Would Your Grandpa Not Know Whether Immortals Existed in This World?

A mountain is not famous for its height, but for the immortals who dwell there.

Water is not valued for its depth, but for the dragon that dwells within.

Qiyun Mountain

Neither towering nor majestic,

However, it is called a sacred mountain by the locals.

Legend has it that there are immortals living on this mountain, though they have never seen them.

The reason for this is,

All of this is because Qiyun Mountain is extremely mystical.

The mountain peaks are shrouded in clouds and mist year-round.

Moreover, the forest is deep and the trees are dense, with vines intertwined.

As if under Immortal Method cast by Immortals, no matter which way they went, they could only wander around in circles in the dense forest, unable to truly reach the summit.

Over time,

Thus, the legend of Immortals on Qiyun Mountain came into being.

Of course, these are all just the fantasies and rumors of ignorant rural folks.

There are no immortals on Qiyun Mountain.

There was only one reclusive Recluse Master.

The Heavenly Secret Elder

Real name unknown, real age unknown, real identity unknown.

Because he lived too long.

He probably hasn't even forgotten how old he is.

On the mountaintop,

In the clouds and mist,

Several simple thatched huts came into view.

Beside the stone table outside the house, under the green pine tree, sat an old man with white hair and beard, exuding an air of otherworldly wisdom.

The old man is playing chess.

His opponent was himself.

The chess game on the stone table seemed to have reached a stalemate. The old man's hand holding the chess pieces had clearly paused for a long time, and his eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.

People outside say he is a god.

But only he knew that he was not an immortal.

He was still just an ordinary person, only slightly stronger than the average person.

He wielded a sword at the age of three.

He started practicing swordsmanship at the age of five.

He had mastered Swordsmanship by the age of ten.

He mastered Swordsmanship at the age of twenty.

At twenty-five, he was virtually unmatched in the world.

At thirty, I am invincible.

At the age of thirty-five, he reached the pinnacle of Martial Dao, breaking through the limits of martial arts.

His martial arts skills had reached the pinnacle that ordinary people could achieve.

He was lonely, he was desolate, he was confused, he was obsessed.

Then, as if waking from a dream.

At fifty, he abandoned his family and career, severed all ties with loved ones, made the world his home, and sought a new path.

At sixty, he had an epiphany while gazing at the sea of clouds, breaking through the limits of Martial Dao and touching a barrier that mortals had never reached.

At seventy, as his body began to falter and his hair turned white, he finally realized that even the most skilled Martial Dao artist could not escape the mundane constraints of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and understood that no matter how strong a mortal body was, it could not withstand the erosion of time.

At eighty, he quietly lives in the mountains and forests, resting in a thatched hut, accompanied by a chessboard and surrounded by clouds and sea, no longer harboring any desire to conquer nature.

From then on,

Once, I wielded a single sword to challenge the heavens, vowing to seize eternal life from the clouds.

He swept aside all rivals and became invincible; he stood alone amidst countless valleys and became a sage.

With sharp edges concealed and blades discarded, I bid farewell to the dusty world; with graying temples, I observe the clouds and comprehend the ways of the world.

Let go of the vain desire to compete and win, and sit peacefully among the pines to enjoy my remaining years.

The old man seemed to have come up with a brilliant move.

His cloudy, dim eyes suddenly brightened, and then he slowly held the black piece between his fingers and placed it heavily on the ground, sealing the game with a single move.

He nodded slightly.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

It was as if the entire destiny of the world was contained within this one child.

The old man got up.

Standing atop the mountain,

Witness the changing times, watch the clouds rise and fall.

His expression was completely calm.

It was as if the heart, having weathered countless battles, had long since returned to peace.

But deep in the eyes,

Yet, it seemed as if a lingering, indelible resentment still clung to it.

"Grandpa, dinner's ready."

Suddenly, a melodious sound came from behind, like the first song of a nightingale, or like shattered pearls falling on jade, clear and captivating.

The hint of resentment in the old man's eyes vanished instantly.

All that remained was a face full of kindness and affection.

A girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old came out of the thatched hut.

He was also holding several sets of bowls and chopsticks.

The girl wore her hair in pigtails; her appearance was merely pretty, not stunningly beautiful.

Her eyes were clear and bright, with a captivating spirit hidden between her brows.

Her every move is bright and lively, charming and natural, making people feel good at first glance.

"Grandpa, could you please put the chess pieces away? You never tidy up after a game."

The girl feigned anger, but a faint smile played on her lips.

"Okay, okay."

The old man seemed most susceptible to this tactic from the young girl, and could only nod and smile apologetically.

Then,

With a flick of his sleeve,

Suddenly, the black and white chess pieces scattered across the chessboard were swept away by an invisible force and fell into the chess jar.

Faced with this extraordinary power, the girl...

As if it were commonplace, there was no surprise on his face.

An old man and a young man sat down separately.

Around the stone table,

They ate simple meals.

"Grandpa, everyone down the mountain is saying that Senior Sister is going to be the empress."

The girl gently bit her chopsticks and suddenly said this.

The old man paused for a moment upon hearing this, then looked at the girl meaningfully.

"You secretly went down the mountain again?"

The girl first turned her head away and stuck out her tongue, then pouted Qi Ingestion.

"Everything at home, from firewood and rice to oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea, needs to be bought from outside. If I don't come down the mountain, Grandpa, you'll be starving."

"Hahaha..."

The old man laughed heartily; he didn't mean to scold her, he was simply enjoying the pleasure of bickering with the Xiao Ya.

"Grandpa, is that Eldest Princess really your disciple? Why have I never seen her before?"

The girl pressed on, her eyes filled with adoration.

A woman as emperor?

That's absolutely amazing.

Moreover, the other party was her senior sister.

That would be even more impressive.

Upon hearing the girl's question, the old man simply laughed heartily.

You weren't even born then.

"Can I go to the Capital to see my senior sister?"

The girl opened her bright, sparkling eyes and looked at her grandfather expectantly.

"What, you're tired of Grandpa? Don't you want to stay on the mountain with Grandpa anymore?"

The old man put down his chopsticks and looked at the girl with a complicated expression.

Even if his granddaughter hadn't mentioned it today, he would have let her go down the mountain and leave.

Fifteen years old, a flower-like age,

What kind of life is it to spend your days with a wretched old man on the mountain, enduring wind and dew?

The reason we didn't let her go down the mountain before was because she was too young and her skills weren't yet proficient; it would be dangerous for her to go down the mountain.

But now, she has come of age, possesses considerable martial arts skills, and is capable of roaming the Jianghu.

The world is so big,

She needs to go and take a good look.

But to everyone's surprise, after hearing her grandfather's words, the girl quickly put down her chopsticks and waved her hand.

"No, no, how could I possibly despise Grandpa? How could I possibly leave Grandpa? If I left, wouldn't you starve to death on the mountain all by yourself?"

A hint of tenderness and reluctance flashed in the old man's eyes.

That's enough.

Let my granddaughter stay with me a little longer.

"By the way, Grandpa, do you think there really are Immortals in this world?"

Seeing that her grandfather didn't continue with the previous question, the girl immediately changed the subject and asked another question.

"Immortal?"

The old man's dim, cloudy eyes flickered slightly, but quickly disappeared again.

There are no Immortals in this world.

Human strength has its limits, and human will cannot always overcome the forces of nature.

Even if you are exceptionally talented and possess unparalleled martial arts skills, you cannot escape birth, aging, sickness, and death, or the cycle of Heavenly Dao.

Since humans cannot become immortals,

How could there possibly be Immortals?

"But people down the mountain are saying that Immortal has descended to earth in the Capital, and that my senior sister was able to become emperor because she has the support of Immortal."

The girl whispered shyly.

Because she also heard that,

The immortal who descended to Immortal was extremely handsome, a hundred times more handsome than any man in the world.

"Stop listening to the ignorant gossip of those fools down the mountain. Do you think your grandpa doesn't know whether there are Immortals in this world?"

The old man tapped the girl on the head with his chopsticks.

The girl covered her head with both hands, looking pained and aggrieved.

"Grandpa, you'll become stupid."

The old man was amused and stroked his beard with a smile, but just as he was about to say something, his face suddenly turned pale.

He suddenly stood up from the stone bench, looked up, and...

The sea of clouds overhead looked like a pot of boiling water.

Crazy rolling,

A surging, reversed tide.

It's as if there is a supreme god in the sky.

With a massive, overwhelming hand

Tearing open the sea of clouds,

It has arrived.