The Strange Old Man

Ye Han walked out of his cave abode.

He had barely taken a few steps when the entrance behind him closed without a sound.

The methods of cultivators truly were miraculous. That enormous stone door had to weigh several thousand pounds, yet it could close all by itself.

To think such a wonderful cave abode belonged to him! A flicker of excitement crossed Ye Han's face. At last, he had a nest of his own.

After leaving the cave abode, Ye Han looked out at his surroundings.

Only now did he see the scenery of Seven Mysteries Peak. When the Seventh Elder had brought him here, they had moved so fast that he had not even opened his eyes to get a proper look. Seven Mysteries Peak truly looked like an immortal paradise.

Drifting clouds and mist filled the air. Countless points of light flew among towering mountains, extraordinary peaks, and strange rock formations, with magnificent, glittering buildings nestled throughout.

This really is an immortal paradise!

Exotic flowers and rare plants grew all around him, filling the surroundings with floral fragrance and birdsong. Spending his whole life in a place like this would be wonderful.

However, although the Seventh Elder had not told him he would be driven off Seven Mysteries Peak if he failed to cultivate, Teacher Lan Qing had warned him that if he never succeeded, he would be thrown out sooner or later.

So, no matter how he looked at it, Ye Han wanted to become a cultivator as soon as possible.

But apart from witnessing that immortal woman's powers and hearing a few scraps of explanation from Teacher Lan Qing, what did he really know about cultivation...?

The Seventh Elder had not bothered with a mortal like him at all, simply dumping him here and leaving him to his own devices. Never mind cultivating-he did not even have basic food and drink. If he did not go out and find some, wouldn't he starve to death on the mountain?

Still, the man was a lofty cultivator, while he was only a mortal. How could he possibly be worthy of the elder's notice?

The thought made him want to curse. He needed to find someone and ask a few questions.

Yet Ye Han had only taken a few steps before he fully understood what it meant to say that climbing a mountain was easy, but descending was hard.

There was simply no normal way down from where he stood. A few steps ahead lay a cliff that looked at least several hundred feet high.

If he fell from here, even a hundred Ye Hans would be smashed into meat patties.

What should I do? Am I supposed to climb down?

He remembered the great bird that fellow had ridden when bringing him here. He wanted a flying mount of his own, too.

Looking left and right, he spotted an old vine beside the cliff. It was thicker than his arm and stretched all the way down.

With no other choice, he could only climb down.

Strangely enough, ever since his encounter with that terrifying monster, he had clearly felt much stronger than before. Otherwise, he could never have climbed such a high mountain earlier.

Using both hands and feet, Ye Han steadily climbed down the vine. Fortunately, he was young, small, strong, and nimble, and soon reached the bottom.

Once below, he found a flight of steps leading farther down and followed them onward.

Oddly, there seemed to be hardly anyone on Seven Mysteries Peak. He walked over a thousand feet without meeting a single person.

He had seen quite a few people on the earlier peaks...

At last, Ye Han spotted a small building ahead. An old man lay dozing in a grand armchair there...

The old man was stooped and gaunt, wearing only a thin robe. He looked as though he already had one foot in the grave.

After walking for so long and finding only this old man, Ye Han could hardly be picky. He slowly approached and greeted him respectfully. "Hello, Grandpa!"

Teacher Lan Qing had told him never to underestimate anyone in the cultivation world. Though this old man looked perfectly ordinary, he was still within the sect. What was his background? Ye Han had no idea.

In any case, he was just a mortal. There was no one in the cultivation world he could afford to offend.

Despite Ye Han's polite manner and fairly loud voice, the old man showed no reaction whatsoever and continued snoring away.

Ye Han looked helpless. Is this old man hard of hearing? Did he not hear me?

So Ye Han called out again, "Grandpa! Are you asleep?"

But the old man still did not react.

A trace of helplessness crossed Ye Han's face. Should I go over and give him a nudge? He reached toward the old man...

Just then.

Whoosh!

Ye Han heard the wind howl as a powerful arm clamped around him. Before he could even open his eyes, he was already over a hundred feet away.

It felt as though he had flown through the air. Looking closely, he saw that the person holding him was an exceptionally burly young man, his muscles piled up like metal, with an honest-looking face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes.

The young man watched the distant old man nervously and snapped at Ye Han in a hushed voice, "Kid, do you have a death wish? You dared disturb Elder Liu's sleep! The last fellow who disturbed him was reduced to ashes!"

Ye Han's expression changed at the young man's words. He had never imagined that this unremarkable old man with one foot in the grave could be so vicious.

And where did this young man come from?

Thank goodness he saved me.

Ye Han immediately said to him, "Big brother! Thank you for saving me."

The young man looked rather simple and honest. With such a burly physique, he resembled a martial hero. Judging by how he had rescued Ye Han and warned him, he was probably a warmhearted person.

Ye Han needed to learn about Seven Mysteries Peak anyway. This young man was just the person to ask.

The young man set Ye Han down and frowned, looking him up and down. "How strange! You look like nothing more than a mortal. How did you end up on our Seven Mysteries Peak?"

His gaze was full of curiosity as he eyed Ye Han strangely, but there was also a hint of disdain in his eyes.

Ye Han caught on immediately. He remembered arriving in Wutong City, where everyone's expressions and gazes had been filled with contempt because he looked like a country bumpkin.

The cultivation world was probably the same. Since he had not become a cultivator and still looked like a mortal, it was only natural for these cultivators to look down on him.

But an idea immediately struck him, and he put on an air of importance. "The Seventh Elder brought me here. He said I had a talent for cultivation and wanted to teach me! He even gave me a cave abode. He treats me really well."

It had occurred to him at once that if he admitted he really was a mortal with no one backing him, the young man would surely ignore him and walk away.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the young man's attitude toward Ye Han improved considerably. He asked in surprise, "The Seventh Elder brought you here? Do you have a heavenly spiritual root? Or perhaps a dual spiritual root?"

Ye Han knew nothing about heavenly spiritual roots or dual spiritual roots, but he was no fool. He played along. "The Seventh Elder said that's a secret. I'm not supposed to tell anyone."

Hearing this, the young man looked at Ye Han with envy. "I'm so jealous of you, having such wonderful talent! You'll definitely become a great cultivator someday. I'm different. My talent... sigh...!"

As he spoke, the young man's face fell. It seemed his talent really might not amount to much...

Ye Han saw his expression and understood. It looked as though this young man would be his way to learn about cultivators...