That night, terrifying spiritual energy fluctuations emanated from Xu Ning, who sat cross-legged in his room.
After a long while, the fluctuations finally subsided, and Xu Ning slowly opened his eyes.
Finally, he had reached the eleventh level of Qi Refining.
It had been nearly fifty years since he first entered the world of cultivation, and he had only just reached the eleventh level. The path was slow but steady.
Imdiately, Xu Ning got up and began to refine pills, as was his nightly routine.
For the past few years, Xu Ning had been using the legendary-quality spiritual herbs he had cultivated to refine pills, attempting to break through to the legendary level of alchemy himself.
However, until today, he still hadn't succeeded.
In the words of his own inner monologue, "The status of an alchemy grandmaster isn't so easy to achieve."
It was important to know that the entire cultivation world hadn't seen a legendary alchemist for tens of thousands of years.
If one were to appear, extraordinary phenona would occur in the world, accompanied by a heavenly tribulation of lightning.
Xu Ning wasn't in a hurry, but he felt a pang of regret for all those legendary spirit-grade herbs he had used in failed attempts. He wondered how much better they could have been if used to upgrade pills to the legendary spirit-grade level instead.
Oh well, he thought. I'll take it one step at a ti.
But then, the next morning, a person descended from the sky, landing in the center of the village. He announced that he was a cultivator from the Tiancheng Sect, there to recruit disciples.
Xu Ning, who was working in the fields, was startled. Had it finally co? Was he about to leave this peaceful life?
Putting down his tools, Xu Ning glanced at Wang Dazhen and Liu Aorou, who were still working nearby, and softly called out, "Father, Mother, I'll go see what this is about."
Wang Dazhen looked up and gently comforted him, "Son! Don't be discouraged if you don't have spiritual roots. Just co back and we'll live a good life together."
Xu Ning nodded, a lump in his throat. "Okay."
Liu Aorou added, "Go ahead. If by so chance you can cultivate immortality, rember to co back and say goodbye to us."
Xu Ning nodded again, his voice soft. "Okay."
Didn't Xu Ning know perfectly well whether he had spiritual roots or not? He was just reluctant to leave this family that had given him so much warmth.
He returned to the center of the village and gathered with the other children who had been summoned.
In the middle stood an old man with completely white hair and beard, holding an ancient bronze mirror.
"Brother!" Wang ngfei called out, running up to Xu Ning and grabbing his hand.
Xu Ning patted Wang ngfei's head affectionately. "Little sister, what will happen to Father and Mother if we both have spiritual roots and are taken away?"
Wang ngfei looked up at him, her eyes determined. "Brother, then I won't go. You go ahead. I'll stay and take care of Father and Mother."
Xu Ning sighed. "But, little sister, it might not be up to us. The immortal masters decide."
Xu Ning was truly conflicted about this. He wanted to stay, but leaving would also serve his long-term goals.
Wang ngfei raised her little head stubbornly. "Brother, it's okay. We'll decide our own affairs. I won't go if I don't want to."
Xu Ning sighed again. We'll see how it plays out.
Soon, all the other children had finished their tests. None of them had spiritual roots.
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Xu Ning took Wang ngfei forward and let her take the test first.
The result was disappointing: Wang ngfei had no spiritual roots at all.
Wang ngfei walked dejectedly back to Xu Ning, her eyes downcast. "Brother, I didn't have a spiritual root."
Xu Ning comforted her gently, "It's alright, little sister. Maybe you just don't have the aptitude for cultivation. There's nothing wrong with that."
With that, Xu Ning stepped forward and placed his hand on the bronze mirror for his own test.
The final result was as expected: a mixed spiritual root of the five elents—the lowest possible quality, but a spiritual root nonetheless.
The old man's eyes lit up as he looked at Xu Ning. "Would you be willing to co with to the Tiancheng Sect to cultivate immortality?"
Xu Ning hesitated, then nodded. "Immortal Master, I am willing to go. But could I please have so ti to say goodbye to my family?"
The old man nodded agreeably. "Of course. I will wait for you here for one day. Do not be late."
Xu Ning bowed. "Thank you, Immortal Master."
Afterwards, Xu Ning took the sowhat dazed and sad Wang ngfei back ho, and the family ate dinner together.
The al was very somber. No one spoke much.
Wang Dazhen was alright, just eating silently, though his movents were slow. Wang ngfei and Liu Aorou, however, were wiping away tears the entire ti.
Xu Ning felt a deep pang of sadness in his heart.
"Father, Mother, Little Sister, you eat. I'm going to pack my things," Xu Ning said, making an excuse and getting up to leave.
Stepping outside, Xu Ning walked to the kennel in the yard, picked up the puppy, and carried it into his room.
He had long planned for this eventual departure, so he had made so preparations. He had kept dogs at ho for the past few years, waiting for the right mont.
This particular puppy had been born a few days ago and wasn't even a month old.
After bringing it inside, Xu Ning looked at the small, trusting creature and said, "From now on, your na will be Hei Luo."
"I know this isn't fair to you, to bind you like this so young. But I'm always worried about my family here. You will protect them for life, and in return, I will give you a future of power and immortality. Consider this our deal."
The puppy, possessing an innate intelligence from its lineage, understood Xu Ning's words and nodded its small head. "Okay."
Xu Ning nodded, then took out so specially prepared spirit-infused at and began feeding Hei Luo.
Instantly, the puppy's body began to transform, upgrading rapidly all the way to the highest level of the Spirit Rank.
This way, although Hei Luo had no cultivation base in the traditional sense, its physical body and innate abilities would allow it to easily handle any cultivator of the Qi Refining Realm. That was more than sufficient for its needs in the mortal world.
Next, Xu Ning used a soul imprint to teach Hei Luo various martial arts techniques and the purified version of the Blood Demon Technique.
"First, cultivate the martial arts techniques to build a solid foundation. Once you have completed your mission of protecting this family for their natural lives, you can then cultivate the Blood Demon Art to truly embark on the path of cultivation. After that, you can co to the Immortal Cultivation World to find ."
Hei Luo nodded solemnly. "Okay, Xu Ning."
Afterwards, Xu Ning replaced the thatched hut in his room with a mundane version and packed the real one away into his storage space.
Early the next morning, with Wang Dazhen, Liu Aorou, and a tearful Wang ngfei seeing him off with reluctant waves, Xu Ning and the old man headed towards the Ancient Chen Mountains.
On the way, Xu Ning kept recalling Liu Aorou's various heartfelt instructions to him, feeling quite uneasy and heavy-hearted.
Seeing this, the old man beside him couldn't help but smile knowingly. "After entering the world of cultivation, such separations from mortal loved ones are frequent. Don't take it too seriously, lest it affect your future cultivation and beco a ntal demon."
Xu Ning nodded earnestly, pushing down his emotions. "Understood, Immortal Master."
"My na is Qi Ruifeng, and I will be your master from now on," the old man suddenly said.
Xu Ning was also surprised. "Master? Immortal Master, with my mixed spiritual roots, shouldn't I be assigned as a nial disciple after joining the sect, doing chores?"
Qi Ruifeng's face flashed with embarrassnt. "Well... currently, there are only the two of us in our sect."
Xu Ning was dumbfounded. What? Only two people? Is that even a sect? Wouldn't it be simpler to just call each other master and disciple directly?
Damn it! I've been tricked! he thought. I originally planned to go to a proper sect and hide in the crowd. But if this is really the case, then I'll have to shoulder the burden of rebuilding this so-called sect!
Seeing Xu Ning's stunned and slightly dismayed expression, Qi Ruifeng's embarrassnt deepened. "Well, disciple! You've already promised , you can't go back on your word now."
Xu Ning looked dejected and shrugged helplessly. "Do I have any other choice at this point?"
Qi Ruifeng smiled, relieved, and patted Xu Ning's shoulder. "Disciple, don't worry. Follow , and I will never let you suffer. You'll see."
Xu Ning was speechless, but inwardly resigned.
Soon, Qi Ruifeng led Xu Ning deep into the Ancient Chen Mountains, finally arriving at a bare, empty mountain peak.
Then Qi Ruifeng began cutting down trees.
Xu Ning was dumbfounded again. "Um... don't tell the sect hasn't even been established yet?"
Qi Ruifeng was even more embarrassed, his face reddening. "It's... it's currently under construction."
Xu Ning deadpanned, "Then what's the real difference between this and just coming here alone to cultivate in the wilderness?"
He had hidden in the mortal realm for six long years, only to receive this disappointing result!
Qi Ruifeng's expression froze, but he quickly recovered. "I can teach you proper cultivation techniques! If you ca here alone without any guidance, you'd have no techniques at all! How are you supposed to cultivate then?"
Xu Ning wanted to say, Who cares about your techniques? He already had a ton of Yuan-level techniques stored away. But he held his tongue.
Seeing that Xu Ning still didn't look convinced, Qi Ruifeng beca even more flustered. Trying to change the subject, he asked, "By the way, what's your na again?."
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