The final chapter is even more resilient, even more upright and even harder!

  However, Wang Lu was quite open-minded. After all, he was a Golden Dan cultivator. If he were to be placed near the Ci Yun Mountain or the White Dragon Temple, he would have been able to mix in as a real power holder elder. As for those who entered the mountain with him, the ones who entered the Xian Yao Peak had their powers transmitted by more senior disciples, while the ones who entered the Ling Bo Peak, such as Wang Zhong and Zhu Qin, had Second Elder Liu Xian as their nominal master. But with one Liu Xian having to take care of thirty-seven inner sect disciples, the efficiency was obvious. Usually, it was still a few senior black and white robes who were in charge of teaching and transmitting powers, not as good as this Golden Dan elder in front of him.

  After both sides finished their self-introductions, Master said.

  "Following the rules, now I should take you to some super troublesome ceremony of becoming a disciple, probably something like kowtowing and making vows... are you interested?"

  With a sincere new intention, Wang Lu said: "No."

  "Well, I don't have it either, so let's skip this step and move on to the next one."

  "What's next?"

  Master nodded seriously: "Yes, it's time for dinner, let's go eat."

  "......Isn't this turn of events a bit too abrupt!?"

  "Don't worry, at least I'm paying today."

  "Is it implied that I have to be self-sufficient starting tomorrow?!"

  "Haha, our Wuxiang Peak is rich in products, there are wild chickens, wild ducks, wild rabbits, and wild boars in the mountains, we won't starve to death."

  "Are you practicing the Barbarian's Heart Method?!"

  ——

  With that, the master took his new apprentice and left Wuxiang Peak on a flying sword, heading towards Xianyao Peak.

  This is also a helpless thing, the master self-proclaimed to have golden elixir cultivation and lived in seclusion for many years. Without a kitchen or cooking skills, unless Wang Lu was willing to drink blood and eat raw meat, eating the wild boar and rabbit she hunted, otherwise he could only go to the Xianyao Peak with many disciples to beg for food.

  Wang Lu didn't know that this dignified Golden Dan elder would run to the outer sect disciples' cultivation grounds to scrounge for food, and whether his face would burn with shame. However, when Wang Lu stepped down from the flying sword, facing the pointing and snickering of countless people, he indeed felt a few parts of shame.

  "Look, that one seems to be the new person invited by this time's Ascension Conference!"

  "Huh? Didn't the newcomers from before all get taken away by Ninth Elder? Who is this then? Could it be an inner sect disciple?"

  "Oh, I know this one. I heard that during the Ascension Conference, an extraordinary genius emerged and was directly promoted to a True Disciple! The woman who brought him seems to be his master and also the sect's elder."

  "My god, a sect elder and a true disciple?! What is someone of such high status doing here?"

  "Who knows, maybe it's a life experience or some kind of strange training?... Huh, they seem to be heading towards the back of the martial arts arena."

  "Behind the martial arts arena, isn't that the cafeteria?"

  "Look! Look! They really went into the cafeteria!"

  "Ordered food too!?"

  "A plate of fish-flavored shredded pork, a plate of stir-fried potato shreds, a plate of pot-stewed meat... What profound meaning lies within!"

  "Look, they've started eating! They're using chopsticks!"

  "He picked up a pair of chopsticks and took the fish-flavored shredded pork! He picked out all the carrot shreds! What a unique way of eating! I'll just remember it for now!"

  "Oh, the elder is also using chopsticks, she ate baozi! What's the deep meaning of this?!"

  "They've eaten it all up! The plate is spotless! Only carrot shreds are left!"

  "They flew away! Their figures were truly elegant!"

  The atmosphere of the whole scene was like this, filled with joy and surprise. As the focus of attention for everyone, Wang Lu felt like he was being stared at by countless people, it felt... actually pretty cool!?

  But seeing the same calm and composed master, Wang Lu finally began to acknowledge this white-clothed woman from the depths of his heart. Just for this shamelessness, they indeed had a master-disciple relationship.

  After freeloading a meal at the free cafeteria on Carefree Peak, Wang Lu returned to his small cottage on Nothingness Peak, and it was already nighttime. As someone who grew up in the mountains, Wang Lu had never experienced a rich nightlife since he was young, so he soon felt somewhat sleepy.

  But just as he was about to fall asleep, his master pulled him back.

  "Wait a minute, let's have a little test before we sleep."

  "I still have Lingjian Mountain and evening self-study!?"

  "Don't worry, it'll be over soon. I'm also doing this to better tailor a cultivation plan for you, after all, I need to have a more detailed understanding of you, and just relying on your performance on the Immortal Ascension Road isn't enough."

  Wang Lu thought for a moment and also made sense: "Please give us the question."

  "Good." Then the master suddenly produced a thick stack of paper from somewhere, with dense and intricate words and diagrams written on it.

  "This is a carefully designed test, consisting of two parts: one part tests comprehensive ability and the other part tests personality. It can comprehensively, meticulously and accurately estimate your potential for cultivating immortality... Please complete the test within one hour, timing starts now."

  But as King Lu bowed his head and began to read the scroll, he suddenly jumped in fright: "What the f*** is this!?"

  The first question of the comprehensive ability test, "The Great Way and Truth are inexpressible, and the elusive Tao that we pursue is even more impossible to describe directly with language." In the past, many monks, including some true men, ancestors, and great cultivators, have said so, with a tone of seven parts ____ and three parts ____. However, if it cannot be accurately expressed in words, how can the Taoist school be passed down and promoted?

  Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate option:

  Pride and Regret

  Helpless sorrow

  Regret and resentment.

  Pride and Shame

  "This is ridiculous! This question must be familiar, right? There must be some kind of evil spirit at work here! I had a long time being messed around by this broken thing before encountering that comet, and I didn't expect to still be stuck with it even in the Nine Provinces Continent where the Dao is flourishing!"

  Or is it that this world has already been occupied by some predecessors who took the initiative?

  "Master, this question...... How did you think of it?"

  "Huh? What's wrong with this question? The cultivation world is pretty much like this now, I'm just slightly innovating."

  "Isn't this how it's all done?! I followed a teacher to learn the Four Books and Five Classics back in the day, but it wasn't like this!"

  "Alas, you've already completed the path to ascension and become a disciple of the Xian Dao sect. Don't get entangled with the outdated knowledge of the mortal world that's lagged behind by several thousand years. The cultivation world has its own rules, which are completely different from those of the mortal world. These two sets of test templates have also been gradually formed through hundreds and thousands of years of exploration. Just focus on doing it."

  After hearing about the struggles of several hundred to thousand years, Wang Lu felt slightly at ease. The strange aspects of this cultivation world seemed not to be caused by certain eccentric individuals, but rather... systemic problems?

  After calming down, Wang Lu shifted his attention back to the test questions. This familiar routine awakened his long-dormant instincts, and soon he entered a state of complete focus, writing swiftly and effortlessly solving one tricky and bizarre problem after another, causing his observing master to nod in amazement.

  After a while, as Wang Lu finished more than half of the comprehensive ability test questions, the white-clothed woman's face had turned solemn.

  Wang Lu's speed and accuracy in answering questions were simply too high, especially towards the end. Those diagrammatic reasoning questions and numerical calculation questions were answered with ease, one after another, like a flowing stream. This had already far exceeded the limits of normal human beings. Even if he had been taught by a famous teacher in the mountains, and was well-versed in the classics and poetry, that knowledge would have been completely useless in this test. And yet, Wang Lu did not possess any cultivation, his spirit and soul were weak, and he absolutely did not have the extraordinary abilities of a high-ranking cultivator, such as being able to memorize things at a glance.

  "Hmm, so it's indeed born with knowledge? No wonder you're the heavenly son of the Void Spirit Root, I didn't misjudge you after all."

  The woman in white clothes looked more and more delighted. Originally, Wang Lu's empty spiritual root was indeed a difficult problem, but if this child had such intelligent talent, it would be much easier to deal with.

  "That's it, it's enough to have done this much."

  As she spoke, the woman in white pressed a palm on the paper, interrupting Wang Lu's enthusiastic composition.

  Wang Lu raised his head, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, as if someone had interrupted his fun, with a hint of discontent in his heart.

  "I have fully understood your situation and there is no need to waste any more time. Your qualifications are good, you can truly inherit my legacy."

  Wang Lüxīn said, I really don't want to inherit your little Golden Elixir's legacy... However, who made my own Empty Spirit Root troublesome? The Golden Elixir is just the Golden Elixir, I can make do.

  Now that the cultivation was mentioned, the white-clothed woman's expression became exceptionally serious. She sat cross-legged in front of Wang Lu and asked in a low voice: "Wang Lu, what do you think is the goal of cultivating immortality?"

  King Lu's mind suddenly jumped out with several answers, but didn't know which one was good.

  Considering the special nature of this old man, Wang Lu tentatively asked: "For the sake of being domineering and overbearing?"

  The master slapped his hand on the table and stood up: "A kindred spirit!"

  After being stunned for a while, he changed his tone: "Oh no, don't talk nonsense, how could it be for such a vulgar purpose?! Think carefully!"

  Then Wang Lu guessed: "In order to ascend to the fairy world?"

  "Alas, this is just talk, but after the Dharma Ending Age, there hasn't been a single successful case of flying ascension. So many talented and outstanding individuals have failed, how can you expect those with third or fourth-grade spiritual roots to succeed? Isn't it destined to be futile? What's the point of their cultivation?"

  "Then... for eternal life?"

  "At present, the number one immortal in the cultivation world is Nanji Xianweng of Kunlun Mountains, who is 3,509 years old and nicknamed 'Turtle Longevity'. His main function is to be exhibited and studied by people. Do you really think that's cool?"

  "......Master, just give me the answer directly."

  However, the woman in white shook her head: "Actually, I don't have an accurate answer either. There are thousands of immortals, and there are countless paths to immortality. Even the Great Dao has three thousand numbers. Different people take different roads, of course, they will have different purposes, how can it be summed up in one word?"

  "So you were just cheating on the word count?"

  "No, what I mean is, no matter what your goal of cultivating immortality is, you need a basic condition to achieve it."

  "Does he look handsome?"

  The woman in white clothes sneered coldly.

  "Master, you go ahead and speak, I won't interrupt anymore."

  "Hah, if you want to last long on the path of cultivation and reach your ideal destination, the most crucial point is that you must be tough enough!"

  "Wow, Master, you're so bad! Talking about this kind of topic in front of a 12-year-old boy!"

  "...When I say 'hard', I'm referring to you having a strong enough life, strong enough cultivation, and being able to withstand the layers of tribulations! Just in the process of cultivating, several heavenly tribulations that must be passed through are enough to make half of the cultivators disappear into thin air. Moreover, there are also human tribulations that are everywhere and can't be defended against. Don't look at how there's currently a 'Myriad Immortals Alliance' that claims to unify the nine provinces' cultivation world. In recent years, the crime rate in the cultivation world has been high! Don't mention those evil cults and demonic paths, even among the righteous sects' cultivators, there are many who are shady and dirty, stabbing knives in the back and secretly doing evil deeds is a common occurrence!"

  Wang Lu looked at his master's indignant face and nodded vigorously: "Uh-huh, I can see that."

  "In short, the top priority of cultivating immortality is to be tough. Many people advocate for powerful attacking abilities or swift and unparalleled speed... all are heretical paths, if one can't even keep their life safe, then no matter how many fancy moves they have, it's all just fleeting clouds."

  "What Master said makes sense."

  Wang Lu indeed quite agreed with Master's words, especially considering this person's temperament and behavior, not practicing well the skill of protecting one's life is indeed not feasible.

  "Good, you're indeed the disciple I've been looking for. You've grasped the first truth of the cultivation world so quickly. For now, go rest, and starting tomorrow, I'll formally teach you how to cultivate."

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