The esteemed elders outside were impatiently waiting for their subject of the experiment, Han Xuhan, to recover. After all, today was the selection of their future disciples. How would they have enough time on their hands to waste on this one young man whom no one wanted to take in as a disciple?

Yes, that's right.

Almost no sect would easily take in a potential disaster like him. Who knows when he might just attract a mini-apocalypse while breaking through? Who would dare to bear such risks?

"Sect master, it seems that the technique was successful. We can modify some parts and improve it by a small margin before we display it on the fifth floor of the archives pavilion," remarked one of the elders in charge of observation.

"I agree. But I'm more interested in what the boy shows us. Should it be anything remotely risky, we'll have to follow the protocols, unfortunate for him...mortals can be really pitiful at times," one of the younger elders said, shaking his head with a rueful expression.

"When have the heavens ever been fair?"

As the masters discussed the plausible scenarios in a low tone, sect master Xuan Zi suddenly perked up and hushed everyone.

"Use your arrays and observe. The boy is about to recover. The heavenly dao should have noticed that anomaly has happened. Based on how much it had interfered with his fate in the past, an appropriate reaction would surely come.

Gauge the amount of heavenly elements that are being assimilated around us.

Record the intensity of the lightning strikes and heavenly laws that assault the walls of the cell. That should be more than enough to figure out whether this boy is a threat to us or not.

"Moreover, he himself might let slip some emotions now that he remembers his previous life. That should give us a clue too. Master Wudi, use your secret technique of reading people's emotions. A mortal like him wouldn't be any different from an open book in front of that technique. "

Elder Wudi nodded and focused his concentration on the boy who seemed to be in a daze as he slowly sat up. He couldn't read anything too significant from his expression. The boy seemed confused, still in denial and disbelief, and rather rattled.

All signs appeared quite ordinary for someone who has just experienced the memories of his last life.

Focusing his mind, Wudi muttered the incantation of his secret technique and released a wisp of his consciousness to invade the boy's thoughts to a superficial level.

The boy was confused, seemingly because he couldn't understand how concepts like reincarnation and the heavenly dao worked...these stray thoughts were caught by master Wudi's senses.

The boy was also in disbelief because of what he had seen in those memories...and how strange THIS world was...

Huh.

Elder Wudi's brows cramped with slight confusion, but he didn't think much of it. The world changes with every era. If the boy was a cultivator in the past, he could have been alive thousands of years ago. No wonder he was confused about the state of the world right now.

He was also rattled by... the dangers around him.

What was that about? Does the boy think the Crimson Snow Sect is a demonic sect that would kill him without any regard for rules and regulations? Had Master Xuan Zi scared him silly?

Doesn't seem very bright, this lad...

While various stray thoughts of Han Xuhan's mind were being captured one by one with the help of Master Wudi's secret technique, most elders of the sect were focused on the aura of the heavenly dao, as it was supposed to come for the boy's life any moment now....

Except it didn't.

Minutes passed. There was not even the slightest fluctuation in the heavenly laws around them, let alone assaulting the walls of the cell. Technically, the whole ordeal should have been over by now. But the heavenly punishment was inexplicably absent from the show.

"Erm...master Xuan Zi, it can't be that..."

"Yeah, seems like the boy isn't a particular threat..."

"But isn't this strange? It is absolutely certain that the heavenly dao has punished him before. Then how come it forgot about his reincarnation? This is illogical!"

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The multitude of masters present was flabbergasted by this phenomenon, or more accurately, the lack of any phenomenon at all...

"...Master Wudi, has that boy revealed anything yet?"

"No, master Zi. His thoughts aren't particularly interesting. It's a typical scenario of a mortal recalling his previous life. Nothing particular sticks out, except that he seems a bit scared of everything right now. In fact, he seems a bit too scared for some reason..."

"Scared? Of what? It can't be that his memories allowed him to discover any particular threat to him here? Immediately siege every single strand of his thoughts regarding this! It's our only chance left!"

"That...I'm afraid, is a bit difficult to explain. I've already investigated. And seems like he is scared of ordinary words and phrases, such as 'cultivators', 'immortals', 'jade skin' (???), 'breakthrough', 'young masters', 'the dao', 'duels'..."

As master Wudi listed the words one by one, everyone's expression became increasingly odd.

What exactly is wrong with those words?

Was the boy a retard in his previous life?

More and more confusing words kept coming, some seemingly absolutely meaningless. If the masters were flabbergasted before, they were completely stunned now...

" 'Body cultivation', 'ancestral ground', 'tests', 'competition', 'aphrodisiac'..."

"Why would anyone be scared of something so useful as aphrodisiac?" One of the oldest elders suddenly became incensed, attracting awkward gazes from his colleagues.

Meanwhile, Han Xuhan, the newly awakened boy, was staring vacantly at the air while screaming inside tearfully.

My God! What crimes did I commit in my previous life to deserve this? Noooo!

Why is it a damned Xianxia world!

Heavens, why??? Why have I reincarnated into a world of cultivation??!

Master Xuan Zi, who had been focused on Xuhan's figure, suddenly warned everyone.

"He's moving. Look! Listen carefully and see if he says or reveals anything extraordinary. "

Han Xuhan leaped up from the floor and touched himself all over.

No damned lockets with mysterious origins, no damned rings with a sleeping grandpa or a loli, no damned suspicious tattoos or birthmark, no damned strange object inside my mind or consciousness, no beautiful maiden's soul hiding inside mine, not even a damned system!

FUCK!

I reincarnated without the most crucial element! Where is my cheat?!

Does that mean I'm not the main character?

Oh, God! I can't be the villain or something, right? Or even a minor side character that dies half a dozen chapters later to provide an emotional upheaval for the main character!

Oh hell no, this is bad...

Well, at least I'm not the heroine, thank God, nothing gets worse than that...

What should I do?! Those old fogies outside might start to get suspicious if this goes on, right?

Xuhan's brain raced. He was absolutely sure that that bastard Xuan Zi was watching him. How to turn this situation around and feign ignorance...

Seems like I'll have to use...unconventional means!

Snorting loudly, Xuhan started voicing out his "thoughts " at the moment.

"Huh, is that it? I was a simple mortal in my previous life who was mistakenly dragged into this mess? What a disaster!"

Master Xuan Zi, who had really been observing him twitched with anger.

Did this brat think he could dupe immortals with his two-bit acting skills?

Turning his head around, he wriggled his eyebrows at master Wudi, who was still using his secret technique to read minds.

"He...doesn't seem to be lying, at least on the part of being a simple mortal. That much I can guarantee. However, he seems to be exaggerating a few details to prove his innocence..." master Wudi explained with a complicated expression.

Master Xuan Zi was flummoxed. Although his heart insisted that there was something queer about this brat, he couldn't refute Wudi's words.

"That's actually not a bad outcome then. At least, we can safely assume that the boy shouldn't be too much of a danger to those around him. It must've been an oversight on the part of the celestials," another elder chimed in ruefully.

"All that trouble for nothing. Fine, he lives.

So, what do we do now? His aptitude wasn't too bad on the test. The bloodline was barely acceptable. We can't refuse to accept him, not to mention, he still needs to be kept in check.

Can't let an anomaly like him dance back among the ordinary people, can we? Who wants to take him in as a disciple?" Another elder spoke.

No one voiced out their affirmation.

The atmosphere became rather awkward.

"Erm... how about we send him to elder Daheng's pavilion?" One elder proposed tentatively.

Suddenly everyone seemed to find the suggestion very much proper and justified.

Let's dump this trash on the guy who is absent from the meeting.

"Yes, yes. Elder Daheng shall be the perfect teacher for this boy. Absolutely!"

"I agree!"

"Me too! I don't have the qualifications to teach this outstanding young man!"

While everyone shamelessly voiced their agreement and looked at master Xuan Zi for support, he frowned but silently nodded after a few moments.

"Before sending him there, let's observe a little more. I have a strange feeling that the boy might let out some crucial information while muttering to himself. Look, he's still doing it!"

Back inside the cell, Han Xuhan was starting to grow nervous.

Why was he not being released? Did they plan to take more drastic measures to figure out his real thoughts?

Do I really have to use my trump card like this?

This might lead to some...risks, but I have to make sure these guys don't keep spying on me until I let something slip or they'll decide to experiment on me again...

"Huh, I wonder if anyone is watching me right now. I heard that the immortal cultivators are like godly beings who can observe situations from far away. It can't be that they're spying on me right now, eh?

Well, that master Xuan Zi sure seemed like a pervert who enjoys peeping on people. I wonder if he spies on the female elders and disciples of the sect..." Xuhan spoke VERY loudly while mentally lighting a candle for Xuan Zi's dignity.

Seconds later, a muffled, infuriated yell came from outside...