Just then, a commotion erupted within the Rising Sun Sect. Evan Yang immediately stood up, shocked by what he saw: above the sect, a massive black vortex had appeared, streaked with flashes of lightning.
Evan Yang, who had been watching the vortex out of curiosity, suddenly shouted, "Oh no, my father is still in there!" Seeing the terrifying vortex, Evan's urge to save his father took over—without thinking, he rushed straight back into the sect, where chaos was spreading.
But soon things quieted down again. Ignoring everything else, Evan Yang dashed into Elder Lee's quarters, only to find that Liam Yang, who had been lying in bed, was gone. A sense of foreboding hit him. Just then, Elder Lee returned to the manor, spotted Evan, and was about to speak when Evan hurried forward and asked, "Elder Lee, where's my father?"
"I went looking for you just now because of this matter. I didn't expect you to be gone, but now you're here." Elder Lee had no idea that Evan had been missing for most of the day. He had just come by for something important, but when he found no one, he could only return helplessly—unexpectedly running into Evan here.
"Did something happen to my father?" Evan knew Elder Lee must be looking for him because of his father.
"Take a look at your father's bedside. This was left behind on his bed—see for yourself." Elder Lee sighed.
Hearing that something was left behind, Evan hurried over. All he saw was a single large character. "How could this be? Impossible."
"Child, maybe your father has gone somewhere far away." Elder Lee stepped forward to comfort him.
"Elder Lee, what does this character mean?" Staring at the large 'immortal' character, Evan felt a sense of unreality.
"Maybe your father entered the Immortal Realm, but..." Elder Lee didn't know how to explain it to Evan.
"Elder Lee, just tell me everything you know." Evan Yang was impatient, his only concern was learning what had happened to Liam Yang.
"Just as the anomaly appeared in the sky, your father disappeared. The only thing left behind was this character. People in the sect are guessing that your father might have left here, gone somewhere else, and that it might be connected to the character 'immortal.' Maybe he really entered the Immortal Realm—something unfathomable." Elder Lee hesitated, worried a thirteen-year-old child couldn't bear the truth, and looked at Evan Yang.
Evan Yang had endured hardship before—no matter how bitter or difficult, he'd always managed to survive. He looked at Elder Lee with unwavering determination. "Elder Lee, please go on."
"As for the Immortal Realm, no one really knows if it exists. All we have are legends. So, you could say your father is missing, but nobody knows why he left behind the character 'immortal.'" Elder Lee shook his head helplessly.
"The Immortal Realm? Are you saying the Immortal Realm really doesn't exist?" Evan Yang still couldn't quite believe it and pressed for answers.
"As of now, aside from seeing traces left by immortals, no one has truly met someone from the so-called Immortal Realm. But maybe, if someone cultivates to a sufficiently powerful realm, they could find clues about immortals." Elder Lee knew Evan wouldn't give up so easily, so he steered the conversation forward.
"Thank you, Elder Lee. Whether immortals exist or not, I will work hard." Evan Yang understood Elder Lee's intent and responded with renewed enthusiasm.
"I thought you might give up, but that's good. Just stay at the Rising Sun Sect, and if you need anything, come find me anytime." Seeing Evan recover so quickly, Elder Lee smiled.
"Alright, I'll go get busy now." Evan Yang thanked Elder Lee, who had cared for his father for two years, then left. Watching Evan depart, Elder Lee sighed, "What a pity you're someone with no spiritual roots. With your determination, you would surely become great otherwise."
Evan Yang had no idea how deeply Elder Lee was moved by his resolve. At that moment, Evan wandered back to his quarters. Though his father was missing, at least there was a clue—the character 'immortal.' Since legends of immortals still existed, there was hope of finding their traces.
Lost in thought, Evan Yang accidentally bumped into something hard and staggered back a few steps. He was just about to curse when he realized he was facing a fierce, mean-looking man glaring at him: Logan Luo, the Demon steward.
"Kid, where did you run off to today? Go fetch ten buckets of water for me. If you don't, you won't eat or sleep! Hmph!" Logan barked.
Facing such a bully, Evan had long wanted to teach him a lesson, but now wasn't the time. He had only just begun cultivation and was still far from being able to stand up to Logan.
"What are you looking at? Get moving!" Seeing Evan stare at him, Logan shouted angrily.
Evan quickly walked around him, grabbed the buckets he usually used for fetching water, and left the courtyard.
After Evan left, Logan scratched his head and muttered, "Such a big incident just happened, and he wasn't around. Why did he suddenly reappear now?"
Evan had no idea what Logan was saying. He just focused on fetching water. Two years of hauling water and chopping wood had trained his once frail body to be as sturdy as a young adult's. He quickly filled all ten buckets.
Night was falling. Back in his room, Evan knew tonight would be sleepless. The events of the day had been too sudden, leaving him both excited and sorrowful.
Just then, his familiar roommate Tiger Sun returned. Seeing Evan sitting dazed on the bed, Tiger asked curiously, "Evan, did the Demon punish you again?"
"Not exactly. I went to pick herbs today, slipped near the cliff, almost fell off, but managed to climb back up using some vines. I got punished with ten buckets of water for being late." Evan and Tiger had a good relationship, so he hid nothing except the fact someone had pushed him off the cliff.
"That sounds dangerous. You need to be careful from now on—stay away from that cliff, especially since you can't cultivate and can't protect yourself." Tiger wiped his brow, relieved Evan was unharmed.
"Heh, actually, I have something I want to ask you." Evan said after thinking for a moment.
"Oh? What is it? If I can help, just ask." Tiger was curious. Evan usually handled things himself and rarely asked for help, so Tiger found it surprising.
"The Rising Sun Scripture—how many layers do you have here?" Evan wanted the later layers, but he could only get them from Tiger or Elder Lee. Elder Lee was high up in the sect, and Evan didn't want to bother him, so he chose his good friend Tiger.
"I have three layers. Sigh, it's been years—I've been stuck at the third layer of Qi-Refining, and I'm afraid I might never break through to the fourth." Tiger sighed helplessly after Evan asked.
Sitting beside him, Evan deeply empathized. He used to be unable to cultivate at all, which was even more painful than Tiger's current situation. He comforted, "Don't worry, you're still young—there will be opportunities."
"I hope so," Tiger smiled.
"Actually, I want the second and third layers." Evan knew that normally, each breakthrough required going to the steward for the next layer, but he didn't want to alert Logan or let others know he could cultivate.
"You can cultivate now?" Tiger's first reaction was shock—Evan had broken through the barrier of having no spiritual roots and could now cultivate.
Evan just smiled, "I've tried so many times over the past two years, and finally, I succeeded."
"I knew it! You work so hard every day—Heaven wouldn't let you down. Here, I thought it was something else, but you can cultivate. I'm thrilled for you!" Tiger had watched Evan's efforts for two years, praying for him every time. Now, hearing Evan could cultivate, Tiger was so excited he immediately handed over the second and third layer slips.
Seeing the two wooden slips, Evan said excitedly, "Thank you."
"No need to thank me. I'm really happy you can cultivate. Work hard—once your cultivation rises, those Demons and hypocrites won't dare bully you anymore." Tiger, a few years older, encouraged Evan like a big brother.
"Mm." Evan knew there was nothing more to say right now. All he could do was cultivate diligently and not let others down.
"By the way, I need to warn you about something." Tiger suddenly remembered.
"?" Evan didn't know what Tiger was about to warn him about. All the sect rules had already been explained.
"A few powerful Qi-Refining cultivators came looking for you today. It seemed to be related to your father." Tiger had seen several strangers in their quarters and now described the scene to Evan.
After hearing this, Evan muttered to himself, "Wasn't it just Elder Lee? Why were there others?" Out loud, he asked, "Related to my father?"
"Today, after the anomaly in the sky, some said immortals descended, some said your father is a jinx, and others said your father is connected to immortals and wanted to take you away. The group that came today had a hostile aura, so you need to be careful." Tiger repeated the rumors he'd heard.
"Who's spreading these rumors? It's so malicious." Evan felt his head ache. Even those who didn't believe in immortals would grab him for research if they thought he was connected. The gossip made him uneasy.
"For the next few days, you'd better be careful. If anything strange happens, go find Elder Lee and see what he can do." Tiger was genuinely worried, but he knew Elder Lee's status would deter others.
"Got it." Evan nodded.
"Alright, don't overthink it. Your father will be fine." Tiger offered a few comforting words, which warmed Evan's heart. Tiger smiled, closed his eyes, and began cultivating—nighttime was the only chance outer disciples had to train.
Evan wanted to cultivate again, but he feared triggering the same boiling-blood state as in the cave. He decided to figure out what had changed inside his body before continuing. So he asked Tiger, who was already cultivating, "Tiger, do you know the Inner-Viewing Technique?"
Tiger, hearing Evan ask about the Inner-Viewing Technique, generously taught it to him. Normally, all new Rising Sun Sect disciples learned it early on, but Evan had never received such treatment—he wasn't even considered as good as an outer disciple. Thinking of how he was once deemed worse than a mortal, Evan quietly encouraged himself, "I must become strong!"
The Inner-Viewing Technique was a method for examining one's body. Evan closed his eyes and followed the steps, mentally traveling through his body. Every inch of skin, every organ, even his blood became crystal clear.
Evan had never really paid attention to his blood before, but now, seeing it within his body, he was stunned—the color was much deeper red than before, and it carried faint strands of pale green.
"Green blood? That can't be right." Evan exclaimed in disbelief. He dove deeper into his body, using the Inner-Viewing Technique to inspect areas rich in blood. Sure enough, all his blood had changed—deep red threaded with fine, greenish filaments.