The towering peaks stood like they were piercing the heavens. The mist, mingled with faint rays of light, seemed to declare that this place was truly an immortal realm.
Massive structures, tier upon tier, appeared as if a grand formation had been built amidst the mountains and forests.
Dao Tian stood at the foot of the mountain, gazing up at the thousands of steps that seemed to connect with the sky, his eyes burning with fervor.
"So this… is an immortal sect?" He muttered to himself, unable to help but swallow a gulp of saliva.
His excitement got the better of him. He tossed his luggage aside and dashed straight up the staircase.
At first, he was full of energy. Then he slowed to a walk. Finally, after just a few hundred steps, he ended up plopping down on the side of the stairs.
"Huff, huff… How many steps are there?"
He didn't feel any different. After running for so long, the end of the staircase was nowhere in sight.
Just then, a young man came flying over riding a sword, his gaze inscrutable as he looked toward Dao Tian.
"What are you running into this place for?"
Seeing an immortal had arrived, Dao Tian's eyes lit up brightly. Hadn't he toiled tirelessly, seeking an immortal sect, all for the sake of becoming immortal and roaming freely between heaven and earth?
Dao Tian clasped his hands in salute, looking at the youth with eager eyes.
"I want to join the immortal sect!"
His voice was firm and clear, his gaze full of an unconcealable longing, as resolute as his determination.
"Oh..." The young man uttered a single syllable and then said nothing more.
....
Dao Tian waited. He waited some more, kept waiting, but all he saw was the youth just hovering in mid-air, not saying a word.
"Sir, please say something!" Dao Tian said, and one could see his eye twitching several times.
If the other person were an ordinary mortal, he would have cursed him out long ago.
"Ah... I was just thinking, you're so foolish, you probably won't be accepted." The young man scratched his head, his gaze darting to the side, like a pitying look given to an idiot.
???
Dao Tian was completely dumbfounded. From start to finish, what had he done wrong? He didn't know, nor did he feel he had done anything foolish.
"Please reconsider, sir. I truly want to join the immortal sect." Dao Tian pleaded earnestly, almost on the verge of kneeling and bowing to the other.
"Alright then, come over here a bit. Look down there and see what that is." The young man pointed a finger toward a corner at the foot of the mountain.
Dao Tian, puzzled, walked to the edge of the stone steps and looked down. He squinted, trying to make out the tiny black speck hidden in a hard-to-see corner.
After staring for a while, it looked like a person and a table, with some miscellaneous items around, but they were too small to see clearly.
"What's that?"
"What else could it be? It's obviously the recruitment spot..."
With that, he pulled out a promotional banner from inside his robe with several bold, gold-lettered lines clearly written:
New Year Enrollment
Attractive Benefits
"Can't even find your way to the recruitment spot. If that's not foolish, what is?" The young man continued, not sparing Dao Tian any face at all.
???
Brother, are you sure you're even speaking human language right now?
Dao Tian really wanted to curse. Such a majestic immortal sect... why would they put their recruitment spot in such a hard-to-see corner?
If the characters can even be gilded, why not just make a big, grand main gate then!
"Alright, so I just go down there, right?" Dao Tian asked.
"Well, not necessarily. Even if you're not a fool, you still have to take the aptitude test," the young man replied.
"Thanks, I won't bother you anymore then." Dao Tian gave a slight nod and started walking down the stone steps.
'Immortals are really easy to talk to, huh. They don't throw their weight around at all,' he thought to himself, appreciating their way of doing things.
To him, immortals represented freedom. And if you're free, why bother with petty matters?
---
"Huff, huff... I'm so tired." Dao Tian panted, sticking out his tongue.
Going down is easier than going up, but these tall steps still take a ton of effort.
He smoothed his hair and straightened out his already worn-out clothes. For the registration, he had to look as presentable as possible.
After walking a bit further, he spotted an old man with snow-white hair and beard, dressed in tattered clothes—looking just like a beggar.
'Could this be the real, powerful immortal? Maybe he's pretending to test the hearts of those who come seeking the path.' Dao Tian thought to himself.
But there was no one else around except him, which felt really strange. If there are no other candidates, who is he pretending for anyway?
"Senior, I'm here for the aptitude test."
Despite his swirling thoughts, he still clasped his hands and bowed, maintaining a respectful attitude. After all, whether an immortal is weak or strong, he still couldn't compare.
The old man sat on a chair wearing a wide-brimmed hat, hand propping up his chin, eyes tightly closed as if pondering something profound.
Dao Tian slowly approached and hesitatingly said, "Senior, I'm here for the aptitude test."
"Snore... snore... snore..."
The old man's head drooped, drool trickled out, and with each exhale, a huge bubble blew from his nose.
'Damn it! He's just sleeping!' Dao Tian screamed inwardly, his face turning red as a tomato, but he still tried hard to hold it in.
Is the immortal sect really like this? Everyone is this unserious?
He had a lot of doubts. From that young man to this old geezer, they all seemed truly unreliable. Sure, they're free, but how can they be so completely lacking in seriousness?
The bubble on the old man's nose popped, and his wide-brimmed hat slid down, covering his eyes.
"Huh... Ah... Is it dark already? Time to go back and sleep then." The old man spoke lazily, scratched his butt, stood up, and prepared to leave.
Seeing this, Dao Tian could hold back no longer. He shouted:
"You damn old man, it's broad daylight! When are you finally going to test my aptitude?"
The old man cupped his ear, turned around, and looked with a surprised expression, as if he had just realized there was someone else here.
Immediately after, he zipped over in front of Dao Tian with wind-tearing speed, then grabbed his face with both hands, overjoyed as if he had met his savior.
"This year's KPI for me... finally, there's hope."
"Huh? Senior, what's KPI?"
Dao Tian was completely dumbfounded, feeling like he'd stumbled straight into a den of weirdos.
"You wouldn't understand, my life's been tough."
"The old sect master, for some reason, set such absurd standards. No actively seeking disciples, has to be in a hard-to-spot location, something about finding those with fate..."
The old man kept complaining and kept cursing the old sect master.
"Do you know how I've been living lately? Every day, I have to sleep in until late, then go back to my room and sleep until the next day. It's really been hard on me."
???
Is this old man out of his mind? From what you've said so far, besides sleeping, have you had to do anything else? And you call that hard?
'Maybe I should go find another immortal sect?' The thought flashed through his mind, but Dao Tian immediately dismissed it.
Immortal sects aren't that easy to find. He'd traveled for months before seeing this one. Who knows when the next one will appear?
"Senior, how about you test my aptitude first?" Dao Tian said.
"Test, of course we'll test. As long as you have cultivation talent, I'll definitely take good care of you."
The old man chuckled, then stuffed both hands into his pants, rummaging for something.
"Kid, want to see my ball?"
Dao Tian's face went as black as a burnt pot bottom.
Someone this crude... is he really an immortal? Dao Tian felt the young man from earlier seemed more like an immortal than this guy.
The old man pulled out a crystal orb with a surface that was both old and dirty, looking like it had just been fished out of a garbage dump.
"Place your hand on it."
'Seriously? I really have to put my hand on this thing?' Dao Tian thought to himself, then cast a hesitant glance at the old man.
But the old man showed no reaction at all, forcing him to reluctantly place his hand on it.
Unlike what he had imagined, the feeling of placing his hand on it wasn't too bad—nothing particularly uncomfortable.
At that moment, the crystal orb emitted a strange, fantastical light. The light grew stronger and stronger, and with it, Dao Tian's hopes rose higher and higher.
Suddenly, the light went out, and the orb returned to its original state.
"Sigh, what a shame. You don't have the talent for cultivation." The old man sighed, then put the crystal orb away.
"Don't make too big a deal out of it. After all, even low-level cultivation aptitude is a one-in-a-thousand thing."
Although a bit disappointed, the old man didn't find this particularly rare. Over the years, he had encountered similar situations many times already.
Dao Tian stood frozen, his body stiff as a stone statue. His dream... seemed to shatter into smoke.
All his life, he had only wanted to become immortal, to roam free and untethered, and now he was doused with a bucket of cold water.
"Is there really no other way?" Dao Tian asked.
Seeing how pitiful he looked, the old man thought for a moment, then pulled out an old book and tossed it to him.
"Not having cultivation talent doesn't mean it's completely impossible. Any human can cultivate. It's just that the progress is incredibly slow—even a hundred years might not get you anywhere."
"If you're truly determined, you might achieve some minor results. This book contains some basic notes on cultivation, you can use it as a guide. Our sect doesn't accept those without talent."
The old man knew it would be hard to dissuade a passionate young man no matter what he said, so it was better to give him a little help and let him experience it for himself.
As an ordinary person, putting effort into other things might be far more useful than cultivating without talent.
Dao Tian took the book, his mind a whirl of thoughts. His fists unconsciously clenched, and a flicker of hope reignited in his eyes.
"Thank you, senior." He clasped his hands and bowed to the old man, then picked up his luggage and left.
The old man gave a slight nod before returning to the table to resume his nap. He didn't pay much mind to the matter. It was just a small act of kindness.