“So you mean…”

Shen Lanmao turned his gaze toward Liu Baijian after hearing his words.

“Mhm.” Liu Baijian affirmed, acknowledging his statement.

“…”

Shen Lanmao was momentarily speechless, unable to respond for a long while.

If that were the case, knowing from childhood that he lacked spiritual roots and couldn’t cultivate must have been utterly despairing. Yet he never gave up, striving relentlessly toward an impossible ideal. Yuan Ziqiu’s strength and resilience far exceeded his expectations, but…

“Yet I still cannot agree with him.” Shen Lanmao raised his head, meeting Liu Baijian’s gaze. “After hearing your analysis, I find his approach even more unacceptable. He is wasting his life. True value lies in self-awareness.”

Shen Lanmao believed there was a definite reason for his longstanding friction with Yuan Ziqiu. Yuan Ziqiu’s philosophy clashed with his own; Shen Lanmao saw him as nothing more than a stubborn idealist.

Hearing this, Liu Baijian remained noncommittal.

Seeing Liu Baijian’s silence, Shen Lanmao pressed, “What do you think?”

He wanted to know Liu Baijian’s opinion of Yuan Ziqiu—his take on this foolish, stubborn behavior.

“Me? I couldn’t care less,” Liu Baijian said, his expression indifferent. “It’s none of my business.”

Shen Lanmao froze at this response. He was taken aback by Liu Baijian’s detached indifference, though he quickly reminded himself that this was simply his nature. Though they had only met today, Shen Lanmao could already sense that Liu Baijian was fundamentally an aloof individual, one who didn’t meddle in others’ affairs.

“If it were you… If you were Yuan Ziqiu, what would you do?” Shen Lanmao pressed on, unwilling to give up.

Liu Baijian met his gaze, raising an eyebrow. “Are you that concerned?”

“Very concerned! You must answer me!” Shen Lanmao declared firmly.

Liu Baijian considered this before replying, “If it were me, I’d find a way to infiltrate the Wendao Sect first. I’d get close to one of their Daojuns and use him as a stepping stone to discover methods for cultivation without spiritual roots—or perhaps even ways to acquire them.”

“That approach would be far more feasible than his current aimless fumbling,” Liu Baijian stated.

The cultivation world is vast and profound—who knows what hidden mysteries lie beneath its surface? Is cultivation truly impossible without spiritual roots? Liu Baijian didn’t believe so. Nothing in this world is absolutely impossible; it’s just that you haven’t discovered the way yet.

Great cultivators possess myriad methods to achieve the impossible, to realize unrealistic dreams. To overturn the perceptions of ordinary mortals, to exhaust the limits of human imagination, to accomplish feats beyond human capability—this is what it means to be an immortal.

This is the Dao that cultivators pursue throughout their lives.

If one does not reach for the unattainable sky, how can they pluck stars or seize the moon?

Shen Lanmao was stunned by Liu Baijian’s words. He stared at him in disbelief, blurting out, “So this is who you really are!”

“How cunning!” Shen Lanmao declared.

Unlike Yuan Ziqiu’s stubborn idealism, Liu Baijian was the type who clearly defined his objectives from the outset, listing countless potential strategies, then selecting the one with the highest probability of success to execute.

He was a thorough pragmatist.

“I think I understand why Yuan Ziqiu wanted to befriend you,” Shen Lanmao suddenly remarked.

“Hm?” Liu Baijian turned his gaze toward him. This was something even he hadn’t considered!

Shen Lanmao looked at him, his tone sincere and earnest. “Having a teammate like you is invaluable. You’re incredibly reliable and reassuring!”

“…What kind of answer is that?” Liu Baijian couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at his words.

In the distance, Yuan Ziqiu, who had been conversing with someone, suddenly lifted his head. He glanced toward Liu Baijian and Shen Lanmao, who stood talking together ahead.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

“Waaangg—”

A deep, resonant bell tolled.

The crowd gathered at the foot of the Wendao Sect mountain, gathered for the disciple selection instantly fell silent. Heads turned toward the source of the sound.

Before them, a young, handsome man clad in flowing blue-and-white Daoist robes stood atop a flying sword, gliding toward them.

“I am Qi Yang, the eldest disciple under the sect master of the Wendao Sect. I have been sent to guide you all through the selection trials for discipleship,” the youth announced. Turning, he pointed toward the long, steep stone staircase leading to the sect’s main gate. “The first trial: within one hour, you must ascend these steps to the gate and await the next trial.”

“Those who fail will be eliminated.”

“The trial begins!”

The Wendao Sect’s disciple selection trial commenced. Liu Baijian and Shen Lanmao ceased their conversation, preparing to approach the trial.

“See you shortly,” Shen Lanmao said to Liu Baijian as they parted.

Liu Baijian glanced at him and replied, “Mhm.”

Then both turned and walked toward the stone staircase. Liu Baijian approached the staircase. He thought to himself, just as Yuan Ziqiu’s secret manual had described—the first trial tests ladder climbing. He lifted his foot and stepped forward onto the stone steps.

The moment his foot touched the stone steps, a white mist rapidly enveloped the surroundings. Soon, the mist engulfed the entire world, sealing off the outside. In the vast, white haze, he was suddenly alone. All people and scenery vanished, and every sound instantly fell silent.

The entire world was quiet and empty, with only him remaining.

This sudden change happened in the blink of an eye, too fast for anyone to react. Liu Baijian blinked in the fog, surveying the vast white expanse. This wasn’t mentioned in the guidebook! That scammer Yuan Zhiqiu only knew how to rip people off!

For most people, encountering such a sudden change without any preparation at the start of the assessment would likely cause considerable shock. They’d struggle to react in time, making it difficult to pass the test smoothly. Simply put, this white fog was the test itself.

But this didn’t faze Liu Baijian. With his carefree attitude, a mere white mist couldn’t intimidate him. Instead, he studied the fog engulfing the entire world with keen interest. Rather than being frightened, he was more curious about how this mist was created, what formed it, and how it was activated. Was it an array? Or was it manually triggered?

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Liu Baijian blinked. Instantly, the white mist vanished.

Oh, case solved. It’s an illusion array.

Liu Baijian said coldly, “That trash Yuan Ziqiu, nothing but a con artist! This illusion array was clearly primed to activate at any moment, yet he deliberately misled the ‘players,’ making them think it would only trigger near the very end.”

This guidebook isn’t just useless—it’s full of traps!

Liu Baijian felt Yuan Ziqiu deserved every beating he’d get later.

If not for the hundred-plus pages beyond the third page of his guide, he’d have beaten him to reclaim the spirit stones.

You’re the last person qualified to say that! by Yuan Ziqiu—who never imagined someone could be more shameless than him, using his own guide to swindle Shen Lanmao, that impoverished nobleman, out of ten spirit stones.

There’s always someone better out there. He couldn’t compete, couldn’t compete!

Actually, Liu Baijian was doing fine. He wasn’t worried about the Wendao Sect’s disciple selection exam. After all, he was personally trained and called to the Dao by Liu Yanzhen himself. Liu Yanzhen was the foremost master of the Artifact Dao in the cultivation world, a great being who had attained the Mahayana realm and ascended to the Immortal Realm. As his sole disciple (after his father’s death), if Liu Baijian couldn’t even pass the Wendao Sect’s disciple trial assessment, Liu Yanzhen would likely be so furious he’d come down from heaven to beat him to death.

He was just looking for faults, bored out of his mind…

After all, climbing stone stairs was tedious. This staircase was long—just ascending it would take half an hour. For others, nervous anticipation might make time fly by as they focused entirely on the trial itself, or at the very least, the illusory realm trials would serve as a palate cleanser, spicing up the monotonous journey. Climbing stairs could be made richly varied and full of fun (not really).

But for Liu Baijian, climbing those stairs was just climbing stairs. The illusions on the stone steps had no effect on him. Illusions like these were essentially attacks targeting the soul. Those with unwavering willpower or a powerful soul could resist certain illusory assaults.

Unfortunately for Liu Baijian, he was both unwavering in spirit and exceptionally powerful in soul. The souls of Artifact Dao masters surpass those of ordinary cultivators. As the true heir to Liu Yanzhen, his soul naturally outstripped that of his peers, and his temperament was beyond reproach—even Liu Yanzhen himself had acknowledged it. In his words: “I’ve never seen anyone as lazy and unambitious as you!”

From childhood, Liu Baijian had dedicated himself to being a laid-back slacker, embracing the Daoist principles of natural flow and non-action. His composure was as steady as a mountain.

The illusions on the stone staircase targeted the youths participating in the Wendao Sect’s disciple selection. These were either untrained youths or those at the first, second, or third layers of Qi Refining—naive, inexperienced youths. How complex or powerful could the illusions designed for them be? Merely low-tier illusions.

Such low-tier, simplistic illusions had no effect on Liu Baijian. They were useless to him; he was completely immune.

Consequently, aside from the initial white mist encounter, Liu Baijian encountered nothing else. His journey remained quiet and uneventful—climbing the stone steps was literally just climbing stone steps…

He was bored.

After trudging along alone for a while, Liu Baijian, bored out of his mind, began to feel restless.

With the illusions failing to deliver, he had no choice but to entertain himself.

So, he climbed the stone steps absentmindedly while his thoughts wandered aimlessly through his mind. Among his musings was nitpicking and mocking Yuan Ziqiu’s crude, deceptive guidebook that cheated people out of spirit stones.

“Huh—”

At the gates of the Wendao Sect, several Daojuns conducting their routine inspection of this year’s disciples participating in the selection trials through the Spirit Mirror suddenly let out a startled gasp. Their gazes fixed on a certain youth within the mirror, their expressions turning peculiar.

The excessively handsome youth within the Spirit Mirror wore an utterly disinterested expression—one so palpable it radiated “Boredom, boredom, so boring!” even through the barrier of the Spirit Mirror. Yet his feet ascended the stone steps with an almost effortless, rapid pace.

“……” The Daojuns of the Wendao Sect.

What on earth is going on with you, boy!?

Your actions don’t match your expression!

Even the seasoned Daojuns of the Wendao Sect had never encountered such a… peculiar youth in their lives. He radiated utter laziness and lack of motivation, yet achieved results that defied his demeanor. So, did he actually want to do this, or not?

For a moment, the Daojuns of the Wendao Sect hesitated.

They simply couldn’t fathom this youth.

This baffling sight left the Daoist Lords of the Wendao Sect utterly perplexed. The youth who had opened their eyes was none other than the lazy, indolent Daoist youth, Liu Baijian. Had Liu Yanzhen been present, he would have patted their shoulders with calm satisfaction, saying, “First time’s unfamiliar, second time’s familiar. You’ll get used to it. This kid’s been like this since birth—born with that deadbeat look on his face.”

Liu Yanzhen had long grown accustomed to it. At first, he’d tried to correct him, hoping to force him into line while he was still young. But later, he discovered that despite Liu Baijian’s perpetually listless, world-weary demeanor, he was remarkably efficient. Tasks entrusted to him were always completed swiftly and flawlessly. His face might show no enthusiasm, but his work never suffered. Eventually, Liu Yanzhen simply let it be.

“I wonder who you take after,” Liu Yanzhen had mused to Liu Baijian more than once. “Neither of your parents was like this.”

Liu Baijian glanced at him without comment, thinking to himself: This is what a corporate drone looks like!

This is what a corporate drone is!

This is what a 996 corporate drone is!

All driven by the pressures of life…

The Daojuns of the Wendao Sect stared at Liu Baijian in the Spirit Mirror for a long while, as if observing some strange, incomprehensible creature. Eventually, unable to discern anything meaningful, they gave up.

They unanimously decided to skip over the baffling, inexplicable aspects of this youth and began analyzing him with solemn seriousness. “His progress has been swift and steady, without a single pause or hesitation. He hasn’t been bewitched by the illusions; they have no effect on him,” said Daojun Leshan. “It seems his resolve is unshakable.”

“Perhaps it’s more than that,” Daojun Mingshui remarked.

Resolve alone wouldn’t suffice for this. The illusions shift and transform endlessly, adapting to each individual, making them impossible to guard against. Even the most resolute would show cracks, yet this youth showed no sign of being swayed. This suggests he surpasses the illusions themselves.

“Have you noticed? He moves swiftly. Three-quarters of an hour have passed, yet he hasn’t broken a sweat,” pointed out Daojun Qianshu sharply.

Even without illusions, the stone staircase itself was a formidable test. Climbing such a long, high, and steep staircase demanded considerable physical exertion. The higher and further one ascended, the more arduous it became—a dual trial of both body and spirit.

Yet Liu Baijian moved as if unaffected, maintaining his rapid pace without breaking a sweat, his face unflushed and his breathing steady.

“It is somewhat peculiar.”

Leshan and Daojun Mingshui had also noticed this, nodding in agreement. “It seems he…”

“I believe he is not human!” Daojun Qianshu declared in a low, firm voice, cutting them off.

“… ” Daojun Leshan.

“… ” Daojun Mingshui.

How did he suddenly become not human!?

“Junior Brother Qianshu, what leads you to say that?” Daojun Leshan twitched his mouth, swallowing the expletive on the tip of his tongue, and asked humbly.

Daojun Qianshu’s gaze fixed on Liu Baijian within the Spirit Mirror, his eyes sharp and his tone calm and composed. “Look at him. He’s immune to illusions, and his physical strength and stamina are beyond human.”

“Even if that’s true, we can’t just conclude he’s not human!” Daojun Mingshui couldn’t help but interject. This was too reckless!

“No!” Daojun Qianshu declared sternly. “Look at him.” His finger pointed at Liu Baijian in the Spirit Mirror.

“We’re looking!” Leshan and Daojun Mingshui replied.

“I told you to look at his face!” Daojun Qianshu said, his expression unflinching. “Look at how strikingly handsome he is, so beautiful and ethereal—he simply cannot be human!” His tone was decisive and unequivocal. “Immune to illusions, a physique unlike any mortal, and a beauty beyond human—therefore, he must not be human!”

“…” Daojun Leshan.

“…” Daojun Mingshui.