.

Li Ping'an bowed deeply to his father with folded hands.

"Hey, why all this formality? You're making me sentimental," said Li Dazhi as he lifted his hand to pinch his nose:

"If you can become an Immortal, then go. What's so great about cultivating to become an Immortal? You can fly around and live forever."

The surrounding people congratulated with bowed hands.

The Daoist boy stepped forward again, shouting, "Li Dazhi, please step forward."

"I'm also being tested?"

Li Dazhi stood up, grinning sheepishly:

"Look at me, I just came to register my kid, afraid he'd be too embarrassed. I am already over fifty this year."

The Daoist boy spoke meticulously, "Do you despise the Immortal Sect, sir?"

"Far from it, far from it! Everyone, here I go, making a fool of myself!"

Li Dazhi hurriedly clasped his hands in salute, thanking the surrounding crowd while he chuckled and climbed the stone steps to reach the high platform.

His body was somewhat corpulent, and having neglected exercise for a long time, his movements were somewhat comical.

But the locals dared not mock him openly anymore.

As the young master of the Li family had begun to cultivate at the Immortal Sect, the Li family's position in Wan'an City was now unshakably solid; even officials from the Immortal Dynasty court would show deference.

Li Dazhi clasped his hands in thanks all around, performing a circuit of bows, and two middle-aged Daoists cast impatient glances at him.

Merchants are the most shrewd and cunning, their wily faces causing discomfort to the Daoist hearts of the onlookers.

The Daoist boy urged, "Please lift your hand."

"All right," Li Dazhi said with a smile, resting his left hand on the Inquiry Heavenly Stone.

The Inquiry Heavenly Stone was quiet and still.

"Is that it?" Li Dazhi muttered, perplexed. "Don't I even emit a bit of light?"

The Daoist boy immediately looked puzzled, and two elderly men beside him also looked over curiously.

"Dad," Li Ping'an whispered, "did you press the wrong spot?"

"Eh, let's just leave it at that; at least I gave it a try."

Li Dazhi retrieved his hand with a chuckle.

He turned to look at his son, and myriad emotions condensed into his words:

"Ping'an, take good care of yourself. Don't try to act tough or get into fights, stay calm and courteous when you face issues. Suffering a bit is nothing, enduring loss is a blessing, you must take good care of yourself."

Li Ping'an's eyes reflected a hint of reluctance, yet he refused to show any trace of weakness.

"Mhm, Dad, I'll remember all that."

"That's my boy, I'll be heading back then..."

Crack!

A cracking sound came from behind Li Dazhi.

Li Ping'an suddenly widened his eyes!

What was that noise?

Li Dazhi turned around and instinctively shivered.

Dense, web-like cracks had appeared on the Inquiry Heavenly Stone, and within those cracks, a thick and intense golden light seemed about to burst forth!

In the next instant!

The golden light shattered the stone!

The outer layer of the Inquiry Heavenly Stone exploded suddenly, and a beam of golden light shot straight up into the sky!

Inside and outside the city, soldiers on guard, porters on their way, graceful women, children in bellybands – all raised their heads to look!

On the ground and beneath the clouds, those passing by Wan'an City on the paths of the Kun Path, the wrath of reversed Yin and Yang, all probed with their Spiritual Sense!

The golden light dyed a cloud gold, which then slowly churned and coalesced into the image of a Flesh Ganoderma.

The two elder Immortals from the sect stood up abruptly!

The four junior members gaped, dumbstruck, unable to speak!

"A congratulatory cloud, the manifestation of a congratulatory cloud for a mortal! This is supreme fortune, truly supreme fortune!"

"Golden light bursts forth! The Five Elements are complete! A command of ten thousand stars in gold! This! This is the potential of a Heavenly Immortal! No, this could even be the potential of a Golden Immortal!"

"Whaaaat?"

Li Dazhi swore loudly, disbelieving the scene before his eyes.

However, before he could react, the two old men suddenly stepped forward, grabbed him by the shoulders, one on each side.

"Quickly! We must take this child back to the sect immediately!"

The Daoist boy spread his arms and soared into the sky, transforming into a white crane with a wingspan of over thirty feet. The two elderly men and the four middle-aged Daoists swiftly landed on the back of the crane, which flapped its wings and whipped up a huge gust of wind, sending the people below swaying from side to side.

As the wind died down, there wasn't a trace of the white crane left to be seen.

Wait a minute, did the Immortals forget something...

Li Ping'an stood frowning in the corner of the high platform, looked up at the sky, then down at his feet.

He gently jumped a few times, then pinched the back of his hand.

His father possessed supreme destiny, the highest potential? Did that mean his father's chances of becoming an Immortal were greater than his own?

Li Ping'an was first elated, but then he started kicking and stamping in frustration.

No!

He hadn't boarded the crane!

He hadn't boarded the crane yet!

Luckily, a green light flashed across the sky as a middle-aged female Daoist flew back on her sword, grabbed Li Ping'an's arm, and whisked him away towards the northwest, piercing the sky.

The wind roared in his ears, they were moving too fast; Li Ping'an felt short of breath, his chest tight, and his vision darkened as he passed out.

...

[PS: New book, please collect!]

Special thanks to '倾丨城', '轻绫絮散', '沉迷自走棋ing', '半步咸鱼', '初辞是谁不重要', '难忘的BGM', '青鹿栖白崖光满挂圆华', '萧月月', '出走八万里', '凡间人' for being the first wave of Alliance Hierarch support! In thanks for the support of the readers, the book starts with an additional chapter! Subsequent chapters will be updated daily at 12 noon.]