For a moment, his emotions surged, but soon, Ian Quinn calmed himself down and forced a smile, saying, “We come from different backgrounds, so it’s only natural. Since we’re just ordinary people, of course we can’t compare to those cultivation families.”

“That’s right. The Dingxi Pills they take can remove more than ninety percent of the pain. Take my Xu family, for example—we’ve never lacked for gold or silver, but even with a thousand taels of gold to buy herbs, they’re still just ordinary ones. After taking them, the pain is only reduced by half at best.” Quentin Hughes sighed, his face full of unwillingness.

Ian Quinn was shocked: “Ordinary people—ordinary people can also reduce the pain of cultivating the ‘Seeking Immortality Manual’?”

“Of course. Ordinary people have herbs too, but their effects are nowhere near as good as the Dingxi Pills.” That Quentin Hughes replied casually, but as soon as he finished, his face was filled with astonishment: “What, you didn’t even know this? Brother, don’t tell me you’ve been cultivating the internal energy from the ‘Seeking Immortality Manual’ to such a profound level with nothing but sheer willpower, without any medicinal support?”

Ian Quinn nodded.

The other’s eyes widened, staring at Ian Quinn as if looking at a monster.

……

The night was cool as water, and the bright moonlight poured down from the sky, casting a hazy glow over the mountain scenery. Alone, Ian Quinn sat on a rock in the mountains, gazing at the paradise-like landscape before him, yet feeling an indescribable frustration.

He had been so happy to become a disciple of the Immortal Sect, but by accident, he had learned such a big secret, making all his efforts seem like a joke.

The Immortal Sect truly favored some over others. Even though they all passed the test, the children of the cultivation families were taken to palatial buildings, enjoying the best food, clothing, and accommodations, while the dozen or so ordinary disciples, including himself, were left in a large courtyard halfway up the mountain, built of piled stones and much simpler in appearance.

As for food and drink, there was no shortage, but compared to the children of the cultivation families, it was a whole different level. The favoritism was obvious even before officially joining the sect.

Of course, Ian Quinn had always been from a poor family, so this standard of living was already quite good for him, and he had no real complaints. What truly frustrated Ian Quinn was how unfair the sect’s selection was.

Those from cultivation families had elders to look after them and Dingxi Pills to ease their pain. What should have been ten parts of suffering was reduced by nine, and the little that remained, though still unpleasant, was hardly worth mentioning.

As for the other ordinary people, Ian Quinn had interacted with them today and found that, while they didn’t have the illustrious backgrounds of the cultivation families, among them, he was the only one from a truly poor household.

Take Quentin Hughes, whom he first met—he came from a wealthy merchant family in Qinghe County, the Xu family, skilled in business. After generations of accumulation, even if they weren’t the richest in the kingdom, they weren’t far off.

The others were much the same—some were children of officials, some from wealthy merchant clans, and even those from humble backgrounds were young masters of sects like the Haisha Sect.

Though the Haisha Sect was just a secular martial arts sect, it had thousands of disciples, and with such influence, they certainly didn’t lack for wealth.

Any one of these people had a background that easily surpassed the lord of a remote city like Weichi, so when they cultivated the ‘Seeking Immortality Manual,’ they could all use precious herbs as support. In the end, the only one who had to endure the agony of a thousand ants biting every day was himself.

Thinking of this, Ian Quinn naturally felt indignant. The opportunity he had suffered so much to obtain came so easily to others.

He looked up. The moonlight was beautiful tonight. Though the scenery was a bit hazy, compared to the clarity of daytime, it seemed even more enchanting. Ian Quinn took a deep breath and then exhaled, as if breathing out all the resentment in his heart.

At this moment, there was no longer any anger on his face; instead, a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. He muttered to himself, “So what if you have pills to ease the pain? That only proves your weakness. I, Quinn, have made it this far relying on my own willpower.”

“Heaven rewards diligence. There may be countless hardships ahead, but I, Ian Quinn, will never lose to you.”

“Cultivation depends on oneself. Enduring hardship has tempered my will. Just wait and see—one day, I will become a powerful cultivator.”

With this thought, Ian Quinn felt his heart open up, and all his resentment vanished, replaced only by hope for the future.

……

The night passed uneventfully.

The next day, everyone got up early. Today was the auspicious day for opening their spiritual roots, and the young men and women about to embark on the path of immortality were naturally filled with excitement.

At dawn, people were already standing outside the courtyard, looking out anxiously.

Young people are always impatient, but compared to his companions, Ian Quinn was noticeably calmer. Last night’s reflection had benefited him greatly. Though the road ahead might be rough and full of obstacles, he was determined to overcome them all, so there was no need to appear overly eager now.

“They’re coming.”