Early morning.
Wen Zhong reluctantly woke from a beautiful dream.
In the dream, he had become an immortal, riding a Jade Qilin back to his home in Chaoge, giving each family member an Immortal Pill so that they could all become immortals living in a luxurious and grand Immortal Palace, feasting on Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow…
Opening his eyes, he found himself in an empty and shabby room.
Next to him, there was a Jade Bottle filled with Satiety Pills.
Satiety Pills indeed could satiate hunger, but he didn't know which Immortal Herbs were used to make them; they tasted like sour and bitter grass.
However, despite the huge gap between reality and his dream, Wen Zhong still remained confident about the future.
"I will definitely become an immortal!"
Wen Zhong whispered to himself for encouragement, then sat cross-legged and tried to concentrate and feel the flow of Spiritual Energy around him.
It was said that the Spiritual Energy during the transition of Yin and Yang is the gentlest and easiest to refine in the day.
Therefore, for cultivators, the morning and evening sessions are indispensable.
Although he hasn't started his official cultivation, since he had already joined a mentorship, he needed to strictly demand himself to the standards of a cultivator.
Just then, a sudden loud "bang" came from outside, as if a mountain had collapsed.
Wen Zhong was startled, hurriedly got up, and walked out of his small thatched cottage.
However, looking around, he did not see the scene of a collapsing mountain he imagined. Instead, he saw a familiar figure—his senior brother Yu Yuan.
At this moment, Yu Yuan was standing in front of a flower bed at the Tian Yuan Palace, looking down at something, his head bowed.
Wen Zhong did not rush forward; instead, he respectfully bowed and shouted loudly, "Wen Zhong pays respect to senior brother."
"Hmm."
Yu Yuan responded indifferently, still looking down, staring intently at something.
Due to the distance and Yu Yuan being in the flower bed, Wen Zhong couldn't see what was in front of him.
Wen Zhong's curiosity was piqued, and after a slight hesitation, he asked, "Senior brother, what are you looking at?"
Finally, Yu Yuan looked up, glanced at Wen Zhong, and smiled, saying, "I'm looking at a Qilin… Have you seen a Qilin before, junior brother? Do you want to come here and see?"
"Qilin?!"
Wen Zhong immediately walked forward.
After walking dozens of steps, suddenly the ground beneath him opened up, and under the law of gravity, he rapidly fell, landing with a "bang" in a giant pit about ten feet deep.
He fell so harshly that his head spun, stars appeared before his eyes, and every part of his body hurt, his mind blank.
After a while, he gritted his teeth and climbed up, only to look up and see his senior brother Yu Yuan squatting at the edge of the pit, a mocking smile on his face.
"Junior brother, you just joined the mentorship, and as your senior, I should give you a welcoming gift. However, after considering all night yesterday, giving you usual Spiritual Treasures or Spiritual Weapons seemed too cliché. I thought a lesson that you can benefit from for life would be most appropriate.
This lesson is called: never easily trust others' words; otherwise, you'll end up like you are now, falling into traps set by others."
Wen Zhong clenched his fists, his chest heaving dramatically.
He looked up, his three eyes tightly fixated on Yu Yuan, and said in a deep voice, "Then I sincerely thank senior brother for the welcoming gift!"
Yu Yuan chuckled, "What, are you angry? It seems the gift I painstakingly prepared didn't satisfy you. Come, come up and chat with me."
Saying this, he pointed a finger into the pit, and Wen Zhong felt the hard ground beneath him swiftly rise, soon leveling with the surface.
But having just suffered a setback, Wen Zhong no longer dared to move carelessly.
At this moment, he only wanted to return to his Shoujing Temple and quietly wait for the master to come in a hundred days to teach him the Supreme Pure Way.
When the time comes, I'll definitely study hard and practice diligently to achieve positive results quickly and let this brother who teases me know what it means...
"Fortunes change, do not underestimate the youth who are poor!"
Yu Yuan laughed heartily and blurted out this heroic phrase, causing Wen Zhong's face to instantly turn beet red.
With his intelligence, he naturally understood the meaning behind the words and realized that once again, his brother had seen through his mind.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a bit frightened.
This brother of his could do anything, could he possibly harm him because of this?
No, no, no!
I can't think about this any further!
My brother has the Mind Reading Skill!
Wen Zhong quickly collected his thoughts and forced himself to think about random, messy things.
At this moment, he heard his brother, Yu Yuan, suddenly ask, "Now that you've arrived at the Penglai Holy Realm, you have somewhat started on the path of cultivation. Let me ask you, what's your purpose in cultivating?"
Despite feeling some fear and dissatisfaction towards his brother, upon hearing this question, Wen Zhong unthinkingly replied, "Of course, it's to achieve immortality and live a carefree life in the world!"
"Hmm."
Yu Yuan nodded, "A simple and pure goal. That's very good, much better than supporting the nation or protecting the country and such..."
Wen Zhong, puzzled, looked at him.
Yu Yuan didn't elaborate further but casually drew a cigarette from thin air and lit it.
Wen Zhong envied his skill to summon objects from the air. If it wasn't for the "pitfall of enmity" just now, he would have definitely begged his brother to teach him.
Seeing that his brother started to puff out clouds of smoke again, with no intention of continuing the conversation, Wen Zhong bowed courteously, wanting to take his leave and return to his thatched cottage, when suddenly a rustling noise came from the flowerbed in front of Tian Yuan Palace.
Wen Zhong followed the sound and saw an exotic beast, about two feet long and over a foot tall, bursting out of the flowerbed and running towards him.
Oddly enough, as it ran, it suddenly flew up into the air, continuing to race through the air.
Wen Zhong looked closely and discovered that with each step the small beast took, soil, ice crystals, flames, and whirlwinds appeared under its paws, and these would disappear instantly as it lifted its paws.
This magical scene left Wen Zhong staring dumbfounded, until the little beast reached him and he suddenly came to his senses.
"Is this… a Qilin?!"
Now he could see it clearly; this exotic beast had a lion's head, deer antlers, tiger's eyes, and the body of an elk, covered in scales like black jade, with a tail that resembled a dragon's and a robust body like an elk's, and each of its four paws tread on soil, ice crystals, flames, and whirlwinds.
This was not just any Qilin, but a rather rare Mo Qilin!
Legend has it that Mo Qilins were born from the union of a Black Dragon and Divine Bull, naturally courageous and fierce in temperament, extremely ferocious, and with potent innate abilities, not subduing to anyone but the true strong.
So, was the brother really not deceiving him earlier, but truly watching a Qilin?
What about that pitfall earlier then?
At this moment, that Qilin suddenly turned its head and gently called out twice to Yu Yuan, the sound faintly carrying a plea.
Yu Yuan expelled a ring of smoke and said lightly, "Either become his mount, or become my breakfast; it's your choice."
Upon hearing this, Wen Zhong clearly saw the Mo Qilin tremble, then quickly scooted towards him.
So… this was the real welcoming gift!
A sense of realization sprouted in Wen Zhong's heart.
It turns out that what one sees and hears may not necessarily be the truth!
At this moment, he deeply felt that the gift he received this morning was far more than just a mount!
…