Not long after that, Grandpa Shu passed away.
When Lin Chen went to wake him and received no response, he discovered that, despite believing himself mentally prepared, he still found the loss almost impossible to accept.
In his previous life, he had grown up in an orphanage and never experienced the warmth of family. In this life, he had finally known it—only for that happiness to prove so fleeting.
He went outside in silence and called upon the villagers to help arrange Grandpa Shu’s funeral.
Huzi wept so hard that he could scarcely catch his breath.
“Don’t be sad,” Lin Chen comforted him. “Grandpa Shu passed away with a smile.”
In an ancient world where medical care was so limited, Grandpa Shu had already lived to a venerable age. His passing could be considered a peaceful death after a long and fulfilled life.
Hearing this, Huzi tried to smile, but could not quite manage it. The expression on his face was rather comical.
The villagers buried Grandpa Shu halfway up the mountain behind the village. The surrounding peaks were a deep blue-green, and from that spot one could look down upon Shifang Village, nestled among the mountains.
Most of the village’s departed were laid to rest there, in the hope that they might continue watching over Shifang Village.
Once everything had been settled, the time had come for Lin Chen to leave.
Perhaps sensing his grief, Dabai had been unusually quiet over the past several days.
After gathering his emotions, Lin Chen took the initiative to contact the System.
[Dabai, what is my mission?]
Dabai was rather excited. Its Host had finally remembered it!
[Ding——]
[Mission issued.]
[Main Mission One: Join any cultivation sect and reach the Qi Refining realm.]
[Time Limit: None.]
[Rewards: Beginner Healing Technique — Withered Wood Returns to Spring Art; 10 Points; Lottery System unlocked.]
[Host, your mission has been issued! Since this is a beginner’s mission, there’s no time limit~]
A healing technique was easy enough to understand. But those points and that lottery system? They looked like traps at first glance.
[Points can be used to purchase items from the System Shop! And there’s a chance of drawing top-tier cultivation techniques or magical artifacts through the Lottery System. They’re absolutely not traps!]
[Since Host doesn’t have any cultivation yet, you can’t view the System Shop for the time being.]
The word chance reminded Lin Chen of a certain card-drawing game from his previous life. Even if the advertised probability of success was ninety-nine percent, someone destined to lose would still somehow fail to draw the prize.
Through Dabai’s explanation, Lin Chen finally learned that this world was known as the Qianyuan Great World.
It was divided into four regions—East, South, West, and North—each dominated by a supreme cultivation sect.
The Eastern Region belonged to Yuntian Immortal Sect. The Southern Region belonged to Xuanwu Immortal Sect. The Western Region belonged to Tuoxian Sect. And the Northern Region belonged to Huanhai Immortal Sect.
For Qianyuan to be called a Great World, its vastness naturally defied ordinary imagination. Even an island of perfectly ordinary size in its overseas territories could rival the entire Blue Planet in area.
The Great World also received many cultivators who had broken through the boundaries of smaller worlds in search of opportunities.
Lin Chen had known nothing of this because Shifang Village was remote and its spiritual energy exceedingly thin. The people there rarely ventured outside, while outsiders had little reason to visit.
Lin Chen recalled the token Grandpa Shu had given him. Dabai had previously identified it as a keepsake of Yuntian Sect.
[Is there some connection between Yuntian Sect and Yuntian Immortal Sect?]
[Yuntian Sect is subordinate to Yuntian Immortal Sect. Only supreme sects are permitted to include the word “Immortal” in their names.]
[Host, we could join Yuntian Sect! Although it isn’t a supreme sect, it’s still a third-grade sect. What’s more, they’ve recently been recruiting disciples in Shifang City.]
[With Host’s aptitude, becoming an inner disciple should be a piece of cake!]
Apart from the supreme sects, cultivation sects were classified into nine grades, from first to ninth. A third-grade institution such as Yuntian Sect was indeed an excellent choice.
[Is cultivating immortality… difficult?]
[Host, that depends entirely on the individual. Some people spend their entire lives stuck in Qi Refining, while others advance in cultivation as easily as eating and drinking.]
[This System can point Host in the general direction, but when it comes to the details, you’ll have to explore and figure things out for yourself.]
[But don’t worry, Host! Since this System chose to bind itself to you, your talent must be exceptional. The Great Dao lies right beneath your feet. Keep it up!]
The System could only serve as an assistant. True cultivation would still depend upon Lin Chen himself.
Before departing, Lin Chen visited Grandpa Shu’s grave. He knelt before the burial mound and solemnly kowtowed three times.
“Grandpa Shu, I’m leaving.”
[Host, all gatherings must eventually come to an end. We still have more important things ahead of us.]
[Mm.]
Lin Chen understood what he wanted. Strictly speaking, he had already lived thirty-three years.
The people of Shifang Village, however, had no idea that the eight-year-old child before them possessed the mind of an adult.
When he first announced his intention to leave alone, the villagers tried one after another to persuade him to stay. Only when they saw how firmly resolved he was did they finally abandon the effort.
Huzi’s mother secretly pressed a considerable number of copper coins into his hands, explaining that the villagers had pooled the money together for him. They were all simple farmers with few sources of income.
Holding the heavy coins, Lin Chen felt a complicated mixture of emotions.
By the time he departed, the weather had already begun to turn cool. The villagers hired a horse-drawn carriage for him and prepared plenty of dried provisions for the journey.
As Lin Chen was about to climb aboard, Huzi looked at him hesitantly, as though he had a thousand things to say but could not find the words.
“Will you come back?”
Lin Chen smiled faintly. With the light behind him, the expression on his youthful face was difficult to make out.
“I will. I’ll come back to visit you someday.”
For a moment, Huzi stood there in a daze. Then he recovered himself and broke into a broad grin.
“Even if you don’t come back, that’s all right! My ma says I’m still too little now. Once I’m grown up, I can go out and find you myself!”
Lin Chen nodded to him. Then, at last, he boarded the carriage.
Willow branches swayed gently, while leaves drifted one after another upon the western wind, disturbing the sky’s reflection in the water. Above them stretched a pale blue-green sky.
It was another beautiful day.
Even traveling as quickly as possible, the journey from Shifang Village to Shifang City would take ten days.
Seeing how young his passenger was, the carriage driver took particularly good care of Lin Chen.
There were not many travelers on the official road, but it was hardly deserted. Whenever they encountered others heading in the same direction, they could even exchange a friendly greeting.
To think the world could be so peaceful.
Dabai informed him that this was true only of the surrounding region. Other places were not nearly so harmonious.
The present stability was entirely thanks to the City Lord of Shifang City. When displaced people had homes to live in and commoners had enough food to eat, who would willingly become a bandit, risking their life with every robbery?
Lin Chen had never traveled by horse-drawn carriage before. Once the initial novelty wore off, however, the experience became pure torment. The roads of this ancient world were simply too uneven.
No matter how beautiful the scenery, he was in no condition to appreciate it.
By the time they reached the city gates, Lin Chen finally began to recover. His present body was still very young. Although he had exercised regularly over the past three years, his endurance could hardly compare with that of a grown adult.
Standing beneath the walls of Shifang City, he raised his head. Ancient trees towered around the city, their crowns stretching toward the heavens. The city itself resembled an immense mountain, majestic and imposing.
The driver brought Lin Chen inside, gave him a few final instructions, and departed.
The streets were bustling with activity. Tea stalls were filled with customers, and streams of people passed along the bluestone roads. As Lin Chen walked among them, he felt almost as though he had been granted a new life.
He entered a tea stall and ordered a pot of tea. After drinking several cups, the dizziness left over from his journey finally subsided.
Most of the conversations around him concerned the immortal sect that had come to Shifang City to recruit disciples. After listening for a while, Lin Chen had gathered almost everything he needed to know.
[Host, if it’s something everyone knows, you could just ask this System! It’d be much faster!]
Dabai’s voice remained as mechanically flat as ever, yet Lin Chen somehow managed to hear a trace of pride in it.
He humored the System.
[All right. Let’s go.]
[Go where? Isn’t Host tired? Why not rest a little longer? This System isn’t some heartless taskmaster who only cares about making Host complete missions!]
[But today is Yuntian Sect’s final day in Shifang City. If we miss them, there’s no telling how long we’ll have to wait for another opportunity. Are you sure there’s no hurry?]
Dabai was rendered speechless. Of course there was a hurry! How could there not be?
If they missed this opportunity, who knew when Lin Chen would finally be able to enter a sect and complete his mission? There might be no time limit, but that did not mean they could afford to waste time!
[Ahem… In that case, Host, we’d better set off immediately! They’re at the Qilin Platform in the city. This System will guide you there!]
The Qilin Platform lay more than halfway across the city from the gates. If Lin Chen traveled there on foot, it would take at least one shichen.
Fortunately, the hour was still early. As long as he arrived before sunset, everything would be fine.
“Make way——! Make way——!”
A group of mounted riders approached from the distance. The thunder of their horses’ hooves rang through the street.
The two riders at the front wore golden armor, with swords hanging from their waists. At the sight of them, the surrounding pedestrians hurriedly moved aside.
Lin Chen followed the crowd and raised his eyes. Seated in the middle of the procession was a handsome, jade-faced youth who appeared to be the person in charge.
The youth noticed Lin Chen as well. His brows drew together, and he spoke to the riders ahead of him.
“Wait a moment.”
Lin Chen watched the youth dismount. His footsteps seemed to be heading directly toward him. The people standing nearby evidently realized the same thing and promptly withdrew to either side.
The youth stopped before Lin Chen. Although he appeared to be only in his early teens, he exuded an extraordinarily powerful sense of pressure. His gaze was distinctly appraising.
Yet the moment he opened his mouth, the intimidating atmosphere vanished.
“You’re really good-looking! Which family’s little immortal child are you?”
Lin Chen: “…”
The youth before him was dressed in luxurious clothing. Lin Chen looked down at his own outfit. He was quite obviously dressed like a poor country boy. Where on earth had this person gotten the idea that he was some immortal child?
“You don’t really look like one, though…” the youth muttered. He examined Lin Chen several more times, seemingly puzzled himself.
“Why do I feel as though there’s something on you that I recognize…?”
Judging by his appearance, the youth clearly came from an extraordinary background. Anyone permitted to ride through the city streets with such an entourage was unlikely to be an ordinary person.
Lin Chen had no desire to invite trouble. But his first thought was whether Dabai had been discovered.
Able to perceive his thoughts, Dabai immediately roared inside his head.
[Impossible! Even without any energy, no one in this world can detect this System’s existence! That’s slander! Slander!]
[It’s obviously the Yuntian Sect token you’re carrying that’s caught his attention!]
Dabai’s sudden shouting nearly made Lin Chen jump. Fortunately, he was not truly an inexperienced child, and his expression remained perfectly composed.
He replied to the youth, “You must be mistaken. This is my first visit to Shifang City.”
At the same time, he asked Dabai:
[Is there something wrong with the token?]
[Not at all. This boy is a Qi Refining cultivator, and he’s also a disciple of Yuntian Sect.]
[The token is a keepsake of Yuntian Sect. Since Host is carrying it right against your chest, it’s perfectly normal for him to sense it.]
Lin Chen was speechless. He had not even begun cultivating, and the System’s most basic inventory function was still unavailable. If he could not carry the token on his person, where else was he supposed to put it?
Dabai sounded a little embarrassed.
[That’s my fault. I forgot to tell you.]
The youth showed no irritation at having been contradicted.
“My name is Xue Yi. What’s yours? Are you here to seek an immortal opportunity too?”
Lin Chen nodded. After a brief moment of consideration, he decided to tell the youth his real name.
Seeing a child younger than himself behaving with such solemn maturity, Xue Yi could not help laughing.
“As it happens, I’m going to the Qilin Platform too. Why don’t I give you a ride?”
[Host, accept his offer! If we don’t hurry, we won’t make it in time!]
Dabai urged him from within his mind. Had the System possessed a physical body, it would probably have been rolling around on the ground, begging Lin Chen to agree.
“Then I thank you.”
Lin Chen cupped his fists in a courteous salute and climbed aboard the youth’s carriage.
Xue Yi found the entire exchange immensely entertaining. He rarely encountered someone younger than himself who nevertheless carried himself like an adult.
And given his particular fondness for beautiful faces, he found the solemn little Lin Chen absolutely adorable.
Fortunately, Lin Chen had no idea what he was thinking. Otherwise, his expression would have been quite different.
| 大白 | Dàbái | Dabai, the System’s name; literally “Big White.” |
| 虎子 | Hǔzi | Huzi, a familiar nickname meaning “Tiger Boy.” |
| 树爷爷 | Shù Yéye | Grandpa Shu; an affectionate form of address. |
| 乾元大世界 | Qiányuán Dà Shìjiè | Qianyuan Great World, the name of the world in the novel. |
| 麒麟台 | Qílín Tái | Qilin Platform, the sect’s recruitment venue. |
| 时辰 | shíchén | Traditional double-hour, approximately two hours. |
| 练气 | liànqì | Qi Refining, the first cultivation realm. |
| 枯木回春诀 | Kūmù Huíchūn Jué | Withered Wood Returns to Spring Art, a beginner healing technique. |