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.
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
