Sacred Wind Academy had been extremely famous two hundred years ago. Records stated that even the Royal God Sect had to show respect to the academy; that's how formidable it was. The academy produced many terrifying talents. Most of them never wished to leave, feeling the academy was a better place compared to the Royal God Sect!
But no one truly knew what happened, as there were no clear records of a terrifying incident. On a particular day, the academy was attacked by a group of foreigners. Who they were, or why they attacked the Sacred Wind Academy, no one knew. The real truth remained a mystery.
Some claimed they witnessed people attacking the academy, while others said a bunch of terrifying beasts from the nearby forest were responsible.
The truth was, no one knew what had truly occurred. The only people who might have had answers—the elders and the academy leader—had all perished on that fateful day.
The academy was known not just for producing quality disciples, but also for nurturing loyalty. After the incident, many talented disciples left and joined the Royal God Sect, which welcomed them gladly.
But other loyal, talented disciples couldn't bear to abandon the academy that had shaped them. They took responsibility and became the new teachers, striving to continue its legacy.
Alas, their teaching skills were not as strong as their own learning abilities. The academy began a steady decline. Not only did it cease producing top students, but its very survival was now at stake.
Today, the Royal God Sect continued to grow, overseeing more and more institutions. To manage the proliferation, the Sect decreed that any academy failing to recruit at least 15,000 disciples per year would have its license revoked and be shut down.
They had only one week to report recruitment numbers for all disciples to the sect. The Academy sent members across the mortal realms, using any means necessary to meet the quotas.
This was why the "madman"—Jake—was loudly advertising the academy in the mortal world, exaggerating its image to fill the required numbers, and why he recruited Kamanth despite his utter lack of qualifications for cultivation. In Jake's view, Kamanth was just there to fill a slot, and his future didn't concern him.
"By the way, my name is Jake," the "madman" finally introduced, smiling. "What's your name, little brother?"
"My name is Kam— Ethan Hunt!" Kamanth introduced himself, changing names on the spot.
"Ethan Hunt?" Jake grinned. "That's actually a good name. I'll call you Ethan, then."
"No problem," Kamanth replied. Ethan Hunt was Shirley's favorite character; Mission Impossible was her favorite movie. Since he was about to start a different journey, he wanted to change everything about himself—including his name. He gave himself a new name as a memento of Shirley's favorite hero.
He planned to change his attitude too, just as the novels described. He realized he would likely never see Shirley again and resolved to move forward. His wildest dream had come true: now he wanted to make the most of this cultivation world.
"So, Ethan, how about sharing this good news with your relatives before we head to the academy?" Jake suggested with a smile.
Ethan shook his head. "I don't have anyone here, so there's no need."
He sighed as he said it. He knew his parents would worry for his future, but there was nothing he could do anymore. All he could do was pray for them and for their well-being. As he prepared to start a new journey, he had to be strong. He was now in the world he'd always desired, and he would do all it took to become stronger.
"Is that so," Jake replied. "Well, let's go then. You're about to find a new family, so don't worry."
Ethan smiled politely but didn't care much. He preferred to live alone and keep to himself, though he was ready to help others if needed. He wasn't one for social interaction—he was the man of few words, the complete opposite of Jake.
Nodding, Ethan asked, "Brother Jake, can you tell me about cultivation? I have no knowledge at all."
Jake and the other academy members behind him nearly cried at hearing this. This was the cultivation world—even a mortal, especially one of Ethan's age, should have some understanding of cultivation here. Such questions were usually asked only by amateurs and little children.
Jake sighed. If it weren't for the quota, he would have kicked Ethan out at once.
Still maintaining his smile, Jake explained, "Before you begin cultivation, we test your talent. Your talent is determined by the rank of your Spiritual Roots. Those roots allow you to gather the Spiritual Energy of the world into your body for cultivation."
"So only those with Spiritual Roots can cultivate?" Ethan asked.
"In fact, every person has Spiritual Roots. There isn't a single person without Spiritual Roots. They're the essence of life itself. A mortal breathes, and that breath travels to the brain through Spiritual Roots," Jake replied.
"Then what makes a cultivator different from mortals?" Ethan asked, frowning. The concept of oxygen here seemed a little different from Earth.
"That's due to the different ranks of Spiritual Roots," Jake explained.
"Ranks of Spiritual Roots?" Ethan was surprised. "So there are different types of Spiritual Roots?"
He was astonished. The concept of Spiritual Roots was similar to the novels he'd read back on Earth.