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

However, lacking spiritual roots is the limit.

To be honest, there are ways in this world to allow mortals to develop spiritual roots, but those methods all exist in higher realms, and the necessary ingredients for these medicines are not available in the mortal world.

Unless he can reach the Nascent Soul stage within fifty or sixty years, and then find the divided soul of Yuan Sha, the progenitor of the Demon Realm, or the divided soul of Tianlan Sacred Beast of the Spirit Realm, which are sealed in this world, and make a deal with these two to obtain the method and the necessary items.

But clearly, this is unrealistic; time simply doesn't allow it.

If he had started with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, there might still be a sliver of hope.

Left with no other choice, Wang Li simply left a letter, falsely claiming that he had offended the Ye family, a powerful cultivation clan in Qin Ye Ridge, and stating that while the Ye family might not necessarily target mortals, it was better to be safe than sorry. He used this to advise his father to be prudent, keep a low profile, plan carefully before acting, and cultivate the good habit of concealing his strength.

Whether you listen or not is one thing, whether you speak or not is another.

"Father, Second Mother, these elixirs can prolong your lives and keep you healthy. Consider them a small token of my appreciation..."

Two bottles of each of the nearly ten types of elixirs, along with their instructions, were kept and sealed with talismans to ensure their efficacy would not dissipate for decades. If the talismans were damaged, they would need to be used as soon as possible.

It can be used to nourish the body or to enhance one's skills.

It can also be used to help young children cleanse their bodies and strengthen their foundation.

With this foundation, as long as the cultivation world doesn't affect the mortal world, and the Wang family members behave themselves and don't actively provoke cultivators, they shouldn't encounter any major problems within three or four generations.

After all, if used properly, these pills could cultivate at least five top martial arts masters.

Therefore, even if a master is born in each generation, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Wang family will prosper in the secular world for a hundred years.

However, if his descendants bring disaster upon themselves or fail to live up to expectations, leading to a decline after reaching the peak of prosperity, then that is not Wang Li's concern. He is not anyone's nanny.

"Father, Second Mother, the journey is long and arduous, and I do not know when we will meet again. Please forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye."

The path to immortality is fraught with peril.

One wrong move could implicate one's family, and the extermination of the clan could happen in an instant. When Han Laomo returned to Tiannan from the Chaotic Star Sea to fulfill his promise to Xin Ruyin, he wiped out the entire Fu family and slaughtered all Fu family cultivators who had embarked on the path of immortality.

All I can say is that the old devil is merciful.

If it were someone else with a volatile, ruthless, and violent temperament, they wouldn't even spare mortals. The Wang Lin family in the "Against the Gods" storyline is a living example.

"Take care, I'm leaving now."

The moment he stepped out of his house again, he had an inexplicable feeling that this farewell might be forever.

"son?"

That night, the couple woke up inexplicably, and upon confirming that the little one in the cradle beside their bed was sleeping soundly, they couldn't help but shake their heads and smile; but when the two elders saw what was on the table...

"Master, is that Li'er?"

The woman inquired, but the birth of her own son did not diminish her feelings for Wang Li.

Upon hearing this, the father simply nodded gently, his hands trembling as he pursed his lips.

He knew that his son had come back to see him.

He also knew that from then on, immortals and mortals were separated.

Because the mortal world and the cultivation world have always been two parallel lines that never intersect, it is unlikely that they will meet again in the future.

He knew all too well that this secret tonight had to remain buried in his heart.

Every husband is not guilty, and he is guilty of his crime.

The Wang family is already content with holding onto their meager assets. If the news were to leak out, these pills, which have remarkable effects on cultivators, would surely bring about the extermination of the Wang family.

"Let's forget about tonight."

……

Guanggui City, in the southern part of Lanzhou, Yue Kingdom.

This is a fourth-tier city with a population of several hundred thousand. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and borders a lake on the other side, with a pleasant environment. It is also quite famous for several rare specialties.

There is a story from the past: "A rider gallops through the dust, bringing smiles to the imperial concubine's face; no one knows it's lychees that have arrived." This city also has a similar legend.

After all, Guanggui City and Yue Capital, the center of Yue Kingdom, are tens of thousands of miles apart. Yet, a certain emperor once proposed to Lanzhou Prefecture that fresh local specialties from Guanggui be brought to the capital every summer. Without cultivators to do this, with the limited transportation methods of mortals, the goods would not arrive in Yue Capital for at least a month.

Wang Li's participation in this Tai Nan Valley Small Gathering was not only to prepare for entering Huang Feng Valley, but also to gather intelligence and observe the purpose of the Tianwu Terrace Ascension Conference held by the Seven Sects every ten years.

The seven sects of Yue Kingdom are the Hidden Moon Sect, Spirit Beast Mountain, Yellow Maple Valley, Pure Void Sect, Blade Transformation Valley, Heavenly Palace Fortress, and Giant Sword Sect.

They are all top-tier cultivation sects with Nascent Soul stage cultivators in charge.

Among them, the Hidden Moon Sect is the strongest.

As a branch that split off from the Hehuan Sect, a major sect of demonic cultivation, it boasts the most profound foundation among the seven sects, and it is said that there is more than one Nascent Soul stage expert among them.

Coupled with the advantages gained in the Crimson Forbidden Land in his early years, the leader of the Seven Factions truly deserves the title.

Secondly, there's Spirit Beast Mountain.

As a branch of the Demonic Spirit Control Sect, second only to the Hidden Moon Sect, it also has more than one Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

However, Spirit Beast Mountain is different from the Hidden Moon Sect: the Hidden Moon Sect wanted to forge its own path and genuinely clashed with the Joyful Union Sect. Spirit Beast Mountain, on the other hand, was a spies that the Spirit Control Sect deliberately planted in the cultivation world of Yue Kingdom. For this, they even staged a real battle to gain the trust of the cultivation world of Yue Kingdom, and it took hundreds of years of evolution for them to truly establish themselves.

The subsequent invasion by the demonic forces in the original story was also due to the Spirit Beast Mountain stabbing them in the back, leading to a complete collapse.

The other five sects are roughly equal in strength, at least in terms of Nascent Soul stage cultivators, as each sect only has one Nascent Soul stage expert as its greatest asset. Often, it takes two of them combined to contend with the Spirit Beast Sect, and three of them together to even challenge the Hidden Moon Sect.

The seven factions organized this Ascension Ceremony with the intention of killing multiple birds with one stone.

Firstly, it mediates the conflicts between sects and independent cultivators.

Since most of the cultivation resources in Yue Kingdom were monopolized by the seven major sects, it would be strange if the independent cultivators didn't complain. The Ascension Conference was a good way to silence the gossip and make the major sects look a little more respectable.

Secondly, select promising talents.

The winners selected through arena battles are often the most formidable cultivators, possessing exceptional talent and strength. Bringing these individuals into a sect makes those major sects the biggest winners, of course.

Thirdly, we should not let the good things go to outsiders.

Resources are limited, and the preciousness of Foundation Establishment Pills is obvious; this method can undoubtedly effectively prevent Foundation Establishment Pills from flowing out.

A perfectly legitimate scheme.

But both sides fall for this.

After all, few independent cultivators could refuse the opportunity to join a major sect for protection and receive a Foundation Establishment Pill—a windfall from heaven.

In other words, an ascension ceremony is equivalent to killing three birds with one stone.

But here is Wang Li.

He wanted to see if he could "take a shortcut" to save the Ascension Token.

Using the Ascension Token has a side effect: it may displace someone in the sect who was originally allocated a Foundation Establishment Pill, thus causing trouble.

After all, the annual quota for Foundation Establishment Pills is very limited. If he takes one, the sect's previously agreed-upon distribution method will have to be changed accordingly, and it's inevitable that some unlucky guy will come knocking on his door to cause trouble.

Okay, none of these are problems.

The main point is that he plans to leave this benefit to someone else in order to win that person over and make them his loyal follower.

If done properly, you can even get one free with a buy-one-get-one-free offer.

Huh? Who is worthy of Wang Li's generosity?

Old Devil Han?

Do not!

It was Qi Yunxiao who helped Han Laomo escape several calamities!

It's Xin Ruyin, the formation genius behind Qi Yunxiao!

These two individuals were definitely commendable in the early stages of the story; and even within the broader narrative of the mortal world, they played irreplaceable and crucial roles.

Qi Yunxiao is a member of the Qi family outside the main branch of the Yuanwu Kingdom. His ancestors were weapon-refining elders of the Divine Weapon Sect. Because he received personal instruction from the Qi family patriarch from a young age, he is quite skilled in weapon refining.

This man was an honest man, and it was this honesty that cost him and his loyal servant their lives.

In the original storyline, he searched everywhere for miraculous medicines to cure Xin Ruyin's illness and met Han Laomo.

It was thanks to this guy as a bridge that Old Demon Han obtained the array inheritance of the array genius Xin Ruyin, repaired the ancient teleportation array, and began the journey of the rise of the Chaotic Star Sea.

If Wang Li wants to obtain enough resources to form his core, nascent soul, and even deity as soon as possible, repairing the ancient teleportation array to travel to the Chaotic Star Sea is a necessary step. Only there can he hunt a large number of sea monsters to fill his pockets and convert them into a large number of pills that can improve his cultivation.

Furthermore, if one wants to survive the great war between the Seven Factions and the Demonic Path, the ancient teleportation array is an extremely safe backup plan, much more reliable than directly fleeing to another country.

In addition, he had a vague idea about the ancient teleportation array at the spirit stone mine guarded by the Blood Jade Spider.

In this way, Xin Ruyin is now impossible to bypass.

If he can indirectly gain this woman's approval through Qi Yunxiao, he will avoid a lot of detours on his path to the Nascent Soul stage.

The Ascension Order was merely a pawn in a scheme to win over Qi Yunxiao.

To get to the bottom of things, you need to meet the person in person, get a close look at their situation, and then you can address the problem effectively and achieve twice the result with half the effort.

pity.

Wang Li had high hopes, but cruel reality did not grant his wish.

Chapter 7 Ascension Ceremony

There was no other reason than he thought the Ascension Ceremony was not as simple as he imagined.

Not far from here, at the Heavenly Mist Terrace, the Ascension Ceremony began, with thousands of cultivators filing in to begin an essential step: the spiritual root test.

"Fellow cultivators, this round of the tournament is hosted by our Giant Sword Sect. Before the Ascension Tournament begins, we will conduct a spiritual root test for all participants. Those who pass the test will gain entry into our seven major sects..."

The speaker was a burly man on the high platform; he was the Foundation Establishment stage manager of the Giant Sword Sect.

The seven people sitting behind him were the Core Formation stage elders from the seven major sects who were stationed here.

I heard there are quite a few promising seedlings with dual spiritual roots and special physiques this time!

So, here they come!

In previous years, it would have been just a few Foundation Establishment stage cultivators coming to make an appearance.

"Later, there will be a ring competition. The winner will receive rewards from various factions and will also have the qualification to join the defending faction."

Although there are only seventy spots officially at each Ascension Ceremony (ten for each faction), if a promising candidate with excellent spiritual roots or a special cultivation physique meets the age requirement, they can be given special treatment even if their cultivation level is insufficient.

But such people are destined to be few and far between.