Han Li slowly drew the energy flowing through his meridians back into his dantian. This was the seventh Great Cycle he had completed today. He knew that his body had reached its limit, and if he pushed himself to complete another cycle, his meridians would almost certainly rupture again, making him endure that excruciating pain once more. Just thinking about the sensation of his meridians tearing apart made even this usually fearless boy break into a cold sweat.
It had been over half a year since Han Li joined the sect, and the formal test for the registered disciples had concluded over two months ago. Only a small portion of the registered disciples had passed, officially becoming inner disciples, while the majority failed and were sent down the mountain to become outer disciples.
Most of the children who didn't pass were assigned to the Gathering Treasure Hall or the Flying Bird Hall, and the slightly more outstanding ones might receive further training, with a chance to be inducted into the more prestigious Outer Blade Hall. Of course, the best treatment among the outer sects was in the Four Seas Hall, but they only accepted well-known figures in the martial world. Without some impressive martial skills, even the children who had failed the test wouldn't get a chance there. Han Li, having heard about the test from other registered disciples, couldn't help but shudder at the thought.
The test had been brutal: run around the entire Caidian Mountain Range, then team up to spar in a secluded forest. And as if that wasn't enough, the children had to defend themselves from violent attacks by the senior disciples. Thinking back to these terrifying tests, Han Li couldn't help but feel a bit of schadenfreude.
Han Li and Zhang Tie hadn't participated in any of these terrifying tests. As Doctor Mo had said, they had only been assessed on their progress with the unknown mantra. However, this test wasn't as easy as Han Li had imagined. Even now, he clearly remembered the difficulty he had encountered while trying to cultivate it.
According to Doctor Mo, the mantra was divided into several layers, and Han Li and Zhang Tie had only received the method for the first layer. This meant that if they could make progress on the first layer of the mantra within six months, they would be accepted as official disciples under Doctor Mo and receive the same privileges as the inner disciples of Seven Mystical Gates.
Once Han Li learned about the difference in treatment between inner and outer disciples, he immediately discarded his previous thought of merely becoming an outer disciple and returning home. To him, getting more silver to support his family was far more important than anything else. He had been so poor back home that he feared every day of his life. The thought of earning even a little more silver to improve the lives of his parents and younger siblings became his sole focus.
After receiving the mantra from Doctor Mo, Han Li devoted himself entirely to cultivation. He stayed inside his room, practicing day and night, determined to make progress. Since Doctor Mo didn't offer them any guidance, Han Li had to figure things out on his own, often referring to the methods used by other children to practice the sect's basic internal skill, "Zhengyang Qi," in an attempt to understand the cultivation method on his own.
After three months of arduous practice, Han Li was astonished to find that his progress was incredibly slow. Despite his efforts, he could only generate a faint, cool flow of energy within his body—so weak that if he didn't focus, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.
He thought, perhaps this was the "internal true qi" the instructors had mentioned? He assumed it was the same, though he later learned from other children practicing the "Zhengyang Qi" that they produced a much stronger and warmer energy flow. In contrast, the cool energy in Han Li's body felt almost like nothing, and the effects were even more disappointing.
The other children who practiced "Zhengyang Qi" could break small trees with a single punch or jump over a meter high with ease. But for Han Li, despite his efforts, he felt no change. The only difference was that his spirit seemed more vigorous, and his appetite had improved, but what good was that? Watching the other children show off their incredible strength, Han Li couldn't help but feel dejected.
This discovery nearly caused Han Li to abandon his training. He began to doubt his talent and felt that he would never pass Doctor Mo's assessment. At one point, he even considered quitting and returning home.
However, one day, Han Li learned from Zhang Tie, who had been training alongside him, that Zhang Tie hadn't made any progress at all—his body hadn't produced even a trace of energy, not like Han Li's faint cool energy. This revelation reignited Han Li's faith in himself. If Zhang Tie could still continue, then surely he could too. With renewed determination, Han Li threw himself back into his training with even greater intensity than before.
He began using every single moment of his time to meditate and cultivate. At night, he even tried to maintain his cultivation posture while sleeping, hoping for a bit more progress. However, this plan didn't last long. Lack of sleep prevented him from keeping up with the same level of focus and efficiency as during the day.
What puzzled Han Li was that since Doctor Mo had taught them the mantra, he had completely neglected them. Doctor Mo never inquired about their progress, nor did he offer any guidance or feedback. It was as if he had forgotten they existed altogether.
Every day, Doctor Mo buried himself in reading a book with three black characters on the cover. At first, Han Li and Zhang Tie even thought Doctor Mo had decided to abandon his medical work and turn to studying to become a scholar. But later, after they learned to read, they discovered that the book's title was "Longevity Scripture," a book about how to cultivate one's body, prolong life, and achieve immortality.
It was then that they realized: Doctor Mo wasn't interested in passing the imperial examination to become a scholar—he wanted to live forever, like the turtles in the river, enduring for thousands of years.