The closest people immediately took a few steps backwards, visibly disturbed as they recoiled: the young youth in front of them was so dirty that even his facial features were indistinguishable. His long, flowing, black hair too, which reached down to his waist, had earth and mud clinging onto it…

It made one wonder whether that truly was hair, or rather a clamp of weeds from some untold location.

The absolutely worst thing though, was that the boy reeked!

He reeked so badly that many people had to hold their noses and breath through their mouths.

Judging by smell alone, it wouldn't be weird for one to guess that the child had not taken a bath in a month. That, or he had to herald from some swamp. Otherwise, it was unthinkable how a child could stink so bad.

"You-Young child, what matters could possibly bring you to come to my Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect? Is a sibling of yours perhaps studying there?" The Inner Disciple asked the small boy while doing his best not to expose his annoyance: despite his exquisite acting skills, even he had trouble concealing the disgust on his face. Even with all the importance that he attributed to his image, when the child had first appeared he had clearly bent back slightly, if just to put the tiniest bit of distance between him and the dirty junior.

The golden-eyed child's gaze covertly scanned the man in front of him. In no time, his thin lips arranged into an imperceptible smile as he realized exactly the kind of man that was before him.

After noticing how much the man seemed to value face, the boy wasted no time and immediately started flattering him in front of the other disciples. The praises came out extremely smoothly, with the cadence of an actual starstruck child, without the slightest hint of sarcasm amidst the fancy words.

"Oh, Senior replied to me! Wow, wow- really! So kind... So good, uhh... This Lowly Junior has no siblings, no relatives, no friends at esteemed Senior's Mysterious, Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect. This lowly Junior came to join the Sect and become a powerful cultivator just like Senior! Esteemed Senior's strength can be seen simply by your air and demeanour! For sure if even a single disciple could rival you, then I am sure that I truly am in the vicinity of the Sect of Legends! For sure, for sure! No doubts at all!"

It was a beautifully done flattery, so much so that the man's expression immediately turned from disgust in the dirty youths' regards, to pride, and finally self-satisfaction. It was as if what he had just gained had not been a slight bit of face before his inferiors, but rather the greatest of riches imaginable!

He looked around, a huge smile plastered on his face as if he were saying: "See? This genius is so great even a small child understands how he should act in front of me!"

Huhuhu! Indeed, This Genius is the greatest!

"Cough, cough, ahem!" The man with three white stripes on his black robes stepped closer to the kid and he waved his hand towards him: immediately afterwards, the airflow changed! An invisible pressure started to firmly, yet gently, burrow into the child's clothes before emerging; at the same time as it did, the invisible power had also removed all traces of dirt or mud from the golden-eyed youngster's figure.

The child watched in 'amazement' as the filth gave way, leaving behind a clean, refined young boy: his smooth and long pitch-black hair, his wide, somewhat girly, golden eyes, as well as his pretty face mesmerized the public on the spot.

Those long eyelashes, that small, straight nose pointing slightly upwards... With such delicate features to his name, how in the world was this child not a girl?

He was even prettier than many beauties!

It was to the point that some youths felt their breath leave them and immediately found themselves wishing to cuddle and embrace the beautiful boy.

The child's pretty, girly looks coupled with the hint of courage between his eyebrows and the innocent and pure look in his bright, golden eyes... If he was this beautiful while still so young, how breathtaking would he become in the future? Gah, arrows of blood shot into the sky.

Subconsciously ignoring the strange reaction from his companions, the thirty-one-year-old cultivator smiled at the child, placing a hand on his small shoulder, "Good child! You sure know what you are talking about! You find yourself on the grounds just a short walk away from the grand Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect! As a little reward for guessing right..." The black-robed man looked up and the air surrounding them trembled. Then, the two suddenly shot upwards!

That single motion brought the two of them more than a dozen feet above solid ground. Just as they seemed on the verge of falling back down though, the crowd realized that the two of them did not seem to be dipping in the slightest.

With merely a few oscillations in their frame as the sole confirmation that they had yet to be completely freed of gravity, the child and the older man were comfortably fluctuating in the air.

The golden-eyed youth turned towards the man at his side, who was gently grasping his shoulder and sharing the power of flight of a true-blue Advanced Stage cultivator with him. The man looked back and, seeing his little friend's 'shocked' face, he explained while exuding superiority, "A king among men, you said? God among kings, you said?"

The golden-eyed boy had no idea where the latter part came from.

"Well my little Junior, you were absolutely right! Your Senior is indeed quite powerful... As an Advanced Stage Cultivator who has completely condensed my Core, I possess the power of flight! As a reward for, uh... guessing correctly, that's right; I, Inner Sect Disciple Liu Biao, shall personally escort you to the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect!" Having said that, the man that had called himself Liu Biao turned to face the tall walls in the distance. With the rotating of his powerful cultivation base, he advanced with confident steps.

Imagine the shocked gazes of the people below, suddenly seeing a scholarly gentleman and a child walking on thin air a few feet above their heads. The two chatted with little regard for the commotion underneath.

Huhuhu, be amazed! This, is the great me! Watch, and wonder!

...or at least, the one who didn't acted the part.

Like so, they quickly made their way towards the Sect.

Half an incense's worth of time later, the two could see a river of people had come to form before them.

The fort itself spanned many miles in both length and width. It was absolutely massive, so big that it could easily house the few million men of the Sect while still having plenty of space left over. Currently, many others were making their way there. They harboured hopes of becoming cultivators of an esteemed Sect and striking it big. Countless men, women, children, and elderly, all coming together before the walls. And above them, the duo of a scholarly gentleman and a beautiful young boy with a huge bag on his back, pleasantly conversing.

"My-oh-my young boy, you never fail to make me smile! Senior has given you his name, so won't you tell me what your name is?" As they made their way to the front of one of the countless cues, Liu Biao finally remembered to ask the pleasant youth beside him a few questions.

"Senior, this Junior is called Cheng Hao and I come from the south. From a village there. This Junior truly thanks Senior for his assistance. This Junior hopes to one day be able to repay your kindness! But as Senior is so strong and important, this measly Junior truly doesn't want to waste the great Senior's precious time. Me thinks- Me thinks that for Senior's best, it is better to part ways here..."

How draining was it to talk cutely, childishly? Once again, the golden-eyed child was reminded of it.

Fortunately, although the intention to sweet-talk and flatter the older man was crystal-clear in the boy's words, the 'Advanced Stage cultivator' had already fallen for the young man's soft schemes and sweet praises so much... That he actually couldn't bear to part with the boy! It was like biting into a delicious cake: now that he had gotten a bite once, twice, thrice, he wanted more! Because of this, he quickly dismissed the boy's suggestion. "Hahaha, then this Junior can call me big brother Biao and I will call you little brother Hao! How about it? There would be no need for such worries between family right? Onwards, let this big brother help you easily pass the exam for Vacant Disciples!"

Cheng Hao caught onto the occasion and bent his head. His big, bright eyes appeared hesitant as he softly called out...

"Big... Big brother Biao..."

Ugh! Too cute!Some passers-byes felt as if an arrow had suddenly stabbed into their chest.

Huhuhu! Indeed, This Genius is not only the greatest in cultivation… to have such a cute little brother, I must also be the greatest big brother!

"Ahahahah!" Liu Biao lifted his head upwards and laughed loudly to the sky.

By doing so though, he had also missed the elusive grin as well as the greedy countenance that appeared for a really short time in the child's pupils. Suddenly, the child's expression changed as he slapped a golden blur that was about to shoot out from his ragged clothing. The blur whimpered once and then crawled its way back into the depths of one of Cheng Hao's front pockets.

"Not yet, you greedy thing!" the child hissed. Without being seen, he hurriedly closed the front pocket where, for a moment, a golden, scaly tail could be seen moving about...

A short while later.

"Little Bro' Hao, you wouldn't by any chance have already started to cultivate, have you? Those trashy cultivation methods that ordinary peasants use could harm your foundation, as it isn't easy to fix one's foundations midway..."

"Big, big brother Biao," Cheng Hao called out adorably. "How could I? Our mountain village only had one cultivator, only one. And that cultivator wouldn't let even the closest of closest friends look at his cultivation method. Let alone a small, poor and..." he sniffed theatrically, "orphan child like me..." At that Cheng Hao gradually started to slow down and began to sob. It didn't take long before an incessant stream of tears also streaked down his cheeks.

"You... You were an orphan?"

"Y-yes... W-w-WAAAAAH! MOMMYYY! DADDYYY! WAAAH!"

Liu Biao panicked when he saw the child cry even more at his question. He felt his heart being stabbed by countless judging gazes.

He hesitated but he then knelt in front of the child, even if it meant dirtying his pristine Inner Sect robes. "Do not worry, Hao'Er!"

[Note: "insert name'Er" / "Littleinsert name" are endearing ways to refer to someone younger. In most western cultures, we don't quite have an equivalent, unfortunately, so this might sound foreign to those new to this genre of novel. With that cleared up, we can resume right as Liu Biao shows us how to properly pacify a crying orphan that is missing his parents.]

"You may have no parents, but now your big brother is here! Forget about them! Big brother Biao will protect you from now on!" After saying that he tightly hugged Cheng Hao and let the boy cry his heart out in his embrace.

After a long while, the child seemed to have finally calmed down and he looked at the older man with even more appreciation and ardour, grinning as his round, golden eyes filled with indescribable gentleness. "Big brother, thank you!"

Liu Biao was stunned, feeling as if just that full-teethed smile would be worth a country's demise. He immediately patted the boy's head and turned around. "Now, let us go, Hao'Er."

Behind him, Cheng Hao also looked at the wall that was now but a few hundred steps in front of them. An ambitious flame flickered in the depths of his pupils.

"I, Big Brother Biao, will make sure you pass that exam! You WILL join the Sect."

...

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE CAN'T JOIN???" Liu Biao furiously banged his fist on the table.

The poor wooden furniture immediately got crushed into splinters under the immense power of a complete Advanced Stage cultivation base. Thanks to the thirty-one-year-old cultivator's actions and fiery temper, all the people nearby immediately gave up on their intentions. They steered away as far as they could from the broken-down table and the three people that had gathered around it. They happily opted for other queues instead.

Sitting at the table, or at least the few splinters that had once been it, was a middle-aged man: he wore a white uniform with a single black stripe on it. The white robe indicated that he was an Elder, yes, but that single stripe showed he was only a mere Vacant Sect Elder... compared to an Inner Disciple, his status, and likely even his cultivation base, was as low as a soldier before the son of his feudal lord. As if that weren't enough, when the table had been destroyed, the poor guy had found out that the power of this arrogant disciple was more than a whole stage higher than his own.

Ultimately, he could do nothing but pray that this furniture murderer would let the matter go...

"E-e-esteemed inner disciple," he flattered, "The boy is simply way too young. We can't possibly allow such a young kid in our sect without his guardi- Yes, yes, esteemed Inner Disciple is his guardian now, I understand. None-Nonetheless, let alone the fact that we wouldn't be able to have an adequate measure of his talent due to his age... The rules for non-cultivators would still require him to pass through a vicious and arduous trial! If he attempted it as he is now, he could very well perish!" The Elder tried his best to explain.

Hearing the reasonable justification-

"Does it seem like I, your grandfather, gives a dog's crap about your rules??? If I say crawl, you crawl, if I say bark like a dog, you bark… and bring me back the stick I threw at you while at it! And so, if I say my little brother here will join the sect... HE. WILL. JOIN. THE. SECT. Am I clear?"

...of course.

Facing Liu Biao's, an Inner Disciple's, cursing, the Vacant Elder could only shut his mouth and not retaliate, hoping that the other party would eventually calm down... or a miracle happened.

"Big brother, you don't have to go as far... I will come back in a few years, how about it?" Hearing that pleasant, bright voice and the words just spoken, the Vacant Elder felt as if an angel had descended. He was on the verge of tears.

It's a miracle! Now, all that's left is for this guy to drop the matter and-

"Look here now… Are you listening to me?" Liu Biao leaned in threateningly, tunnel visioning on the Elder so much that he didn't appear to have heard the child's pleas, "Do you even KNOW who I am???"

F*CK!

The Elder's eyes twitched: he did not get paid enough for this!

Now that he thought about it, the table was his.

It wasn't cheap...

"Big brother!" Meanwhile, as the Vacant Elder was lost in his thoughts, Cheng Hao lamented in his place. The golden-eyed child had begun to tug at the older boy's clothing and urge him to stop, but all had been in vain: having completely immersed himself in his role of the "Greatest Brother", Liu Biao wouldn't listen to reason.

"Senior... I-I... Really can't-" The Elder finally managed to stutter…

"Are you not listening to ME? To MEEE?"

...But when he heard Liu Biao's reply, the poor guy found himself looking for a club or something to smash into that guy's crazed face, regardless of the difference between their status.

Unable to endure this sorry sight any longer, Cheng Hao gritted his pearly teeth and finally spoke out: "Big brother! I will just take the test! Esteemed Elder, there will be no problems if This Junior can pass the new disciple acceptance exam, right?"

"Uh?"

"Eh?"

Both the examination elder and Liu Biao looked at him with wide eyes and stopped arguing.

Alas, as the adorable child entered his vision, the enraged Inner Sect Disciple seemed to have calmed down. "Little brother, you should know that there are traps and monsters would await you, were you to take the test... You shouldn't throw your precious life away. Just leave it to big brother here!"

"I won't die!" Cheng Hao yelled as he teared up, hitting Liu Biao's side. "Please big brother, just stop arguing! You're scaring me!"

Liu Biao was stunned.

Scaring him? But… But I am the world's biggest brother!

Wait… could it be that, being the greatest, my love is just too much to handle for the average person?

"Little brother-" Liu Biao started...

Step, step, step.

But before he could say anymore, Cheng Hao had already walked towards the area where the middle-aged vacant elder was sitting, stepped on the teleportation hexagram laid on the ground, the one that would bring him to the test's location, and vanished.

Seeing the scene play out before their eyes, both the Elder and Liu Biao stared at the fading teleportation hexagram with blank expressions.

"Uhm, Senior? Does that little brother of yours perhaps have enormous strength even if he is so young? W-what special physique or treasure does he have to be so fearless? I'm in awe of his talent!" the Elder managing the examination asked Liu Biao: for the child to be so confident… was he perhaps a genius that had begun cultivating at such a young age?

At that, however, the black-robed disciple immediately paled. Treasures? Special physique? That orphan, poor village boy?

"He... He... HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY!!!!!"

Both Liu Biao and the elder looked at the fading lights of the hexagram in horror.

"NOOOOOOO!!!" Liu Biao tried to step on the hexagram before it disappeared with a huge leap, powered by his cultivation… but failed miserably and fiercely slammed into the wall.

He stood up with a bloodied nose, "STOP IT! Stop the new disciple acceptance exam! NOW!"

"I cannot!" cried the panicking Elder, "By the rules, now that it already holds a disciple in it, the exam has already started: unless he dies, nobody else can go in! Only the higher-ups can forcefully access an occupied examination array once it is occupied!"

"And where are they???"

"...they run away just earlier."

"Little Hao! NOOOOOO!"

Liu Biao started weeping on the ground where he knelt. He began rethinking his whole life: perhaps, just perhaps… there might be a sliver of a chance he was not the greatest brother?

And so, the encounter between the self-conceited Liu Biao and the cute Cheng Hao ended just like that.

Perhaps they might just encounter each other in the future. However, by then they would already be travelling very distinct paths.

And maybe, just maybe...

Had the Advanced Stage cultivator remained even just a little more clear-headed instead of drowning in his grief, he would've probably felt something was off.

Fortunately for the golden-eyed boy, it would only be much, much later, that the Inner Sect Disciple would finally discover that his belt had gotten one Heaven&Earth pouch lighter...