Donglin Town was neither large nor small. Such a town was little more than a single long street, the distance from one end to the other traversable in the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn.

The town's daily life was usually quite dull. But when something extraordinary happened in a town like this, the news would race from one end to the other, as it was doing now.

"Did you hear? Old Doctor Lu's ten-year-old son, Lu Yuan, from the east end of town, was taken as a disciple by a white-haired, venerable immortal who possessed true immortal bearing." said Aunt Zhao, who was washing clothes by the river.

"That little brat taken as a disciple by an immortal? What good fortune." commented a young woman nearby.

"Yes, what happened?" another aunt asked Aunt Zhao. "I heard it was because of his good nature, his willingness to risk danger to save others, that the immortal took him as a disciple," Aunt Zhao explained.

"No way. That little brat Lu Yuan, saving people by risking himself?" one aunt scoffed.

"I only remember that little scamp always leading a gang of kids in causing mischief, stealing fruit when he could. He was certainly the king of the children, but he also sneaked peeks at young wives and ladies bathing.

Him saving others?" "True, I also find that impossible. I've watched that kid grow up since he was wearing split-crotch trousers; that's just not his nature," another aunt, clearly very familiar with Lu Yuan, chimed in.

"But regardless, that little rascal Lu Yuan has gained an immortal affinity and become an immortal's disciple now," concluded a young woman. "That little devil Lu Yuan is really lucky." "Indeed, he'll be an immortal from now on." "An immortal, tsk, tsk." "Exactly.

Young Mistress Xie, I hear that little devil Lu Yuan used to sneak peeks at you bathing too. Now that he’s an immortal, maybe he’ll come looking for you again." At this remark, the pretty young wives of the Xie family instantly blushed crimson.

The Young Mistress Xie in question was barely sixteen, having been married for only six months, her complexion tender and easily flustered. She was prettily featured, with a delicate face and two thick, raven-black braids.

... At this moment, near the east end of town, stood a sharp-eyed, seemingly astute young boy beside a white-haired elder whose appearance exuded immortal grace.

This boy was naturally Lu Yuan, the mischievous sprite everyone was talking about, and the elder beside him was the immortal figure of the day. Lu Yuan was currently replaying events in his mind, trying to piece together precisely what had transpired.

Let's start the recollection from the very beginning. First, this morning, he and a group of friends went playing in the woods outside of town.

He happened to have sharp eyes and spotted a fierce, wild leopard from afar. He was instantly scared witless, but his reflexes kicked in immediately, and he shouted for the others to scramble up a large tree.

However, that fat third son of the Jia family, due to his excessive weight combined with his excitement, couldn't manage to climb up. With the leopard already right before them, the fear was overwhelming.

He had heard tales of the leopard's terrifying might before—stories of Uncle So-and-so or Elder So-and-so being killed by tigers—but he had never seen one firsthand. This time, he had a clear view, even from the tree.

With the tiger below and him above, he could still feel the beast's ferocious presence; a gust of foul air rushed past. For some inexplicable reason, the tiger’s eyes were fixed solely on him, and being stared down by those two pupils made his legs weak.

At that critical juncture, as if fate itself intervened, His leg slipped. This slip sent him tumbling right out of the tree.

By the time he collected himself, the tiger was right in front of him. He was terrified beyond measure, wanting only to flee for his life.

But even grown men couldn't outrun a tiger, let alone a child like him. Even moving at his top speed, suddenly, a flash of white light appeared, striking the tiger dead.

Following this, the white-haired immortal elder made his appearance. The white-haired elder actually assumed that Lu Yuan, who had been sitting safely in the tree, decided to climb down because of a chivalrous heart, wishing to save that fat third son of the Jia family.

Thus, the elder concluded his nature was excellent and accepted him as a disciple. Heaven knows, at that moment, he simply slipped!

While he wasn't exactly a bad person, he was certainly no grand, altruistic hero willing to sacrifice his life for others. This entire affair was caused purely by a clumsy slip of the foot—a complete misunderstanding.

However, since this white-haired immortal elder believed this, Lu Yuan certainly wasn't foolish enough to try and explain the truth. This was an Immortal Affinity!

Legend said that immortals could move mountains, cleave peaks, and carry Mount Tai across the North Sea. In Lu Yuan’s young mind, the Town Head was already an immensely important official.

But he’d heard there were County Magistrates above the Head, Prefects above the Magistrates, Prime Ministers above the Prefects, and the Emperor above all. And immortals, it was rumored, were even greater than the Emperor, requiring no bow even from him—what mighty figures they must be.

Now, he had the chance to join the ranks of an immortal. In the future, perhaps he too would become an immortal.

Heh heh. Since that was the case, why would he bother explaining the misunderstanding?

Sometimes, people are just that lucky. A slip of his foot led to a complete mix-up, which in turn brought about an Immortal Affinity.

What is good fortune? This is good fortune!

When he eventually becomes an immortal, won't he have all the money he desires? He can become an official if he wants, and he’ll certainly marry a wife as beautiful as Young Mistress Xie.

That, he thought, would surely be a supremely joyful and happy life... As Lu Yuan mulled it over, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curved into a smile.

Though possessing a touch of cleverness and cunning, Lu Yuan was, after all, only a ten-year-old boy, incapable of concealing too much of his ambition. Precisely because he envisioned becoming a legendary immortal elder and enjoying a happy future, Lu Yuan felt no sadness when bidding farewell to his parents; instead, he was filled with excitement.

There was no trace of homesickness or melancholy. "You have already said your goodbyes to your parents.

Now, we must depart," the white-haired immortal elder instructed. "Yes," Lu Yuan replied, already soaring with eagerness.

—————— Above the sky, white clouds drifted lazily. Suspended amidst the vast expanse of white clouds floated a bowl of deep azure.

This azure bowl was perhaps the size of a carriage. Within the bowl, a white-haired elder sat cross-legged, while a sharp-eyed, cunning-looking boy of about ten peered around curiously.

Lu Yuan was utterly astonished. The Elder truly was an immortal, possessing immortal methods!

Just moments ago, the white-haired elder had pulled out a regular-sized green bowl from his robes, tossed it into the air, and it continued to expand without ceasing until it reached the size of a carriage. He then sat inside, and during the ascent, the ride was incredibly steady, shaking not at all, nor did he feel the fierce rush of the wind.

Immortal methods were truly wondrous! He too would become an immortal in the future.

Lu Yuan’s eyes sparkled, filled with anticipation for the life ahead. The white-haired elder commanded, "Go." The azure bowl immediately shot toward the southeast.

The elder explained, "There are some things I must tell you. Mortals call us Immortal Elders, but we are not true gods; we are merely cultivators.

We cultivators absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to temper our bodies, achieving various feats that astonish mortals—we can fly and burrow underground. To mortals, these skills might seem divine, but we are not true deities.

Since you are taken as my disciple, you ought to know this. My surname is Li, my given name Yuanbai.

I am an elder of the ninth generation in the Huashan Immortal Sect." "As for the Huashan Immortal Sect, it is one of the Five Great Immortal Sects of the Great Jin Kingdom, founded five thousand years ago by the Patriarch, True Man Tongxiao." "Henceforth, you shall belong to my lineage, becoming a tenth-generation disciple of the Huashan Immortal Sect." "As for the location of the Huashan Immortal Sect, it resides on Mount Hua, which is still tens of thousands of li away from here. It will take some time to arrive." When the white-haired elder ceased speaking, Lu Yuan gazed left and right in curiosity.

Looking at the earth from the sky was entirely different from viewing it from the ground. From above, the world seemed much smaller; towering mountain ranges appeared like little dirt mounds, towns like miniature toy blocks, and rivers resembled mere trickles of water.

The view from the ground and the view from the sky were truly vastly different. Moreover, Lu Yuan realized that when looking up from the ground, the sky seemed empty.

Now, he saw that the heavens were filled with various currents, dust, and rain—it was far from being a void. What a novel experience; he truly had his eyes opened.

He spent a day in this wonder when suddenly a massive mountain range appeared ahead. This startled Lu Yuan.

He recalled that the mountains he had seen before were like small dirt piles. This mountain, even viewed from the sky, appeared incomparably tall, perhaps towering over ten thousand zhang.

It seemed capable of overshadowing the heavens—truly a majestic peak. Looking down from the air, the mountain’s slopes were precipitous, its cliffs sheer, and its many peaks stood proud and elegant.

At this moment, the white-haired elder, Li Yuanbai, pointed to the massive mountain before them and said, "This place is Mount Hua, the seat of our Huashan Immortal Sect. Mount Hua comprises dozens of peaks, but five peaks are the tallest: the East Peak (Chaoyang Peak), the South Peak (Luoyan Peak), the West Peak (Lianhua Peak), the Central Peak (Yünü Peak), and the North Peak (Yuntai Peak).

The Huashan Immortal Sect is also divided into five branches, each residing on one of these five peaks. I am the elder of the North Peak, Yuntai Peak.

You will also be a tenth-generation disciple of Yuntai Peak." Li Yuanbai guided the deep azure bowl inward, manipulating hand seals. In the center, boundless rosy light, infinite restrictions, and seven-colored radiance manifested.

Clouds and winds swirled around them, within which corners of grand palaces occasionally flickered into view. For a moment, Lu Yuan was blinded by the overwhelming splendor, unable to see anything clearly.

He could only conclude: immortal methods were truly beyond compare. (Starting a new book!

This is a Classical Xianxia novel. I’ve written about the Primordial Wilderness/Journey to the West crossover, modern cultivation, and fantasy cultivation.

Now I want to try my hand at Classical Xianxia. See how my classical style turns out.

Classical Xianxia might start a bit slow, so please bear with me. Also, calling for favorites, recommendations, clicks, and whatever else—send whatever you have!

I accept everything!)