Everything has its own hierarchy of disdain.
From the choice between fuel and electric vehicles to the types of gaming platforms, disdain and a sense of superiority exist equally in all things.
Among the many extraordinary systems, cultivators are undoubtedly the most arrogant. In the eyes of Li Wanshou, systems like magic are not even worth a single strand of hair compared to the Path of Immortality.
"Change it, it must be changed!"
The old man huffed and puffed, his beard bristling.
"What’s the point of becoming a god? My disciple must ascend to immortality. When that happens, having both master and disciple as immortals—wouldn’t that be splendid?"
"Hmph, you foolish disciple, it’s not too late to correct your path now!"
"Let me reshape your spiritual roots for you!"
"Master, actually, I..." Xu Xi was about to explain that he had been practicing both cultivation and magic, and that his once-damaged heavenly spiritual root had already been restored.
But Li Wanshou acted quickly.
The wind pressed against the bamboo, and the leaves rustled as the old man’s wrinkled hand moved through the light.
From the intangible void, he pulled out an object.
A radiant emerald glow shimmered unpredictably, resembling crystalline jade or a tenacious, growing root. It was clearly a rare treasure of the wood element.
Based on experience, Xu Xi immediately recognized it as an excellent material for crafting an external wood-type spiritual root.
No.
Xu Xi’s expression turned to one of surprise. What the old man had retrieved was not raw material but a nearly completed semi-finished product, only needing to be implanted into a person’s body.
This indicated that Li Wanshou had been preparing for this day for a long time.
Xu Xi was certain of this.
The old man himself hadn’t anticipated the possibility of meeting again, and his earlier astonishment and joy had been genuine.
So, what mindset had driven the old man to prepare such a spiritual root in advance?
"Master," Xu Xi spoke softly.
"What is it now, you rebellious disciple?" Li Wanshou frowned slightly.
"Nothing, I just suddenly wanted to apologize to you."
"Hmph, at least you have some conscience. It wasn’t in vain that I went through the trouble of... ahem, acquiring this branch of the World Tree for you."
The old man raised an eyebrow, looking quite pleased with himself.
However, just as he held the branch of the World Tree, ready to implant it into Xu Xi, he was shocked to discover that a wood-type heavenly spiritual root was already firmly rooted within Xu Xi’s body.
Xu Xi was not only a Sanctuary Magus but also a great cultivator at the Nascent Soul Realm.
"This... this is..."
The old man was utterly baffled.
The fact that his beloved disciple had returned from the dead was already shocking enough.
He never expected that the heavenly spiritual root, which should have been completely destroyed, had also been restored.
"I suppose this is just a stroke of luck," Xu Xi smiled, not revealing the existence of the simulator and instead attributing everything to the grand power of world fusion.
"To think it would turn out this way. All that effort I put into finding this World Tree branch," Li Wanshou lamented, his expression filled with regret.
He glanced at the branch, his eyes filled with disdain, and casually tossed it to Xu Xi.
In his words, it was nothing more than a worthless piece of wood, utterly useless to an immortal like him, so he might as well give it to Xu Xi.
Xu Xi smiled and thanked him, accepting the gift without hesitation.
His master’s stubbornness was as consistent as ever.
Gently swirling the teacup, the spiritual bamboo water danced gracefully within, releasing a refreshing aroma. With a light sip, it offered a smooth, evenly balanced warmth.
Xu Xi and Li Wanshou sat facing each other, surrounded by green mountains and clear waters, savoring the gentle breeze and the faint, pervasive spiritual energy.
"Master, are you truly at the immortal realm now?"
"Of course."
Faced with Xu Xi’s curious question, Li Wanshou couldn’t help but stroke his beard and laugh, clearly pleased that his disciple had finally asked.
"My talent was never great, far inferior to your heavenly spiritual root."
"But my fortune has been extraordinary, hahaha."
"Somehow, as my lifespan neared its end, I stumbled upon an immortal pill. Not only did it allow me to break through to the Divine Transformation Stage, escaping the confines of mortality, but it also vastly improved my cultivation aptitude. Truly marvelous!"
The old man spoke at length, his expression seemingly calm, but the corners of his mouth betrayed his pride.
He recounted his cultivation history in great detail, from shocking the cultivation world to slaying peak-level experts, all the way up to his ascension to immortality. Only then did he pause to take a sip of spiritual water to quench his thirst.
"So, you’ve truly ascended to immortality?"
"Would I lie about such a thing?"
After hearing Li Wanshou’s reply, Xu Xi grew even more puzzled. "Then why aren’t you in the immortal realm? Why have you come to this world instead?"
The old man’s expression stiffened, as if he had been struck by a sore spot.
His lips twitched, and after a long pause, he finally managed to utter, "The immortal realm... is gone."
The old man began to recount his experience.
It was on a bright, sunny morning. Having reached the pinnacle of mortal cultivation, he stepped into the immortal ascension light under the reverent gazes of countless disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect. His mortal body transformed, and his soul was remade.
Everything had gone so smoothly.
Everything had felt so natural.
Li Wanshou soared through the void, comprehending the Dao, and ascended to immortality amidst a shower of heavenly flowers and golden lotuses. His form flew into the infinitely distant reaches of space, eventually being drawn into the immortal realm.
The immortal realm was as beautiful and mysterious as it was described in the ancient texts of various sects, if not more so.
Ancient and immortal.
The Dao itself seemed to reside there.
Vast heavens revolved around the immortal realm, and endless seas of worlds surged at its edges.
It was the center of all realms, the ultimate destination for countless seekers of the Dao. Immortal light shone brilliantly, and colossal stars pressed against the boundaries of existence.
True immortals meditated on the principles of the universe within the immortal realm.
Supreme Immortal Kings ruled over boundless domains.
True dragons soared through the nine heavens, and qilins roamed the nine lands, perfectly embodying what it meant to be in the realm of immortals.
At that time, Li Wanshou was so awestruck by the sight of the immortal realm that he was rendered speechless. When he finally regained his composure and eagerly prepared to explore the immortal realm, disaster struck without warning.
The immortal realm...
Was severed by a single sword strike.
Yes, literally, a flawless sword light cleaved the realm in two.
Some immortals cried out, "He has returned."
Li Wanshou didn’t understand. As a newly ascended immortal, his knowledge of the immortal realm was too limited. He didn’t even know what he was supposed to do.
He had originally planned to search for Xu Moli in the immortal realm, to take care of his disciple’s only relative.
But the upheaval in the immortal realm was too sudden.
Time and space collapsed, and the immortal realm exploded. Li Wanshou, who had just ascended, was as weak as an ant, pulled and torn by the collapsing spacetime, utterly unable to control his fate.
In the end, as Xu Xi had seen, he was forced to traverse to the real world.
"Tell me, how could such a grand immortal realm just... vanish?"
The old man sighed deeply.
With a frustrated expression, he drained his cup of spiritual water in one gulp.
"Although I am at the true immortal realm, that calamity was too vast. Now, no matter what I do, I can’t find a way back."
"Reluctantly, I’ve stayed in this world as a guest advisor."
"Doing this... uh, Supernatural Bureau Director thing."
Li Wanshou’s reasoning was simple.
Though Earth was not the cultivation world he was familiar with, the culture and customs of China bore many similarities to the cultivation world, so he chose to lend a hand.
At the same time, the fusion of supernatural forces and the emergence of the Boundary Ruins had caught his attention.
He speculated that there might be something unique about Earth that attracted the convergence of myriad realms. If he could unravel this mystery, perhaps he could find a way to return to his original cultivation world.
As for the immortal realm...
Having witnessed its destruction firsthand, the old man no longer held any hope for its survival.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
invincible power, Gu Changge transmigrates into a fantasy world, bound to a sign-in system that grants him cultivation rewards and various peerless treasures daily. While others struggle desperately to break through their cultivation realms, he has long since reached the pinnacle of the Great Dao, becoming a reclusive Emperor whose true strength even he himself cannot fathom. Originally planning to lie low and retire peacefully on Purple Bamboo Peak, the system suddenly issues a new task — take on disciples. With no other choice, Gu Changge casually picks up a few disciples: The eldest disciple, born with a War God Constitution, is thrown a copy of "War God Stratagems" by him, and ends up conquering the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, becoming a peerless War God who sweeps across the cosmos. The second disciple, possessing a Chaos Sword Body, can break all techniques with a single sword, his swordsmanship unmatched throughout history. He points his sword at the heavens: "My master said, the sword and the man stand together. If the sword perishes... my master will give me another one." The third disciple, a reborn Empress who returns to her throne, her elegance and grace overshadowing all beings. And without anyone noticing, his own sect, the Qingxuan Sect, has become the number one sect on the continent. Looking at these unbelievably formidable disciples, Gu Changge, holding the "Primordial Purple Qi" he just signed in for, falls into deep thought: — Wasn't this supposed to be a peaceful retirement? How did I become the ultimate master?!
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
