Chapter 1: Will Like Steel

  Under the scorching sun, in front of the mountain gate, an old man held a faintly glowing square stone, facing a group of young boys and girls.

  "Summer dust, the result of the qualification test is unqualified!" The old man stuck a square long stone on the abdomen of an ordinary boy, and after a moment, he took it off, looked at it, and coldly shouted.

  The young Xia Chen's eyes dimmed slightly, but he immediately regained his composure. He didn't say a word and turned to walk down the mountain.

  "Xia Chen." The old man suddenly called out.

  Xia Chen stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at him.

  "Don't come back again." The old man frowned, "Your qualifications are just ordinary mortal, it's impossible to pass the cultivation test, this is not something that can be changed by time, it's already been five years, how do you still lack self-awareness?"

  "Thank you for your advice, Brother Qi, but ordinary people may not necessarily be unable to cultivate. I won't give up." Xia Chen's tone was calm, yet as unshakeable as steel.

  "Brother Qi sneered, 'You don't have the qualifications, continuing to persist is just a waste of time. A mere mortal like you dares to cultivate? How absurd! Hurry up and leave, don't let me see you again next time.'"

  Xia Chen's face changed: "You don't have to look down on me, I may not have the qualifications, but you mustn't forget that in cultivation, the most important thing is opportunity, second is willpower, and the least important is qualifications. One day, I will become a cultivator."

  Having said that, Xia Chen strode away.

  "Pfft, what a thing, still daring to talk about opportunities. With your kind of quality, don't even think about becoming a cultivator for the rest of your life." Qi Shixiong's face turned pale with rage.

  Those boys and girls looked at Xia Chen's back, casting strange glances, whispering to each other.

  "A mere outer sect disciple also wants to become an inner sect disciple of Zhengyuan Sect? How arrogant!"

  "That's right, Brother Qi said he was unqualified, and he still dared to talk back, this guy really doesn't know what's good for him."

  "Ordinary people are like this, lacking self-awareness, yet still wanting to pursue a beautiful dream of spiritual cultivation, haha."

  "I heard that this servant has been participating in the selection of Zhengxuan Sect's inner disciples for five consecutive years. He really has perseverance, but unfortunately, he is destined to have no hope. Knowing that there is no hope and still trying, it's not only pitiful, but also foolish!"

  Arriving at the foot of the mountain, Xia Chen gazed at the undulating Zhongxuan Mountains and became slightly entranced.

  Other people's ridicule and blows, to Xia Chen, are just floating clouds, and can't stir up even half a ripple. Five years of persistent cultivation have long made Xia Chen's mind as hard as iron and his will as strong as steel.

  No one knew that Xia Chen didn't belong to this world, but was an ordinary boy who had crossed over from Earth. After learning about the existence of cultivators and cultivation sects in this other world, Xia Chen developed a strong desire for cultivation.

  Ascetic practitioners are also known as ascetics, possessing inconceivable supernatural powers, and are transcendent beings that ordinary people can only look up to but cannot reach.

  Zhengxuan Sect is one of the seven major cultivation sects in the world of Dalang, and Xia Chen is a miscellaneous member of the outer circle of Zhengxuan Sect.

  So-called miscellaneous work is serving practitioners, ordinary people who replace the practitioners of the sect to do miscellaneous tasks.

  When a miscellaneous servant can not only exchange for necessities of life, the greatest benefit is that they can cultivate true energy and shallow kung fu, and then have the opportunity to participate in the selection of inner door disciples of the Zhengxuan sect. If they are lucky enough to cultivate the sensation of true energy within three years, they will leap over the dragon gate and become an inner door disciple.

  The true energy response is the first step in a practitioner's cultivation. Through breathing and exhalation, true energy is produced in the lower abdomen (dan tian). As long as one has the qualifications, they can cultivate the true energy response within three years. If after three years there is still no response, it means that they are not destined for cultivation and are just an ordinary person.

  Of course, most people are ordinary people, and Xia Chen is no exception, so he has always been unable to cultivate the true energy sense. However, when everyone else had already given up, Xia Chen persisted.

  After a moment, Xia Chenmo sat down on a rock, clearing his mind of all distractions and began to breathe in and out. For five years, Xia Chen had done this action countless times, long since becoming extremely familiar with it, but he had never once felt the true energy.

  Good luck for a long time, Xia Chen opened her eyes, slightly sighed, this time there was no suspense at all, still failed.

  He no longer practiced, but walked towards the foot of the mountain.

  In the distance ahead, a village appeared, which was the residence of miscellaneous workers on the periphery of Zhengxuan Sect.

  Xia Chen walked up to a simple and elegant courtyard and knocked gently on the door.

  "Who?" A bright and clear voice echoed in the room.

  "It's me, Meng Ru!" Xia Chen said.

  The door opened and a beautiful girl appeared before Xia Chen. Her skin was fair and she stood tall and slender.

  This beautiful girl is called Lin Mengru, she is Xia Chen's girlfriend.

  "Xia Chen, how did you come?" Lin Mengru saw Xia Chen, her expression changed slightly, but she didn't smile.

  "I'm back from testing." Xia Chen said.

  "Oh..." Lin Mengru hesitated for a moment, "Xia Chen, you're just in time, I have something to talk to you about."

  "What did you want to say?" Xia Chen was slightly taken aback.

  Lin Mengru walked into the middle of the courtyard, her back to him, and slowly said after a while: "Your test didn't pass, did it?"

  "No." Xia Chen shook his head and said, "But it's okay, I'll keep going on, you don't need to comfort me."

  "I wasn't trying to comfort you, Xia Chen. Do you think your persistence still has any meaning?" Lin Mengru suddenly sighed and turned to look at him.

  "What did you mean by that?" Xia Chen's heart skipped a beat.

  Lin Mengru looked at him with a mixture of sadness and pity: "Xia Chen, you're just an ordinary person without any spiritual talent, why do you insist on doing something that's hopeless? I really don't understand you!"

  Xia Chen's face changed: "Is this what you wanted to tell me?"

  "Xia Chen..." Lin Mengru's expression was complex, wanting to speak but stopping herself. After a moment, she said, "You're destined to not succeed in cultivation... I feel like the distance between us is getting farther and farther apart, it's not suitable for us to be together anymore, let's just break up."

  Xia Chen's mind buzzed as if he had been hit by a mallet. His eyes were bloodshot, staring at Lin Mengru, word by word: "Just because I'm an ordinary person and can't cultivate, you want to break up with me?"

  Lin Mengru said lightly: "Not bad, take a look at yourself, you're useless in every way. Do I have to spend the rest of my life with a servant like you?"

  It was all so sudden... Xia Chen's heart skipped a beat as he looked at Lin Mengru, and for the first time, he felt that his gentle and lovely girlfriend was so unfamiliar.

  "Lin Mengru, how am I to you? You know it in your heart! You said I was good to you and that you would love me for a lifetime. Now, what have I become in your eyes, someone who is useless?" Xia Chen's teeth were chattering with anger.

  Lin Mengru's face changed: "You're good to me, and I should be grateful? Do you know that being good to me is what you should do? There are plenty of people lining up to be good to me, who are you?"

  "It turns out that all the good I've done for you is worthless in your eyes!"

  Lin Mengru looked at him with disgust: "Xia Chen, I just hate the way you are, as if everyone owes you something. You're destined to have no future in this life."

  "Huh...?" Xia Chen was stunned, and it took him half a moment to let out a miserable laugh: "Lin Mengru, I want to ask you something. Have you ever really loved me? If you despise me for being a lowly servant, then why did you still want to be with me in the past?"

  Lin Mengru sneered, "I used to be with you because I thought you could enter the Zhengxuan Sect as an inner disciple. But for five consecutive years, you haven't passed the test. Your life is already over. Do I still want to bet my youth on you? Xia Chen, your persistence has indeed moved me before, but now in many people's eyes, including mine, you're just a joke!"

  Xia Chen's whole body trembled, and in his heart, it was as if a thousand needles were piercing him. Suddenly, he seemed to understand something, and loudly said: "Lin Mengru, this doesn't sound like your tone of voice. Is someone intentionally teaching you to say this to attack me? Don't make excuses, you've fallen in love with someone else, right?"

  Lin Mengru's face changed color, her shoulders trembled, and she involuntarily took two steps back.

  Suddenly, a cold male voice came from the house: "Xia Chen, you despicable thing, how dare you speak to my dream like that? Are you looking for death?"

  As soon as he finished speaking, a tall and handsome young man with clear eyebrows and bright eyes walked out of the house.

  "Yan Bing, it's you." Xia Chen's blood rushed to his head in an instant.

  Yan Bing is also a miscellaneous role and is also Xia Chen's love rival, who has been pursuing Lin Mengru. The two have never gotten along and are mutually hostile.

  But in yesterday's selection, Yan Bing passed the test and became an inner disciple of Zhengxuan Sect, which is far above Xia Chen.

  "Xia Chen, you poor bug." Yan Bing wore a victorious smile, intimately wrapping her arm around Lin Meng's shoulder. "I'm already a disciple of the Zhengxuan Sect, and you still want to compete with me for Meng? Are you worthy? You have no future, no talent, born to be a mere servant, how does it feel being cuckolded by me?"

  Lin Mengru's face turned bright red, she didn't want to be so intimate with Yan Bing in front of Xia Chen, but it was hard to resist, so she just lowered her head and remained silent.

  Xia Chen's anger reached its peak, her fingernails digging deep into her palm. She gritted her teeth and said: "Then I should congratulate you, Yan Bing. Congratulations on accepting my second-hand goods. And let me tell you, since she only approached you for the sake of her career, once someone stronger than you appears, you'll be discarded sooner or later."

  Yan Bing's smile froze on his face, never expecting to become a disciple of the Zhengxuan Sect. Xia Chen was still so stubborn and furious, saying: "How dare you speak to me like that? You also want to drive a wedge between my relationship with Meng Ru, if I don't teach you a lesson, you really don't know the difference between us."

  He released Lin Mengru and took a step forward, swinging his fist at Xia Chen.

  Xia Chen raised his hand to open the way, both of them were miscellaneous roles and had also learned some rough and shallow fist and footwork. However, Yan Bing had cultivated true energy perception, and her strength had already surpassed Xia Chen's. After a few rounds, she kicked Xia Chen to the ground with one foot.

  Yan Bing kicked Xia Chen fiercely, sneering: "Poor worm, do you still think it's the past? Do you know that now I can crush you to death just like crushing an ant, you trash."

  His face was ferocious, his feet almost used all his strength, as if he wanted to kick Xia Chen to death.

  "Yan Bing, don't hit him anymore." Lin Mengru's face was filled with pity and she sighed, "I won't have anything to do with him from now on, besides you're about to enter the Zhengxuan Sect, there's no need to lower yourself to his level."

  Yan Bing kicked Xia Chen heavily and shouted: "For the sake of Meng Ru's face, I'll let you off. You lowly thing, get out!"

  Xia Chen struggled to get up, his whole body covered in dust, his face kicked into a mess of bruises, and a long trail of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

  After tidying up his clothes, Xia Chen suddenly became unusually calm and said in a cold voice: "Yan Bing, Lin Mengru, today I have nothing to say, but one day, for what you've done to me, I'll make you pay back a hundred times."

  After finishing speaking, Xia Chen turned around and walked away with big strides.

  How dare you threaten me? You lowly thing, I won't even let you be a servant... Yan Bing glared at Xia Chen's back with hatred and malice in her eyes.

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