Immortal Destiny Bestowed

Lin Tianlu wasn't entirely calm right now.

So Taiyi Mountain had disappeared because he'd absorbed it?!

This...

Was stuffing a mountain that size into his body going to cause kidney stones?

The corner of his mouth twitched as he tried to touch the mountain with his mind.

Unexpectedly, there was no sense of rejection. It felt ethereal and insubstantial, as if the mountain was merely a phantom residing within him.

But upon closer inspection, Lin Tianlu noticed spiritual energy faintly rising from the mountain peak, gradually merging into his internal spiritual energy circulation.

Although the amount was small, it undoubtedly brought him some benefit.

After confirming this repeatedly, Lin Tianlu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the very least, the Taiyi Mountain within him wouldn't cause him any negative effects in its current state.

He hadn't expected Hua Shuya's muttered words about 'immortal methods' back then to actually come true. He had indeed taken this Taiyi Mountain in a daze.

Lin Tianlu felt a bit ashamed.

But--

He quickly tilted his head back and let out a long sigh, a slightly excited smile appearing on his face.

This transmigration and rebirth, though he'd experienced near-death on the very first day, the feeling of being frozen and starved to death had been truly agonizing.

But from the brink of death came new life. Now, this Immortal Destiny he held in his hands had completely transformed him, turning him into the 'immortal' that the scholar had yearned for in life.

A blessing in disguise, fate was truly wondrous.

"To have this opportunity... I must live this life earnestly."

The excitement and joy in Lin Tianlu's heart gradually subsided.

Perhaps it was due to the spiritual energy within him, or perhaps the influence of his leisurely life. His state of mind had been peaceful and detached ever since he descended the mountain.

As he opened his eyes and stood up, he walked to the table and gently brushed over the few items he had unearthed from Taiyi Mountain.

"Since there were immortals in the mountain, these items must truly be belongings of gods and immortals."

They hadn't shown any anomalies when he used them normally. Perhaps it was because he hadn't used the spiritual energy within him?

Lin Tianlu pondered for a moment and soon tried to mobilize his spiritual energy.

However, to his great frustration...

Although the spiritual energy within him was as vast as the sea, he could only mobilize it intermittently. With all his might, he could only gather a faint glimmer of light at his fingertips.

"I'm still not skilled enough. I have abundant resources, but I've never encountered any methods of cultivation or spirit refining. Controlling it is truly... troublesome."

Perhaps he needed to find some cultivation manuals later, ones that could help him formally embark on the path of cultivation more quickly.

In his current state, he was probably just an amateur, barely scraping by?

He could barely manage to deal with the occasional mountain ghost, which was a stretch.

Lin Tianlu sighed inwardly, simultaneously gathering spiritual power at his fingertips and touching the broken sword on the table.

This world seemed to have demons and monsters roaming about. Perhaps he wouldn't encounter the female ghost he'd met in the forest again for decades, but having more means of self-defense was never a bad thing.

He had to try and see if he could activate these items with his own spiritual energy--

The broken sword suddenly trembled.

Lin Tianlu's face lit up with joy.

It reacted!

Even though this broken sword was of poor quality, it was still a relic from an immortal sect. It could indeed--

The broken sword fell to the ground.

Lin Tianlu's expression froze.

Disbelieving, he crouched down and poked it again with his finger.

The broken sword floated in the air near his finger, wobbling precariously.

Then, with a snap, it fell back down.

"..."

What, is my finger a magnet?

Lin Tianlu was speechless.

He simply picked up the broken sword and poked the stone floor beneath his feet twice.

Clink, clink. Two white marks were left.

Well, at least it proved the sword was actually made of metal, not a toy model.

"I shouldn't have held any hope for a broken sword," Lin Tianlu sighed inwardly, setting the broken sword aside. He then picked up the jade flute on the table.

Immortal musical instruments must also rely on Spiritual Energy to function.

With this thought, Lin Tianlu took a deep breath, channeled Spiritual Energy into his lungs and mouth, and slowly blew into the opening of the flute.

"Pli pli pluru-rurururu--"

He expressionlessly put down the flute.

It sounded even worse, and it even smelled a bit.

The Immortal who made this flute must have had a serious lack of musical talent.

No, there must have been something wrong with their head.

In the end, all that remained were this string of broken jade pendants and this black and white Go set.

Lin Tianlu tried to infuse Spiritual Power into these pieces and the board, but there was no reaction.

It seemed that this Go board was truly just a mundane item for an Immortal's leisure and entertainment, only preserved from destruction because the storage box was sturdy.

However, this string of broken jade pendants—

Tinkle!

The moment Spiritual Power was infused, the dim, broken jade pendants suddenly lit up with fragmented, colorful light.

Lin Tianlu's eyes widened in surprise:

"Finally, a usable Immortal artifact?"

He joyfully examined it closely.

But after waiting for a long time...

The broken jade pendants showed no other signs of activity.

Lin Tianlu, refusing to believe it, patted the jade pendants, shook them from side to side, flicked them twice towards the wall as if imitating something, and even made a few hand seals.

A moment later, he drooped his head in dejection.

There were no special effects at all.

He had absorbed the gray mist generated when that rogue ghost was destroyed, thinking he might gain some peculiar ability.

Turns out, it was just a Spiritual Energy-powered flashlight...

Although he desperately wanted to conjure some cool, mysterious divine weapons, ancient artifacts, looking at the items on the table... he hesitated for a moment and ultimately refrained from complaining further.

To have obtained Immortal Destiny was already a blessing beyond three lifetimes. To demand more would be unseemly. As for these objects, keeping them close would serve as a memento.

"I'll find a craftsman in the county later and see if they can repair them completely."

Lin Tianlu walked to the window, gazing at the moon shrouded in dark clouds, his eyes somewhat distant.

Unknowingly, he had gradually grown accustomed to the tranquil life in this world. Perhaps a few regrets and lingering attachments remained in his heart, but they ultimately melted into a light chuckle, accepted with equanimity.

"It's just a shame that it would be nice if someone could sit down and play a game of Go with me right now."

Lin Tianlu shook his head and chuckled, feeling a slight itch to play.

No...

Since he was staying in Changling County, why not take some time to learn Go?

It would be better than playing Gomoku every day, which lacked any real sophistication.

"However, apart from these leisurely pursuits, the most important thing is the cultivation method." Lin Tianlu extended his palm before him, gazing at the wisps of Spiritual Energy light floating in his palm.

"To have a body full of Spiritual Energy but not know how to use it is a terrible waste. If I can truly achieve Immortal cultivation in this world and witness the beauty of heaven and earth, it will have been worth the transmigration and rebirth."

He needed to make time to interact with people more and see if there were any traces of Immortals left in the world.

Perhaps, by chance, he might even encounter other fellow cultivators?

"It's just that with my meager cultivation, if other cultivators were to see me, they would likely laugh." He stroked his chin and muttered, "Or perhaps I should just honestly be a scholar for a while and cultivate my cultural refinement first?"

His exchanges with Hua Shuya had already depleted most of his remaining classical vocabulary.

If they chatted any longer, he feared he might start spouting common vernacular. He certainly didn't want to unconsciously blurt out something like 'Holy crap!' during a conversation; it would be too jarring.

Knock, knock!

But at this moment, a faint knocking sound could be heard from the main gate of the courtyard.

Lin Tianlu froze for a moment, wondering who would be visiting so late at night.

"Coming, coming!"

He quickly walked through the corridor, entered the courtyard, and slowly pulled open the main gate.