On the path to immortality, I can see destiny.

After returning to the Su family, Zhao Fan spent half a day meditating and adjusting his breathing in the cultivation room to stabilize his injuries.

Once he had recovered somewhat, he got up and left the courtyard.

He remembered that mysterious mirror.

Since he bought it from Zhoujiafang Market, this mirror has saved his life several times.

The mirror cracked after being struck by the one-eyed strongman's ghost-headed broadsword in the desolate mountains last time.

He used it several more times in the Foundation Building Cave, and the cracks seemed to have gotten deeper. Although it was still usable, he was always worried that it would shatter completely at some critical moment.

He remembered that the black man had said that his cave was on a low mountain about a hundred miles north of Yulin Mountain.

Zhao Fan piloted the Green Leaf Boat, flying north close to the treetops.

An hour later, he saw the mountain. The mountain peak was not high, the forest was dense, and a few wooden houses could be vaguely seen on the mountainside. Some ordinary spiritual vegetables and fruits were planted around it, making it a quiet and secluded place.

He landed on the flying boat and had just reached the wooden house when he heard the clanging and hammering of metal coming from inside.

"Is fellow Daoist present?"

Zhao Fan raised his voice and shouted.

The forging sound stopped, the wooden door was pushed open, and the dark-skinned man's face peeked out.

Upon seeing that it was Zhao Fan, he grinned.

"Oh, Fellow Daoist Zhao! Please come in, please come in!"

He stepped aside to let Zhao Fan in, then hurriedly tidied up the scattered mineral materials on the table and moved a chair over.

"Fellow Daoist, what brings you to my place? Is there anything you need?"

Zhao Fan didn't stand on ceremony and took out the Netherworld Mirror from his storage bag, handing it over.

"This mirror is somewhat damaged. I would like to ask you, fellow Daoist, if you can take a look and repair it."

The burly man took the mirror, examined it several times, and then used his spiritual power to probe it, his brows furrowing slightly.

"The cracks are quite deep. What powerful enemy have you encountered, fellow cultivator?"

"I was being chased and used this mirror to block a knife."

Zhao Fan smiled wryly.

"I'm quite comfortable using this Netherworld Mirror and don't want to replace it. I'd appreciate it if you could repair it, fellow Daoist."

The dark-skinned man pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes, but it will take some time. The materials used in this mirror are good. The core Xuanwen circuit is not damaged, but the mirror surface has cracks and needs to be remelted and repaired."

"How long will it take?"

Zhao Fan asked.

The black man made a rough estimate in his mind and gave a general time.

"It won't take too long, three to five hours will suffice."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, fellow Daoist."

Zhao Fan was delighted and nodded slightly.

"How many spirit stones are needed?"

The dark-skinned man waved his hand.

"My son said the pills you sold me last time were excellent, and he's been wanting to thank you ever since. So I'll waive the repair fee and only charge you the cost of the materials, which is ten spirit stones."

Zhao Fan immediately took out ten spirit stones and handed them over. The burly man accepted the spirit stones without ceremony and went into the inner room to refine weapons.

With nothing else to do, Zhao Fan strolled around outside the wooden house.

The black man's residence was not large, but it was well-organized. Several acres of spiritual vegetables were planted in front of the house, and several spiritual birds were kept behind the house, making it resemble an ordinary farmhouse.

About two hours later, the door to the weapon-refining room opened, and the burly man walked out, holding the Mysterious Mirror in his hand, with a satisfied expression on his face.

"Fellow Daoist, it's fixed."

Zhao Fan took the mirror and examined it carefully. The mirror surface was as smooth as new, and the cracks had completely disappeared. He injected spiritual energy into it and tested it. The spiritual gauze flew out and became even more solid than before.

"Fellow Daoist's skills are truly remarkable!"

Zhao Fan sincerely praised it.

The burly man chuckled, sat down at the stone table in the courtyard, and poured Zhao Fan a bowl of tea.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, there's something I've been wanting to tell you."

He lowered his voice and became serious.

"A few days ago, my son sent someone to bring a letter back saying that the Suyang Sect's once-every-four-years disciple recruitment meeting will be held in Nanjun on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month next year."

Zhao Fan's heart stirred.

"The ninth day of the ninth lunar month? That's... still a year away?"

"Yes, exactly one year." The burly man nodded. "My son said that this year's disciple recruitment event is larger than in previous years. Any rogue cultivator under the age of thirty who is at least in the late stage of Qi Refining can participate in the selection. If they pass, they can enter the Suyang Sect as an outer disciple."

Zhao Fan's heart beat faster.

He is under thirty years old and at least in the late stage of Qi Refining. He is eighteen this year and has reached the sixth level of Qi Refining.

In just one year, it's not impossible for him to go from the sixth level of Qi Refining to the seventh level, given his cultivation speed.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao has great talent; he will surely advance in a year."

The dark-skinned man looked at him with a hint of expectation in his eyes.

"If you, fellow Daoist, could join the Suyang Sect, you could also have someone to look after my son."

Zhao Fan remained silent for a moment, then suddenly remembered something.

"Fellow Daoist, among the outer disciples of the Suyang Sect, is there a female cultivator named Sun Yao?"

The dark-skinned man paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"I don't know that. There are a lot of outer disciples in the Suyang Sect, and my son doesn't know them all."

He paused, then asked curiously.

"Does fellow Daoist know anyone from the Suyang Sect?"

"We've met once."

Zhao Fan didn't say much, only giving a vague reply.

"Thank you for informing me, fellow Daoist. I will carefully consider what will happen a year from now."

The dark-skinned man nodded and then gave further instructions.

"Not many people know about the disciple-acceptance ceremony yet. If you are interested, you should intensify your cultivation in the next six months and strive to break through as soon as possible."

"That's natural."

Zhao Fan nodded, stood up to say goodbye, and the burly man saw him to the door, giving him a few more words of advice on the road.

The airship took off and flew towards Mount Fuling. The night breeze swept over us, dispelling the heat of the day.

Zhao Fan leaned against the ship's railing, his mind churning with thoughts.

Suyang Sect is the largest cultivation sect in Nanping Continent, with elders at the Core Formation stage in charge, and hundreds of years of accumulated cultivation techniques, scriptures, elixirs, and magical artifacts.

If he could enter, his path of cultivation would undoubtedly be much smoother. Although he was in the Su family, he was ultimately just a guest, and there were many things he couldn't learn or use.

But when he thought of Sun Yao, he hesitated again.

That woman left a deep impression on him; she was cold, rational, and ruthless.

She led him into the Foundation Establishment Cave, let him explore, let him trigger traps, and finally obtained the item. Without hesitation, she sealed off the exit and left him in the cave to die.

If it weren't for his eyes being able to see the guidance of the airflow, he would have died there long ago.

How many people like Sun Yao are there in the Suyang Sect?

Zhao Fan didn't know.

But did he have any other choice?

Zhao Fan raised his head and looked into the distance.

Under the moonlight, the outline of Mount Fuling gradually became clear. There was Su San, Su Ziyun, Xiao Er, and everything else that he had gradually become familiar with over the past six months.

But he also knew that he was not a member of the Su family after all, and it was impossible for him to stay in the Su family forever.

He needs to become stronger.

So strong that you're no longer being hunted down, so strong that you can protect the people you want to protect, so strong that you can live uprightly in this world of cultivation.

The Suyang Sect might be his best choice.

Zhao Fan took a deep breath, suppressing his hesitation and worries for the time being. He would spend a year breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refining first.

As for Sun Yao...

He recalled those clear, cold eyes, and her resolute back as she sealed off the exit.

"If we really enter the Suyang Sect, we should just avoid her when we encounter her. In short, we can no longer let her use us as pebble in the process."

The flying boat passed through a thin mist, and Mount Fuling was already in sight.

Zhao Fan collected his thoughts and slowly lowered the flying boat.

In the courtyard, Xiao Er heard the noise and ran out happily, circling around his legs a few times.

Zhao Fan squatted down, rubbed its head, and gradually felt calmer.

No matter what lies ahead, let's focus on doing the things at hand well first.

The most important thing right now is to improve my cultivation level. We can talk about things a year from now.

Moonlight streamed into the courtyard. Zhao Fan sat cross-legged, swallowed a Qingling Pill, and closed his eyes to circulate the Tianyuan Gong.

With the gathering of spiritual energy, Zhao Fan's cultivation began to steadily improve.