“Whether the Dao Yuan True Explanation is real or fake, let’s set that aside for now. But if we say it’s the hardest to learn, surely no one would disagree. This scripture is obscure and convoluted, its principles difficult to grasp—every word, every sentence, can give rise to countless interpretations and extensions. If you want to achieve mastery in this field, it’s not enough to simply memorize the entire text. You even have to memorize all the versions made public by other immortal sects, as well as the countless insights and interpretations from practitioners, and truly understand them all. The phrase ‘to study until one’s hair turns white’ doesn’t even begin to describe the hardship involved. Even the great cultivators of our time, in their pursuit of the Dao Yuan True Explanation, have lost track of how many have delayed their cultivation, or even fallen into madness. So how much more difficult must it be for you children, whose minds are not yet steadfast?”

At this point, Mr. Brooks looked at Henry Carter, his gaze full of affection. “I have taught at the Immortal Hall in Taiyue City for decades, and I’ve seen countless prodigies and child geniuses, but I have never seen anyone as diligent and hardworking as you. The things that even those countless great cultivators and learned elders could not accomplish, you have managed to do. In this, even I deeply admire you…”

“So…”

“This honor of being at the top of the list is something you earned through ten years of hard study. You won it among a hundred thousand students from the seven counties of Yue. You started on the same footing as everyone else, and even had worse conditions than most because of your family background. Yet, after ten years, you now stand above them. Who can say your top ranking is fake? Who can deny that you are stronger than they are?”

Mr. Brooks’s expression grew solemn as he heavily patted Henry Carter on the shoulder, his voice a bit low: “Child, today is the last lesson I will teach you. Don’t forget how you made it through these ten years. In the future, when you set foot on the path of cultivation, this will be your Dao heart!”

After saying these words, Mr. Brooks drank a cup of wine and turned to leave.

“These ten years—how did I make it through…”

Henry Carter gazed at Mr. Brooks’s departing figure, softly repeating the words he had just spoken.

“Yes, how did I make it through these ten years?”

“When I was five, I climbed the locust tree outside the Immortal Hall to eavesdrop on Mr. Brooks’s lectures, and got my head covered in lumps from wasp stings…”

“When I was seven or eight, I would help my uncle and aunt in the fields while reciting the characters Mr. Brooks taught me in my mind. I once cut my hand with a sickle and didn’t even notice. When I finally looked back, I saw blood sparkling and bright on the rice seedlings…”

“In my teens, every night in my dreams, I would see those obscure and convoluted scriptures…”

A feeling both sorrowful and proud welled up in Henry Carter’s heart…

“How did I make it through?”

“I made it here by putting in ten times the effort and ten times the hard work compared to others…”

“Mr. Brooks is right. You can say the Dao Yuan True Explanation is fake, you can strip me of my place on the list, but who can deny that I truly earned the top spot on the Jiazi List with my own strength, putting all of you beneath my name?”

He took the wine that Mr. Brooks had poured for him and downed it in one gulp, then filled his cup to the brim again.

Then he looked up in the direction where Mr. Brooks had left, and silently said in his heart, “Don’t worry, Mr. Brooks, I won’t let myself fall into despair!”

With his heart’s knot untied, all of Henry Carter’s previous confusion vanished like smoke, and strength returned to his body. He let out a long breath, preparing to leave. But just as he stood up, he couldn’t help but think of another question: “If the ‘Dao Yuan True Explanation’ is fake, then what about that faint stirring I’ve felt in my heart over these years while studying the scripture?”

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but recall, once again, that night a month ago—one of the countless nights he had fallen asleep reading the Dao Yuan True Explanation—when, in a half-dream, half-awake state, his mind suddenly became clear, and he felt that mysterious and profound power…

He didn’t know how to describe that feeling, whether real or illusory, and he had never told anyone about it!

He once thought that, after he truly began cultivating, he could, guided by that feeling, discover the true meaning hidden within the Dao Yuan True Explanation. But who would have thought that, at this critical moment, the Dao Yuan True Explanation would be proven fake?

Chapter Three: Menial Work in the Immortal Sect

“Canceling the Dao Yuan True Explanation subject was really unavoidable. But fortunately, there weren’t many people specializing in it to begin with, so it won’t bury any talent!” At this moment, in the inner hall of the City Lord’s mansion, the Qingyang Sect Immortal Envoy raised his cup and sighed.

There were naturally few who qualified to sit at the main table in this inner hall: only the City Lord, General Foster, the Immortal Hall Daoist Master, the Qingyang Sect Immortal Envoy Charles Miller, and, even though the Dao Yuan True Explanation subject had been canceled, those who could still make it onto the Jiazi List—City Lord’s daughter Emily Bennett, General Foster’s son Richard Foster, and a few other young prodigies of Taiyue City. All of them were the top talents in Taiyue City.

Upon hearing the Immortal Envoy’s words, they all felt a bit uneasy.

Luckily, I didn’t put too much effort into the Dao Yuan True Explanation subject…

Of course, the reason they hadn’t put in much effort before was simply because that subject was just too difficult.

Although this was a compromise for them, now, it had unexpectedly turned into a stroke of luck…

“Not burying any talent? I’m not so sure about that…”