1 Wang Lin
Night. The bright stars surrounding the moon formed thousands of constellations. The sliver glint of a full moon was like a silver plate, and the stars sparkled an everlasting light.
"That Person has returned..."
On a massive kingdom in one of the stars. A gigantic being seemingly asleep sat on the majestic throne.
Beneath him were dozens of bizarre-clothed men. All of them were hideous-looking and exuded a bloodthirsty aura.
"From antiquity to contempo, That Person returns to reign the myriad realms..."
His ethereal voice echoed once more. He gaze beyond the distance and his brows arched into the shape of swords. He raised his hand from the arm of the throne and pointed outside. "My dear subjects, go and find That Person. From the forsaken lands to the immortal regions, find That Person. You must find That Person... That Person must be killed...killed at all cost."
"At your will Supreme!"
All of the bizarre-looking men responded in unison and headed out of the kingdom.
Sixteen years soon passed, yet the world was unaware of an incoming storm that would steer the 3000 realms.
Profound Continent. Southern Land, the home of the human race.
Amongst the nth number of sects on Southern Land, Dual Harmony Sect was one of them.
Like its name suggests, Dual Harmony was a dual cultivation sect. They were one of the prominent dual cultivation sects on Southern Land, known to have nurtured capable experts.
However, Dual Harmony Sect was not doing well in recent times. The lack of female recruits prevents them to cultivate competent assets.
The other dual cultivation sects were suffering from the cause.
Morning. The rays of the sunrise illuminated the outer courtyard.
On the outer courtyard, a young man was sweeping the littered ground.
Tons of orange leaves were strewn about, but the young man diligently and gently swept with his broomstick, a trace of maturity radiating from his pupils.
This young man's name was Wang Lin. A sixteen years old teenager.
He was one of the newly-recruited Dual Harmony Sect's outer disciples.
Because he had the worst performance during the entrance examination two weeks ago, he was assigned to clear the outer courtyard every morning.
He had to do better during the Newbie Hunt two weeks from now if he wanted to escape from this responsibility. Otherwise, he would remain a sweeper for the rest of his stay in Dual Harmony Sect.
"It has been a few days already, but I'm still not used to it. Years ago, if someone said that the number one genius of the Green Mulberry City would become a lowly sweeper, he would have been treated as an idiot."
At the moment, some of the outer disciples were wide awake. They naturally saw the youth diligently sweeping on the corner.
"It's a pity that he had a Qi deviation in the past and lost his cultivation base in the process. Had he not experienced such a setback, he should have been somewhere on a reputable sect right now, not in a corrupted, sex-oriented cultivation school." A disciple commented with a shake of his head.
"The higher you are, the harder you fall. That fits Wang Lin completely; his fianceé was stolen, his family loathed him and now he's a lowly outer court disciple; a worse kind too." Some disciples felt compassion.
"Cultivation is different from dual cultivation. I can't understand why this cripple thinks he'll have a chance to turn the table if he takes the dual cultivation path. He's dreaming if he can achieve anything here." Of course, some were delighted by someone's misfortune.
The stoic sweeper was as if a block of wood. The uncomfortable and harsh comments seemed to have not passed his ears, as he swept the ground slowly and steadily like a formulated puppet.
The onlookers quickly lost interest in him. They soon departed and disappeared from the courtyard.
An hour quickly passed. The courtyard was spotless than a lake.
Wang Lin leaned on the broomstick and breathed thick air. His clothes were wet with perspiration.
After regulating his breath, he sat on top of a rock and pondered. He mulled over the words of his peers earlier.
"The higher you are, the harder you fall..." Wang Lin sighed and stared in the distance. "Time is momentary and fleeting. Years passed through the four seasons, yet I wonder how many memories are erased as the ruthless time ensued?"
This was Wang Lin's nostalgia for his current situation. As years went by, some of his past memories slowly faded. Over dozens years later, those precious memories were now but fleeting smokes.
Wang Lin was reborn as the young master of the Green Mulberry City's Wang Family.
When he first arrived in this mystical world, Wang Lin was soon introduced to the world of cultivation. He made up his mind to pursue this profound path.
Born as a young master with great talent, Wang Lin had everything that he needed and felt he was the luckiest transmigrator.
At the age of 5, he embarked on a cultivation journey. His achievement was extraordinary; reaching the peak of Qi condensation at 7, establishing a foundation at 11, and reaching the peak of foundation establishment at 13. He was preparing to break through the Golden Core, but he experienced a Qi deviation during his seclusion.
His cultivation fell to the 3rd Qi condensation stage.
If not for the expensive medicines that his family used on him, Wang Lin should have died at that time.
After his fall, Wang Lin finally understood the meaning of 'the higher you are, the harder you fall'.
All sorts of misfortune fell onto him.
"No matter how far or unfamiliar is it, as long as the dao heart knows where it goes, one will eventually find his way."
This quote came from a novel that he read when he was on Earth. He could not recall which book it was but it was the reason why Wang Lin stayed strong and unyielding.
Cultivation was a once-a-lifetime opportunity.
He would not waste this chance even if it means disgracing himself.
Wang Lin would rely on his unyielding dao heart to seek immortality. Be it past or present, it was his dream to see what lies in the universe.
Wang Lin stood up and was about to enter his abode to cultivate when a footstep akin to a galloping of horses sounded in his ears.
At the gates, a fat youth came into view. He was striding in hurry and was carrying a wooden sword on his waist. It looked like he was in the training grounds minutes ago but left in hurry.
When the youth saw Wang Lin, his panicked eyes brightened. He halted in front of Wang Lin and panted. "Ha....ha...Brother Lin, come quickly...Something big is happening at the gates!"
This youth's name was Lin Yanshi. He was called Lin Yanshi because Lin Yanshi's father wanted his son to live a long life. Lin Yanshi's father's dream was longevity. Naturally, Lin Yanshi's father passed his dream to his son through his first name.
Wang Lin stored the broomstick in the repository. He appeared nonchalant and said. "So what's this big news you're saying?"
"Sky Ridge's Demon Hunt!" Lin Yanshi excitedly said. "Everyone can take part in the event. This is a great opportunity!"
"Sky Ridge's Demon Hunt?"
Looking at Wang Lin's expression, Lin Yanshi's excitement drop several levels and sighed. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about the joint affair between our sect and Dual Acacia Faction?"
Dual Acacia Faction was another prominent dual cultivation sect. Unlike Dual Harmony Sect, they attracted more female recruits, for their cultivation method.
Dual Acacia Faction was suffering from a lack of male applicants.
As Dual Harmony and Dual Acacia shared similar problems, they decided to organize a joint gathering. They intended to pair disciples through this occasion.
Remembering this affair, Wang Lin was somewhat skeptical. "They allow anyone to join? Wasn't it only restricted to some selected disciples?"
"Who knows what goes through their mind to have these sudden changes, but what is important is that this is an opportunity for you!"
"..."
Wang Lin lowered his head and thought about it carefully. After some consideration, he felt that Lin Yanshi's words made some sense.
"There's no pain trying...Brother Shi, let's go."
Although the pie that fell from the sky is uncertain, it was still a pie. He had to try to grab this pie at least.
Who knows he might find a companion in the process?
If so, he could begin his cultivation journey soon!
....
The entrance gates of the outer court were located on the east of Dual Harmony Sect. The sect was erected on a mountain and was facing the Sky Ridge on the west. When one stood on the eastern side of the sect, one could see the paranormal view of Sky Ridge.
Sky Ridge was an endless mountain range. It serves as an enormous wall that separated the western domain and the southern land.
Because of its seemingly endless size and height, the natives labeled it Sky Ridge.
When Lin Yanshi and Wang Lin arrived at the gates of the outer circle, there was an endless sea of people. The disciples had to be lined into three so that the process could speed up. From the looks of it, half a long hour was needed to complete the conscription.
"It seems that we've to wait," Lin Yanshi groaned and inserted into the line.
Wang Lin remained silent and stared ahead of the reception area. There were four reception disks, three of which entertains the ordinary disciples. The last one only greets some selected disciples.
These selected disciples were part of the top ten outer disciples or inner disciples.
But no one had lined up on the special line. It was only natural because inner disciples have already found partners and they didn't need to partake in the joint affair.
At that moment, sounds of exclamation rang out. The sea of people frantically opened up a path. Two young men walked into the opened path with indifference and nobility. They headed straight to the special line.
One look and one can tell they were extraordinary disciples.
However, Wang Lin's eyes sunk when he saw the two youths. He was familiar with one of them— Bai Hanyu.
Wang Lin and Bai Hanyu were strangers but that changed seven days ago.
The source of conflict between the two was Wang Lin's ex-fiancee.
Seven days ago, Yan Lingxi joined Dual Harmony Sect and agreed to be Bai Hanyu's dual cultivation partner. She humiliated Wang Lin by breaking the marriage contract.
Strictly speaking, Wang Lin had no feelings whatsoever towards Yan Lingxi, so he was fine with the annulment.
He would rather focus on finding a way to cultivate than quarrel with a meaningless woman that he did not find attractive.
But the other party did not share the same sentiment and thought of him as a threat.
This formed a conflict between the two.
Bai Hanyu caught the sight of Wang Lin when he was indifferently looking around. His eyesight dimmed and a trace of anger surfaced on his face, but he suppressed it soon after.
He hated Wang Lin because Yan Lingxi still held a feeling of guilt. She refused physical dual cultivation until she was ready and Bai Hanyu could not force her. He believed that Wang Lin was the root of this situation.
"Wang Lin? Trash like you wants to join the Demon Hunt? Someone like you is unworthy and unfit." Bai Hanyu sneered in contempt.
"What makes you think you can decide whether we're capable or not?" Fatty Yanshi shouted angrily at the side.
"Fat pig shall stand aside!"
Bai Hanyu glanced and slightly waved his sleeve. Spiritual energy flew out and erupted in Lin Yanshi's direction. He lost balance and fell to the ground.
Bai Hanyu scoffed and shifted his gaze at Wang Lin. "Do not hope that you can join the Hunt because I won't allow it. Mark my words."
Saying that, he turned and beckoned at the other youth as they headed to the reception disk.
"The future is uncertain. You may have surpassed me today, but the future is another matter."
Wang Lin's voice floated into Bai Hanyu's ears. He halted and turned to stare at Wang Lin. He laughed. "You think someone like you would have the opportunity to rise? When I am here, forget about everything. A cripple like you should obediently retire when you've fallen."
Wang Lin remained silent and reached out to support Lin Yanshi from standing up.
"Let's return."
Wang Lin strode out of the area.
"Brother Lin!"
Lin Yanshi was shocked and chased after him.
....
A/N: Some scenes are unfamiliar to the old readers, but I promise it is the same story. I am trying to cut unnecessary things to speed up the plot. I will upload another chapter a while later for now enjoy this piece...
Another thing, half a long hour equates to one hour...
