A goal

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The blazing sun scorched the earth like fire. Though the forest was dense, the leaves on its towering trees drooped, limp and shriveled, unable to withstand the astonishing heat. These were the hottest dog days of summer, and it was noon, the hottest time of day. An egg cracked beneath that fierce sun would probably cook in less than a quarter of an hour.

And yet.

In a clearing beneath that scorching sun, a boy of thirteen or fourteen sat bare-bodied in the sunlight. Pea-sized beads of sweat rolled down his face and exposed skin. His entire body was as scarlet as a cooked crab, and some patches of skin had even begun to peel from the sunburn.

Baking in the sun in weather this hot, at the hottest hour of the day, was practically asking for torment. No, it was asking for death.

However.

Despite the fierce sun beating down on him, the boy remained utterly motionless, seemingly unconcerned. Could he have passed out from the heat?

But a closer look would reveal wisps of red light stirring around his body, continuously seeping into him and making his skin appear even redder.

An astonishingly hot aura could also clearly be felt radiating from him, an aura no ordinary person could possess.

This boy was none other than Wang Yan.

After learning that his misfortune had turned into a blessing and an opportunity had come his way, Wang Yan had not become smug. Instead, he had gained a long-term goal after the Card Fairy let him use the Immortal Card.

Naturally, Wang Yan became deeply interested in the Immortal Card. He knew he had truly obtained an extraordinary treasure, and with the Card Fairy's help, greater opportunities might await him in the future.

What mattered most to Wang Yan, however, was that this so-called Immortal Card Artifact could actually create resurrection Immortal Cards capable of bringing the dead back to life. That was the treasure he had dreamed of most. Wang Yan wanted to resurrect the three people who mattered most to him. Two of them were, of course, his parents, whom he had never seen for as long as he could remember. Even now, he did not know what they looked like. The last was someone whose loss would leave him with regret and guilt for the rest of his life. Now that he had a chance to make amends for that guilt, he had to accomplish it, no matter what.

His life had a goal and something to strive for again. In truth, Wang Yan had always worked hard at his cultivation. Though he had always wanted to grow stronger, that desire had never been this fierce. But what would he do once he became stronger? He had never had any clear ambition. Even after Wang Ziling nearly killed him, all Wang Yan had wanted was revenge-to kill that damned Wang Ziling. This was common among boys his age: all the guidance they received concerned cultivation and growing stronger, yet they had no goal.

Now, however, things were different. Having grown up alone since childhood, Wang Yan had always yearned deep in his heart to see his parents, even if only for one final meeting. Yet he had no image of their faces in his mind at all. Now, if he could obtain a Resurrection Card, if he could bring his parents back... though the Card Fairy had told Wang Yan that the requirements for making a Resurrection Card were far too demanding.

Wang Yan was also rather stubborn by nature. Once he set his mind on something, nothing could drag him back. The Card Fairy had her own reasons for hoping Wang Yan would accept her Immortal Card Artifact, and she supported him wholeheartedly.

She also told Wang Yan a few things about the Immortal Cards.

In summary, Immortal Cards had several characteristics.

First, refining an Immortal Card was no easy task. It required materials from Demon Beasts, such as their hides. Refining some higher-grade Immortal Cards also required numerous treasures of heaven and earth, rare demonic cores, and the like. It mainly depended on the type of Immortal Card and its Divine Ability.

Second, the grade and quality of the materials used to make an Immortal Card determined the upper limit of the magical power it could hold. For example, the Fireball Spell Immortal Card had been made from the hide of a Demon Beast of unimpressive quality, so its capacity was limited. Being able to cast a dozen or so Fireball Spells was already quite good. In other words, refining a stronger Immortal Card capable of casting more powerful spells required better materials, at the very least. Only then could the Immortal Card gather more magical power and unleash stronger Divine Abilities.

Third, the spell sealed within an Immortal Card did not necessarily have to be one Wang Yan had cultivated himself. As long as someone helped him by casting a spell, he could use the Immortal Card to release it without learning it himself. Moreover, it could cast spells much faster than a cultivator casting them personally or using a talisman. This was a major advantage, and it required relatively little magical power to activate, making it an extremely formidable Divine Ability.

Fourth, refining Immortal Cards required at least some knowledge of artifact refining and formations. Another essential requirement, the most important of all, was possessing the Immortal Card Artifact to unleash an Immortal Card's power. However, the Immortal Card Artifact was currently incomplete, with only its Fire Type portion remaining, meaning it could only refine Fire Type Immortal Cards. In the days ahead, Wang Yan would have to find a way to locate the artifact's other parts before he could refine more kinds of Immortal Cards. Wang Yan had also asked the Card Fairy how to refine a Resurrection Card, but she had stated clearly that only a complete Immortal Card Artifact could refine and use one.

Fortunately, according to the Card Fairy, the Immortal Card Artifact had scattered only when she fled into this world, so its parts should still be somewhere here. When Wang Yan asked about her origins, however, she was unwilling to say much. She merely said that knowing this fairy's origins would be useless at his cultivation level, and urged him to keep his feet firmly on the ground and cultivate instead.

Fifth, Immortal Cards were far more powerful than Wang Yan imagined-or rather, their capabilities went completely beyond his imagination. According to the Card Fairy, the Immortal Card Artifact had many other mysterious functions that she had yet to explain. There was no need for Wang Yan to know about them for now. She would only explain them once he possessed sufficient cultivation and Divine Abilities.

What delighted Wang Yan most-though perhaps the Card Fairy had said it to make him cultivate harder-was her promise to reward him every time he advanced a minor stage, and to give him an even better reward every time he advanced a major realm. This left Wang Yan somewhat puzzled. The Card Fairy seemed to have quite a few secrets...

Still.

Even without those rewards, Wang Yan already had a goal, and his entire state of mind had changed. He was no longer driven merely by the desire to grow strong after being bullied, but by a higher, greater aspiration that filled him with longing. That unwavering determination was the source of his drive. Becoming a disciple of the Wang Household's Inner Clan was nothing but a joke in comparison.

Wang Yan had also discussed matters with the Card Fairy. He certainly could not return to the Wang Household now, and the household would not come looking for a missing youngster like him. After all, quite a few people had died during this trial. The Wang Household surely assumed he had perished as well.

For the moment, Wang Yan had nowhere else to go. Fortunately, the mountain range behind Azure Spirit Mountain's Back Mountain had fairly abundant spiritual energy and was well suited to cultivation. He could now continue cultivating, and the cultivation method the Card Fairy had given him was excellent. Since it had no name, Wang Yan casually gave it a new one: Fire Art. Its name did not matter anyway; what mattered was that it suited him very well. Though Wang Yan wanted to return and take revenge on Wang Ziling, his strength was currently even lower than before his Dantian had been destroyed. Moreover, Wang Ziling had surely become a disciple of the Inner Clan by now, so reaching him would not be easy.

Besides, if he showed himself rashly and Wang Ziling discovered that he was still alive, judging by the treachery Wang Ziling had displayed, would Wang Yan not be the first to suffer? It would be better to find an opportunity to ambush Wang Ziling in secret and avenge that arrow!

There were wild beasts, fish, and shrimp to catch all over this mountain, so he did not have to worry about going hungry. Wang Yan was only at the entry stage of the Cultivation Realm and had not reached the stage where he could go without food. Supposedly, some major sects had spirit medicines called Fasting Pills. Taken over a long period, they not only allowed cultivators to go fifteen or twenty days without eating or drinking, but also improved their constitutions. However, the Wang Household he belonged to was merely a small lineage. How could it have such spirit medicine? Supposedly, only its elders enjoyed that privilege!

To begin with, although Wang Yan now had a Fireball Spell Immortal Card, filling it with magical power would take considerable time at his current cultivation level, and the power it could unleash was limited. If he reached Minor Completion of the Cultivation Realm, the fireballs he released would be several times larger. Only then could they truly injure Demon Beasts and cultivators.

The reason Wang Yan was so eager to cultivate and advance to Minor Completion of the Cultivation Realm was that, once he reached it, he could hunt Demon Beasts in this mountain range. First, killing them would help train him. Second, he could obtain more materials to refine other Immortal Cards. Third, he now had practically nothing, and he needed materials he could exchange for spirit stones to support his cultivation.

Now.

Wang Yan was cultivating a fire-type Divine Ability. As the Card Fairy put it, a Fire-Type Cultivation Method should naturally be practiced somewhere with exceptionally abundant Fire Spirit Qi. However, Wang Yan knew of no such place nearby. Under the blazing sun, Fire Spirit Qi would be more active than other kinds, and it happened to be summer...

Though the heat was unbearable, Wang Yan gritted his teeth and persevered.

Tsk, tsk, not bad at all. He's already held out for more than ten days. It looks as though he'll reach Minor Completion of the Cultivation Realm before long, doesn't it? In the Cultivation World, I've seen more True Immortals with extraordinary talent and peerless opportunities than I could count. But those who truly attained the Great Dao were, without exception, ascetic cultivators with indomitable minds and tremendous perseverance. This boy's talent may be a little lacking, but he has determination and resilience. Hard work may not guarantee success, but successful cultivators are always the ones who work hardest! The Card Fairy's divine sense remained hidden inside Wang Yan. Watching him, she was somewhat moved as she thought to herself. Clearly, she had begun to think rather highly of him...

Time passed little by little, and more and more beads of sweat dripped from Wang Yan's body.

Suddenly!

Buzzz! An astonishingly hot red light suddenly surged out of Wang Yan's body, billowing in every direction like a cloud of red mist.