Ye Fan was met with a strange sight. First, the room wasn't as large as he thought it would be. It was around the size of what he would expect when his father would meet with a high-ranking Chi Dynasty official. After hearing Elder Sister Lan talk about all the separate spaces for the floating buildings, he thought the office would be similar in nature. Not to mention that the room and furniture itself were odd. Although Ye Fan was the son of an affluent family, he had never seen anything quite like this.

The walls were sandy beige and made of a strange material. Bookshelves lined the walls and a planted pot in the corner seemed to be the only source of greenery in the room. The desk in the middle was very simplistic. It had two legs that were shaped like upside-down Ts and a large rectangular desk surface. The entirety of the desk was made of mutton fat jade and was light on the eyes. A few books were stacked on the left side, and some trinkets for decoration were casually placed. It didn't look like a desk that saw a lot of use.

Behind the desk was Shi Qiongtian, he sat in a chair with a strange design; one that Ye Fan wasn't familiar with. The bottom of the chair had one main support that branched out into five at the bottom. Each branch had a round roller at the end. The cushions were made of silk mesh stretched across a frame for the backrest, headrest, seat, and armrests.

Scribbling quills and shuffling papers filled the air above the desk. Every so often a sheet would be filled and would disappear into thin air before the quill resumed scribbling on a new piece of paper. Ye Fan nervously walked into the office with a calm and unwavering gaze following his every step. A chair similar to the one that his master sat in was conjured into being in front of him. It was the perfect size for him so Ye Fan was able to sit down without much difficulty.

"Master? Do I have permission to speak?"

Shi Qiongtian was satisfied with his disciple's words and gave his affirmation.

"Mm. You may speak."

"Master… where's Uncle Hu?"

Ye Fan was fully trusting of his Master, so he did not doubt that the boatman was safe. He was merely curious about where the boatman ended up being transported. Shi Qiongtian nodded and delivered some words of praise with his dignified tone.

"You have a caring heart even for your followers, good. You can meet him in a bit. He's resting in one of the residences."

Ye Fan nodded absentmindedly as he twisted side to side. He felt an oddly comforting feeling from twisting left and right in his seat. Shi Qiongtian ignored this and continued speaking.

"I see you have started your cultivation. Taking advantage of your circumstances is good. You have passed my first test."

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"Master is the greatest! Did you predict everything?!"

Ye Fan's eyes were shining as he heard his master's words. Shi Qiongtian's expression didn't change as he reprimanded his disciple for speaking out of turn.

"Disciple, permission to speak."

Ye Fan was embarrassed, and he bowed his head dejectedly. Seeing his disciple's sincere regret, Shi Qiongtian didn't push it and continued speaking.

"Since you've taken the first step on the mountain of Immortality, we will start training. There will be a series of eight more tests that will push you to your limits. If you fail any of them, you will lose all qualifications to be my disciple. Instead, the opportunity will go to your Elder Sister Lan."

"Really?!"

A high-pitched scream came from an empty corner as an unassuming planted pot was replaced with Elder Sister Lan's figure. Ye Fan was startled and almost fell from his seat. Shi Qiongtian was unfazed and held his dignified demeanor as he told off Elder Sister Lan.

"You already have a Master. Also, stop entering my office without my permission. Go reflect at the Pool of Lamentations."

Elder Sister Lan's expression fell as she turned toward Ye Fan with a pleading gaze. Before Ye Fan could even react, Shi Qiongtian snapped his fingers and Elder Sister Lan disappeared from the room. As Ye Fan was trying to process the series of events, Shi Qiongtian continued.

"The eight next steps will build your foundation. A foundation is very important for cultivators. A mountain with a narrow base will collapse while one with a wide base will pierce the skies."

Ye Fan nodded slowly as he tried his best to memorize what his master said word for word. Seeing his disciple's focused gaze, Shi Qiongtian began elaborating on the eight steps.

"First, you will begin body tempering. You will push your body to the limits and beyond with exercise and herb baths. Second, you will practice footwork. Mastering the simple Flying Cloud Step will suffice. Third, you will train with the bow. This will provide you with weapon skills and help train your eyes. Fourth, you will learn to use a melee weapon. We'll start you off with a sword and figure out which one suits you the best. Fifth, you will start learning how to track animals. Hunting is a necessary skill in the Mortal realm. Sixth, you will hunt fierce beasts. As beasts with cultivation, they will be much different from hunting a normal animal. Some will have more intelligence than others and they will also be much stronger. Seventh, you will fight bandits. Although they're generally weaker than fierce beasts, human opponents are cunning and, in most cases, more dangerous. Lastly, you will be confronted with a practical exam where everything you've learned will be tested. I will only step in if you're truly in fatal danger. If you agree to these terms and conditions, stamp here."

A piece of paper appeared in Ye Fan's left hand and a wooden stamp appeared in his right. At the bottom of the paper, a golden glow outlined where he was to stamp. Instinctively, Ye Fan followed his Master's instructions and stamped the hot wax. As the stamp imprinted the wax, both the paper and the stamp disappeared. Ye Fan was a bit confused so decided to ask his Master.

"Master, may I ask a question?"

"You may."

"How do you have my clan's stamp?"

Ye Fan was genuinely curious. Although he had heard from his father that his Master had been at his side when he was born and claimed that he could become his disciple when he grew older, he hadn't heard of his Master visiting anytime between then and now. Shi Qiongtian answered plainly.

"Your Father gave it to me."

Although he had some doubts, his Master's words removed them. Shi Qiongtian flicked his sleeve, and both suddenly found themselves in a courtyard. Standing up from his seat, the chair vanished. Holding his hands behind his back, Shi Qiongtian addressed Ye Fan.

"If you don't have any more questions, then stand up."

Ye Fan stood up from his chair and like his Master's it promptly vanished as well. Shi Qiongtian nodded lightly in satisfaction and turned around while speaking.

"Now, let's go see your Uncle Hu before we start your training."

The two walked for a few meters before they came in front of a hammock tied in between two maple trees. Uncle Hu had his eyes closed and was fast asleep. As the Master-disciple pair came to a stop, a fly flew into one of Uncle Hu's nostrils waking him up with a start. When the boatman saw Shi Qiongtian, he immediately scrambled out of the hammock and bowed to Shi Qiongtian in greeting.

"This humble boatman greets the great Immortal."