Chương 4: The World of a Novel

"Mo Fan!" the elder at the base of the gate called out, continuing with the next disciple on the list.

"Here!" From the crowd stepped a boy who looked slightly older than fifteen, with hair and eyes as black as the abyss. Approaching the elder, he gave a slight, respectful bow.

"Greetings, Elder." After the greeting, Mo Fan immediately pressed his hand to the plaque. The stone lit up with a swirl of colors, though the light was dim. All the elements seemed to fight among themselves, but none could overpower the others to take the lead.

"Seventh rank of spiritual roots. A complete balance of all primary elements. Alas... if only your rank were at least fifth," the elder announced, mumbling the last part under his breath.

"As expected, seventh rank." Mo Fan nodded with a knowing look, as if he had been aware of the results well in advance.

"What did you say?" the elder looked at him with genuine interest.

"May I go, Elder?" Mo Fan asked, clearly avoiding the question. The elder simply nodded and waved his hand, shooing him away.

"Eh... a complete balance of elements. It really is a pity his rank is so low."

"What a shame. His path will be incredibly difficult."

"Judging by his appearance, he's clearly from impoverished nobility. It will be very hard for him to gather the resources to cultivate." Behind his back, the other children whispered. Mo Fan, hearing their remarks, only narrowed his eyes.

'J ust you wait! Soon I will surprise you all and challenge the Heavens!' he thought to himself, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Mo Fan? Li Deng... The Duan Clan..." An wondered, watching the boy pass through the gate.

"Wait a minute... Mo Fan... What was it? The Demon Rift? No...

'The Heavenly Rift Journal'?" At the mention of the name, An suddenly realized why everything felt so familiar.

"That stupid novel I read five or six years ago, when I was just starting to learn about Chinese cultivation stories!" An's eyes widened in shock. But a second later, his face fell.' Damn... that whole story is riddled with wars and massacres. Constant conflicts between sects, clashes with the imperial family, and then... what was it... something related to a massive war that changed the entire world.' He began to recall fragments of the plot that were still fresh in his mind.

"There were way too many conflicts in that novel, and the instigator was always the main character. Constant fighting over everything and anything." An frowned, beginning to understand the sheer amount of trouble that awaited him in this world.

"Okay, if this Mo Fan is the trigger for every disaster, then my main rule from now on is... stay the hell away from him." An muttered to himself, nodding firmly to approve his new rule of survival.

"Junior Sister Miu, with your fifth-rank spiritual roots, you'll need new friends to ensure your cultivation goes smoothly. And as it happens, I, the Great Den Tuo, wouldn't mind being your companion on this difficult and thorny path." Den Tuo tilted his large nose up, pressing a hand to his heart to make his pose look more impressive as he awaited a positive response from the girl." Ahem! What makes you think I want anything to do with someone like you?"

Junior Sister Miu snorted, crossing her arms and turning away. Den Tuo's face darkened, the nostrils of his large nose flaring. Suddenly stepping toward her, he grabbed her arm just below the shoulder, his expression turning aggressive.

"Let her go!" Out of nowhere, Mo Fan grabbed Den Tuo's wrist, the one holding Miu, and squeezed it so hard that the faint grinding of bones could be heard.

"How dare you!" Crying out in pain, Den Tuo pulled his hand away and clutched it to his chest, checking to see if it was broken. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Do you know who I am? Do you know my clan? How dare you touch me!" Realizing his hand was still functional, Den Tuo immediately switched to a verbal attack. He puffed out his chest, threatening Mo Fan with his family's influence.

"Your clan and your surname don't give you the right to be rude or lay your hands on others," Mo Fan said, shielding Junior Sister Miu with his body. Seeing his broad back in front of her, Miu Muye hid slightly behind him, her eyes wide. Just as Den Tuo was about to continue his threats, an inner disciple in blue robes stepped between them.

"Sect rules prohibit fighting between disciples. If you absolutely can't wait to settle this, issue a formal duel challenge. Fighting is only allowed in the designated Arenas. So calm down, or I'll calm you both down myself!" The inner disciple's voice was a mix of advice and a threat, loud enough for everyone who had already passed the gate to hear. He clearly wanted to prevent any more scenes before the final distribution was complete." Hmph! This isn't over."

Den Tuo shot Mo Fan a threatening look, glanced at Miu, and stalked back to his group of followers.

"Thank you, Senior Brother," Junior Sister Miu said in a soft, gentle voice from behind Mo Fan. Mo Fan turned to face her, adjusted his clothes, and smiled.

"My name is Mo Fan. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you! My name is Miu Muye. My clan..." She extended her hand toward him.

"Just passed the ceremony, and he's already found the first candidate for the protagonist's harem... Eh, some people really don't waste any time." Even though An was sitting far from the scene, he could still hear everything clearly.

"What's strange is that we're all supposed to be around ten to twelve years old, if I can trust the memories of this body's original owner. But all these children look like teenagers around fifteen. Hmm, maybe in this world, because of the Qi in the air, people's bodies develop faster?" Sitting and watching the show as if it were on TV, An even narrated the events aloud, earning a few sideways glances from the children in his group and the inner disciples standing nearby.

"By the way, if I remember correctly from the novel, Mo Fan was also over twenty-five before his rebirth. And here he is, already playing the hero in front of children. How strange this looks, no matter how you view it, even accounting for the fact that we all look much older." Watching their conversation from afar, An suddenly looked away.

"Maybe he doesn't have such thoughts, maybe it's just a heroic impulse. And I'm just corrupted by all those stories. If my first thought about her was as a new harem member... I really hope not, otherwise the whole image of the main character might be ruined in my eyes." An clicked his tongue, continuing to listen to the unfolding drama.' Oh, right! In the novel, Mo Fan has a system. I just don't remember its full purpose.' An stopped watching and lowered his head, staring at the small blades of grass.

Touching the grass with his hand, he tried to recall everything he could about Mo Fan, especially the nature of his system.' Right, I remember now. A system that grants rewards for any increase in layers or breakthroughs. Massive rewards are given for major transitions, like from Qi Condensation to the Foundation Establishment Realm. I remember that even before reaching the Foundation Realm, he was already getting items that could raise his root rank.'

An felt a flicker of disappointment and even a twinge of envy in the depths of his mind.

"Eh, even though I don't have a system like the main characters, at least my spiritual root rank is high. That means I have a good chance of achieving so-called immortality, or at least something close to it! The main thing is to work hard 24/7 and everything will work out." An finally cheered himself up, deciding that after the ceremony, he would need to create a plan for the near future to help him adjust to this new world and its customs.

Three hours later, only about twenty or thirty people remained on the square, still waiting for their names to be called. The fewer people remained, the more nervous they became. By this point, about thirty children were standing in An's group.' Hmm, so only a small portion was selected for this group? Each group represents different Peaks. The larger groups, I assume, are related to the Fire and Water elements. It's kind of strange, usually in novels, everyone chooses for themselves.

But here, they are pre-assigned by the inner disciples.' An began looking around, observing that each group of new disciples had a specific structure and varied in size. Two groups stood out the most. The first consisted entirely of girls, and even the nearby inner disciple was a woman. The second consisted only of boys. These two groups weren't very large, with about fifty people each.' Maybe someone is watching and giving orders to the inner disciples on where to assign those passing through the gate.'

An decided his theory was likely close to the truth. Finally, the last disciple passed through the gate, Lin Xue, first-rank spiritual roots with a dominant Water Element. Everyone around froze as their eyes settled on her. She had a perfect appearance, with eyes as blue as the ocean and snow-white hair with a bluish tint at the tips. Every step she took was light and confident, as if she were walking on clouds. Everyone followed her progress, eagerly awaiting her assignment.

"Ahem! Junior Sister Lin, please join that group." Even the inner disciple was stunned when Lin Xue approached him. Pulling himself together, he pointed to a specific group with a smile.

"Thank you, Senior Brother...?" Lin Xue thanked him, leaving a pause for him to introduce himself.

"You can just call me Brother Gunt." Senior Brother Gunt nodded with a smile, clearly pleased with her character and the fact that she wanted to build a rapport. Lin Xue nodded, turned, and walked confidently toward her group, her eyes fixed on one particular disciple.' Hmm, my single element is wood. What's better for me to be? An alchemist or a farmer? Wait... why has it suddenly gotten so quiet?' Lost in thought, An suddenly noticed the silence.

Looking up, he saw Lin Xue walking slowly toward the group where Mo Fan was standing.

"Oh, is that the main heroine? Never mind." Immediately losing interest, An returned to his own plans.' So what's better for me? I definitely don't want to run around like an idiot risking my life in some abandoned ruins for a broken rice bowl.'