The sun rose over the horizon, golden light spilling across the sea of clouds, dyeing the peaks like red jade. From the mountainside, wisps of mist drifted and lingered, seemingly separating the mortal realm from the immortal domain. Between them, the sound of pines rustling in the wind mingled with the cries of cranes carrying the sunrise.
This was the Qingyuan Mountain Range, named after the Qingyuan Sect nestled within its peaks.
Since the Daoist Qingyuan traveled here to establish the sect, erecting buildings and recruiting disciples, it had been over twelve hundred years. Its foundation was deep and strong, its legacy far-reaching.
The sect controlled a territory of three thousand li, overseeing the lands of the Yun, Chen, and Zhao nations, governing millions of mortals. The sect's disciples numbered nearly a thousand, with high-level cultivators appearing frequently, and the Golden Core legacy being passed down generation to generation.
In an estate on Xiao Qian Peak, a young man sat cross-legged on his bed.
Gu An faced the morning sunlight, the purple aura swirling around him, his expression calm and indifferent. Blue spiritual energy flickered uncertainly across his body—he was at a critical breakthrough.
The spiritual power of his Water Element Technique circulated along his meridians, colliding with the barrier of a mid-stage Qi cultivator. Cracks began to appear. By now, seven or eight fractures crisscrossed the barrier.
Gu An focused his spiritual power again, but this time he did not strike directly. Instead, he let it accumulate before the barrier. The blue energy boiled violently until his meridians could no longer contain it.
A water-blue dragon of energy erupted, smashing against the barrier with a deafening roar.
"Crack!"
The barrier shattered. The restrained energy surged forward like a rushing river.
Mid-stage Qi! Breakthrough achieved!
After the breakthrough, Gu An did not immediately withdraw his power. Instead, he took advantage of the lingering purple aura to consolidate his cultivation—a habit cultivated over years. He would not waste a single moment of practice.
Having entered the Qingyuan Sect at the age of six, he had now been practicing for eight years.
For eight years, Gu An had greeted the morning with purple aura, absorbed the moonlight at night, meditated and refined spiritual energy without a hint of laziness. Today, he finally reached the fourth layer of Qi Refinement.
"Phew…"
After a while, Gu An slowly withdrew his power, exhaling a breath of misty energy. In the morning light, it shimmered in shades of blue and cyan, curling like smoke.
"So this is the detached spiritual power of the mid-stage Qi level… truly mysterious."
The hallmark of mid-stage Qi refinement was the detachment of spiritual power. Once reached, a cultivator was nearly immune to mortal harm, capable of controlling elemental forces such as water and fire, and significantly more dangerous in combat.
"Mid-stage Qi… time to learn some new techniques. Previous skills like Light Body Technique and Purification are convenient, but they don't have much power."
"I possess Water, Wood, and Earth Element roots—Water is the strongest, Wood next, and Earth the weakest."
"My main cultivation method is the Water Element Technique. As for magic, the Water Spear and Water Shield techniques are fine—offense and defense—supplemented by the Entangling Technique. Should be sufficient for the entire mid-stage Qi period."
"Too bad the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion has no combined Water-Wood elemental techniques. My Wood root isn't bad either. Water Element Technique's efficiency is still too low; both the spiritual energy limit and quality are average. If only I had a Heavenly Root…"
He sighed. "Ah well, being able to cultivate at all is already a blessing. One cannot demand more."
A peculiar glint flickered in Gu An's eyes.
He was not originally from this world. In his previous life, he had been a university student on Blue Star. One day, while taking a walk, he saw an event releasing animals into the wild and, out of curiosity, went to watch. When he saw a woman attempting to release a terrapin into the sea, he instinctively intervened—a good deed.
But the woman would not listen. Gu An, still young, was no match for her unreasonable stubbornness. His heart failed amid the struggle, and he died in the hospital despite resuscitation attempts.
When he awoke, he was a fetus in another world.
Coincidentally, he retained his name—Gu An. His parents ran a tavern in Heishi City of the Yun Nation. Life seemed destined for mediocrity, until heavenly fate intervened.
At six years old, the Qingyuan Sect's Ascension Envoys visited Heishi City to hold the Ascension Conference. Gu An saw the spiritual vessels glide across the clouds, and immortals descend. A figure in pure white robes, surrounded by aura and radiance, captivated his young heart.
Having glimpsed the light of immortality, how could he remain in darkness? Having seen the realm of immortals, he could not settle for mediocrity.
He, Gu An, refused to be buried in anonymity after a mere century. He wanted immortality. He wanted longevity.
Fortune favored him: he was born with Water, Wood, and Earth roots—suitable for cultivation. He joined the Qingyuan Sect and began his path toward immortality.
Yet immortality was elusive. Though he possessed three-element roots, his talent was average, and resources were scarce.
Relying only on the sect's annual three spiritual stones, and two spiritual stones per month from assigned tasks, his cultivation progressed slowly. Only today did he reach the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, ascending to mid-stage Qi.
"Gu An, it's time to report for duty. If you delay, Director Liu will scold you again."
Outside the estate came a voice.
Gu An rose from his bed, slipped on his shoes, and opened the door.
Standing there was a man eight feet tall, broad-shouldered, with the outer robe of a Qingyuan Sect disciple tightly fitted over his muscular frame.
"Song, no rush today. Come, see what changes I've made." Gu An greeted him lightly.
His companion, Zhang Song, lived nearby. Since Gu An entered the sect at six, he had little familiarity with the world outside, venturing only for monthly classes or near neighbors. Zhang Song had taken care of him many times; they were close.
The Qingyuan Sect had a rule: after five years, external disciples no longer received allowances, but could take tasks from the Bureau of Affairs to support cultivation.
Three years ago, Zhang Song and Gu An accepted a task raising spiritual chickens at a farm, going daily. The assignment came through Zhang Song's grandfather, who served in the Bureau of Affairs.
"Not rushing? Director Liu won't scold me for you, you know. Wait… you've reached Qi Refinement fourth layer? Kid, you've caught up to me!" Zhang Song remarked, scrutinizing him.
Though he was twenty and only a fourth-layer cultivator, Zhang Song, with four elemental roots and a bureaucrat grandfather, had fallen behind. "Damn these stubborn roots!" he muttered.
"Don't tease me. Your Physical Refinement is already mid-stage. In two or three years, you'll likely reach Qi Refinement fifth layer."
"Heh, true. Alright, let's go. Xiao Qian Peak to Cui Zhu Peak is a long way."
They activated Light Body Technique and leaped into the air, heading toward Cui Zhu Peak, where the sect bred various spirit beasts.
The distance was over twenty li. Normally, it took the two about the length of a stick of incense to arrive—mainly because Zhang Song slowed down for Gu An.
But today, with Gu An at mid-stage Qi, the Light Body Technique felt fluid and effortless.
A little over fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Cui Zhu Peak.