Chapter 4: Unwanted

Frank jumped out of the small spiritual garden at midnight and found a secluded place. Sitting cross-legged on a rock, he quietly contemplated the profound mystery of the True Fire in his Elixir Sea.

Frank had gained a lot since obtaining the True Fire. First, it had repaired his elixir field. Then, it had opened up his Elixir Sea, and his true energy had been refined to an exceptionally pure level. It could be said that his foundation was now more solid than it was in the Sunrise Sect.

"This is truly amazing," Frank murmured, then closed his eyes to rest, feeling an unprecedented clarity of mind.

Before long, thin streams of spiritual energy began to gather around Frank, forming a vortex centered on him. The energy flowed through his body's acupoints, absorbed into his body, and then poured into his Elixir Sea, where it was further refined by the golden True Fire.

On another front, Frank also divided the True Fire into countless threads, either injecting them into his meridians or wrapping them around his bones, using them to refine his muscles and bones.

As time passed, Frank's meridians gradually expanded and became more flexible. His bones, tempered by the True Fire, also became smooth and resilient, with a faint golden glow lingering upon them.

Then, he jumped down from the rock, feeling an unprecedented sense of comfort after being refined by the True Fire.

"This is amazing." With a hearty shout, Frank took a step forward. His true energy surged and gathered in his palm, with faint traces of lightning dancing between his fingers.

"Thunderbolt Palm." Frank slammed his palm against a rock, yelling.

Boom!

The powerful strike, accompanied by the roar of thunder, shattered the rock to pieces.

This was a mystical technique Frank had obtained through experience, called Thunderbolt Palm. It possessed the force of thunder and the sound of a thunderclap, making it overwhelmingly powerful and domineering.

For this reason, executing this skill required high physical strength, or else the fierce Thunderbolt Palm could damage one's meridians and muscles during an attack on the enemy. This was the drawback of powerful mystical techniques.

However, this drawback was negligible for Frank.

With his body refined by True Fire, his physical strength and the resilience of his meridians and bones could easily withstand the self-inflicted harm of Thunderbolt Palm.

The night passed in silence, and soon it was dawn.

In the early morning, Frank opened his eyes just as the sun rose over the eastern sky.

With a long exhale of turbid breath, he jumped out of bed. His face was radiant and full of energy, and his aura was significantly more substantial.

After a simple breakfast, Frank walked out of the small spiritual garden.

Before him was a long stone staircase, leading straight up to Spirit Mountain, disappearing into the clouds. Frank couldn't see the end.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped onto the staircase, feeling the vast and majestic aura rush towards him with each step he took.

With the last step, Frank looked up at the world before him. The distant mountains were rugged, towering ancient trees stood tall, and a mystical haze filled the air. Clouds and mist drifted, and cranes occasionally flew by.

"It's like being in Sunrise Sect again." Frank smiled, greedily absorbing the spiritual energy floating in the air.

Then, Frank walked the route Adolf had told him.

Spiritual energy and the celestial essence were most pure in the early morning. As Frank walked, he saw many diligent disciples sitting cross-legged on rocks, absorbing energy for cultivation. Even as Frank passed by them, they only glanced briefly at him.

After a few turns, Frank arrived in front of a building called Peace Pavilion.

Several disciples entered and exited the Peace Pavilion in small groups, and each one sized Frank up when they noticed the unfamiliar man. However, disdain always crossed their faces when they noticed he was just a 1st Level of Energy Condensation cultivator.

"This is the place." Frank looked up at the building. Then, he walked in and handed over his recommendation letter.

The one receiving letters was a middle-aged elder in green robes. When he heard that Frank was recommended by Adolf, the elder scrutinized Frank before opening the document.

While the green-robed elder examined him, Frank also secretly observed him.

"This guy looks... so wild." Frank couldn't help but mutter to himself in amazement.

Those were truths to his words. The elder's features were unusual. His eyes, nose, and mouth were all crooked, but not all tilted to one side, which made Frank feel an impulse to rush forward and straighten them.

Diverting his gaze from the elder, Frank looked to the other side.

In addition to the green-robed elder, three others sat nearby: one with a big belly, one thin as a stick, and the third one looking relatively normal. They were chatting happily, clearly not elders of Peace Pavilion, but rather visitors.

These three were the heads of the outer sects in the Alps Sect: Zayn, Hugo, and Dave.

After reading the letter, the green-robed elder handed it to the other three, smiling. "Hey, you guys, discuss among yourselves. Which one you are going to take Frank as your disciple? He is recommended by Adolf, so we should show him some respect."

"Oh? This is interesting." The three took turns reading the letter before scanning Frank from head to toe.

"How old are you?" the big-bellied Zayn asked, looking at Frank.

"Sixteen."

"Sixteen?" Zayn raised an eyebrow. "Sixteen and only at the 1st Level of Energy Condensation? You lack talent…"

With a cough, Zayn got up, patted his belly, and said, "I have matters to attend to at Skyton Peak, so I'll take my leave first."

Before he finished speaking, the rotund Zayn had already hurried out of the hall, as if afraid the green-robed elder would pull him back to accept Frank as his disciple.

After Zayn left, Hugo also stood up, hands behind his back, giving Frank a contemptuous glance, "Earto Peak doesn't accept losers."

With that, Hugo also walked out of the hall.

Only the green-robed elder remained in the hall. Seeing the others leaving in quick succession, the green-robed elder had no choice but to turn his gaze to Dave. "Dave, please do me a favor and take him in."

Dave frowned and shook his head slightly. "He doesn't meet the qualifications to join Sunto Peak. Forgive me; he is too lacking in talent."

"Huh…"

"I have things to do, so I'll be off now." With a gentle flick of his sleeve, Dave left the hall.

The heads of the three main peaks of the Alps Sect left in succession, making it clear that none of them wanted to accept Frank as a disciple.

Frank wasn't too surprised, though. It was understandable; a sixteen-year-old cultivator at only the 1st Level of Energy Condensation was so untalented. They would be laughed at if they failed to train him properly as a disciple.

But if they knew Frank's true talent, would they come running back to fight over him?

The green-robed elder was extremely embarrassed as the three left one after another.

Looking at Frank, the elder cleared his throat and smiled. "It seems you'll have to be a probationary disciple. Are you okay with that?"

"Probationary disciple it is. Maybe one day I'll get a promotion."

"Very well." The elder retrieved a white jade token from his sleeve. True energy swirled at his fingertips as he inscribed Frank's name on the token before handing it to him, smiling. "Here, young man. This is your jade token."

In addition, the elder took out a jade bottle. Though sealed, Frank could smell the medicinal aroma from it, which meant it contained Spiritual Purity Liquid to aid in cultivation.

"Since you're a probationary disciple, there's no Alps Sect technique or robe for you, and you can only receive one bottle of Spiritual Purity Liquid."

"Thank you." Frank accepted the Spiritual Purity Liquid, not minding it much.

"All right, go to the Weapon Pavilion and get a Spiritual Weapon!" The elder patted Frank's shoulder, speaking warmly and without the slightest hint of superiority, "Young man, work hard. Let's see how you do in three months."