C1 Yang Family Young Man

This year is a leap year.

In keeping with the traditions of the Great Wei, during a leap year, all men and women who turn sixteen are required to ascend the sacrificial altar on their birthday to undergo a test of their cultivation talent. This test determines whether they possess the necessary aptitude to become cultivators.

For many, particularly the children from impoverished families, this quadrennial examination of Immortal Cultivation talent represents a second chance bestowed by the heavens.

While aristocratic families may retain their talented individuals, commoners identified as having such talent are conscripted by local authorities for potential selection and employment by the court.

Among those chosen over the past decades, the most renowned is the current Prime Minister of Great Wei, Xu Ruxian. Born into poverty, Xu Ruxian was a self-taught prodigy who achieved the Second Stage on his own. At sixteen, he was recognized for his upper-grade level 6 cultivation talent and caught the Emperor's eye, leading to his eventual rise to Prime Minister.

This is the esteemed Leap Test of Great Wei.

The Leap Test focuses solely on an individual's talent. Those found to possess graded talent during the test may be selected by the Emperor or an official to become their disciple. These fortunate individuals are then placed in the State Hall for study, and within three years, they can ascend to officialdom.

Cultivation talent is rare, and high-grade talent even more so. Including the great families, the past decade has seen an average of fewer than a thousand individuals selected each year.

Of these thousand, only about a hundred ultimately make the cut.

Those who fail the test but still possess cultivation talent are assigned to local government studies. Sometimes, they are dispatched to the frontier to lead soldiers on missions.

Today is June 24th.

For the Yang family of Great Wei, it's a day of celebration. This year, three members of the Yang family are eligible for the test.

Should just one of them demonstrate sufficient talent and be chosen by the Imperial Court, the Yang family could see a return to prominence in the coming years.

If not, they must await the next leap year.

At this moment, within the grand hall of the Yang family estate, the current patriarch, Yang Dingshan, who was just over forty, sat at the head of the room. His temples were touched with gray, but his presence was undeniably commanding. Yang Zhixue presented the annual reports for the three children, her long lashes casting a shadow over her hesitant gaze, betraying her inner turmoil.

Yang Dingshan glanced at her, then nonchalantly set the papers aside.

"Have they all arrived?"

"Yang Ahjiao, Yang Qianhuan, and Yang Zhou are already in the ancestral hall."

"Good..."

"Big brother, there's one more..."

"Who?"

"Yang Xuan has turned sixteen this year as well. His birthday falls on the 24th of June."

"Yang Xuan?" Yang Dingshan drummed his fingers on the table, lost in thought for a moment, before finally letting out a sigh, "There's no need for him to come just yet."

"Big brother, though he bears a stigma, the grudges of our generation should not extend to the next."

Yang Dingshan seemed to ignore her words.

Undeterred, Yang Zhixue pressed on, "Big brother, what if that child possesses a rare talent, akin to that of his parents..."

"If that is so, then it's a fortune the Yang family is not destined to have." His voice was even, his resolve clear.

"Big brother..." Yang Zhixue attempted to continue, but ultimately, she exhaled a weary sigh and held her peace. With a slight bow, she turned and departed.

Yet as she left, her eyes hardened with determination.

Exiting the hall, she made her way to a courtyard etched in her memory...

Tucked away at the very rear of the Yang family's expansive estate, the courtyard lay in a state of genteel decay. The family, once illustrious, had let the grounds fall into disrepair, and this back courtyard bore the brunt of neglect. Crumbling walls and missing roof tiles were the norm, but the well-tended plants hinted at life within.

In the courtyard, a young man in simple garb was diligently tending to the eaves and chambers.

His demeanor and every move he made were executed with utmost seriousness. His intensity bordered on the obsessive, as if he were not merely sweeping away dust, but rather tending to exquisite works of art. He meticulously cleaned each piece, moving from the inner room to the outer, and then from there to the courtyard. Only after the youth had finished his thorough cleaning and was certain no trace remained did he allow himself a sense of satisfaction with the job well done.

Next, he looked up at the spot where a tile had come loose. He reckoned that without prompt repairs, the roof would only deteriorate further. He fetched a wooden ladder from the earroom and propped it against the wall. With a wooden bucket filled with pliable mud in hand, he carefully ascended. Reaching the eaves, he anchored a corner of the bucket in the gutter and sealed it with a dollop of mud to prevent any slipping. Only then did he confidently climb onto the roof.

Mending the leaks with mud was not particularly challenging for him. The real difficulty lay in maintaining a steady footing on the roof and ensuring he didn't tumble down.

Luckily, the youth, Yang Xuan by name, was well-practiced in these tasks. As he climbed atop the roof, he straightened up with ease. His eyes scanned the expanse, quickly assessing the areas in need of repair. Bending to lift the bucket, he moved step by careful step toward the damaged sections...

Yang Xuan had been orphaned at a young age. He had spent his entire life in this small courtyard, scarcely ever venturing beyond its walls. The furthest he had ever traveled was to a nearby temple.

For over a decade, he had grown accustomed to solitude, mastering the arts of cooking, laundry, pest control, and patching up leaks—there wasn't a domestic task he hadn't tackled. He had even managed to glean some rudimentary medical knowledge through trial and error.

Yang Xuan pressed on until he reached a particularly leaky spot. His gaze involuntarily drifted to the newest addition to the Yang family estate—the ancestral hall, a shrine to his forebears.

From his vantage point on the roof, he could see a crowd gathering at the hall. Clearly, an event of significance was unfolding, but whatever it was, it bore no relevance to him. With only a fleeting glance, he returned to his task, scooping up a handful of mud and filling in a wide crack. He smoothed it over gently, then resumed the repetitive motion, lost in the rhythm of his work.

Roughly half an hour had passed when the leak in the roof was finally patched up. The mud in the wooden bucket was just sufficient. Yang Xuan wiped the sweat from his brow, turned, and made his way to the edge of the roof. Holding onto the eaves, he descended the ladder.

Just then, a series of knocks disturbed the silence of the courtyard outside.