Heaven, Earth, Humans, Gods, Ghosts—five Immortal Paths that, though distinct, converge to the same end. If one cultivates a single path to Immortality and reaches its absolute limit, then it signifies the ultimate realm of one of the three components of Essence, Qi, Spirit—attaining a state where the body is indestructible, the Qi does not cut off, or the spirit becomes immortal.
And if one can cultivate two paths, then these are akin to the three components of Essence, Qi, Spirit, complementary and reinforcing in cultivation. But if both paths are cultivated to the limit, one can achieve two ultimate realms.
If one can cultivate all three paths, reaching the ultimate realm signifies one can achieve the true state of indestructible body, unending Qi, and immortal spirit, a state of true deathlessness and immortality.
"But if I were to cultivate all five paths to the limit, would they exist in symbiotic enhancement, merely strengthening the divine powers gained from my original state of cultivation, or would some other transformation occur?" wondered Pei Xuanjing.
About this, he was also uncertain, having no way to verify, as he had so far only theorized about his own cultivation practice without actually achieving it. As for the results of cultivating the Five Paths, he couldn't be sure.
...
Nonetheless, for the current Pei Xuanjing, this was a tremendous gain. The fog of confusion before him dissipated, and he could now calmly set out on his forward journey.
As to what exactly would happen when one cultivates all five paths to the extreme, Pei Xuanjing didn't know. However, he firmly believed that if he took it step by step, he would inevitably see that result one day.
In fact, if he dared to speculate, Pei Xuanjing had some guesses, although these were without any basis and purely a result of combining knowledge from his previous life with concepts from novels that had been popular in the world.
For instance, if Essence, Qi, Spirit are cultivated to their extremes, transforming into an indestructible form, an undying mark, and an immortal Primordial Spirit respectively, then according to the realm settings in novels, the next steps would be either unifying all laws into one, or dissolving to re-establish.
For example, unifying all laws implies merging the three components of Essence, Qi, Spirit back together, forming an ultimate Taoist Fruit, from which one would become eternally indestructible and immortal.
The path of dissolution and re-establishment would involve shattering the undying, indestructible, and never-dying body, mark, and Primordial Spirit to then step into the legendary unified realm. Self and the cosmos would merge, the Dao within becoming the Great Tao of the Chaos Void, becoming one with Heaven and Earth. Henceforth, as the cosmos is undying, the great Tao endures forever, and oneself is truly immortal.
But all of this seemed too vague and far off for Pei Xuanjing at present. Even though he had become a Dao-Certifying True Immortal with nearly infinite life and extraordinary divine powers, compared to Heaven and Earth he was still minute, let alone in comparison with the cosmos. This could truly be considered a case of limited vision.
Chirurg: "Genoeg! Als u pijn in uw heup of knie heeft, schrap dat dan onmiddellijk uit uw dieet..."Open
At the very least, Pei Xuanjing felt that only after truly becoming a True Immortal by the Five Paths would he be qualified to attempt and explore such realms.
"Regardless, at least for now, the path ahead is illuminated, and I have a goal. What I need to do now is simply to find the way forward and figure out how to get closer to my goal," Pei Xuanjing thought joyfully.
The Immortal Dao Realm is something that, in the countless eons since Heaven and Earth were formed, had never existed. The twenty-six newly ascended True Immortals will have to explore each step of the journey ahead on their own, without any reference.
Compared to the other True Immortals who are still groping in the dark, uncertain of their path, Pei Xuanjing at least had a clear goal, and sometimes, such a goal can represent a fundamental difference.
After deducing his future goals, what Pei Xuanjing needed to do next was to make a plan and steadily work step by step toward his goal in an orderly manner.
"The Life Simulator helped me rise from being an ordinary mortal to where I am today. I wonder, after becoming a True Immortal, what kind of changes and surprises will it bring to me?" thought Pei Xuanjing, looking forward to the Life Simulator.
The existence of the Life Simulator changed him from an ordinary person in the Border County, someone who struggled to even become a Martial Artist, to where he was now, altering his fate. Of course, while this involved his relentless efforts, there's no denying that the Life Simulator was of enormous help. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here today, and certainly, he wouldn't have stepped into such a realm in such a short time.
As Pei Xuanjing's power changed, so did the Life Simulator. When he progressed from the Mortal Realm to the Spirit Realm, the simulator underwent a transformation, evolving beyond merely focusing on himself to possessing the ability to project into and experience the destinies of others.
And it was precisely this evolutionary leap of the Life Simulator that greatly aided Pei Xuanjing's cultivation. After all, solely cultivating within the confines of the Daming World, he was only exposed to its cultivation system, which, although mature and near perfection, lacked many enlightening elements for Pei Xuanjing's future development.
By using the projected life simulations, Pei Xuanjing came in contact with many more cultivation systems and witnessed numerous paths of cultivation. He amassed a wealth of experience and knowledge, which all became the foundation he built upon to solidify his cultivation and skill, leading to the creation of the Golden Core Dao later on.
Similarly, after ascending to True Immortal, the Life Simulator also hinted at another transformation. When Pei Xuanjing stepped into the Immortal Dao Realm, the simulator once again transformed.
Although the price of this transformation was the loss of all the accumulated Taoyun, and the Taoyun from the plundered Creation Profound Mysteries were absorbed by the Life Simulator, leaving very little behind, Pei Xuanjing didn't mind in the least. Instead, he was very expectant.
After all, if the Life Simulator only retained its previous functions now that Pei Xuanjing's strength had increased, it wouldn't be of much help to him anymore.
The Immortal Dao is an entirely different cultivation from the Spirit Realm. If he were to project into ordinary life experiences again, it's uncertain how many life simulations it would take to offer Pei Xuanjing a rapid advancement.
But if this Life Simulator could transform once more, aiding an already ascended True Immortal like Pei Xuanjing to rapidly enhance his power and save more time to certify the Dao as a True Immortal on the Five Paths, that would be extraordinary.
This time, Pei Xuanjing had waited for a long while, for about ten years before he finally heard the long-lost voice: "Life Simulator transformation complete."
Thereafter, information about the transformation of the Life Simulator flowed into Pei Xuanjing's mind.
"Reincarnation!" Pei Xuanjing's expression was moved as he couldn't help but utter these two words.
Despite his grand expectations for the profound and mysterious nature of the Life Simulator, and a time when Pei Xuanjing, having reached the True Immortal Realm, felt almost nothing in heaven and earth could surprise him anymore, the information about the Life Simulator's transformation after completion still managed to stir his emotions.
Reincarnation!
This was something Pei Xuanjing, as a Dao-Certifying True Immortal, still found mysterious and elusive, always seeming like a flower in the mist, incomprehensible.
...
But now, this Life Simulator, after its transformation, had unexpectedly unlocked a new function, which allowed Pei Xuanjing not just to simulate lives but to actually undergo "reincarnation."
"Reincarnation: A shard of the True Spirit enters the cycle of reincarnation to experience different life trajectories."
"Reincarnation, huh? Just uncertain whether this reincarnation is the same as that reincarnation," Pei Xuanjing's thoughts drifted, spurring endless reverie.
No matter if reincarnation truly existed or if the reincarnation described in the Life Simulator matched Pei Xuanjing's understanding of it, the transformation of the Life Simulator was a favorable development for him.
"Then, the next thing to do is to continue accumulating Taoyun points for the next Life Simulation," Pei Xuanjing decided in his heart.
Whether it was the real reincarnation would be known upon trying it; unless he was willing to give up the Life Simulator and from then on, rely solely on his own efforts and grind away like other True Immortals to advance his cultivation, the reincarnation offered by the Life Simulator was an inevitable choice for Pei Xuanjing.
Chirurg: "Genoeg! Als u pijn in uw heup of knie heeft, schrap dat dan onmiddellijk uit uw dieet..."Open
Having already experienced the various against-the-heavens divine abilities provided by the Life Simulator, that extraordinary and almost bug-like speed of increasing power and advancing realms, no one would choose the slower path of arduous cultivation again, not even True Immortals.
True Immortals are immortals, beings of the Immortal Path, but they are not saints; they not only refrain from reducing their own desires but, on the contrary, possess even greater desires and obsessions than the average cultivator.
A hundred million Taoyun points was indeed not a small sum, but for Pei Xuanjing, who now possessed a long life, it was not unattainable, and besides what he had plundered that contained an abundance of Taoyun from the Creation Profound Mystery, he had other sources continuously providing him with Taoyun.
When he first founded the Taoist Academy, in addition to giving many mortals of common birth an opportunity for cultivation, Pei Xuanjing wanted to gather the wisdom of all beings to provide himself with more inspiration.
Now, with the ascension of Heaven and Earth and his own rise to True Immortal, the Taoist Academy, being one of the least restrictive orthodoxies passed down by True Immortals, attracted even more people to join in adoration, and therefore, the contribution point exchange system established by Pei Xuanjing was entirely promoted, encompassing almost all human clan powers except those top forces guarded by True Immortals.
It wasn't that those top forces with True Immortals couldn't appreciate Pei Xuanjing's contribution point exchange system; in fact, they saw its benefits and wanted to operate it themselves, and so these top forces also constructed similar systems within their own realms.
If using an analogy from Pei Xuanjing's previous life, his contribution system, being the creator, was like introducing the internet that should cover the entire human race, whereas those top forces built their own contribution systems but chose to establish firewalls to temporarily block connections between the two, creating their own local networks, only allowing access to connect with Pei Xuanjing's contribution point system on a needs-basis or for a select few who qualified.
Pei Xuanjing was indifferent to this situation. He had no immediate ambition of incorporating the local networks of those top forces into his own. As long as they were willing to exchange ideas and could provide him with reference and enlightenment, it was enough for him.
With the help of this contribution system, as Heaven and Earth ascended, the strength of many cultivators also kept increasing. Many skills and divine powers began a series of reforms and iterations, making the Academy's contribution system undoubtedly a huge exchange hub, turning it into a platform for countless cultivators to communicate.
And the biggest beneficiary of all was none other than the creator of this platform, the founder of the contribution system, True Monarch Shenxiao Pei Xuanjing.
One hundred million Taoyun points, only a short decade was needed to accumulate enough. In these ten years following the ascent of Heaven and Earth, countless cultivators clashed and fought; despite numerous deaths and injuries, these combats had also advanced the evolution of divine abilities, ensuring that the cultivation world showed no signs of decline but prospered even more.
Seeing this trend, Pei Xuanjing couldn't help but think of a saying from his previous life that war accelerates the research and iteration of technology. Faced with the threat of death, all potential would burst forth, surpassing imagination.
Of course, this was not absolutely accurate, but it was unquestionably supported by some valid arguments, at least in the eyes of Pei Xuanjing, who believed that the current cultivation world of the new Daming World was developing in this direction.
After the Heaven and Earth Ascension, aside from the initial descent of the Creation Profound Mystery as an opportunity, there came many benefits, just like the Revival of Heaven and Earth in the old Daming World that led to the emergence of countless Mystical Land of Blessings and the birth of Divine Materials and Spiritual Treasures, with all sorts of profound opportunities appearing.
After this Heaven and Earth Ascension, the Divine Materials and Spiritual Treasures, the Mystical Lands of Blessings birthed were countless times more than those during the revival of the old Daming World; the opportunities contained within were possibly insignificant to someone like Pei Xuanjing, who had achieved Dao certification in the True Immortal Realm, but they held immense attraction for many ordinary cultivators, even for those who had stepped into the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm, igniting their frenzy.
However, none of the Divine Materials and Spiritual Treasures, the opportunities of the Mystical Lands of Blessings were meant to be delivered into the hands of cultivators easily; if one wished to obtain these, they would need to rely on their own strength, thus inevitably sparking a series of battles and chaos.
No one wanted to fall behind at such a time, striving single-mindedly in their pursuit of cultivation. Whether you are a genius born from a top force or an Independent Practitioner who has endured bitter cultivation, at this moment, only true power can secure the desired treasures.
The collisions and confrontations between them led to a self-awareness of the inadequacies in their cultivation, pushing them to research and deduce their own skills and divine abilities, and sparking changes.