"As expected of a descendant of the Lu family!" Lu Tongming said with delight. Lu Zhengzhi's performance made all the Lu family members present very happy.

"Haha, you have no ambition at all, and instead you're obsessed with those mortals who have nothing? You deserve to be no match for our Holy Son!" The people from the Heavenly Demon Cult mocked them again. But this time, no one from the Lu family paid any attention to them. Who would bother with a bunch of psychopaths?

But... born into a mortal family, without power or wealth, how could he seek the truth? Frost Man had spent sixteen years and countless resources to obtain news of a cultivator. How could Lu Zhengzhi find an immortal? The Lu family members were torn. On the one hand, they hoped Lu Zhengzhi would maintain his conscience and not abandon his parents; on the other, they worried that he would lose his support and lose his chance to become an immortal. After much deliberation, they finally turned their attention to the sky curtain.

In the blink of an eye, you're already six years old. As you grow older, your intelligence becomes increasingly apparent. You've created many ingenious inventions in the village. For example, you've helped villagers improve their farming tools, increased fruit farmers' yields by removing the top buds from fruit trees, and taught people how to treat simple illnesses. Everyone in Tianhai County knows that Liutaoshan Village has produced a child prodigy.

Your parents were delighted with your intelligence, but also increasingly worried. More and more people wanted to snatch you away from them while you were still young. Fortunately, you were determined to stay with them, allowing them to coerce and bribe you, but ultimately, they were unsuccessful. But the more they tried, the more guilt and worry grew on your parents. They knew your talent needed effective guidance to truly flourish, but they were a mountain couple. Their greatest skill was climbing to the top of a mountain, collecting precious medicinal herbs, and exchanging them for a few worn-out books for you.

A prominent family in the county once wanted to enroll you in their clan school. However, the condition was that you sign a master-servant contract with them. Even if you were promoted to higher rank, you would still be a member of the clan. Faced with this condition, you remained silent for a night and ultimately refused.

"Good! The descendants of my Lu family should be so proud and unrestrained! What are those wealthy families? A mere mortal actually dared to propose such a dirty deal to the descendants of my Lu family. If I were there, I would definitely raise my three-foot sword and slaughter his entire clan!" Lu Tongming first applauded Lu Zhengzhi's decision, but was angry at the behavior of the wealthy families.

This time, Lu Dahu didn't stop Lu Tongming. Instead, he stared with equal fury at the obese figure sitting high in the shadows, only half of his face visible, his eyes filled with murderous intent. Lu Zhengzhi was his younger brother. Even if reincarnated, even in another world, he would still be his younger brother. How could he tolerate being bullied by a mere mortal?

"Haha, you didn't take advantage of the opportunity before. Now that you're being targeted, you can only sell yourself into slavery. How can you call that pride? It's clearly stupidity and a lack of foresight. Our Holy Son is the smart one." The people from the Heavenly Demon Cult mocked.

The Lu family took a deep breath and resisted the urge to quarrel with each other. Instead, they turned to look at the sky, hoping that Lu Zhengzhi in the sky could find a way to break the deadlock.

Since the age of seven, you seem to have become duller. The child prodigy who could learn literature at three and compose poetry at five, now can't even master basic math. Your speech has gradually become as simple and crude as a country boy's. Throughout Tianhai County, news of the prodigy's passing has begun to spread. The wealthy and powerful families sigh inwardly, thinking of this gifted child. If they had taken him in and nurtured him, he would have been a great asset to their families. Now, he's become another example of the story of Zhongyong. The public's attention to you, and even the pressure on you, has diminished considerably.

You began learning from the village hunters, specializing in martial arts. Admittedly, your intelligence astounded the entire county, and your talent for martial arts was exceptional. Even the hunters lamented that if you were to study at a martial arts academy in the county, you would become a renowned prodigy. But you simply shook your head, saying, "My heart isn't in the martial arts world; it's somewhere far, far away." For some reason, even after beginning your martial arts training, your heart remained unsatisfied. It was as if you were born not to study or practice martial arts, but to something far greater.

Seeing this, Lu Tongming smiled broadly. "What else could it be? Cultivating immortality, naturally! The aspirations of our Lu family are truly strong. Even after reincarnation, they still cling to this pursuit. It seems that the saintly son of that evil cult is no match for our Lu family's Qilin child." Lu Tongming squinted at the members of the Demonic Cult, a hint of pride and defiance in his eyes. Who just called our Lu family foolish? It's simply that our Lu family refuses to follow worldly paths, instead cherishing the path of cultivating immortality. In terms of realm, Lu Zhengzhi is infinitely superior to that Shuangman.

The members of the Heavenly Demon Cult glanced at Lu Tongming sideways, saying nothing but a dismissive sneer. "That child on the sky screen is simply seeking the truth. How could he be as decisive as our Saint Son?" "We're definitely going to win the Seeking Heart Rating!"

The sky screen continues to play.

You continue to age slowly. At just ten, you've already grown as tall as a fourteen or fifteen-year-old. This is due not only to your parents' love and your own dedication to martial arts, but also to the villagers' support. The improved farm tools you've introduced, the methods you've taught them to increase yields, and the treatments for various illnesses have all benefited the villagers immensely. Even now, though you're no longer as bright and intelligent as you were as a child, the villagers still love you and are grateful for your dedication to the village.

You vowed to silently protect your small mountain village. But martial arts skills alone aren't enough; you need a stronger force. The hunter taught you everything he could, and now you're even stronger than him. He said that even the most accomplished martial artist in this world can only defeat a thousand enemies, ultimately insufficient to protect the village from all the world's disasters. Unless you cultivate immortality.

But the path to immortality is long and elusive. All the immortal cultivators in this world are hidden within famous mountains and rivers, in ethereal and dreamlike realms. You are just an ordinary young man from a mountain village, how can you pursue them? Another night of silence.

This morning, you told your parents, "I want to study, rise to higher rank, and become the most powerful scholar in Jing State. To achieve this, I am willing to sign a master-servant contract with the Gao family."

Your parents were struck by lightning. They didn't understand. You'd clearly told them, "I'd rather be a farmer than a slave," so why had you changed your mind now? But they knew you were always intelligent, thinking deeper and more accurately than they did. You'd been gathering strength and hiding your shortcomings for years, all to deceive those in the county who were wary of your talent. They'd assumed you'd eventually leave Tianhai County to seek opportunities elsewhere, but they never expected you to make this choice.

"Forget it, son. You've always been smarter than us. Since you've made this decision, you must have your own reasons. So go ahead." As the pillar of the family, your father finally agreed.

This year, you signed a master-servant contract with the Gao family and enrolled in the Gao family academy. In your first year, you astounded everyone, taking first place in poetry, policy essays, and sage wisdom! Everyone knew that the child prodigy who once stunned Tianhai County had returned.