In the Kyushu Continent, on top of the Piled Thunder Mountain.

The sky was covered in dark clouds, with flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder. Bronze colored heavenly lightning flickered in the clouds, like dragons and snakes crawling behind the black clouds, as divine as ghosts. Their mighty power piled up like mountains, instilling fear and dread in spectators.

Rumble! The sound of thunder was like drums beating beside one's ear, almost deafening.

Overwhelming heavenly lightning descended, turning into plasmid sparks, pouring onto the silhouette of a person standing against the storm atop the Piled Thunder Mountain. Despite the onslaught of the thunder, the figure remained unyielding and steadfast.

After the Heavenly Tribulation, Jiang Li looked up at the sky, full of anticipation.

However, only a clear sky remained after the storm of dark clouds had dissipated. There was no golden Immortal Ascension ladder that he had been yearning for.

"Sadly, it is indeed impossible to ascend to immortality."

Jiang Li muttered to himself in a tone filled with disappointment. This was the fifteenth time he had tried to cross the immortal tribulation.

Transcending tribulation to ascend to immortality was not a vague and nebulous legend, but a fact with explicit evidence, in the current Kyushu Continent there still existed Immortal Doctrine, Immortal Artifacts, Immortal laws and those old antiques who have witnessed the Immortal Ascension ladder.

According to those old antiques, there were often great cultivators in the realm of the Kyushu Continent thousands of years ago, who, once they had overcome the Heavenly Tribulation, the Immortal Realm would descend an Immortal Ascension ladder to welcome them.

However, for unknown reasons, the Immortal Realm no longer lowered the Immortal Ascension ladder, cutting off the path to ascension, leaving countless cultivators into sighs, passing away in regret.

Since five hundred years ago when Jiang Li crossed into the Kyushu Continent, he had no golden finger (cheat). Relying on his diligence, wisdom, and luck, he rose from insignificance, overcame various difficulties and obstacles, and finally cultivated to the highest realm in Kyushu Continent, the Mahayana Realm, and become the reigning Human Emperor, undeniably the top individual in the Kyushu Continent.

Transcending into the cultivation world without being able to ascend is indeed a regret.

Jiang Li also wondered, if he had a golden finger, like a system or an omnipresent old grandpa, would the path be less winding?

He sighed, what was the point of thinking about these things now? Having a golden finger or not, hadn't he reached his current position? And looking back at those detours he took along the way, aren't those part of the enjoyment?

[Host's information detected, counterattack system activated.]

[Name: Jiang Li]

[Age: 518]

[Status: Human Emperor]

[Cultivation: Mahayana Realm]

A mechanical voice rose by Jiang Li's ear.

Jiang Li subconsciously opened his divine sense, on guard, but as he clearly heard this voice, he was stumped, and a mixture of excitement and helplessness erupted in his heart. With a chuckle, he complained, "Isn't this system a bit too late!"

Despite complaining, the system still needed to be opened.

[This system is a counterattack system, helping the host knock down all who look down upon the host.]

[Please accept the novice gift pack, dear host.]

Upon hearing the word "counterattack", Jiang Li felt a deep sense of unease, but he still suppressed his discomfort and said, "Accept."

As soon as the words fell, a pile of items miraculously appeared before Jiang Li.

He sat cross-legged to check these items.

As soon as he opened the small pill bottle, he could smell a refreshing fragrance, which made his mood rise, a scent that only the finest elixirs had.

Twenty top-grade Qi Gathering Pills, which had extraordinary effects in the Qi Cultivation Stage.

A single top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill that can assist a Qi Cultivating Stage cultivator to achieve the perfect Foundation Establishment.

Ten low-level talismans, including two strength talismans, two speed talismans, two stealth talismans, and four tranquility talismans.

One hundred and fifty low-level spirit stones.

A damaged magic technique manual titled "Four-Two Pacifying A Thousand Pounds", with a comforting note from the system on the side.

[Four-Two Pacifying a Thousand Pounds is a secret art of the Dao Sect, mastering the damaged copy can make one invincible in the Qi Cultivation Stage, if you want a full copy you can use ten thousand source points.]

[Current source points: 0]

Jiang Li looked at these items in silence.

Isn't this newbie gift pack a little too... newbie?

Jiang Li inspected these items carefully, among them the most valuable item was probably the rough-looking manual. Not just rough-looking, it was even incomplete!

"Furthermore, Four-Two Pacifying A Thousand Pounds …"

Jiang Li pondered for a moment, then drew a brand-new book from his Storage Ring, a book with the same title.

This was a book that the Sect Master of the Dao Sect personally wrote as a gift to Jiang Li, including the experiences and annotations of the predecessors of the Dao Sect.

Powerful magic techniques usually have a realm threshold. For instance, the Ding Quelling Central Plains of Thick Soil Sect, which could only be motivated with Golden Core Stage mana, and the Butterfly Transformation Yin and Yang of the Heart Demon Sect, which also required Golden Core Stage mana to urge.

The advantage of Four-Two Pacifying A Thousand Pounds was no spiritual energy restrictions. It emphasizes moving with the heart, using weakness to overcome strength, which was quite suitable for fighting across ranks, a rare no-threshold magic technique.

After careful comparison of the two books and confirming that the contents were the same, Jiang Li couldn't help but feel puzzled: "These are all good stuff, but why are they all for the Qi Cultivation Stage?"

"System, what is my cultivation level?"

A mechanical voice rose.

[Mahayana Realm.]

"Did you give the wrong novice gift pack? It's not a starter pack for Qi Cultivation Stage, it should be a starter pack for the Mahayana Realm, right?"

[It has been verified, there is no error.]

"What is my cultivation level?"

[Mahayana Realm.]

"What level of person is suitable for the novice gift pack you gave?"

[Qi Cultivation Stage.]

"Did you give it to the wrong person?"

[It has been verified, there is no error.]

"My level …"

[Mahayana Realm, no error.]

"Alright," Jiang Li wordlessly responded, "even to answer first."

He didn't know whether to say the system was rigid or intelligent.

[Newbie mission released, this mission cannot be refused or avoided.]

[Failure Penalty: Unable to open the remaining functions of the system.]

[The system's features include: store, spiritual energy infusion, heart demon evasion, spatial displacement ...]

[Newbie mission: Jiang Yixing, relying on his identity as the son of the Clan Leader, has repeatedly bullied you. Please defeat Jiang Yixing.]

Jiang Li was full of question marks.

Jiang Yixing, such a familiar name, who was it?

Recalling back to the beginning of his transmigration, Jiang Li finally remembered who Jiang Yixing was.

Jiang Li's father was the previous clan leader. After his father's death, he was left with his sickly mother. After his mother passed away due to a severe illness, Jiang Li became an orphan.

After the death of his parents, Jiang Yixing, who was the son of the current clan leader, bullied people everywhere. Among all his victims, he enjoyed bullying Jiang Li the most. This gave him a strange feeling of fulfillment. And since Jiang Yixing was the most talented in the clan, no one dared to speak up for Jiang Li, who was always meek. Jiang Li, after being bullied, did nothing but curse his fate. Eventually, he died due to a fit of extreme rage.

It was during that time that Jiang Li transmigrated.

After transmigrating, Jiang Li judged that staying in this family would do more harm than good, so he immediately ran away from home.

That was five hundred years ago.

Viewing him now, Jiang Yixing's so-called title as the most talented in the clan didn't mean much. At best, he could only reach the Foundation Establishment Stage in his lifetime, and with luck go beyond to the later stages. His chance of reaching the Golden Core Stage was almost zero.

The lifespan of a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage is no different from a mortal, which is 140 years. Those at the Golden Core Stage have varied lifespans, ranging between two hundred to three hundred years.

No matter whether Jiang Yixing reached the Foundation Establishment Stage or the Golden Core Stage, he is now certainly dead!

Also crucial was that this novice mission seems unlikely for him to complete in his current state!

"System, which era is it now?"

[Year 4300 in the Flame Calendar.]

"It's Year 4800 in the Flame Calendar now!"

Jiang Li finally understood where his unease and feeling of discord came from. This damned system had been activated five hundred years later than it should have!

[Please use the time recognized by the system as a reference.]

Jiang Li was shaking with anger.

"I request to change the mission."

[Mission cannot be changed.]

"Jiang Yixing is dead!"

[Please use the time recognized by the system as a reference.]

"Now I'm in the Mahayana Realm. Is it really appropriate for me to fight Jiang Yixing, who might be in either the Qi Cultivation Stage or the Foundation Establishment Stage? You call this a counter-attack?!"

[Please complete the novice mission.]

"Restart the system."

[Please complete the novice mission.]

"Uninstall the system."

[Please complete the novice mission.]

Jiang Li almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.

Upon seeing the word "counter-attack", he should have guessed. This damn counter-attack system, as the current Human Emperor and the strongest in the nine provinces, who is he supposed to counter-attack against?

"What kind of broken system is this, I have no use for you!"

Jiang Li resolved to completely ignore the system. The system started five hundred years late and chose a dead man as the target to complete the mission. How is one supposed to defeat a dead person, through a psychological victory?!

...

Below Piled Thunder Mountain, numerous powerful cultivators expectedly waited for the Human Emperor's tribulation. These people were either the master of a great sect, rulers of an empire, or ancient beings who had lived for thousands of years.

The accomplishments of these sect masters were astonishing, they would have already calmly locked themselves away for cultivation to transcend the tribulations and become immortals long ago if they didn't have to wait for the Immortal Realm to appear. There were even a few who had transcended to become immortals themselves, however, they certainly couldn't be compared to the amount of tribulations Jiang Li had been through.

The reason they were here was not to see if Jiang Li could cross the tribulation, but to observe if there was a chance to ascend after the tribulation.

This tribulation was destined to disappoint them too, as there was no celestial ladder leading to becoming an immortal after the tribulation, as was described in the legends.

The thought of becoming immortal seemed so out of their reach, which unavoidably appeared in the heads of the sect masters.

Although they all anticipated it, it still cast a gloomy shadow over everyone's hearts.

Jiang Li flew down from the peak of the mountain, and even those who weren't good at interpreting others' emotions could see the despair in his heart.

If it were just about not ascending after a single tribulation, Jiang Li wouldn't have been too disappointed. However, the sudden new system made him believe there was some sort of cheat that could help him ascend, which turned out to be a useless feature.

The sect masters easily detected Jiang Li's state of mind, though they still feigned an excited expression, congratulating Jiang Li.

"Congratulations, Human Emperor Jiang, on passing another tribulation."

"Heavens above."

"It's a frightful sight for me just watching from the sidelines, yet you, Human Emperor Jiang, crossed it safely. Your cultivation must have improved once again!"

"It was pure luck, pure luck."

"If Human Emperor Jiang can ascend, he will also be a dominant figure in the Immortal Realm!"

"The road to ascension is long and strenuous, and we need to work hard together."

"Human Emperor Jiang, you must come to my sect and share your cultivation experiences with my unworthy disciples, give me some face!"

"How can Sect Master Zhang say that? I'm eternally grateful for your guidance. In due time, I will share my experiences with Sect Master Zhang and our younger generation."

"What a pity that the Immortal Realm is too far away from us, its location is uncertain and its borders are too thick. Otherwise, with Human Emperor Jiang's cultivation, he can break open the barrier by force!"

"Everyone knows that your lineage from Mount Sumeru excels at the spatial arts. If anyone can locate the Immortal Realm, it's you!""

Jiang Li was very polite to these sect masters, thanking each one of them. He also promised that he would visit each sect and share his experiences with them, which made the sect masters very pleased.

After bidding farewell to the sect masters, Jiang Li called out the system again. The words of the old Buddha from Mount Sumeru just now gave him an idea.

"System, can you send me to the Immortal Realm?"

[The system will open spatial transmission capabilities in the future which could take the host to the Immortal Realm.]

"Can you send me there now?" Jiang Li was overjoyed. The system still had some use; just as expected from a cheat!

[Please first complete the novice mission.]

Jiang Li patiently explained to the system: "You can send me to the Immortal Realm first. Through the Immortal Realm, I can get to the Underworld, find Jiang Yixing there, defeat him, and thus complete the mission."

[Please complete the novice mission first.]

"Can you be flexible, can I pay you back later? You can't just ask me to fight a dead man."

[Please complete the novice mission first.]

"What a crap system!"

Jiang Li felt like this wasn't a cheat at all, but an insult from the heavens.

While cursing at the system's uselessness, he was thinking about how to complete the system mission.

For instance, he could find someone named Jiang Yixing and beat him up, or find a person and force him to name himself Jiang Yixing then beat him up or even dance on Jiang Yixing's grave...

Of course, these are all alternative plans, his primary plan was obviously to go back to his hometown to see if Jiang Yixing was still alive. Maybe he obtained a Lifespan Extension Pill, well not just one, but more than ten to barely make it to this day, or maybe he received guidance from a great master and broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage. With the lifespan of a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator being around five hundred years, he could just about make it to the present...

In short, aptitude is not the only determining factor. For example, himself, Jiang Li, was a good example. If it wasn't for his hard work in cultivation, even with a tiny bit of help from his heavenly spiritual roots and limitless Taoist body, he still wouldn't be able to cultivate to the Mahayana Realm.