River-Facing Sect

Year 17 of Qianyuan.

Red Flame Kingdom, Blue Province, River-Facing Sect.

At the edge of the sect's cliffs, Shen Mo lay on the rocky ledge, gazing at the brilliant clouds of sunset burning across the horizon. A trace of bewilderment still lingered in his heart.

I really... transmigrated.

He sighed inwardly.

Ten days ago, he had been an ordinary wage slave on Earth, grinding through 996 workdays and spending his nights writing novels online as a side gig to help make ends meet.

His life had been dull and uneventful, but at least it was comfortable and worry-free.

Who could have guessed that, ten days ago, after staying up all night typing, his vision would suddenly go black?

When he opened his eyes again, he had arrived in this unfamiliar world.

"This world has demons and monsters, ghosts and spirits, as well as peerless immortals."

Shen Mo sifted through the memories in the original owner's mind and murmured to himself.

According to those memories, this world was just like the immortal-cultivation worlds in the webnovels of his previous life.

Its lands stretched for countless millions of miles, and its living beings numbered in the trillions, beyond counting.

Those who achieved longevity could live for a thousand years; those with great divine powers could move mountains and fill seas.

But none of that had anything to do with Shen Mo.

That was the stage for the finest among men, the favored sons of Destiny—the protagonists of stories and novels.

As an Outer Sect disciple assigned to watch over River-Facing Sect's mountain gate, Shen Mo was merely an utterly mediocre weakling in the cultivation world, no more than a backdrop for the geniuses.

His cultivation aptitude was nothing special. At twenty-seven or twenty-eight, his cultivation was still only at the fifth level of Body Tempering.

He had no idea when he might have a chance to break through into the Qi Gathering Realm.

Even among River-Facing Sect's Outer Sect disciples, such progress was nothing to boast about.

His parents had also been disciples of River-Facing Sect in their younger days.

Like Shen Mo, they had unremarkable aptitudes. After reaching the peak of Body Tempering, they had never found an opportunity to break through.

Twenty years ago, the original owner's father, Shen Yuanchang, had taken his mother, Liu Chunan, deep into the monster-beast territory of the Linjiang Mountain Range, hoping to find an opportunity to break through.

They had hoped to enter the Qi Gathering Realm and become Inner Sect disciples of River-Facing Sect.

But they had never returned, nor had anyone heard from them again.

Shen Mo had been only seven or eight years old when his parents died, and he had been left all alone in River-Facing Sect.

Fortunately, his parents had a close friend in the sect named Chen An.

After decades of experience, Uncle Chen had become an Outer Sect steward of River-Facing Sect, with a fair amount of authority.

He had taken good care of Shen Mo over the years.

It was only thanks to this connection that Shen Mo had gotten the job of guarding the sect's mountain. He received a monthly stipend from the sect, which he could use for cultivation.

But the path of cultivation was arduous, and the resources it required were endless.

Even with help, after twenty years of bitter cultivation, Shen Mo had made little progress.

"How truly pitiful."

Thinking of the hardships the original owner had endured over the years, he shook his head and sighed.

In his previous life, he hadn't exactly been a winner in life, but at least both his parents were alive, and his days had been full and happy.

The original owner's life, by comparison, had been truly miserable.

Just then, a succession of whooshing sounds drew closer from high above.

The sudden noise interrupted Shen Mo's thoughts. He looked up.

He saw figures in purple robes soaring across the sky, riding flying swords. They streaked through the sea of clouds like beams of light, returning through the air.

"Uncle Chen's back with his group."

Shen Mo recognized them at a glance.

Purple robes were the exclusive garb of River-Facing Sect's Inner Sect disciples.

At the head of the group flew a lean, middle-aged man with hair that had turned half white.

He was Chen An, the Chen Steward who had looked after Shen Mo so generously in the sect.

"Three days ago, Uncle Chen led the newly promoted Inner Sect disciples into the inner reaches of the Linjiang Mountain Range to hunt monster beasts. Now that they're back, they must have had a good haul."

Shen Mo watched closely. Seeing some disciples carrying monster-beast carcasses and looking full of spirit, he felt a pang of envy.

But soon, that envy was overtaken by unease.

"I remember Uncle Chen set out with a group of more than twenty. Only thirteen have returned."

Needless to say, the seven Inner Sect disciples who hadn't come back had probably perished in the jaws of monster beasts.

"The cultivation world really is dangerous."

Shen Mo's heart tightened. He smiled bitterly.

As a webnovel author in his previous life, Shen Mo had often dreamed of and yearned for the world of immortal cultivation.

But only after transmigrating had he felt its cruelty and hardship firsthand.

River-Facing Sect claimed to have a hundred thousand disciples and stood as the greatest immortal sect in all of Blue Province. Each year, people flocked there to seek instruction, as thick as fish crossing a river.

But most could only become unrecognized Outer Sect disciples, spending their entire lives going in circles at the Body Tempering Realm.

Of those who truly entered the Inner Sect, fewer than one in a hundred made it.

And even reaching the Inner Sect did not mean they could rest easy.

The path of cultivation was arduous, and the resources it demanded were immense.

Though River-Facing Sect provided its disciples with monthly stipends to support their cultivation, it never kept idle people on its books.

To reach a higher realm and gain greater power, they had to find every possible way to obtain Spirit Stones and cultivation resources.

Hunting monster beasts was the most common way for River-Facing Sect's Inner Sect disciples to do so.

Cultivators hunted monster beasts, took their cores and carcasses, and sold them for Spirit Stones to buy cultivation resources.

But monster beasts weren't walking bags of experience. They fought back.

Plenty of Qi Gathering Realm cultivators had managed to gain the means to advance by hunting monster beasts.

But many more had died in the monster-infested Linjiang Mountain Range.

Like Shen Mo's parents, they had gone away and never returned, leaving no trace behind.

"River-Facing Sect has stood for more than a thousand years. Over all those centuries, more than a million disciples have joined, but most died along the way. Only tens of thousands truly made it into the Inner Sect, and a mere few dozen cultivated to the Spirit Sea Realm and became elders of the sect. And that's not even counting the Origin Core Realm powerhouses who guard River-Facing Sect."

The divine powers of great cultivators, who could move mountains, fill seas, and travel in and out of the heavens, were certainly captivating.

But when one general achieved success, ten thousand bones withered. Every cultivator who reached such heights had clawed their way up through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"With my aptitude and talent, I'd better not expect to become some great powerhouse."

Shen Mo knew his own limits. "As a little fish at the bottom of the cultivation world, my chances of dying are too high. I'd be better off going to the mortal world and living as a wealthy man."

He had come up with this idea as soon as he transmigrated.

Over the past few days, as Shen Mo continued to absorb the original owner's memories and learned more about the hardships and cruelties of the cultivation world, he had only become more certain of it.

Rather than live in constant fear, with his head on the line, scrambling everywhere for cultivation resources and gambling on that slim chance of rising above others, he'd be better off lying low. At least then he could enjoy some peace and quiet, live out a hundred years in this other world, and not worry about someone killing him at any moment.

"Mo'er, have you made any progress in your cultivation lately?"

A booming voice reached him. The speaker was Chen An, the Outer Sect steward of River-Facing Sect who had just returned to the sect, and a close friend of his parents.

"No progress." Shen Mo bowed to Chen An and gave a bitter smile. "I've been stuck at the fifth level of Body Tempering for three years. I've been trying hard to break through these past few days, but I always feel my foundation isn't strong enough. I can't get past the bottleneck. I've let you down, Uncle Chen."

"Don't rush, don't rush." Chen An patted him on the shoulder. "The path of cultivation is arduous. It's no surprise to go several years without making progress. Just keep working hard, and one day, even water will wear through stone."

"Uncle Chen, the path of cultivation is too dangerous. With my mediocre aptitude, I'm afraid I'll never achieve much in this life."

Shen Mo carefully chose his words, then told him what he had been thinking. "I feel that rather than struggle bitterly in the sect, I'd be better off returning to the mortal world and living out the rest of my days as a carefree rich man."

"You want to leave?" Chen An was taken aback, then looked at him with disappointment. "Do you know that if you leave River-Facing Sect, you'll never have another chance at immortality?"

"So many mortals abandon their families and livelihoods to seek immortality, and here you are, ready to retreat at the slightest setback!"

As an elder, Chen An looked solemn as he said, "Back then, your parents went into the Linjiang Mountain Range to fight for a chance to break through, and they never came back."

"Before they left, they asked me to look after you if they didn't return."

"I've done my utmost to honor that promise over the years. I only hoped that one day you could break through into the Qi Gathering Realm, embark on the true path of immortality, and fulfill the wish your parents never got to see through."

"How can you be so willing to let yourself fall into ruin? To cut yourself off from the path of immortality!"

Chen An's face darkened as he gave Shen Mo a stern scolding.

Then he took a jade box from his robes and handed it to Shen Mo, speaking earnestly. "I had a bit of a haul on this trip. I happened to see someone selling Qi Gathering Pills at the market. Since they're quite beneficial for Body Tempering cultivators, I bought some to bring you."

"There are three Qi Gathering Pills in this box. Take one each month and cultivate with it. Don't slack off.

"Under normal circumstances, these three pills should be enough to raise your cultivation to the seventh level of Body Tempering."

"Remember, cultivate hard. Don't let your parents' legacy go to waste! I'll come back in three months to check on your progress."

With that, Chen An turned without waiting for a reply and left the mountain gate in a streak of light.

"Thank you, Uncle Chen."

After being thoroughly chewed out, Shen Mo could only take the jade box containing the Qi Gathering Pills with an awkward smile. Watching Chen An's retreating figure, he sighed inwardly.

Night covered the sky, and stars dotted the heavens.

Shen Mo sat cross-legged, holding a Qi Gathering Pill in both hands, his heart a jumble of emotions.

The Qi Gathering Pill was the best cultivation pill for Body Tempering cultivators. They said that a single pill was enough to help one break through.

It was expensive.

At the market, a single pill cost at least thirty low-grade Spirit Stones.

That was a sizable sum even for a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator.

The fact that Chen An had prepared three pills for him showed just how much he treated Shen Mo like his own nephew.

But even as Shen Mo felt touched, Uncle Chen's earnest hopes placed a mountain of pressure on him.

He really didn't think that someone with his aptitude, cultivation, and talent could carve out a path to survival in this utterly cruel cultivation world.

And yet Uncle Chen had poured his heart into helping him.

"Forget it. I'll cultivate for now. I can think about leaving River-Facing Sect later."

Suppressing the thoughts in his heart, Shen Mo swallowed a Qi Gathering Pill.

"Gulp!"

As the pill entered his body, its medicinal power gradually unfolded. A warm current spread through him, and his meridians began to ache faintly with swelling.

Shen Mo didn't dare slack off. He hurriedly circulated the basic cultivation method, the Heaven Origin Technique, gradually absorbing the surging medicinal power.

As he drew more and more of the pill's power into his body, Shen Mo shuddered. It seemed that something suddenly burst open in his mind.

[Destiny!]

Two gilded characters gradually appeared before his eyes.

"Destiny? What's that?"

Shen Mo froze. Before he could react, the two gilded characters disappeared again, transforming into a panel that recorded all kinds of fates.

[Master of Fate: Shen Mo]

[Fate Disk: Four white, one gray; the remaining two aspects are not yet clear.]

Special Destiny: [Robust (White): Your physique is quite good. Your strength and Root Bone are sturdier and more resistant to blows than those of ordinary people.]

"What... is this?"

Shen Mo stared at the attributes that had appeared before him, dumbfounded.

"System?"

He tentatively called out, but no one answered.

So he had no choice but to explore on his own, turning over the information before him and trying to figure out what this thing did.