A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality (Chapter 1-Chapter 200)

“Division Head Yue, we were delayed by the journey here, sorry for making you to worry.” Standing in front of all the children, Protector Wang replied respectfully as he bowed to a red-faced old man. Protector Wang’s stern facade was instantly replaced by a look of fawning.

“Which batch of children is this?”

“This is the batch number seventeen.”

“En!” This Division Head Yue pompously looked towards Han Li and the other children.

“Send them to the courtyard, let them rest for tonight. Tomorrow morning, we’ll begin the selection process. Send those who fail or break the rules back down the mountain.”

“Understood, Division Head Yue.”

Walking atop of the mountain’s stone steps, the children were tremendously excited, but no one dared to speak loudly. Despite their young age, the children somehow knew that this place would determine their fates.

Protector Wang was in the lead and greeted several figures on the way to the children’s sleeping quarters. It could be seen that he was familiar with a lot of people and was quite popular in the region.

The majority of the people they met on their way were all wearing green clothes and were equipped with a blade or sword. Even those that appeared empty-handed wore pouches full of mysterious items around their waists. From their bearing and conduct, one could tell that all of these people were somewhat proficient at martial arts.

Han Li and the rest of the children were brought to a mountain peak that seemed lower in height in comparison to the other mountain peaks. On the summit, there was a house made of mud, built for the children to sleep in during the night. As he slept, Han Li dreamed that he was wearing silk, had a golden sword in his hands, and possessed peerless martial arts, soundly beating the village blacksmith's sons who he was previously no match for. Then he woke on the second morning, still reminiscent of his dream.

Protector Wang did not let the children enjoy breakfast. Instead, he brought all of the children down the mountain to a steep slope containing many bamboo shoots. There, Division Head Yue and a few other youths whom Han Li didn’t recognize were already waiting for them.





Chapter 4: Bone Refining Cliff


Han Li naturally did not understand what it meant to be an Unofficial Disciple. He only knew that all he had to do was to climb the cliff. Casting his gaze forward, he saw a steep slope with many lengthy bamboo shoots sprawled across its surface. It didn't seem too difficult to climb!

Studying the other children, Han Li was unwilling to lose to those in his age group. The atmosphere quickly became tense for the other children as well.

Division Head Yue cast a glance at the rising sun and said, “Okay, it’s almost time, prepare to set off! Don’t be afraid, your seniors will be protecting you from behind in case there’s any danger.”

Han Li turned his head and glanced at those unrecognizable youths.

These people were the senior disciples, so they should be from an earlier batch. Han Li could not help but think, “How impressive, if I manage to join them, could I wear the same robes of an Inner Disciple?”

As he was blindly pondering, Han Li discovered that the other children had already rushed into the bamboo forest. Seeing that he was left behind, Han Li quickly started moving forward as well.

Once the thirty children rushed in, they stopped moving as a group and scattered within the spacious bamboo forest. Behind Han Li was a lanky senior disciple with a cold look on his face, silently following Han Li. Han Li felt a little frightened and didn't dare to speak to him. Slightly intimidated, he lowered his body and proceeded to tread on the slope.

This stretch of bamboo forest looked ordinary on the outside, but after Han Li walked for a considerable amount of time, he found that it was slowly becoming more and more difficult to move forward. His footsteps were getting heavier, and gradually, Han Li began to use one hand to pull on the bamboo shoots, using the momentum of the bamboo springing back to its original position to propel him forward.

Han Li persisted in this manner for quite some time, but he eventually became too exhausted and had no choice but to find an empty space to sit down and rest, his breath leaving him in heavy bursts of air.

While taking a breather, Han Li turned his gaze and saw the lanky senior behind him. Although the ground was very steep, this senior disciple was standing nonchalantly on the ground as if it was nothing to him. His body was totally devoid of dirt, standing erect like the bamboo shoots nearby, while he silently looked at Han Li in the distance.

Looking at the senior's cold eyes, Han Li felt fear in his heart and quickly looked away. He also heard sounds of heavy breathing in front and deduced that one of the faster children was also making use of this opportunity to rest. After a short break, Han Li swiftly resumed his journey.

The slope was perilously steep, and Han Li’s energy reserve were getting smaller and smaller.

He decided to lie flat on the ground and claw his way forward instead of walking on his legs; such that if he exhausted his energy, he would not fall flat on his face. Luckily, his clothes were made of strong materials; if not, his limbs and knees might have been damaged by being dragged across the rocky ground.

As he almost reached the end of the bamboo forest, Han Li felt that it was getting tougher to finish this last stretch. This was because the stones and rocks on the ground were increasing, while the number of bamboo shoots were decreasing.

Han Li finally reached the point where there were no more bamboo shoots for him to use for support, and he slowly moved past this last stretch of road and overcame the first obstacle.

The moment he walked out of the bamboo forest, he could only see a vast expanse of land. In front of him was an incomparably huge, rocky mountain. On top of the gargantuan mountain were a few skinny kids, slowly climbing up the stone cliff along with a few senior disciples keeping a close watch on them. Han Li did not dare to hesitate any longer and rushed to make his way to the front of the huge rocky mountain.

The mountain consisted of layers and layers of sedimentary rocks stacked upon each other and appeared very eroded. In some places, the ground crumbled when touched. Of course, there were also solid slabs of broken stone, but finding them was extremely perilous as they would injure easily. After just a short while, Han Li's hands were already riddled with scrapes and gashes. At the same time, his clothes were torn and tattered around his knees, and the flesh and muscles hidden by his clothing were also scraped and injured. Although the wounds on his knees were small, Han Li gritted his teeth every time they came into contact with the jagged rocks; the pain almost more than he could bear.

Still, the few children in the lead were only climbing further and further away. Seeing the others ahead of him, Han Li refused to give up. The moment any thoughts of giving up flashed past his mind, images of his Third Uncle and his family would appear, giving him the motivation to carry on. With the memories of those he loved urging him to continue, Han Li relentlessly proceeded forward.

Before Han Li left for the Inner Disciple Examination, Han Li’s father and Third Uncle reminded Han Li that the test would be extremely tough. If he did not persevere to the very end, Han Li would have no chance of joining the Seven Mysteries Sect. At this moment, Han Li no longer cared about joining the sect. Instead, the only source of motivation pushing him forward was an unwillingness to give in and the urgency to catch up to the others in the lead.

Han Li raised his head and noticed that Wu Yan was currently the furthest in the lead. Wu Yan was older than Han Li and had even practiced martial arts; unsurprisingly, he had a stronger body compared to the rest of the children.