Jang Yue was anything but naive.
He knew exactly what demonic sects were and what they were capable of.
How did he know?
He used to read human web novels from time to time, even though he was born a vampire.
His current dilemma was simple: Gu Changsheng had saved his life, and in cultivation-world terms, if he refused his proposal, bad things would happen to him.
Especially since he wasn't sure if Gu Changsheng was a young master or not.
From his memory, young masters were arrogant, and a little disagreement could cost a life.
This included a probability he didn't want to ever experience:
Death.
Hence, he had to take the chance and strive for survival at any cost.
In fact, his appearance in this forest-like place was all amiss, as if Jang Yue's arrival in the cultivation world had been someone else's plan.
More importantly, Jang Yue's life adventure had taken a turn.
Then a question emerged in his mind:
What would happen if a vampire became an immortal cultivator?
He didn't know, but since gaining consciousness and hearing the tales of Dracula, he had always wanted to be like him—to have eternal life, bloodline descendants, and even be worshiped and revered as a deity.
And God just happened to pass by and make his dreams come true by providing a path.
A gentle smile appeared on his lips.
' I just have to find out if cultivation in this world can make me immortal or not. Then I will dedicate myself with diligence until I become immortal. Then I will have lots of descendants to spread my legend, just like Dracula. Hahaha.'
He muttered in his heart as he lifted his gaze toward the trees, which were a little too tall, if he said so himself.
'Just wait for me, world. I will become a legend soon!'
"Is something wrong?"
Gu Changsheng asked, glancing at Jang Yue's body.
"You're too pale and slim. Don't you eat?"
Jang Yue wanted to speak, but he was cut off again by Gu Changsheng.
"Were you a slave who happened to escape from another continent?"
"From the looks of it, I don't think you have spiritual qualifications, but we wouldn't know before reaching the sect."
Gu Changsheng talked to himself and responded to himself.
It was as if Jang Yue weren't even there.
Both walked in awkward silence after that, as if Gu Changsheng was not good at talking to people his age.
Then suddenly, after hours of a long walk, they arrived.
Standing in the shadowy forest and looking at the sunlight, Jang Yue hissed.
"Do you have a cloak? I'm not too accustomed to sunlight!"
"..."
Gu Changsheng was silent for a while before checking the small special ring he wore on his left wrist.
He injected a wisp of Qi, and suddenly a black cloak flew out.
Oh, oh, oh, that's the infamous spatial ring, Jang Yue thought, though his expression didn't change.
"Here."
He handed over the black cloak.
Jang Yue clothed the cloak as fast as he could.
All of a sudden, he found himself in the infinite Demon Ancestral Hall.
Just by looking at it once, Jang Yue knew the sect was presently a rich one.
The pillars stood side by side, embroidered with golden dragons. In front of him was a statue frozen in mid-motion with a demon aura.
Azura.
Suddenly, Gu Changsheng went down on his knees.
"Father, I'm back, and I brought a disciple as instructed."
Then a voice tore out in fury.
"I told you to make friends, not bring a disciple! How can a kid your age not have any friends to speak of? What will happen when you die? Who would mourn for you?"
Gu Changsheng stood up, cleaning his knees.
He suddenly took a deep breath and spoke with confidence.
"Father, I don't plan on dying anytime soon. In fact, I'm not even sure I will die in this lifetime. I'm already a third-level foundation establishment at the age of seventeen. Doesn't that mean something?"
"And besides," he turned to look at Jang Yue with a stern gaze,
"This guy here is my new best friend. He—"
"Changsheng!!!"
His father shouted in a roar. Suddenly, a tall, middle-aged man not older than fourty years appeared right in front of Jang Yue.
But you know what they say, Never judge a cultivator with age.
The wind blew past Jang Yue, raising his cloak backward.
As he stared into the man's eyes, his hands began to tremble, sweat rolled down his face, his lips became dry, and his heart throbbed with intensity, as if a dragon were standing before him.
This was bloodlust.
Looking at Jang Yue's sharp ears, he asked while sizing him up,
"You? Are you an elf?"
Jang Yue shook his head.
"No! I'm a vampire, sir."
"A vampire? What kind of species is that?"
Jang Yue tried to explain in one word without involving blood, but it was impossible, it was like describing a human being without calling them human.
"Never mind that. Come closer."
Jang Yue walked closer.
Then suddenly, the middle-aged man, Gu Changsheng's father,began inspecting Jang Yue's body.
He shook his head in disappointment.
"You have what demonic cultivators want most, but you lack what all cultivators need most."
"You can stay in the sect," he said, turning away and showing Jang Yue his back, hands tied behind him, his simple green robes played by the wind. "Who knows? You might have a fortuitous encounter."
Suddenly, Gu Changsheng asked in a low voice,
"Father, what does he have?"
His face betrayed his curiosity.
"He has a demonic heart, as if he were born to become a demonic cultivator," his father continued. "However, he lacks the major requirements to become a cultivator. He lacks spirit roots, and from the looks of it, even spirit root pills wouldn't work on him."
'I knew it,' Jang Yue muttered in his heart.
'I knew I lacked spirit roots from the moment I appeared here, but why did it have to be true?'
Suddenly, Gu Changsheng's father spoke once more, interrupting Jang Yue's thoughts.
"Since he is your best friend, as you said, I will make him a disciple by trial."
Gu Changsheng bowed. "Thank you, Father."
This meant he wouldn't be interrupted by his father to stop cultivation and look for friends. He was so annoyed that his father, the demon lord, would speak of the power of friendship.
"However, if he does not break through foundation establishment in the next twenty years, he will be expelled from the sect and will no longer be a disciple. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Father."
Then, with a sigh, Gu Changsheng's father muttered his last words:
"You may leave."
Gu Changsheng and Jang Yue bowed, then left.
***
Moments later, Gu Changsheng and Jang Yue appeared in the sect's registration office.
An old man sat there, trimming what looked like a spiritual plant with deep care.
However, he was not oblivious to his surroundings.
Without even looking, he greeted Gu Changsheng.
"Young Master, you're back again today. Have you found what you were looking for?"
"Yes, Elder Meng. Can you give my friend here a disciple token?"
Elder Meng stopped what he was doing and asked,
"What type?"
"The ones for disciples by trial."
Elder Meng began to scatter his desk as if searching for something he had lost.
Dozens of books spread far and wide on his table. He checked them one by one until he brought out what looked like a small jade slip.
"Haha! Here it is!"
He tossed the jade slip to Jang Yue.
"Inscribe your name with Qi," the elder said, trying to return to his hobby.
"Eh! Elder Meng, my friend here isn't a cultivator yet?"
Elder Meng was shocked; his eyes widened, then his face suddenly changed.
"Young Master, is he a spy? How did he enter the sect without becoming a cultivator?"
Jang Yue and Gu Changsheng tried to explain everything without looking awkward.
"Oh, I get it now."
"Alright, give me back the jade slip token."
Jang Yue obeyed and tossed the jade slip back to Elder Meng.
But Elder Meng didn't even stretch his hand to catch it; instead, he used his Qi to hold it in the air.
"What was your name again?"
"Jang Yue."
"Yue? What a strange name for a boy."
Elder Meng mused.
Suddenly, Gu Changsheng muttered in Jang Yue's ear,
"See! I was right. Yue is a girl's name."
"But my mother gave me that name because of my nature. It's a unisex name," Jang Yue defended.
But no matter how he defended himself, he only made it worse.
Then the elder smiled and asked,
"What kind of species are you? I need to record it in the sect's records. You're an elf, right?"
Jang Yue shook his head.
"I am a vampire."
"Vam…pire? What kind of species is that?"
Elder Meng was curious but didn't press further. He tossed Jang Yue's jade slip back to him, along with a book about the sect's history and rules.
"Once you become an Outer disciple, you may come back with the jade slip, alright?"
Jang Yue nodded and thanked the elder.
Then both Gu Changsheng and Jang Yue stormed off.
His life was about to take a new turn, but even Jang Yue didn't know his future. What did a disciple by trial mean, and how would he cope with it?