Chapter 6: Junior Disciple Grows Up

"Changshou, do you still remember the incantation I taught you yesterday? Recite it for me."

"Li Changshou! How can a Qi practitioner be so afraid of death? If you don't fight for it, how can you obtain opportunities?!"

Tsk, how did my master's attitude change so quickly? These two memories seemed to be decades apart. When I first joined the sect, Master was so amiable; but decades later, Master... was fiercely strict.

Li Changshou let out a wry chuckle, then realized his spiritual body seemed to be asleep, and the fatigue from his continuous cultivation still lingered. Was this... a dream? It had been a long time since he last dreamt. After his cultivation improved, the frequency of his sleep decreased significantly. Each time he slept, it was like this: because of prolonged, high-intensity cultivation, too much fatigue accumulated, and even with abundant spiritual power, he needed sleep to relieve the pressure on his spirit.

"Old Tian, Old Tian, stop pretending to be asleep! Get up, dammit, Old Tian!" He heard that person's hoarse shout again, and the sirens, coming from far away then drawing near, were still so clear... Li Changshou smiled bitterly, as if turning over in the darkness to confront the flood of memories.

He reviewed scene after scene as if casually observing flowers on horseback, as if watching another person's life story. In this story, there were no cultivators flying through the air or burrowing through the earth, no high and mighty deities. —Perhaps there were deities, but they remained unknown. The protagonist of the story was named Tian Zuguang, and it took place on a blue planet called Earth.

From Tian Zuguang's name, it was clear that his namer had high expectations for him, hoping he would bring glory to his ancestors. He had indeed worked hard, living a smooth life until he was twenty-eight, when he was suddenly diagnosed with an incurable illness... In his final moments, he leaned back in his wheelchair and gently exhaled, feeling the last bit of strength drain from his body, his consciousness seemingly about to fall into an endless abyss. Suddenly, a strong sense of unwillingness surged within him, like the final flicker of the flame of life. He clutched the wheelchair's handles and used all his strength to stand up, but before he could even take a step forward, he collapsed to the ground... Thus came the shout from his closest friend in his previous life:

"Old Tian, Old Tian, stop pretending to be asleep! Get up, dammit, Old Tian!"

The memory abruptly ceased, with a brief gap. This gap lasted for about three years, after which the subsequent scenes became much clearer. A little boy, wearing split pants and with pigtails, ran across a grassy field, then quickly grew up. When he was seven or eight, he encountered an old immortal and was taken as a disciple... This was probably a karmic entanglement, a fateful connection.

Li Changshou let out a soft sigh, sealing these memories and placing them in the deepest part of his spiritual ocean. Regardless, these were his most cherished possessions, even if time was slowly erasing their traces. He must not be negligent, nor slack off, as his surroundings were not as stable as they appeared.

Thinking this, Li Changshou turned over in the darkness, feeling his body gradually lose its fatigue. His spiritual sense spread around him, finding no abnormalities, and for a moment, he didn't want to wake up. Perhaps it was the long-unseen laziness resurfacing. While it was good to live another life, and he was grateful to the 'great deity' — whoever or whatever truly existed — who opened a back door for him, still... Could he not have been given a modern life instead?

Even if returning to modern times wasn't possible, an ancient era like the prosperous Tang or powerful Ming dynasties would have been acceptable. He could have lived a stable, happy life, perhaps even with multiple wives and concubines. Instead, he was suddenly banished to a world of cultivation, and not just any cultivation world, but the most ruthless, most heartless, and most unreasonable of them all — the Ancient Primordial Era!

Fifteen years after becoming a disciple, through the ancient texts within the Immortal Du Sect and the various anecdotes his master recounted, Li Changshou finally understood the grand environment he was in. It was from that day on that he 'pressed the green button' of self-imposed isolation.

Indeed, he had arrived in what later generations called the Ancient Era, the Primordial World of myths and legends, born in a minor epoch between two great cataclysms of the Primordial Era. Looking ahead along the historical trajectory of the Primordial World, the impact of the Lich War still lingered. Although humanity was flourishing, the remnants of the demon race were still quite powerful. With the protection of the Human Mother, Nuwa, one of the Six Sages, the demon race lingered at various borders of the Five Continents, dreaming of a revival, engaged in continuous warfare with human Qi practitioners.

The Six Sages had long since taken their places, constantly scheming against each other, capable of causing countless beings to live and die for the slightest gain or perceived slight. The two great figures of the Western Sect, Jieyin and Zhunti, effectively controlled the spirit-vein-poor Western Niuhe Continent, spreading their doctrines everywhere and constantly undermining the Daoist sects. The three Daoist schools — Ren, Chan, and Jie — had already risen. The Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan School had just gained widespread fame, becoming a hot topic of discussion among Qi practitioners in recent millennia. The Jie School, with its aura of "ten thousand immortals coming to court," had also established its presence, with powerful individuals from all walks of life gathering under the leadership of the Grandmaster of Heaven. They constantly bickered with the Chan School, but fortunately, open conflict had not yet erupted.

This was the best era for the Daoist sects: the three schools flourished, and humanity, protected by them, also thrived. Daoist mountain gates dotted Central Divine Continent, and disciples of the three schools could be found everywhere in the Three Thousand Great Worlds. Daoist traditions spread throughout the Three Realms, with the Primordial Spirit Dao and human Qi practitioners becoming the mainstream in the Primordial World. However, it was also the worst era for ordinary Qi practitioners: competition for advancement was exceptionally fierce. The Heavenly Court had only recently been established, operating entirely at the behest of the immortals from the three schools. There was virtually no order in the Five Continents or the Three Thousand Worlds, and for a Qi practitioner to grow, it depended entirely on their struggle and luck.

Luck played a significant role! Li Changshou's only consolation was that while his master wasn't very strong — not strong at all, to be precise — at least there was some background from the Human School behind him. —Although Li Changshou strongly suspected that the true founder of the Immortal Du Sect might just be one or two nominal disciples of Immortal Du'e of West Kunlun. Regarding Immortal Du'e of West Kunlun, the only thing Li Changshou could recall was that this immortal had trained disciples during the Investiture of the Gods, one of whom became General Heng of the Heng-Ha Generals; other than that, there were only some wild rumors. Most likely, Immortal Du'e was also a nominal disciple of the Taiqing Saint, with a completely unremarkable ranking among immortals... Getting back to himself. With no background, no divine powers, and no destiny, did he still think of making a name for himself in this era? What a joke. Just surviving would be good enough.

Therefore, from that year on, Li Changshou set his goal: to survive, to live as long as possible, to diligently avoid all sorts of calamities, and to peacefully live out this hard-won second life. Rising to prominence or achieving fame were entirely irrelevant to him. No matter how diligently he cultivated, could he contend with the grand figures of the three schools? No matter how desperately he sought opportunities, could he stand against those so-called 'Children of Tribulation'?

The next great tribulation was the Investiture of the Gods. The further he stayed from this tribulation, the better. Rather than getting involved in the Investiture and becoming a Heavenly Court immortal, it would be much better to cultivate quickly and proactively join the Heavenly Court when it was in decline, becoming a Heavenly Court elder... A Primordial Era civil servant? That was actually a possibility. Even if he couldn't obtain the fruit of immortality, as long as he lived out his destined lifespan peacefully, he would have done justice to this life he had gained. Thus, from that day on, Li Changshou's ultimate goal was — to live until old age and death! To achieve this goal, he...

"Senior Brother?"

"Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother, why are you sleeping here? They've started gathering at the main peak; we'll be late if we don't go now!" Pleasant calls reached his ears. Li Changshou stopped his wild thoughts and slowly opened his eyes.

What met his eyes was the exquisite face of a young woman: bright eyes, willow eyebrows, a finely shaped nose, pretty ears, and delicate pink lips. These already outstanding features perfectly complemented her fair, oval face. A slight furrow of her delicate brows made her adorable, and the flow of her gaze was full of spiritual energy...

"Who are you, beautiful?"

"Senior Brother!" The young woman reached out, pinched Li Changshou's nose, and gently rubbed it. "You're all muddled from sleep again!"

"Ah, Ling'e, how did you grow so big in the blink of an eye!" Li Changshou gave a hearty laugh, his body floating just above the grass and rising straight up about three zhang away.

"I've been on the mountain for ten years!" Lan Ling'e stomped her foot, her lips slightly puffed out, making her unspeakably cute and charming. Not only did she possess a beautiful face, but her figure had also fully matured, with slender legs and a trim waist, perfectly proportioned. Her immortal gown perfectly accentuated the captivating curve of her midsection, her skin was like frost and snow, and her dark hair was smooth and intoxicating.

Dong— A bell chime drifted from among the clouds. Lan Ling'e urged, "Senior Brother, quickly summon a cloud! We'll really be late if we don't go now!"

Li Changshou frowned. "Don't you know how to fly now?"

Lan Ling'e straightened her chest and lifted her head, replying confidently, "But I can't fly fast!"

"Alright," Li Changshou seemed a little reluctant, summoning a white cloud and stepping onto it first. Lan Ling'e's eyes held a hint of slyness. Her pink cloth boots lightly touched the grass, and she floated to Li Changshou's side. Just as she was about to reach out and link arms with her Senior Brother, Li Changshou subtly dodged her.

Li Changshou said with a straight face, "Don't forget the three rules."

"I know! Senior Brother, you're so annoying! You stingy old man!" Lan Ling'e complained, huffily shifting half a step to the side.

"That's better. Maintain a three-foot distance in public. You are now a rising star of our Immortal Du Sect, Immortal Ling'e, whom thousands of male disciples admire. Your Senior Brother doesn't want to be cursed to death by them with witchcraft." Li Changshou stretched lazily, glancing back in the direction of the straw hut. "Has Master been in seclusion all this time?"

"Yes, Master is in tranquil seclusion and could face the immortal ascension tribulation at any time! Perhaps when we return from this outing, Master will already be an immortal!" Lan Ling'e chuckled softly, a hint of anticipation in her large eyes. Then she stared blankly at her Senior Brother for a moment, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks as she pursed her lips and whispered: "Normally, you've never participated in these sect-organized outdoor trials, Senior Brother. For you to come this time... is it because... you're worried about me...?"

A large hand suddenly appeared before her, followed by Li Changshou's 'indifferent' expression and a rapid-fire, clearly articulated series of replies: "No. Please allow me to refuse. You are a good girl. I've always regarded you as my own younger sister."

"Hmph, I didn't say anything either! So annoying! I'm not talking to you anymore!" Lan Ling'e's forehead was furrowed with irritation, her lips puffed into a small pouch. She tossed her head, presenting her Senior Brother with an exasperated back, clenching and unclenching her small fists.

Li Changshou smiled serenely, gazing at the white clouds on the horizon, calculating the optimal time and angle for him and his Junior Sister to arrive at the gathering point. However, the calculation was futile. With a dazzling Junior Sister by his side, trying to maintain a low profile... It was truly becoming increasingly difficult.