In a beautiful garden filled with flowers of all kinds, a young boy sat at a table. The sunlight gently illuminated his face as he focused intently on something made of paper.
"Elis, what are you doing?"
A deep voice called out, and the boy turned toward it.
There stood an elderly man who looked about seventy to seventy-five years old.
"I'm making a building," Elis replied in a childlike voice.
The old man chuckled softly and sat across from him.
"Haha... don't be silly, Elis. You can't build a real building with just paper and a pencil."
"Ancestor, I'm just drawing the project, not building it. Look!" Elis said, pushing the paper toward him.
It's been five years since I came to this world, and I still can't get used to how things are here, I thought helplessly.
The man in front of me is the ancestor of my family. Don't mistake his appearance for that of some fragile old man — he's lived more than a hundred times longer than I have. That's right, this old man is exactly 869 years old.
"It's a beautiful drawing," the ancestor said with a gentle smile.
Now, you might be wondering how he's lived so long. The answer is simple — this is a world where people cultivate immortality. The family I was born into is one of the most powerful, ruling over a territory of about 20,000 kilometers, with influence stretching even farther beyond.
"Ancestor, can't you really consider it? I really want to do it..."
Elis looked at him with bright blue eyes, trying his best to show the pure innocence of a child.
"No, and it doesn't matter how many times you ask — the answer will always be no," the ancestor said firmly.
"There will come a time when you can go outside, but until then, you'll stay here."
"But it's been so long since I've seen my mother... I want to see her," Elis said sadly.
"I know it's hard to accept, but I can't let you wander around while we still don't know what kind of Physic you have. I'm sorry, but if I let you do whatever you want, someone might find out and try to kill you."
For those of you who are as confused as I once was, let me explain a bit.
In this world of immortality, there are two types of people: those who can cultivate and possibly become immortals through effort, and those who can't — destined to remain mortal forever.
To identify someone who can cultivate, it's actually simple. They have something I like to call "an extra organ" — the Root. Roots come in different types, varying from person to person. Some have roots that are more attuned to fire, others to water, earth, wind, lightning, ice, wood, sand, and so on. There are countless variations.
But above the Root, there's something superior — the Physic. It appears when a genetic mutation causes a person's body, or part of it, to transform. That's my case. When I was born, my eyes were brown, but as days passed, they slowly turned blue. At first, my mother didn't notice, but as the change became more obvious, she took me to the Ancestor when I was three. That's when it was confirmed that I possessed a Physic — though even now, we still don't know what it does, or if it's even fully awakened.
Now, so you don't get lost, let me explain the power levels among immortals.
Starting at the age of seven, when one's Root is fully developed, cultivators begin absorbing the natural energy of this world. The more energy a person gathers, the stronger and longer-lived they become.
Qi Concentration — First stage. Lifespan up to 120 years.
Foundation — Second stage. Only 1 in 100 reach this level, living up to 240 years.
Root Transformation — Third stage. The Root evolves and grows. A person at this level can destroy an entire city of ten million people alone and can live up to 600 years.
Rebirth — The stage where the Root completely disappears, and one no longer depends on it. The soul itself transforms, allowing it to survive even after the body dies. A person at this level is basically a walking atomic bomb.
I don't know exactly how powerful they are, but my ancestor once told me a story about someone who caused a massive earthquake with a single spell, wiping out countless lives. Those at this stage can live up to 1,000 years... quite something, isn't it?