Chapter 4

"You are the sixth child I have seen. However, your condition is the most pitiful. There is not a single spot on your body that is not injured, and your clothes are already soaked with blood."

The middle-aged man sighed deeply and asked Hanje.

"Boy, what is your name?"

However, Hanje, absorbed in the thought of reaching the summit, did not hear the middle-aged man's question and continued to climb the stone steps.

The middle-aged man shook his head regretfully as he watched Hanje's back.

"Tsk, tsk, your perseverance is almost the best, but your talent is too ordinary. There is no connection, no connection..."

He watched Hanje for a while longer before descending the stone steps.

On the second night, Hanje's palms were already peeling, revealing the white flesh beneath the blood from climbing the steps. The spots where Hanje had passed were marked with clear bloodstains.

On the morning of the third day, the end of the stone steps finally came into view. However, a thunderous voice echoed from the summit.

"The time has come! Only three people have passed!"

Shocked, Hanje let out a bitter laugh and collapsed on the stone steps.

The Way Back

A few disciples of Dae San Pa brought the remaining children on the stone steps to the summit and gave them food and applied medicine.

"Senior Brother, out of 39 test-takers, 25 have given up, 3 have passed, and 11 remain."

A female disciple said in a cold voice.

The middle-aged man looked at the 11 boys, who looked like they were about to faint, with a stern gaze and said indifferently.

"The three who passed will move to the Miscellaneous Affairs Office to learn about their future tasks. The 11 here will be sent to the Sword Spirit Pavilion to see if they have a connection with the sword spirits. If there is no connection there, we will send them home."

★ ★ ★

Three days later, 11 boys, including Hanje, stood pale-faced in the Sword Spirit Pavilion.

"This is the final test. Those who can enter this room will pass."

The middle-aged man in black was nowhere to be seen, and a young man in a white robe led the children.

Hanje looked around the room. Inside, swords of different lengths were placed.

The children entered the room one by one.

When the first boy had gone in about five steps, he was suddenly flung out.

"Failed! Next person!"

The young man said in a harsh tone.

Hanje was the seventh. The six before him were all flung out before they could take five steps.

Hanje moved with the resolve not to expect anything more, and stepped on the exact spot where the previous children had been flung out.

At that spot, Hanje closed his eyes tightly as if he were extremely tense, but when nothing happened, he began to take steps forward again.

"Keep going forward without hesitation! Those who are recognized by the sword spirits can become disciples even if they failed the previous two tests!"

When Hanje had gone about three more steps, he was suddenly hit by an overwhelming aura and was flung backward. It seemed like the last spark of hope had been mercilessly extinguished.

The young man smiled bitterly and said,

"Failed! Next person!"

★ ★ ★

None of the remaining 11 passed the Sword Spirit Pavilion test.

After the test, the children gathered at the place where they had first arrived. They would soon be sent home.

The person who would send Hanje home was the young man surnamed Zhang who had brought him here. Beside him stood Yi San and Yi Hyun.

"Junior Brother Yi San, congratulations on becoming a disciple of Dao Heshang."

The young man surnamed Zhang smiled and bowed. Yi San smiled arrogantly and said,

"It's only natural. Master said that as soon as he finishes dealing with family matters and returns, he will teach me the techniques of the Immortal."

Yi Hyun, standing beside him, pouted and said,

"Hmph, I never liked your face since we were young. What's so great that you're acting so smug? I can make alchemy pills too!"

Yi San glanced at Yi Hyun with a look of contempt and then turned his gaze to Hanje. He smirked and said,

"How about it? Didn't I tell you before? I said you wouldn't have a connection. Neither you nor your father believed me, and now you see the result."

Hanje looked at Yi San with a calm face and then spoke to the young man beside him.

"Immortal, my parents are anxiously waiting. Please send me home quickly."

Yi San laughed again when Hanje ignored him.

"Country bumpkin, spend your life doing carpentry work in the village like your father."

The young man silently waved his sleeve, and the three of them disappeared from the spot.

★ ★ ★

The way back was not far. The harsh wind still blew, making it hard to open his eyes. However, the great hope he had when he came here had already turned into a great disappointment.

At the Yi family residence, a grand feast was being prepared, much more splendid than the one Hanje's father had prepared.

The main guests of the feast were Hanje's father, Yi Sangjae, his elder brother, and his younger brother. Many people had gathered to celebrate the good fortune of the three.

"Second Elder Brother, if Hanje passes, you won't have to do carpentry work anymore, right?"

Yi Sangjae's sixth younger brother said.

"Second Brother, didn't I tell you something good would happen? Hahaha."

Yi Sangjae, surrounded by his relatives, was busy drinking.

"Brother-in-law, you must be very happy to have a son like Hanje."

"Already, no one in this village doesn't know him."

Hanje's mother was also surrounded by people, eating.

The interior of the residence was bustling with the feast.

Suddenly, clouds swirled, and a light flashed, revealing four people in the courtyard. The area instantly became quiet, and no one dared to speak.

The young man from Dae San Pa looked around. When he had become a disciple of Dae San Pa, his family had also enjoyed a feast in a similar atmosphere.

The young man turned to look at Hanje. He knew that this boy would face things in the future that even adults would find hard to bear.

"Tsk, tsk."

The young man shook his head and disappeared again in a flash of light.

"Immortals should not live a secular life. Handle it as you see fit. I will come back in three days to take him."

A voice echoed from a distance.

After the immortal left, Yi San's father, unable to hide his excitement, asked his son,

"Did Dao Heshang accept you as a disciple?"

Yi San said with a proud expression,

"Of course. Master said he will make me the best among Dae San Pa's disciples within ten years."

Yi San's father patted his son's shoulder and laughed heartily.

"Good, good! Now we will have an immortal in our Yi family! Hahaha."

On the other hand, Yi Hyun's father looked at his son silently with a dark expression. Just as he was about to speak, Yi Hyun yawned and said,

"Father, you don't need to ask. I also became a disciple of Dae San Pa."

Yi Hyun's father finally smiled brightly. Then, from the side, Yi San said mockingly,

"Third Uncle, you have a good son. To get the assistant position for making alchemy pills, he flattered the immortal and even offered a bribe in front of so many people."

Yi Hyun opened his eyes wide and asked.