Host: Bai Chen
Age: 16
Cultivation Level: None
Spiritual Root: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth
Talent Entries: Flawless Pill Formation 100% (Purple), Strong Body (White), Immune to All Diseases (Green)
A Purple Talent Entry!
*Bang!*
Bai Chen was so excited he shot up instinctively, his forehead slamming right into the bed board.
Wincing in pain, Bai Chen rubbed his forehead and lay back down.
Even though his forehead throbbed, he couldn't control himself. A wide grin split his face as he burst into silent laughter.
*Hahaha!*
It was actually a Purple Talent Entry!
He thought Feng Ling'er's Blue Talent Entry was good enough, but he never expected such a windfall—it upgraded directly to Purple!
Good thing he hadn't just copied some random person's talent before. Otherwise, those Green Quality entries would have only upgraded to Blue at best.
But now, he possessed a Purple pill refining talent.
This was a 100% success rate talent!
Even if the quality of the pills wasn't high at the beginning, as long as the success rate was 100%, it was an absolute win!
He'd struck gold. This was it, he was going to be rich!
Sweet!
After grinning and laughing for a good while, Bai Chen forced himself to calm down.
Getting a Purple Talent Entry was great, but he had been a bit too reckless today.
He was so focused on seeking fortune through danger that he'd overlooked the fact that the person he was saving could be a landmine themselves.
Just like that Feng Ling'er today.
He was clearly saving her, yet she acted like a lunatic, indiscriminately lashing out at everyone.
He was lucky today; even if the people from the Hexu Sect had stopped him, he would have been fine.
But what if this hadn't been in Shunhe Square? What if he'd gotten caught up in some treasure-snatching conflict out in the wild?
He'd probably be dead and gone, not even ashes remaining.
Now that he had a Purple entry, from now on, unless it was absolutely necessary... no, there were no "absolutely necessary" situations.
In this world, survival was always the number one rule.
If he could copy a talent, he would. If he couldn't, he'd rather go without than ever take such a risk again.
Staying alive was all that mattered.
"Tsk."
Bai Chen frowned as he looked at the purple "Flawless Pill Formation 100%" talent.
"I clearly have a Purple talent now, so why don't I feel any different?"
He focused his senses and squeezed his palm.
He felt nothing.
He wondered if he had to actually try refining a pill to experience the difference.
After joining the sect, he'd have to find a chance to test it as soon as possible.
With his mind buzzing with thoughts about what he'd do after joining the sect, a smile crept onto his lips, and he drifted off to sleep.
"Chirp! Chirp!"
Outside the window, sparrows chirped incessantly.
Bai Chen's eyelids fluttered, and he slowly woke up.
His gaze traveled from under the bed to the sunlight spilling onto the floor. He was dazed for a long moment before realizing it was already the next morning.
He had been so tense these past few days trying to copy the talent. With its successful replication, a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he had slept straight from the afternoon until the morning.
After cautiously checking that the room was clear, Bai Chen crawled out from under the bed and stretched.
"Another day passed safely. Just one more day until the Disciple Recruitment Ceremony."
It was true what they said: good fortune lifts the spirits. He felt much lighter today.
After stretching his stiff limbs, Bai Chen brought in a basin of water to wash his face.
He splashed some water on his face and scrubbed, and the water in the basin quickly turned murky yellow.
When he looked up again, his once sallow, yellowed face had become fair and clear, revealing his naturally handsome features.
Bai Chen grabbed a handkerchief, haphazardly wiped his face dry, and plopped down on a rickety chair in the room.
He took a small mirror from his bundle and looked at his reflection.
"What kind of disguise should I go with today?"
Feng Ling'er had already gotten a good look at his sloppy, sallow-faced look from yesterday, so he definitely couldn't use that again.
What should he change into?
After thinking for a moment, Bai Chen took out his homemade makeup tools and began his "transformation" in the mirror.
Two hour later, he had altered his naturally large, charming eyes to look sharp and narrow. His face was still painted a pale yellow, and he changed into a set of green robes, giving him a frail, scholarly appearance.
Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
Then, waving a paper fan, he meandered his way back to the Jixiang Tavern.
After causing such a commotion yesterday, he was going to scout for information and see if anyone was looking for him.
This time, he didn't make a big show of buying drinks for everyone. Instead, he ordered a few small dishes and sat down quietly to listen to the other patrons' conversations.
The tavern was as lively as ever, with everyone loudly discussing the upcoming Hexu Sect Disciple Recruitment Ceremony tomorrow.
A few people mentioned the sudden, massive boom in Shunhe Square yesterday, but there was no talk of a manhunt.
They just chalked it up to some rogue cultivator blowing up their pill furnace.
Bai Chen listened quietly from the side, the knot of anxiety in his chest slowly loosening.
It seemed either Feng Ling'er was all talk and her uncle didn't have as much pull in the Hexu Sect as she claimed...
...or the Hexu Sect was strictly governed and wouldn't indulge someone like her causing trouble.
...or they were investigating covertly.
Whatever the case, he should be safe for now.
Confirming there was no immediate danger, Bai Chen popped a bean into his mouth, stood up, paid his bill, and left.
At the crack of dawn the next day, a clear, resonant bell toll suddenly echoed from the direction of Jiuxu Mountain, where the Hexu Sect was located.
Bai Chen had woken up early to avoid any delays in heading to the mountain. He was in the middle of applying his disguise when the sound of the bell made his hand pause.
He couldn't help but put down his things, walk to the window, and push it open to look toward Jiuxu Mountain.
The toll pierced through the thin mist, sweeping over every street and alley in Shunhe Square.
Unlike the dull clang of a mortal bronze bell, this sound carried a gentle, nourishing Spiritual Qi.
There were nine tolls in total, each more distant and profound than the last. They made one's eardrums tingle, yet instilled a sense of peace in the heart.
As the final toll faded, the world itself seemed to fall silent for an instant.
Before this, the main peak of Jiuxu Mountain had always been shrouded in a thick, dense mist, and mortals could only see the undulating, verdant outline of its base.
Not only could they not see the main peak, but they couldn't even get close.
Ordinary people could hunt or chop wood on the outskirts without issue, but trying to approach the main peak was impossible.
No matter which direction they walked, they would always end up back where they started.
The Hexu Sect and the mortal realm were, after all, two different worlds.
But in the instant the bell's echo vanished, the sky-obscuring mountain mist receded like a tide.
First, the haze at the foot of the mountain dissipated into wisps of green smoke.
Then, the clouds halfway up the mountain slowly parted, revealing crimson cliffs, jade-green walls, and gnarled ancient pines.
Finally, the thickest fog at the summit seemed to be pushed aside by an invisible force, revealing the entirety of Jiuxu Mountain to the world.
Atop the peak, the upturned eaves of magnificent jade pavilions could be faintly seen, covered in a faint azure glow.
The side peaks rose and fell in succession, dotted with ancient, simple halls. A few green-clad figures could even be seen streaking past on flying swords.
The entire mountain range was like a celestial paradise, separate from the world, with steaming Spiritual Qi and lush, verdant vegetation.
Just looking at it cleared one's mind and purified the heart.
Bai Chen's heart trembled at the sight.
*So this is a celestial realm,* he thought. *It can't be any more wondrous than this.*
Once the clouds and mist had completely dispersed, a pale green pillar of light shot up from the peak of Jiuxu Mountain, piercing the heavens.
With that, the Mountain Gate of the Hexu Sect was finally, completely open to mortals.
Proofreader: Peter Pan