The hearts of the youths were filled with awe, and they obeyed as instructed. The once noisy square instantly became much quieter, and only then did the three immortal masters reveal satisfied expressions. In the blink of an eye, nearly half an hour had passed.

"Next is the Spirit Awakening Ceremony. I will distribute the Spirit Awakening Pills to each of you. When your name is called, please come forward to receive it."

Everyone grew even more excited. The Spirit Awakening Pill was extremely precious; after more than ten years of hardship, this was the moment they had all been waiting for. Even the young masters and ladies born into cultivation families held their breath.

Chapter 8: The Cuckoo in the Magpie’s Nest

Ian Quinn felt this even more keenly. After all, compared to the others, he had put in much more effort, and the entire process had been full of twists and turns. Now, he had finally reached the Spirit Awakening Ceremony. Soon, he would become a true disciple of the immortal sect.

His heart surged with excitement, and his gaze toward the Spirit Awakening Pill was burning with desire. However, at that very moment, a fierce wind suddenly arose, sand and stones flying. The once clear sky instantly darkened.

"Stop!"

Amidst the raging wind, a figure appeared with a flourish—it was an old man in a gray robe. At a glance, it was impossible to tell his age. Yet the three immortal masters presiding over the ceremony all bowed in unison: "Greetings, Elder Lewis."

This unremarkable-looking elder was one of the top ten inner sect elders of the Snowfall Sect, holding great power and status. Even the sect leader treated him as an honored guest.

"We did not know the elder would grace us with his presence. What instructions do you have?"

"By order of the sect leader, Ian Quinn's qualification for Spirit Awakening is revoked and will be given to Charles Owen instead."

"What?"

Everyone was stunned. Ian Quinn's cheeks flushed bright red, and he stood frozen in place, as if plunged into an icy abyss.

"Wh...why are you doing this?"

His mind went blank. After a long while, he finally let out a hoarse, low roar.

Elder Lewis looked at him expressionlessly. Deep in his eyes, there seemed to be a trace of guilt, but it quickly faded, replaced by calm indifference. "The sect leader's decree is not to be questioned. All unrelated persons, step back!"

"I—I refuse to accept this! For no reason at all, why are you revoking my qualification?"

Ian Quinn felt a rush of hot blood surge to his head. To make it this far, he had sacrificed so much, and now, with just a single sentence, it was all taken away—without even an explanation. How could he accept this? He struggled, wanting to rush forward.

"Boy, stop right there."

"Do not be disrespectful."

"The elder's status is exalted—how dare you offend him?"

...

The three immortal masters in charge of the ceremony shouted sternly, but the enraged Ian Quinn paid them no heed. His chest was filled with anger and injustice. Even if it meant being shattered to pieces, he wanted an answer.

Facing the frenzied youth, Elder Lewis did not get angry. Instead, a barely perceptible trace of pity flashed in his eyes.

With a sweep of his sleeve, and without any extra movement, Ian Quinn suddenly felt as if his entire body was bound by an invisible rope—he could not move at all.

Mortals facing cultivators were like ants before giants.

"Ugh...ugh..."

Ian Quinn struggled desperately, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree. In the face of absolute power, no matter how hard you fought, even at the cost of your life, it was useless.

...

"Damn it! I endured hardship, ten years of patience, countless sacrifices, and now I’m just one step away."

"Why? Why are you taking away my chance to cultivate immortality?"

When Ian Quinn woke up again, what greeted his eyes was a cold stone room. His face was expressionless, but soon his eyes regained focus, and his face showed resentment and bitterness.

Looking back on his journey, it felt as if he had been reborn. Yet, in reality, less than two hours had passed since that scene in the morning.

He raised his head, only to be blocked by the cold ceiling. In the distance, the sounds of a lively crowd could faintly be heard—songs, laughter, beautiful scenery, and a fine day. The immortal sect was celebrating the induction of new disciples.

Everything was wonderful—except it had nothing to do with him anymore.

Ian Quinn closed his eyes, his expression full of pain. It was never supposed to be like this.

He refused to accept it.

The events of the day replayed before his eyes once more.

To be fair, he had done nothing wrong, yet the immortal sect had stripped him of his qualification for no reason. But there was a reason behind it.

The root cause was the shortage of Spirit Awakening Pills. At first, the sect was willing to spare him one because they saw his good character—his perseverance and willingness to endure hardship made him worth nurturing and protecting.

But who could have expected that such a decision would provoke others’ dissatisfaction?

This time, the number of Spirit Awakening Pills was far less than expected. Even after excluding all the mortal-born youths, there still weren’t enough. As a result, some young masters and ladies from cultivation families also lost their qualifications. Of course, these people were originally just making up the numbers—their internal energy was the weakest among all the candidates.

Among them was the young master of the Ouyang family, with the single given name "Chun."

This fellow was a typical spoiled brat, yet he was extremely favored within his family. When the Ouyang family head learned that his beloved youngest son had lost his qualification, he was both shocked and furious. Of course, he dared not rebuke the immortal sect, but that didn’t mean he would let the matter rest. So, he took an unorthodox approach and offered the sect the Ouyang family’s treasured heirloom—a 1,500-year-old ginseng.