The Third Bell echoed through the land, signaling the dragon’s breath of night to recede!

“By the Ancestors, Brother Lao Si! To cast aside your chance to Second Son… it wounds our hearts deeply.” The fifth brother of Tie Zhu’s father proclaimed, his words sugar-coated in venom. “Young Wang Zhuo speaks the truth! Hu Zi shines brighter than Iron Pillar. Perhaps he will catch the eye of an Immortal Ascendant!”

Wang Zhuo, puffed up with pride, fanned the flames. “They brewed this draught of bitterness themselves. Father and I advised them, but they are stubborn as mountain goats upon the peak! Now they have stumbled against a stone wall, who is to blame but themselves?”

Wang Hao, his face shadowed with pity, began, “Iron Pillar, he…”

But a glacial glare from his father silenced him, leaving only a quiet sigh in the air.

Lao Si, Fourth Son, a man weathered by wind and sun, and bearing the calloused hands of a craftsman, sighed. “Silence! Enough of this. It ends here. If the Immortal Ascendants did not choose Iron Pillar, it was not his destiny. Let the constellations guide us. Son, do not grieve. Should the heavens conspire against you, then come with your uncle. I hold no sway with the Immortal sects, but in the mundane world… in the Jianghu, the wandering heroes, I hold a face that others must heed. You and your brother – you shall both come. I had already planned to send him for training amongst them.”

Wang Zhuo’s laughter dripped with disdain. “Iron Pillar! Take your uncle’s offer. Go then, and tell them you were *rejected* by the Immortals! A discarded pebble! Perhaps, in their pity, they’ll take you in!”

Wang Lin, the boy, lifted his head slowly. His eyes, once bright, now smoldered like dying embers. He swept his gaze over the assembled kin, over the sneering visages, finally settling on Wang Zhuo. “Wang Zhuo,” he said, his voice low and thick, “mark my words. I, Wang Lin, *will* walk the path to the Immortal sects. And every word of mockery, every glance of scorn, from you and your father… I will carve them into my heart. They shall fuel my ascent.”

Wang Zhuo opened his mouth for another barb, but Iron Pillar’s uncle roared, a tempest unleashed. “You sniveling weasel! Utter another word, and I’ll turn you into a drooling simpleton! Then see if the Immortals desire your presence!”

Wang Zhuo’s father, his face ashen, dragged his son behind him. “Lao Si, Fourth Son! You would not dare!”

The family watched, their eyes glittering with anticipation.

Iron Pillar’s uncle laughed, a dangerous sound, his eyes blazing with inner fire. “Oh, elder brother? Do you believe I lack the courage?”

The father rushed forward, restraining the uncle. “Brother, I beg you. You have a wife, children. Do not stain your hands for our sake. I will not forget your kindness, Si Di, Fourth Brother. Escort us home, and my wife and I shall take Iron Pillar with us.”

The uncle pinned Wang Zhuo’s father with a long, unwavering stare, then gave a curt nod to his brother. He seized Iron Pillar’s hand and led them away from the ancestral home.

Even as they walked, Wang Lin could still hear the echoes of taunting laughter from the courtyard.

In the uncle’s carriage, the family embarked on the long journey home.

Silence hung heavy in the air, a shroud of unspoken disappointment. At last, the father sighed. “Iron Pillar, my son, do not despair. When *I* was cast out from this family, I was lower than dust! Yet I endured. Hear me: study hard, and strive for a high score on the Emperor’s Examinations next year. If the scrolls hold no joy for you, go with your uncle. See the world, and clear your mind.”

The mother, her face etched with worry, caressed her son’s cheek. “My child, do not do anything rash. You are the sun and the moon to me! Were you to fall, I could not bear it. Be strong, my son. Be as strong as the iron in your name.” Tears streamed down her face.

Wang Lin met their gaze, his own hardening with resolve. “Father, Mother, do not fear. I will not be foolish. I have a purpose, and I will not be deterred.”

His mother drew him close, holding him tight. “It is done. Let us speak no more of it.”

The warmth of her embrace soothed the wounds upon Wang Lin’s heart. Exhaustion tugged at him, and he finally succumbed to sleep.

He dreamed of becoming an Immortal, of soaring through the heavens with his parents, far above the scorn and hardship of the world…

Later that night, Iron Pillar awoke. He gazed about his familiar room, a humble shack, illuminated by the moon’s silver fingers streaming through the single open window. His resolve steeled. Leaving the room, he cast one last, lingering look at his parents’ chamber. He took up paper and ink, and penned a hasty letter of farewell. Gathering what meager dried food he could find, he quietly slipped away from home.

“The Path to Immortality… I *will* not be denied. The Heng Yue Sect, I will try once more! If they refuse me, I *must* discover the way to other Immortal sects.” Wang Lin’s eyes burned with determination. Slinging his meager pack over his shoulder, he left the mountain village and set off for the uncharted lands beyond.

The moon paved his way, and the stars guided his steps, casting his shadow long, so very long…

Three days later, Wang Lin trod the lonely path of a mountain road. Being but a child, he could only faintly recall the general direction of the day young Zhang Man had carried him away.

Heading straight towards the East, Wang Lin was oblivious to the fact that the tall grasses were slicing his legs as he pressed onward, relentless.

One week later, he was deep within the mountains. Fortunately, few man-eating beasts dwelled here. Wang Lin acted cautiously throughout the entire journey, and this morning, he finally stood upon the summit of a solitary mountain, gazing out towards the familiar mountain peak in the distance, swirling with clouds.

He was exhausted. Sitting down upon the peak, he took out his dried rations, nibbled a few bites, and looked in the direction of Heng Yue Sect’s mountain gate. His gaze was filled with fierce resolution. But at that moment, a bestial panting echoed from behind him. Every hair on Wang Lin’s body stood on end. He turned to look, and his face drained of color.

There stood a large white tiger, its blood-red eyes burning with icy coldness. Foamy saliva dripped from its lips, falling to the ground with a “patta, patta” sound.

With a deafening roar, the white tiger sprang into motion. Wang Lin gave a bitter smile, and without hesitation, he leapt off the cliff to the side. As he fell downwards, the roaring winds whipped against his face. In Wang Lin’s mind, he could not help but think of the gazes of his parents, and the words of mockery and disdain from his kin.

“Father, Mother, Iron Pillar is unfilial, and cannot repay your kindness. Goodbye forever.”

Branches, intertwined in chaotic disorder, jutted out from the cliffside. Wang Lin’s body fell at an extreme speed. Branches snapped from top to bottom, and just as he reached the middle of the cliff, a vast, sucking power appeared out of nowhere.

Wang Lin was involuntarily pulled by the sucking force and sucked into a cave within the cliff wall. He slammed against the inner cave wall. In a daze, Wang Lin felt as if his body were in a wind tunnel, being wildly sucked backward. After a long time, the sucking force finally disappeared, and his body crashed to the ground.

It took a long time to regain his senses. He managed to pull himself up. His entire body was covered in scrapes and cuts from the branches, and riddled with wounds. Especially his right arm, which felt unceasingly painful and was swollen to an unnatural degree. Bone-piercing pain rushed over him like a wave, and beads of sweat poured down with a ‘hua hua’ sound. As he examined it, he could not tell whether a bone was broken, but it was apparent that the injury had been caused when he crashed into the cave wall.