The sun was still hidden below the horizon, and the sky was just beginning to lighten. In the far north of the continent, in the country of Xunzhou, people in the shabby villages at the foot of the mountains were slowly waking up.
Xunzhou was a small country located at the northernmost part of the continent, with the towering Tian Mountain stretching along its northern border. The mountain range spanned thousands of miles, with snow-capped peaks that never melted. Beyond Tian Mountain, to the north, was the Ice Demon Sea—a dark, freezing ocean where the waters were said to be so corrosive that anything that touched it would rot. No one had ever crossed it, and no one knew what lay beyond.
In the villages at the foot of the Tian Mountain, there was a local legend: once, a celestial being had lived in the mountain. The locals even called it the "Sacred Mountain" in reverence. The ancient stories passed down through generations told of the celestial being's deeds, one of which was that with a single wave of his hand, he had cut off the highest peak of the mountain right in the middle, and the top half of the mountain mysteriously vanished without a trace.
If anyone doubted the story, the villagers would point to a distant, oddly shaped flat-topped mountain wrapped in mist. They would swear that atop that mountain was a clear blue lake, the place where the celestial being had washed his face. They'd invite anyone skeptical to come and see it for themselves.
What people couldn't see, though, was that above the flat-topped mountain's lake, there was a floating peak shrouded in celestial mist, with pavilions and towers dotting the summit, as if immortals truly resided there. At the very top, on a star-gazing platform, the Great Elder of the Heavenly Pool Sect was waking up from a long meditation.
The elderly man, with a kind face and white hair, seemed troubled. His long brows furrowed deeply as he let out a heavy sigh. After a moment, he waved his sleeve, stood up, and walked over to a door that had been sealed for decades. With a flick of his hand, he undid the seal.
The door creaked loudly, waking the young attendant outside, who had been dozing off. He immediately snapped to attention and bowed deeply to the Great Elder.
With a wave of his hand, the Great Elder caused a powerful, yet gentle force to lift the young attendant off the ground. The boy was forced to stand, unable to resist. The Great Elder spoke to him, "Gather the Sect Leader and the Elders in the council hall. I have something to discuss." After saying that, he left.
The boy froze for a moment, then quickly ran off to notify the Sect Leader.
Outside the council hall, Sect Leader Henghua had just finished his affairs and hurried into the hall. Upon entering, he bowed deeply to the white-browed elder sitting at the head of the table, addressing him as "Uncle Master." The Great Elder waved his hand. "No need for such formalities."
Henghua felt the strength that had lifted him earlier—soft yet powerful—and couldn't help but be surprised and pleased. He smiled and said, "Congratulations, Uncle Master, for touching the Dao of Heaven. Have you broken through to the later stage of Out-of-Body?"
The Great Elder stroked his white beard and responded calmly, "During my retreat, I had some insights. I have benefited greatly, and in ten days, I will face the heavenly tribulation. The Great Ascension is within reach."
The other elders seated around the table also stood, their faces full of joy as they congratulated the Great Elder.
The Great Elder shook his head, signaling them to sit, and then said, "I called you here not just for this reason." Henghua took his seat, and the others followed suit, all ears for what came next.
"Given your reaction, this must be something important for our sect?" Henghua asked.
The Great Elder sighed deeply. "This is not just about our sect... This concerns a great catastrophe for all living beings in the world."
At this, the room fell silent in shock. The elders exchanged surprised glances, whispering among themselves.
"Please, Uncle Master, tell us more," Henghua said, rising to his feet again and bowing respectfully.
"A few days ago, I was meditating and my divine sense traveled across the sky. I saw a strange phenomenon in the heavens—an unusual guest star appeared near the Pleiades, large and white, with four rays of light shooting out. Shortly after, I saw the Demon Star shift from darkness to light. I fear the seal on the secret realm may be weakening, and if the Demon Lord escapes... disaster will soon follow."
The Great Elder's face darkened. "I still have a century after my tribulation. If this matter isn't resolved, how could I rest easy letting you all ascend? Sigh..."
Henghua's expression turned solemn. "Just last month, several of my disciples went to inspect the seal, and there were no signs of any disturbance at that time. Any changes must have happened in the last few days. I will send people to check immediately." With that, he took out a jade slip, pressed it to his forehead, closed his eyes for a few moments, then flicked his fingers, sending the jade slip flying off like a streak of light.
One of the elders seated below spoke up, "As the ancients say: 'When a guest star appears in the celestial court, something extraordinary will follow.' But does the appearance of this star have any connection to the impending calamity?"
The Great Elder gently shook his head, stroking his beard. "I've tried to calculate this several times, but the guest star is not aligned with the Dao of Heaven. No matter how I try, I cannot discern its meaning. Whether it's connected or not... I cannot make sense of it."
"The appearance of the Demon Star must have been felt by the other great cultivators in the Immortal Path," Henghua suggested. "Perhaps we should send a message and arrange a meeting to discuss the matter with them."
The Great Elder nodded slowly. "You're right. That seems to be the only course of action. Sect Leader, I'll leave the mundane tasks to you."
Henghua immediately rose, bowing low. "I'll do my best," he said before hurriedly leaving the hall.
Meanwhile, deep in the Mo Ye Forest, Du Chen, with an unhappy look on his face, swung his large sword and charged toward the monster in front of him, muttering under his breath, "…It's always easy to call for help, but getting rid of it is a pain. I told you to head back, why stick around? Now everyone's stuck outside the city because of you. You just had to reach level 11, huh? If you wanted to level up, fine, but why sit there doing nothing while others are fighting monsters, just soaking up the experience... at least have some shame..."
Xiao Yue, awkwardly following behind, chuckled nervously, sneaking glances at the little ghost on his shoulder, worried it might get angry and chop Du Chen down. The other three were facepalming, all while constantly casting spells.
"Hey, do you think we'll hit level 11 today? I really don't want to sleep in the forest again," Du Chen called out, chopping down monsters while glancing around for more.
Cang Hai adjusted his glasses and replied, "No problem. I'm just half a level away." After their fight with the middle-aged cultivator yesterday, they all reached level 9, though Du Chen was still a bit short. After getting the Li family members out of the forest this morning, the five-person team had dove right into leveling up, attacking anything they came across without hesitation. After half a day of this, everyone leveled up again.
The night before, after a lot of discussion, they decided to join a sect to learn how to cultivate.
The reason was that the "Xu Tu Gong Fa" only worked for Du Chen. When the others tried to place it on their foreheads, they got the system message in bright red letters: (Attributes incompatible, unable to learn.)
They all silently cursed Du Chen's luck. But after Cang Hai studied the jade slip more carefully, he found it only contained cultivation methods from the Qi Refining stage to the early Foundation Establishment stage. This led to more discussion on how to actually join a sect.
At this point, Sang Tian suggested a feasible plan: "If we take the little ghost back for now, Xiao Yue just needs to avoid using any Shadow-type skills or the Demon Skin buff, and no one will be able to tell he's a demonic cultivator."
Everyone agreed, nodding their heads.
However, when Xiao Yue tried to negotiate with the little ghost, things didn't go as smoothly.
The group watched as Xiao Yue argued with the little ghost for a long time, his face showing frustration. He finally turned back to the others, looking defeated. "OX says he can't go back."
"How come?" The four of them exchanged confused glances.
"OX says the contract between us has sealed his powers, which is why he's so small now. Once I reach Foundation Establishment, he can release some of his power and return to the size of a 3-4 year-old child. Then we can enter the city together without drawing attention," Xiao Yue explained.
"But that's a paradox," Cang Hai pushed up his glasses, frowning. "If we take him with us, we can't enter the city. And without entering the city, we can't join a sect. Without joining a sect, we can't cultivate... so how are we supposed to reach Foundation Establishment?"
The little ghost seemed to respond, and Xiao Yue's face showed signs of shock—or disbelief. He turned to the group with a complicated expression and said, "OX says... we've been sitting on a treasure mountain without realizing it. We've already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. Just two more levels and we'll be at Foundation Establishment."
"What?" Cang Hai suddenly leaned in close to Xiao Yue's face, while the others also leaned forward in shock.
The little ghost seemed annoyed, saying just one more sentence before closing his eyes again. Xiao Yue translated, "That middle-aged cultivator was at the tenth level of Qi Refining."
Cang Hai's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. "So, it really is just as I thought... this is unbelievable..."
"We're at level nine of Qi Refining, and the old ghost's at level ten... Does this mean we've been cultivating all along just by leveling up and killing monsters?" Du Chen, finally understanding, grinned broadly. "Ha! I knew it! The personal game system is basically a cheat code! I'm the protagonist, hahaha!"
But now, a day later, the supposed protagonist, Du Chen, felt like a dog. While swinging the big sword had gotten much easier after all the training, a full day of nonstop monster grinding and leveling had drained him of all his energy.
"I'm never grinding like this again… this is killing me…" Du Chen threw the big sword down with a clang, bent over with his hands hanging limply in front of him. He felt like his arms no longer belonged to him.
But no one cared. Not even a glance was spared. The other four were hunched over in a small circle, busy groping a three-year-old child in the middle, and the air was filled with occasional high-pitched female squeals.
"Wah～Little Ghost-sama is so adorable!" Tongxinfen squatted in front of the little ghost, alternately stroking his soft, black hair and pinching his smooth, pink face, her pale cheeks flushed with excitement.
"Stop calling me that. My name is Di Wei." The little child, barely in his toddler years, furrowed his brow and stared with wide, dark eyes. He seemed clearly displeased by the way the odd group of adults was manhandling him, pouting as his lips tightened into an angry little line.
"Aww, the way he looks all serious and adult is even cuter, what should I do, I want to take him home and raise him! o(≧▽≦)o～～" Sang Tian clasped his hands to his chest, shaking with a helpless expression, completely ignoring his own image as he squirmed in excitement.
Du Chen waited a while, but when no one acknowledged him, he sulkily walked over. Seeing the two girls acting so out of character, he poked Cang Hai on the shoulder and said, "Hey, with your wife acting like this, aren't you going to do something about it?"
Cang Hai slowly turned his head, his eyes hidden behind his glasses now glittering with stars. He actually smiled with longing and replied, "Heh, it wouldn't be bad to have a son like that~"
Du Chen took a step back, stunned—no way, even the usually composed Cang Hai had been captured by this little kid? Even his tone was filled with warmth… Du Chen sneakily glanced at Di Wei, who was standing among them, his short arms and legs looking comically out of place. His big, dark eyes glistened with moisture, and he pouted in a very adult-like manner, trying to keep his cool. Du Chen scratched his chin and, unexpectedly, found himself agreeing with Cang Hai's words.
Du Chen elbowed Xiao Yue, who was standing nearby, and asked, "Aren't you going to do something? That little ghost—uh, I mean, Di Wei—doesn't mind this?"
Xiao Yue wore the satisfied expression of a proud dad, grinning from ear to ear as he said, "Ah, I've already talked to Di Wei about it. Everyone's been helping us so much, so a little petting here and there is no big deal. He's really well-behaved and immediately agreed."
It was getting late, and after lingering for a while, Xiao Yue finally stepped forward to pick up Di Wei. The five of them then made their way to the road at the edge of the forest.
The Li family had been anxiously waiting here for an entire day, and they were now burning with impatience. Upon seeing Du Chen and the others, Li Zhong was the first to rush over. Noticing that the five had changed into new outfits and one of them was carrying a child, he didn't dare ask too many questions but simply inquired if they were ready to continue their journey.
On the road, Du Chen suddenly thought of something and said, "Hmm, if we can level up and cultivate, why do we still need to find a master? Isn't that unnecessary?"
Cang Hai nodded in agreement, saying, "Yeah, it's good that you can think of that. We just need to level up by fighting monsters, but how long will it take for us to reach level 60, the Great Ascension stage? Half a year? A year? Two years? Or even longer? During that time, we still need to live in this world. Won't we run into other cultivators on the way? We're using game skills, and others will notice right away that we're different. They'll definitely treat us as outcasts. Think about what happened yesterday—do you want to keep getting chased down?"
Du Chen scratched his rough chin, tilting his head in thought.
As they reached the top of a small hill, the city hidden beneath the green trees was now clearly visible in the distance. The Li family, exhausted from the journey, couldn't help but feel excited. The legendary Immortal City was finally within reach.
After descending the hill and turning a few corners, a wide, straight road appeared in front of them. At the end of the road stood the majestic city gates, and above them hung a plaque with the words Zhen Lian City written on it.
Du Chen and Cang Hai walked side by side at the front, and Cang Hai said, "About the cultivation techniques, I originally planned to research it myself, but after you learned that Xu Tu Gongfa, did you notice anything different about yourself?"
Du Chen, confused, turned his eyes around and opened his personal interface, noticing only the words "Xu Tu Gongfa: Learned" in the skill section. He didn't feel any changes. The novel mentioned things like internal vision or a spiritual Qi ball in the dantian, but he didn't sense anything like that. Feeling a bit down, he realized that just learning the technique without knowing how to use it was useless.
"Can't use it, right? That's why we have to find a sect first, to understand how cultivation works in this world, so we can walk the path of cultivation properly," Cang Hai said quietly, gazing at the towering city that was growing closer.