Chapter 48: The Investing Mortal Cultivator Finally Joins the Immortal Sect!

Lin Lin Mengye, eyes heavy with sleep, heard a sound and opened her eyes; the room was empty, and only then did she realize the sound was coming from the space.

She shuddered, sat up, and with her mental power confirmed the sound came from the second space—Ye Fan had replied!

"Ye Fan? What did you just say?"

Lin Lin Mengye spoke with excitement and agitation; only after the words left her mouth did she realize that before Ye Fan she was acting as an exalted senior, and she needed to be more steady.

At that moment Ye Fan was sitting cross-legged on the wooden plank bed; hearing Lin Lin Mengye's reply, he immediately excitedly reported.

"Immortal Sister, I successfully entered Cloud Heaven Sect; my spiritual root test showed wood-fire dual roots, and I was admitted to the Outer Sect, starting as a lowly white-robed disciple."

"Sorry, Immortal Sister, I have let you down; my talent is mediocre, and I failed to gain the favor of the sect's elders."

At first Ye Fan was happy just to be able to enter Cloud Heaven Sect, which to him was a great fortune.

But after thinking it over, he felt guilty: Immortal Sister had high hopes for him, yet he could only become the lowest outer sect disciple, and he blamed himself.

How could Lin Lin Mengye not hear the emotional shift in Ye Fan's few sentences? She tried to comfort him:

"Talent isn't everything; the path of cultivation values mindset and effort more. I once knew a Dao Ancestor who entered the Dao as a mortal body, with the worst false spiritual roots, yet through his own effort he rose all the way to become a Heavenly Venerable that even Heaven cannot shake."

"You too are a mortal who has entered the Dao; stepping onto the immortal path is already cause for celebration—you've passed the hardest step, what's there to fear? I'm very optimistic about you!"

Ye Fan was stirred by Lin Lin Mengye's encouragement, his heart surging.

Moreover, a Dao Ancestor with false spiritual roots became a Heavenly Venerable; it seems his wood-fire dual roots also have great potential.

"Immortal Sister, Ye Fan understands; I will surely not disappoint your expectations!"

Lin Lin Mengye nodded; the young man was not bad— a few words could cheer him up, his attitude proper and positive; even if his talent was lacking, effort plus luck could still let him overturn his fate.

After making contact with Ye Fan, Lin Lin Mengye no longer felt sleepy, and instead engaged in mental communication with him.

"What do you think of Cloud Heaven Sect? Are your fellow senior brothers and sisters easy to get along with?"

Lin Lin Mengye, unfamiliar with cultivation, steered the conversation toward daily matters to avoid revealing her ignorance by discussing training.

Ye Fan naturally liked to share, and especially wanted to spend more time with the exalted immortal sister he admired, so he opened up.

Lin Lin Mengye listened carefully, exchanging a few words from time to time.

From Ye Fan's account she also roughly pieced together the situation of the Outer Sect of Cloud Heaven Sect.

Upon hearing that the sect's management was strict, rewards and punishments clear, and all resources had to be seized by oneself, Ye Fan, with a youthful nature, rubbed his flat stomach and sighed:

"Immortal Sister, you don't know—Cloud Heaven Sect provides lodging but not meals; I've just entered the first layer of Qi Refining, hardly different from a mortal, unable to abstain from grains, and I've gone three days without food."

Lin Lin Mengye, hearing this, was slightly astonished: "Goodness, this is really the path to immortality—three days without food, and still have the energy to cultivate?"

"Wait, I'll go find you something to eat—Cloud Heaven Sect may be a major sect, yet it doesn't even provide meals for new disciples; that's outrageous!"

Lin Lin Mengye said this as she already got out of bed and headed for the kitchen, while Ye Fan began to feel flustered.

"Immortal Sister, no need to trouble yourself to find food for me; I only wanted to chat more with you, speaking offhand—I can actually find food myself."

Ye Fan felt a bit regretful; he wasn't normally talkative, but he felt close to the Immortal Sister and couldn't help wanting to share more, so his loose lips spilled both what should and shouldn't be said.

His original intention was not to play the victim in front of the Immortal Sister.

Lin Lin Mengye laughed as she walked to the kitchen, opened the fridge, took a look, and said:

"No problem, it's just a casual thing; I can understand that a cultivation sect doesn't provide meals—after all, we cultivate, so we can do without worldly desires; mortal food easily creates impurities, hindering cultivation."

These are what Lin Lin Mengye learned from reading novels; she doesn't know the actual situation.

"But here, cultivation and enjoying mortal pleasures aren't conflicting; as long as you keep them in check, it's fine."

While speaking, Lin Lin Mengye had already taken out a bottle of cola and a pack of frozen dumplings, and said:

"Let me boil you some dumplings; for today just make do with a meal, and once you're full you'll be able to cultivate hard tomorrow."

Lin Lin Mengye wouldn't take no for an answer, already bustling about in the kitchen.

Ye Fan felt guilty, sitting on the wooden plank bed with his eye sockets slightly red.

He was merely an orphan without parents' affection, and from childhood he had experienced the warmth and coldness of human relations in a small village.

Precisely because of these experiences, he felt the human world was nothing special, that mortal emotions were utterly useless, he didn't want to remain mortal—he wanted to cultivate immortality.

Immortal cultivation isn't just defying heaven; it also requires severing worldly ties—something he had never possessed.

But now, for the first time, he felt warmth from the Immortal Sister.

The Immortal Sister not only didn't disdain his lowly status, she also helped him enter the immortal gate; even at midnight, when he merely muttered that he was hungry, she set aside her noble status and personally prepared food for him.

At this moment, Ye Fan's heart underwent a silent, earth-shaking change…

The dumplings cooked, Lin Lin Mengye thoughtfully fetched a vinegar packet and chili oil, and together with the cola stored them in the second space.

"Go ahead and eat, don't stand on ceremony with me; I hear you're young, like a little brother to me—it's only natural for a sister to look after her brother."

Lin Lin Mengye also stopped pretending to be unfathomably profound—what exalted person acts as down-to-earth as she does? It's better to be like this now, getting along more easily.

But to Ye Fan, this showed Lin Lin Mengye was kind and approachable, unlike those lofty venerables who look down on lowly cultivators like ants.

In Ye Fan's mind, Lin Lin Mengye's image had become a lofty, unreachable peak—that is what a true exalted person is!

"Hurry up and eat; the dumplings taste best hot."

Lin Lin Mengye's soft, gentle words once again stirred Ye Fan's soul; he took the food out of the space with reddened eye sockets.

This plate of steaming hot dumplings was just like his heart at that moment—rolling hot and fervent.

After eating a plate of dumplings, Ye Fan was already tearing up.

Gazing at the narrow, sealed cave he occupied, the resentment and sense of disparity he'd felt since joining the sect vanished completely.

Even if he were merely a menial disciple with no cultivation resources, tasked with sweeping the sect, what of it?

The help and warmth given by the Immortal Sister were enough to support him climbing up from the darkest bottom, step by step.

Wiping away his tears, Ye Fan's gaze gained a hint of resolve.

Suddenly his eyes caught sight of the peculiarly shaped cola, and he tentatively asked:

"Immortal Sister, this… water is also for me?"

Lin Lin Mengye: "This is cola, a drink that feels extremely refreshing when drunk; in my world people call it happy water—try opening the cap and taking a sip? It's very tasty."

Ye Fan did not want to disappoint the immortal older sister's kindness; after fumbling several times, he finally twisted open the bottle cap, and the faint sound of gas made him feel astonished.

He tilted his head back and took a sip; at first his throat felt a hint of spiciness, but in the breath it turned sweet, filling his entire mouth.

Before he could even savor the cola's flavor, suddenly a mass of rich spiritual qi burst forth from his dantian, instantly washing over his meridians.

Ye Fan's body shuddered violently, and he stared at the cola in his hand in disbelief.

"What, what is this spiritual water? The spiritual qi is so abundant!"