Brian Carter had always been inconspicuous since childhood. In the entire village, aside from his parents, no one ever paid him any attention. Even the teacher never had high praise for him. How could someone like that possibly pass the test?

Their attention was all focused on the third son of the Li family, who stood behind Eric Carter.

There were three major surnames in the village: Tian, Li, and Sun. Before Edward Foster, the third son of the Li family had always been the teacher’s top student. If anyone else had a chance of passing the test, it would surely be the third son of the Li family.

Brian Carter stepped forward. Samuel Grant’s expression was calm: “Begin.”

Brian Carter picked up the jade ruyi and pressed it to his forehead.

Just as everyone was waiting for him to be scolded and hurried off so it could be the Li family’s third son’s turn, the jade ruyi suddenly emitted a glow. The light wasn’t strong, just a faint golden hue, far less impressive than the four-colored rainbow of Edward Foster, but the jade ruyi had indeed lit up!

“Ah…”

The children were surprised, and even Mayor Foster hadn’t expected that the always-overlooked Brian Carter could actually pass.

Samuel Grant and William Grant, however, were not surprised at all. They nodded slightly and said, “Passed.”

“Brother, you passed! Haha, you passed!” Eric Carter was overjoyed, throwing himself into Brian Carter’s arms and shouting.

Those who had failed before couldn’t help but feel jealous, but since they were all from the same village, they couldn’t say anything. Still, in their hearts, they felt that compared to Edward Foster, these two brothers were clearly inferior.

In truth, only Eric Carter was happy for Brian Carter. As for Brian Carter himself, he was truly calm; this result was not unexpected for him.

Brian Carter patted his younger brother’s head. “Enough, it’s your turn now.”

“Mm!” Eric Carter went up full of confidence, but the result was disappointing. After that, no one else managed to pass the test.

If only Brian Carter from Lotus Platform Village passed the test, that would still be an acceptable outcome for the brothers Samuel Grant and William Grant. In that case, Brian Carter would become the center of attention. But now, Samuel Grant merely nodded at him lightly. “Go back and get ready. We leave tomorrow.” Then, smiling, he went inside with Edward Foster and his father to chat.

The children dispersed in small groups. Because of Edward Foster’s dazzling performance, the equally successful Brian Carter didn’t attract any attention, nor did anyone come over to talk to him. Only his brother Eric Carter kept celebrating for him, chattering all the way home.

Eric Carter kept talking, but Brian Carter didn’t really hear a word.

Having passed the test, Brian Carter vaguely felt as if he was now walking along an invisible path, stepping onto a road he was somehow destined to take.

After the initial faint joy faded, he suddenly realized: this journey—who knew how many years it would be before he could return? The faces of his parents surfaced in his mind, and his nose suddenly stung with emotion. He grabbed his brother, and Eric Carter looked at his usually stern brother in surprise and seriousness. “Brother?”

“Little brother, once I’m gone, you’ll have to take care of our parents!”

Eric Carter suddenly seemed to grow up, nodding hard and straightening his still-slim frame. “Don’t worry, brother!”

Brian Carter habitually ruffled his brother’s hair, then suddenly realized that perhaps for a long time to come, he wouldn’t have the chance to be this close to his brother again. What was once a simple gesture now nearly brought him to tears.

Eric Carter headed home first, while Brian Carter sighed quietly behind him.

Suddenly, a voice exploded in his mind: “Boy, why do you seek the Dao?!”

Brian Carter was momentarily stunned. Why did he want to cultivate the Dao?

The voice continued, “Do you know that after you leave tomorrow, it’s impossible to say when you’ll return? By the time you come back, your parents and family may already be nothing but dust, and even this Lotus Platform Village could be nothing but rubble.”

“Why do you cultivate the Dao? Do you think it’s worth it?”

Why do I cultivate the Dao?

Brian Carter pondered. He recalled when Mayor Foster went door to door telling everyone about the test—he hadn’t felt excited or overjoyed, just a calm sense that: it had come.

What had come?

He couldn’t explain it.

He had always been overlooked since childhood. Aside from his parents and brother, it seemed no one ever paid attention to a boy like him. Yet Brian Carter always knew, deep down, that he was different from the other children in the village!

Leaving home to cultivate—was it worth it?

He looked at his brother running ahead along the narrow village path and suddenly smiled:

I have my own path to walk.

That is the answer.

“If I can achieve something in the future, I can help my family. That’s better than letting them live as ordinary people for a lifetime, only to fall into the six realms of reincarnation, not knowing if they’ll be human or ghost in the next life, right?”

“I just want to cultivate.”

His voice was stiff and stubborn.

Only silence remained in his mind.

“Hahaha!” Suddenly, two voices laughed together, causing Brian Carter unbearable pain, as if his head was about to explode.

“Noah King, what do you think?” the two voices asked in unison.

The third presence still said nothing, silent as the void.

The other two voices were used to this, and seeing no response, they simply continued talking to themselves.