A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Starting as a Rogue Cultivator

Shall we have some fun?

"Heh, let alone waiting for one day, even if I have to wait three or five days, I don't mind; anyway, the one who's really waiting in the back isn't me!"

As he spoke, he shrugged indifferently.

"Hmm? What do you mean by that, Junior Brother?"

The old man paused in his knife-wielding hand, then lifted his disheveled hair, which he hadn't lifted all day.

"Didn't I already say when I knocked on the door? I'm here on the orders of my master, Li Huayuan! Since you're so busy, senior brother, I can wait a little longer."

At this moment, Wang Li smiled broadly.

In contrast, Senior Brother Lin across the table suddenly stood up, a flash of anger and gloom on his face; then he suppressed his frustration, and his momentum diminished drastically.

"Junior Brother Wang, please don't joke around."

This joke is not funny at all.

If he, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, were to offend a Core Formation cultivator in the sect, would he still be able to hide in Yellow Maple Valley?

'Hmph, so you do know someone's surname is Wang!'

Wang Li was inwardly furious:

You waited all day for me, only to be met with more mockery and then kicked out.

Even a clay figure has a bit of fire, let alone someone like me who came prepared!

How arrogant you were before, how much I'll make you a coward now.

This is the advantage of being Li Huayuan's disciple: because what he says often represents this high-ranking Core Formation stage cultivator. And regardless of whether it's true or false, as long as it involves "serious matters," no one else dares to gamble; ninety-nine percent of them have to take Wang Li's words seriously.

"No, no, no, I never joke. I always stick to the facts. Therefore, I will definitely report everything to my master about what happened."

The smile on his face became even brighter.

"you!"

The old man's expression changed drastically.

Before the old man could vent his anger, Wang Li popped the inflated balloon.

"Before you make a move, Senior Brother had better know where you are!"

Wang Li's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over the old man's head, instantly awakening the cautious rationality deep within him and allowing him to quickly calm down. Afterwards, he could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger, only to find that no matter how he tried, he couldn't do anything to the young man in front of him.

Hands-on?

Don't make trouble.

As someone said, let's see where we are first. Besides, Wang Li has repeatedly stated that he is here to ask questions on behalf of the Core Formation Elder.

In other words, there are Core Formation stage cultivators waiting behind the scenes for news to be sent back.

"I hope you will forgive me, junior brother. I was just too focused on carving this little thing..."

He's just playing the subservient role, and the man surnamed Lin says he's used to it.

"Alright, Senior Brother Lin, let's not waste any more time, lest my master really gets impatient. Humph, I don't have much time left."

Knowing when to stop and having gained the upper hand in terms of momentum, half of the goal has already been achieved.

"Whoosh..."

Upon seeing this, the old man let out a heavy sigh of relief, then promptly put on a smiling face: "Junior Brother Wang, may I ask what brings Uncle Li here?"

"Tsk tsk, Senior Brother Lin, if you can't let go of the past, it will be difficult for you to make any further progress; as for me, I just want to know, Senior Brother, are you truly sincere in joining my Yellow Maple Valley?"

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent for a moment, followed by an aura of killing intent.

"Sigh, it seems that Senior Brother Lin hasn't let go of the past and isn't truly committed to joining my Yellow Maple Valley!"

Wang Li shook his head, looking regretful.

"What do you mean, junior brother?"

There was a hint of fear in his voice.

It was clear from what I heard and what I could see that my previous words had frightened this person.

"Senior Brother Lin, do you really think my master and the others don't know your true identity? After taking you in for so many years, can't you see even a little bit of the goodwill that Huangfeng Valley has shown? Or do you look down on it?"

"This... Junior Brother is joking..."

The disheveled old man in front of me made almost no attempt to hide his astonishment.

"Senior Brother Lin, or rather, Young Master Lin of the Thousand Bamboo Sect in the far west, there's a limit to how much you can run away! I'm sure you're aware that your elders know your true identity. In that case, wouldn't it be better for everyone to genuinely accept each other?"

Did Li Huayuan also know his secret as the former young master of the Thousand Bamboo Sect?

That's true. Although he's only a newly promoted Core Formation cultivator of a few decades, he is still a Core Formation cultivator. Finding out his origins shouldn't be difficult.

Hey, I thought I'd kept it a secret. Aside from those few from back then, no one else in the valley should know my identity. But even this junior in front of me, a newly initiated Foundation Establishment cultivator who was only a Qi Refining disciple not long ago, knows.

Haha, so the clown was actually myself?

The old man gave a wry smile.

At this point, he calmed down.

"Junior brother, what are you saying? Of course I sincerely joined Huangfeng Valley! Otherwise, why would I stay here year after year forging equipment for those newly recruited Qi Refining disciples?"

"Alright, Senior Brother Lin, if you want to reclaim the Far West and regain the position of sect leader, it won't be as easy as you quietly sinking into oblivion! How can you possibly contend with the vast Thousand Bamboo Sect on your own? With your mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation and less than three levels of the Great Evolution Technique, how can you possibly compete with the Great Sect Leader Jin who usurped your rightful place?"

Wang Li's words were undoubtedly a blow to the heart:

“Those who truly aspire to great things must possess magnanimity and self-awareness! Senior brother, you just praised me for knowing how to make choices, so why can’t you see through this?”

They turned the tables on him.

"Giggle..."

Old Lin gritted his teeth in anger. Then, as if remembering something, his face fell, and he tossed aside the knife and wooden carving in his hand.

"Sigh, junior brother is right; in this respect, you are better than me!"

means something.

“Senior brother, obsession is a good thing. Having it gives you the motivation to move forward and climb higher! So, I don’t think it’s a mistake for you not to let go; on the contrary, I personally think that its existence is meaningful. It can be used as a spur, a warning, and a soul inheritance engraved in your bones!”

"Junior brother, you?!"

This unexpected turn of events caught the old man completely off guard.

"Senior brother, do you know what the most common evaluation of you I've heard from Master is?"

Before the old man could ask further, Wang Li answered his own question:

"It's because they don't know how to make choices and lack a broad perspective."

"Ha, I lack vision?"

"That's right, don't deny it, you really didn't. You're just trampling on your former noble status as the young master of the Thousand Bamboo Sect."

Following that, Wang Li calmly and gently recounted a series of messages that deeply stung the person in front of him.

"Senior Brother Lin, you possess a treasure trove, yet you stubbornly refuse to develop or utilize it. For instance, you have the unparalleled Daoist lineage, the Great Evolution Technique, and the Puppet Technique left behind by that great figure, the Great Evolution Divine Lord. You possess skills rarely seen in the Foundation Establishment stage, and your talent is quite good. Your starting point on the path of cultivation is inherently higher than that of the vast majority of cultivators..."

One cut, two cuts, three cuts...

it hurts.

"However, you abandoned all these advantages and chose a dead end with no hope at all."

Do you know about the Great Evolution Technique I cultivate? And do you know about the True Understanding of the Puppet in my hand?

If this was just a personal act, it's impossible for this person to know so much.

So, is it true that Li Huayuan is behind him, and that he was indeed sent on Li Huayuan's orders?

These literal pieces of information made the old man even more restrained:

"The path I chose was just a little rugged..."

"Senior brother, stop deceiving yourself! Tch, you want to painstakingly cultivate the Great Evolution Technique and the Puppet True Understanding, and then kill yourself back alone, is that it?"

"What? Is it not allowed?"

"childish."

The word "simple" made the old man look up in resentment.

"you!"

The way he wanted to lash out but couldn't is just like all the pitiful people at the bottom of the cultivation world.

"Hmph, what brilliant idea does Junior Brother have?"

This is probably their last act of defiance.

“I don’t have any great insights, but my master mentioned it when he was sighing, saying that you like to get stuck on details, clinging to that inheritance and not knowing how to make good use of it.”

Finally, Wang Li revealed his true intentions.

"Heh, do you think you alone can stand against the mighty Thousand Bamboo Sect?"

No.

"The territory under the jurisdiction of the Thousand Bamboo Sect is comparable to two Yue Kingdoms. Although due to the oath made ten thousand years ago, the special desert wind environment, the scarcity of resources, and other reasons, neither the righteous nor the demonic paths look down on it and are willing to spend a lot of effort to attack and occupy it."

"But after all, it is the vast territory of two medium-sized countries, and the foundation of the Thousand Bamboo Sect should not be underestimated. If you, Senior Brother, go alone, you will undoubtedly be sent to your death."

"Humph!"

Upon hearing this, the old man snorted coldly.

Because these qualities originally belonged to him. Because facts speak louder than words.

"Senior Brother Lin, you're thinking that those old subordinates might still be useful, right?"

Wang Li smiled.

The smile sent a chill down the old man's spine.

"Putting aside your current disheveled state, even if you were still the once peerless Young Master Lin, what comparison would you have with the Core Formation stage Grand Master Jin?"

"Furthermore, people change. Over the years, as long as your old subordinates haven't lost their minds, they've all chosen better opportunities. What that Jin Sect Leader could give you, you can't give now. So, what do you have to fight him with? Your meager skill that's not even at the third level of the Great Evolution Technique? Or the inheritance that doesn't even include the subsequent three levels of the technique?"