As a disciple of Walter Smith, he was not an ordinary cultivator; he was naturally protected by the fortune of the immortals. As long as he did not harbor thoughts of descending to the mortal realm, there would be no threat to his life, nor would he be detained or listed.

However, beside the Investiture of the Gods scroll, there was also a white jade booklet, about the size of a palm, pristine throughout, with writing on it, named the Register of Immortal Roots.

Brian Carter dared not act rashly and only took the fan before preparing to leave.

At that moment, a voice came from outside the door, saying, “Brian Carter, where did you go? Those Nine Bulls and Two Tigers were personally crafted by Walter Smith, and only you are allowed to refine them. If you undercook or burn them, be careful not to be punished!”

Brian Carter responded, “Senior brother Edwin Cooper, I forgot to take the fan. I’ll be right there.”

The voice outside replied, then asked in confusion, “Didn’t I see you take it earlier?”

Brian Carter was about to answer when suddenly there was a swishing sound.

The white jade booklet suddenly flipped through seventeen or eighteen pages before stopping.

Brian Carter found it very strange and turned to look, only to see a line of words glowing on it.

Edwin Cooper, possesses an immortal root, with excellent aptitude.

The light was hazy, yet it made the characters shine brightly.

Seeing this, Brian Carter hesitated for a moment. Although he was a rule-abiding person, he could not resist his youthful curiosity and softly said, “Eleanor Clark.”

Eleanor Clark was also a disciple of Walter Smith, but she was a girl, very beautiful, with fair skin and outstanding temperament. She was gentle by nature, just like her name, as graceful as the bright moon. Including Brian Carter, all the disciples were very close to her.

With a swish, the white jade booklet flipped back a few pages and settled on a page, where a line of words glowed.

Eleanor Clark, possesses an immortal root, with exceptional aptitude, a true immortal root and Dao bone, with hope of becoming an immortal.

This line was much more detailed than the previous one, clearly showing that Eleanor Clark’s immortal root and aptitude far surpassed Edwin Cooper’s.

Brian Carter was secretly delighted and suddenly said, “Brian Carter.”

The white jade booklet did not move at all.

Brian Carter was slightly stunned, dazed for a moment.

After hesitating, he reached out and took the white jade booklet, intending to flip through it to find his own name.

But as soon as he opened the first page, his face turned deathly pale.

On the very first page, it read: Those with thin fortune, short life, and no immortal root are not entered in this register.

“Thin fortune? Short life? No immortal root?”

Brian Carter felt as if he had fallen into an icy valley, his whole body cold and trembling uncontrollably. He flipped through many pages in succession, but could not find his own name, and his heart grew colder and colder.

He was well-versed in Daoist texts and naturally understood what this meant.

Those without an immortal root could not even step onto the path of cultivation.

Even if one’s immortal root was weak and aptitude poor, at least there was some hope; as the saying goes, diligence can make up for lack of talent, and there was still a chance.

But without an immortal root, there was no aptitude at all, no hope whatsoever.

As for thin fortune and short life, there was no need to elaborate—it meant being born without the fate for great wealth or longevity, let alone the destiny to attain the Dao and become immortal.

This was decreed by the heavens.

“Impossible… I clearly visualized the Ninefold Jade Tower, situated in the Mud Pill Palace of the Xuandu Purple Mansion. I clearly visualized the Ninefold Jade Tower…”

Suddenly, his body stiffened.

He had visualized the Ninefold Jade Tower.

But among his peers who practiced this method, all had already pushed open the Jade Tower and truly embarked on the path of cultivation.

Yet his own Ninefold Jade Tower remained completely unmoved.

“Impossible…”

He muttered to himself, then suddenly trembled, thinking with a shudder, “Walter Smith… Walter Smith is a Hunyuan Da Luo Golden Immortal, possessing vast magical powers, profound mastery, and boundless Daoist attainment—surely he can help me…”

But in the next moment, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, and his heart turned utterly cold.

A Hunyuan Da Luo Golden Immortal is the ancestor of all immortals in heaven and earth.

Such a Daoist ancestor is even said to be the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao itself, always following the will of heaven and acting according to the laws of the universe.

“Walter Smith has always followed the will of heaven, never going against it. How could he defy fate for a mere little Daoist like me?”

Brian Carter collapsed to the ground.

Even so, he still clung to a sliver of hope and went to the rear hall, trying to seek an audience with Walter Smith.

However, he was blocked by a senior brother at the rear hall.

Walter Smith was already in seclusion.

……

He returned to the alchemy room in a daze.

The furnace fire had already gone out.

The lid was open, and inside were the Nine Bulls and Two Tigers, all made of white dough. The white bulls looked adorably clumsy, while the two tigers appeared fierce and lifelike, as if they were real creatures at first glance.

But Brian Carter could tell at a glance that the heat was slightly insufficient, and they were somewhat undercooked.

At this moment, he no longer cared, and just sat silently by the alchemy furnace.

The residual heat from the furnace was still scorching.

Brian Carter seemed not to notice, thinking to himself, “How could this be? If I cannot attain the Dao of immortality, in a hundred years I will be nothing but a pile of white bones. How can I live like this? I have spent so many years in the Purple Cloud Palace, wholeheartedly seeking the path to immortality—how can I resign myself to dying at a hundred?”

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in.

The Nine Bulls and Two Tigers all toppled over.

Brian Carter looked up and saw that all the bulls and tigers were facing south.

According to the Daoist texts, this was an omen.

The Northern Dipper governs death, the Southern Dipper governs life.

If he could not cultivate the Dao, he would die of old age in a hundred years, but now that the Nine Bulls and Two Tigers were all facing south, and as the Daoist texts say, the Southern Dipper governs life—

Could it be that his opportunity lies in the south?

Brian Carter sat in a daze for a long time.