“This token can activate the teleportation array; be careful not to lose it,” the young cultivator said as he handed the token to Chong Wuxi. “Those who clear the secret realm of the Immortal Ascension Ladder become inner disciples of the Xuanqing Sect. My surname is Ye, my given name is Yizhou, and my Taoist name is Chuning. You may address me as Senior Brother Chuning.”
“Junior Brother, wait here for a moment. The First Seat senior brother will take you all back to the sect shortly.”
There were twenty-three people who cleared the secret realm, and Chong Wuxi was the twenty-fourth. Avoiding the subtle, scrutinizing gazes of the others, he slowly moved to the back of the crowd to hide.
Ye Yizhou was organizing his registry when he turned around and realized his preferred future junior brother had vanished, which immediately ruined his mood. “Junior Brother Chong Wuxi! Junior Brother Chong!”
Chong Wuxi, who was hiding behind the crowd studying the ancient script on the token, vaguely heard someone calling his name. The high platform was open, and the voice was lost in the wind, making it hard to hear. As Chong Wuxi stopped to listen, the thirteen people standing in front of him suddenly parted.
“So, there you are!” Ye Yizhou exhaled in relief and pulled the young boy, who had been completely blocked by the crowd, to the front. “Stand here.”
Chong Wuxi felt awkward.
Ye Yizhou’s casual command felt oddly similar to the behavior of that hateful snow bird in the secret realm.
He shuffled his feet in embarrassment and turned to meet the gaze of another young man. The youth had a cold expression, yet he offered an equally awkward, stiff smile.
The smile was incredibly rigid, but it helped ease the tense atmosphere. A young girl dressed in a primrose-colored skirt crouched down and gently stroked the boy’s soft, beautiful silver hair. “Hello, Junior Brother. My surname is Liu, and my given name is Wan. I am from the Liu family of the Immortal State.”
Liu Wan then pointed to the tall, stern-looking youth. “His name is Wuchen, from the Du’e Studio on Bodhi Island. He is a half-baked Buddhist cultivator; you can call him Senior Brother Baldy.”
Chong Wuxi looked up, confused by the youth’s high ponytail. “Buddhist cultivators can keep their hair?”
Liu Wan laughed happily. “After all, this person is just a fake monk who drinks, eats meat, and has no inhibitions.”
“The body, hair, and skin are gifts from one’s parents and should not be destroyed lightly,” Wuchen said solemnly. “Furthermore, as disciples, we worship Buddha and cultivate the heart. We are not tethered to mundane appearances.”
Liu Wan impatiently interrupted him. “He was expelled from the Buddhist sect because he was so long-winded that even the Buddha grew annoyed and tired of his preaching.”
Chong Wuxi did not know what to say, so he offered a simple “Oh.” Remembering he had not introduced himself, he quickly untied his name plate and handed it to Liu Wan.
“Junior Brother is truly adorable.” Liu Wan pulled a bottle of pills from her sleeve. “These are the unique Hunyuan Bigu pills of the Liu family. Taking one will keep you full for a month. Here, for you.”
The bottle containing the pills shimmered with a golden light and looked very valuable. Chong Wuxi took the pills and bit his lip. “Senior Sister Liu, they say the secret realm is ever-changing. What was your experience inside?”
Liu Wan sighed and recounted what happened to her in detail. She touched the bloodstains on her arms and shivered in pain. “I have never been so miserable in my life. How hateful!”
“The secret realm is filled with crises at every step. Junior Brother, your talent is outstanding; you are the only one among us who passed through completely unscathed.”
“That is right, Junior Brother. Surely you must be hiding some magical treasure or secret technique that you are not telling us about!”
Chong Wuxi turned toward the voice and saw a young man in expensive, embroidered silk robes standing behind Liu Wan, staring at him with a mocking smile.
The high platform was vast and open, so Chong Wuxi tugged on Liu Wan’s sleeve. “Senior Sister, let us go to the other side.”
Liu Wan glanced at Wuchen, then followed Chong Wuxi to a more secluded area of the platform.
Chong Wuxi leaned toward Liu Wan, lowered his voice, and repeated everything Ye Yizhou and the Carefree Wanderer had said, then recounted his own experience in the secret realm.
He naturally omitted the part about the hateful long-legged snow bird.
“I see,” Liu Wan mused. “A child’s heart is pure and untainted, unswayed by external objects and undistracted by chaos. Naturally, you could pass through the secret realm unscathed.”
Feeling as though she had gained some enlightenment, she happily retrieved a unique Liu family hidden weapon, the Seven-Star Crossbow, from her storage bag as a gift. “The Seven-Star Crossbow is one of the most complex mechanical hidden weapons in the Qingyuan Realm. It is infused with a unique array that can kill anyone below the Golden Core stage in a single strike.”
The bolts on the crossbow emitted a chilling aura. Chong Wuxi retreated a step, putting distance between himself and the sharp blades. “I do not want it.”
Liu Wan was puzzled. “Why not?”
“Objects like hidden weapons can kill others when used well, but they can be fatal to oneself if used poorly,” Chong Wuxi shook his head. “In any case, I do not want it.”
Liu Wan found his logic sound and put the weapon back into her storage bag. “Junior Brother is wise beyond his years and very steady. Your future will surely be limitless.”
Chong Wuxi sighed.
New candidates were ascending the platform. Chong Wuxi shielded his eyes from the sun and realized that the one who had cleared the secret realm this time was that untouchable little bird from earlier.
Liu Wan followed his gaze. “Little Prince Zongzheng Lan has also passed the test. To have such cultivation at such a young age, he truly lives up to being the Emperor’s son.”
“Little Prince?”
Liu Wan explained. “There are four great masters at the Spirit Severing stage in the Qingyuan Realm. One is Emperor Zongzheng Moqi of my Xiling Dynasty; one is Rune Master Meng Yusheng of the Luoying Pavilion; one is the Carefree Wanderer, who wanders the four corners of the earth; and the last is the Saint Sovereign of the Xuanqing Sect, the Nine Li Immortal Venerable.”
“Little Prince Zongzheng Lan is the Emperor’s third son and has inherited the True Phoenix bloodline. You are about the same age as the Little Prince, perhaps you could play together.”
Liu Wan turned to look at Chong Wuxi, only to find the young boy with silver hair and light eyes standing perfectly still, frozen like a little snowman.
Zongzheng Lan. Nine Li Immortal Venerable.
These two names fully awakened Chong Wuxi’s long-dormant memories. No wonder he had felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with the Xuanqing Sect earlier.
Back in high school, his female deskmate had told him about a progression-style cultivation novel. In the story, there was a minor villain who shared his name. This villain constantly fought the protagonist, eventually betrayed the sect, fell into the demonic path, and was finally purged by his own master.
He did not remember the entire plot, but he recalled that the troublesome little phoenix, Zongzheng Lan, was the protagonist. As for the Xuanqing Sect Saint Sovereign, who had created the secret realm and was not a good person, he was the master who would eventually uphold justice by killing his own disciple.
Chong Wuxi felt his entire world collapse.
Transmigrating into a minor villain was one thing, but arriving during the villain’s childhood? Is this a case of the villain starting from the cradle?
He needed to run. Chong Wuxi slowly crept toward the edge of the high platform, trying to find an exit other than the Immortal Ascension Ladder.
“What are you being so sneaky about?” Zongzheng Lan grabbed the small child and was about to interrogate him when the child suddenly started crying. His teary eyes looked exactly like the snow-white foreign cat kept by his mother, the Empress.
Zongzheng Lan frowned. “Whatever you did, I shall grant you immunity. Stop crying!”
Chong Wuxi wiped the tears from his face with an expressionless look. Being transmigrated into a child without any means of self-preservation, with his mental age assimilated to match, made the future of this book seem incredibly bleak.
“What is actually wrong with you?”
Chong Wuxi’s eyes were red. “I am going to die.”
Zongzheng Lan reached out and tugged at Chong Wuxi’s fine, soft hair. “As long as you become my cat, I will keep you from dying.”
Chong Wuxi froze. Right! If he did not oppose the protagonist and did not take the Nine Li Immortal Venerable as his master, could he not avoid that tragic ending?
Moreover, he was currently just a defenseless child. Joining the Xuanqing Sect to cultivate and increase his strength was his only hope for survival in this strange world.
Seeing the boy lost in thought, Zongzheng Lan continued. “The Phoenix clan keeps their word. I said I would keep you from dying, so I will ensure it. But you must be my cat.”
Chong Wuxi moved away. “No.”
“Hmph! I do not care for a shrimp like you either!” Zongzheng Lan flicked his sleeve and stormed off in a huff.
Time passed slowly. Nineteen more people cleared the secret realm, and the rest departed one after another. Ye Yizhou walked over. “Everyone, please wait a moment. The First Seat senior brother will be here soon.”
About fifty people remained on the large platform, making it feel a bit deserted. Chong Wuxi turned. “Senior Brother Chuning, how many disciples does the Xuanqing Sect have?”
Ye Yizhou understood his confusion. “The Xuanqing Sect has many disciples. Today we are only selecting inner disciples; outer and chore disciples are selected by our sect’s subordinate branches.”
“With your outstanding talent, Junior Brother, you will certainly be taken as a direct disciple by one of the elders.”
The old man with the white beard had said that the Qingyuan Realm was rich in spiritual energy and that those who awakened their spirit roots could sense it and embark on the path to immortality. However, there were tiers to these roots; a single-element Heaven-grade root was the most precious, granting rapid cultivation speeds.
The five elemental roots were Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Other special attributes like Wind, Lightning, and Ice were mutations of these elements, known as Variant Spirit Roots.
Variant roots were extremely rare and broke the limitations of single-element roots, allowing for even faster cultivation.
Chong Wuxi looked up at the setting sun. The sunlight gilded his eyelashes and stained his fair cheeks with a golden hue.
He did not know what kind of spirit root he would awaken, and he could not feel any of the legendary spiritual energy. Yet, Ye Yizhou firmly believed he would awaken a Heaven-grade root.
“Junior Brother, I can already imagine the elders fighting over you, especially the Fifth Elder. She will surely love you.”
Ye Yizhou’s prediction was accurate. Before the initiation ceremony even began, Chong Wuxi was cornered by a beautiful woman who claimed to be the Fifth Elder.
“So you are the genius youth Chuning mentioned? Would you like to join my Sa’die Peak?” The Fifth Elder circled Chong Wuxi and then approached Zongzheng Lan. “You come too. My Sa’die Peak can never have too many disciples.”
Chong Wuxi blinked. “But Senior Brother Chuning said that Piao Miao Peak is covered in snow all year round, which suits my appearance perfectly.”
“That little brat!” The Fifth Elder flew into a rage and went to settle the score with Ye Yizhou.
Zongzheng Lan stared intensely at Chong Wuxi. Chong Wuxi could not help but shrink back and move aside. Zongzheng Lan followed him. “You… why do you not want to be my cat?”
Chong Wuxi did not expect him to still be dwelling on that. “I am a human, not a cat.”
“You are not necessarily a human.”
Chong Wuxi opened his eyes wide.
“You look exactly like the foreign cat my mother kept. Perhaps your ancestors were cats that achieved Tao and took human form. Because you suffer from wandering soul syndrome, you have forgotten that you are a cat,” Zongzheng Lan stated with certainty.
At first, Chong Wuxi thought he was indirectly insulting him, but later he felt the logic was sound. Since the little protagonist was a little phoenix, why could he not be a cat?
Chong Wuxi tugged at his sleeve and tried his hardest to remember, but he could not recall anything. He had merely transmigrated into this body and had not inherited the original owner’s memories.
“Although your talent and cultivation are a bit inferior to mine, you are already very impressive compared to others. You can cultivate with me, and I will reward you with many pills and treasures.”
Zongzheng Lan’s arrogant tone did not match his eager expression. Chong Wuxi could not help but smile. “You really are just a child.”
Zongzheng Lan was furious. “I am a whole head taller than you, you shrimp!”
Now it was Chong Wuxi’s turn to be angry. The Fifth Elder walked over and, seeing his puffy, indignant face, laughingly poked his cheek. “The spirit root test is about to begin. What is wrong with you?”
Chong Wuxi shook his head. “Nothing. Fifth Elder, Senior Brother Chuning said the Immortal Ascension Ladder secret realm is formed from a wisp of the Nine Li Immortal Venerable’s consciousness. Does the Immortal Venerable take disciples?”
“No, the Martial Uncle never takes disciples.”
Chong Wuxi remembered the plot of the novel. “But…”
“The Martial Uncle never takes disciples, and besides, he has been in seclusion for fifty years,” the Fifth Elder said firmly. “The initiation ceremony is starting. No matter what spirit root you test for, I will be waiting for you at Sa’die Peak.”
“Sa’die Peak focuses on divination. Disciples of any elemental root can study there; there are no restrictions.”
However, Chong Wuxi did not test for any of the five elemental roots. He stood frozen, staring at the dense runes lighting up on the Heavenly Stone and the overwhelming light covering the sky.
The elders on the viewing stand were also stunned.
“A Light-type root! It is actually a mutated Light-type root!”
“And an innate spiritual body!”
“If it is a mutated Light-type root…” Before Xuanqing Sect Leader Xuan Su could finish his sentence, the jade chime hanging at the top of the Heavenly Stone suddenly rang. In an instant, the wind stopped and the clouds cleared; only the sound of the chime remained between heaven and earth.
Chong Wuxi was at a loss and turned to look at Ye Yizhou, who was standing to the right of the stone. Ye Yizhou’s face was red with excitement. “The jade chime is the Nine Li Immortal Venerable’s companion spirit treasure. It chimed without a breeze, meaning you are the Immortal Venerable’s fated disciple.”
“Junior Brother, from now on I must call you Junior Martial Uncle!”
Chong Wuxi stared unblinkingly at the Fifth Elder.