But not everyone is qualified to cultivate; there seem to be some harsh requirements. But as for what those requirements actually are, Brian Carter still hasn't figured it out.

Brian Carter endured the torment of quarreling voices for two years, yet still couldn't figure out how to cultivate.

The only benefit was that whenever he saw something, if it was something rare, a voice would suddenly pop up to remind him.

Over these two years, Brian Carter would often venture deep into Luomei Mountain, and occasionally he would spot some precious herbs. With the help of those voices, he would pick them and bring them back for his father to sell at the market, which actually brought in quite a harvest. Thanks to this, the Sun family built a new house.

Brian Carter's father was especially proud, often boasting about his son to others.

Besides herbs, there were also some strange stones, beast horns, beast bones, and the like in the mountains. Sometimes, when he saw them, the voice would also tell him their names and effects, but Brian Carter couldn't understand any of it. Still, he kept them all. Since there was nowhere to sell these things, he put them in a pouch and treated them as his own little treasures.

No matter how proudly Brian Carter's father boasted about his son outside, Brian Carter remained the same easily overlooked youth he was two years ago.

Because in these two years, another child from Lianhuatai Village had risen like a comet, shining brilliantly!

That was the village chief's son, Edward Foster.

Edward Foster was also fifteen this year and also unmarried, but that was only because the Tian family had turned down at least twenty marriage proposals.

Originally, the unruly Edward Foster, after the three giant stone statues descended on the back mountain and then mysteriously disappeared two years ago, seemed to have suddenly become enlightened overnight. First, he developed a photographic memory, memorizing the Four Books and Five Classics in just a month, and could even recall most of the more obscure classics. The teacher was overjoyed, feeling that to have taught such a disciple made his life worthwhile!

After that, Edward Foster continued to produce astonishing achievements, gradually making a name for himself in the literary circles of the Luomei Mountain region. When scholars spoke of young talents, Edward Foster was always ranked first. Even many great scholars in Yuzhou believed that with another two or three years of training, Edward Foster would have enough strength to win the top honors in the imperial examination!

What outsiders didn't know was that Edward Foster was not only gifted in literature, but also exceptionally brave and strong. He could lift a 300-jin stone lock with one hand. Last winter, when Edward Foster accompanied the county magistrate's daughter, who had come to visit, on a snowy walk in the mountains, they unexpectedly encountered a hungry tiger. Edward Foster actually fought and killed the fierce tiger with his bare hands! This made the county magistrate's daughter secretly fall for him.

The village chief was overjoyed, his son excelling in both literature and martial arts, bringing honor to the family. Naturally, he wanted his son to focus on his studies, and marriage could wait until after he succeeded in the exams. Who knows, maybe his son could become a double champion in both civil and military exams and be granted a marriage by the emperor!

With such a dazzling Edward Foster, Brian Carter seemed utterly overshadowed.

No matter how hard his father boasted, in the eyes of others, Brian Carter was still just an ordinary young man.

Chapter Two: The Immortal Master Comes from the West

A carriage slowly made its way along the mountain road.

The carriage was not large and was simply decorated. The horse pulling it was a listless, skinny black horse, but its four hooves were each as big as a bowl. It was clear that, though the horse didn't look impressive, its bloodline was precious.

But the strangest thing was that this carriage had no driver.

The skinny horse trotted along the mountain road, and whenever it reached a fork, a faint light would flash in the air above its head, condensing into a compass. With a slight turn, it would point to a certain path, and the skinny horse would obediently follow.

Inside, the carriage was surprisingly spacious, not matching its exterior size.

There were only two Daoists inside. The older one sat cross-legged in meditation, while the younger one seemed a bit restless, occasionally lifting the curtain to look outside. The mountain scenery was nice, but the Daoist had seen it many times and wasn't interested.

Despite the bumpy mountain road, the inside of the carriage was steadier than a boat.

"Senior brother, did a natural disaster really strike Lianhuatai Village two years ago? But why haven't I heard of any disaster befalling that village?"

The meditating senior brother slowly opened his eyes. "The information from our sect shouldn't be wrong. Even if it is, it's no big deal if we make a wasted trip. But if it's true, we might find a genius disciple, and that would be quite a merit for the two of us."

The young Daoist suddenly sneered, "Heh, two years ago, no one expected that disaster would bring so many hidden gems to the cultivation world!"

The senior brother also sighed, "Indeed, it's amazing that at every place where a meteorite landed, a promising child with spiritual roots was found. In the past ten years, we might not even see one with top ten spiritual roots, but this time there are at least seven or eight. No wonder all the elders from every sect are trying every means to search every spot where a meteorite fell."

"No one expected that a disaster would become an opportunity for the entire cultivation world, and even less that the demonic cultivators would send their top experts into the Sui Dynasty to secretly search for promising cultivators."

"Yes, I heard the seven great sects all sent people to intercept the demonic cultivators, but the results weren't good. They lost men and resources, and the demonic cultivators still managed to escape with the promising ones."

"Hmph, the demonic cultivators sent real experts at the 'Zhenren' level. The seven great sects together could barely muster a few 'Zhenren' themselves. How could they not lose..."