The ones who got pushed behind kept trying, but the same thing kept happening. They recalled that the rumors said that only cultivators would be able to ascend the immortal mountain. One by one, they retreated with disappointed expressions. There weren’t many who got rejected, however. A significant proportion of people there had spirit roots.

　　The so-called ladder of ascension was what Fatty used to select disciples back in the small realm. It was different from the Three Azure Realms. The Sacred Arrival Realm that Fatty was in only contained immortals who were cultivating, therefore there was only a small minority who did not have spirit roots. However, immortal sects there had certain standards. Naturally, they were strict about the disciples they accepted. Not only did they have to have spirit roots, they had to be of a certain caliber and character etc.

　　There were many different types of sorcery placed on the ladder that were designed to mess with the human mind. The more pure and determined one was, the shorter the time they would take to ascend the ladder.

　　Indeed, while many people reached the ladder at the same time, a distance began to grow among them. All the young men who had been at the front in the beginning found themselves trailing behind less than a minute later. What’s more, they were panting and wheezing. The women and children who had been trailing behind in the beginning, on the other hand, found themselves at the front of the pack. This was especially so for children under the age of ten. They did not even look half as tired as the men did. Instead, they constantly turned behind to gaze curiously at the adults who were panting.

　　A minute later, apart from five or six adults at the front, the others were all children.

　　“How long would they take to make it up here?” Lonemoon asked.

　　Fatty looked at him and said, “Perhaps another hour.”

　　That wasn’t too long. It should be over soon.

　　“Eh? Where are the two bastards?” Lonemoon turned back to find that Yi Qing and Shen Ying were no longer in the main hall.

　　“Master, have you forgotten?” Fatty reminded him, “It’s noon now, they’ve gone to eat lunch.”

　　Lonemoon pursed his lips. Motherf*ckers, those little…

　　“Father Niu, it’s time for lunch!” Just as he was cursing them in his head, he heard Chef’s voice. “Oh, Fatty you won’t have to join us. I didn’t cook his share.”

　　Alright! Since they remembered to call him along, he would not deduct their allowance this time.

　　Fatty: “…”

　　Why did Yi Qing have to address both of them? Fatty did not want to know.

　　***

　　The distance between the front pack and the rear pack in the crowd that was ascending the ladder was growing. The people trailing behind were looking more exhausted by now. Some could not even stand upright anymore, and others had already given up and were turning back. The moment they turned around, it was like the ladder had become a slope that sent them back to the seaside in seconds. Just like that, the people who remained on the ladder became fewer and fewer.

　　This was what Lonemoon thought in the beginning as well. The aim of this exercise was not exactly to recruit disciples into their sect and teach them how to cultivate. His main aim was instead to spread the knowledge about cultivation to the mortal world. So these people that they were selecting not only had to learn how to cultivate, but they also had to have the ability to pass their knowledge and skills down to future generations. This would allow humans to preserve their own race while the Heavenly Dao was still stabilizing itself.

　　In modern language, this was called making some people rich so that the entire race could prosper in the future.

　　For this reason, Lonemoon did not need too many people to join the sect. In fact, just a few of them would do. In future, however, these few disciples would have to take on a teaching role. They would naturally have to be strict.

　　A minute later, only a few figures remained on the ladder. There were about 20 or 30 children who were the age of ten or so. There were also over ten teenage girls. Least of all were strong, young men who had started the race off first. What was amazing was that there were also a couple of middle-aged adults. They were not trailing too far behind. In fact, they were directly behind two children.

　　Those two children were at the back of the entire group of children, and they looked more tired than any other person their age did. There was one male and one female. The little boy was panting and perspiring. This was not so because of the arrays set up on the ladder, but because he had carried the little girl all the way up the ladder. They looked about the same age. Naturally, he had spent a huge amount of effort carrying the girl up the ladder.

　　Only Fatty remained in the main hall. He looked down curiously at these two children. The girl looked extremely pale and sickly. It was obvious that there were issues with her body. From time to time, she would retrieve her napkin to wipe the sweat off the boy’s face. Fatty could faintly sense the blood ties between this boy and girl. He guessed that they were siblings.

　　Perhaps these children’s situation was special. Fatty could not take his eyes off them. They were still a distance from the peak of the mountain. He had set the ladder so that it would only remain there for two hours. If they were lucky, they would be able to make it.

　　At that moment, the person who led the entire group had almost reached the top of the mountain. Fatty thought about the squirrel demon who was still planting mushrooms at the entrance. He turned around and moved to get him.

　　Indeed, a child with chubby cheeks who did not even look ten years old had made it to the entrance of the mountain. Beside him, the squirrel demon who had been working hard at planting mushrooms jumped in shock. He did not control the spirit Qi in his body in time. The spirit Qi in his body surged up and gathered to form an entire field of mushrooms before their eyes.

　　“Monster!” The child screamed. Perhaps he was too young – he was not even afraid of the squirrel demon. Instead, he kept pointing and shouting at it, and reaching out to try and grab its tail.

　　“Mushroom,” Fatty called. He walked over.

　　“Exalted… Exalted Immortal!” The squirrel demon threw his mushrooms aside and ran to hide behind Fatty. With its tail between its legs, it stared in fright at the child standing by the entrance.

　　The child hesitated. He seemed to recognize Fatty’s identity. He bowed respectfully and said, “Lu Zheng of Chi Xu Country greets Elder Immortal.” The child looked curiously at the squirrel demon beside Fatty.

　　“Mm.” Fatty nodded his head and pointed to the empty field. “You’re the first person to make it to the top of this mountain. Please wait at the side for the others to ascend. Then, I will bring all of you to meet my master.”

　　“Yes, Elder Immortal.” Lu Zheng obediently stood by the side. From his robes, it was obvious that he came from a wealthy background. That was why his manners were so good even at such a young age. However, he was a child after all. He still could not stop himself from looking around curiously.

　　Fatty did not wait at the entrance of the mountain for too long. People were beginning to flow in. At first, it was just children. After five children entered, there was a lady, then a young man and an elderly man. It was almost time. The ladder was beginning to disappear. The people who were still trying to make it up the ladder were being sent back one by one.

　　Just before the ladder fully disappeared, the boy carrying the girl caught sight of the entrance of the mountain. With their strength boosted, the boy ran up the last remaining steps of the ladder.

　　Suddenly, a tall man stepped out from behind him. He sensed that the ladder was fast disappearing. Speeding up, he pushed the children in front of him out of his way and shouted, “Move!”

　　At the last second, he stepped onto the mountain and through the entrance. He heaved a huge sigh and looked up at Fatty, who was emanating immortal Qi. Before the man could rejoice, his body was sent back down to the seaside.