In a distant, mist-shrouded corner of the Azure Sky Domain, far from the bustling cities of cultivators and ancient sects, lay a humble, forgotten village by the name of Willow Leaf Village.
It was a small place.
There were no immortal sects, no Qi Condensation experts, no spirit herbs or flying swords. The people here lived simple, honest lives. They planted rice in the summer, harvested in the autumn, and told old ghost stories around the fire in winter. The greatest excitement the villagers ever saw was the annual fishing contest at the river or when someone's chicken laid two eggs in one day.
And yet, in this tranquil place, there existed a person known to all as the biggest fool in history.
His name was Ye Ping.
Ye Ping was seventeen this year — tall, skinny, with a perpetual look of dazed innocence on his face, as if his soul had gone wandering and forgotten to come back. His most distinctive feature was the silly grin he always wore, regardless of the situation.
If you told him the moon was made of tofu, he would nod and ask if you could scoop some for him to taste.
If you told him that pigs could fly, he'd lie in the grass for an entire day, waiting for a flying pig to appear.
And yet, for all his foolishness, the villagers were fond of him. His heart was kind, and he was always willing to help, whether it was gathering firewood, chasing away wild dogs, or carrying water for the old folk.
"Ah, Ye Ping's head may be empty, but his heart is pure," the villagers would say.
But none of them could have imagined that one ordinary morning, a strange visitor would descend upon their peaceful village — and that their simple-minded fool would become the center of a storm.
That morning dawned clear and bright.
The sun cast golden light over the fields, and the scent of early spring blossoms floated in the air. The villagers went about their daily chores — tending to their crops, patching roofs, and mending fishing nets.
Ye Ping, as usual, was squatting by the roadside, poking at an ant hill.
"Little ants, are you building a city?" he asked seriously. "Can I live in it too?"
He watched with fascination as the ants scurried about, carrying crumbs and pebbles. From time to time, he would drop a grain of rice to "help with construction."
At that moment, a sharp gust of wind blew through the village, carrying with it an unfamiliar, faintly medicinal scent.
A ripple appeared in the sky above the village square.
A cultivator had arrived.
In a flash of light, a tall figure in white robes descended, standing atop a gleaming sword. His long hair fluttered behind him, and his presence seemed to silence even the wind.
He was a handsome young man with a cold expression and an aura of profound cultivation. The embroidery on his sleeves marked him as an inner elder of a renowned sect — the Clear Void Sword Sect, one of the Azure Sky Domain's most prestigious immortal clans.
In his hand, he held a shimmering jade talisman, faintly glowing.
The villagers, having never seen a cultivator before, dropped their tools in shock. One by one, they knelt to the ground.
"A celestial immortal!"
"Heavens, a real immortal has come!"
Ye Ping, still squatting by the ants, blinked and looked up.
"Eh? Big brother, did you fall from the sky? Doesn't that hurt?"
The cultivator, named Li Qinghou, furrowed his brow.
This is Willow Leaf Village? The fortune-divining compass pointed here. The destined prodigy must be here…
He activated the jade talisman. A name shimmered into view.
Ye Ping.
His expression became serious. So this is where the prodigy hides…
Clearing his throat, Li Qinghou called out, "Who here is Ye Ping?"
The villagers gasped.
Old Man Zhao, the village head, trembled as he pointed a shaky finger. "I-it's him, s-senior immortal… that fool over there!"
Li Qinghou's gaze followed the pointing hand.
There, squatting in the dirt, grinning as he offered a dead fly to an ant, was a lanky young man in patched clothes and straw sandals.
"…That one?" Li Qinghou's eye twitched.
But the jade talisman didn't lie.
The Clear Void Sect's Heavenly Fate Divining Talisman was a supreme treasure, capable of seeking out heaven's chosen with perfect accuracy. If it displayed this one's name, then no matter how foolish he appeared, he must be a peerless genius, concealing his true strength.
Li Qinghou's heart stirred.
Such profound concealment… to maintain the appearance of an imbecile in a remote village, hiding from the eyes of both mortals and cultivators alike… Such forbearance and wisdom! Could this be the sign of a future dao ancestor?!
As he stepped forward, the villagers' eyes widened.
Old Lady Liu clapped a hand to her chest. "I told you! I told you that fool Ye Ping was no ordinary boy! Remember last year when he fell off the old well and came out without a scratch? Immortal body!"
"And when the wild boar charged at him, and he just tripped, and somehow the boar broke its neck on a rock?" said Auntie Qian. "It was his Qi manipulation, obviously!"
Gasps and nods spread among the villagers. Every foolish incident Ye Ping had ever caused was instantly reinterpreted as a sign of his profound cultivation.
Li Qinghou cupped his fists solemnly.
"Ye Ping, your time has come. Come with me to the Clear Void Sword Sect and walk the path of immortality."
Ye Ping tilted his head. "What's an immortal path? Can you eat it? Is it tastier than steamed buns?"
Li Qinghou's heart trembled.
What insight! To ask if cultivation can be consumed — truly one who sees through the illusions of the mundane world and seeks the essence of the dao!
He laughed aloud.
"Good! Very good! Such wisdom at a young age — a peerless genius indeed! You shall ascend to heaven's peak before long!"
Ye Ping scratched his head, still completely clueless.
The villagers knelt lower, tears in their eyes.
"A true immortal genius was among us all along!"
And so, amidst cheers and endless misunderstandings, Ye Ping was taken away by the Clear Void Sword Sect.
A simple-minded boy, utterly without cultivation talent, had just been hailed as a heaven-defying prodigy.
Little did they know… the sect's ancient Heavenly Fate Talisman was damaged generations ago, and had a notorious reputation for leading cultivators astray.