"What's this all about, Brother Meng? What did you get? I got a Hinayana Bow Technique. The mission is to kill a Tiger Eagle. What the hell is that thing? And these Third Generation Disciples don't look like they're going to help us. My old man spent a fortune on me. If I get eliminated, he'll skin me alive."
Zhang Xiaojiang was practically jumping up and down.
Hu Jing ignored the Little Fatty. "Wang Meng, what's in yours?"
"Just the Nourishing Essence Technique. The mission is to cultivate one mu of a Spirit Field."
"No way, being a farmer counts as a mission?" Zhang Xiaopang had a look of utter disbelief.
Hu Jing couldn't help but be taken aback. "How could that be? The foundation for a Sword Cultivator is the Hinayana Sword Technique... Ah."
"What is it, Miss Hu? Don't stop halfway through your sentence! How can these guys be so biased? I'm going to go find them!"
The fatty grew anxious as soon as he heard that.
Wang Meng, however, understood. He shrugged. "I'm only at the Second Layer of Life Mark. I couldn't practice the Hinayana Sword Technique even if they gave it to me. It's fine. I just have to cultivate a Spirit Field, not kill a Tiger Eagle."
"Wang Meng, I did some asking around before we came. These entry missions are not simple!" Hu Jing said.
"Are we really supposed to do this on our own? Can't we ask those second-generation senior brothers for some guidance?"
Zhang Xiaopang's eyes darted about as a plan formed in his mind.
Hu Jing glanced at the Little Fatty. "Even if you don't seek them out, they'll come looking for you. As long as you can offer them some benefits, they'll surely give you pointers. But cultivation ultimately depends on yourself. Judge the situation for yourself, and just make sure you don't get tricked by them."
Hu Jing knew that Zhang Xiaojiang had Spirit Stones, which were treasures even to the Third Generation Disciples. However, that didn't guarantee he could pass the trial.
"Understood, understood! My family's in business. What kind of scammer could possibly fool my Dharma Eye!"
Zhang Xiaopang puffed out his belly.
Wang Meng wasn't worried about that, at least. The Little Fatty might seem like a jokester all the time, but he wasn't so easy to fool.
"What I have is the Hinayana Refining Essence Heart Technique. The mission is to maintain Elder Zhao Ya's Alchemy Furnace."
"I'm gonna faint. What kind of world is this? One of you is tilling the earth, the other is wiping down a Pill Furnace, so how did I get stuck with such a tragic fate? What the hell is a Tiger Eagle anyway? The name sounds so imposing!"
Zhang Xiaopang said, sounding like he was in utter agony.
"Zhang Xiaopang, our trials aren't necessarily any simpler than yours. I'm afraid there's more to them than meets the eye."
Hu Jing said.
Wang Meng nodded gravely as well. "There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and that's even truer for cultivation. Zhang Xiaopang, don't slack off. Whether it's a Tiger Eagle or a Dragon Eagle, you have to kill it."
Zhang Xiaopang's round, chubby face scrunched up. He held out a plump hand. "Alright, I'm feeling a little fired up now! Let's give it our all! In one month, we must become official disciples!"
Hu Jing placed her hand on his. "We will!"
Wang Meng put his hand on top. "Of course we will! The three of us are geniuses the likes of which are only seen once a century!"
Some of the others in their group had already started trying to get friendly with the Third Generation Disciples, while Wang Meng and his two friends each followed the directions on their Talismans to their respective living quarters.
...
He had thought his residence would be close by, inside Thunderlight Hall, but the path grew more and more desolate. After a long while, he saw a small, dilapidated hut at the foot of the mountain with a sign swaying in the wind: "House C, Number 58."
Wang Meng was stunned for a moment. 'Can this even be called a house?'
While it probably wouldn't collapse at the first gust of wind, it was truly a wreck. Opening the door to the thatched hut, he found it empty inside except for a bare bedframe. Leaning beside it was a rusty hoe—the only property his predecessor had left him.
Wang Meng felt it over, confirming it wasn't some Divine Artifact. He stretched his body and couldn't help but yawn. The tension from the Flying Boat ride, combined with the long mountain trek, left him exhausted now that he could finally relax.
In any case, he had finally arrived in the "Immortal Realm." With a leap, he threw himself onto the bare bedframe.
CRASH...
The bare bedframe collapsed on impact, the fall making Wang Meng see stars. The thatch from the roof rustled down on top of him. Wang Meng struggled to poke his head out and gazed at the star-filled sky... speechless.
And so ended the first day of cultivation for the future supreme immortal, Wang Meng.
Meanwhile, in a room somewhere in the Sword Sect of the Holy Hall, a girl as adorable as a little Fairy was lying on her stomach on a bed, kicking her fair-skinned legs and letting out peals of bell-like laughter.
Across from her was Eight Discount, the bird that had abandoned Wang Meng. Only now, Eight Discount was much larger, radiating a faint fiery glow, and was incomparably elegant.
"This is killing me! Killing me! How can anyone be so stupid? Little Red, Eight Discount... I can't believe they came up with such vulgar names. Little Spirit, you must be furious!"
The little girl was rolling on the bed with laughter, while Little Spirit at her side looked utterly helpless.
To think that a majestic Spirit Beast, a Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh, had been mistaken for a mere Sparrow Demon—it was indeed quite the grievance.
"By the way, Little Spirit, there's actually a Demon Beast here that can injure you? If I wasn't still in the middle of my lessons, I'd take you to go beat it up right now."
Zhao Lingxuan's large, star-like eyes blinked and blinked, full of interest.
The Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh ruffled its feathers, raised its head, and chirped a few times. Zhao Lingxuan stroked its head. "I know, I know, you can handle it yourself. A Fifth-Transformation Golden Rhinoceros is pretty rare around here. But those two guys you met are more interesting. A 'genius' at the Second Layer of Life Mark? At that rate, geniuses must be a dime a dozen."
The Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh nodded in agreement. If not for the fact that the guy had helped her, she would have had to teach that disrespectful idiot a lesson.
Although Spirit Beasts couldn't speak, they could communicate with their masters through their souls.
"Oh, right! Isn't he a new disciple of the Sword Sect? In the Thunderlight Hall Branch, right? Hehe, let's go find him and have some fun!"
Zhao Lingxuan clapped her hands suddenly as if she'd discovered a new continent. Beside her, the Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh shook its head so fast it looked like a pellet drum. She never wanted to see that crude country bumpkin again.
"Little Spirit, we're a team! Don't be scared. We'll sneak over, sneak back, and Master won't find out!"
Zhao Lingxuan's eyes shone with an unstoppable light. 'All this training, day in and day out... I don't know if I'll ever become an immortal, but I'm about to go crazy!'
The Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh shrugged helplessly. 'What's so interesting about a country bumpkin like that?'
The Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh was filled with indignation just thinking about how that guy had rubbed and kissed her.
Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Wang Meng suddenly felt a tickle in his nose. A sneeze jolted him awake. He had to admit, a place with abundant Elemental Qi really was different. Yesterday he'd been as tired as an old ox, but today he felt refreshed and clear-headed. He dusted the dirt and thatch from his clothes, shouldered his hoe, and cheerfully began the first day of his cultivation.
The so-called Spirit Field was the plot of black earth in front of his thatched hut. He had to admit, this black earth, which faintly glowed, was indeed rich in Elemental Qi. Within a month, he had to clear the weeds from this plot and then till the soil properly.
Wang Meng estimated it would take half a month at most. Then he could go help Zhang Xiaopang catch that Tiger Eagle thing.
Wang Meng took out his Magical Artifact—the Heart-Protecting Mirror. "Mirror, mirror, who is the most talented Cultivator in the world?"
The mirror glowed faintly, and a voice he had heard hundreds of times replied, "Wang Meng! It is undoubtedly Wang Meng!"
Wang Meng pumped his fist. Pep talk complete. Time to get to work!
He spit into his hands a couple of times, raised the hoe high, and swung it down with a "HIYAH!" His form was surprisingly good; he had done farm work with his father before.
This was the first swing on the path to success; of course he had to put his all into it!
BANG...
It was like he'd struck an iron plate. The immense rebound force sent the hoe flying right back into his own head. A lump immediately swelled up, and he staggered back from the impact.
"Damn, why is it so hard?" Wang Meng clutched his head and crouched down to examine the ground. That damn thing was as hard as a rock.
Looking at the weeds everywhere, Wang Meng had a very bad feeling. He grabbed one and pulled with all his might... It didn't budge an inch...