Chapter Thirty-Nine: Ambitions Soaring Above the Clouds

Faced with Xu Yuan’s rather scrutinizing and expectant gaze, Ji Wu felt somewhat uneasy.

“Mister Xu?”

“Ji Wu.”

Xu Yuan withdrew his gaze, his previously scattered emotions now entirely reined in, returning to his usual calm and composed demeanor.

“I’m here.”

For reasons he could not explain, Ji Wu instinctively straightened his posture.

“What is your dream?” Xu Yuan asked.

“Huh?” Ji Wu was taken aback, unsure where this question was coming from.

“In other words, what do you want to do?”

“I want to cultivate immortality!” Ji Wu replied without a moment’s hesitation.

Xu Yuan had asked him a similar question last year, and Ji Wu had not hesitated then either.

And now, his answer remained unchanged.

“And then?” Xu Yuan pressed further.

“And then?” Ji Wu was bewildered—was there something more?

“After mastering the arts of immortality, what do you plan to do?”

“Well… after mastering these arts, I’ll attain great freedom and peace. Eternal youth, immortality, living as long as the heavens, and all that.”

Ji Yun scratched his head and said, “That’s what all the stories say. Anyway, there’s only benefit, no harm, in mastering immortal arts. Whatever I want to do, I can think about it when the time comes!”

“That does seem reasonable,” Xu Yuan nodded slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

—

Wait a minute, is this some sort of test from Mister Xu?!

Ji Wu’s heart skipped a beat as he snapped back to his senses.

For Xu Yuan to ask such a question out of the blue, surely he had some expectation.

And to ask so proactively! That meant his answer was dreadful—this wouldn’t do!

Ji Wu’s thoughts raced. Racking his brain, he said, “Mister Xu, last year on a courier job, I encountered a fortune-teller.

That man told me, a person’s life is made up of a handful of moments: the cry at birth, the triumph of youth’s scholarly success, marriage and children in adulthood, a flourishing career in middle age, a house full of grandchildren in old age, and a grand funeral after death.

If anyone could truly experience all these milestones, they would be the envy of many.

But the fortune-teller also said that even for these few grand events in life, most people won’t experience them all—more likely, life is scattered and incomplete.

One’s birth may be mired in poverty, scholarly ambitions may end in failure, marriage is often arranged by parents and go-betweens, a successful career is rare, a house full of grandchildren comes with its own troubles, and even a grand funeral is fleeting.

The truth is, most people’s lives are unremarkable, with even these few so-called milestones seeming distant and illusory when actually considered.”

He paused, his expression growing earnest, gone was the earlier confusion, replaced by conviction as he continued, “I can’t say for sure what I truly want, but I know I don’t want a life as dull as that. I don’t want to be like just anyone else, living a life so similar to others that it seems I’m here only to repeat someone else’s path.

To me, that is the most dreadful, suffocating thing—just imagining it, seeing the end from the very start.

That’s why I want to become your disciple, to learn the immortal arts from you, Mister Xu. I’ve heard that once someone embarks on this path, they become different—stronger, longer-lived, able to achieve things ordinary people could never even dream of… No longer just one among the countless masses.”

He spoke at length, pouring out all the thoughts that flashed through his mind. Though somewhat muddled, every word came from his heart.

It is said: When young, one’s ambitions soar, vowing to be the best under heaven!

He disliked constraints, and he loathed a life whose end was visible at the start.

Perhaps every youth once deemed themselves extraordinary, believing they were different from others, favored by heaven, the protagonist of the world, born to shine.

Yet after being battered by life, their edges dulled, their spirit cooled, they would become just one of the many mediocrities, and their former dreams would seem naïve and laughable.

But Ji Wu was still sixteen, so before Xu Yuan, he spoke of his ambitions and dreams.

No, I mustn’t become one among the countless ordinary people, even if they are the majority.

When he finished, Ji Wu’s cheeks flushed, and his anxious gaze locked onto Xu Yuan, the open-hearted youth appearing both nervous and shy, as if fearing only mockery in response to his confession.

How many mediocre people fill this world? What makes you think you can stand out?

—

Fortunately, what Ji Wu feared did not come to pass.

Xu Yuan’s gaze, gentle and kind as that of an elder, showed a hint of surprise but not a trace of mockery.

“I’ve heard it said: After three days apart, one should look at a person with new eyes. Indeed, it is true,” Xu Yuan remarked.

He still remembered when they first met—Ji Wu couldn’t even utter a complete proverb.

Now, upon their fourth meeting, three years had passed in the world of men.

The once awkward and childish boy had grown into a poised youth, words flowing almost like poetry.

Time seemed nearly frozen on Xu Yuan, yet on the youth it manifested in striking brilliance and change.

“Your thoughts are commendable. But to stand out, one must often work harder than others, so that when opportunity arrives, you can seize it firmly—more and better than the rest.

Remember: to do a good job, one must first sharpen their tools. Temper your mind and spirit first, so you can bear what follows.”

“You are right, Mister Xu,” Ji Wu nodded earnestly, a smile breaking out on his face. “Since meeting you, I’ve never skipped private lessons again, and I practice martial arts diligently every day, never slacking. Were it not so, I wouldn’t have dared to ask you to be my master, again and again.”

Some people are benefactors even if you only meet them once.

Xu Yuan was, without a doubt, Ji Wu’s benefactor.

Since meeting Xu Yuan, the once unruly boy had changed greatly.

After all, if you wish to become the disciple of an immortal, you cannot be too disappointing to catch their eye.

It was this simple idea that transformed Ji Wu; all his efforts could be traced back to that first meeting with Xu Yuan.

“All right, we’ve stayed on this mountain long enough—I’m getting hungry,” Xu Yuan waved his hand. Though some thoughts had arisen in his mind, he knew full well that Ji Wu could not yet bear such burdens; speaking of them now would only crush the boy’s dreams. Better to say nothing for now.

If Ji Wu truly showed abilities that impressed him, there would be time for entrustment then.

For now, he would continue to observe.