“Come quickly, everyone come quickly, Bao Gu is going to become an immortal!” The neighboring aunties shouted, calling out all the neighbors who were hiding in their houses. In no time, the area outside Bao Gu’s house was filled with people, and Bao Gu was squeezed in the middle, overwhelmed by the chatter and clamor of everyone.
After Immortal Yu Mi finished her meditation and thought that Bao Gu had already said her goodbyes and went to pick her up, she heard someone say, “Let me tell you, Bao Gu’s name is perfect for becoming an immortal. Bao Gu, the Corn Fairy, Bao Gu, isn’t corn her name?”
Yu Mi: “…” She wondered why Bao Gu pronounced her name strangely. As a result, everyone called her “Corn”! How ridiculous! Yu Mi was so angry that she wanted to leave in a huff! But thinking about the important task her master had given her and the spiritual roots on Bao Gu, she held back! Yu Mi appeared in the sky on her flying sword, and with her divine power, she wrote down two names with pronunciation marks in the air, and coldly scolded, “You illiterate people, my name is Yu Mi, not Corn!” Then she stared coldly at Bao Gu and said, “Bao Gu, have you finished saying your goodbyes?” What a joke, the County Magistrate promised to build a temple and statue for her. If she didn’t correct them, they might build a “Corn Fairy Temple” or a “Sweet Corn Fairy Temple”! How embarrassing!
Bao Gu chuckled awkwardly, wiped the sweat off her forehead, and said, “Almost done, almost done.” She squeezed out of the crowd and said, “Not just anyone can become an immortal, you need spiritual roots.” After saying that, she grabbed Aunt Zhou and squeezed into her own house, then closed the door and said, “Aunt Zhou, I’m about to become an immortal, the only thing I’m worried about is the shop my father left me.” She handed the key to Aunt Zhou, gave her some instructions, and took out the jewelry, house deeds, and land deeds that her father had left her as dowry. She also took out her own clothes and wrapped them into a big package, carrying it on her thin shoulders as she walked to Immortal Yu Mi, who was standing in the backyard.
Yu Mi looked at Bao Gu speechlessly and said, “These worldly possessions are useless in the cultivation world.”
Hearing Yu Mi’s cold tone, Bao Gu hesitated for a moment, then went back into the house and opened the package again. She packed her dowry of gold and silver jewelry and a few sets of clothes into a smaller package. As for the valuable house deeds and land deeds, she couldn’t trust anyone else with them, not even Aunt Zhou. There were also her family’s account books and many outstanding debts that hadn’t been collected, which meant money. Bao Gu gritted her teeth and put the account books, land deeds, house deeds, jewelry, and two sets of spare clothes into the package. Only then did she leave the yard and was pulled impatiently by Immortal Yu Mi onto the colorful flowing sword, soaring into the sky.
Bao Gu was so scared by the dizzying speed and height that she turned around and hugged Immortal Yu Mi, screaming in fear.
Following that, Immortal Yu Mi also let out a scream. She was caught off guard by Bao Gu’s sudden action. She had been fighting desperately with the Fire Toad, her spiritual energy depleted. She could only fly with the last bit of spiritual wine she had consumed. As a result, this little girl jumped onto her flying sword and forcefully grabbed her neck, shouting loudly in her ear, “Ah!” It shook her mind and caused her spiritual energy to scatter. The flying sword beneath her instantly turned into a spiritual sword and returned to her dantian. She tragically hung from the little girl’s neck like a stone, falling vertically towards the mountain outside the city.
In a moment of desperation, Immortal Yu Mi quickly summoned the flying sword back from her dantian and caught both of them just as they were about to hit the treetops on the mountain. They soared back into the sky.
“Ah!” Bao Gu screamed in terror.
Rapid ascent, rapid descent, and then rapid ascent again. Who could bear such a drastic change in several hundred feet of altitude? Bao Gu screamed in agony.
Yu Mi forcefully pried Bao Gu’s hands off her neck and shouted, “Shut up!” She took out the gourd she had extinguished the fire with earlier and smashed it on Bao Gu’s head.
Bao Gu’s screams abruptly stopped, and she fell from Immortal Yu Mi’s body onto the flying sword, lying on her back. Although the flying sword was wide enough, it barely accommodated Bao Gu’s back. Her hands and legs dangled outside the sword, swaying unsteadily.
Yu Mi looked at the unsteady flying sword and then glared at the unconscious Bao Gu. She gritted her teeth and said, “It’s really windy today!” The wind, combined with the extra weight, made it difficult for her to control the flying sword. She absolutely refused to admit that it was because her spiritual energy was depleted and she couldn’t control the flying sword properly. That would be too embarrassing.
**************************************
Cool water splashed onto Bao Gu’s face, seeping into her dry and cracked lips. She instinctively licked the water stain on her lips, opened her eyes, and woke up. She felt a splitting headache and reached up to touch her head. She let out a hiss of pain when she felt a big bump on the left side of her head. There was still a person standing in front of Bao Gu, and when she saw the beautiful flowing immortal dress, she knew that it was Immortal Yu Mi. She stood up from the ground, smoothed her wet hair, and asked, “Is there any more water? I’m thirsty!” She swallowed her saliva and added, “It would be even better if there was a big pancake, I’m hungry!” Hunger and food made her forget to question whether the bump on her head was caused by Immortal Yu Mi.
Yu Mi stared at Bao Gu and was about to ask, “Are you a starving ghost reincarnated?” but suddenly remembered that Qing Shan County was suffering from a severe drought and hunger was rampant. She swallowed her words and took out two fruits to hand to Bao Gu.
Bao Gu took the fruits and immediately took big bites, afraid that someone would snatch them from her. Her unattractive eating habits made passersby turn their heads. Bao Gu devoured the fruits, not even leaving the pits. She asked, “Are we in heaven now? Have I become an immortal? Why am I still hungry?”
Immortal Yu Mi said helplessly, “You are still a mortal now, becoming an immortal is not that easy! This is the mortal realm of the cultivation world. To become an immortal, you have to go through countless trials and tribulations in cultivation. The spiritual roots you possess only give you the qualification to cultivate. It’s like wanting to become a top scholar and official, you have to go through the steps of being a student, scholar, and top scholar. Right now, you’re just a little apprentice about to be sent to school. Come, follow me into the city.”
Bao Gu obediently followed behind Immortal Yu Mi and walked towards the city. She wasn’t disappointed by Immortal Yu Mi’s explanation. She had also wondered how she could become an immortal all of a sudden. She had heard about Taoist priests cultivating in temples, and now she thought that cultivation was more suitable for her.
The city gate is so tall. Bao Gu originally thought that the city gate of Qing Shan County was tall enough, but the city gate of this city is even taller. She has to tilt her head up to see the top of the gate. There are even more people in the city, crowded shoulder to shoulder.
Yu Mi said, “This is the Cloud City located deep in the Yun Ling Mountains. Today is the day when the Immortal Sect recruits disciples once every five years.”
Bao Gu followed behind Yu Mi and was shocked by the dense crowd on the street. She was afraid of being squeezed out, so she quickly grabbed Yu Mi’s sleeve and carefully followed behind her. However, Immortal Yu Mi shook her sleeve and let go of Bao Gu’s hand. Then, she grabbed Bao Gu’s collar and lifted her up, causing Bao Gu to step onto Immortal Yu Mi’s flying sword. Bao Gu exclaimed in fear and instinctively tried to grab Immortal Yu Mi, but Immortal Yu Mi seemed to be prepared and firmly held her neck, saying, “Don’t move, don’t make a sound, or I’ll throw you down!” Frightened, Bao Gu dared not make a sound and nervously watched as the flying sword carrying her ascended higher and higher. The crowd below started to stir, and many people shouted loudly, “Immortal!” They seemed very excited, and some even looked at Bao Gu with envy, exclaiming, “Look at that little girl, she’s just a mortal, but she’s been noticed by an immortal. What luck!”
Bao Gu suddenly felt lucky herself and let Immortal Yu Mi hold her collar and neck while flying over the heads of the crowd. This time, the flying sword flew slowly and steadily, allowing Bao Gu to enjoy the attention of the crowd. Bao Gu also noticed that although the people in the city were crowded together, they were queuing up in an orderly manner and slowly moving in a certain direction.
Seeing from a higher position, seeing farther.
Standing on the flying sword, Bao Gu saw a huge square in the middle of the city, surrounded by many high platforms. The people in the queue started from those platforms and continued all the way to the city gate.
There were also many immortals flying in the sky on flying swords, gourds, giant beasts, and large birds. Bao Gu was curious about everything and felt dazzled.
Before she could see enough, Immortal Yu Mi’s flying sword landed and disappeared, and she appeared on an empty high platform. In front of her was a jade platform intricately carved with complex and strange patterns. Next to the jade platform was a table, and a young man wearing a sky-blue bordered white robe and a high bun was sitting in front of the table, covering his mouth while yawning. When the man saw Yu Mi land, he quickly stood up and greeted her with a bow, saying, “Senior Sister, did you just arrive?”
Yu Mi said, “I was delayed by a Golden Core stage demonic beast on the way.”
The man exclaimed, “Golden Core stage?”
Yu Mi replied casually, “It took quite a bit of effort to kill it.”
The young man exclaimed again, “Killed?!” He exclaimed, “Senior Sister is truly amazing! She is indeed the most talented disciple of our sect!”
Bao Gu looked at Immortal Yu Mi with even more admiration after hearing this. She thought that if even Immortal Yu Mi’s fellow disciples praised her, then Immortal Yu Mi must be very powerful.
Immortal Yu Mi said to Bao Gu, “If you want to join our sect, you still need to undergo a spiritual root test. Stand on the platform.” As she spoke, she pointed to the jade platform in front of Bao Gu.
Bao Gu asked suspiciously, “Didn’t I already take the test?”
Yu Mi said, “The spiritual stone I used could only determine if you have a spiritual root. This spiritual platform can determine the number and attributes of your spiritual roots. Stop wasting time and go up.”
Bao Gu pouted confidently and stepped onto the jade platform.
In an instant, the jade platform emitted a brilliant light.
The young man exclaimed in surprise.
Someone on the side shouted, “Look, someone else has entered the Xuanxian Gate! Ah, last time they managed to deceive the Xuanxian Gate and bring in a top-grade spiritual root. I wonder who it is this time.” With that shout, many people looked towards Bao Gu.
In fact, ever since Immortal Yu Mi brought Bao Gu here, they had already attracted attention. Some people had even crowded onto the high platform, ready to snatch the opportunity.
Bao Gu stood on the jade platform and suddenly heard a commotion around him.
“Hahaha, five spiritual roots!”
“Hahaha, such neat five spiritual roots!”
“Wow, there are actually spiritual roots. It’s not easy!”
“Yo haha, five spiritual roots.”
Bao Gu looked around inexplicably, then turned to Immortal Yu Mi, who was biting her lip and had an unpleasant expression on her face, and asked, “What are these five spiritual roots?”
“You don’t even know what the five spiritual roots are and you still came to join the immortal gate. Hahaha, the Xuantian Gate can’t even refuse people anymore, they even accept those with five spiritual roots.”
The young man looked at Immortal Yu Mi anxiously and asked, “Senior Sister, should we accept her?”
Immortal Yu Mi waved her sleeve and said, “Didn’t you see that she has five perfectly aligned spiritual roots? Accept her!”
The young man looked somewhat embarrassed and said to Immortal Yu Mi, “But if we accept her, I’m afraid no peak will be willing to take them.”
Yu Mi frowned and glared at the young man, saying, “My Lingyun Peak will take her!”
The young man breathed a sigh of relief and let Bao Gu come forward to register with a blood offering, ignoring the ridicule and sarcasm of others.
Yu Mi then coldly looked around, and a sword with flowing flames suddenly appeared in front of her. She took a step forward and flew on the sword to the disciple of another sect who was laughing the most happily next door, and said, “Friend, you seem to be in high spirits. I assume you have extraordinary talent. I would like to have a friendly exchange with you, what do you think?”
The man immediately stopped laughing and stared at Yu Mi with wide eyes. A friendly exchange? What a joke! Fighting is prohibited in Yun City. Once any fighting disturbance occurs, the guards will rush over and eliminate all those involved. It doesn’t matter if the fighters are right or wrong, or which sect’s direct disciple they are, they will all be wiped out! This is not a friendly exchange, it’s a fight to the death!
Yu Mi retorted, “You don’t even dare to fight back, what are you laughing at!” She flew on her sword and turned around, landing on the high platform where the Xuantian Gate was recruiting disciples.
The man was so angry that his face turned green, but he was also genuinely afraid that this notorious mother tyrannosaurus would really wield her sword and fight him in Yun City.
The onlookers of the immortals saw this and dared not laugh or make a fuss anymore, and dispersed.
