The great path begins with the mind; when the heart returns to unity, all things are possible. A cultivator views the world with indifference, but not with a lack of feeling; they stand firm in their true intentions and remain unwavering. The subtlety of this, however, cannot be expressed in words.

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"Excuse me, young man, please wait!"

Just as I was leaving the small shop, a voice called out from behind.

I turned around and asked, "Hello, Daoist. Is there something I can help you with?"

The middle-aged Daoist looked at me seriously and said, "I noticed you have delicate bones, your aura is rising, and your eyes are clear. Would you mind if we talked somewhere?"

Could he be a fraud? His words made me break into a cold sweat!

After some thought, I nodded and replied, "Alright!" After all, I had time, and it was quite intriguing to meet such a strange Daoist in the provincial capital. I was curious about what he had to say.

I followed the middle-aged Daoist behind him until we reached a building. The Daoist looked around to ensure no one was nearby and asked, "Young man, would you be interested in believing in the path of cultivation?"

Such a direct question! It went straight to the point!

I nodded and answered, "Yes!" After all, I practiced cultivation myself, how could I not believe?

"Really? Then, would you be willing to become my disciple?" Upon hearing that I believed in cultivation, the Daoist was clearly delighted.

I was taken aback. Could I be encountering a legendary opportunity? Why didn't this Daoist look like the immortal figures I had imagined? He didn't seem like someone with an otherworldly presence.

I thought for a moment. Could he also be a cultivator? But why hadn’t I felt any energy fluctuations from him? I could see his vitality was strong, though. Curiously, I asked, "Do you have any magical treasures, flying swords, or elixirs?"

The Daoist froze, then coughed awkwardly and replied, "Well... I haven't cultivated any magical treasures yet, but if you become my disciple and achieve success in cultivation, the treasures passed down through my lineage will be available for you to choose from."

I gave a slight laugh, about to say something, but then I noticed an elderly man walking toward us with a lively energy. Seeing that the Daoist and I were sizing him up, the old man smiled and said, "I'm curious about what you two are talking about. Mind if I listen in?"

Although the old man smiled kindly, I could sense a trace of disdain in his gaze as he looked at the Daoist.

The middle-aged Daoist glanced at the elderly man, then at me and said, "Amitabha, I was planning to take this young man as my disciple."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Learn what from you? Those ghostly, supernatural things? Becoming an immortal? How strong are your powers, Daoist?" The old man shot back, questioning the Daoist sharply.

I couldn't help but chuckle internally, curious to see how the Daoist would respond.

"Amitabha, I am from the Yuan Guan sect of Haixin Mountain. I have been practicing for over fifty years, and I have mastered most of the seven meridians and eight channels. However, I am still far from reaching the supreme realm," the Daoist explained.

"Ha! What a huge joke! You can't even cultivate yourself and you're trying to convince this young man to learn those airy-fairy things? Don't you know what age this is? This is the era of science! The most important thing in the new century is talented scientists, not Daoists. Do you understand?" The old man became more animated as he spoke, his face reddening. "I saw you lead this young man aside and I knew it would be nothing good. There are so many frauds like you nowadays. I will never let the future pillars of our country be deceived by these charlatans!"

Fraud? Charlatans? Could he be talking about me? The old man clearly had a strong aversion to Daoists, or he wouldn't have spoken so harshly.

The middle-aged Daoist, realizing the elderly man was not a good conversationalist, tried to explain but instead just shook his head and turned back to me. "Young man, do you really think we Daoists are just frauds?"

The elderly man insisted, "Young man, don't believe him! As an aspiring person with knowledge, you should not believe in those illusory things."

I found it hard to answer. If all cultivators were frauds, what did that make me?

I smiled lightly and said, "Both cultivation and science are merely different ways of understanding the world. They're like twin siblings, each pointing fingers at the other, claiming that the other is not their parent. I think fighting over the relationship between science and cultivation is not very meaningful."

Upon hearing this, the old man glared at me, scrutinized me again, and the middle-aged Daoist smiled and said, "It is rare for someone to think like this. Good heart!"

The Daoist took out a small piece of paper and handed it to me, saying, "This is my business card. If you ever decide to cultivate, you are always welcome to visit. Amitabha."

...A business card from a Daoist? How amusing. I took it, and saw that it read: Haixin Mountain Yuan Guan Sect—Tian Huazi. Contact number: 0086—0987——654321.

I put the business card away and introduced myself, "My name is Zhang Santong. I hope I will have the chance to ask for your guidance in the future."

The old man snorted, shaking his head with a sigh before turning and leaving.

Noticing that it was getting late, I bid farewell to Daoist Tian Huazi and made my way home, preparing for the upcoming mid-term exams. For this exam, I decided to go all out and answer as much as I could. The high school textbooks were no challenge for me. I had thought about getting sixty on each subject, but I realized I couldn't bring myself to do something so contrived.

My cousin Zhang Fuhong was shocked when he saw me studying seriously. Normally, I would rely on cheat sheets, but this time I was studying with real effort. He couldn't help but comment that I had finally "seen the light."

Heh, little did he know, I had already seen the light long ago.

Thinking about the conversation with Daoist Tian Huazi and the old man, I recalled that Tian Huazi had said he had been cultivating for over fifty years and had only completed half of his meridians. Could this be true? Wasn't it impossible for a cultivator with a master to have such low cultivation? If he hadn't completed even the foundation-building stage, that was a serious problem.

And yet, Tian Huazi was a real cultivator, so why was there such a huge difference in cultivation between him and me, who had only been practicing for less than a year?

If Tian Huazi knew that my inner elixir had formed, I was afraid he might be shocked beyond words.

I glanced at my physics textbook and remembered the old man's words—this new century needed scientists. What future did a cultivator like me have in this scientific age?

I had never really thought about such questions before...

Well, let nature take its course. The great path will unfold naturally.