At the age of one hundred, I inquired about the Dao, awakening the supreme spiritual root that shatt

"Xiu'er, live on."

"Don't hate the path of immortality, don't seek the path of demons, just be an ordinary person and live a peaceful life."

Eighty-seven years have passed.

His grandfather's dying words were still deeply etched in Ling Xiu's mind, remaining vivid for over eighty years.

It's not that I don't want to forget, it's that scene was too painful to bear, and I'll never forget it.

"To live a peaceful life...?"

Ling Xiu's hunched and withered body leaned against the rough old elm tree. The laughter of children drifted over, but his heart was filled with a deathly silence.

Withered, rough fingers caressed the ancestral, dark, coarse pottery gourd, the only memento left by his grandfather.

"After today, I will be a hundred years old... Grandpa, your grandson is coming to see you soon."

"I have survived in this world for so long."

At this moment, the long-buried bloody memories in Ling Xiu's mind surged forth.

A hundred years ago, demonic cultivators ran rampant, and the night of the massacre stained the sky with blood.

Grandpa was the only lowly cultivator in the village, with shallow cultivation, yet he bravely took the fatal bone claw of the demonic cultivator to protect his young son.

The demonic energy corroded his bones, causing his body to rot and his grandfather to die a gruesome death on the spot.

A sea of ​​blood overnight, the whole village wailing in agony.

Young Ling Xiu swore an oath with blood.

If he ever embarks on the path to immortality, he will surely slay all the demonic cultivators!

Alas, the ways of Heaven are merciless.

As the immortal cultivators finally arrived, they began to purge the remaining evildoers and conduct a general survey of spiritual roots.

He was thirteen years old that year and was publicly judged to have no spiritual root, thus having no chance to become an immortal!

A single word severed his path to immortality.

All his passion and vengeful obsession were extinguished.

From then on, Ling Xiu was trapped in the mortal world, staying in Qingzhu Village, and spending the rest of his life in mediocrity.

But fate continued to treat him cruelly.

He lost his wife in middle age and died after a long illness.

In his later years, a flash flood engulfed the village, and his son and daughter-in-law perished in the flood, their remains never found.

His only grandson went to the city to seek fame at a young age and did not return for many years.

In the end, he was the only one left in the huge old house, living alone in desolation until he reached the age of one hundred.

The villagers all called him Old Man Ling.

Gossip and idle chatter, all meant to be sarcastic.

"Lacking in talent in youth, destined for a mediocre life!"

"Alone and destitute, barely clinging to life, their very existence is a waste of food!"

Everyone laughed at his mediocrity, his uselessness, and his wasted century of life.

Only Su Nuonuo, the orphan girl next door, is innocent and pure, and never follows the crowd.

The little girl lost her father at a young age, and her mother often went into the mountains to collect herbs. With no one to take care of her, she clung to Ling Xiu's side every day.

A pair of clear almond-shaped eyes and a soft, sweet "Grandpa Ling" were the only warmth in his century of loneliness.

The sun sets, casting its last rays upon the ground.

Su Nuonuo squatted under the tree, gently tugging at his sleeve, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

"Grandpa Ling, Nuonuo will have her mother steam rice cakes tomorrow and bring them to you."

Looking at the obedient little girl, Ling Xiu's weathered face broke into a kind smile.

He uncorked the ceramic gourd, and the spicy, coarse wine went down his throat, burning hot, but it couldn't warm the coldness and regret that had settled in his heart for a hundred years.

He spent his life seeking immortality but found no way to attain it; all his loved ones were scattered throughout his life.

Perhaps, his time is truly near.

But right now!

The clouds in the sky suddenly split in two!

Two dazzling streaks of light tore through the sky, carrying thunderous roars, and hurtled straight towards Green Bamboo Village!

"Grandpa Ling, look! What's that in the sky!"

Su Nuonuo looked up in surprise, her face full of shock.

Above the void, two immortal figures, one green and one white, stood suspended on swords.

The male cultivator stood tall in his blue robes, exuding an elegant and extraordinary aura.

The woman wore an ethereal gauze dress, possessed stunning beauty, and had her hair flowing in the wind, resembling a celestial being descended from the heavens.

The two stepped through the air, their immortal bearing awe-inspiring, a state of being that mortals could only aspire to but never attain!

"A celestial being has descended to earth!"

Ling Xiu was shaken to his core. He leaned against the tree trunk and struggled to straighten his hunched body.

The villagers rushed out of their homes, gazing at the celestial figure in the sky, kneeling in awe and daring not to look up.

The male cultivator in blue robes looked down at the scene with indifferent eyes.

"All the children in the village aged eight to sixteen stepped forward for the auspicious divination and selection of auspicious offspring!"

The female cultivator beside him glanced lightly at the crowd, and when she passed Ling Xiushi under the elm tree, her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

The old man's vital energy was depleted, and he was surrounded by deathly aura; he was clearly on the verge of death, his lifespan exhausted.

An old, frail man in the mortal world, unnoticed by anyone.

A group of children were pushed to an open space by their parents, each one tense and timid.

For impoverished mountain villages, the spirit-testing ritual at the Immortal Gate is their only chance to ascend to heaven.

The male cultivator's palm flashed with spiritual light, and the three-zhang-tall, transparent spirit-measuring tablet crashed to the ground, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

"Test your spirituality by pasting the palms one by one!"

Children took turns approaching, but the memorial tablet remained dim.

"No spiritual root."

"No spiritual root."

The cold voices rang out one after another, shattering countless hopes.

Seeing that almost all the children in the village had been tested and not a single one had become a potential immortal, disappointment appeared in the eyes of the two cultivators.

The last one to step forward was Su Nuonuo.

The little girl turned around timidly and looked at Ling Xiu.

"Grandpa Ling, Nuonuo is scared..."

"Don't be afraid, little girl. This is a test to see if you have a destiny with the immortals."

Ling Xiu nodded gently, full of anticipation.

He had no chance to become an immortal in this life, but he hoped that this only warm little girl could gain immortality and escape the mortal world.

"Um!"

Su Nuonuo mustered her courage and gently touched the spirit tablet with her fair little hand.

hum!

A deep, resonant vibration suddenly resounded!

A dazzling, two-colored spiritual light shot ten feet into the sky, illuminating the entire mountain village and causing its spiritual energy to surge!

The two indifferent cultivators were instantly moved, their pupils shrinking sharply!

"Dual spiritual roots of green wood, sensing level 39! Superior spiritual root!"

The male cultivator gasped in astonishment!

In the barren lands of the mortal realm, even mid-grade spiritual roots are rare, and a superior dual spiritual root with thirty-nine senses is a rare find, perhaps only once every few years across a hundred miles of mountains and rivers!

The stunningly beautiful fairy landed gracefully and asked softly.

"Child, what's your name?"

"My name is Su Nuonuo."

The little girl answered timidly.

"A good name."

The female immortal smiled gently and invited, "Your talent is unparalleled. Would you like to return to the Qingyun Sect with me to cultivate immortality?"

"Me? I can become an immortal too?"

Su Nuonuo's eyes lit up, filled with joy.

In an instant, the joy faded.

She looked at the lonely Ling Xiu, her eyes filled with reluctance.

She's gone, and Grandpa Ling is truly all alone now.

With the immortal seedling secured, the male cultivator in blue robes beamed with joy.

"Junior sister, having obtained such an unparalleled immortal seedling, quickly retrieve the inscription and return to the mountain to report to the sect!"

The female cultivator nodded, and the two raised their hands to put away the spirit tablet.

The next moment!

Boom!

The world is undergoing a dramatic change!

The clear sky darkened, the clouds swirled wildly, and a purple-gold glow tore through the heavens, with the faint sound of thunder shaking the firmament!

The spiritual energy within a hundred miles instantly went out of control, like a river or sea overflowing, surging wildly towards the centenarian under the old elm tree!

The earth trembled, and the grass and trees danced wildly!

Ling Xiu's gaunt body jolted violently!

His eyes, which had been cloudy for a century, suddenly became clear and bright, bursting with a terrifying gleam!

Click! Click!

The spine, hunched over for a century, was forcibly straightened by endless spiritual energy!

The deathly aura that had accumulated over a century dissipated rapidly, and the aged body was rejuvenated!

Thousands of spiritual lights emanated from his flesh and blood, intertwining and tightly connecting with the spirit-testing stele!

boom!

Purple, gold, and cyan divine light shot into the sky, transforming into a ten-thousand-foot-long pillar of light that pierced straight into the clouds!

Auspicious clouds rise in thousands of strands, rosy rays of light pierce the sky, hundreds of birds sing in unison, and heaven and earth resonate in harmony!

An unprecedented phenomenon, the likes of which appear only once every millennium, has suddenly manifested in the world!

The two Qingyun Sect cultivators froze, their spiritual energy surging out of control, their faces filled with extreme horror!

"Spiritual energy tide! Resonance with the Great Dao! This is the ultimate awakening of spiritual roots!"

The fairy's voice trembled.

Endless pure immortal essence poured into Ling Xiu's limbs and bones!

The rough pottery gourd at his waist, which had been dormant for a hundred years, trembled violently, its heat surged, and its ancient and simple Taoist charm flowed through heaven and earth, causing the century-old seal to suddenly collapse!

The two instantly arrived in front of Ling Xiu, staring intently at the ancient supreme Dao patterns that were faintly visible within the divine light surrounding him.

My mind is shattered!

"Far surpassing even the Heavenly Spiritual Root... This is! An unparalleled supreme spiritual root, extinct since ancient times!!"

The entire room fell silent.

The entire village was dumbfounded, their minds blank.

That centenarian whom everyone mocks and despises, who is about to be buried!

A century of mediocrity, a century without any chance of becoming a deity, a century of being the laughingstock of the entire village!

It actually contains an unparalleled talent for immortality, one that is unique throughout the ages!

A century of ridicule has been reduced to utter absurdity in an instant!

Ling Xiu looked up at the rosy clouds in the sky, and all the regrets of the past century in his heart vanished.

"Eighty-seven years late, my immortal journey has finally begun."