Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Shen Mo's eyes flickered slightly, and he continued, "If I were to ask you to carry a two-hundred-pound boulder and run ten laps around Qingyun Mountain before you could enter the sect, would you be willing?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Tie immediately became anxious: "Sect Leader! Two hundred jin for ten laps? This..."

Shen Mo raised his hand to stop him from continuing, his gaze fixed on Zhang Daniu.

Zhang Daniu didn't even blink, and shouted, "I'm willing! Let alone 200 jin for ten laps, even 300 jin for twenty laps, as long as the sect leader tells me to run, I'll run! No hesitation!"

As he spoke, he got up to look for the stone.

"Wait a minute," Shen Mo called out to him, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his face. He casually picked up a piece of oak stone, usually used to weigh down the corner of a table, weighing about a hundred pounds, and handed it to Zhang Daniu, saying,

"Here, take this stone. You don't need to run laps; just stand here with your arms outstretched. You can't put it down until I tell you to stop. Is that possible?"

This is not a test of strength, but of endurance and willpower.

"I can!" Zhang Daniu took the stone, bent his waist, and steadily lifted the boulder above his chest without moving an inch. Veins bulged slightly on his dark red face, and sweat poured out instantly, but he gritted his teeth and his eyes were unwavering.

Time passed slowly. The sun was so strong it made people dizzy. The other teenagers who had signed up were all dumbfounded.

Shi Tie stood to the side, nervously wringing his hands. Su Xiao and A Yuan also watched with bated breath.

A quarter of an hour, then another quarter of an hour... half an hour passed.

Zhang Daniu's arms began to tremble slightly, his coarse cloth jacket was soaked with sweat, and a small patch of ground beneath his feet was wet, but he still gritted his teeth and stared intently ahead, showing no sign of giving up.

Shen Mo nodded secretly. This boy's resilience far exceeded his expectations.

"Alright," Shen Mo finally said.

Zhang Daniu breathed a sigh of relief, but still gently put the stone down instead of throwing it, revealing a thoughtful side beneath his rough exterior. He panted heavily, looking at Shen Mo expectantly.

Shen Mo smiled approvingly, nodded to Shi Tie, and then said to Zhang Daniu:

"From this day forward, you will be an outer disciple of my Qingyun Sect. For the time being, Shi Tie will teach you the basic body-refining techniques. I hope you will work diligently and not let down your brother Tie's good intentions, nor your own strength."

Zhang Daniu was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed surged into his heart. He was about to kneel down and kowtow again when Shi Tie grabbed him.

This honest, dark-skinned, muscular boy was so excited that all he could do was grin foolishly, tears and sweat mingling and flowing down his face uncontrollably.

Taking in Zhang Daniu finally gave Qingyun Sect a decent prospect, and Shi Tie was overjoyed and full of energy.

However, what happened next made everyone's mood heavy.

Just as Zhang Daniu was excitedly following Shi Tie and getting familiar with the surroundings, a small, thin figure, like a reed in the wind, appeared silently at the entrance to the mountain road.

It was a boy who looked only twelve or thirteen years old. His face was so pale that it was devoid of any color, his lips were cracked, and his clothes were tattered and covered in mud, barely covering his body.

He was barefoot, his feet covered in blisters and wounds, and he walked with a limp, as if he might collapse at any moment.

What was most chilling was his gaze. It wasn't cowardice, but a deathly calm, as if he were numb to everything around him.

Only when his gaze occasionally sweeps over others will a hint of wariness, like that of a wounded little animal, and a faint longing for warmth flash deep in his eyes.

He silently walked to the registration table, not looking at anyone, but simply lowering his head and saying in a barely audible voice, "I... register."

Su Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and she asked softly, "Young man, what's your name? Where are you from?"

The boy paused for a moment before answering in a low voice, "Lin Xiaofan... has no home."

His voice was dry and hoarse.

"Why do you want to cultivate immortality?" Su Xiao continued to ask gently.

This question made the boy, who had been keeping his head down, suddenly lift it up. A chilling light suddenly burst forth in his empty eyes, a light mixed with deep-seated hatred, unyielding stubbornness, and an almost desperate will to survive.

"I..." he said, his voice still not loud, but with a resolute force, "I want to become stronger."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over his hands, which were thin and bony, covered with calluses and fresh wounds.

"I don't want to be bullied anymore."

"I don't want to... go hungry."

"I don't want to... die like a stray dog, in a place where no one knows me."

Each word struck like a heavy hammer blow to everyone's heart. A hush fell over the room.

Even the excited Zhang Daniu fell silent, staring blankly at the thin boy who was more than a head shorter than him.

Shen Mo walked up to Lin Xiaofan, squatted down, and looked him in the eye.

He could sense that the boy's spiritual energy was almost nonexistent, and his body was severely depleted. However, deep within his soul, there was an extremely faint yet exceptionally pure and resilient spiritual fluctuation. He seemed to have an instinctive and strange reaction to the surrounding spiritual energy, a mixture of affinity and repulsion.

This is unusual.

"The path of cultivation is fraught with difficulties, perhaps even more arduous than all the hardships you've endured combined. Aren't you afraid?" Shen Mo asked softly, his voice devoid of pity, only a calm inquiry.

Lin Xiaofan looked into Shen Mo's eyes, which were deep yet gentle, without the disgust and contempt he usually saw.

He pursed his lips tightly and shook his head vigorously: "I'm not afraid. No matter how bitter it is, it's better than waiting to die."

Shen Mo stared at him quietly for a few seconds, then slowly reached out and gently brushed away a piece of grass from his shoulder.

This simple action caused Lin Xiaofan's body to stiffen abruptly, and a tiny crack seemed to appear in the hard shell of his eyes.

"Junior Sister Xiao," Shen Mo stood up and instructed, "Take him to wash up first, change him into clean clothes, and get him some food. From today onwards, Lin Xiaofan is an outer disciple of my Qingyun Sect."

He didn't ask about his background, nor did he test his qualifications. The ruthless determination to live and the pure, extreme will to survive in the boy's eyes were the best proof of his abilities.

Su Xiao's eyes reddened slightly. She quickly stepped forward and said softly, "Junior Brother Lin, come with me."

Lin Xiaofan stared blankly at Shen Mo, then at Su Xiao, and finally, silently, step by step, followed Su Xiao into the mountain gate.

That slender, upright back cast a stubborn and lonely shadow in the sunlight.

Shen Mo watched his retreating figure and sighed inwardly: In this world, another soul has been forced into a corner by fate, forced to fight against destiny. Qingyun Sect might be his only chance of survival.

After accepting Lin Xiaofan, the area in front of the mountain gate seemed to return to its previous desolation. The remaining few youths were all of mediocre talent and temperament. Su Xiao registered them one by one according to the rules, awaiting the next round of centralized assessment.

As the sun began to set, the noise from the Lin family's house at the foot of the mountain gradually subsided, indicating that their recruitment of apprentices was nearing its end.

Shi Tie was helping Zhang Daniu familiarize himself with the sect's environment, A Yuan was taking care of the weak and exhausted Lin Xiaofan, and Su Xiao was organizing the roster.

Shen Mo estimated that this was roughly the number of people for today. Although the number was small, with the unexpected surprises of Zhang Daniu and Lin Xiaofan, it was already quite a fruitful harvest.