Chapter 1 - The Battle for Immortal Dao

The path to the azure clouds must eventually be reached, and the setting sun rises majestically toward the ninth heaven.

Even if a fierce wind uproots the earth, I will still ride the wind and break through ten thousand miles.

*****

Under the Azure Clouds Mountain, at the foot of the Qingyun Peak.

A faint multicolored glow, with green light being the most prominent, shimmered on the Spirit Testing Stele. The other colors were almost equally dim.

"Five spiritual roots, dominated by wood. Wood root value: five. The other four are slightly lower."

Beside the Spirit Testing Stele, Hong Tao, a stern middle-aged steward of the Tianyan Sect, held the last wooden token in his hand. He frowned as he scrutinized the young girl before him.

Her face was dirty, her body thin as a stick. Sparse, damp yellow hair clung to her forehead. Her hands were covered in blood, her knees torn, and only one straw sandal remained on her feet.

Unlike the others who were brought there by their families, she climbed the Ten Thousand Zhang (1 Zhang ≈ 3.3 meters) Nine Heavens Mountain herself. Though she appeared disheveled, her pitch-black eyes were as brilliant as stars, fixedly staring at the wooden plaque in Hong Tao's hand, which would determine her future destiny.

"How many are left after her?"

"Senior Brother, this is the last one. There were exactly 365 people today."

Upon hearing this, Hong Tao tossed the wooden token in front of the girl. She quickly grabbed it with both hands, but he did not let go.

"Among this batch, there are quite a few with five spiritual roots, but your root values are the worst. Even if you enter the sect, you can only be a menial disciple. You might never even reach Foundation Establishment in your lifetime. Do you understand?"

Jiang Yuebai, only six years old, had never even seen an immortal before. How could she understand what it meant to have poor aptitude, to be a servant disciple, or to never reach Foundation Establishment?

All she knew was that by entering the immortal sect, she would no longer have to endure hunger and cold. She could fly up to the heavens, and that evil woman with the red flower would never be able to send people to drag her back to the brothel again.

She nodded eagerly, clutching the wooden token with all her might, as if it were a lifeline.

When Hong Tao finally let go, Jiang Yuebai fell back onto her bottom. The other children nearby burst into laughter.

Jiang Yuebai didn't feel embarrassed; instead, she grinned, her eyes like crescent moons, especially spirited.

"Stand over there."

Jiang Yuebai scrambled to her feet and stood beside the other children. Noticing that a well-dressed, fair-skinned boy next to her was taller, she immediately straightened her back and stood on her tiptoes, like a sprouting seedling.

The boy glared at her and also straightened his posture, secretly competing with her.

A gentle breeze rustled the bamboo leaves, and the immortal mist on the Ascension Steps shimmered like a dream.

Hong Tao, leading a dozen white-robed disciples, stood at the foot of the Ascension Steps. He surveyed the group of young faces bathed in the twilight glow, full of vitality.

"Spiritual roots are the key to the immortal sect, but what determines whether you can tread the path to the azure clouds is your heart and perseverance—especially perseverance. These are the Ascension Steps, but they are also the Path of the Heart."

"Before sunset, those who reach the ninety-ninth step will enter the inner sect. Those who reach the sixty-sixth step will join the outer sect. The rest will become menial disciples."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Yuebai noticed that all the children had grown tense. She looked innocently at the staircase shrouded in mist, winding like a dragon through the bamboo forest, its end unseen.

"It's just climbing stairs. What's so hard about that?"

The boy next to her sneered, "Idiot!"

Jiang Yuebai frowned, then stood even taller on her tiptoes, now half a head taller than the boy. She pouted triumphantly.

The boy gritted his teeth, continuing to secretly compete by standing taller.

"The Ascension Steps are now open. You may—"

"Wait!"

A streak of light fell in front of everyone, and Jiang Yuebai saw a person flying on a sword for the second time, curiously widening her eyes.

It was an old man with white hair, an immortal demeanor, and he held a proud-looking young girl in his hand.

Seeing the appearance of the young girl, Jiang Yuebai's face turned pale, and she hastily retreated.

Lin Suiwan, the second young miss of the Lin family of Yong'an City, who sold her to a brothel.

As soon as the old man appeared, Hong Tao and the other Tianyan Sect disciples immediately saluted, "Elder Lin."

Lin Xiangtian nodded and brought Lin Suiwan to his side.

"I'm sorry for being late. This is one of my Lin clan descendants. We've only produced this triple Spirit Root after three generations. Hong steward, please add her name to the sect's enrollment roster."

Hong Tao furrowed his brow, "Elder Lin, today we've gathered the exact number of 365 people as stipulated by the Elders. We cannot add any more."

Lin Xiangtian seemed indifferent, "Then deduct one for now. Can't we exchange a triple Spirit Root for a four or five Spirit Root with the worst aptitude?"

Everyone glanced nervously at Jiang Yuebai, and she quickly clutched her wooden plaque.

Hong Tao remained silent, but his junior disciple pointed at Jiang Yuebai.

"That kid has a five Spirit Root."

Before he finished speaking, Hong Tao turned around and glared at him, but it was already too late.

Lin Xiangtian waved his sleeve, and Jiang Yuebai was swept away by a gust of wind, crashing heavily in front of a group of people, and her wooden plaque landed at Lin Suiwan's feet.

Ignoring the pain, Jiang Yuebai grabbed Lin Suiwan's ankle, causing her to yelp and withdraw her foot. Jiang Yuebai then grabbed the wooden plaque and held it to her chest.

"This is my wooden plaque, and I have a Spirit Root. I can cultivate!"

Jiang Yuebai didn't mind the pain and used both hands and feet to rush forward, grabbing her token. Unexpectedly, a foot in deer-skin boots stepped on her hand.

"Why is it you?"

Hearing the voice, everyone looked at Lin Suiwan.

"You recognize her, Suiwan?" Lin Xiangtian asked.

Lin Suiwan's face showed arrogance, "She used to be my maid, but she stole my jewelry, so I sold her."

Jiang Yuebai stubbornly raised her head, "I didn't!"

No one listened to her, and Lin Xiangtian said to Hong Tao, "Steward Hong, don't you see, this child not only has poor aptitude but also has a problematic character. How can she enter Tianyan Sect? It's better to send her down the mountain as early as possible."

Hong Tao remained silent, but he looked at Jiang Yuebai's feet, which were injured from climbing the Ten Thousand Zhang Nine Heavens Mountain.

At this moment, Jiang Yuebai's expression turned resolute. She bit onto Lin Suiwan's ankle, and when Lin Suiwan screamed in pain and retracted her foot, Jiang Yuebai grabbed the token and held it tightly to her chest.

"This is my token; I have a Spirit Root, so I can cultivate!"

She curled up on the ground, using all her strength to protect both herself and the wooden plaque, as if she had practiced this thousands of times.

"I didn't steal your things; I didn't!"

Everyone gave Jiang Yuebai sympathetic glances, but that was all they could do.

Lin Xiangtian sneered, lifted his hand, and with a gentle flick, Jiang Yuebai was sent flying, crashing heavily into a nearby rock. Blood sprayed out, and the token fell to the ground.

Lin Xiangtian hooked his finger, and the token flew into his hand. Seeing the bloodstains on it, he frowned in disgust and used a cleansing spell to restore it to its pristine state.

Jiang Yuebai got up, tears welling in her eyes, along with a deep sense of grievance and fear.

She could protect a bun from ordinary people, but she couldn't protect her token from immortal cultivators.

"Elder Lin, she’s just a naive child. Let’s not delay the Ascension and Heart-Questioning ceremony.."

Hong Tao couldn't help but speak up, and Lin Xiangtian finally softened his aura.

"The Ascension Steps are open. Take your tokens and ascend quickly!"

With Hong Tao's command, all the children tightly held onto their tokens and gradually disappeared up the steps.

Lin Xiangtian handed the token to Lin Suiwan and gently rubbed her head, "Go, the Patriarch is waiting for you in the Tianyan Sect."

Lin Suiwan obediently nodded, and as she passed by Jiang Yuebai, she proudly shook her head, flaunting the token as she ascended the steps.

Lin Xiangtian flew away on his sword, and Hong Tao sighed, walking over to Jiang Yuebai's side.

"In the world of cultivation, talent and cultivation level determine everything. The cruelty you’ve glimpsed today is but a fraction of it. With your aptitude, entering the Tianyan Sect to seek immortality through blood and struggle is no better than living a carefree life in the mortal world for a few decades. Seeing how hard you’ve fought to get here, take this gold and silver, and go back to find a way to make a living."

Jiang Yuebai stared at the small gold bar tossed in front of her. In the past, she had never known immortals existed, and she would have dreamed of having so much gold and silver—enough to eat all the delicious food in Yong'an City.

But now, she suddenly understood that even if she had the gold bar, she couldn’t protect it. Just like she couldn’t protect her token.

Someone stronger could take everything from her with a mere wave of their hand, even her life.

She didn’t understand many principles, only the instinct to survive and the stubbornness of a child who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.

"I don’t want the gold bar! I want my token!"

Jiang Yuebai hurled the gold bar away and scrambled to her feet, charging toward the Ascension Steps.

Hong Tao and the others did not stop her. Without a token, she would be repelled and thrown back, crashing hard. Perhaps that would finally make her give up.

But at that moment, something unexpected happened.

A faint golden light flickered between Jiang Yuebai’s brows, and instead of being repelled, she rushed up the Ascension Steps and disappeared before everyone’s eyes

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