《inmortal cultivators are crazy!! [english]》 prologue Chapter 0 - Prologue "The power is forged only by bathing in the blood of fallen enemies." "Every drop of blood spilled that stains the world strengthens the path to eternity." "Return favors twofold, and resentment, betrayal, and pain a thousandfold¡ªlet them fall before you." "Make the gods tremble before you, for there is no being in heaven or earth that cannot be destroyed." "If the heavens block your path, destroy the heavens. If Buddha stands in your way, kill Buddha. As long as you are strong, your will becomes the will of the world." When I began my path to cultivation, I was instructed with these phrases. They told me this was the common Dao followed by cultivators. They said cultivation is a thorny journey with limited resources. They said for one to ascend, millions must fall. Immutable rules. A predestined fate. This was the legacy left to us by our ancestors who forged the rules of cultivation. These ancestors chose a Dao of violence and domination. But I did not accept it. I mocked it. I did not want to be part of this solitary world of violence and battles. I could not accept stepping on and massacring my brothers and sisters to become stronger. Wars. Trials. Conflicts. Betrayals. A lonely journey to become the ultimate existence. I did not want to accept it. I did not accept it. I, let me say it, I did not want to cultivate. My path of non-cultivation began when I was an ignorant 9-year-old brat. It was a sunny summer day. That day began with me venturing into the dangerous forest in search of herbs to eat. I was an orphan. My parents had died in a plague two years prior when I was seven. For this reason, I had no one to care for me. However, I was lucky enough not to have been expelled or sold to a slave trader. At the time, I believed those days would last forever¡ªunless one day I ended up eating a poisonous herb. I was mentally prepared for that. But the heavens often toy with the wills of men. After finishing my usual feast and sighing in relief that the new herbs I tried weren¡¯t poisonous, I felt thirsty. I heard the water flowing from a nearby river. It wasn¡¯t far, so I approached it with steady, careful steps as I had done hundreds of times before. I thought of silly things on my way to the river. When I arrived, I was momentarily stunned. The sight that greeted me wasn¡¯t the same as usual. Nor was it the rare but occasional sight of someone bathing in the river. No. At the riverbank, I saw a man with a wound on his back. Half of his upper body lay on the riverbank, the rest submerged in the water. I approached carefully, curious as the ignorant brat I was, and was startled by the outline of his wound, which bore the shape of a slender yet deep hand. "S-So scary!" I screamed internally. I swallowed hard.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Could the person responsible for his condition not know their own strength? Or was this man as fragile as glass? I couldn¡¯t comprehend what kind of force it would take to leave such a wound. It was undoubtedly beyond my understanding of the world at the time. I asked myself these questions seriously as I tried to determine what to do. It was then that the man let out a groan of pain, and his eyes opened slightly. "H-Help," he said in a hoarse and faint voice. I could see his eyes were pleading, clinging to life. They were the same eyes my parents had in their final moments. "P-Please. I... need to eat..." cough¡ªhe spat out a mouthful of blood. However, his words left me stunned. You¡¯re on the verge of death, but your stomach is what concerns you the most? I wanted to shout aloud, but I held back. I wasn¡¯t anyone to judge his priorities. Even so, I take back what I said¡ªthey weren¡¯t the same eyes as my parents, clinging to life. As he was more dead than alive, I thought of it as fulfilling his last wish before he went to face the gods and pay for his sins. After all, I had no idea how to treat his wound. Nor could I carry him to the village; I lacked the strength. I even doubted he¡¯d live long enough for me to run and bring help¡ªor if anyone would bother to help him. Most likely, they¡¯d only come for his belongings... The unknown man must have known that too. That¡¯s why, unconsciously, he had resigned himself to death. I sighed, feeling melancholic, but I didn¡¯t waste time. I grabbed a handful of different herbs from my provision pouch and shoved them into his mouth. Perhaps some of the new herbs I had gathered were poisonous, but I wasn¡¯t worried. There was no hope for him anyway. Before I shoved those herbs into his mouth, I recalled what they looked like when I collected them. There were three herbs and one mushroom with peculiar and colorful appearances. I had stumbled upon them by chance on a rainy day when I sought shelter in a cave. I stayed in that cave for three days and noticed the peculiarity of these plants. I had never seen them before in my life, but I realized that, for some strange reason, they were born and died together, lasting only a few breaths if left unpicked. Every day, I returned to that cave to collect them, and I already had several sacks. But... I never dared to taste them. They screamed "strange!" with all their might. I thought this was as good a time as any to see if they were edible or not... "Here. This should fill your stomach," I said. The man looked at me with a grateful gaze... or so I thought. If I wasn¡¯t mistaken, it was gratitude. So much so that a tear slid down his cheek¡ªand thus, he departed this world. "Oh, nameless man. May your regrets be erased from your consciousness so you may reincarnate properly after paying for your sins before the gods," I offered a simple prayer. I stood up and turned away. There was nothing I could do with his body, and it was already late. I had to return. I grabbed the worn pouch at his waist. I planned to place it on my parents¡¯ altar. After all, if a dead person¡¯s belongings weren¡¯t placed on an altar, they¡¯d return as vengeful spirits. I left. Soon, some animal would find the body, and the natural cycle of nature would take over. At least, that¡¯s what I thought then. I never imagined that same night, while sleeping peacefully in the pigsty of the village chief, my life would change. I felt a presence and opened my eyes. There he was¡ªthe dead man. His vengeful spirit. He grabbed me and slung me over his shoulder. I tried biting and scratching him to free myself, but it was useless. He tied me up with a rope in less than a breath. "Now you¡¯re mine," he said devilishly. The pigs I shared my sleep with turned their backs on me and hid. I thought we were friends! I didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. Was this divine punishment? The heavens have no eyes for the righteous and honest! I felt aggrieved by the sudden turn of events. Cap 2- Cultivator Zu Lian The vengeful spirit carried me and ran with great agility through the thick, dark, and ominous forest. The moon was still high in the night sky. The sounds of nocturnal animals were unsettling. My hair stood on end. I closed my eyes and wished to wake up from the nightmare, but, to my misfortune, it was the harsh and cruel reality. I couldn¡¯t move. I couldn¡¯t scream. I considered pretending to be asleep as the best option and hoped the vengeful spirit would lower its guard. While doing so, I prayed to the heavens for forgiveness for whatever it was they might hold against me, and before I realized it, I fell into a deep sleep. I sighed at my helpless self from back then. When I opened my eyes again, it was already daytime, and the vengeful spirit was sitting in front of me, having made a campfire. My movements regained their freedom. What a relief. He looked at me and smirked, amused by the expression of confusion and horror on my face. ¡°Father, mother, your son is on his way,¡± I sobbed inwardly and informed my deceased parents. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I don¡¯t plan on harming the benefactor who saved my life,¡± the vengeful spirit sighed and told me. However, I couldn¡¯t believe him. From what I knew, it wasn¡¯t unusual for a vengeful spirit to lie. Maybe he planned to lower my guard and then tear me apart, cooking me over the campfire. Vengeful spirits liked to toy with the feelings and hope of the righteous. Therefore, I kept my distance, about 20 meters away. The vengeful spirit sighed again, looking frustrated at my high level of reasoning. He stared at me for a moment before starting to cook some meat he had stored, who knows where. It just appeared in his hands! I knew it! He¡¯s a supernatural being! My face paled. It paled from the pleasant, juicy, delightful, and savory smell of the meat. I kept staring at the meat. When was the last time I had eaten meat? It had been years since then. I was quite useless. I couldn¡¯t even hunt a rabbit, so my diet consisted only of herbs. I had tried all kinds of herbs that seemed somewhat edible. I swallowed. He smiled with self-satisfaction. I wanted meat¡­ and so what if he¡¯s a vengeful spirit? As long as he gave me some, I could die satisfied¡­ I decided to make a deal. ¡°Oh, venerable vengeful spirit, you see, I¡¯m very thin. You won¡¯t be satisfied with me. How about you first fatten me up¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a vengeful spirit! I¡¯m a venerable immortal cultivator!¡± he retorted, frowning. He looked upset. I chose not to contradict his words, even though I didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, venerable,¡± I apologized. I couldn¡¯t be blamed. A child from a village in the middle of nowhere couldn¡¯t imagine or understand how the man recovered so quickly. So at that time, I found no explanation other than that he was a vengeful spirit, and his actions when he kidnapped me didn¡¯t help. Maybe noticing I was starting to uncover his true nature, he slowly said: ¡°Please calm down. I speak the truth, I am not a vengeful spirit. You saved me. The herbs you gave me stimulated my dantian, and along with the progress I made in my cultivation technique, I was able to break through to the golden core. My body was restored, and now I¡¯m in perfect condition, more or less. I need to stabilize my cultivation, so I can¡¯t fly,¡± he explained calmly. Sure, sure, whatever you say. I didn¡¯t understand anything. ¡°The thing is, you have no way of proving it. Without evidence, you won¡¯t convince me otherwise,¡± I still doubted. Looking back, I laugh at my reaction. For an ignorant kid, I was pretty cautious in a certain way. ¡°How am I supposed to prove my innocence? Until recently, you were sleeping like a baby. I could have hurt you if I had malicious intentions toward you. I didn¡¯t do anything to you, isn¡¯t that proof?¡± he eloquently defended himself. I thought about it and found some sense in it. My guard lowered a little, but not completely. ¡°Alright, I understand now, but if you¡¯re not a vengeful spirit, why did you kidnap me? I¡¯ll tell you right now, you won¡¯t even make 50 copper coins selling me! I¡¯m thin, small, and even my parents couldn¡¯t claim I was handsome.¡± The expression of the ex-spirit distorted like the time I tried shit. I didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. ++++++++++ I had never been so stunned, like a toy, at the childish whims of the heavens. I reflected on the unfortunate events that had damaged my body, dantian essence, and heart. ¡°Hehehehe, thanks for coming to greet me at my breakthrough to the golden core, fellow cultivators.¡± Melodious whispers full of spiritual energy caressed my ears, and I turned around to see a beautiful woman emerging from the cave, her aura, clothing, and appearance the very embodiment of violet lilies. Tall and elegant, upright and defiant, beautiful attributes like the abundant, fresh, and marvelous waterfalls of the life-giving springs. My weakened and agitated heart, caused by the prolonged battle of interests and dreams, calmed in her celestial presence, like the most beautiful angel, the most delicate fairy, and the whitest swan. I couldn¡¯t stop staring at her. My world. My entire being. My Dao partner. I touched my chest and smiled at my fortunate life. At any moment, I could die in peace and without regrets, knowing I was destined for such a beautiful creature. Every second I thank the heavens for this fortune. The other foolish cultivators didn¡¯t see the beauty of that being. They were frightened when they felt the power emanating from her, suppressing them, leaving them trembling, reminding me of the old man I saw naked in the snow 114 years ago, whom I tried to help, but he died of a heart attack when he saw me descend. I could understand it. My beautiful angel and these cultivators from different sects could not coexist under the same sky. They tried to extinguish the spark of her life. Thanks to my efforts, they did not succeed. I protected the reason for my life with my flesh, blood, and bones, demonstrating the depth of the abyss that is my pure and selfless love for her. I fell to my knees on the ground and took out paper. I moved my wounded and bloodied hands with the meaning of love and imprinted them on the paper. Words dedicated from the soul transformed into beautiful poems directed at the violet lily. Mother Earth followed the pleading yet firm will of my violet lily and was moved. The earth trembled, giving us flower petals as tall and abundant as trees that enveloped the cultivators preparing to attack the most beautiful birth in this vast and grand world, my violet lily. The cultivators from the foundation establishment disregarded the gift of Mother Earth and tried to resist, but Mother Earth is arrogant and haughty. She enveloped them completely, and the countless screams that once filled the atmosphere of the arcane realm faded. "Help..." "We were wrong, please forgive us!" "No, please, I have a daughter only 150 years old!"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. No plea moved Mother Earth, just as the presence of the violet lily did. Mother Earth took them miserably into the arms of cold immortality. Any effort, motivation, dream, or hope was of no use to them. I sighed. How tragic. Hundreds of sparks of life faded. I will never get used to the sight of the game for immortality. From my storage, I took a position of the thousand wounds and swallowed them. I finished the artwork with a drawing of the final path of those cultivators. The battle I had been through was arduous and hard. A battle of endurance that lasted days. I was exhausted. I lasted so long only because of the indomitable will to protect what is invaluable to me, the violet lily. Of course, here is the revised text to correct grammatical errors, keeping the original structure intact: It was worth it. ¡°Zu Lian, I must thank you. If it weren¡¯t for you, I never would have reached the Golden Core in these conditions. They tried to kill me on orders from my family, and you protected me without hesitation,¡± I smiled at her affectionately. ¡°I would do it once and a thousand more times, my love. Time and existence are not wide or long enough to count all the times I would do the same for you, love. Congratulations on achieving the Golden Core. The heavens dance for the grace of your advancement,¡± I knelt down and kissed her hand. My violet lily, my reason to live, smiled at me as a reward for my cheap and small effort. The need to prolong that moment made the words flow. ¡°My current self is not worthy of you, my violet lily. It is my turn to advance. Please, grant me the grace and blessing to prolong my path to immortality with the intention of spending every breath admiring your appearance and serving you. Your will and blessing are capable of moving all of existence. You are perfect, elegant, and vibrant. A flawed being like me must have luck on their side to be by your side,¡± My words moved her. How graceful, her hand trembled. ¡°Haha, thank you for your words. Sure, go ahead and make your way. I will take care of you,¡± Her lips flowed like the ocean with every syllable, word, and prayer. My Dao, she is the Dao I follow. Everything about her is perfect. Excited, I turned around. I must advance to the Golden Core and be worthy of her! I must prolong my life to write hundreds of poems for her! I left the cave, but... Before entering the darkness of the cave, I felt a burning palm piercing my back. I turned my head, stunned. ¡°W-what? W-why?¡± I murmured. Reality trembled. The violet lily looked at me with a soft smile, her palm embedded in my back. ¡°P-why?¡± I asked again. She did not answer. She exerted a bit more force, and my body flew out, embedding itself in the cave walls. ¡°You know? I tried... I really tried. I tried to focus on your good sides,¡± she approached gently. Her pristine jade feet, thin and succulent, slid toward me. ¡°They warned me, but I didn¡¯t listen. I let myself be guided because you were so handsome and had a heroic temperament, fufufu,¡± No, please, not again. I already knew what she was about to say. ¡°But... your pathetic and shitty poems, those damn poems have me fed up! Do you know how many times I almost lost control in my cultivation because I remembered all the humiliations you made me go through?! Because of you, I¡¯ve vomited 931 mouthfuls of blood,¡± Ah, I knew it. Her words shattered and pierced my heart. ¡°In the morning, afternoon, and night. Poems, poems, poems! For your Dao journey, stop talking like that! Is it so difficult!? You only think about poems! In every situation and moment, you even used your achievements to make a section in the sect''s library with my name titled ¡®Poems for my Violet Lily, ?xxxx¡¯ and forced the new disciples to read them!¡± ¡°T- everyone must know that my love for you is unmatched. You are the most perfect of all cultivating women...¡± ¡°Ah! Shut up already! I didn¡¯t want to get to this point, but I still haven¡¯t stabilized my advancement, and if you stay with me, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll lose control. Take it, it¡¯s a magical object with a use that allows you to jump through space. If the heavens want you to live, you will live! Never come back to my sect!¡± she said and left my life. I stretched my hands to catch her dazzling and illusory figure that was leaving. I clenched my fist to my heart. With her, it¡¯s 18 now... The energy around me distorted and entered my dantian as I teleported. My head cleared. +++ The boy looked at me stunned, then nodded a few breaths later. He rummaged through the bag he carried and shoved some disgusting herbs into my mouth against my will, which got stuck in my throat. ¡°D-damn... I swear... I¡¯ll come for you,¡± I cried for the false hope of salvation as my consciousness faded. +++ ¡°After healing me and waking me up, I followed your tracks. That¡¯s when I saw you sleeping in the pigsty, almost rubbing your face in the manure, you seemed like you were going to commit it. You were also trembling from cold and hunger, I decided to help you and bring you with me. It¡¯s my way of repaying my debt, and it seems that, anyway, you have no one to take care of you in that place,¡± the man explained. The man explained the story that led him to meet me by the river. ¡°¡­¡­¡± He almost died because his partner was tired of him being so loving... ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. It wasn¡¯t my fault. I started my cultivation path by accident. I got a technique when I thought it was an adult¡¯s drawing book and stole it to sell. I had to check the material to ensure the quality of the product, yes, it was for quality purposes... it was a forbidden technique. Hah, rightly so. This technique shouldn¡¯t exist, and it can¡¯t be changed,¡± he explained. My suspicions that he was a vengeful spirit faded. Vengeful spirits wouldn¡¯t invent such ridiculous stories. I stopped doubting and frowned. ¡°How will you help me?¡± ¡°I will adopt you. Let me introduce myself. I am an immortal cultivator and an elder of the ¡¶Eternal Celestial Sun Sect¡·. My name is Zu Lian,¡± he introduced himself like that. I was confused and lost. What was a sect? Why, being a cultivator, did he belong to one? What does it mean to be an immortal cultivator? A type of cultivator who swears to the heavens to be one in all their reincarnations? I had never heard of such cultivators. No, first things first, I should introduce myself too. My parents taught me this. ¡°I¡¯m just an orphan from a village. My humble and deceased parents, may they rest in peace, named me Mi An,¡± He stared at me with a blank expression. What was wrong? Did I introduce myself wrong? ¡°Cough cough Anyway, I wanted to thank you for saving me. From today on, you¡¯ll enter the sect as my son. You will be under my protection.¡± Just like that, I entered the path of cultivation. A path that would lead me through all sorts of experiences... ¡°And what is cultivated in that sect of yours, sir? I know how to cultivate potatoes.¡± Zu Lian brought the prepared meat to his mouth and looked at the sky. He closed his eyes, and a sense of helplessness enveloped him. He could understand that he would struggle a lot in educating his new son. He already regretted his hasty decision, but he couldn¡¯t back out now, or he would lose face. +++ It had been two days of travel. By that time, I was determined to be that man''s servant for the rest of my life. I even shed tears as I swore my loyalty. The reason? Simple. He let me eat meat! When I saw him hunting the wild boar and fish, I was astonished. Why was he a cultivator? He should be a hunter! I couldn¡¯t think of any hunter in the village as skilled as the man named Zu Lian. Should I tell him about his undiscovered talents? I wondered. Anyway, I felt that the heavens had finally noticed me. The heavens have eyes for the just and upright! I trembled with excitement. Those days I ate without restriction. I no longer cared even if it led me to the judgment of the gods with him. ¡°Here. Tomorrow we¡¯ll reach the sect. When we¡¯re not traveling and while I hunt, you need to practice these two manuals. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, let me know!¡± he said and went off to hunt. I was left alone in our makeshift camp looking at the manuals. After a while of deep analysis¡­ I stared blankly and lamented. Study the manuals? I can¡¯t even read! But I didn¡¯t consider giving up. What if the man treated me like an idiot, and my life filled with meat slipped through my hands? I stared closely at the drawings and tried to understand what they meant. It was fortunate that there were so many. They were drawings of a man in different static positions. From what it seemed, I had to maintain those positions for a certain time in those sequences, or so I thought. What are they supposed to be for? I shrugged. I don¡¯t know, but Zu Lian told me to study them seriously. I looked at the sequence of silly positions and decided to do them. But not before shoving some herbs in my mouth. Thinking so much made me hungry! The other book I¡¯ll leave for later. With that done, I went to the nearest tree. I¡¯m supposed to put my hands on the ground and be upside down with no support. However, for me, that¡¯s impossible. For now, I¡¯ll do it my way. I placed my hands on the ground and twisted my body to end up upside down, resting my feet on the tree. Maybe the goal is to make me see the world from a different perspective? Either way, I think I¡¯ll stay like this until I can¡¯t anymore. I enjoyed the stillness of the moment. I didn¡¯t have to worry about beasts or wild animals, because, according to Zu Lian, he had a way of making sure they wouldn¡¯t approach unless they were above the ¡¶foundation establishment¡· stage. ¡°I wonder what he meant by that¡­¡± I murmured before closing my eyes. That¡¯s when something happened. The mild warmth in my stomach, caused by the herbs, suddenly intensified for a moment before cooling down quickly. My body weakened, and I fell upside down. I felt my whole body shaking from the cold. I got up when my temperature restored itself and wondered what had happened. Strangely, after the weakness, the sensation my body gave me was one of renewal. It felt like I had woken up from a pleasant nap. I liked it. It was a different kind of pleasure from a pleasant nap or the pleasure of being full. It was a type of pleasure that encompassed everything. That reminds me of the strange poses I once saw my parents doing. Maybe those poses had the same goal as these. So, I continued with the other poses. After each one, hunger returned, so I carefreely ate the herbs I had, which Zu Lian fortunately brought when he kidnapped me. Before long, I had eaten all the herb bags I had. I looked at the last ones I had left and leaned toward them. You were a chapter in my life that I will close here. I¡¯m not going to collect any more now that I can eat meat. My life has changed; I don¡¯t need to do those poor people¡¯s things. I decided to finish them all off to close that chapter of my life and look forward. I was confident and happy. So, when Zu Lian returned, I had none left. ¡°...... You¡¯ve reached the 9th phase of [body and ki preparation].¡± He said something I didn¡¯t understand. From his eyes, it seemed like it was something good, but the only thing I cared about was the meat he had brought with him. END Cap 3- Sect, part 1 "Hey, kid, come here and help me," called Zu Lian. My heavy and tired eyes opened with reproach at his sudden call. Ah, what exhaustion. For some reason, my body felt as if someone had used me as a beast of burden all day. Every part of me ached. I motivated myself by thinking about my future without shortages, and with effort, I managed to get up and walk over to Zu Lian''s side. "My life is so hard," he murmured. Zu Lian liked to exaggerate things and became more talkative at the least opportune moments. I felt like telling him to go to sleep. I thought about it for a bit and decided not to; it wouldn''t be right. He had treated me quite well. No one had treated me like that since my parents'' death. Before Zu Lian''s "kidnapping," I was treated like an invisible spirit. "Master, how can I help? I hope this humble and useless orphan is able to carry out the task you wish to entrust me with," I bowed respectfully. "No, it''s nothing special. We''re pretty close to the sect, and we might run into other cultivators at any moment. Come and help me cover my eyes, ears, and nose with this cloth," he said while handing me the cloth. I looked at the cloth. I looked at Zu Lian. No, it''s not my business. I won¡¯t ask why. I didn¡¯t intend to, but my expression must have betrayed my confusion. Zu Lian smiled slightly and, with a tired expression, murmured loud enough for me to hear: "It¡¯s... to not fall in love." The atmosphere, in a breath, became solemn. The shadows cast by the campfire stirred with the heaviness and silence of the moment. I didn¡¯t respond. I didn¡¯t know what to say. That happens to me a lot lately. For some reason, I felt like the atmosphere was pressing on my chest, making me feel demotivated and miserable. I put the cloth on, leaving his mouth uncovered. In silence, I returned to my makeshift bed and lay down to sleep. Sixty breaths later... Zu Lian regained his composure. "Sorry, my feelings affected the surroundings. Better tell me, what kind of weapons do you prefer? When we reach the sect, I¡¯ll provide you with a battle item. Think about it and let me know when we arrive." Ah, it''s night, just go to sleep. I once again suppressed those words. For some reason, I had never seen Zu Lian sleep. However, it wasn¡¯t a detail I particularly cared about. "I appreciate it, sir. But why do I need a battle item? Do immortal cultivators usually use them? Do they often fight with other immortal cultivators?" I asked, doubtful. My chest thumped with nerves and fear. I wasn¡¯t a violent person nor did I seek out fights. After all, I just wanted to live comfortably. Was that too much to ask? And I highly doubted it was a hard rule that immortal cultivators spent their time fighting and stabbing each other with cultivation tools. "Of course. The path of immortal cultivation is a bloody one, filled with mountains of corpses. Being kind to your enemy is being cruel to yourself. Few make progress, while millions turn to dust. You must seize every resource that can help you even a little bit in your cultivation!" His voice became deep. "..........." I swallowed. I didn¡¯t know that immortal cultivators lived such a lifestyle. I felt a little sorry for them. They must be pretty grumpy and antisocial, right? I sighed. "The state you found me in is a test. My immortal cultivation partner got tired of me while we were in an arcane realm competing with other sects to gather golden energy and advance to the [golden core] realm. If she hadn¡¯t had one last act of kindness in giving me an artifact, it wouldn¡¯t have been possible for you to find me and help me. You are a coincidence the heavens sent to save me. I am also your coincidence to get out of that low lifestyle. That¡¯s how capricious the heavens are," his face twisted between melancholy and gratitude. I listened and thanked the heavens. I ignored everything that came before. If I ever find myself in a fight with immortal cultivators, I¡¯ll throw my hoe and run into the forest. +++ In the morning, when I had just woken up, I saw Zu Lian tapping his chest, abdomen, and head with his thumb. "I just suppressed my cultivation to avoid noticing the female cultivators through spiritual energy," he explained unnecessarily. "I¡¯ll need your help to walk. Normally, I can control my spiritual energy to cover a small area around me, but my cultivation isn¡¯t stabilized yet, and I¡¯d prefer to avoid any incidents," he extended his arm. I sighed. After breakfast, we walked slowly in the direction he had pointed. A few thousand breaths later, my nose hit an invisible wall. I screamed in pain. "Ah, witchcraft! It¡¯s witchcraft again!" I panicked. I had seen countless things appear from a tiny bag: Zu Lian jumping over trees, my sudden increase in strength, etc. Still, I kept receiving surprising moments. "No, calm down! It¡¯s the sect barrier," Zu Lian touched the barrier and told me. From his storage bag, he took out a multicolored stone, red, blue, and black. He struck the spot where I hit my nose, and a visible crack appeared. "Let¡¯s go." Thus, we entered the sect. With a hesitant step but firm will, I passed through the crack, guiding Zu Lian. The view that greeted me was like falling into a river in the middle of winter. I wanted to take my eyes out and wash them to confirm they weren¡¯t dirty and making me see impossible things. "B-but we were in the forest, how...?" I trembled in disbelief. What stretched before me was a vast and immense body of water, much wider and longer than the rivers I knew. When I focused my eyes, I could make out a blurry shadow in the distance, surrounded by a mist that covered a piece of land. A tree silhouette pierced the clouds, and tiny figures were riding various objects to transport themselves from the tree to the shore and vice versa. Swords, shields, yellow clouds, turtle shells, winged beasts, etc. Each one had its own way of avoiding getting wet.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Do you see it? This is the sect I belong to!" he puffed his chest out. "The tree you see is called the Celestial Node. There are many different nodes in all kinds of environments. These nodes are what allow us to cultivate. The one you see is a small node and only allows us to cultivate the [preparation of body and spirit] properly. It¡¯s hard for cultivators in the foundation stage and later stages to advance just by relying on the tree, so we use various methods to collect energy from the node, make pills, grow herbs and beasts, etc. This way, we gather large amounts of spiritual energy and make constant progress in foundation establishment. For later stages, you need to go to arcane places where there are nodes with high spiritual energy, but their environment makes it difficult to establish a sect. Nearby sects join together, and the superiors modify the environment for a certain period of time so disciples can compete and make progress. Although some cultivators are exceptions, their advancement requires meeting conditions other than spiritual energy... Like me. I have to fall in love and pair up with cultivators stronger than me to advance to other realms. However, cultivators at higher levels usually don¡¯t pay attention to males with lower cultivation than them, so I only end up pairing with cultivators at lower levels. I help them advance to stages above mine, and at those moments, they leave me. That¡¯s how I gather the spiritual energy from the stage they reached, which allows me to advance. I must be careful not to fall in love with cultivators more powerful than me because if I don¡¯t manage to pair up with her and make her my Dao partner, I¡¯ll suffer internal injuries and lose all my cultivation. Do you understand why I have bandages?" Suddenly, without reason, he gave a detailed explanation of his situation. "I understand, master," I replied, though I didn¡¯t understand anything. One of the figures in the sky suddenly descended on a yellow flying cloud. It was an extremely handsome young man, with long hair covering part of his face and a red staff on his waist. On his back, he carried a giant turtle shell. He stood on the cloud, put his fists in front of his face, and bowed. "Hello, Elder Zu Lian. It¡¯s a pleasure to be in the presence of the venerable one after so many years! Your return must mean you¡¯ve advanced to the Golden Core, right? Congratulations! With your power, the sect is now a much safer place for my younger brothers and sisters! Sister Wandian will finally be able to smile without worry!" said the young man. "Oh, it¡¯s you... hmm, sorry, I know who you are, but for some reason, I don¡¯t remember your name. Can you tell me again?" Zu Lian said, embarrassed. "Hahaha, don¡¯t worry, venerable. It¡¯s no problem, there¡¯s no point since you¡¯ll forget it again! I won¡¯t waste your time and I¡¯ll return to the sect to inform them of your arrival and warn the sisters of the sect to retreat to their immortal caves!" the young man quickly left. The flying cloud left a yellow trail behind. It made a sound like flatulence. What a curious object. "¡­¡­" "It¡¯s not what you think, I¡¯m not an uncontrollable animal. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t control who I fall in love with, and I don¡¯t want to hurt the disciples. So I agreed with the sect to take some precautions." "I didn¡¯t say anything, master. This humble disciple does not judge the master¡¯s intimate life." ++++++++ The young man returned and confirmed that the preparations were ready. He said that the female disciples were already in a safe place. At no point did he acknowledge my presence. Zu Lian thanked him and took a small jar and an oar from her bag. "Row," he ordered. I rowed gladly. My new strength excited me. I broke the water. In less than 20 breaths, we arrived at the island. Once on the island, I was able to fully admire such a strange and beautiful landscape. At the center of the island stands the giant tree, known as the Celestial Node, whose roots spread throughout the land, and whose trunk rises towards the heavens, piercing the clouds. The tree is small among the nodes, but still, it is so vast that its highest branches seem to touch the stars, and its trunk is so thick that it seems like a mountain in itself. The sect has built its dwelling on the branches, leaves, and trunk of the tree. The disciples perform cultivation and seek to achieve immortality. The branches of this tree, as strong as iron, intertwine with the clouds, giving the sensation of walking on them, creating a labyrinth of walkways and floating temples, each dedicated to a different aspect of immortal cultivation. The structures on the branches blend with the vegetation, forming a landscape of suspended gardens, stone temples, and structures made of wood and bamboo that integrate perfectly with the tree. Some of the lower branches house meditation areas, while the higher ones are reserved for the masters and the most advanced cultivators. The disciples of the sect live in harmony with nature, as the tree and its roots possess a mysterious power that enhances their cultivation. The celestial nodes are considered sacred, as they are believed to be the link between the mortal world and the immortal realms. As one ascends through its branches, the spiritual energy becomes slightly stronger, but it is a misery compared to the other celestial nodes. Due to the quality and quantity of the spiritual energy it produces, it is clear that this node has already passed its golden days and is not far from the end of its life. It has only about 50,000 years left. It is in its final breaths. Zu Lian explained to me. I didn¡¯t listen much. I was busy admiring every detail of the most fantastic place I had ever seen in my short, poor, orphaned life. My perception of the world changed. I realized that this world is much more beautiful and strange than I could have ever imagined with my limited perception. Only now could I understand what the concept of an immortal cultivator meant. I had misunderstood it. I was ashamed inside. An arbitrary disciple, and very handsome, guided us to Zu Lian''s branch, since he didn¡¯t trust and kept the bandages on. His paranoia must be a result of experience. Zu Lian¡¯s house was not one that cultivators like the ones I was used to would live in. It was more like a mansion in my eyes. Crystal-clear water fountains. Harmony of vegetation and plenty of meat¡ªsorry, animals. The atmosphere emitted a spiritual energy five times stronger than the common places in the sect, they told me. I could feel it was like a refreshing environment entering my body. When we arrived at Zu Lian¡¯s house, an immortal fairy, with jade-like beauty, pure and without malice, descended from the third floor of the house to the mortal realm. ¡°Father! You¡¯re finally back!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Wandian! My dear daughter,¡± Zu Lian finally removed the bandage covering his head and rushed to embrace the immortal fairy, who had descended from the third floor. ¡°My dear daughter, forgive this irresponsible father who abandoned you without warning for 15 years and went to another sect to chase after that cultivator who came for the sect¡¯s competition and turned out to be the bastard daughter of our enemy sect¡¯s master,¡± he sobbed and begged for forgiveness. The immortal fairy, with jade-like features, pulled away from Zu Lian and wiped her tears. ¡°Father, I know it¡¯s because of your cultivation technique. You don¡¯t need to apologize. I¡¯m so glad you survived your 18th assassination attempt by your Dao partner¡­ I swear that if I meet one in the future, I will make them pay. This is a debt of blood,¡± her gaze turned cold and murderous. Zu Lian petted her head and, with a trembling look, spoke. ¡°No, the last one is different. I¡¯m alive because she showed me compassion in the end. I can¡¯t hold a grudge against her or any of the others, for this technique of mine is strange, and I am unaware if it somehow affects their behavior.¡± Despite ranting about being cruel and making a sea of blood without compassion toward his enemies, it seemed that Zu Lian had compassion for his ex-partners. My father taught me that those who do that are called hypocrites. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that you fall in love with crazy women,¡± replied the immortal fairy with a jade-like face. Zu Lian coughed with false sincerity. It was obvious he was pretending. ¡°Anyway, this is a benefactor who helped me advance to the Golden Core realm. He¡¯s a bit absent-minded and stubborn, but he is kind, humble, and generous. From now on, he¡¯s my son. I¡¯m promising you to him.¡± The immortal fairy, with her jade-like face, looked at me and analyzed me from head to toe after the emotional reunion. ¡°Father, he¡¯s ugly,¡± she replied, pleading softly as she covered her mouth with her hand. ¡°I know. He¡¯s ugly, very ugly, almost like a curse from the heavens. But when you grow up and experience the hard and cruel life of an immortal cultivator, you¡¯ll realize that outward appearance is a cruel illusion that traps you, and what truly matters is inner beauty. Look at me. My experience is the living proof of my words. I¡¯m not saying you should marry him or consummate the act right now. Be companions for 200 or 300 years and then decide what to do. I won¡¯t say anything if you decide not to make him your Dao partner. Also, the ugliness can be removed once he cultivates.¡± The immortal fairy, jade-faced, looked at me and reluctantly agreed. 200 years... I¡¯ve never met anyone over 40 in my life... Also, what else is going to grow? The women of her age in my village already had children my age... My parents were 19 when they died, I thought. ¡°Alright, father. He¡¯s your benefactor. Even if I can¡¯t give him my love, I¡¯ll take care of him and protect him like an older sister. Thank you so much for saving father,¡± she thanked me, taking my hands. ¡°It was nothing, your father already paid me with plenty of meat. My parents once told me they would watch me from the beyond. I don¡¯t want them to look at me and be disappointed in me. They¡¯d drop a lightning bolt on me if they see I¡¯ve become cruel or shameless,¡± I trembled. That was the kind of personality my parents had. You never knew what unreasonable actions they¡¯d take. The fairy named Wandian laughed at my fears. What¡¯s so funny about seeing someone so scared? Zu Lian¡¯s words don¡¯t seem wrong. Fairy appearance, demon heart. We see faces, but we don¡¯t know hearts. Demonic fairy. +++ The life of a cultivator is perfect in my opinion. Doing strange poses that make you feel like you''re renewing yourself. Free food. Cozy housing. I even had reading and writing lessons from the demonic fairy. She told me that despite the impression I gave, I had a good head on my shoulders. ¡°How is it possible that you¡¯re so smart? Did you eat a wisdom demon?¡± she asked incredulously, while rolling her eyes for some reason. I couldn¡¯t help but puff out my chest with pride. ¡°No, it¡¯s my own talent,¡± I replied. It only took me 6 years to learn to read and write. cap 4- sect, part 2 Eleven years passed in the blink of an eye. I lived peacefully and happily. Zu Lian, from the day we arrived, locked himself behind closed doors to stabilize his cultivation. He hasn¡¯t come out, not even to poop. Maybe he¡¯s dead. I don¡¯t know. My sister, the Demon Fairy, hasn¡¯t said anything about it, so I assume he¡¯s fine. Once I learned to read and write, the Demon Fairy stopped spending time with me. She claimed she was practicing her technique, but I have my doubts. I only saw her occasionally, and most of the time, it was to criticize my perfectly lazy lifestyle. "Hey, slacker! Take your cultivation seriously. They¡¯ll announce the sect competition for Body and Qi Preparatory cultivators any moment now. You need to be ready with items, medicines, and various techniques, or you¡¯ll die miserably," she said, descending from the sky by leaping off an object that looked like a long sword adorned with petals. "Hmm... can I skip it?" I asked, completely uninterested. "No, it¡¯s mandatory. We must save Master Zu Lian¡¯s face and return as Foundation Establishment cultivators. According to my calculations, there¡¯s not much time left. About 30 years," she sighed as she informed me with complete seriousness. This girl actually called her own father "Master." So cold. "Well, 30 years is indeed a short time... I will consider the teachings of Sister Demon Fai¡ª... sorry, Martial Fairy," I replied, bowing in mock respect while trying to hide my sarcasm. That was two months ago. As I admired the evening sky, I reflected on her words while feeling incredibly bored. "I have nothing better to do, anyway. Might as well go and learn some of those techniques I keep hearing about." I had already reached the 12th stage of Body and Qi Establishment, the limit of this realm. Now, all that was left was to consolidate my foundation by integrating it with various techniques suitable for my dao or cultivation purpose. "Ah, that reminds me that Master left me a technique along with the movement manual! I must find it!" I descended from the tree like an immortal fairy and went to my room. I searched everywhere, top to bottom. Five hundred breaths later, I found it under my bed. "Ah, I thought I¡¯d lost it. How careless of me! I must be more organized from now on," I thought, taking the book in my hands and reading its title.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The sharp, red letters decorated the silver book: "Asura¡¯s Fists" I swallowed hard. An intimidating and ancient aura emanated from those short, power-filled words. It was undoubtedly a powerful technique... but not to my liking. I didn¡¯t want to fight. I didn¡¯t like violence. This technique, designed for combat and killing, struck deeply at my heart. Still, I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I remembered my master¡¯s words just before he went into seclusion: "Even if you dislike violence, it has accompanied humans throughout history¡ªboth to take from others and to protect what we cherish. Remember this! Even if it¡¯s not your intention to seize and kill, you¡¯ll need strength and power to protect!" I closed my eyes and made up my mind. "Yes, even if I don¡¯t kill, I must protect myself and those who might matter to me in the future." I had heard many bloody stories that began with a simple clash of gazes or a jade beauty. In such a chaotic world, ruled by the strong, I must be able to protect myself. I stroked the manual and read its introduction: "Asura¡¯s Fists: crush mountains, pulverize bones. Side effect: an uncontrollable desire to punch someone once every 10,000 breaths." I analyzed the description deeply... and threw the manual away. "This technique is definitely not suited for the dao I wish to pursue. (Actually, I don¡¯t even have any intention of pursuing a specific dao)." Then I remembered something. "Ah, the library. The sect has a massive library filled with countless techniques. There must be one suitable for learning and killing time." I went to the river and took a bath. Then I headed to the sect¡¯s library, located on the 6th branch of the Celestial Node. I walked leisurely, without bumping into anyone or making conversation. Still, for some reason, everyone kept staring at me. It was uncomfortable. "I haven¡¯t interacted with them at all, and I¡¯ve never been important enough to be the center of attention like this. What¡¯s going on?" I tried not to pay attention and arrived at the library without incident. "Hello, fellow cultivator librarian. I¡¯ve come today to look for a technique suitable for my dao. Here¡¯s my disciple badge." The boy guarding the entrance opened his eyes and took my badge. "I¡¯ve verified your badge, fellow junior cultivator. You¡¯re allowed to roam freely between the 1st and 3rd floors. If you try to be clever and sneak into the higher floors because you think no one is watching, you¡¯ll be pulverized in less than a breath. Keep that in mind." I nodded and bowed. "Thank you very much, fellow cultivator. I won¡¯t delay your meditation any further." (I knew he was sleeping. His drool was running down one side.) I tried to pass, but he stopped me. "Wait. Tell me, I have a question, junior cultivator. Haven¡¯t you heard about facial reconstruction?" "Huh? Facial reconstruction? I¡¯m afraid not, fellow librarian cultivator." The librarian sighed, evaluating me seriously. "I see. Haven¡¯t you noticed there are no ugly cultivators?" I paused to think. "Now that you mention it... I hadn¡¯t noticed. I¡¯ve been taking care of my master¡¯s residence, and I haven¡¯t spent much time with others. But my master mentioned something years ago, though I didn¡¯t understand it back then." The librarian nodded, clearly understanding. "That explains it. Let me tell you something, junior. In the cultivation world, being ugly is a sin. So is being incredibly handsome, like me. Anyway, when you spoke to me, I thought I was having a nightmare. That¡¯s why I brought it up." He said something rude and offensive, then closed his eyes again. In the end, he didn¡¯t explain why there were no ugly cultivators or what facial reconstruction was. I felt puzzled and annoyed. "Is being ugly a sin in the cultivation world?" I thought, heading toward the shelves. Chapter 5- Library I entered the sect¡¯s library, and the first thing that struck me was the sheer vastness of the place. Endless shelves stretched beyond what the eye could see, forming a labyrinth. In the darker corners, some shelves were cloaked in dust, as though no one had ventured there for centuries. I wondered if they housed forgotten¡ªor cursed¡ªtechniques. Each shelf was colossal, as if crafted for giants; their height was at least ten times my own. At double the height of the shelves, there was a hollow space in the ceiling leading to the second floor and higher levels. There were no stairs, only emptiness. It seemed one had to jump to reach them, which I couldn¡¯t manage yet. Maybe I could climb or prop myself up using the shelves, but I feared knocking them over and being expelled from the sect where I had my perfect life. Still, it was odd, but after half a breath of thought, it seemed quite logical. I delved into the forest of shelves. I was curious to explore various areas, but I realized that even with a lifetime, it wouldn¡¯t be possible. So, I decided to focus on what I came to find on this singular occasion. Martial Arts, Spells and Formations, Herbs and Alchemy, Mystic Beast Arts, Sect and Bloodline Histories, Demonic and Forbidden Cultivation, Theories of Heaven and Earth, Studies on Spiritual Nodes: Structures of Ancient Astronauts, Rituals and Ancestral Secrets, and so on. I passed through various sections, each marked by inscriptions on jade plaques placed at the start of every row. Silence reigned, occasionally broken by the faint creak of my footsteps. Along the way, I noticed several fellow cultivators scattered through the aisles. Some were sprawled on the ground, leaning against shelves, or sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed. At first, I thought they were sleeping until I remembered that immortal cultivators read that way. How does one do that? Simple. These books weren¡¯t made of paper. They were crafted using what the Demon Fairy Sister called ¡°spiritual jade stone,¡± which is read using spiritual consciousness. Of course, one must know how to read. She had shown me how, and it was quite simple and fast. It felt as if all the words and images could be absorbed simultaneously. I was careful not to disturb anyone as I continued onward. They were engrossed in their own exploration, analyzing the spiritual jade stones that contained the sect¡¯s techniques and knowledge. Each step I took among the shelves made me feel as if the place grew more intricate, like walking through an endless maze. Was it really necessary to be this complicated? After what seemed like 1,106 breaths¡ªyes, I counted, because what else could I do while searching?¡ªI was beginning to regret coming when I finally arrived at the section I was looking for. The inscription on the jade plaque read: ¡°Cultivation Techniques for Foundation Building: Body and Spirit Preparation Stage.¡± ¡°At last,¡± I thought joyfully. With a mix of relief and curiosity, I picked up a spiritual jade stone from the shelf. Its surface was smooth and cool to the touch, but I felt a faint pulse of energy within it, as if the knowledge itself was alive. I sat on the floor, leaning against the shelf, and began inspecting it with my spiritual consciousness. ¡°Technique of the Immovable Celestial Turtle¡± I blinked, incredulous. ¡°What? Is this a joke? What is something like this doing in the techniques section?¡± From what little I knew about cultivation techniques, they were supposed to be skills designed to fortify one¡¯s path to the Dao, surpass the limits of realms, and, for some reason¡ªperhaps spite¡ªbreak the poor heavens. But then, why were all the techniques I encountered so strange? I thought of the master¡¯s techniques, the Demon Fairy Sister¡¯s, and now this one.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Are they all like this?¡± Doubts began creeping in. Curious, I inspected another jade stone. ¡°Spiritual River Technique¡± Spiritual flatulence... Is that good or bad? ¡°...¡± I picked up another one. ¡°Body Cleansing Technique¡± In my eleven years at the sect, I never imagined techniques could be so¡­ peculiar, though the signs were always there. ¡°Is it just me picking the weirdest ones? Is it my luck? Is this the Dao destined for me?¡± I began doubting myself. After reviewing several absurd techniques, I encountered a fellow cultivator and decided to ask directly. Maybe, just maybe, I was the problem. He was leaning against a shelf with a jade stone in his hands. ¡°Hello, good afternoon, fellow cultivator. Sorry to interrupt your reading, but¡­ could you tell me what technique you¡¯re holding?¡± The young man opened his eyes and smiled kindly. ¡°Oh, hello, young junior. You¡¯re new, aren¡¯t you? Sure, no problem. Here you go. It¡¯s a great technique, but it¡¯s not suitable for the Dao I¡¯m pursuing. Perhaps it¡¯ll suit you.¡± He handed me the jade stone, and I inspected it. ¡°Great Golden Fish Summoning Technique¡± I sighed. ¡°I really wish the Demon Fairy Sister were here to ask about these things. Annoying as she is, she knows a lot. She¡¯s like a mini-library,¡± I murmured. The fellow cultivator chuckled at my expression. ¡°Didn¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°Well¡­ fellow cultivator, I¡¯m just very confused by the conditions and effects of these techniques. How and why do people cultivate them? It¡¯s absurd, even for someone as ignorant as me about the immensity of Mount Tai.¡± The young man laughed again but answered calmly. ¡°Oh, now I understand. The reason is simple: most techniques for the Body and Spirit Preparation Stage were created by beginner cultivators of the same stage. That¡¯s why they often have strange side effects or absurdly difficult conditions. When they made them, they still didn¡¯t understand spiritual energy or the Dao very well, so their techniques are imperfect.¡± My eyes lit up. Was that the reason? "Why don¡¯t the elders, teachers, or superiors fix them?" "It¡¯s simple! They¡¯re just old farts who only care about their own cultivation!" Ah, that startled me. He gritted his teeth and calmed himself. "Ugh, sorry, I got a little carried away. Let me continue. They do fix some, especially the dangerous ones, but others they prefer to leave as they are or cannot be fixed, as the technique would become something completely different. Besides, as one progresses in their cultivation and understands the technique, they¡¯ll be able to fix it themselves." "I see... So these techniques are considered safe or, on the other hand, can¡¯t be repaired but aren¡¯t dangerous, right?" "Exactly." "Thank you, fellow cultivator. I understand now." "No problem! We¡¯re here to help! Let me give you some advice. Be very careful when choosing a technique, especially if you don¡¯t have a master or senior cultivator to guide you. As I mentioned, some can¡¯t be fixed, and you¡¯d have to live with their effects your entire life on your path to immortality. I have no one, as I was once a mortal, so I¡¯ve spent 47 years searching for a suitable technique since I reached the peak of body and spirit preparation. However, I still haven¡¯t found one." The young man sighed. I was surprised. "You¡¯re very patient and determined. I would¡¯ve given up by now." The young man gave a faint smile and gazed into the distance with a melancholy air. "I want to give up too, but I have a childhood friend in my hometown who was engaged to a wealthy young master. I promised to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, stop her marriage, and go after her because I love her. I want to bring her with me to be my Dao partner. I¡¯ve lived with that sole goal in mind." How inspiring! I nodded, encouraging him, but I couldn¡¯t help frowning shortly after. Wait. Forty-seven years looking for a technique? "Is she a cultivator?" I asked. "No," he replied. "How long has it been since you arrived here?" I asked nervously. "A hundred and nine years," he answered instantly. I looked at him in silence. He met my gaze. Ten breaths later, the young man¡¯s chest began to heave. His eyes widened, staring into nothingness. "¡­" He was stunned. A solitary tear, as lonely as his life thus far, rolled down his cheek. His body began to tremble. "She..." he murmured, "she... must no longer remember me. Ah, how tragic." He spat out a mouthful of blood. I didn¡¯t know what to say. My throat was dry, and all I could think was, ¡°Remember you? Forget her engagement. She¡¯s probably already with my parents, living her next life.¡± After that, the wails in the library unsettled everyone. The librarian at the door came to remove the broken young man. "Ha ha ha! I¡¯ve wasted my life. This ring is meaningless now! You old bastard, you can eat shit! I won¡¯t help you anymore!" The young man removed a ring from his left hand and threw it into the air. It fell at my feet. I picked it up to take a closer look. The ring was old, with red stains on its surface, as if time had left a deep mark. The metal appeared dull, worn, and the inscriptions on it, which might once have been clearly visible, were faded, almost unrecognizable. The stone adorning it had a dim glow, as if it had lost its original luster, absorbing more shadows than light. I observed it for a while, feeling the young man¡¯s frustration reflected in the object. I decided to keep it. It didn¡¯t seem like the right time to return it; it was clear he was shattered, both inside and out. He needed time to heal. In light of these events, I remained calm and composed, reaching a conclusion: cultivation somehow affects people in strange ways...