78: My Godly Father (Part 9)

"That's truly not simple."

The young girl's voice was crisp and melodious, clear and pleasant to the ear.

Quan Yun turned his head abruptly; his face was covered in dust and bloodstains, his eyes filled with vigilance.

At the courtyard entrance, the young girl in the pink dress, who should have left with the Flying Boat, was standing there prettily.

Her bright eyes were full of curiosity and a hint of confusion that she couldn't quite figure out.

She had seen it.

She had seen his punch from start to finish.

Quan Yun's heart jumped to his throat.

The young girl didn't mind his nervousness; she simply tilted her head, looking at the clear punch mark on the courtyard ground, then at Quan Yun's not-so-large fist.

She said softly, as if to herself.

"What a strange punch."

She herself was at the Spirit Nurturing Realm; it would be easy for her to leave such a mark on the ground.

But she knew very well that it was a completely different matter.

The punch she threw relied on the explosive release of spiritual power flowing within her body.

But the fist of the little boy in front of her was different.

When that punch was thrown, she hadn't felt any fluctuation of spiritual power, only a pure, extremely condensed... something.

She couldn't say what that thing was.

It was like a will.

A will that said, "If I throw this punch, you will die."

Overbearing, direct, unreasonable.

She had never felt this sensation from the high-cultivation elders in her Sect.

Just as Quan Yun was tensed up, not knowing how to speak, a man's voice suddenly came from the entrance of the alley, carrying a hint of anxiety.

"Junior Sister! Why did you run here? Junior Martial Uncle discovered you were missing and is looking for you everywhere."

Before the words had faded, a young man wearing the same white robe walked over quickly.

The young man was in his early twenties, handsome, but with a hint of arrogance between his brows.

Seeing Quan Yun in the courtyard, with tattered clothes and covered in blood, a flash of disgust crossed his eyes.

He walked quickly to the young girl's side and said somewhat reproachfully.

"Junior Sister Lin, this place is mixed with the aura of Mortals and is not suitable for staying long. Let's go back quickly."

The young girl, called Junior Sister Lin, had no intention of leaving.

She grabbed the young man's sleeve, her face full of excitement, as if she had discovered a new continent.

"Senior Brother! Look at him!"

She pointed at Quan Yun, her eyes sparkling.

"This Little Brother, he is definitely not ordinary! That punch he just threw... I... I have never seen such a fist technique!"

The young man followed the direction of her finger and sized up Quan Yun again.

Tattered clothes, thin and small frame, other than the fact that his face, though dirty, could vaguely be seen as a handsome seed, there was really nothing special about him.

He felt somewhat dismissive in his heart.

A little brat from the Mortal world, what kind of earth-shattering fist technique could he possibly throw that would be worth the Junior Sister making such a fuss?

"Junior Sister, did you see wrong?"

"No!" The young girl's tone was exceptionally firm. "I saw it with my own eyes! That punch of his is definitely not something a Mortal could throw! Senior Brother, his Physique must be very special. Perhaps... perhaps he is a peerless Genius that even we can't recognize!"

A peerless Genius?

The young man was shocked.

This Junior Sister of his was no ordinary Disciple.

She possessed the one-in-ten-thousand "Spirit Rhino Physique" and had an extraordinary perception of various energy fluctuations and aura changes in the world.

If even she said so, could it be that this boy who looked like a little beggar was truly some hidden unpolished gem?

The young man's mind spun rapidly.

A top-tier spiritual body? Or... could it be the legendary Dao Body?

Even higher...

He dared not think further.

Such a one-in-a-billion existence, how could it appear in this backwater?

But what if?

If the Sect had really found a treasure this time, then the Junior Sister who discovered this Genius, and himself as the witness, would both have made a great contribution!

Thinking of this, the disdain in the young man's heart instantly vanished, and his heart suddenly became burning hot.

His gaze towards Quan Yun also changed from disgust to scrutiny and investigation.

But he was still somewhat hesitant.

"But Junior Sister, the time for the Sect selection has passed. If we test him privately and Junior Martial Uncle finds out..."

"Oh, Senior Brother!" The young girl began to act spoiled, shaking his arm. "Rules are dead, but people are alive! If we let the Sect miss a peerless Genius because of this, that would be the greatest loss! Just help me out and test him, okay, Senior Brother?"

Watching the Junior Sister's pleading appearance and hearing the words "peerless Genius" from her mouth, his last bit of hesitation was dispelled.

He sighed helplessly, but his face carried a doting smile.

"Alright, alright, I'm afraid of you. Just this once, and not again."

The young girl's goal was achieved, and she jumped up happily.

She turned to look at Quan Yun, her voice full of anticipation.

"Little Brother, would you... would you be willing to test your Aptitude?"

Quan Yun had long been stunned.

He didn't expect that the Opportunity for immortality he had given up on would come knocking on his door again in this way.

Looking at the young girl's sincere eyes, he thought of Sister Yu, who was lying on the bed in agonizing pain.

Ordinary herbs were no longer useful.

This was his last chance!

Without even thinking, he used all his strength to nod heavily.

"I'm willing!"

His voice was a bit tight from excitement, and in those clear eyes, the flames of hope were rekindled.

"Great!"

The young girl was even happier than him.

The young man didn't delay any longer and took out the crystal-clear Spirit Stone from his Storage Pouch.

He placed the Spirit Stone on the stone table in the courtyard and said to Quan Yun.

"Put your hand on it, empty your mind, and do not resist."

Quan Yun took a deep breath and walked to the stone table step by step.

He extended his hand, that little hand, covered in calluses from years of punching and scarred from picking herbs just now, trembling slightly in mid-air.

He looked at the cold stone in front of him.

It determined his fate, and even more, it determined the life and death of Sister Yu.

He slowly pressed his palm onto it.

The moment his palm touched the Spirit Stone, a cold sensation came over him.

Quan Yun closed his eyes, his heart pounding wildly; he could hear the sound of his own blood flowing.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

The Spirit Stone had no reaction.

It was just like the most ordinary stone, lying there quietly without a glimmer of light.

Quan Yun's heart sank bit by bit.

"How can this be?"

The smile on the young girl's face froze, and she looked at the stone in disbelief.

"Senior Brother, what is going on? Is the Spirit Stone broken?"

The young man also frowned; this result was completely different from what he had expected.

"Impossible, the Spirit Stone cannot be wrong."

The young girl wouldn't give up.

"Then... then maybe it's a bad connection, or maybe it needs to wait a while before it reacts! Yes, let's wait a bit longer!"

She stared intently at the stone, wishing she could light it up with her gaze.

A long time passed.

So long that even the wind in the courtyard had stopped.

The Spirit Stone remained dim and lusterless, without the slightest reaction.

This result was beyond doubt.

Mortal Body.

The most pure and thorough Mortal Body, without even a trace of spiritual charm.

The young girl completely stopped talking, her little face filled with confusion and bewilderment.

How could it be a Mortal Body?

Her mind was full of doubts.

How could a Mortal Body reach the Body Tempering Realm at that age?

How could a Mortal Body throw a punch with that kind of "will" that even made her feel palpitations?

This didn't make sense.

This was simply impossible!

The young man also realized it at this moment; he looked at Quan Yun with deep regret in his eyes.

He gently patted Quan Yun's shoulder and comforted him.

"Little Brother, don't be too sad."

"At such an age, to be able to reach the Body Tempering Realm with a mere Mortal Body, you must have eaten some Heaven And Earth Treasure and had quite an Opportunity. Just in terms of this perseverance, you are already far superior to ordinary people."

His voice was very gentle, but it ruthlessly severed the last bit of hope in his heart.

"But it's a pity; on the path of cultivation, Aptitude comes first. Without Aptitude, one is ultimately fated to have no connection with the Dao of Immortality."

No connection with the Dao of Immortality...

These four words exploded in Quan Yun's mind.

He was completely stunned.

The test... was not passed.

Then he couldn't join the Immortal Sect...

Couldn't obtain the Immortal Pill...

Couldn't save Sister Yu...

The little face that had been glowing with hope instantly lost all its color.

He looked up abruptly, looking at the Immortal brother and sister in front of him, his eyes full of pleading.

"Please..."

His lips trembled, and tears flowed out uncontrollably.

"Please, give me another chance..."

"I... I can do anything! I can be your beast of burden! As long as... as long as I can save my sister..."

He knelt on the ground with a thud, his thin, small body trembling violently from excitement and grief.

However, when he looked up, there was already no one in front of him.

The young man and the young girl had left at some point.

No farewell, leaving no trace behind.

Only leaving him alone, kneeling forlornly on the cold ground.

The courtyard was silent.

Only the boy's sad crying remained.

Sister Yu...

I'm sorry...

It's my fault for being useless...

A huge sense of self-reproach and powerlessness engulfed him.

Just when he felt helpless.

A rough and familiar voice suddenly sounded above his head, carrying a hint of mockery and disdain.

"Stinky brat, what are you crying for? So spineless."

"It's just a crappy little Sect, what's so great about it?"

"I saw it; the one with the highest cultivation on their Flying Boat was only at the Spirit Transformation Realm. A place like that, it's better not to go."

Quan Yun looked up abruptly.

He saw that The Cripple uncle, who had disappeared for three months, was standing in front of him at some point.

He was still wearing that old, tattered clothing, holding that familiar wine gourd in his hand.

But his eyes were no longer dejected.

His waist was straight as a ramrod.

That lame leg of his also seemed less obvious.

His whole person was like a peerless good sword hidden in its sheath; although he looked unremarkable, he exuded a sharpness that made people's hearts palpitate.

The Cripple looked down at Quan Yun, whose face was covered in tear stains, and grinned.

He reached out, not to help him up, but to hand him something.

It was a sword.

A wooden sword carved from the most ordinary wood, without even a scabbard.

"Stinky brat, don't be sad anymore."

The Cripple's voice was full of long-lost heroism.

"If your fist can't save your sister, then we'll change to something else."

"Are you willing to practice the sword with me?"