Sunlight pierced through the gaps in the wooden planks, falling upon Lin Fan's still-sleeping face.
Thump!
Lin Xue jumped and landed on top of Lin Fan, jolting him awake immediately.
"Arghh!" Lin Fan clutched his now-sore stomach.
"Big brother, wake up! The sun is already very high," said Lin Xue with a little laugh.
"Alright," Lin Fan got up from his bed and walked out of his room, followed closely by Lin Xue.
"Finally, our young master awakens from his slumber," said Hu Mei, Lin Fan's mother.
Lin Fan just smiled weakly and scratched the back of his head.
"Your father left very early this morning. You stay here and help me." Hu Mei then instructed Lin Fan to put the dried fish out to sun.
Lin Fan understood and went outside to lay the dried fish under the sunlight.
"Brother, do you see that?" said Lin Xue, staring at the sky and pointing in one direction.
Lin Fan looked at his sister, confused, then looked towards where she was pointing.
"Darn it!" Lin Fan immediately scooped up his sister and quickly carried her back into the house.
"Brother, let me go! I'm not a little kid anymore!" Lin Xue struggled, disliking being carried.
"What's wrong?" asked Hu Mei, slightly panicked seeing Lin Fan bringing Lin Xue in so frantically.
"O-outside... There's a huge monster!!" Lin Fan stammered.
But suddenly, a rather loud voice rang out.
"I am Elder Mo from the Yuan Sect. I summon all villagers to meet me at the village entrance."
All the villagers, including the Lin family, heard it.
"T-this is..." Hu Mei certainly knew about the Yuan Sect. She wasn't originally from Qinhe Village; rather, she came from a city quite far away. She had met Lin Wei by chance, and they eventually fell in love. The Yuan Sect was familiar to people in her city, but they hadn't been seen for almost 30 years.
"Let's go," Hu Mei urged her children, though Lin Fan was afraid it might be dangerous.
"Don't worry," Hu Mei tried to reassure her son. Finally, Lin Fan followed his mother towards the village entrance.
When they arrived at the village entrance, they slowly saw a figure descending with a few others.
"M-mom, who are they?" Lin Fan asked again.
"Don't be afraid, they aren't evil. But never, ever offend them," said Hu Mei with a smile on her face.
Elder Mo drew his sword and infused it with his energy. He then pointed his sword towards a fairly large boulder.
Boom!
The boulder shattered into pieces until nothing remained. This left the villagers in awe, and they finally understood who stood before them.
"Immortal Lords!" They all quickly bowed low, including the Lin family.
Lin Fan initially didn't want to bow, but his mother insisted they not offend the people in front of them.
Elder Mo remained silent for a moment before speaking again. "Who is the village chief here?"
"I am, my lord," an old figure stood up and walked forward.
"Good. Please prepare a place for the spiritual root test. I am here to recruit disciples for the Yuan Sect." Those who heard this were overjoyed. This was a chance for their children to become immortals and for their family status to rise greatly.
Hearing this, Lin Fan smiled. Although he didn't fully understand what an 'immortal' was, he had heard stories that they could fly in the sky and split mountains.
Hu Mei glanced at Lin Fan and saw that her son seemed interested in becoming an immortal.
"Fan'er, are you interested in becoming an immortal?" asked Hu Mei.
Lin Fan snapped out of his fantasy and looked at his mother. "Of course, Mom. Seeing what they did just now, of course I want to be like them."
Hu Mei smiled at her son. "Alright, then just do what you like."
Lin Fan nodded and went to register his name with the village chief to take the test.
...
Soon after, in a fairly spacious area, Elder Mo and two other sect disciples prepared to begin the recruitment ceremony.
"Fu Ji, please step forward," called the village chief.
Fu Ji, a sturdy young man, stepped forward.
"Place your hand on this stone," said Elder Mo, holding a round, grey-colored stone.
"Alright," Fu Ji raised his hand and placed it on the stone.
Suddenly, the stone emitted five colors.
"Fu Ji, Five-Colored Spiritual Root. Pass." Hearing this, Fu Ji jumped for joy.
He immediately bowed low, thanking Elder Mo repeatedly.
"Next, Ling Qiao." Hearing her name, Ling Qiao stepped forward, her heart pounding rapidly.
"Place your hand." Ling Qiao placed her hand.
Elder Mo shook his head. "Failed. Next." Hearing this, Ling Qiao hung her head in sadness and walked down from the platform.
"Next." The young people from Qinhe Village took turns stepping forward. Only three succeeded, while the rest failed.
"Next, Lin Fan." Hearing his name called, Lin Fan stepped forward.
Whispers emerged from the crowd. "Look, it's Lin Fan, the fish-seller's son. I bet he'll fail too. You can tell from his weak body."
Lin Fan certainly heard it, but he chose to remain silent, determined to pass the test.
Elder Mo, seeing the determination in Lin Fan's eyes, smiled with satisfaction.
"Place your hand on this stone." Lin Fan understood and placed his hand.
Nothing happened when Lin Fan placed his hand. Laughter erupted from those who disliked Lin Fan.
Whoosh!
A faint light emerged from the stone, causing everyone to fall silent.
Elder Mo just shook his head. "Pseudo Spiritual Root. Failed."
"Hahahaha!" Laughter erupted again after hearing Elder Mo's words.
Lin Fan's head drooped in dejection. He was, of course, saddened by the result. He walked down from the platform, disheartened.
"It's okay, Brother," Lin Xue tried to comfort her brother, who looked so sad.
"Don't be sad, Fan'er," Hu Mei hugged her son.
Lin Fan remained silent, still very upset with his result.
"Lin Xue, please step forward," said the village chief.
The little girl walked nonchalantly up onto the platform.
"Look, the brother failed, now it's the sister's turn. I'm sure the result will be the same," said Fu Ji with a mocking smile on his face.
"Please place your hand." Lin Xue then placed her hand on the stone.
...