“Sam Bolton, our trial may not be any easier than yours—there might be something else in store.”

Grace Brooks said.

Mark Carter nodded just as seriously. “There’s no such thing as a free lunch, especially in cultivation. Sam Bolton, don’t slack off. Whether it’s a tiger eagle or a dragon eagle, you have to take it down.”

Sam Bolton’s chubby face scrunched up, and he stretched out his plump hand. “Alright, I’m fired up now. Let’s give it our all! In a month, we must become official disciples!”

Grace Brooks placed her hand on top. “We definitely will!”

Mark Carter put his hand on top of theirs. “Of course! The three of us are once-in-a-century geniuses!”

Some of their companions had already started cozying up to the third-generation disciples, while the trio of Mark Carter each followed the instructions on their talismans to their own lodgings.

……

He had thought his quarters in the Thunderlight Hall would be close by, but the further he walked, the more desolate it became. After a while, he spotted a shabby little hut at the foot of the mountain, with a sign swaying in the wind: Room B-58.

Mark Carter was stunned for a moment. Could this even be called a house?

It wasn’t quite about to collapse in the wind, but it was certainly dilapidated. Opening the thatched hut, he found it empty except for a bare wooden bed. Leaning against it was a rusty hoe—the only possession left to him by the previous occupant.

Mark Carter touched it, confirming it wasn’t some magical artifact. He stretched, unable to stifle a yawn. The tension from the flying boat ride and the long trek up the mountain had left him exhausted now that he could finally relax.

No matter what, he’d finally arrived at “fairyland.” He leapt onto the bare bed.

Crash…

The bed collapsed with a bang, leaving Mark Carter seeing stars. The thatch from the roof came tumbling down, and Mark Carter struggled to poke his head out, gazing at the star-filled sky… speechless.

Thus ended the first day of cultivation for the future super-immortal Mark Carter.

Meanwhile, in a room of the Sword Sect at the Sacred Hall, a girl as cute as a little fairy was lying on her bed, swinging her fair little legs and letting out bell-like peals of laughter.

Across from her was the abandoned Mark Carter’s pet, 八折, only now 八折 was much bigger, radiating a faint fiery glow and looking extremely elegant.

“This is killing me! I can’t believe there are people that dumb. Xiao Hong, 八折—such tacky names, I can’t believe they came up with them. Xiao Ling, are you mad?”

The little girl laughed so hard she rolled on the bed, while Xiao Ling beside her looked helpless.

To think that the dignified spirit beast, the Nine Heavens Fire Luan, was mistaken for a sparrow demon—truly a grievance.

“By the way, Xiao Ling, there are actually demon beasts here that can hurt you. If I didn’t have homework to finish, I’d love to take you to teach it a lesson right now.”

Emily Harris’s starry eyes blinked with interest.

The Nine Heavens Fire Luan ruffled its feathers, lifted its head, and called out a few times. Emily Harris patted its head. “I get it, I get it, you can handle it yourself. A five-turn Golden Rhinoceros is rare here, but those two you ran into are even more interesting—geniuses with two layers of Fate Mark. Is everyone here a genius?”

The Nine Heavens Fire Luan nodded in agreement. If not for the fact that the other party had helped her, she would have had to teach that disrespectful fool a lesson.

Spirit beasts couldn’t speak, but they could communicate soul-to-soul with their masters.

“Right, isn’t he the new disciple of the Sword Sect, Thunderlight Branch? Heh, let’s go pay him a visit!”

Emily Harris clapped her hands as if she’d discovered a new continent. The Nine Heavens Fire Luan beside her shook its head like a rattle drum—it never wanted to see that crude bumpkin again.

“Xiao Ling, we’re a team, don’t be afraid. We’ll sneak over and sneak back—Master won’t find out!”

Emily Harris’s eyes shone with unstoppable excitement. Cultivating all day long—who knows if she’ll become an immortal, but she’s definitely going crazy.

The Nine Heavens Fire Luan shrugged helplessly. What’s so interesting about that country bumpkin?

Thinking of how that guy had petted and cuddled her, the Nine Heavens Fire Luan was filled with indignation.

At dawn, Mark Carter suddenly felt an itch in his nose. A sneeze woke him up. He had to admit, the energy in this place was different—yesterday he’d been exhausted, but today he felt refreshed. He brushed off the dust and thatch, slung the hoe over his shoulder, and cheerfully began his first day of cultivation.

The so-called spirit field was just the black earth outside the hut. Still, the faintly glowing black soil was indeed rich in energy. In the next month, he had to weed the plot and till the soil.

Mark Carter estimated he could finish in half a month, then go help Sam Bolton catch those tiger eagles.

Mark Carter took out his magical tool—the Heart-Guarding Mirror. “Mirror, mirror, who is the most talented cultivator in this world?”

A layer of light shimmered on the mirror, and the familiar voice he’d heard hundreds of times rang out, “Mark Carter, without a doubt, it’s Mark Carter!”

Mark Carter pumped his fist, psyched himself up, and got to work!

He spat on his hands, raised the hoe high, and brought it down with a shout. He really did have the knack of a farmer—he’d helped his father with farm work before.

This was the first step toward success, so of course he gave it his all!

Bang…

It was like hitting an iron plate. The huge recoil made the hoe bounce back and smack Mark Carter on the head, instantly raising a bump and sending him staggering.