After joining the Miscellaneous Service Courtyard of the Immortal Soldier Mansion, Huang Er took the lead in breathing cultivation, cleaning and tidying, reading scriptures, or chopping wood and fetching water every day, striving to excel in everything.

As long as he succeeded in Foundation Establishment or gained the favor of a high-ranking member of the sect, he could enter the Inner Sect, which had always been Huang Er’s goal.

However, as the years passed, some disciples in the Miscellaneous Service Courtyard were accepted into the Inner Sect, gaining the next level of cultivation methods, while others couldn’t bear the hardship of the mountain and left the Miscellaneous Service Courtyard and descended from the mountain.

Unconsciously, Huang Er became the oldest disciple in the Miscellaneous Service Courtyard.

"The Immortal Path is hard to find..."

Even though he had already joined the sect, the closer he got, the more he understood, the more Huang Er felt the distance between himself and the true path of immortality, feeling that he was drifting further and further away from the Immortal Road.

"Ages 6, 12, 18... are the best times to test aptitudes, the so-called three tests determine a lifetime."

"At 18, if there is no Spirit Root, then a lifetime on the Immortal Path is hopeless, stuck in the Qi Refinement realm."

Huang Er felt unwilling in his heart but had no solution, only watching helplessly as he got older, making slower progress in cultivation, and the distance to the Foundation Establishment Realm seemed insurmountable.

Until one day, over the age of fifty, watching a young man entering the Inner Sect, Huang Er couldn’t help but approach the manager.

This Taoist, similar in age to Huang Er, had also cultivated with him in the Miscellaneous Service Courtyard, but had entered the Inner Sect early and now, having formed a Golden Core, managed the Outer Sect.

Facing his former sect mate, Huang Er could see not the slightest hint of camaraderie, only endless estrangement and alienation.

He inquired why that mischievous boy, who injured people in the Miscellaneous Service Courtyard, could enter the Inner Sect.

The Taoist looked at him and said indifferently, "He has an Immortal Spirit Root."

Huang Er said, "He idles around all day, doing nothing, and hasn’t even practiced a full Breathing Technique once since entering the sect a month ago..."

The Taoist replied, "He has an Immortal Spirit Root."

Huang Er, unwilling, said, "Is it because he has an Immortal Spirit Root, that even if he committed heinous acts, he would still be accepted into the sect?"

Having uttered these words, Huang Er already felt regret, thinking he would face reprimand, but heard instead: "He has an Immortal Spirit Root. If he committed heinous acts, he would need to be admitted even more, to be strictly disciplined, lest he cause great harm."

"Huang Er, having been in the sect for so long, you should understand. Whether one has an immortal fate is decided the moment they’re born."

"If you have it, you have it; if not, you don’t."

"You lack the aptitudes, so no matter how hard you work for ten, thirty years, no matter your intelligence, perseverance, resilience, righteousness, and magnanimity... you will never walk the Immortal Road in this life."

"Whether one has the potential to walk the Immortal Path depends solely on aptitude."

The Taoist, looking down coldly at him, said, "This is reality, this is the Heavenly Dao."

Huang Er retreated abruptly, muttering, "Is it decided at birth? Is it decided at birth?!"

"Why!"

Zhang Yu, witnessing this scene, sighed and thought, "No matter what, the current Kunxu has finally given most people a chance to step onto the Immortal Path."

Zhan Xian suddenly said, "This Huang Er... I think I know who he is."

Zhang Yu curiously asked, "Who?"

Zhan Xian replied, "We have all met him, you’ll know as you read on."

In the dream three years later, Huang Er watched as a boy succeeded in Foundation Establishment, being sought after by many sect elders. He silently left the Immortal Soldier Mansion.

By then in his fifties, he was thoroughly disillusioned with the Immortal Path, gradually accepting his inability to continue on it, and prepared to return to his hometown to reconnect with his roots.

On his journey back, Huang Er encountered a peculiar sect called the Heavenly Sect.

"Teaching without discrimination? Regardless of talent, anyone can cultivate immortality?"

Hearing this, Huang Er immediately thought of swindlers and planned to pretend to join, go to their base, expose their fraud, and awaken those deceived, lest they be deceived like he was in the past.

But upon entering their mountain gate, he found the Heavenly Sect peculiar. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

These people worked together, cultivated together, spent all their time together, sometimes indistinguishable between disciples and masters.

Their cultivation method claimed mutual assistance in cultivation, ascending together.

"Everyone cultivates together, then transfers power to the oldest sect mate."

"Once that sect mate breaks through, they then lead us in cultivation, and everyone channels power to the second oldest disciple."

In this manner of mutual support, brothers and sisters climbed to the Immortal Dao Peak together.

Initially, Huang Er was skeptical, but after a while, he discovered that within the Heavenly Sect, they genuinely loved one another like family.

Many even invited friends and family to join, cultivate, and progress together.

With his age over fifty, Huang Er quickly became the object of power channeling, and through daily cultivation, he finally entered the Foundation Establishment Realm.

After decades of arduous cultivation, he finally established a foundation, and at that moment, Huang Er was in tears.

So he found his parents, siblings, friends from the Miscellaneous Service Courtyard who couldn’t join the Inner Sect, and old friends who had left early from the mountain, bringing them to join the Heavenly Sect, to cultivate together and ascend together.