"Alright, first let me ask you—do you know anything about cultivators?"
Upon hearing this, I felt a surge of happiness in my heart, which eased my tension a little.
'So this is a cultivation world.'
"No."
In the end, the information I gained from reading novels and following manhua on Earth might be wrong, so I don't want to embarrass myself.
The Sect Master looked disappointed by my answer.
"Alright, that's to be expected from such a remote place. Then let me explain briefly."
"In short, cultivators are humans born with certain talents that allow them to walk the path of immortality. I'll have Li Chen explain this to you in more detail later."
"And I possess such talents?"
The Sect Master nods his head while continuing his explanation.
"Yes, and a good talent at that. Although it might be considered ordinary among the great sects, for our sect—which is in a state of decline and located in such a barren region—you are indeed considered the most talented in the sect."
"I apologize if my question is disrespectful, but I know nothing about this sect, not even its name, so I hope the Elder can enlighten me."
The Sect Master is not annoyed by my question; instead, he explains with pride:
"This is the Great Sunset Sect, which possesses a history spanning one hundred and sixty thousand years. At one time, we were among the greatest sects on the mainland."
'One hundred and sixty thousand years!!!!'
My jaw drops in shock upon hearing this surreal number.
The Sect Master's expression turns sorrowful as he continues.
"However, due to certain calamities, the sect's main headquarters was destroyed, most of the sect members died, and only I remained, forced to come to this desolate place in order to continue the legacy of the Sunset Sect."
Before I can say anything, the Sect Master continues, his eyes staring at me as if trying to pierce straight through me.
"You might think that the sect is currently nothing more than a dilapidated and deserted place."
"I would never dare to think that."
"However, believe me, the number of sects in the Sea of Pain that can compare to our sect in terms of techniques and legacy can be counted on one hand."
"So I ask you, boy—do you want to join the sect?"
I nod my head vigorously.
"It would be an honor for me."
It was obvious that I would accept the offer to join no matter what, even if the Sect Master was exaggerating. In the end, there was a path to obtaining supernatural power right in front of me—how could I dare to refuse?
Besides, I suspect that refusing would not end peacefully…
The Sect Master smiles joyfully at my answer as he asks,
"Alright, what is your name, boy?"
"It is Salem, sir."
Upon hearing my reply, the Sect Master takes out a small jade tablet—or what I assume to be jade, since I have never seen jade in my life except through a phone screen.
From his hand, an orange-red light resembling the light of sunset emanates and envelops the jade tablet before he extends it toward me.
Now, a set of strange talismans that I cannot read is engraved onto the jade tablet.
"From this moment onward, you are an official disciple of the Sunset Sect."
"Thank you very much, sir, for accepting me as a disciple of your venerable sect."
I bow gratefully to the Sect Master, who gently pats my shoulder.
At this moment, another person arrives at the sect's main hall.
He is a young man with ordinary facial features and sun-tanned skin, wearing the same dusk-colored robe as the Sect Master and Yi Kuang.
"Master, did you call for me?"
The young man bows respectfully toward the Sect Master as he asks.
"Li Chen, from now on this boy here is your junior brother in the sect, so I want you to take him, explain the sect system to him, and help him cleanse his body and form a dantian."
The Sect Master gestures toward me as he speaks.
"And now, you may both leave."
Li Chen and I bow one final time to the Sect Master before exiting the central hall.
"Junior brother, what is your name?"
"It is Salem."
As soon as we leave the central hall, Li Chen starts a conversation with me while motioning for me to follow him.
"You must have received a disciple badge from Master, so all that remains is for you to obtain your robe and spirit stone."
I ignore Li Chen's chatter and ask the question that had been in my heart throughout my conversation with the Sect Master.
"Senior Brother Li, as you can see, this junior brother is ignorant about cultivation and everything related to it, so could you explain cultivation to me in more detail?"
"Oh, of course."
Li Chen is not bothered by my question and begins explaining happily.
"First, let me teach you what talents are. Humans in this world are divided into two groups: those born without talent, incapable of walking the path of immortality—these are ordinary humans. As for those blessed by the heavens, they are born with spiritual roots that allow them to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and embark upon the path of immortality."
"What are spiritual roots?"
Li Chen looks puzzled by my question and answers incoherently:
"Ah… hmm… I'm not sure. No, actually, I don't know. I only know that spiritual roots are considered a cultivator's talent and allow them to absorb spiritual power according to their grade, which is divided into seven levels."
"Pseudo spiritual root."
"Inferior spiritual root."
"Middle spiritual root."
"High spiritual root."
"Rare spiritual root."
"Exceptional spiritual root."
"Legendary spiritual root."
Li Chen turns to me curiously and asks,
"By the way, junior brother, did Master or Elder Yi tell you what type of talent you have?"
"Yes, they said it's middle."
Li Chen's eyes widen like saucers as he gasps in astonishment.
"A middle-grade spiritual root!"
I didn't expect Li Chen's exaggerated reaction, so I step back cautiously and say,
"Yes. Isn't a middle-grade spiritual root very ordinary?"
The shock slowly fades from Li Chen's face as he regains his composure.
"Yes, that's true. On the mainland, a middle-grade talent might be considered ordinary, but on this island at the end of the world, it is considered the highest talent to appear once every thousand years. In fact, for a long time, Elder Yi—who possesses an inferior spiritual root—was considered the most talented here, since I don't know the grade of the Sect Master's talent."
"Ah, I apologize if my question is rude, senior brother, but how many disciples does the sect have?"
As I followed Li Chen around the sect, I couldn't help but notice just how deserted it was, as if no human foot had stepped into this place for many years.
Li Chen's expression turns strange.
"Ah, well, there's only me, Master, and Elder Yi—and with you, that makes four."
"…"
It seems I underestimated the degree of the Sunset Sect's decline.