I Idle in the World of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 36: The Second Day
Yue Long was woken by the sound of a wooden fish.
Not a real wooden fish – the sound effect from the chibi figure on her phone hitting the wooden fish. Dong dong dong. Not loud, but steady – like rain dripping from the eaves, one drop after another, never ending.
She opened her eyes and found herself still leaning against the stone wall. Her rabbit ears drooped over her shoulders. Her phone rested on her knee, the screen still lit. Merit +1, merit +1, merit +1. The progress bar had moved forward a little – not much, but definitely moving.
She rubbed her eyes and stood up. Lin Luo wasn't in the chamber. His bedding was folded neatly. The Greenwind Sword hung on the wall. The axe was stuck in the chopping block. He wasn't there.
Yue Long's rabbit ears turned. Footsteps came from the tunnel – not chopping wood, just walking. Not fast, not slow. Heading toward the mine entrance.
"Master – " she called.
The footsteps stopped. "Yes."
"Where are you going?"
"The market."
"Wait for me!" Yue Long stuffed her phone into her sleeve, tucked her rabbit ears under her hat, brushed her skirt, and ran.
At the mine entrance, Lin Luo stood in the morning light. The sky had just brightened. The sun hadn't risen yet. The clouds in the east were dyed pale orange. He wore clean chore clothes. His hair was tied back casually with a cloth strip. He looked like he had just washed his face.
"Why didn't you wake me?" Yue Long panted.
"You were sleeping like Rat One."
"Rat One was already awake!" Yue Long looked back into the mine. Rat One wasn't in his grass nest. She heard rustling from the spirit field – Rat One was digging in the dirt, squeaking twice as if to agree. "Hear that? He's awake!"
Lin Luo didn't answer. He turned and walked away. Yue Long followed.
"Master, are you in a bad mood today?"
"No."
"Then why aren't you talking?"
"Nothing to say."
Yue Long thought for a moment. "Then I'll talk. You just listen."
Lin Luo didn't refuse.
The official road was empty in the early morning. Dew hung on the grass on both sides. Yue Long's shoes got wet, but she didn't mind. She took out her phone, opened the daily good deed mission interface, and tapped around.
"Master! I got over two hundred merit points just from idling overnight!"
"Yes."
"So why do I still need to do good deeds? I could just lie down."
"The mission gives extra contribution."
Yue Long thought for a moment. "True. Contribution exchanges for techniques and the compass. Merit raises cultivation. I need both." She put her phone away, ran two steps, and walked backward, facing Lin Luo.
"Master, do you think we'll find someone who needs help today?"
"I don't know."
"What if we don't?"
"Then try again tomorrow."
Yue Long pouted. "Can't you say something more encouraging?"
"Like what?"
"Like – 'We'll definitely find someone! Believe in yourself!'"
"We'll definitely find someone."
Yue Long stared at him for two seconds. "You sound like you're reading from a book."
"Yes."
Yue Long took a deep breath and stopped asking.
---
The market had just opened. The wonton stall owner was lighting his fire. When he saw them, he waved and smiled. "Little girl, no wontons today?"
"Good deeds first!" Yue Long ran over, put her hands on the edge of the stall, her rabbit ears poking out from under her hat. "Boss, does anyone need help today?"
The owner thought for a moment. "Old Wang, the vegetable seller on the east side – he fell yesterday, hurt his leg. His wife has been moving the vegetables alone this morning. Go check."
Yue Long's rabbit ears went up. "Where?"
"Third alley to the east. The one with vegetables stacked at the entrance."
Yue Long turned and ran. After two steps, she turned back. "Boss, save some wontons for me! I'll come back after I'm done!"
"I'll save them."
She ran. Lin Luo followed behind, not fast, but each step moved forward.
Third alley to the east. Baskets of greens were stacked at the entrance. A middle-aged woman bent over, lifting a basket. The basket was large and full. She struggled, her back nearly touching the ground.
Yue Long ran over and lifted a basket onto the cart without a word.
"Auntie, let me help!"
The woman straightened up and wiped her sweat. "You are…"
"Just passing by! No problem! I'm strong!" Yue Long lifted another basket. Her rabbit ears poked out from under her hat, twitching. She lifted seven baskets until the cart was full.
The woman took out a few spirit stones from her sleeve and tried to give them to Yue Long. Yue Long waved her hands.
"No, no! I don't want money!"
"Then how can I – "
"Really, no need! Use the money to buy medicine for your husband."
The woman froze. "How did you know my husband fell?"
"The wonton stall owner told me."
The woman smiled and put the stones away. "Thank you, little girl."
Yue Long crouched at the alley entrance and took out her phone.
[One good deed a day · Completed.]
[Merit +10.]
[Sect contribution +10.]
[Current sect contribution: 20.]
She stood up and brushed her skirt. "Master, that was fast. Yesterday I looked forever. Today it came right away."
"Lucky."
"Not lucky. The wonton stall owner told me." Yue Long thought for a moment, her rabbit ears turning. "Does this count as good karma? I helped Granny yesterday, and today the boss helped me."
"Yes."
Yue Long smiled. Her rabbit ears swayed in the wind. "Master, where's the inn?"
Lin Luo didn't answer. He turned and walked deeper into the market. Yue Long followed, her steps light, humming a tune – a random melody she made up herself.
---
The inn was in a small alley on the east side of Suihuang City. Not big. Two stories. A faded wooden sign hung at the entrance – "Fortune Inn." Most of the paint had peeled off, exposing gray brick underneath. The windows wouldn't close all the way. The door was old. A thin layer of moss covered the stone steps.
Yue Long stood at the entrance, hands on her hips. Her rabbit ears poked out from under her hat, turning like two radar antennae scanning.
"Master, this inn…"
"About to go out of business."
"How do you know?"
"Can see it."
Yue Long looked again. No customers at the door. Inside, only one shopkeeper was asleep on the counter, a layer of dust on the table. She peeked through the window – dark inside, couldn't see much. She turned back, crouched at the entrance, and poked the moss on the stone steps.
"Master, are you really going to buy this place?"
"Yes."
"Why this one?"
"Cheap."
"How cheap?"
"Five hundred spirit stones."
Yue Long's finger paused. "Five hundred? For a building this big?"
"About to go out of business. If they don't sell, it's still a loss."
Yue Long thought for a moment. "Did you bargain?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Haven't bought it yet."
Yue Long opened her mouth, then closed it. She took out her phone, opened her notes, and typed a line – "Fortune Inn, two stories, about to go out of business, five hundred stones, master hasn't bargained yet." Then she put her phone away.
"Master, I wrote it down."
Lin Luo looked at her. "Why are you writing that down?"
"In case you forget."
"I won't forget."
"What if?"
"If I forget, then I won't buy it."
Yue Long's rabbit ears drooped. "Are you serious?"
"Guess."
Yue Long stared at him for two seconds. "You're teasing me again."
Lin Luo didn't answer. The corner of his mouth moved.
Yue Long saw it. "Master! You smiled!"
"No."
"Yes! I saw it! The corner of your mouth moved!"
"Wind."
"There's no wind on the stone steps!"
"Then a leaf moved."
"The tree didn't move either!"
Lin Luo turned and walked back. Yue Long chased after him, her rabbit ears bobbing.
"Master! Wait! You didn't tell me where the inn's well is!"
"Find out when I buy it."
"What if the well is dry?"
"Then dig it."
"What if it doesn't find water?"
"Then buy a different inn."
Yue Long ran two steps and walked backward, facing Lin Luo. "Master, are you teasing me?"
"Guess."
"You're definitely teasing me."
Lin Luo didn't answer. The corner of his mouth moved again.
Yue Long stopped asking. She turned forward and walked straight, her rabbit ears bobbing in the wind, the corner of her mouth curved too.
---
Back at the mine, Rat One was nibbling on a Glow Mushroom by the spirit field. When he saw them return, he squeaked twice, picked up a piece of mushroom cap in his mouth, ran over, and dropped it at Lin Luo's feet. Lin Luo looked down, picked up the piece, and put it back in the field.
"Don't feed him. He eats on his own."
Rat One squeaked – like he was cursing – and ran back to his grass nest, curled into a ball, and ignored them.
Yue Long crouched and patted Rat One's head. "Rat One, did you watch the house well today?"
Rat One squeaked twice and ignored her.
Yue Long didn't mind. She stood up and brushed her skirt. "Master, is Bone One still fighting?"
Lin Luo leaned against the stone wall and took out his phone. Bone One's interface was still updating.
[Bone One · Deaths today: +23. Total damage dealt to Nascent Soul demon beast: approx 11%. Demon beast status: Right front leg limp worsening, movement speed decreased.]
[Win rate updated: 15% → 18%.]
Yue Long leaned over, her rabbit ears almost poking Lin Luo's face. "Master, how long has he been fighting?"
"Almost a full day and night."
"Isn't he tired?"
"Skeletons don't get tired."
Yue Long stared at the screen. The skeleton was crawling out from behind a pile of rubble. His skeleton had more cracks than in the morning. His left arm was broken at the elbow, the remaining half trembling in the air. He held the short blade in his right hand and walked toward the demon beast.
The demon beast lay on a pile of ruins, breathing heavily. Dark red blood seeped from dozens of wounds, staining the rubble dark green.
Bone One charged. He stabbed the short blade into the old wound on the demon beast's right front leg and twisted. The beast roared. A claw slapped down. Bone One was smashed. Revive. Charge again.
Yue Long turned her face away. "Master, he doesn't feel pain, but I feel pain watching."
"Then don't watch."
Yue Long turned her phone face down on the table, crouched by the spirit field, and played with the Glow Mushrooms. After a few touches, she turned back.
"Master, why does he keep fighting that demon beast?"
"Because he chose it."
"Once chosen, he won't stop?"
"Once idling, won't stop."
Yue Long thought for a moment. "Then when will he finish?"
"When the demon beast dies, or when he dies."
"He can't die."
"Yes."
"So the demon beast will definitely die."
"Yes."
Yue Long didn't ask again. She crouched by the spirit field, watching the Glow Mushrooms glow pale gold under the sect gathering array. Merit +1, merit +1, merit +1. Her phone rested on her knee. The chibi figure hit the wooden fish again and again. She stared at the figure for a moment, then poked the wooden fish on the screen with her finger. The figure didn't react. Kept hitting.
Yue Long pouted. "Boring."
Lin Luo looked at her. "You want it to respond to you?"
"Yes."
"That's idling. Not chatting."
"I know. But if I poke it, it should squeak."
"It won't squeak."
"Why?"
"Because it's a wooden fish."
Yue Long thought for a moment, put her phone away, and stopped poking.
In the distance, the bells of Suihuang City rang. Noon.
Yue Long stood up and brushed her skirt. "Master, I'm hungry."
"Yes."
"What's for lunch?"
"Glow Mushroom soup."
"Soup again?"
"Yes."
"Can we have something different?"
"Sure. Whatever you cook, I'll drink."
Yue Long thought for a moment. "Then soup it is."
The corner of Lin Luo's mouth moved.
Yue Long went to cook. She busied herself by the stove. Her rabbit ears got a little flour on them – she didn't know. Rat One squatted by the stove, waiting for mushroom scraps to fall. When Yue Long cut a mushroom, a piece fell. Rat One grabbed it and ran, hiding in his nest to eat.
"Rat One! You're stealing!" Yue Long shouted.
Rat One poked his head out of the nest, squeaked twice, and ducked back in.
Yue Long brought the soup over. One bowl in front of Lin Luo, one in her own hands. The soup was pale gold, with a few slices of chopped Glow Mushroom floating in it.
"Master, drink."
Lin Luo picked up the bowl and took a sip. "Salty."
"I put a tiny bit more salt. Just a tiny bit."
"Last time you said just a tiny bit too."
"Last time was a tiny bit. This time is also a tiny bit."
"Two tiny bits together make a not-small bit."
Yue Long opened her mouth. "…Master, why are you talking so much today?"
"Good mood."
"Why good mood?"
"The soup is salty."
Yue Long stared at him for three seconds. "You're teasing me."
Lin Luo didn't answer. He finished the soup.
Yue Long took the bowls away, crouched by the stove, and washed them. As she washed, her rabbit ears slowly drooped.
"Master."
"Yes."
"Will Sister Xiao arrive today?"
"Tomorrow."
"How do you know?"
"The phone shows it."
Yue Long took out her phone, opened Su Xiaoxiao's profile, and sent a message: "Sister Xiao, message me when you arrive tomorrow. Stay safe."
The message went out. It said "Delivered." Not "Read."
Yue Long stared at the screen for a while. "Master, Sister Xiao hasn't read the message."
"Maybe she's busy."
"Yes."
She put her phone away and leaned against Lin Luo. Her rabbit ears slowly drooped, resting on his arm.
"Master."
"Yes."
"When Sister Xiao arrives, what do you think she'll see?"
"I don't know."
"Will it be dangerous?"
"Maybe."
Yue Long was silent for a long time. Then she sat up straight. Her rabbit ears went up.
"Then we need to be ready. When Sister Xiao's message comes, help her if she needs help. Save her if she needs saving. People of the Idle Sect don't watch their own get hurt."
Lin Luo looked at her. "Yes."
Yue Long stood up and brushed her skirt. "I'm going to chop wood."
"You know how?"
"No. I'll learn."
She picked up the axe and walked to the chopping block. Her rabbit ears up. She took a deep breath, raised the axe, and swung. The wood split – not down the middle, a piece broke off the side. Yue Long tilted her head and looked at it. Her rabbit ears tilted too.
"Master, why didn't it split down the middle?"
"You swung off-center."
"Then I'll try again."
She swung again. This time she hit the middle. The wood split in two, but the axe got stuck in the block. Yue Long held the handle with both hands, put one foot on the chopping block, and pulled. Her rabbit ears twitched with the effort.
"Master – I can't pull it out – "
Lin Luo walked over, took the handle, and lifted gently. The axe came out. He looked at Yue Long.
"Not enough strength? Use both hands."
"I used both hands!"
"Use your waist."
Yue Long thought for a moment and tried again. The axe swung down. The wood split. The axe didn't get stuck. She froze for a moment, then smiled.
"Master! I split it!"
"Yes."
"Can you say something else?"
"Not bad."
Yue Long's rabbit ears went up. "Say it again."
"No."
"You just said it! I heard you!"
"Then you heard it."
Yue Long took a deep breath and stopped asking. She kept chopping – not fast, but earnest. Her rabbit ears twitched with each swing. Rat One sat on the woodpile, a small piece of wood in his little paws, copying her.
Yue Long chopped a dozen pieces and stopped to catch her breath. Her rabbit ears drooped onto her shoulders.
"Master."
"Yes."
"What do you think Bone One is doing now?"
Lin Luo took out his phone and looked. "Fighting."
"Is he winning?"
"No."
"How many times has he died today?"
"Twenty-three."
"He doesn't feel pain, but I feel pain watching."
"Then don't watch."
Yue Long turned her face away and kept chopping wood.
Lin Luo leaned against the stone wall, his phone on his knee. Bone One kept fighting. Merit kept adding. The soup was finished. The wood was chopped. Another day had passed.
Just keep idling.
---
(End of Chapter 36)
Current Status
Main Account · Lin Luo
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Layer 3 (Displayed: Qi Refining Layer 1)
Nine Cycles Mystic Art: Second Cycle (bottleneck update in progress)
Lightning Prison Indestructible Body: Second Layer
Defense: 850
Attack: ~400
HP: ~600
Spiritual Energy: ~20%
Spirit Stones: ~4750
Possessions: Spirit Recovery Pill ×4, Life Extension Pill ×0, Bone Mending Pill (below top-grade) ×3, Antidote Pill ×3, Light Talisman ×4, Mountain Pass Token ×1, Drunken Immortal Residence VIP card, Myriad Treasures Pavilion VIP card, Realm-Breaking Talisman (authentic), half a broken sword, pale green jade slip, beast-hide map, Spirit Vein Heart, Secret Realm Core Spirit Stone, spirit plant purchase contract
Skill: Spirit Eye Technique
Disciple: Yue Long
Sect Members: Yue Long, Su Xiaoxiao (temporarily away)
Plan: Wait for Yue Long to save 200 contribution for compass, then buy inn and place Spirit Vein Heart
Alt Account · Bone One
Cultivation: Body Refining Layer 3
Status: Idle battle · Ancient battlefield, target Nascent Soul Layer 1 demon beast (severely wounded), total damage dealt ~11%, win rate 18%
New deaths today: 23 (cumulative ~70)
Alt Account · Blood One
Cultivation: Qi Gathering Layer 8
Status: Hidden – Demon Abyss second layer
Alt Account · Rat One
Cultivation: Spirit Gathering Layer 6
Status: On the woodpile, imitating Yue Long (nibbling wood)
Sect · Idle Sect
Sect Leader: Lin Luo
Members: Yue Long, Su Xiaoxiao (temporarily away)
Level: 2
Idle Bonus: +15%
Special facilities: Sect Gathering Array, High-grade shield formation
Sect Contribution: Yue Long 20, Lin Luo 0
Technique Hall exchange items:
· Beast Cultivation · Jade Rabbit Runs to the Moon – 100 contribution
· Immortal Cultivation · Heavenly Computation Technique – 100 contribution
· Compass magical tool (mid-grade) – 200 contribution
Idle Sect Disciple · Yue Long
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Layer 2 (Human) + Essence Gathering Layer 1 (Buddhist)
Status: Learning to chop wood – successfully split several pieces, axe no longer stuck
Buddhist idle: Merit accumulating automatically, current merit approx: base idle overnight (~240) + mission reward ×2 (~20) = ~260
Fudo Myoo's Resolution: Idle cultivation in progress, progress ~0.03%
Spiritual sea vision: Four clusters of light (Buddhist, beast, demon, human), empty space in the center
Sect contribution: 20
Today's good deed: Helped vegetable seller move baskets
Personality: lively, talkative, can't keep secrets, acts cute, goofy, learning to chop wood, tries to talk to a wooden fish
Spirit Stone balance: ~1100
Possessions: disciple-dedicated phone, low-grade storage pouch, Zixiao Sect inheritance token, Greenwind Sword (repaired)
Idle Sect Disciple · Su Xiaoxiao (temporarily away)
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Layer 1
Status: Spatial passage exit, 1 day to Divine Phoenix Ruins, abnormal spiritual energy fluctuations
Idle Cultivation: ~24h to Foundation Establishment Layer 2
Messages received: Yue Long's good deed report (unread), Lin Luo's reminder (read)
Note: Destination's spiritual energy fluctuations abnormal, system advises caution
---
Appendix: Special Cultivation Systems for Lin Luo and His Alt Accounts
Immortal Cultivation (Main Account · Lin Luo):
Qi Refining → Foundation Establishment → Core Opening → Fusion → Heart Movement → Golden Core → Nascent Soul → Soul Departure → Spirit Separation → Body Integration → Cave Void → Great Ascension → Tribulation Transcendence
Demon Cultivation (Alt Accounts · Bone One, Blood One):
Qi Gathering → Body Refining → Core Condensation → Desire Embodiment → Devouring → Demon Infant → Soul Departure → Sense Separation → Body Fusion → Void Break → Great Ascension → Tribulation Transcendence
Beast Cultivation (Alt Account · Rat One):
Spirit Gathering → Intelligence Awakening → Body Tempering → Bone Refining → Beast Core → Transformation → Soul Condensation → Spirit Roaming → Body Purification → Void Training → Great Ascension → Tribulation Transcendence
Buddhist Cultivation (Yue Long):
Essence Gathering → Mortal Liberation → Core Mind → Will Dispersion → Clear Mind → Relic → Soul Movement → Void Transcendence → Pure Spirit → Void Passage → Great Ascension → Tribulation Transcendence
Note: The above are the exclusive cultivation systems for Lin Luo and his alt accounts. Everyone else (side characters, enemies, etc.) uses the traditional system: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Void Training, Body Integration, Great Ascension, Tribulation Transcendence.
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(End of Chapter 36)