I Idle in the World of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 1: The Whole Class Transmigrated, and I'm the Only Good-for-Nothing
"Lin Luo! Lin Luo! Wake up!"
Lin Luo felt someone slapping his face. He opened his eyes groggily and saw the round face of the chubby Wang Hao right in front of him, looking like he'd just seen a ghost.
"You're finally awake!" Wang Hao grabbed him and pulled him up. "Something huge has happened! I think we… transmigrated!"
Transmigrated?
Lin Luo rubbed his eyes and stood up, then froze.
They were no longer in the classroom.
Above him was an unfamiliar sky, the sunlight glaring, the air carrying the scent of grass and trees. Beneath his feet was soft soil, surrounded by rolling barren mountains and dense forests. In the distance, a waterfall cascaded down a cliff, its mist refracting a rainbow in the sunlight.
Scattered around him lay dozens of people—all his classmates from Class 7, Senior Year. Some were still unconscious, others had woken up and were looking around in confusion.
"Holy crap, where is this?"
"I remember we were in math class, right?"
"I have no signal on my phone!"
"Stop pushing, let me see—"
Amidst the noise and chatter, everyone gradually got up. Fifty-two people, not one missing—even their homeroom teacher, Mr. Li, was there. Mr. Li adjusted his glasses, his face pale. "Students, calm down. Let's stay calm…"
Calm, my ass.
Lin Luo pulled out his phone and glanced at it—no signal, no network, battery at 43%. But he noticed something strange: a new icon had appeared in the bottom right corner of the screen. It was a little figure sitting cross-legged, with four small characters next to it.
Before he could look closer, the sky suddenly darkened.
"Silence!"
An aged voice came from above, carrying a pressure that made one's knees go weak.
Everyone looked up.
Then they collectively gasped.
A man stood in the sky.
A white-bearded old man in a green robe hovered in mid-air, standing on a shimmering sword. The wind billowed his robes, but he remained motionless, as if nailed in place. Behind him followed several young people, also standing on swords, their expressions serious.
The class fell silent for about five seconds.
Then erupted.
"F-flying?!"
"Flying on swords?! Is this immortal cultivation?! Like, that kind of immortal cultivation?!"
"Am I still asleep? Someone pinch me!"
"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap—"
The old man frowned slightly and waved his hand.
An invisible force pressed down, and everyone's mouths seemed sealed shut, instantly silenced.
"I am Elder Xuanqing of the Cangxuan Sect." The old man's voice was unhurried. "You have been summoned from the mortal realm to this place by our great power. This realm is called the Cangxuan Continent, a world of immortal cultivation. Each of you possesses a spiritual root, though of varying quality. I will assess your destinies one by one and assign you accordingly."
He waved his hand again, and the pressure vanished. But no one dared to shout anymore.
Spiritual roots? Immortal cultivation? Summoned?
Lin Luo stood there, his mind racing. His grades were usually at the bottom, but he wasn't stupid—just too lazy to study. This was clearly not a dream or a prank.
The white-bearded old man pulled a bronze mirror from his sleeve, its edges densely engraved with runes. He tossed it into the air, and it hovered there, emitting a golden light.
"Step forward one by one and stand before the mirror. Your destiny will reveal itself."
The first to step up was the class monitor, Zhao Tian.
Zhao Tian was the most popular in the class—good grades, handsome, athletic—the model student. He took a deep breath and walked under the bronze mirror.
Golden light enveloped him.
A few seconds later, lines of golden characters, bright as branding irons, appeared above the mirror:
[Name: Zhao Tian]
[Spiritual Root: Heavenly Spiritual Root (All Five Elements)]
[Physique: Innate Sword Body]
[Assessment: Peerless Genius]
[Recommendation: Eligible for Sacred Grounds, potential to reach the Soul Transformation Stage]
The whole class gasped.
Even the white-bearded old man's hand trembled, his eyes wide as saucers. "H-Heavenly Spiritual Root?! And the Innate Sword Body?!" He looked Zhao Tian up and down like a priceless jade. "This old man has lived eight hundred years and never seen such aptitude! This boy… this boy should enter the Cangxuan Sect's inner court—no, become a personal disciple!"
Zhao Tian paused, then smiled. It was a smile that said, "I knew it."
Next up was the sports monitor, Zhang Wei—a burly 1.85-meter guy with arms thicker than Lin Luo's thighs.
[Zhang Wei]
[Spiritual Root: Earth Spiritual Root (High Grade)]
[Physique: Ancient War Physique]
[Assessment: Genius]
[Recommendation: Key candidate for cultivation, eligible for major sects]
The white-bearded old man nodded repeatedly. "Ancient War Physique, one in ten thousand. Good, good!"
Then came the class academic officer, Chen Yutong, a bespectacled, well-behaved girl.
[Chen Yutong]
[Spiritual Root: Water Spiritual Root (High Grade)]
[Physique: Photographic Memory]
[Assessment: Excellent]
[Recommendation: Eligible for inner court, suitable for Alchemy or Array Paths]
Chubby Wang Hao walked up trembling, and the bronze mirror displayed:
[Wang Hao]
[Spiritual Root: Fire Spiritual Root (Medium Grade)]
[Physique: Glutton's Stomach]
[Assessment: Above Average]
[Recommendation: An appetite is a blessing, suitable for Body Cultivation path]
"Glutton's Stomach?" Wang Hao scratched his head. "Does that mean… whatever I eat, I absorb?"
The white-bearded old man nodded. "Exactly. If you can consume heavenly treasures, you can gain some of their power."
Wang Hao's eyes lit up.
Next was the school beauty, Su Xiaoxiao. As she stepped forward, all the boys in the class held their breath.
[Su Xiaoxiao]
[Spiritual Root: Wind Spiritual Root (High Grade)]
[Physique: Heavenly Phoenix Bloodline (Incomplete)]
[Assessment: Excellent]
[Recommendation: Bloodline can be restored, immense potential]
The white-bearded old man got excited again. "Heavenly Phoenix Bloodline! Though incomplete, if it can be restored… remarkable, remarkable!"
One by one, they stepped up, one by one enveloped in golden light.
The worst among them had at least a medium-grade spiritual root. All fifty-two classmates had spiritual roots, physiques, bloodlines—all kinds, all dazzling, all shimmering gold.
Finally, it was Lin Luo's turn.
Everyone's eyes were on him. Not out of anticipation, but because—he was the last one.
Lin Luo walked under the bronze mirror with a blank expression.
Golden light rained down.
Then…
The characters that appeared on the bronze mirror were different from everyone else's.
Not golden, but gray. Dull gray, as if covered in dust.
[Name: Lin Luo]
[Spiritual Root: None]
[Physique: Mortal]
[Assessment: Below Standard]
[Recommendation: Seek a miscellaneous chores position in a sect, live out your years peacefully]
Silence.
Dead silence.
Then someone couldn't help it—a "pfft" of laughter, quickly stifled.
Zhao Tian frowned slightly but said nothing. Wang Hao opened his mouth as if to say something but swallowed his words. Su Xiaoxiao glanced at Lin Luo with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
The white-bearded old man sighed, his tone carrying sympathy. "This boy truly has no spiritual root. Occasionally, when mortals are summoned here, this happens. According to protocol, send him to the Chores Hall."
"What does the Chores Hall do?" someone whispered.
"Doing odd jobs," another whispered back. "Chopping wood, carrying water, sweeping, washing clothes, that kind of thing."
"Damn, that's rough…"
"He's the only mortal in the whole class?"
"His luck is just terrible…"
"His mentality must be crushed…"
Everyone was looking at Lin Luo.
Lin Luo stood under the bronze mirror, the gray characters still hovering above his head like a failing grade sticker.
He had his hands shoved in his pockets, his face expressionless.
No one noticed that his fingers were touching something in his pocket.
His phone.
His phone.
He quietly pulled it out for a glance.
The screen was on.
That wasn't right. Before transmigrating, his phone had less than 20% battery left, and there was no way there was signal or network here.
But the screen was definitely on. And there was something new on the screen—an icon he'd never seen before.
The icon was a chibi-style figure sitting cross-legged, with four characters beneath it:
Immortal Cultivation Simulator
Lin Luo's thumb moved faster than his brain, tapping it instinctively.
The game opened.
On the screen, a chibi-style figure wore the same school uniform as him, had the same hairstyle, even the same indifferent expression.
Floating above the figure's head were the words:
Lin Luo (Player)
The interface had several buttons: [Idle Cultivation], [Instance Dungeon], [Gacha], [Shop], [Backpack].
He tapped the chibi figure's avatar, and a status panel popped up:
[Character: Lin Luo (Player)]
[Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage, Layer 1]
[Attack Power: 5]
[Defense Power: 3]
[HP: 100/100]
[Spirit Stones: 0]
[Current Status: Alive]
[Revive Cost: 1 Spirit Stone]
Lin Luo stared at the "Revive Cost" line for three seconds.
Revive for one spirit stone?
He scrolled down further. A line of small text appeared at the bottom of the interface:
[Note: Game progress will be 100% synchronized with reality. Cultivation, techniques, elixirs, and magical tools obtained in the game will automatically sync to the real-life host.]
Lin Luo's eyelid twitched.
He tapped [Idle Cultivation].
[Idle Cultivation started. Cultivation increases automatically while offline. Estimated breakthrough to Qi Refining Stage, Layer 2 in 6 hours.]
[Note: The game can be closed during idle cultivation; progress will not be affected.]
He tapped [Shop].
The first item in the shop list was:
[Disguise Talisman – 100 Spirit Stones. After use, disguises cultivation aura, preventing others from seeing true realm. Customizable display level.]
Lin Luo's eyelid twitched again.
He tapped [Revive Description]:
[After character death, consumes 1 Spirit Stone to revive on the spot. After revival, status is fully restored with no penalties.]
[Note: Spirit Stones can be obtained by completing tasks, defeating enemies, or watching ads.]
[Ad Countdown: 30 seconds (Get 10 Spirit Stones)]
…
Revive by watching ads.
The corner of Lin Luo's mouth twitched.
He exited the shop and glanced at the top right corner of the game's main interface—a small icon showing the "Overall Power Leaderboard."
He tapped it.
The leaderboard popped up, densely packed with names, most in gold, red, or purple, followed by terrifying numbers:
[1st: Xuanqingzi – Great Ascension Stage (Power: ???)]
[2nd: Zixiao Zhenren – Integration Stage Peak (Power: ???)]
[3rd: Jian Wuhen – Integration Stage (Power: ???)]
…
[9999th: Random Passerby – Golden Core Stage (Power: 3487)]
Lin Luo noticed that the 9999th place was a Golden Core Stage nobody with a power of 3487.
He checked his own power again: 8.
Eight.
The lowest power on the entire leaderboard was 3487.
Lin Luo silently closed the leaderboard.
He looked up at the white-bearded old man still floating in the sky. That Xuanqingzi guy, Great Ascension Stage, power question marks.
Then he looked down at the [Idle Cultivation] button on his phone screen.
Then at [Disguise Talisman].
Then at [Revive Cost: 1 Spirit Stone].
He shoved the phone back into his pocket.
"Hey, old man," Lin Luo looked up, his voice lazy. "Does the Chores Hall provide food and lodging?"
Xuanqingzi was taken aback. "It… it does."
"Good enough." Lin Luo brushed the dirt off his pants, walked over to a big tree, and sat down against the trunk. "I'm gonna catch some sleep first. You guys go ahead with the assessments."
Zhao Tian frowned at him. "Lin Luo, are you just accepting this?"
"What else can I do?" Lin Luo didn't even open his eyes. "I don't have a spiritual root. It is what it is."
"Don't you want to try other methods? Maybe there are elixirs to refine spiritual roots—"
"No thanks." Lin Luo turned over, his back to everyone. "You guys go ahead and compete. I'm going to take it easy. I'm exhausted from all this commotion."
His classmates exchanged glances.
"His mentality is amazing…"
"Not amazing, he's just given up."
"Makes sense. I'd give up too if I were him. A mortal, no spiritual root at all…"
"Poor Luo Ge…"
Wang Hao wanted to go over and say something, but seeing that Lin Luo seemed genuinely asleep, he felt awkward interrupting.
Su Xiaoxiao stared at Lin Luo for a few seconds, feeling something was off.
But she couldn't put her finger on it.
Xuanqingzi shook his head and put away the bronze mirror. "Alright, the rest of you, register your details. After allocation, follow this old man back to the sect. The Cangxuan Sect is still a thousand miles from here. We'll need to fly on swords—"
"Fly on swords?!" The class erupted again.
"I want to learn, I want to learn!"
"So cool!"
The crowd buzzed with excitement, everyone peppering Xuanqingzi with questions. Some asked about cultivation, some about sect rules, some if they could send letters home.
No one paid attention to Lin Luo under the tree anymore.
Lin Luo squinted, and confirming no one was looking his way, pulled out his phone again.
On the game interface, the chibi figure sat quietly in meditation.
A progress bar above its head inched forward:
[Idle Cultivation in progress… Time until breakthrough to Qi Refining Stage, Layer 2: 5 hours 47 minutes]
The corner of Lin Luo's mouth curled up slightly.
He glanced at the price of the [Disguise Talisman]: 100 Spirit Stones.
Then at the ad button in the top right corner: [Watch ad, get 10 Spirit Stones].
That meant watching ten ads would buy him one talisman. Thirty seconds per ad, ten ads, five minutes total.
Lin Luo thought about it.
No rush to buy yet.
He'd idle for a few days first and see how far he could get.
Besides, no one knew he had a phone.
Or that there was a game on that phone.
Or that the progress in that game would sync to him.
Lin Luo shoved the phone back in his pocket, turned over, and found a more comfortable position.
In the distance, Zhao Tian was enthusiastically discussing cultivation techniques with Xuanqingzi, his voice booming and confident.
Su Xiaoxiao was surrounded by a few girls, chattering away about the Heavenly Phoenix Bloodline.
Wang Hao had already started looking for something to eat.
No one noticed Lin Luo under the tree.
Or the faint hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.
---
[Idle Cultivation in progress…]
---
(End of Chapter 1)
Current Status
Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage 1
Auto-Cultivation: In Progress (Time until Breakthrough to Qi Refining Stage 2: 5h 47m)
Attack: 5
Defense: 3
HP: 100/100
Spirit Stones: 0
Disguise Talisman: Not Owned
Resurrection Cost: 1 Spirit Stone / use
Watch Ad for Spirit Stones: 10 Spirit Stones / 30s