Chapter 3:

The watermelon, freshly cut into crescent-shaped slices, glistened with red and juicy pulp. Tiny crystal-clear droplets slid down its surface, leaving faint watermarks on the wooden table.

The young girl, delighted, held one slice in her hands.

Just as she was about to take a bite, a thought crossed her mind. Rising on her tiptoes with great effort, she raised the watermelon higher and brought it to Xu Xi’s mouth.

“Here, brother, you eat first,” she said sweetly.

“Thank you, little Mo Li,” Xu Xi replied with a smile, taking a bite.

The watermelon was incredibly refreshing, bursting with sweetness and rustic flavor. It brought a sense of pure joy, making the hot summer day feel cool and redeemed.

The brother and sister sat at the door of their house, each holding a slice of watermelon. They ate leisurely, watching passersby on the street and the swaying old trees rustling in the breeze.

“Brother, when will Mo Li grow taller?”

“Hmm, I can’t say for sure,” Xu Xi replied.

“I really want to grow taller quickly,” she muttered, sitting on the high wooden threshold. Her legs, too short to touch the ground, swung back and forth as she nibbled on her watermelon.

Each swing of her white calves was accompanied by a crisp sound as she bit into the fruit—one swing, one bite, over and over. Her toes drew gentle arcs in the air, as if time had slowed down in this serene, peaceful moment.

Summer, a little girl, and watermelon… together, they painted a picture of idyllic beauty.

To Xu Xi, the scene was heartwarming. Still, he couldn’t forgo some discipline. He lightly tapped the girl’s forehead with the back of his hand.

“Eat quietly, and stop moving around,” he said.

“Brother, you’re so annoying!” Xu Moli pouted but obediently stopped swinging her legs and focused on her watermelon.

It wasn’t long before the two finished eating.

Most of the watermelon was consumed by Xu Xi, as Xu Moli’s appetite was much smaller.

Even so, her belly was visibly round. She leaned lazily against Xu Xi’s back, mumbling, “Brother, this is all your fault. You have to take responsibility. Let me lie down for a bit.”

The girl, clearly exhausted, grew quieter until soft snores came from her small frame.

“Being young sure is nice—falling asleep so quickly,” Xu Xi muttered, shaking his head. Gently, he carried her on his back, supporting her carefully as he walked to the bed.

He placed her on the quilt in a semi-lying position, mindful of her bulging stomach, which might cause indigestion if she lay flat.

“What a troublesome kid,” he said with a small smile.

As she slept soundly, her face looked innocent and adorable, like a tiny cub.

Sunlight filtered through the window in soft streams, forming a warm, gentle glow over the bed.

Xu Xi sat nearby, holding a cattail leaf fan to ward off the heat and keep the mosquitoes away from the sleeping girl.

“She’s a bit too clingy to me,” he thought aloud. “When I leave for the disciple recruitment meeting next year, she’s going to cry endlessly if I don’t take her along.”

He chuckled lightly at the thought, imagining the scene.

Initially, Xu Xi had planned to enter an immortal cultivation sect alone, but Mo Li’s attachment worried him. He couldn’t bring himself to leave her under someone else’s care.

“Maybe it’s better for us to go together,” he mused. With his extraordinary Heavenly Spiritual Root talent, Xu Xi was confident the sect wouldn’t refuse his request.

[Time continues to flow]

[You silently waited for the apprenticeship conference and suggested to your sister that you both leave together. She agreed, thinking it was a cool idea and happy simply to be with you.]

[One month, two months, three months…]

[Another year passed. This marked the fifth year since you arrived in the world of immortals. The disciple recruitment meeting finally began.]

[‘Immortals’ descended from the sky, wielding swords in the air or riding flying boats. They released a grand formation that covered the entire city to detect spiritual roots among mortals.]

[Three spiritual roots, four spiritual roots, five spiritual roots…]

[As the formation activated, individuals with spiritual roots were screened out one by one. You noticed there were very few people with spiritual roots, and most of them possessed mediocre, mixed roots.]

[Suddenly!]

[A powerful energy surged through your body, and your Heavenly Spiritual Root revealed itself in a dazzling display!]

[Sister Xu Moli was thrilled but also felt inferior, knowing she was a pure mortal with no spiritual roots.]

In Black Rock City, the spiritual root formation burst with a green light that shot into the sky. Cultivators who had been calmly exchanging experiences moments before were now visibly shaken.

“That aura…”

“There’s no mistaking it—it’s the wood-attributed Heavenly Spiritual Root!”

“Hahaha, this young man is destined to join our Heavenly Sword Sect!”

Within moments, the once composed cultivators swarmed around the Xu siblings, their ecstatic expressions resembling vendors in a chaotic marketplace.

“Brother…”

“It’s fine, leave it to me.” Xu Xi gripped his sister’s trembling hand tightly, shielding her behind him as he faced the cultivators.

Some coaxed, others tempted with promises, and a few tried to bribe him. The scene was overwhelming.

In the end, Xu Xi chose the Heavenly Sword Sect.

The Heavenly Sword Sect had the strongest background among the sects present, with several Nascent Soul Realm cultivators in charge. Moreover, their representatives were the most sincere, offering him the position of a true disciple, exclusive training resources, and a private cave abode. Importantly, they allowed him to bring his sister along.

“Have you made your decision, young man?”

“Yes, senior. I wish to join the Heavenly Sword Sect.”

[The cultivators of the Heavenly Sword Sect were overjoyed at your decision. They immediately took you and your sister out of Black Rock City, soaring into the sky on flying swords.]

[You didn’t know how long you traveled or how fast you flew.]

[All you knew was that clouds passed on either side, the sun and moon rotated once in the sky, and the flying sword finally slowed as it descended into a magnificent mountain range—the home of the Heavenly Sword Sect.]

[You and your sister were placed in a room for a brief rest.]

[When you awoke, you were hurriedly taken to the main hall of the Heavenly Sword Sect, where many powerful cultivators had gathered, eager to accept you as their disciple.]

[After careful consideration, you decided to join Forest Sword Peak, the branch aligned with the wood spiritual root. There, you became the true disciple of the Nascent Soul master who led Forest Sword Peak.]