Wu Ming had sincerely meant it when he asked to become Gu Bai's disciple.
As an expert at clearing the first run, Wu Ming had always been a model citizen with impeccable character. After someone had saved his life, walking away without repaying the debt would surely ruin his reputation—and make him lose every pity pull on future banners.
Now he was utterly penniless. If he truly wanted to repay the debt, he had only one option!
"Master, please accept this bow from your disciple!"
Before Gu Bai could even make sense of the question marks over his head, Wu Ming had already struggled out of bed and dropped to his knees to bow!
But before his knees could touch the ground, Wu Ming felt an icy iron clamp seize the back of his neck. Then his whole body was lifted into the air.
Behind him, Zhu Ying scolded coldly, "You really know how to dream in broad daylight! Being saved once wasn't enough, and now you're coveting the Immortal Arts of the Gujian Sect?! How greedy and shameless!"
Wu Ming earnestly explained, "Eldest Senior Sister, you misunderstand. I only want to repay your kindness more effectively."
"Who's your Eldest Senior Sister?! And who treats asking to become a disciple and seek immortality as repayment?!"
Wu Ming answered frankly, "I do! After joining the Gujian Sect, I'll cultivate with all my might, attain the Dao, and become an immortal, repaying the sect for its kindness!"
"...Master, I'm afraid the Mountain Spirit's miasma has poisoned this man's brain, leaving him to babble nonsense. I think we should throw him out of the sect gate as soon as possible!"
By now, Gu Bai couldn't help laughing. "Heh heh, Ying'er, why get angry with a child? Wu Ming may be a little naive and fanciful, even wildly unrealistic, but his sincerity is plain to see. Don't be too hard on him. This child has had a miserable life, and after suffering the Mountain Spirit's miasma, he only narrowly escaped death not long ago. It's only natural that he wants to become a disciple, seek immortality, and learn a few ways to stay alive. Besides, our Yan Mountain is so remote that we might not see a stranger for half a year... Yet he happened to meet Ling Xi and was brought up the mountain for treatment. He truly does seem fated to cross paths with our Gujian Sect."
Zhu Ying muttered, "Looks more like a calamity of fate to me..."
Wu Ming raised his eyebrows and was about to bow again.
The old man smiled despite himself and said to Wu Ming, "Still, the Gujian Sect lies in the wilderness of Qiongzhou. Our sect has fallen into decline, and it isn't a good place to cultivate immortality. If your heart is set on the Immortal Path, you should seek out a proper sect."
Wu Ming said enthusiastically, "A declining sect is even better! A low starting point means plenty of room to grow. That'll make it easier for me to repay the kindness and write a guide for ordinary people. A helping hand in a blizzard beats adding flowers to brocade!"
Gu Bai couldn't help laughing. "What a silver-tongued boy. Put it that way, and I really ought to take you as my disciple..."
Zhu Ying immediately shot him a cold look.
The old man cleared his throat and said, "However, the inheritance of the Immortal Path is no child's play. To set foot on the path of cultivation, you must first undergo a strict trial to prove your Immortal Fate..."
Before he had finished speaking, Wu Ming's eyes lit up with excitement. "An entrance trial? Great, great! Will you test my Spirit Root, question my Dao Heart, or have me eliminate demons? Or could it be a battle royale?"
Put on the spot by this barrage of questions, Gu Bai was momentarily at a loss for words. He could only turn his head and say, "Ahem... Ying'er, I'll leave this matter to you."
Zhu Ying stared in disbelief. "Me?"
"You're the eldest senior sister of the Gujian Sect, and you've always taught the others on my behalf. The assessment..."
"...So the capable have to do more, is that it?" Zhu Ying glared at Gu Bai, but still accepted the thankless task of playing the villain. She thought it over carefully for a while, then asked, "How about the Three Trials of Spirit Signs?"
Gu Bai considered it for a moment, then nodded. "All right."
Zhu Ying turned to Wu Ming and explained coldly, "The Gujian Sect's entrance test is very simple. I have ten paper slips here, and one of them is a Spirit Sign."
As she spoke, the woman flipped her right hand and closed it again. Ten identical, slender white slips appeared in her grasp.
"If you draw the Spirit Sign three times in a row, I'll let you call me Senior Sister."
"Then it's a deal!" Wu Ming nodded firmly and began carefully studying the slips in Zhu Ying's hand.
A moment later, he fell silent.
Meanwhile, Zhu Ying couldn't help shaking her head inwardly. She gave Gu Bai a look that said, "I knew it."
The Three Trials of Spirit Signs looked so absurdly simple that they made no sense, but they were in fact a widely used way for cultivation sects throughout the Nine Provinces to test one's Immortal Fate.
As the name suggested, a Spirit Sign contained the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. To someone with a superior Spirit Root, it stood out like a flame in the night. There was no need to think; they could choose the correct slip by instinct.
If someone's Spirit Root was weaker, it was harder to distinguish the signs clearly. But there was still an innate affinity. With careful perception, they could always sense some difference between the Spirit Sign and the ordinary slips.
This method of drawing lots wasn't good enough for the major sects. It could only make the most rudimentary assessment of a Spirit Root; it could neither identify its attribute nor accurately determine its grade.
And yet, even this rudimentary test seemed enough to stump this confident young man, whose brain might well have been addled by miasma!
...She could only hope he'd eventually abandon his unrealistic notions and go down the mountain to find an honest trade.
But just as Zhu Ying was reaching her conclusion and preparing to take back the Spirit Sign, Wu Ming finished his contemplation.
He turned to Gu Bai and asked with a smile, "For these Three Trials of Spirit Signs, can I use any method I like, as long as I pick the Spirit Sign?"
Gu Bai looked at him in surprise, then turned to Zhu Ying.
Zhu Ying's brows shot up. "Yes, any method at all. You could even rely on luck... as long as you manage to pick it!"
As she spoke, she gripped the slips more tightly and sneered inwardly.
The Three Trials of Spirit Signs seemed like a test one could pass by luck, but Immortal Fate and luck went hand in hand. Someone with no Immortal Fate could never pass by relying on luck alone!
At the same time, Wu Ming gave a slight nod. Without another word, he went straight to the table beside the bed and picked up a small candlestick. Then he turned to Zheng Lingxi, the owner of the Tree House.
"Senior Sister Ling Xi, may I borrow the candlestick on the table?"
"Huh? Ah, y-yes, you can!" Zheng Lingxi had been quietly watching the show. At the sound of her name, she jumped in fright and nodded awkwardly.
Wu Ming picked up the candlestick and said to Gu Bai, "Master, sorry for the trouble. Could I borrow a flame?"
With a hint of curiosity, Gu Bai blinked, and a flame sprang to life on the candlestick.
Wu Ming raised the candle and walked over to Zhu Ying. "Eldest Senior Sister, forgive me."
The next moment, he held the candlestick up to the paper slips. As Zhu Ying's eyes widened, he calmly used the flame to set every last slip on fire, then immediately pointed to one that was burning with a dim glow. "That's the one."
Zhu Ying stared, eyes round. After a long moment, she looked away and clicked her tongue. Completely unbothered by the ordinary flames burning in her hand, she flipped her palm and recalled all the slips. Then, somewhat unwillingly, she nodded. "...Hmph. Fine. You've passed this trial."
Gu Bai looked impressed. "Not bad. If you can't tell the Spirit Sign from the ordinary slips, burn them and see. That was very quick thinking, and your audacity is even more remarkable. But didn't you consider what you'd do if they didn't burn?"
Wu Ming replied, "If they didn't burn, I wouldn't make a choice. I'd think of something else. As long as I don't say anything, it doesn't count as wasting an attempt, right?"
"Haha, what a slippery boy... What do you think, Ying'er?"
Zhu Ying gave a cold snort. "A cheat and a shirker... There are still two trials left. I'd like to see what other tricks he can come up with!"
As she spoke, the girl flipped her hand again. The paper slips in her palm transformed in an instant into ten polished bamboo sticks. As if afraid Wu Ming might not understand, Zhu Ying made a point of explaining, "You won't be able to burn these bamboo sticks."
Wu Ming nodded and asked, "This is the second trial?"
"That's right. Choose."
Wu Ming reached out and pinched one bamboo stick between his forefinger and thumb, but didn't pull it from Zhu Ying's hand. Instead, he studied her expression carefully.
The corner of Zhu Ying's mouth twitched as if she were about to sneer, but she quickly composed herself, not moving a muscle.
Wu Ming let go of that stick and pinched another one, watching Zhu Ying even more intently.
Zhu Ying still gave nothing away.
Undeterred, Wu Ming continued trying a third time, then a fourth... It wasn't until the ninth that he finally caught a change on Zhu Ying's jade-plate face, one she couldn't quite conceal.
"All right, I understand." Wu Ming immediately withdrew his hand. Meeting Zhu Ying's barely suppressed look of mockery, he announced his choice.
"I choose the third one."
Zhu Ying's smile froze. It was as if someone had exposed a trick at the very moment it was about to succeed. She was a little embarrassed and angry, and even more incredulous. "You chose the third one?! Not the ninth?"
Wu Ming smiled. "That's right. The third one."
Zhu Ying fell silent for a long time, then finally opened her hand. One of the ten bamboo sticks had red lacquer wrapped around its tip, glowing with a dim spiritual light. And it was exactly the third stick Wu Ming had just chosen.
"How did you see it?" Zhu Ying asked, thoroughly unwilling to accept it. "My expression shouldn't have given anything away."
Wu Ming replied, "Eldest Senior Sister has a mind full of strategy and doesn't let her emotions show. I really couldn't read the slightest clue from you... But I was actually watching another Senior Sister the whole time."
Zhu Ying froze, then abruptly turned around. Not far behind them, Zheng Lingxi looked flustered. When she saw Zhu Ying glare at her, she immediately covered her eyes with her hands, trying to fool herself into thinking she couldn't be seen.
Zhu Ying immediately understood what had happened. When Wu Ming had felt out the sticks one by one, he'd seemed to be watching Zhu Ying's reaction, but he'd actually been focusing on Zheng Lingxi. That naturally scatterbrained junior sister of hers was at the Foundation Establishment Realm. Of course she could tell which stick was the Spirit Sign—and of course she'd written the answer all over her face!
Zhu Ying was equal parts exasperated and amused. She glared at Zheng Lingxi and said, "Get out!"
Zheng Lingxi was relieved. She nodded quickly, then clutched her purse and darted out of her Tree House to escape. A moment later, she reappeared, peeking through the window lattice with half her head, her pointed ears twitching... Then one cold look from Zhu Ying sent her fleeing for good.
Finally, Zhu Ying flipped her hand again and held the ten bamboo sticks in her palm.
"This is the last trial. Choose. If you get it right, you really can call me Senior Sister."
Wu Ming nodded with a smile. "All right. I won't hold back, then."
As he spoke, he casually pinched a bamboo stick between his fingers. Though he didn't pull it out, he declared, "I choose this one."
Zhu Ying paused. "...Are you sure?"
A hint of hesitation crossed her face, as if she wanted to give Wu Ming one more chance.
But Wu Ming nodded firmly. "Yes. This one."
"..."
In the silence, Wu Ming held his ground. Zhu Ying's hesitation gradually faded, replaced by a touch of disappointment and mockery. But before she could announce the result, Wu Ming had already turned naturally to Gu Bai and asked,
"Master, did I choose correctly?"
The next moment, just as Zhu Ying was about to let go and reveal the answer, she found that she couldn't move her hand.
At some point, Master Gu Bai had placed a hand on her shoulder. It was like a towering mountain pinning her down, leaving her unable to move. Even the True Essence flowing through her body had seized up...
The pressure lasted only a brief moment. Gu Bai immediately let go and sighed. In a low voice, he said, "That's right. You chose the Spirit Sign... All right, Ying'er, put the sticks away and welcome your new junior brother into the sect."
Zhu Ying blinked, completely baffled. Then she abruptly opened her hand—and the bamboo stick Wu Ming had pinched between his fingers was glowing faintly, its spiritual light just beginning to bloom!
"This..." Zhu Ying's eyes widened, and her throat went dry. As the one administering the test, she knew exactly which bamboo stick was supposed to glow... and it definitely wasn't the one Wu Ming had chosen!
The only person here who could have switched the sticks under her nose was Gu Bai.
For a moment, Zhu Ying was confused and felt a little wronged. She clenched her teeth, dropped the bamboo sticks, grabbed Gu Bai by the hem of his robe, and dragged him outside.
"Master, why?!"
Gu Bai only smiled. "Wasn't it to let you relax a little? When that boy picked at random, you were clearly disappointed too, weren't you?"
"I'm not joking!"
Seeing his disciple fume, the old man hurriedly grew serious. "You should have realized by now that the Three Trials of Spirit Signs couldn't stump him. Even if I hadn't helped him through this trial, he'd have found some other way."
Zhu Ying fell silent for a moment, then argued, "But all he did was cheat and take shortcuts. He didn't show the slightest real ability!"
Gu Bai countered, "To pass all three trials without using any real ability—couldn't that be called an ability in itself?"
"...It's only because the Three Trials of Spirit Signs are too simple that he could take advantage of them."
"Yet out of the countless possible methods, we happened to choose the Three Trials of Spirit Signs, and he happened to sweep through all three. That's what they call Immortal Fate. At first, I only brought up a trial to give him a reason to back down. But after seeing him for myself, I have to admit that this boy may truly share an unbreakable bond of Immortal Fate with our Gujian Sect."
Zhu Ying went on, "But he really can't see the Spirit Sign. Is that all right?"
Gu Bai said, "The Immortal Path encompasses everything, and the road to heaven isn't limited to 'talent and aptitude.' You and Ling Xi should know that better than anyone."
Zhu Ying's expression darkened slightly. She hesitated for a long time before speaking. "Master, have you really taken a liking to him? Perhaps he does share a bond of Immortal Fate with our Gujian Sect, but his origins are strange, and his personality is too... unpredictable. If something goes wrong later, wouldn't we be raising a tiger to invite disaster...?"
Gu Bai couldn't help smiling. "Your master may have spent his whole life in vain, but I still have eyes that can read people. Little Wu Ming is quick-witted and keeps many secrets we can't begin to understand, but his heart is as pure as Ling Xi's. You don't need to worry that he'll repay our kindness with treachery."
"His heart is as pure as Ling Xi's?!" Zhu Ying found it utterly unbelievable. "Master, have you really gone senile?!"
Gu Bai laughed heartily. "Your master is old already. The future of the Gujian Sect rests with you three senior and junior disciples."
As he spoke, the old man gently patted the girl's shoulder. Though Zhu Ying was still confused, she no longer hesitated.
"All right. I'll... accept him as my junior brother."
At the same time, inside the Tree House, Wu Ming suddenly heard a system notification.
"You have completed the Gujian Sect entry and apprenticeship guide. You have received 1,000 Spirit Crystals as a creative incentive..."
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