418: Beneath the self, there is a strict hierarchy.

A full Divine Soul leads to a clear mind, thoughts as swift as lightning, and an unforgettable memory; its benefits are so numerous they cannot be fully described in words.

This was originally Liang Gou'er's Opportunity, but now, for some reason, it has transferred into his hands.

Xu Sanyan caressed the spiritual ganoderma in his hand, his eyes gleaming, and after a long moment, he quietly asked,

“This item… how did you obtain it?”

Seeing his high spirits, Liang Gou'er guessed that this item must be somewhat useful to Brother Liang, meaning his intentions weren't wasted, so he happily said, “I found it on Zhangzhi Mountain. There was an ugly thing guarding it. After I lured that ugly thing away, I secretly picked this mushroom and ran.”

Liang Gou'er spoke simply, but only he knew the dangers involved; that ugly thing nearly disemboweled him, and if he hadn't been lucky, he probably wouldn't have come back alive.

But Liang Gou'er didn't regret it, because besides thanking Xu Sanyan for helping him get revenge, he had another purpose in risking his life to obtain this treasure…

Xu Sanyan's smile grew even more benevolent. Disregarding Liang Gou'er's dirty hair, he gently stroked his head with a large hand, “This item is of great use to me, so I won't be polite. You can tell me anything you want, and as long as I can do it, I will not refuse.”

Xu Sanyan, fearing he wouldn't understand, also thoughtfully reminded him, “If you want to become an official, you can first train under my Senior Brother. If you want to be immensely wealthy and live without worry, I will grant you a thousand gold coins.”

Upon hearing this, Liang Gou'er flipped over and knelt, kowtowing three times with loud thuds, and shouted, “Gou'er does not seek to be an official, nor does he want a thousand gold coins; he only asks the Immortal to accept him as a Disciple!”

This was the reason Liang Gou'er risked his life to obtain this item: he wanted to become a Disciple!

He also wanted to become someone like Brother Liang, who roamed the world with a sword, was revered by others, extended help to the weak, and dealt with evildoers with thunderous methods.

Now that the Opportunity was before him, he had to seize it tightly!

He wanted to become a Disciple!!

Become a Disciple?

Xu Sanyan raised his eyebrows. It was the first time someone had asked to be his Disciple. Could he now accept Disciples and impart the Dao?

Thinking of this, his heart wavered for a moment.

Yes, he had already achieved Soul Refinement Completion. Not to mention accepting Disciples, he was even capable of establishing a sect.

Consider the Junior Lord of Fate, who governed all Cultivators in a given province; his cultivation was merely comparable to his own.

Time had passed swiftly; things had changed, and he was no longer the person he once was.

“Get up.”

Xu Sanyan withdrew his hand, his face calm, showing no hint of his inner thoughts.

Liang Gou'er secretly looked up, his heart sinking. Was he… rejected?

No!

He had to try again!

“Gou'er has no other requests; he only asks to serve by the Immortal's side.”

Liang Gou'er shouted again, his cries attracting many onlookers. The crowd quietly watched the scene, each with different thoughts.

Some were disdainful… would a dignified Immortal accept a beggar as a Disciple?

Some were just watching the show… did this Liang Gou'er think the Immortal was easygoing and just wanted to try his luck?

And some had ideas… if Liang Gou'er succeeded, could they also try?

Everyone knew of Xu Sanyan's extraordinary nature, far beyond what ordinary Cultivators could compare to. There were other Cultivators in Zhangzhi City, but they didn't even dare to breathe heavily when they saw Xu Sanyan; that omnipresent pressure almost made them unable to straighten their backs.

Such a figure should appear on an Immortal Mountain, or in the capital city, or at the very least, within a provincial capital, and certainly not in a remote, poor place like Zhangzhi City.

If anyone could obtain even a bit of his Legacy, they would likely benefit endlessly for a lifetime.

The air grew silent for a moment. Xu Sanyan furrowed his brow in thought, Liang Gou'er waited anxiously, and the onlookers were filled with anticipation.

Liang Gou'er had never felt time pass so slowly. Only now did he understand what his grandfather meant by “a day feels like a year.”

Finally, Xu Sanyan spoke, “This Lord should not accept Disciples, however, you and I have a connection, and it would not be good to refuse outright. I will give you an Opportunity; if you succeed, I will accept you as my Disciple. If you fail, then you and I are fated to meet but not to be together.”

Xu Sanyan continued, “But there is one thing that needs to be clarified beforehand: if you agree but fail to complete it, the thousand gold coins I promised you earlier will also be voided. You must consider carefully and give me your answer tomorrow.”

Xu Sanyan felt that speaking this way had a lot of gravitas and perfectly fit the persona he had created.

As for whether to accept Liang Gou'er as a Disciple, it wasn't really important. Even if he accepted him, he wouldn't teach him diligently; he had too many things to deal with, where would he find the time to teach him? The reason he agreed to give him an Opportunity was also to maintain his persona, and he could take the spiritual ganoderma with a clearer conscience. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Liang Gou'er was overjoyed and immediately agreed without any hesitation, “I am willing, please give me the task, Immortal.”

Now that the door to Immortal Ascension and the Dao had opened for him, how could he hesitate?

Xu Sanyan's mind churned, thinking about what kind of test to give him. A moment later, he had an idea and beckoned, “Come with me.”

“Yes.”

Liang Gou'er patted the dust off his clothes and quickly followed.

The surrounding commoners saw that this beggar seemed to have a chance to become a Disciple of the Immortal Master, and they all began to harbor their own little thoughts. They didn't know that Liang Gou'er had contributed a spiritual ganoderma to get this Opportunity.

They only thought Xu Sanyan was kind-hearted.

Kind-hearted?

That was certainly the case.

In a secluded spot, Xu Sanyan took out the secret realm fruit, peeling away its layers of concealment. Liang Gou'er curiously gazed at the dull gray, glowing sphere in front of him, wondering what it was.

“This treasure forms its own realm. I will cast a spell to send you inside. If you can survive, then we can discuss other matters. Do you have the courage to try?”

Liang Gou'er couldn't understand Xu Sanyan's words. What did it mean to form its own realm?

Was this a world?

But how could a world be held in someone's hand?

Liang Gou'er didn't understand, but he was clear about one thing: the Opportunity was hard-won and should be cherished. So he nodded heavily, “Please send me in, Immortal Master.”

“Good.”

Xu Sanyan pulled Liang Gou'er, pressed his hand onto the secret realm fruit, and then poured in a furious amount of Qi, losing seventy percent of his total Qi. The gray light suddenly flared brightly, and Liang Gou'er instantly vanished.

“Good luck to you.”

He put away the secret realm fruit and turned to return to the government office. He didn't care about Liang Gou'er's life or death.

If he died, then so be it. If he miraculously survived, then congratulations to Liang Gou'er; he had initially gained the qualification to be Xu Sanyan's dog.

But it was only an initial qualification; he still needed to work hard.

Wanting to be his dog wasn't something just anyone could do; there were thresholds.

…

After one night,

Outside the city, Xu Sanyan was carving array patterns when he suddenly felt a presence behind him. He turned his head and saw an old man staring blankly at the array patterns, his brows furrowed occasionally, seemingly struggling greatly to observe them.

“Who are you?”

A glint flashed in Xu Sanyan's eyes, and he had already roughly discerned the old man's cultivation, then asked coldly.

He always showed no mercy to Cultivators whose cultivation was below his own, wanting them to feel his prestige.

Above him, all beings were equal;

Below him, the Rank was strict.