Ten Mile Slope.
Before a dilapidated mountain shrine.
"Master... is this really the main gate of our supposedly peerless Immortal Sect?"
The ethereal young woman, her raven hair bound with a simple red cord, gazed at the crumbling shrine with thinly veiled incredulity.
The young man in the patched and faded Daoist robes turned, facing the promising disciple he had painstakingly... persuaded.
A touch of profound gravitas graced Chu Xingchen's handsome features as he stated, "It is not the grandeur of the mountain, but the presence of immortals that lends it renown."
"Your years are few; do not be swayed by superficialities."
Understanding dawned on the girl in her flowing pink silken gown. "I understand, Master! Is it not a case of hidden depths?"
"I've read in The Chronicles of Qishan Cultivation that a humble facade often conceals resplendent inner realms!"
Li Yingling, flushed with excitement, skipped forward, eagerly pushing open the shrine's dilapidated, drafty door.
She anticipated a breathtaking vista of hidden splendor.
Instead, she was greeted byâ¦
A desecrated deity statue, reduced to a mere torso, and cobwebs festooning the rafters, seemingly undisturbed for ages.
The original offering table had been replaced by a warped wooden plank, precariously propped up by a stone to serve as a desk.
Beside it, a crude hearth fashioned from stacked stones supported a diminutive iron pot.
To Li Yingling, it looked like nothing more than an abandoned, neglected shrine.
More like a beggar's hovel!
Chu Xingchen sauntered into the shrine, unfazed by the squalor, declaring, "Henceforth, refrain from indulging in the pulp fiction penned by commoners. Such diversions are detrimental to one's mental faculties."
"In a moment, Master will dismantle the wooden panel from the statue's side to serve as your bed. The shrine is quite spacious; you may choose to slumber wherever you please."
Li Yingling felt a wave of dismay. Tentatively, she inquired, "Master... this isn't typically how cultivation works, is it?"
Chu Xingchen asserted with unwavering conviction, "Cultivation! It is precisely like this!"
Li Yingling ventured, "But... aren't other Immortal Sects known for their opulent splendor, with vast palaces suspended above towering, cloud-piercing peaks?"
"Have you witnessed this firsthand, or merely gleaned such notions from idle gossip?"
"Well... such depictions are commonplace in stories, aren't they?"
"You acknowledge them as mere stories. Nowadays, cultivation eschews such extravagance. What truly matters is achieving immortality; that is the hallmark of exceptional cultivation."
Chu Xingchen seized upon the crucial point. "What do those mundane souls know of cultivation? Do they grasp the profound concept of simplicity?"
Li Yingling countered weakly, "But... but this seems excessively simple."
"Enough with the idle chatter. Will you cultivate, or will you not?"
"...I will."
Chu Xingchen settled onto the plank, cleared his throat, and offered a faint smile. "Then hasten and pay your respects as a disciple."
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Li Yingling appeared reluctant as she shuffled forward.
But now, there was no turning back.
Returning home would only result in her father marrying her off to the Wang Chancellor's feebleminded son.
A simpleton who needed assistance even with eating.
A man who would shamble about, babbling incoherently at any woman he saw.
A crumbling shrine, it seemed, was preferable to spoon-feeding a halfwit.
Li Yingling knelt, slamming her forehead against the ground in a resounding bow.
"Master, I, your disciple Li Yingling, offer my respects!"
*[Newbie quest completed: Recruit a disciple.]*
*[Reward granted: Flawless Golden Core!]*
*[Li Yingling detected: Single-attribute Water Spiritual Root.]*
*[Teaching materials issued.]*
*[Supreme Grand Yin True Profound Spiritual Water Heart Sutra.]*
*[Item added to inventory.]*
Chu Xingchen felt an immediate surge of euphoria.
Three years! A full three years it had taken to successfully recruit a disciple with sufficient qualifications to meet the system's stringent criteria!
The system's requirements were absurd: the disciple had to possess the potential to achieve immortality before being deemed suitable for recruitment.
Wasn't that ridiculous? An "Immortal Seed" required at least a Rank Two Spiritual Root.
Setting aside the rarity of such individuals, they were coveted treasures of the major sects.
How could a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like himself possibly find such a nearsighted disciple?
For three long years, he had eked out a meager existence as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, traversing the Xuanwu Kingdom.
Only now had he... convinced! Uh, I mean...
He had finally acquired his first disciple!
He glanced at Li Yingling's stats on the system panel.
*[First Disciple: Li Yingling]*
*[Cultivation: None]*
*[Golden Trait: Cultivation Prodigy]*
*[Purple Trait: Fortunate]*
*[Blue Trait: Beautiful]*
Though the girl undoubtedly saw him as a convenient shield, and she was only apprenticing him to avoid marrying the Chancellor's imbecilic son, with stats like these, what wasn't there to accept?
The reason he had chosen to reside in this dilapidated shrine was to avoid attracting attention.
This Ten Mile Slope was utterly desolate, with nary a soul to be found within a thirty-mile radius. Finding this wreck of a shrine was no easy feat.
Otherwise, he would have been mad to live in a place like this.
It had taken three days of careful planning to successfully extract Li Yingling.
At long last, the newbie quest was complete!
As the completion notification chimed, a surge of spiritual energy flooded his body, causing his cultivation to skyrocket.
A Golden Core slowly coalesced within his dantian.
As a prodigy with a single-attribute spiritual root, Li Yingling was naturally sensitive to fluctuations in spiritual energy.
However, she had yet to embark on her cultivation journey.
She could only sense that Chu Xingchen's aura had suddenly ascended to a new level.
"Master... what's happening?"
Chu Xingchen casually replied, "Taking you on as my beloved disciple has brought me such joy that a modicum of my suppressed power has inadvertently leaked out."
"Now, rise. There's no need to remain kneeling."
Li Yingling nodded in comprehension, then rose, a touch of bewilderment in her eyes.
"What about the other disciples? As the number one sect in the Xuanwu Kingdom, surely Master has many disciples under his tutelage? Where are they?"
"You are currently the only one."
Li Yingling was taken aback. "Ah? Master, you..."
Chu Xingchen remained unfazed. "I follow an elite approach, accepting only destined Immortal Seeds. I never waste my time on inferior specimens."
"So, that means this sect can be called the Xuanwu Kingdom's number one sect?"
"Your master alone can sweep across the Xuanwu Kingdom. Why can't it be called the Xuanwu Kingdom's number one sect?"
Crap, she should have listened to her mother: handsome men are nothing but liars!
If Li Yingling hadn't seen with her own eyes that Chu Xingchen had defied the Chancellor's family for her sake, she'd have assumed she'd stumbled upon a con artist, or maybe a lunatic.
"Master... you're not deceiving me, are you?"
Chu Xingchen retrieved the Supreme Grand Yin True Profound Spiritual Water Heart Sutra from his system inventory.
A tattered, yellowed tome, wrinkled and worn, materialized in his grasp.
The words Supreme Grand Yin Profound Spiritual on the cover were blurred beyond recognition.
Fortunately, the remaining three characters were still vividly clear.
He tossed the book to Li Yingling.
"Cultivate this one. Once you've mastered it, you'll know whether or not your master has misled you."
Judging by the utter conviction in his tone, it must be an ultimate cultivation technique!
Li Yingling joyfully examined the book's cover.
Most of the words were illegible.
But the remaining three characters...
Li Yingling was shocked. "Water Heart Sutra?!"
She then shot Chu Xingchen a look that said, "Master, you're lying to me again."
What kind of top-tier immortal art has a name like "Water Heart Sutra"?
How lame is that! The cover is so faded; could the contents inside be all messed up?
Did Master pick this up at some roadside stall?
Will she suffer a qi deviation if she tries to cultivate it?
Every supreme cultivation manual in the stories has an aura of power from the moment it appears, every one radiating dazzling, multi-colored light.
If this beaten-up book was dropped in the street, people would probably use it as toilet paper!
Looking at the tattered book in her hands, Li Yingling tentatively asked, "Master, couldn't we switch to another one?"