In Nine Slopes Village, there are many mountains and rivers but little farmland; every household lived a frugal life.

Under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village, several old men puffed on their dry tobacco pipes, chatting idly. Fang Hao returned from the fields carrying a hoe, his pant legs rolled up to his knees and covered in mud spots.

"Haozi, back from the fields?" Old Man Zhang asked with squinted eyes.

"Yes, Uncle Zhang. I have to finish planting the last of the seedlings today." Fang Hao wiped away his sweat. A fifteen-year-old youth, his frame was already quite sturdy, though a bit thin.

"Go home quickly, your mother must be waiting."

Fang Hao gave an acknowledging shout and quickened his pace toward home. Low-set adobe houses lined both sides of the dirt road, with curling wisps of cooking smoke rising from the chimneys. The village wasn’t large, totaling only about thirty households; if anyone stewed meat, the whole village could smell the aroma.

Fang Hao’s home was at the end of the village, consisting of two adobe rooms and a small courtyard. He pushed open the creaking wooden door and leaned his hoe against the base of the wall.

"Is Haoer back?" Fang Hao’s mother, Xu Fenglan, poked her head out from the kitchen. "Wash your hands, dinner is almost ready."

Fang Hao scooped a ladle of water and rinsed the mud off his hands with a splash. Fang Hao’s father, Ning Shiyuan, squatted on the threshold weaving a bamboo basket, asking without looking up, "Are all the seedlings planted?"

"All finished, Dad."

"Tomorrow, come up the mountain with me to chop some firewood; we don’t have much left at home."

Fang Hao agreed, but his mind was on something else. Today was a holiday for the private school, and he had originally wanted to go listen to the old teacher tell stories.

Although Nine Slopes Village was poor, several wealthy families in the village had pooled their money to hire an old teacher and opened a private school next to the ancestral hall. Fang Hao’s parents were open-minded; they lived frugally to let him study for a few years, so he knew many characters. Most children his age in the village had long since started working in the fields, and few could read or write.

After dinner, Fang Hao strolled to the ancestral hall. Classes at the private school had already ended, but the old teacher would usually enjoy the cool air under the old elm tree behind the hall and tell the children ancient tales.

Sure enough, several older children were sitting around, and the old teacher was waving a cattail leaf fan, telling a story with great animation.

"That Sword Immortal flew on his sword, covering a thousand miles in a day, traveling from Kunlun to Penglai in the blink of an eye. With a pinch of a sword hand-seal, the Flying Sword unsheathed, a flash of white light appeared, and the demon was instantly decapitated."

Fang Hao quietly sat down nearby, listening intently. The old teacher had a belly full of stories and loved telling tales of Immortals, ghosts, and monsters. The adults in the village thought it was nonsense, but the children loved to hear it.

"Teacher, are there really Immortals in the world?" a child asked.

The old teacher stroked his beard and smiled mysteriously. "If you believe, they exist; if you don’t, they don’t. When I was young and traveling for my studies, I heard that there is a Azure Cloud Sect in the West Province. It is a great cultivation sect where everyone can summon wind and rain, and ride on clouds and mist."

Just as he said this, a sudden commotion came from the village entrance. A carriage was seen driving into the village, which was a rare occurrence. Nine Slopes Village was a remote place, and one hardly saw any carriages throughout the year.

A person jumped down from the carriage; it was Old Zhao, a constables from Lixiang Town. The Village Chief hurried to meet him, and after the two whispered for a while, a look of surprise and joy suddenly appeared on the Village Chief’s face, and he rang the broken bell at the village entrance.

"Everyone, young and old, gather in front of the ancestral hall. There’s an important announcement." the Village Chief shouted at the top of his lungs.

Before long, the villagers gathered in the open space in front of the ancestral hall, whispering to each other, wondering what had happened.

The Village Chief stood on the stone steps and cleared his throat. "Folks, good news. Great news. An Immortal Master from the Azure Cloud Sect in the West Province has come to our Lixiang Town to recruit Disciples."

The crowd immediately erupted into a frenzy.

"Azure Cloud Sect? Isn’t that the Immortal sect the old teacher often talks about?"

"Recruiting Disciples? What does that mean?"

"Quiet! Quiet." The Village Chief banged his gong. "Let me finish. Tomorrow, the Immortal Master will set up an altar in town to test the Spiritual Roots of all children aged ten to eighteen. Those with Spiritual Roots can join the Immortal sect and become Immortal Disciples. And..."

The Village Chief paused deliberately, keeping everyone in suspense. "And, for every Disciple recruited, the Immortal sect will give the parents one hundred taels of silver."

This time, things completely boiled over. one hundred taels of silver. The wealthiest family in Nine Slopes Village probably didn’t even have a hundred taels if you added up all their belongings.

Fang Hao stood in the crowd, his heart suddenly racing. Azure Cloud Sect? Wasn’t that the great cultivation sect the old teacher just mentioned?

That night, no one in Nine Slopes Village slept soundly.

Fang Hao’s parents discussed it under the oil lamp until midnight.

"One hundred taels of silver... it’s enough to get Haoer a wife, build a new house, and even buy a few acres of good land." Fang Hao’s mother murmured, her eyes shining.

Fang Hao’s father puffed on his pipe, his brow furrowed.

"But if Haoer is really chosen, he’ll have to leave home and go to that Immortal sect. I’ve heard that once you enter an Immortal sect, it’s as deep as the sea, and you never come back."

"Didn’t they say we can visit once a year?"

"Who knows if that’s true or not..."

Fang Hao lay on the small bed in the next room, pretending to be asleep, but he heard every single word. His mind was a mess, filled with both anticipation and fear. Immortal sects, cultivation, immortality, those terms from the old teacher’s stories suddenly seemed within reach.

Before dawn the next day, the eligible children in the village were woken up by their parents, washed clean, dressed in their best clothes, and rushed toward Lixiang Town.

Lixiang Town was ten miles of mountain road away from Nine Slopes Village, usually taking over an hour to walk. But today, everyone walked as if they had wind beneath their feet, arriving in less than an hour.

The town was already a sea of people. People from all the surrounding villages had brought their children, crowding the town’s central square until it was impenetrable.

A high platform had been set up in the center of the square, and several people in green robes stood on it; they must be the Immortal Masters of the Azure Cloud Sect. On one side of the platform was a table with a transparent crystal ball on it.

Fang Hao and the other children from the village squeezed into the crowd, standing on their tiptoes to look forward.

The testing began. Children went up to the platform one by one and placed their hands on the crystal ball. Most of the time, the crystal ball showed no reaction, and the Immortal Master on the platform would shake his head, and the child would leave the stage dejectedly. Occasionally, the crystal ball would emit a faint light, and the Immortal Master would have the child stand to one side and wait.

After waiting for a full four hours, it was finally the turn of the children from Nine Slopes Village.

The first one to go up was the second son of the Li family from the east end of the village. He placed his hand on the crystal ball, but the sphere showed no reaction. The Li boy went down with a pout.

Next was the Zhang family’s daughter, and there was no reaction either.

Fang Hao’s heart leaped into his throat. Seeing the children from his village go up one by one and come down without being chosen, his anxiety grew.

"Next, Fang Hao from Nine Slopes Village."

Fang Hao took a deep breath and walked onto the platform. A lean, green-robed Immortal Master on the stage signaled for him to place his hand on the crystal ball.

Fang Hao tremblingly reached out and pressed his hand onto the ice-cold crystal ball.

In an instant, the crystal ball suddenly erupted with seven-colored light! Gold, green, blue, red, yellow, cyan, and purple—seven colors intertwined and swirled, dazzling and brilliant.

The Immortal Masters on the platform all gathered around at once, their faces filled with astonishment.

"This... this is..." One Immortal Master’s eyes widened.