Father and Son Enter the Cultivation World

"I feel like these past two years have been a dream."

Li Ping'an's father, Li Dazhi, stood before the bronze mirror, appraising the brand-new, crimson robe with wide sleeves and a short collar he was wearing.

Seeing the slight wrinkles on his ruddy, slightly plump face, Li Dazhi sighed softly.

He was getting old.

Li Dazhi wasn't particularly tall, and he was a bit overweight, his beer belly particularly noticeable. He had let his hair grow for two and a half years, which gave him a more scholarly air.

Li Dazhi chuckled inwardly, 'Even though I'm not good-looking, my son is a handsome young man famous throughout the villages!'

A guard, dressed in a short shirt and long pants, hurried over, bowed his head, and said, "Master, the streets are abuzz. Several Immortals have arrived in the city and are at the Ascension Platform!"

"They're here so soon..."

Li Dazhi felt a pang of loss and sighed, "Where is Ping'an?"

"Young Master is already in line, waiting."

Li Dazhi nodded gently, flicked his sleeve, and put his hands behind his back, adopting the posture of a master.

"Is the carriage ready?"

"It's ready."

Li Dazhi waved his hand, looking at the bronze mirror, a hint of reluctance in his eyes.

This grand city, spanning ten miles of mist and smoke, was called Wan'an City. It was located in a corner of the central Eastern Continent and was within the mortal influence of the Myriad Cloud Sect, a major sect of human Cultivation.

Wan'an City held an Immortal Sect selection every ten years, attracting children from hundreds of miles around who wished to pursue Cultivation.

The Ascension Platform, the Path to Immortality.

His son, Li Ping'an, had already paved the way and arranged everything. He was about to leave the mortal world with these Immortals.

Li Dazhi knew this well. Ever since he and his son had transmigrated, Li Ping'an had dreamed of Cultivation. How could he stop his son from pursuing his dream?

"Sigh."

Li Dazhi sighed and turned to stroll towards the front courtyard, admiring the enterprise he and his son had built.

A short while later, Li Dazhi emerged from the grand gate and boarded the carriage. Guards accompanied him, and two domestic beasts, about the size of horses and resembling goats, pulled the carriage slowly forward.

Li Dazhi gazed at the road ahead, his thoughts beginning to drift.

Facing the separation from his son, Master Li couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

It had been two and a half years since he and his son had transmigrated.

Li Dazhi remembered it clearly.

It was the evening of the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month. He and his only son, Li Ping'an, were returning to their hometown for the Lunar New Year. They had a small argument on the highway.

Arguing was normal, after all; different generations had different ideas.

Having worked in an enterprise in the township for many years, Li Dazhi found himself appreciating the mindset of his son's generation more than being dissatisfied with it.

But there was no help for it. Ping'an's mother had died early, so Li Dazhi had to personally handle the pressure of urging marriage, children, and blind dates.

At a highway rest stop, he and his son fell into a cold war because Li Dazhi had secretly arranged a blind date for Li Ping'an in their hometown. Neither was willing to back down, and they ended up eating two bowls of noodles in stony silence.

As they walked back to their SUV, Li Dazhi's sharp eyes spotted a truck losing control and unable to brake, heading straight for a little girl in front of them.

Li Dazhi, a retired veteran, didn't think twice. On impulse, he rushed forward, successfully pushing the girl away, and found himself directly in the path of the truck.

Just as Li Dazhi's mind went blank, he suddenly felt someone pulling him. He turned his head and saw his son's young face illuminated by the headlights.

Li Dazhi was frantic, but the next moment brought intense pain, and his consciousness plunged into darkness.

When he woke up again, he was on his son's back, and the father and son were slowly making their way through a wilderness...

Thinking about what happened next, Li Dazhi was filled with emotion.

He was indeed getting old; his thinking couldn't keep up.

The language system of this world was somewhat similar to a dialect from a remote region of their Huaxia homeland, so learning it wasn't difficult.

Li Ping'an carried him on his back to find a village, where Li Dazhi recuperated for over a month.

Having worked the land in his youth, Li Dazhi made a few farming tools and quickly gained renown and respect from the locals.

By chance, the father and son saw several 'Immortals' flying away on clouds from a mountain.

Only then did they realize they were in a world rich in spiritual energy, where one could cultivate.

As Li Dazhi saw it, he and his son should be practical, first establishing a firm foothold in this world, accumulating some wealth, and then exchanging worldly riches for the path of Cultivation.

But Li Ping'an clearly had his own ideas.

After confirming that his father Li Dazhi's injuries were no longer a concern, Li Ping'an asked a few young men he had befriended in the village to look after his father. Then, he shouldered his bow and arrows, took a machete, and ventured into the vast mountains.

Li Dazhi worried about his son's safety but couldn't sway his son's stubbornness, so he could only let him go.

After Li Ping'an entered the mountains, Li Dazhi, with his nearly healed body, began his new entrepreneurial journey in this other world ahead of schedule.

With his successful entrepreneurial experience back in Huaxia, Li Dazhi's initial progress was smooth.

Relying on the profits from promoting farm tools, he took some money into the nearest town and engaged in trading goods and services. Within half a year, Li Dazhi was thriving, owning seven or eight stalls and shops.

During this time, Li Ping'an would send a letter every month to let his father know he was safe, and Li Dazhi gradually became less worried about his son.

Once wealth accumulates, it inevitably attracts the attention of villains.

A group of local bullies and thugs set their sights on Li Dazhi's business, smashing his shops, severely injuring his employees, and even threatening to burn down all his establishments.

Li Dazhi was not one to shy away from trouble.

He secretly crafted a crossbow and lay in wait at night to ambush them. He severely wounded several of the gang leaders, then employed a strategy of pitting two tigers against each other, causing the town's two rival gangs to fight amongst themselves. He fanned the flames and fished in troubled waters.

Finally, Li Dazhi gritted his teeth and spent most of his accumulated wealth to bribe the local government officials and constables, clearing out the thugs and gangsters. He then absorbed over a dozen young enforcers, expanding his commercial ventures.

The townspeople rejoiced.

A few months later, Li Dazhi became the wealthiest man in town and purchased a large mansion with three courtyards.

This cultivation world still had remnants of slavery. Li Dazhi specifically arranged to buy seven or eight young female slaves who were attractive and slender.

This was not for his own enjoyment, of course.

He was too old to have such desires anymore, and he didn't want to betray the memory of his wife, who had passed away from illness a few years prior.

But his son, Li Ping'an, was still a young man.

Li Dazhi had already planned that once Li Ping'an returned from his failed attempts at seeking immortality, he would let his son live a life of luxury, find him some beautiful women, and continue the Li family line.

It was at this very moment that Li Ping'an, who had been away for nearly ten months and had sent ten letters, appeared before Li Dazhi, dusty and travel-worn. He pulled Li Dazhi onto a strangely shaped beast-drawn carriage and headed straight for Wan'an City, over a hundred miles from town.

It was a hazy, drizzly afternoon.

Li Dazhi watched as Li Ping'an forcefully pushed open two large gates. Inside, he saw two neat rows of maids, female slaves, and elderly female servants, followed by dozens of burly guards.

This group of men and women shouted in unison:

"Greetings, Master!"

"This...?"

Li Dazhi couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"Dad."

Li Ping'an, dressed in an elegant blue robe, smiled and approached:

"From today onwards, all of this is yours. Your son is honoring you."

"No!"

Li Dazhi grabbed Li Ping'an, glanced at the onlookers, and quickly asked in their hometown dialect:

"Did you commit a crime! How did you get all this?"

"Your perspective is too narrow."

Li Ping'an's handsome face was full of smug satisfaction.

"Dad, your perspective is too narrow... We'll talk more when we're alone."

Li Dazhi looked confused and dazed as he became the master of this grand mansion.

Late at night, the father and son chatted in a secret room in the backyard, and Li Ping'an finally explained his path to prosperity.

Li Ping'an chuckled and said:

"I remembered that in our hometown, during the Two Jin, Sui, and Tang Dynasties, many scholars would first gain a reputation for cultivating the Dao to achieve official positions, which was known as the Zhongnan Path.

"I inquired with the local officials in town. Dad, you set up stalls, resold goods, and worked tirelessly to earn your money. Later, you even got into fights, beat up bullies, and recruited thugs.

"Why didn't you just open a fish stall?"

"When I went up the mountain to seek immortality, I found a cultivator stationed in a mortal region, sent by an Immortal Sect. I casually quoted lines from the 'Dao De Jing,' 'Baopuzi,' and 'Huangdi Neijing.' These cultivators treated me with a different kind of respect.

"I shared drinks with them, talked about life and ideals, and managed to get a few bottles of low-grade elixirs that could extend mortal lifespan and cure illnesses."

Li Dazhi frowned, "Couldn't you have kept the longevity elixirs for yourself? Why sell them? Wouldn't selling them be an insult to that Daoist Priest?"

"How could I sell them?"

Li Ping'an smiled.

"I took these elixirs and went to the mortal world to find officials. I deliberately let out a hint of the elixir's fragrance, and the local officials would come sniffing around.

"The government here is called an Immortal Dynasty, and it's remotely controlled by external cultivation powers.

"Now, I've become close friends with the two deputy city lords of Wan'an City. I gave them a few bottles of elixirs as gifts, and in return, they invited me to several gatherings of high officials and nobles. I took the opportunity to gain some wealth and influence.

"After I got rich, I quickly gathered some rare and exquisite items from the mortal world and sent them to the Daoist priests on the mountain to maintain our relationship. My relationship with Daoist Priest Chen has also grown stronger. Look..."

Li Ping'an took out two more bottles of elixirs.

"Dad, take these. The blue pill will extend your life, and the green pill will restore your virility!"

Li Ping'an said with a serious expression:

"Aren't you always urging me to get married and have children? I'm going to be cultivating in the future. If you like children, why don't you have a few more yourself? I have no objections to you remarrying and having a second child!"

"Pah! You little brat!"

Li Dazhi had forgotten whether it was out of shyness or embarrassment that he chased his son, already in his mid-twenties, around the house with a shoe sole.

Li Dazhi naturally understood that his son had arranged all of this so he could live out his retirement peacefully.

He was genuinely proud that his son was more capable than he was.

But the thought that his son was about to go cultivate, and that they might not see each other for decades, perhaps even being alone at his own deathbed, filled him with a sense of helplessness...

Alone in a foreign land, a stranger I roam, On festive days, I miss my distant home.

Sigh!

What difference does it make whether one travels through worlds or not? In the end, everyone is just an old, lonely person left behind.

"Master, the road ahead is blocked."

Li Dazhi collected his thoughts and looked up. Ahead, the crowd was immense. He could see children, pulled along by their parents, rushing towards the Ascension Platform in the center of the city.

Near the Ascension Platform, Li Dazhi immediately spotted a familiar figure.

Among the rows of children, the only standing young man in fine clothing stood out from the crowd; he could faintly hear many people around him pointing and making mocking remarks about the only adult present.

That was Li Ping'an.

Li Dazhi's face immediately broke into a smile.

What he was most proud of, actually, was his son's good looks, which were on par with his own when he was young.

Still a bit nervous.

Li Ping'an looked at the high platform ahead, a soft "tsk" escaping his lips.

He disliked the feeling of putting his fate into the hands of others.

But under the current circumstances, this was his only path to becoming an immortal, and he had to seize this opportunity.

There were always busybodies who would put on airs and deliberately say things to mock people's dreams:

"Young Master Li! You're this old and haven't had your constitution tested yet? Don't tell me you're shamelessly dreaming and trying to sneak in again?"

"Didn't people say it? Cultivation must start before the age of twelve. Back then, there was still a bit of innate energy. Once you grow up, that innate energy dissipates."

A burly man in a short tunic shouted with a laugh, "Brother! Do you still have your innocence? Cultivation starts with boys and girls. We don't mess around here!"

Laughter erupted from the surroundings.

Li Ping'an stood calmly, as if he heard nothing, or heard but saw nothing.

He had asked Daoist Priest Chen to examine him, and it was confirmed that he had a chance to cultivate, though his aptitude was not outstanding. Moreover, because he started late, his innate gate was closed, and he had lost his virgin yang energy several years ago, his future achievements would not be too high.

An opportunity was enough.

As long as he could step onto the threshold of the immortal path, he would work twice as hard in the future and strive to have no regrets in this endeavor.

The verbal attacks from the crowd were nothing compared to the 'Zu'an Grand Stage' he used to frequent in his previous life.

Just as Li Ping'an was thinking this, he heard a shout from behind him:

"Yo! Shopkeeper Li, why are you here joining the fun too!"

Following that was Li Ping'an's most familiar booming voice:

"Everyone, please don't mind! My son and I originally lived by hunting in the mountains and rivers. We didn't understand the path to immortality and lacked knowledge, thus missing the opportunity for cultivation. It is truly a regret in my life!"

Li Ping'an turned his head and a smile touched his lips.

He heard his father continue to laugh heartily:

"Today, it's not just my son who's participating in the test; I'm going to try too!

"Who says you can't seek an immortal fate when you're old?

"Everyone here! After the event ends, whoever is willing, come to my Drunken Immortal Tower. Each person will receive a pot of the finest bamboo tea, plus two taels of good wine and two plates of meat dishes!"

"Great!"

A burst of cheers rose from the men and women around them.

Father Li Dazhi, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, walked up to Li Ping'an with a smile, raising his short, thick eyebrows at him.

Li Ping'an muttered, "Dad, I can do it myself. Why did you come out?"

His father squinted, patting his belly, and said in a low voice, "I signed up too."

Li Ping'an laughed, "You want to cultivate too? That's great, we might even have a chance to be fellow disciples."

His father sighed, "What am I cultivating for? I'm half dead already.

"This way, you won't be the oldest one here anymore.

"Your dad has a thick skin and isn't afraid of losing face... Look ahead, keep smiling, and leave a good impression on the immortals on the platform. Perhaps your future master will be among them."

Li Ping'an sighed inwardly, asked his father to stand in front of him, then raised his head and chest, letting his state of mind return to tranquility.

Flowing clouds pass my ears, why should I heed vulgar sounds.

Clang!

On the high platform ahead, a young acolyte struck a bronze gong and shouted in a clear, childish voice:

"Those who have heard the call may ascend the platform.

"If you lack immortal destiny or methods, do not linger.

"Once on the platform, no further words are needed. Reach forward and touch the Heaven-Questioning Stone; your fortune and aptitude will be made clear."

Clang!

A second gong sounded.

The acolyte called out a name. The child from Wan'an City, standing at the very front of the line, lowered his head and walked forward.