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.
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
mance] After transmigrating for eighteen years, Lin Qi lived as an utterly ordinary herbalist in the countryside. One day, he kindly brought home a sickly, beautiful girl covered in blood. They married in a flash and began their blissful, intimate life together. Right then, his long-delayed system finally activated. [Warning! Host detected in contact with the "Crimson Calamity," the world-ending witch!] Lin Qi looked at the adorable wife currently curled in his arms, who couldn't even open a jar lid and trembled at the sight of a mouse. Lin Qi: "System, are you insane? This is clearly just a weak and delicate sickly girl!" Thus, Lin Qi treated the system as a "Contrast System," where taking care of his wife made him stronger. Combing his wife's hair rewarded him with [Free Attribute Points]. Taking his wife out for sunshine rewarded him with [Forbidden Spell: Arcane Explosion]. Lin Qi: "This soft life tastes so good!" ... Yet, in the eyes of outsiders: The strongest Beastkin Assassin: "That man dissected a Beast King with a common skinning knife! That was a show of force towards the powerful!" The Holy Son of the Radiant Church: "I infiltrated his home as a tutor, but he had me babysit the children... He must have seen through my disguise!" The World-Ending Witch, Felucia: "I hid all the way in the countryside. How is it that the husband I married on a whim is stronger than I was at my peak?"
[Dao Companion Rental System]. By renting himself out as a temporary dao companion to daughters of destiny, Qin Hao could obtain generous rewards. His service philosophy was simple: play the role of the devoted lover, resolve their troubles, depart without a trace once the matter was settled, and absolutely avoid entangling karma. However, those daughters of destiny didn't see it that way. That night, all the major powers across the Three Realms and Nine Heavens jointly besieged the Qin Clan, plunging it into an unprecedented crisis. "It's Su Qingyue! The peerless sword immortal who attained the Dao and became an Immortal Emperor in a thousand years, the one who severed the River of Time with a single sword strike! When... when did our Qin Clan make an enemy of her?" Qin Hao stepped forward, clearing his throat lightly: "Ahem, Ancestors, don't panic. She's here for me. To be honest... she's my ex-girlfriend." From another direction, the newly ascended Empress of the Demon Realm arrived with ten thousand demons pressing on the border: "Qin Hao! Today, the entire Qin Clan shall be buried with you!" Hearing this, the Qin Clan ancestors all turned their eyes sharply towards Qin Hao. Qin Hao scratched his head somewhat sheepishly: "The Demon Empress... she's also my ex-girlfriend." Before the Qin ancestors could process this, an aloof figure traversed the River of Time: "The Qin Clan deserves annihilation!" Recognizing the newcomer, the Qin ancestors paled in terror: "It's her! Liu Ruyan, the Extinction Empress who ventured alone into the alien realm and suppressed it for an entire epoch! Didn't she vanish into the River of Time long ago? Why would she cross it just to target our clan?" Qin Hao scratched his head again, looking even more embarrassed: "My fault, my fault. She's an ex-girlfriend too." Watching countless celestial maidens descend, the Qin Clan ancestors were utterly astounded: "You scoundrel! Just... just how many women have you gotten involved with over the years?"
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)
