*Clang!*
Bell chimes rang out across the sky, the sound hanging in the air for ages.
It was time for the yearly Immortal Selection Assembly again. The small town was packed with regular people who'd come from all over, hoping to make it big. Every single one of them had dreams—maybe some official would notice them and take them into a sect. Then they could start cultivating and become somebody important.
Just then, this incredibly good-looking young guy walked over. He looked amazing, handsome and classy, wearing a crown with white robes, fancy boots, and carrying a sword. Everything about him screamed young master. You couldn't forget him if you tried.
"Look, it's Senior Brother!" an outer disciple of the Celestial Gate spotted me first and couldn't help crying out.
Everyone turned to look. All the women instantly went starry-eyed, and even some tough guys who liked swordsmanship at night couldn't look away.
"There's actually such a transcendent, otherworldly beauty in this world! Mommmy, I'm in love!"
"You're dreaming! Senior Brother is obviously mine."
"Could you two please look in a mirror first? Kyaaah˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Senior Brother just made eye contact with me~"
"Hey there handsome, looking for a cultivation partner? I'm a beauty and keep my promises!"
...
I smiled on the outside, but inside I was going crazy.
These idiots, do they want me dead or something?! Why do they always have to make me a target?!
I'm just some weak Level 1 How am I supposed to handle all this attention?!
I was pretty ordinary as far as people from other worlds go. No parents, no family, no money, at eight years old, Lady Yana who ran Heavenly Jade Peak, brought me back to the Celestial Gate and made me her student. I became the top disciple of Heavenly Jade Peak. Since Lady Yana was super important, and I tested as having amazing water spiritual roots, I naturally became the famous Senior Brother that everyone in the sect knew about.
Think this was my big break as the main character, about to become super powerful?
Yeah right.
When I first got into the whole cultivation thing, I also dreamed about immortals taking me under their wing and giving me eternal life. I was so grateful when Yana took me as a student. But then... when I tried to actually cultivate, I couldn't suck up even a tiny bit of spiritual energy. Instead, I screwed up so bad my energy went haywire and almost killed me.
It was the most basic technique ever, and I managed to mess it up so badly I nearly died.
While I was knocked out, I kind of remembered hearing some weird voices when I was reborn as a baby in this world.
"Heaven's Will adding weird status... <
Weird status? So Heaven itself had it out for me from day one...
By now, I'd forgotten exactly what kind of curse Heaven had put on me, but I figured out one pretty obvious thing: my dreams of being the main character were just… dreams.
Sorry for being reborn in another world!
I got really depressed.
And sure enough, things went exactly as I expected. For eight whole years, I worked my ass off training every single day, but I was still stuck at Level 1. I couldn't break through to Level 2 no matter what.
The students who joined the sect the same year as me, the best ones had already maxed out Level 2, and some even made it to Level 3.
It was like everyone starting elementary school together, except I was the only one who got held back in first grade. Seven years of being held back.
I'm supposed to be the senior here?!
Seven years! Did anyone know how awful these seven years were for me?!
I couldn't figure out what was wrong with Heaven to curse me with something that made me totally useless.
Couldn't you just zap me with lightning and get it over with?
Even worse, being Senior Brother made me a huge target. Who knew how many people in the sect were secretly wanting my position, just waiting to drag me down and steal my spot.
If they ever found out I was just trash who couldn't even get to Level 2, God knows how they'd turn all that jealousy into pure hate and make my life hell.
Everyone's out to get me. Being a husky pretending to be the alpha wolf…
maaan… life's rough!
So why was I, someone who usually hid out on Heavenly Jade Peak, at the Immortal Selection Assembly today? Well, that story started about thirty minutes ago.
-- 30 minutes ago --
I was lying on the grass like a starfish, chewing on a piece of grass with my eyes half-closed, taking a nap.
The crystal thing on my belt started glowing green. I knew master Yana was calling me, so I headed up to the top of the mountain.
Once upon a time, Yana had really high hopes for me. But after I showed just how bad I was at cultivation, I could feel her getting less and less interested. At first, she'd still make me drink medicine and tell me to stay calm and saying cultivation takes time. Later, she basically gave up and just gave me cultivation stuff on schedule without really caring.
Whatever. My situation really is weird. It makes sense Master would be disappointed.
I felt helpless but got it. I was just curious what master suddenly wanted.
In the eight-sided pavilion, there was this really pretty girl leaning against a red wooden post, her green dress trailing on the ground like she didn't care. The girl had long black hair falling around her shoulders, a delicate face, and super fair skin that looked soft as flower petals. Her face were lively and beautiful, especially her bright eyes that looked like shiny black pearls.
She had one foot up on the stone bench, showing off part of her slim, smooth leg under her see-through skirt, warm and white as fine wine, the kind that made your heart race.
Those cute little feet were just as clean and tempting, her crystal-clear toes seeming to make the air itself ripple like spring water.
This adorable girl was half a head shorter than me, but she was actually my master—An Yana, the boss of Heavenly Jade Peak.
I always thought my master and I were two extremes: one who couldn't beat anyone, and another who couldn't beaten by anyone.
"This decuple greets his master?" I was a good student who respected my teachers.
Yana squinted her eyes and looked me up and down for a while, making me feel like a mouse that wandered into a cat's house.
Couldn't help it… who told me to be stuck at Level 1?
Yana didn't seem to care at all about my pathetic Level 1. Instead, she got to the point: "I've got a job for you."
"What is it, Master?"
"This year's Immortal Selection Assembly started, right? I noticed you've been kind of... well… lazy lately. I was thinking that studying alone isn't good, so it's time to get you a junior brother or sister. That way you can push each other to do better."
I was shocked for a second, then it all made sense. Master had finally decided. After eight years without getting to Level 2, I was probably hopeless, so she wanted to train someone new?
As for studying alone… that was probably just trying to save me some face.
The day I'd been worried about, when I'd get kicked out of Heavenly Jade Peak, was finally coming!