Soaring through the skies and traversing the earth, a single sword’s gleam chills a thousand miles—what a hero, what spirit!

In a single glance that lasts an eternity, at this moment, Ian Quinn fell hopelessly in love with the path of cultivation. He made a vow that one day, he would roam freely among the nine heavens.

……

Ian Quinn was not able to enter that palace as magnificent as a celestial pavilion. The magic vessel landed in front of the mountain, dropping him off there, and the white-robed immortal envoy drifted away.

The other party didn’t even offer a single word of advice.

Ian Quinn couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed, then a wry smile appeared on his face. After passing the Immortal Sect’s entrance exam and being accepted by the Luoxue Sect, he had instantly become a hotshot in Weichi City—even the city lord treated him as an honored guest, and those eager to curry favor with him were as numerous as fish in the river.

He had poured countless efforts to reach this point. Though he appeared calm on the surface, he was actually quite proud inside. The “Immortal Seeking Manual” was so grueling to cultivate, and he had thought that once he reached the Immortal Sect, it wouldn’t be hard to be valued. Yet the treatment before him was completely different from what he had imagined.

Ian Quinn frowned slightly, faintly sensing that he might have misunderstood something, but couldn’t put his finger on it. In this sacred land of the immortal mountains, he dared not wander about, so he simply paced around nearby.

Before long, the sound of laughter reached his ears. Ian Quinn was startled and followed the sound. In sight were two young men and a young woman, all dressed in splendid attire, about the same age as him, faces full of arrogance, chatting and laughing about something he couldn’t make out.

Feeling anxious and still childlike, Ian Quinn didn’t think much and walked over.

The three saw Ian Quinn, but weren’t surprised. The leading one cupped his hands in greeting: “I am Ethan Sullivan from Wanku Ridge. May I ask which family you belong to, brother? It is a pleasure to meet you!”

The other spoke in a flowery, formal manner, and his clothes were extremely luxurious—clearly not from an ordinary family. Ian Quinn didn’t understand what he was saying and scratched his head. “What’s Wanku Ridge? What’s the Shen family?”

He looked completely bewildered.

The man frowned, and mocking laughter came from the side: “He hasn’t even heard of the famous Wanku Ridge. Senior Brother Sullivan, this person is definitely not one of us.”

“Indeed, in my opinion, this fellow is probably just a fallen commoner. Brothers, let’s go. If our peers see us associating with him, the three of us will become the laughingstock of everyone.” The only girl was quite pretty, but her expression toward Ian Quinn was full of disgust and disdain, as if he reeked of filth. She turned and left first.

The two young men wore similar expressions. Even the previously polite Ethan Sullivan now looked at him with contempt, said nothing more, and swept his sleeve as he left.

Ian Quinn was left standing there, completely at a loss, his face full of hesitation. He vaguely felt that, although he had passed the Immortal Sect’s exam and gained the qualification to become a disciple of Luoxue Sect, the path to seeking immortality was probably not as simple as he had imagined.

Chapter 3: Secrets of the Cultivation World

Ian Quinn pondered for a moment, but couldn’t figure it out, so he put the matter aside and looked around. Immortal mountains and seas of clouds, strange peaks rising one after another—the scenery was breathtaking.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, footsteps reached his ears. Ian Quinn was stirred and turned to look. A youth of about seventeen or eighteen appeared before his eyes.

The youth had delicate features, still youthful, and was dressed in fine clothes—clearly a pampered young master.

Having just experienced what he did, Ian Quinn wasn’t in a hurry to greet him, deciding to observe first. Unexpectedly, the youth took the initiative to bow and asked, “Brother, are you also a newly accepted disciple of the Immortal Sect? May I ask about your background—are you from a cultivation family or an ordinary mortal family?”

“Why are you asking about this, little brother?” Ian Quinn was intrigued but didn’t answer, instead asking a question in return.

“To be honest, big brother…” The youth scratched his head sheepishly. “I am Quentin Hughes, from Qinghe County. My family is somewhat well-off, but we’re just mortals. Since coming here, I’ve been ostracized and ignored by those from cultivation families. I was hoping to find a companion with a similar background.”

“Qinghe County’s Xu family—could it be that Xu family…”

Ian Quinn was shocked. Though he grew up poor, he loved to read and had come across many legends about the Xu family of Qinghe County in the “Annals of Wu Kingdom’s Notables.”

“Somewhat well-off” was far too modest. The Xu family of Qinghe County was wealthy enough to rival a nation, truly able to spend money like water. In terms of wealth alone, they might not even be inferior to the current royal family of Wu.

Seeing Ian Quinn’s astonished face, the youth leapt with joy: “Haha, brother, you look so surprised—you must also be from a mortal background.”

“That’s right.”

Since the other had guessed, Ian Quinn didn’t hide it and briefly recounted his own background.

“That’s great!”

The youth named Quentin Hughes was overjoyed, his face beaming: “Ever since I arrived, I’ve suffered plenty of cold shoulders from those cultivation family types—they won’t even talk to me. At last, I’ve found a companion with the same background!”

“Cultivation families?” Ian Quinn raised an eyebrow, immediately recalling the earlier scene. Countless questions surfaced in his mind, and he grew even more uneasy.