Flying high through the sky, Ling Ye quickly began to struggle against the fierce winds. Each time he tried to open his eyes, the wind would whip against his face, forcing him to shut them tightly.
The gusts were strong, pressing against his body, making it hard to breathe, but the wind wasn't the only discomfort, despite the altitude, the air was uncomfortably warm. Only the sharp chill of the wind made it bearable at all.
Even so, sweat began to bead along Ling Ye's forehead and trickle down his back. His robe clung to his skin, damp and uncomfortable. Thankfully, the middle aged man flying beside him noticed his struggle after only a few seconds.
With a sigh and a casual wave of his hand, the man summoned a protective aura around them. In an instant, the intense wind pressure eased dramatically, leaving only the warm air, though even that felt less oppressive now.
Only then was Ling Ye finally able to open his eyes.
What he saw took his breath away.
Suspended midair, he looked out at a panoramic view unlike anything he had ever witnessed from the mansion. They were far higher now, high above the peaks of the mountains surrounding the Ling Clan's estate.
From this height, he could see the vast expanse of the Library Courtyard, stretching far and wide, its full scope now visible to him for the first time. At the foot of the mountain, various buildings and homes dotted the landscape, and the figures of people moved about like tiny ants in a grand painting.
Ling Ye stared in awe, captivated by the sight.
Noticing the boy's fascination, the middle aged man gave a small shake of his head and quietly accelerated, but unlike before, there was no crushing wind to slam against Ling Ye's body. The protective barrier held firm, allowing him to take in the view without discomfort.
With no more distractions or struggles, Ling Ye eagerly looked around as they soared forward. The farther they flew, the more magnificent the scenery became, until even the grand mansion he called home shrank into a mere dot in the distance.
However, after some time had passed, the heat began to intensify again. Though still shielded from the wind, Ling Ye found the warmth slowly becoming more and more uncomfortable.
As sweat continued to pour down his body, soaking through his clothes, Ling Ye began fanning himself with his hand. But no matter how much he tried, it did little to cool him down.
"Too hot..." Ling Ye muttered, still fanning himself in vain.
Just then, a soft chuckle came from his right.
The middle aged man beside him wore a knowing grin, clearly amused by Ling Ye's discomfort. "Need some help?" he asked, his voice light with amusement.
Ling Ye nodded quickly, not bothering to hide his suffering.
With another soft laugh, the man reached into the sleeve of his robe and pulled out a small blue pill, no larger than a rice ball. He flicked it toward Ling Ye with precision, and the pill landed gently in his hand.
"Swallow this. It'll help," the man said casually.
Ling Ye looked down at the pill, his eyes widening in surprise as he studied it. A faint, shifting aura surrounded it, light blue swirling into deep blue, pulsing with a soft glow.
He recognized it immediately.
His eyes widened even more in shock. "An alchemy pill…" he whispered, then looked up with a mixture of gratitude and awe. He bowed lightly in mid-air and said sincerely, "Thank you."
The pill's glow and energy were unmistakable. It was something only cultivators typically used, and certainly not something someone at his level would have easy access to.
"This is an alchemy pill, right?" he asked, already knowing the answer but needing to confirm it.
The middle aged man gave a small nod, offering no further explanation.
Seeing that the man didn't want to elaborate, Ling Ye chose not to press the matter, but the heat was becoming unbearable, his body growing more uncomfortable with each passing second. He clutched the blue pill in his sweat drenched palm for a few more moments before deciding he couldn't endure it any longer.
With one swift motion, Ling Ye swallowed the pill.
The effect was almost immediate. The oppressive heat melted into a soothing warmth. His body stopped sweating, and though his clothes still clung to his skin, the rushing air from their flight quickly began to dry them.
His eyes widened in amazement. A cooling sensation flowed through his veins, as if a gentle stream of refreshing water had spread across his body. Now that he was no longer fighting against the stifling heat and harsh winds, he was finally able to lift his head and take in the scenery around him more clearly.
They had traveled far from the mansion, and up ahead, a magnificent formation came into view, nine towering mountain peaks, arranged in a perfect arc.
Ling Ye's breath caught in his throat at the sight. His eyes lit up with awe, wonder filling every corner of his heart as he gazed upon the breathtaking landscape.
"These must be the Ancestral Mountains… the Nine Peaks, the foundation of the Ling Clan," Ling Ye thought, recalling the limited knowledge he had read about them.
Since childhood, Ling Ye had often gazed at the Nine Peaks from the courtyard of his mansion. But because they were so far away, he could only see their distant silhouettes on the horizon.
Now, seeing them up close, clear, towering, and immense for the first time, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement growing in his chest.
"The Nine Peaks house the Nine Halls of the Ling Clan," he recalled silently. "And together, they guard the clan's most sacred ground, the Hall of Spirituality, which lies at the heart of them all."
Just remembering this made his heart beat faster.
With every passing moment, the distance between them and the Nine Peaks shrank. The closer they flew, the more majestic and ancient the mountains appeared, like colossal guardians carved by the heavens themselves.
Finally, they began their descent toward the base of one of the towering peaks.
As they landed smoothly, Ling Ye felt his feet touch solid ground once again. The sensation was both refreshing and grounding, but that moment of comfort quickly passed as he lifted his gaze toward the massive mountain before him.
"Young Master, this is where we part ways," the middle aged man said plainly, his voice cutting through Ling Ye's awe.
Ling Ye turned to him and offered a polite bow, a gentle smile on his face. "Thank you for bringing me here, Senior. Please accept my salute."
The man let out a quiet chuckle. "Spare me the thanks, boy. I'm just doing my job. After all, the clan pays me to escort you and you're a young master of the Ling Clan, aren't you? A salute? Hah… don't waste it on a lowly branch member like me."
Hearing those words, Ling Ye paused mid bow, then straightened and gave a polite nod.
"Then, Senior, could you tell me where I should go next?"
The man smiled faintly. "Soon, an outer disciple will arrive to guide you to the Hall of Spirituality. Just wait here for a few moments, oh, and hold onto this."
As he spoke, he flicked a small object through the air. Just like the blue pill from earlier, it didn't spin or wobble but glided smoothly into Ling Ye's open palm.
It was a token, green in color, with two characters engraved on its surface: "LING YE." As he examined it more closely, the token shimmered faintly with a soft, gentle glow. Before he could study it further, the middle aged man's voice rang out again.
"Keep that token with you. The outer disciple will recognize it and guide you accordingly. With that, my task is complete. If you happen to join the same Hall Peak as I did, perhaps we'll meet again. If not… well, maybe fate will bring us together another time."
With those parting words, the man turned and soared off into the distance, heading toward one of the towering mountain peaks.
Now standing alone, Ling Ye held the green token tightly in his hand, his thoughts lingering on the man's final remarks.
"Does that mean… if someone awakens their spiritual root, they're allowed to join one of the Nine Halls after they congratulate from the Academy?" he murmured to himself, after than falling deep into another thought. "So which Hall does Father belong to?"
He tried to recall any information about the Nine Halls, about which one his father might be affiliated with, but aside from their collective name, "Nine Peaks," and the names of the individual Halls, he realized… he knew almost nothing more.
"Haa…" Ling Ye let out a long sigh, frustrated at his lack of knowledge. No matter how hard he tried to remember, nothing came to mind. He didn't know which Hall Peak his father belonged to, nor did he truly understand what each of the Nine Peaks represented.
Left with no other choice, he decided to stop thinking about it for now and wait patiently for the outer disciple to arrive. He could always ask a teacher at the Academy once he got there, they would surely know all about the Nine Peaks and their respective Halls.
Roughly ten minutes later, a young man appeared in the distance, steadily approaching Ling Ye's position.
The youth wore a simple black robe and looked only a few years older than Ling Ye. When he noticed the green token in Ling Ye's hand, he smiled politely and gave a respectful bow.
"Greetings, Young Master Ling. Please follow me closely. We're heading to the Hall of Spirituality."
Without waiting for a reply, the young man turned around and began walking.
Caught off guard by the abruptness, Ling Ye blinked, then quickly followed after him.
They walked in silence.
Ling Ye's gaze wandered as he admired the natural beauty around the foot of the mountain. Everything surrounding the Nine Peaks was dense forest, no buildings, no roads, just endless greenery. It was said that only cultivators were permitted to live and train in the Nine Peaks region.
According to one of the books he'd read, the spiritual qi here was far denser than in the outside world, which allowed nature to flourish in extraordinary ways.
Towering trees, some easily over ten meters tall, loomed on every side. Massive roots crisscrossed the forest floor, making the path uneven and treacherous.
Ling Ye quickly realized that if he wasn't careful, he could easily trip and make a fool of himself in front of the outer disciple. Determined not to embarrass himself, he carefully stepped over the twisting roots.
But the journey was far from easy. The terrain became more rugged with each step, one moment they were climbing a small hill, the next they were descending a narrow slope.
Though bearable at first, after half an hour of constant walking, Ling Ye's legs started to feel heavy and sore. His breathing grew slightly uneven, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.
He glanced up at the outer disciple walking ahead of him.
The young man looked completely at ease, as if he were casually strolling through his own garden.
"Senior, when will we reach the Hall of Spirituality?" Ling Ye asked politely.
The outer disciple didn't respond.
Several minutes passed in silence.
Confused but still patient, Ling Ye asked again, only to be met with the same cold silence. The disciple didn't even glance in his direction.
He tried once more, a third time, but was ignored again. This time, annoyance began to creep in. After all, he wasn't just anyone, he was a young master of the Ling Clan, the only son of the Fifteenth Master, and heir to the Library Courtyard. The disrespect stung slightly.
The only explanation he could come up with was that they had been instructed not to speak with the examinees.
Accepting this possibility, Ling Ye gave up on further conversation and simply continued walking without complaint, trying instead to enjoy the forest around him.
The sound of nature filled the air, birds chirped in the canopy above, and from time to time, distant beastly roars echoed through the trees. Yet, strangely, no creatures approached them, as if the very beasts of the forest were avoiding their path.
Ling Ye didn't dwell on it for long.
Three hours passed like this, endless trekking through wild terrain. His legs ached with every step, and sweat clung to his skin. But he gritted his teeth and pushed forward, relying purely on determination to keep pace.
Finally, the thick woods began to thin, and up ahead he saw a flat, grassy area dotted with simple buildings. The architecture was plain, nothing like the elegant mansions of the main family, but people moved about them busily, going about their daily routines.
They passed through this area without pause, the outer disciple continuing wordlessly, and Ling Ye obediently followed.
Then, at last, they arrived at a structure that stole his breath.
Standing tall, elegant, and awe inspiring, the Hall of Spirituality.
Everything Ling Ye had read in books, every story Wang Xin had told him about this sacred place, came rushing back to his mind.
The Hall of Spirituality, a place that opened only once a year to the entire Ling Clan, on this very day: the Day of Spirituality.
It was said to be blessed by the heavens themselves, capable of bestowing spiritual roots upon any clan member who entered its halls. In all the thousands of years of Ling Clan history, only a rare few had ever walked out of this place without receiving a blessing.
And now, standing before the legendary hall he had read so much about, Ling Ye clenched his fists tightly.
His black eyes shimmered like obsidian touched by starlight, filled with hope and expectation. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, past the buildings, past the world he once knew.
He walked toward the unknown… and the beginning of his path as a cultivator, just as many before him had done.