Chapter 1: The Vastness of Taixuan, the Source of Antiquity

In the dilapidated courtyard, steam billowed.

Three people sat in separate wooden tubs, looking like boiled shrimp—their faces twisted in agony, their skin flushed a deep red.

Because this medicinal decoction was precious and required a full half-hour soak to be effective, the three of them endured the intense suffering, struggling to hold on.

In the corner of the courtyard, two young girls hid behind a water vat, whispering to each other.

The slightly plump girl with a round face nervously tugged at her companion’s sleeve. "What should I do? I’ll be fifteen next year, and by then, Grandmother will definitely force me to soak in this murky black soup too."

The other girl, whose expression was calm, hid a trace of envy in her eyes. "This medicinal soup isn't cheap. If you buy it at the pharmacy, a small packet costs five spirit stones! It’s only because Grandma Cui grows the spiritual herbs herself and mixes the decoction that Mother, Uncle, and Cousin are able to soak in it."

People outside all said that Old Woman Cui was capable, supporting three people in their pursuit of immortality all by herself.

Jiang Youling, however, knew that it was no easy task for Grandma Cui to manage the household.

The money spent to support the three in the courtyard not only exhausted the spirit stones she earned daily but also dipped deep into her old savings.

Even the few acres of spiritual fields passed down by the Chen family ancestors had been sold off.

"Sigh! Why does Grandmother insist on this? Uncle doesn't even want to be an immortal apprentice at the Taixuan Sect. These so-called 'immortal apprentices'—it sounds nice, but they’re just menial laborers serving the immortals."

The round-faced girl pulled a bitter face. "Honestly, I don't want to go either. Isn't it better to just stay home comfortably?"

Jiang Youling didn't respond. She was the "cheap" granddaughter who had come with her father when he married into the Chen family. She wasn't a native of Fuyao City, and having lived outside before, she had witnessed many incidents of demons devouring humans.

If she had the chance to enter the Taixuan Sect—even as a menial laborer—she would be willing to break her head just to get in!

Unfortunately, although she had found a place to stay in the Chen family with her father, she was not a "good citizen" whose ancestors had been attached to the Taixuan Sect, so she didn't meet the criteria for recruiting immortal apprentices.

As for becoming an official disciple of the Taixuan Sect, those like them, born without spiritual roots, couldn't even dream of it!

Jiang Youling’s eyes dimmed slightly, but she quickly adjusted her mood.

"Grandma Cui is doing this for your own good. Being an immortal apprentice at the Taixuan Sect not only allows you to learn skills but also earns you respect. It’s even more promising than being a manager at a shop!"

The round-faced girl still looked bitter, showing no interest.

"My mother and uncle have been preparing for the exam since they were fifteen. It’s been over a decade, and they still can't even pass the first round of the written test. Everyone knows that getting into the Taixuan Sect secures your future, but is the Immortal Sect really that easy to enter?"

Jiang Youling said nothing more. Immortal apprentices were there to run errands for the immortals; although they were mortals, they were required to be proficient in both literature and martial arts. Those who passed the examinations were the best of the best.

The round-faced girl was about to continue, but seeing her grandmother push the door open and step out, she was too scared to speak further.

The old woman’s face was a map of deep wrinkles, yet her hair was combed without a single strand out of place. Holding a rattan cane, she wore a stern, grim expression, her cold eyes sweeping back and forth over the three people in the tubs—her son, her daughter, and her eldest grandson.

Seeing her grandson faint from pain, she struck him with the rattan cane—not too hard, but enough to jolt him awake.

"Brother Rui, endure it," she said softly. "If you pass out, the medicinal effect will be wasted."

The boy whimpered like a small beast, his eyes rimmed with red. His fingers gripped the edge of the tub tightly as he was forced to endure the torture of the decoction, letting out pained gasps from time to time.

Seeing his son suffering so much, the middle-aged man couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. "Mother, Rui is only seventeen. Isn't today's dosage a bit too much..."

Before he could finish, the old woman’s sharp gaze swept over him.

"There is only one month left until the grand exam. We cannot afford to be lax!"

The middle-aged man immediately shrank his neck like a quail, not daring to make another sound.

*My son, it’s not that your father won't help you, it’s just that your grandmother is too fierce.*

The middle-aged man was silenced, but the old woman was still not satisfied.

"If you can't even endure this bit of pain, how do you expect to enter the Taixuan Sect? Relax! Use the breathing technique I taught you and absorb the medicinal power bit by bit..."

An incense stick later, the torturous medicinal bath finally ended, and the soup turned from its initial black to clear and transparent.

After the tubs were removed, only the three dripping-wet figures remained in the courtyard.

Old Woman Cui raised her hand and pointed at the three of them, and a miraculous scene occurred.

The three, who had just emerged from the tubs and were soaked to the bone, instantly became dry, not a single drop of water remaining on them.

The middle-aged man put on a fawning, ingratiating smile. "Mother’s immortal arts are becoming more and more profound."

The old woman didn't appreciate it, snorting coldly, "It’s merely a minor water-control technique. Once you enter the Taixuan Sect, you will realize there are far more exquisite arts than this."

The middle-aged man choked, speechless.

The other two didn't dare to speak either, sitting cross-legged in their respective spots.

The medicinal bath was over; it was time for the morning lesson.

Old Woman Cui’s eyes flicked toward the water vat in the corner, as if she could see the two figures hiding behind it.

"Sister Yu, you’ll be fifteen next year. Come over and listen to the lecture."

Chen Yu’s face fell. She gave Jiang Youling a helpless look, then reluctantly moved and sat down beside her cousin.

She picked up the booklet her cousin handed her and began to read the first page of the *Taixuan Ancient Scripture* in a low voice.

"The vast Taixuan, source of the ancient times. Before the chaos was divided, the Great Dao was innate. Clouds rise in the Purple Mansion, the moon shines on the Jade Abyss..."

Hearing this, Old Woman Cui suddenly asked, "Sister Yu, tell me, what does this 'Purple Mansion' refer to, and how do you interpret 'Jade Abyss'?"

Chen Yu looked up, her face blank.

Old Woman Cui suppressed the disappointment in her heart and turned her gaze to her eldest grandson. "Brother Rui, you answer."

Chen Rui immediately broke into a cold sweat, racking his brains. "This... Purple Mansion is the residence of the immortals, and Jade Abyss is, is..."

He stammered for a long time but couldn't come up with an explanation.

Old Woman Cui felt even more disappointed. Just as she was about to ask her daughter to explain the meaning of the two terms, she heard Chen Yu suddenly say

"Youling must know!"

Facing her grandmother’s sharp gaze, Chen Yu lowered her head bit by bit, yet she insisted, "Although I can't answer these two questions, Youling definitely knows the answer!"

Jiang Youling—the daughter brought by the son-in-law Jiang Mingyu when he married into the Chen family—was a very inconspicuous presence in the Chen household.

Usually, when the morning lessons were held, the girl would hide behind the water vat to eavesdrop. Old Woman Cui was well aware of this but chose to turn a blind eye.

Suddenly called out by Chen Yu, Jiang Youling, hiding behind the vat, broke into a cold sweat.

Her eavesdropping had been discovered!

How would Grandma Cui punish her?

With the rattan cane? Soaking her in chili water? Or forbidding her from eating?

Just as Jiang Youling was in a panic, the water vat shielding her was moved aside by Old Woman Cui using a spell, and the young girl was completely exposed to everyone’s eyes.

The protagonist, Jiang Youling, is the daughter of the son-in-law, and her stepmother is Chen Ling.