Of the eleven, not a single one passed in the end. Besides Wang Lin, there had been one young girl who likewise stepped to the two-zhang mark — yet the outcome was the same.
When the day's tests concluded, the youths were dismissed and sent back down the mountain, escorted away one by one by disciples of the Hengyue Sect. The one tasked with returning Wang Lin to his family was the same young man surnamed Zhang who had brought them there; walking by his side were Wang Zhuo and Wang Hao.
"Junior Brother Wang Zhuo, congratulations on becoming Martial Uncle Daoxu's disciple — your future is truly boundless." The young man smiled and clasped his fists in greeting.
Wang Zhuo's face broke into an insufferably arrogant expression as he said proudly, "But of course. Master has already said so — once I return home this time and settle my worldly affairs, he will pass his immortal cultivation arts on to me."
Wang Hao curled his lip and said, "I never could stand that smug look of yours, not since we were kids. So what if you have a master? Big deal. This young master can refine pills too, you know."
Wang Zhuo cast a contemptuous glance at Wang Hao, paid him no heed, and instead shifted his gaze to Wang Lin, who stood silently to one side. He gave a light laugh. "Iron Pillar, how about that — I told you before, you just don't have what it takes. Neither you nor your father believed me. Now you see the results, don't you."
Wang Lin raised his head, cast an indifferent glance at Wang Zhuo, and said to the young man from the Hengyue Sect: "Immortal, my parents are waiting for me. Please send me back quickly."
Wang Zhuo saw that Wang Lin was actually ignoring him, and sneered once more: "Country bumpkin — spend your whole life rotting in that village, being a carpenter just like your father."
The young man's face wore an expression that was half a smile yet not quite one. He cast a glance at the three youths before him, said nothing, and with a casual roll of his sleeve, swept all three away—vanishing through the mountain gate of the Hengyue Sect.
On the road back, the gale winds blew as fierce as ever, yet Wang Lin's state of mind was a world apart — he had come with hope, and now returned in despair.
Before long, the Wang clan's grand manor came into view. Wang Lin opened his eyes and gazed into the distance, only to see the compound teeming with people, alive with festive splendor — table after table of fare that far surpassed the banquet his father had thrown for relatives just days before, spread across every inch of the great courtyard.
Every member of the Wang clan had returned—even those clansmen who had been away in distant places purchasing timber—all gathering together in celebration, cups raised in endless toasts, the hall alive with the bustle and cheer of the coming and going crowd.
The stars of this banquet were three men: Wang Tianshui's eldest brother, Wang Tianshui himself, and his third younger brother. Around these three, all the relatives pressed forward one after another to offer their congratulations, and the scene was extraordinarily lively.
Without exception, envy shone in every pair of eyes, while their mouths overflowed with flattery and honeyed words. Toward Wang Lin's father in particular, they lamented without end, sighing wistfully over the days gone by.
"Second Brother, your boy is sure to be chosen this time. After that, you won't have to do carpentry anymore—everyone in the family will have to address you as Second Master!" Wang Lin's father's sixth younger brother, a pot-bellied middle-aged man, called out in loud praise.
"Second Brother, I could tell back then that your life would be no ordinary one — what did I say? I was right, wasn't I? Your whole fate is bound up in Iron Pillar now. Once Iron Pillar becomes an immortal, you, as his father, will be something truly remarkable." Wang Tianshui's fifth uncle squinted his narrow little eyes, settled himself beside Wang Lin's father, and raised his cup in oleaginous flattery as he spoke.
"Second Brother, both your Iron Pillar and my boy were chosen this time—it's been over ten years since we two brothers last met. Whatever else happens tonight, we're not leaving until we're good and drunk." Wang Hao's father, Wang Tianshui's third younger brother, walked up to him holding a wine cup, his face wreathed in smiles, and called out in a loud voice.
Iron Pillar's father surveyed the relatives gathered around him — those who had once looked upon him with contempt — and felt a deep sense of vindication, basking in boundless glory as years of accumulated gloom were swept away in an instant. Yet all the while, a great stone remained lodged upon his heart.
"Iron Pillar, you must be selected!"
"Second Sister-in-law, following my second brother all your life has truly been a blessing. Now that you have a child like Iron Pillar, who in all the villages around won't know your name?"
"Exactly, Second Sister-in-law, your child is far more capable than my boy. Iron Pillar has been bright and clever since he was little — truly a fine child."
"Iron Pillar's mother, we may be of the same clan, but these days marriages within the clan are common enough. My daughter has come of age, and Iron Pillar is such a fine-looking young man—I've had my eye on him since he was small. Why don't our two families become in-laws?" Just as it was around Iron Pillar's father, a cluster of women had gathered around Iron Pillar's mother as well, all chatting warmly with one another about the everyday affairs of village life.
Iron Pillar's elder brother watched all of this with cold eyes, thinking to himself: *just wait—once the Immortal brings the children back, we'll know the outcome. If Iron Pillar isn't chosen, let's see how you, Second Brother, intend to explain yourself.*
At the thought of this, he let out a hearty laugh, raised his cup, and exchanged a few obliging words with the relatives at his side who had been praising his children.
The scene was in an uproar, loud and chaotic without end. Just then, a streak of brilliant rainbow light suddenly arced across the horizon, descending into the great courtyard and revealing four figures.
The surroundings instantly fell silent. All the Wang clan members trembled with fear, not daring to utter a word.
The young man from the Heng Yue Sect swept his gaze across the scene and sighed inwardly. When he himself had been taken in as a disciple of the Heng Yue Sect back then, the people of his hometown had celebrated just the same. A wave of feeling washed over him, and he turned to look long and deeply at Wang Lin — for he knew that what this boy was about to face was something even grown men could not bear.
"The Great Dao is merciless…" The young man shook his head. With a single movement, he mounted his sword-light and departed.
"A cultivator cannot be burdened by worldly ties — each of you settle your own affairs. In three days, I will come back for you." His voice drifted over from a distance.
Iron Pillar's father's elder brother, the moment he saw the immortal depart, immediately stepped forward and gazed at his son with eager excitement, asking: "Did Immortal Daoxu take you as his disciple?"
Wang Zhuo wore an expression of smug satisfaction and declared proudly, "But of course. Master said that within ten years, I shall become the finest disciple the Hengyue Sect has ever produced."
Wang Zhuo's father was overjoyed. He clapped his son firmly on the shoulder and laughed aloud: "Excellent! Wang Zhuo, you're going to be an Immortal — our Wang family has an Immortal now! Ha ha!"
Wang Hao's father's face was etched with anxious concern. He fixed his gaze on Wang Hao, just about to ask, when Wang Hao let out a yawn and said with a smug grin, "Father, no need to ask. Your son is already a disciple of the Hengyue Sect."
Wang Hao's father was beside himself with joy, raising his wine cup and taking a long, fierce swig. Wang Zhuo's eyes glinted with contempt as he spoke in a sarcastic, sing-song tone: "Third Uncle, what a fine son you've raised — he's dragged the Wang family name through the mud in front of everyone. He groveled shamelessly before the Immortal and topped it off with gifts, and even then he only barely scraped by with the qualification of a medicine boy."
Wang Hao raised an eyebrow and sneered, "I'll do as I please — so what? When the time comes, we'll see whose immortal arts are more powerful, and that will tell us exactly who's bringing shame to the Wang family."
Iron Pillar's father had been watching his son the whole time. When he caught a flicker of dejection on Iron Pillar's face, a tremor ran through his heart, and a sense of foreboding began to rise within him.
"Iron Pillar, you… how are you doing?" Iron Pillar's mother asked, her heart full of hope.