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.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
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)
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
