River Side
At the border of the Great Han Dynasty and the Tian Lang Dynasty, a wide river flowed silently. The water moved slowly, reflecting the grey sky above. The place felt calm, yet there was an invisible pressure in the air.
An old man sat beside the river, holding a fishing rod. His back was slightly bent. His eyes looked dim, as if he could barely see the fishing line. His face was pale, covered with deep wrinkles that showed the marks of long years.
But from his thin body, a terrifying aura was leaking out.
This was the power of an Immortal Ascension Stage cultivator — 7th layer.
Behind him, slightly to the right, a young man in white robes sat cross-legged on a flat rock. Clouds of spiritual energy slowly gathered around his body, covering him like mist.
This person was Luo Zheng.
After a few moments, the clouds around Luo Zheng slowly dispersed. He opened his eyes and let out a deep breath. His face was still pale, but his condition was much better than before.
Only then did he notice the old man fishing in front of the river.
Luo Zheng's heart tightened.
He clenched his right hand into a fist and stood up. He bowed slightly and said respectfully,
"Senior, thank you for saving my life. May I know the name of my savior?"
The old man did not turn around. His eyes were still fixed on the river surface.
"I am no one," the old man said calmly.
"Just a lone cultivator who likes fishing. You don't need to thank me."
Then he paused for a moment and continued,
"It is natural for a master to save his new disciple."
Luo Zheng's brows furrowed.
"Master?" he asked carefully.
"And… new disciple?"
The old man smiled faintly.
"I am known as the Fifth Serentiese."
Luo Zheng was stunned.
"Fifth… Serentiese?"
The old man finally turned his head slightly and glanced at Luo Zheng.
"You probably don't know," he said.
"In the Tian Lang Dynasty, there exist a group of top cultivators called the Serentiese. We are responsible for maintaining peace. You can say we are the pillars of the Tian Lang Dynasty."
"There are six of us in total."
Then he slowly said the names,
"First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth… and Fifteenth."
Luo Zheng's face froze.
"…What?"
He couldn't help but ask,
"Senior, shouldn't the numbers be from one to six?"
The old man laughed loudly. His laughter echoed along the river.
"It should be like that," he said casually.
"But we decided it this way."
Then he added with a grin,
"I think it looks cool."
Luo Zheng stood there speechless.
Inside his mind, he thought,
Is this old man's brain damaged because of old age?
Hah… whatever. This has nothing to do with me.
But then his expression turned serious.
I am already in danger.
Luo Zheng took a deep breath and said,
"Senior, I still don't understand. Why did you say I am your disciple? I have not accepted anything."
The old man's smile slowly disappeared.
He stood up.
In that instant, a cold killing intent burst out from his body. The air around them felt heavy, like an invisible mountain pressing down.
The river surface rippled violently.
The old man said calmly,
"Then I will throw you back to the place from where I saved you."
Luo Zheng's heart shook violently.
His face turned pale.
He clearly felt it — this killing intent was real. If he refused again, he would definitely die.
Without hesitation, Luo Zheng bowed deeply.
"Alright… old man, you win," he said quickly.
"From today onward, I will be your disciple."
He clenched his fists and showed respect.
"Disciple greets Master."
The killing intent instantly disappeared.
The old man nodded in satisfaction.
"Good," he said.
"You understand your situation very fast."
"That is what attracted me to you."
Luo Zheng straightened his body.
Inside his heart, he sighed.
"I accepted this unintentionally."
But after facing death again… my mind feels much calmer.
The river continued to flow silently, as if nothing had happened.
But Luo Zheng knew —
from this moment on, his fate had changed again.
Luo Zheng slowly recalled the things that happened in the past days.
His eyes became deep.
Fifteen days ago
That day, Luo Zheng had just barely saved his life from an evil cultivator. His body was injured, his spiritual energy almost empty. He did not even dare to rest properly.
But fate did not give him peace.
Soon after, a group of wolves appeared in front of him. Their eyes were red, their bodies strong, clearly not normal wild beasts.
They attacked him without hesitation.
Luo Zheng clenched his teeth and fought them head-on. After a hard battle, one wolf after another fell under his blade. Blood covered the ground. In the end, all the wolves were dead.
He stood there, panting heavily.
Just when he thought it was over, a cold voice sounded behind him.
"How dare you kill my enslaved wolves?"
Luo Zheng turned around.
A little girl, around fourteen years old, stood not far away. She wore luxurious clothes. Her eyes were sharp and full of arrogance, completely unlike a normal child.
Luo Zheng looked at her coldly and said,
"Oh? Enslaved wolves?"
"No wonder I was thinking how wolves could appear in such an open place."
Then his tone turned colder.
"Your wolves attacked me. You need to pay for this."
The little girl sneered.
"You lowly mortal really don't know your place," she said proudly.
"I am from a first-class family."
She lifted her chin.
"You should bow to me. Dying under my wolves should be an honor for you."
Then she waved her hand.
"Guards, kill him."
Luo Zheng frowned.
Just now, this girl was clearly alone.
But in the next instant—
Five figures suddenly appeared from the shadows, like ghosts. They surrounded Luo Zheng from all directions and rushed at him without saying a word.
Luo Zheng sighed lightly.
"…Not again."
Bam! Bam!
The fight instantly broke out.
Luo Zheng fought while retreating. His steps were messy, but his movements were sharp. Fortunately, these guards were at the same cultivation level as him.
It was not easy, but it was not impossible either.
As he fought, Luo Zheng thought,
"A first-class family member…
Is she some young lady? She didn't say clearly.
If she really is an important young lady, these guards should at least be at the True Qi Stage."
Thinking this, Luo Zheng's eyes became colder.
He no longer held back.
One guard fell.
Then another.
One by one, they were killed under his attacks.
Soon, all five guards lay dead on the ground.
The little girl froze.
Shock, disbelief, hatred, and panic appeared clearly on her face.
She took a step back.
But before Luo Zheng could relax—
A terrifying pressure descended.
An old man suddenly appeared behind Luo Zheng, as if he had always been there.
A True Qi Stage cultivator.
Luo Zheng's heart sank.
He murmured softly,
"…Oh no."
Without hesitation, he activated his strongest escape move.
Cloud Merging Footsteps — peak power.
Blood essence burned.
In a single step—
His body blurred.
The world twisted.
In the next instant, he appeared seven hundred li away.
But this move almost drained all his spiritual energy.
Lucky… and unlucky.
Because the place he appeared in—
Was above a river.
His body fell straight down.
Splash!
He fell into the water.
This time, he had used Cloud Merging Footsteps at its absolute limit. This technique allowed him to cross 700 li in one step, almost like teleportation.
But it had a fatal weakness.
He could not control where he stopped.
And worse—
Luo Zheng suddenly realized something terrifying.
I… don't know how to swim.
His body kept sinking into the deep river as darkness surrounded him.
That was how everything started.
To be continued