Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

Setting up the array was a meticulous task, requiring He Damin to invest a great deal of effort and materials. In the metal position, he buried a piece of natural Geng metal weighing ten thousand catties; in the wood position, he planted a thousand-year-old spirit peach tree; in the water position, he drew upon a spiritual spring from a pool; in the fire position, he arranged a fire-gathering array plate; and in the earth position, he used his own earth elemental power to condense a core of the earth. Then, at the array's eye, he embedded a mid-grade spirit stone as an energy source.

As the last flag was planted, He Damin made a hand seal and uttered the word "Rise!"

"Buzz—!"

An invisible wave spread out from the immortal mountain. The sky instantly changed color; the once clear sky suddenly became covered with dark clouds, accompanied by lightning and thunder. Immediately afterward, the spiritual energy in the surrounding world seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, frantically converging towards the immortal mountain, forming a massive vortex of spiritual energy. The dense spiritual energy even transformed into a visible white mist, swirling above the immortal mountain.

"Such a powerful fluctuation of spiritual energy!"

"Which expert set up this formation?"

"Go check it out!"

This astonishing commotion naturally alerted cultivators within a thousand miles. Whether they were in seclusion cultivating or out on training, they were all drawn to this extraordinary phenomenon and flew towards the immortal mountain, eager to investigate.

Soon, dozens of cultivators gathered around the immortal mountain. The highest cultivation level among them had reached the late stage of the Celestial Immortal realm, while the lowest was at the Foundation Establishment stage. They hovered in mid-air, looking at the immortal mountain shrouded in white spiritual energy mist, their faces filled with shock and curiosity.

Just then, a clear voice came from the summit of the immortal mountain, as resounding as a great bell, clearly echoing for miles around: "This place already has an owner."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw He Damin standing with his hands behind his back on a rock on the mountaintop. Although they were far apart, his figure seemed to be right in front of them.

"I am He Damin, a mere rogue cultivator." He Damin's voice continued, carrying an undeniable authority. "From this day forward, this mountain belongs to the He family. Idlers, retreat, lest you bring trouble upon yourselves."

"A rogue cultivator? Quite the boast!" A tall, burly man with a red face and a menacing expression couldn't help but sneer from the crowd. He was the patriarch of a small nearby family, a mid-stage Celestial Immortal in cultivation. Accustomed to his domineering ways, he had long been tempted by the sight of this immortal mountain, whose spiritual energy had suddenly become so abundant. "Boy, this mountain is quite nice. This patriarch has his eye on it! If you know what's good for you, get lost, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

After saying that, he unleashed his aura, grabbed a mountain-splitting axe, roared, and charged toward the immortal mountain, attempting to force his way in.

He Damin's eyes turned cold. Too lazy to waste words with him, he casually waved his right hand.

"Buzz!"

The Innate Five Elements Grand Array was activated instantly! The spiritual energy and white mist above the immortal mountain suddenly condensed, transforming into a colorful Five Elements Divine Light, which, like a flexible whip, lashed out at the red-faced giant with a "snap".

The burly, red-faced man felt a blur before his eyes, and an irresistible force struck him. Before he could even scream, he was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, spitting blood, disappearing from sight in a flash, flung hundreds of miles away! His fate was unknown.

Upon seeing this scene, the restless cultivators around them instantly fell silent, their greed and curiosity vanishing without a trace, replaced by deep fear.

One move! Just one move! He sent a mid-stage Celestial Immortal cultivator flying a hundred miles away! He Damin's strength is unfathomable!

"So it was Senior He who was cultivating here. We were unaware of this and have disturbed you greatly. We will take our leave now!"

"Goodbye, goodbye!"

The crowd bowed respectfully, then turned and ran like startled rabbits, afraid of following in the footsteps of the red-faced giant if they were too slow. In the blink of an eye, the area around the immortal mountain was deserted, without a single person in sight.

He Damin watched the group flee in disarray, his lips curling slightly, before he turned and walked down the mountain peak.

With the sacred mountain secured, the spiritual veins transformed, and the protective array erected, the He family in the Earthly Immortal Realm finally had a true foundation of their own, a safe home.

Next, logically, he should have recruited many disciples and expanded his power. But He Damin didn't do that. He knew very well that his current cultivation level was far too weak—merely at the early stage of the Celestial Immortal realm. In the Earthly Immortal realm, where experts were as numerous as clouds, this level of cultivation was practically the lowest of the low, not even worthy of carrying the shoes of the core disciples of those major sects. If his strength wasn't strong enough, even if he established a family, he wouldn't be able to protect it, and it would instead bring about annihilation.

He must go into seclusion and improve his cultivation level as soon as possible!

He entrusted Chen Xueru with the daily management of the immortal mountain and the education of the younger generation of the He family. Although Chen Xueru's cultivation level was not high, only at the Golden Core stage, she was meticulous, steady in her work, and highly respected among the younger generation of the He family, making her the most suitable person to manage things.

On this day, the sun shone brightly and a gentle breeze blew.

He Damin packed a simple bundle containing a few changes of clothes and several cultivation manuals he often read. He went to the back mountain, where there was a secluded cultivation room he had built long ago. The secluded cultivation room was built from a single piece of black iron stone, extremely sturdy, and could block divine sense from probing. A small spirit-gathering array was also set up inside.

Chen Xueru stood at the door of the seclusion room, her eyes slightly red and filled with reluctance.

"Brother Damin, how long are you going to go into seclusion?" she asked, her voice choked with emotion.

He Damin looked at her, gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "It's hard to say. Maybe a thousand years, maybe... ten thousand years. I'll come out when I break through to the Golden Immortal Realm."

"Golden Immortal?" Chen Xueru's eyes widened, her face showing surprise. "That...that takes a very, very long time, doesn't it?" The gap between a Celestial Immortal and a Golden Immortal is the True Immortal realm, and breaking through each minor realm is incredibly difficult; many cultivators spend their entire lives without ever achieving it. Ten thousand years is an unattainable time for mortals, but for cultivators, while not short, it's not impossible. "Don't worry," He Damin gripped her hand tightly, the warmth of his palm seeping through the fabric. "I have a system to help me. Lying down for a day increases my cultivation by a year's worth. If I were to go into seclusion for ten thousand years, it would be equivalent to three million six hundred and fifty thousand years of arduous cultivation. That's enough time for me to break through to the Golden Immortal realm."

Chen Xueru burst into laughter through her tears, wiping her cheeks with her sleeve: "Then you'd better do your seclusion properly and don't slack off."

"Don't worry." He Damin gently tidied her wind-blown hair. "Thank you for your hard work out there."

"Don't talk nonsense." She stood on tiptoe to straighten his collar. "When you come out, you have to take me to see the stars in the Thirty-Three Heavens."

"must."

The stone door to the secluded training chamber slowly slammed shut, a deep rumble echoing through the valley. He Damin sat cross-legged on the jade bed, his fingertips tracing the smooth stone wall. The system panel lit up in his mind, its pale blue glow making his pupils gleam.

"Activate lie-flat mode."

With a thought, the celestial energy of heaven and earth flowed into his body like a gentle stream. He closed his eyes, and the five elements within his dantian slowly rotated: the sharpness of metal, the vitality of wood, the suppleness of water, the blazing intensity of fire, and the weight of earth. These five distinct forces mingled and flowed under the guidance of the "Five Elements Creation Technique."

Time slipped away quietly amidst the monotonous cultivation. He Damin's consciousness was immersed in the deduction of the cultivation technique, his fingertips occasionally tracing the void, outlining profound runes. Every word of the "Five Elements Creation Technique" was disassembled and reassembled by him, and the profound principles of the mutual generation and restraint of the five elements unfolded in his sea of ​​consciousness like a scroll.

A century passed in the blink of an eye. As the first rays of sunlight shone through the cracks in the stone onto his face, the Five Elements Seeds in his dantian suddenly burst forth with brilliant light. The seeds, originally the size of mung beans, swelled to the size of a fist, and five colors of light intertwined to form a ring.

"The second level of the Five Elements Creation Technique, mid-stage Celestial Immortal." He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, and the white mist condensed into a five-colored rainbow in the air before dissipating.

The spiritual fields outside the window had already been replanted with spiritual grains three times, and the peach saplings planted by Chen Xueru had grown tall and lush. He Damin stroked the water droplets seeping from the stone wall and continued to immerse himself in cultivation.

Five hundred years later, the Five Elements Seeds transformed into the size of a millstone, and faint images of mountains and rivers appeared in the Dantian.

"Late-stage Celestial Immortal."

After a thousand years, the Five Elements World began to take shape: Golden Peaks stood tall, forests were lush, the Red River rushed, volcanoes erupted, and the thick earth bore witness. He Damin suddenly opened his eyes, and two beams of divine light pierced through the stone gate, leaving a mark a few inches deep on the mountain wall.

"Peak Celestial Immortal!"

The bottleneck stood like an invisible barrier in his path. He could clearly feel the threshold of the True Immortal Realm right before him, yet he was always just one step away. He Damin remained calm, simply adjusting his breathing to keep the system running.

Two years, five years, ten years... spiritual energy surged through the meridians, washing away that invisible barrier. When the first wisp of true immortal essence was born, the five elements world in the dantian suddenly underwent a dramatic change. The originally still mountains and rivers began to flow, and the sun, moon, and stars slowly rose.

"Early stage of True Immortal!"

Four thousand years later, the Five Elements world evolved into birds and beasts, and the four seasons changed in an orderly manner.

"Late stage of True Immortal."

Six thousand years later, the Five Elements world in the dantian was already full of vitality, and even a nascent intelligence was born.

"Peak of True Immortal!"

Another, even more powerful bottleneck appeared. The leap from True Immortal to Golden Immortal was a qualitative one, requiring the complete fusion of the five elements to evolve one's own Dao. He Damin's consciousness sank into the world of the five elements, transforming into the creator god, guiding the five forces of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth to constantly collide and merge.

Eight thousand years later, the Five Elements world began to collapse and rebuild.

After nine thousand years, the five forces finally showed signs of merging.

Ten thousand years later, when the first rays of dawn shone into the secluded cultivation room again, the Five Elements World in He Damin's dantian completely dissipated, replaced by a chaotic lotus seed. The lotus seed was covered with mysterious runes and exuded an aura that suppressed eternity.

"Early stage of Golden Immortal!"

He slowly rose, his bones cracking like popping beans. The stone gate silently crumbled into dust, and a beam of golden light shot into the sky from the secluded chamber, mingling with the innate Five Elements Grand Array and forming a massive Five Elements vortex above the immortal mountain.

"Brother Da Min!"

Chen Xueru's voice came through, tinged with tears. He Damin turned around and saw her standing not far away. Her black hair was now streaked with gray, and fine lines had appeared at the corners of her eyes, but her eyes were still as bright as when he first met her.

"I'm back." He opened his arms and embraced the person who rushed towards him tightly. Sunlight pierced through the Five Elements vortex, casting dappled light and shadow on them. In the distant spirit fields, the new season's spirit grains were sprouting, gleaming with a faint golden light.

(End of the book)