Under the bright blue moon, on a night filled with cherry blossoms, two infants in a small village below Mount Hua are born, not too far apart from one another. Their families are even friends of each other, having been in the same sect and through many life or death situations together as a group.
One is named Henry Dillon.
The other is named Levi Dale.
On this night, two souls entered the world, two souls who no one yet knew would change the world. Two souls, bound by the machinations of fate and destined for greatness.
Five years later…
Henry and Levi were playing by the pond, laughing and enjoying their time together. They’re known by the villagers of the Hua Village for being mischievous and almost attached at the hip. One cannot get one without the other. This came about as a natural result of their families being friends, though Levi’s parents died about 2 years after due to a plague that affects cultivators. Levi was drawn to Henry out of his naturally curious nature from a very young age, wondering about the only other kid his age in his small corner of the village.
Henry was very mischievous, oftentimes playing childish pranks, much to the dismay of his parents, and Levi was often drawn into them simply because he enjoyed spending time with Henry. It wasn’t uncommon to find objects in his family’s house in a random corner or lost to all but Henry himself, simply because he found it entertaining.
It was simply that this time, Henry and Levi got a little over their heads.
Henry pulled the string from an elder’s white robes while wandering about his family’s business with Levi, and accidentally pulled the entire robe. Alyssa, Henry’s mom immediately ran over.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, sir. My son’s a bit of a troublemaker. Do you need any reparations or anything to make this better?” Alyssa’s hand was planted on top of Henry’s head and made him bow with her.
The elder laughed. “Oh, no, none of that. I understand how children can be.” He looked deeply into Henry and Levi’s eyes, and they felt like all their secrets were laid bare to the world, almost like they were unclothed.
“Now that I think about it, have you gotten these two tested for martial arts talent at the Mount Hua branch in this village?”
“No, sir, Henry and Levi were never tested. We simply don’t have the means. It’s ten gold coins per person, which is enough to feed the family for a year. We couldn’t afford to give up that amount of money.”
“I understand. Tell you what, I’ll take them to the branch myself to get them tested. Henry’s eyes, though mischievous, hide a great wit and intelligence. He should be pretty talented. As for Levi, his are naturally curious and hide a studious nature unlike most of the disciples I see up at Mount Hua. Is that okay with you?”
“Are you sure, sir? Pardon my suspicion, but who are you?”
The elder pulled a jade talisman out of his pocket, with the words “David Elmont, Grand Elder of Mount Hua” engraved onto it.
“I greet the Grand Elder of Mount Hua. I’ll go with you just to make sure. I assume that’s alright, sir?”
“Oh yes, perfectly fine by me. If they have good talent for martial arts, I swear that I will take Henry and Levi as my disciples.”
“Thank you sir. Why are you doing this, though?”
David let out a small laugh. “I simply found something very interesting in the both of them.”
A few minutes later, David, Alyssa, Levi and Henry reach the Mount Hua branch, and they enter with David at the front.
“Welcome to the Hua Village branch of the Mount Hua Sect. How may I help you today?
“I’d like a talent examination of these two here.” David pulled Levi and Henry forward.
“Okay, that’ll be twenty gold coins.”
David showed the receptionist his Elder talisman.
“Never mind. Carry on to the back, my lord.”
David brings Henry and Levi to the back, where they’re examined using a talent tablet.
The receptionist’s eyes go wide. “Excuse me one moment, this tablet might be broken.”
“What’s the problem?” David asked.
“Their tablets say they have Iridium-level talent, with the black haired one being more geared towards the four elements, while the silver-haired one is geared towards light and darkness.”
David laughed loudly. “I knew I found a couple special talents. I was really lucky to find two Iridium-level talents in an inn who are also friends!”
David takes Henry and Levi back to the front, where Alyssa’s waiting for them.
David tries his best to put on a serious face, but he simply cannot suppress the smile from his face.
“Did something good happen, sir?”
David breaks out into a goofy smile, saying “Yes. Henry and Levi are Iridium-level talents.”
“Iridium-level?”
“It means that they’re highly likely to become Immortals if given the right environment and opportunities. Even I don’t have the talent to go that far, considering I’ve been stuck at the Transcendent level for the last 300 years. I decided it was time to find a disciple for when I die of old age. I may be spry right now, but I can’t be healthy and spry for the rest of time. That’s a privilege given only to those capable of achieving Immortality. So, Henry, do you want to be my disciple?”
Henry nods vigorously. “I wanna be an immortal. Can Levi come with me?”
David laughs. “Of course he can! We just have to get permission from his parents.”
Levi suddenly looked downcast at the mention of his parents.
Alyssa hurriedly said “Sir, I’m the guardian of Levi, his parents died in a cultivator plague about a year ago. My husband and I were best friends with his parents, so we took him in as a ward.”
The mood suddenly turned slightly gloomy. David’s shoulders slumped a little. “I see. I’m so sorry for your loss. Do you mind if I take these two on as my disciples? I get the feeling they’d throw a tantrum if we separated the two.”
“If that’s what you wish, sir, I believe Levi and Henry would be ecstatic. But do you mind if they stay here until they’re seven years old? I think they’re much too small and immature to be doing anything like that at this age.”
“Of course we can do that. Tell you what, I’ll build a house across the street from you and will teach them some basic exercises to strengthen their bodies. Of course, I’ll also make sure you and your husband live comfortably rather than going from paycheck to paycheck.”
“Then I accept your offer. Thank you very much for your consideration, sir.”
Over the next two years, Henry and Levi begin to strengthen their bodies in preparation for being formally accepted as disciples of the Grand Elder, David Elmont, alongside having the impurities blocking their meridians slowly cleared by David’s Ki, so they can begin cultivating, as well as teaching them how to read. It was only about three hours per day, but still invaluable for Henry and Levi’s developing minds.
Two years later…
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