The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Wang Huanzhen lowered his head, his eyes brimming with tears as he looked at Xiao Liuzi in his arms. A wave of sorrow washed over him; only half a day had passed, and of the three who had come, only two had returned. How could things have turned out this way?

He couldn't understand who the two of them had offended, or why the woman in white would target Ao Shuang. If she wanted to, she had countless opportunities in that cave earlier.

Her cultivation level was higher than theirs, so why did she kill them after rescuing them? Isn't that a contradiction? Wang Zhenhuan felt increasingly distressed as he thought about it; he even felt like his head was about to explode.

He clutched his head and knelt on the ground, letting out a wail like a wounded animal. He was filled with hatred! He hated his low cultivation level, hated that he didn't even know a single spell! He hated why he hadn't been ordained.

Although Xiao Liuzi didn't understand what had happened, seeing Wang Zhenhuan's pained expression, he seemed to empathize with him. However, due to his weakened state, he fainted again as soon as he reached out.

Wang Zhenhuan looked at Xiao Liuzi's hand, which had fallen limply again, and felt a pang of sadness. He put Xiao Liuzi down against the tree trunk and stood aside, his fists clenched, his expression shifting uncertainly.

Ao Shuang's image kept flashing through Wang Zhenhuan's mind, and his words "Run!" kept echoing in Wang Zhenhuan's ears. He raised his fist and punched the tree trunk.

Gritting his teeth, he took out the bamboo slip from his robes and opened it. He took out the copper paper tucked inside, then drew the dagger from his waist. He looked at the blank space in the "Rank of Conferment" section on the copper paper.

With a determined effort, he carved four large characters with his dagger: "First Rank Supreme Profound!" His hand trembled as he carved, his mind in turmoil. Enraged, he stood up and slapped himself hard.

The burning pain on his face finally calmed him down a bit, and he took a deep breath. He engraved the words "True Man" in the Daoist name section. After doing this, he placed the copper paper on the ground.

Then he took out the ancient-looking magic seal from his coat pocket. He looked up and examined it, making sure the woman hadn't followed. He then pressed the seal onto the copper paper.

But he forgot that the seal had been stored for a thousand years, and the cinnabar on it had long since dried up. How could he possibly leave an imprint? When he removed the seal, there was indeed only a faint mark on the copper paper.

"Why not?!"

Wang Zhen, like a gambler who had lost everything, roared at the sky and asked, "What do you mean, 'the sky'?" But how could the sky answer him? He repeatedly pressed down the magic seal, but not once did he leave a red mark.

He did this more than ten times in a row, panting heavily. Gripping the mudra, he slammed it hard into the sand. The mudra sank into the ground, completely unharmed!

Wang Zhenhuan covered his face and collapsed to the ground. He muttered to himself, "Why can't it work? Why do people around me all leave me? Why, why is this happening..."

His mind was in complete chaos. The continuous emotional fluctuations and external stimuli were almost driving Wang Zhenhuan to the brink of collapse. He desperately wanted to go back and fight that white-robed female Taoist to the death.

But he hadn't even received his ordination, so he had no resources to fight desperately. This copper paper was his last hope. If he could receive his ordination, he could use the spells recorded in this bamboo slip, even if it meant going beyond his current level.

Although he was inferior to the Kun Dao realm, he was not without the power to fight. But now, his last hope was shattered. The magic seal simply couldn't be used to stamp the copper paper.

Without the affixing of the Dharma seal, the ordination document would be invalid. He had never felt such despair as he did today. He clutched his head, like a madman, repeatedly banging his head against the ground.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

He kept banging his head against the ground until it bled profusely. His forehead felt like it was about to split open, radiating excruciating pain from the inside out. Looking at the bloodstains on the ground, Wang Huanzhen suddenly seemed to remember something.

He bent down and groped around on the ground, letting the sand and dust engulf him. After throwing away dozens of stones, he finally found the square magic seal.

Wang Zhenhuan gripped the hand seal tightly, as if he had found some treasure. However, the bloodstains on the ground had already been covered by dust. He looked around.

He then picked up the dagger that had been tossed aside and slashed it viciously into his palm. He held nothing back, the cut going deep enough to see bone. The blood was bright red.

Immediately, blood flowed from the wound in his palm, and Wang Zhen was overjoyed. At that moment, he forgot the pain. He picked up the hand seal and eagerly placed it on the blood in his palm.

After smearing the bottom of the seal with blood, he pressed it onto the copper paper. With his hair disheveled, he knelt on the ground, his eyes wide, watching the seal slowly detach from the copper paper.

A bright red mark appeared on the copper paper. He threw the seal on the ground, knelt down, and with trembling hands picked up the copper paper, raising it high. He raised his head and shouted to the sky.

"Disciple Wang Huanzhen!! Respectfully request the Grand Master Taiqing to bestow the title!!" He hesitated for a moment, then resolutely shouted again:

"First Rank!! Supreme Mystery!!!"

boom!!--

The once clear sky was suddenly struck by a deafening clap of thunder. A sudden gust of wind swept through the forest, lifting the copper paper in his hand, which quickly disappeared into the horizon.

After the copper paper disappeared, dark clouds immediately enveloped the entire area around Xiayi. The wind rose and the clouds surged, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring. A torrential downpour began instantly, and raindrops the size of soybeans quickly soaked Wang Zhenhuan.

He picked up the hand seal from the ground and held it in his blood-soaked palm. He knelt on the ground, arms outstretched, letting his hair fly in the wind and the rain wash over him. He laughed wildly, looking up at the sky.

Hahahaha!!!

After absorbing his blood, the black horn-shaped magic seal gradually lost its tarnish, and after being soaked by rain, it became as bright as new. Wang Zhenhuan, however, paid no attention to these details.

He was like a wounded child, pouring out his grievances to the adults in his family. He laughed loudly, but tears streamed down his face, only to be blown away by the strong wind.

It mingled with the rain, turning into droplets that dissipated on the earth. In the instant the copper paper was blown away by the wind, Wang Zhen felt as if something had suddenly appeared on his body.

This feeling was indescribable, but he knew in his heart that it was the Patriarch's response. The Patriarch had not only responded to him, but had also approved his application for the First-Rank Tai Xuan Talisman!

He was filled with mixed emotions of joy and sorrow. He was overjoyed that after half a year of delay, he had finally received his ordination. And it was the highest rank, the First Rank Tai Xuan Ordination! He was saddened that Ao Shuang had already left him without even saying goodbye.

Wang Zhenhuan knelt in the rain, lying on the ground. He alternated between crying and laughing, acting like a madman. Suddenly, the wind and rain above his head disappeared, and he looked up.

A stunningly beautiful woman dressed in a white Taoist robe stood quietly behind him, holding an oil-paper umbrella...