Only William Harper felt sorrow in his heart, and also found it extremely ironic. Calculating the time, he happened to be born right at the tail end of the six hundred years.

However, not only did he fail to possess the "Xuanyuan bloodline," but he was also unable to gather the world's elemental energy from birth.

Could it be that, from now on, The Harper Family will not produce a "Xuanyuan" every five or six hundred years, but instead, produce a "good-for-nothing"?

……

.

Chapter 8: The Wine Named "Bitter Crossing"

After hearing Sarah Parker's tale about the "Xuanyuan bloodline," William Harper did not feel his blood boil. He thought the legend of "Xuanyuan" was far too distant from himself, and believed it was better to steadily try out all the secret techniques in the Sutra Pavilion one by one.

For three consecutive months, William Harper often appeared in the middle of the night, quietly sneaking into the Sutra Pavilion when all was silent.

Over these three months, William Harper not only became generally familiar with the various celestial techniques and secret skills on the first, second, and third floors of the Sutra Pavilion, but also became acquainted with the old woman Sarah Parker who managed the place.

It was only after visiting the second and third floors of the Sutra Pavilion that William Harper realized the cultivation secrets there were merely upgraded versions of those on the first floor.

For example, the first floor's "Lingyun Yuanqi Manual" only recorded cultivation methods from the One Origin Heaven to the Three Talents Heaven realms, while the second floor recorded cultivation secrets from the Four Symbols Heaven to the Five Elements Heaven.

The third floor also had a "Lingyun Yuanqi Manual," but it only recorded cultivation methods from the Six Harmonies Heaven to the Seven Stars Heaven.

Other cultivation secrets were the same: the first floor contained the basics, while the second and third floors were more advanced.

In addition, the second and third floors had some new secret techniques, as well as handwritten notes from predecessors, which detailed the difficulties they encountered at certain realms and their insights upon breaking through.

It was only after entering the second and third floors that William Harper understood why people like Edward Harper, Alice Harper, and Charles Harper were so desperate to get to the upper floors—their goal was those handwritten notes left by their predecessors.

Back then, Edward Harper was able to break through from One Origin Heaven to Two Instruments Heaven in one go in the Sutra Pavilion. According to Sarah Parker, it was precisely because he saw a note describing a situation similar to his own, and suddenly understood why he had been unable to break through, that he managed to reach the Two Instruments Heaven in three days.

The most precious things on the second and third floors, aside from the secret techniques, were these cultivation insights from predecessors!

However, there weren't many such insights, and each person's difficulties on the path of celestial cultivation were never the same.

Normally, celestial practitioners must rely on their own understanding to break through.

Edward Harper's breakthrough back then was just a stroke of luck, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, finding a note that matched his own cultivation predicament.

Such cases were extremely rare, which is why this year, even though Edward Harper stayed in the Sutra Pavilion for three days, he gained nothing.

However, whether it was the more advanced celestial cultivation secrets on the second and third floors, the dazzling and powerful attack techniques, or the cultivation insights of predecessors, none of it was of any use to William Harper.

Unable to gather elemental energy, he hadn't even passed the most basic threshold. The things on the second and third floors were no different from waste paper to him!

The Harper Family's location was not within Qingyan City, but at the foot of Qingyan Mountain outside the city. Beyond Qingyan Mountain to the south lay the vast Yunmeng Marsh, shrouded in miasma and poisonous fog. Only after crossing Yunmeng Marsh would one reach the southern Yi tribes, known as the Nine Yi.

At dawn, the rising sun slowly emerged from the endless eastern sea, its brilliant golden light gradually enveloping the sky and illuminating the earth.

At the summit of Qingyan Mountain, William Harper sat dejectedly on the green rock where he had once swung his arms with all his might.

Three months ago, during the The Harper Family trial, William Harper had struggled through countless hardships, nearly collapsing from exhaustion, just to reach this place at dusk.

From last night’s dusk until now, William Harper had stayed here for a whole night!

His once clear eyes were now filled with confusion, staring blankly at the misty Yunmeng Marsh in the distance. Watching the colorful miasma drift slowly above Yunmeng Marsh like clouds, William Harper suddenly grabbed a large jar of wine beside him and once again gulped it down in big swigs.

"Cough, cough, cough..." The bitter wine burned his throat, making William Harper choke and almost cry, while a strong bitterness spread through his heart, instantly overflowing his chest, perfectly matching his current mood.

The wine was called "Bitter Crossing," a gift from a strange old man in the slums of Qingyan City.

The old man's name was David Bennett. The first time he met William Harper, he threw him a jar of wine called "Bitter Crossing," made him drink half the jar before he would even speak to him.

—At that time, William Harper was only seven years old!

"Little one, the life you live before the age of twenty is just like the name of this wine—'Bitter Crossing.' Whether your life after twenty will still be called 'Bitter Crossing' depends on you."

When David Bennett said this, he was completely serious, not joking at all, and didn't seem like a charlatan.

Later, as he spent more time with David Bennett, William Harper also discovered that David Bennett never joked.

However, at only seven years old, William Harper certainly didn't take David Bennett's strange words to heart.