The cave abode

The Seventh Elder led Ye Han out of the great hall and swept his sleeve.

Ye Han immediately felt as though an invisible hand had lifted him. Then he rose into the air as if riding clouds and mist, the wind howling so fiercely that he could barely open his eyes.

A moment later, he felt a jolt beneath his feet and found himself standing on solid ground. Opening his eyes, he discovered that he had followed the Seventh Elder into a valley with wonderfully pleasant scenery and air.

Before Ye Han stood an ancient-looking entrance set into a rock face. This must have been one of the cultivators' legendary cave abodes.

"Master, is this the cave abode you're giving me?" Ye Han asked, staring at the entrance in amazement.

The Seventh Elder looked at Ye Han expressionlessly. "First, you are not my disciple. I am the peak master of Seven Mysteries Peak, so you cannot call me Master. You may call me Peak Master. Second, this is your cave abode, which you exchanged your Azure Mystic Token for. I did not give it to you. Understand?"

As he spoke, he extended a hand toward Ye Han. "Give me the Azure Mystic Token!"

Ye Han froze, then handed over the Azure Mystic Token the Azure Profound Sect Master had just given him. He had thought the Seventh Elder was a kind man...

The Seventh Elder stared at Ye Han. "Finally, let me emphasize this once more: becoming a cultivator depends entirely on yourself. I am helping you here because of this Azure Mystic Token. Conduct yourself wisely."

With that, he turned his palm over, and a token appeared in his hand. He tossed it to Ye Han. "This is the token for the cave abode's restrictions."

He began chanting an obscure, incomprehensible incantation. Wisps of hazy light suddenly flickered in his hand, and strange characters streamed from the Cave Abode Token.

The characters made Ye Han's vision swim and his mind reel. Just looking at them left him dizzy.

Then the Seventh Elder handed the Cave Abode Token to Ye Han. "You have no magical power yet, so you cannot activate the Cave Abode Token. I have modified it for you. All you need to do is set a spoken phrase for it, and you can enter and leave freely. Once you have attained some cultivation, you can bind it with a drop of blood and change it back."

With that, he tossed the Cave Abode Token to Ye Han, then launched himself into the air and flew away.

Ye Han stood all alone at the entrance to the cave abode, holding the Cave Abode Token in his hands. As he watched the Seventh Elder's departing figure, envy welled up inside him. This was a true cultivator...

Teacher Lan Qing had been right. Cultivators were not easy to get along with. They stood aloof from worldly affairs, high above everyone else, and would hardly treat a mortal with such courtesy.

For an ordinary mortal like him, how difficult would it be to get by in the cultivation world?

Yet after witnessing a cultivator's abilities, all his thoughts had turned to cultivation.

He remembered how much importance he had placed on worldly power and wealth. He had never imagined that cultivators possessed such immortal-like power, power that had now utterly captivated him.

He wanted to possess that power, that miraculous power beyond ordinary humans. The cultivation world filled him with curiosity and fascination.

Now that he had a chance to set foot in this world, he had to try, no matter what hardships or dangers lay ahead.

Besides, he refused to believe that any life could be more miserable than tending cattle in Green Ox Village.

With that thought, Ye Han tightly clenched the Cave Abode Token in his hand.

The Seventh Elder had told him that the Cave Abode Token had been modified so that he could set a spoken phrase.

What phrase should I set?

Ye Han thought for a moment, then said, "Ox gate, open."

Although he no longer wanted anything to do with cattle, someone else might open it if he chose something too simple. That was why he said this.

At his words, runes surged across the Cave Abode Token in his hand.

The entrance to the cave abode slowly opened. Its door seemed to be one with the mountain's rock face, yet it slid open with extraordinary smoothness, without the slightest sound.

Delight shone in Ye Han's eyes at the sight, and he walked into the cave abode.

The interior was spacious, measuring a full forty or fifty feet across. A stone table stood in the middle, surrounded by four stone stools, and there were four smaller doorways around it.

The moment he entered, he felt refreshed by the air inside. Even breathing felt wonderfully comfortable.

It felt so good. This must have been why Teacher Lan Qing had told him he absolutely had to exchange the Azure Mystic Token for a cave abode. This was a privilege normally reserved for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

However, Teacher Lan Qing had also told him that anyone wishing to become a cultivator had to possess a Spirit Root. Although Ye Han did not fully understand, with his intelligence, it was not hard to deduce that this so-called spiritual root must be one's talent for cultivation.

He did possess such talent, but judging by the Azure Profound Sect Master's expression and what Teacher Lan Qing had implied, his talent must have been very poor.

Still, no matter what, although he remained a mere mortal, he had already entered the Azure Profound Sect. Whatever happened, he could not let the sect drive him out. Whatever happened, he had to become a cultivator.

Ye Han took a look around this so-called cave abode. Of the four small chambers, one was plainly a bedroom, with a bed and a stool inside and nothing else.

Another appeared to be a cultivation chamber. Besides a seat, it contained four pillars covered in strange runes, with what looked like a toad sculpture atop each one.

On the floor was something resembling the eight-trigrams diagram belonging to that charlatan in Green Ox Village. He could not make out exactly what it was.

In any case, the cultivation world seemed like an entirely different world. There were so many things he did not understand...

The other two rooms were even stranger. One was also empty, with some soil on the floor. Could something actually be grown there?

The final room was easier to identify. It appeared to be a Storage Room, with many cubbyholes hollowed out of the walls and two rows of shelves in the middle.

Unfortunately, it was completely empty.

Ye Han walked around the last room. For now, he had no idea how to make use of this cave abode, but he had exchanged the precious Azure Mystic Token for it, after all.

Working out how to put it to good use would take some careful thought.

Besides, the only people he knew in the Azure Profound Sect were a few elders, and they had no interest in him whatsoever.

Becoming a cultivator would be no ordinary challenge.

He had thought the Seventh Elder would become his master. Who would have guessed that the Seventh Elder would dump him here and leave him entirely to his own devices?

Bored with staying inside the cave abode, he set down the bundle he had carried with him. There was little inside: just a few changes of clothes, some silver, and that Small Cauldron, which had already become like stone.

After a little thought, Ye Han kept the silver on him and put the Small Cauldron and everything else in the Storage Room.

As for the other thing he had obtained, that piece of cloth, Teacher Lan Qing had already taken it away, saying it would serve as his payment.

It seemed that piece of cloth was no ordinary object.

Otherwise, it would never have caught Teacher Lan Qing's eye.

Ye Han left the cave abode, deciding to wander around the mountain and find someone to ask what exactly he needed to do to become a cultivator.