The River-Facing Sect

The seventeenth year of Qianyuan.

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

On a cliffside of the sect, Shen Mo lay on the precipice, gazing at the magnificent, sunset-scorched clouds painting the horizon, his heart still lingering in a state of bewilderment.

I really... crossed over.

He sighed inwardly.

Ten days ago, he was still an ordinary corporate drone on Earth, grinding through 996 overtime by day and writing web novels at night to supplement his household income.

Though life was plain and dull, it was at least comfortable and carefree.

Who could have expected that while pulling an all-nighter to write, his vision suddenly went black.

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

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

Shen Mo muttered as he sorted through the memories left in his predecessor's mind.

According to those memories, this world was exactly like the xianxia novels of his past life.

The territory was vast, spanning more than billions of miles, with countless trillions of living beings.

The long-lived could extend their lifespans by a thousand years, and those with great divine abilities could move mountains and drain seas.

But all of this had nothing to do with Shen Mo.

Those were the dragons and phoenixes among men, the heaven-chosen prodigies—the protagonists on the stage of the storybooks.

As an outer disciple responsible for guarding the mountain gates of the River-Facing Sect, Shen Mo was merely a mediocre existence in the world of cultivation, as weak as a chicken, serving only as background scenery for the geniuses.

His talent for cultivation was nothing to boast about; at twenty-seven or twenty-eight years of age, his cultivation level was still stuck at the fifth stage of Body Tempering.

He had no idea when or in what year he would have the chance to break through to the Qi Gathering Realm.

This pace of cultivation, even among the outer disciples of the River-Facing Sect, was entirely unremarkable.

His parents had also been disciples of the River-Facing Sect in their early years.

Like Shen Mo, their aptitude was mediocre, and after cultivating to the peak of the Body Tempering Realm, they could never find the opportunity to break through.

Twenty years ago, his predecessor's father, Shen Yuanchang, took his mother, Liu Chunan, and resolved to venture into the territory of demon beasts deep within River-Facing Mountain, seeking a chance to break through their limits.

They hoped to successfully reach the Qi Gathering Realm and be promoted to inner disciples of the River-Facing Sect.

But after that departure, there was never any news again.

When his parents passed away, Shen Mo was only seven or eight years old, left without a soul to rely on within the River-Facing Sect.

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

After decades of tempering, this Uncle Chen had become an outer sect deacon of the River-Facing Sect, wielding considerable authority.

Over the years, he had taken good care of Shen Mo.

It was precisely because of this connection that Shen Mo was able to obtain the job of guarding the mountain gate, allowing him to receive a monthly sect stipend to use for his cultivation.

Yet, the path of cultivation is arduous, and the resources required are endless.

Even with the help, after twenty years of bitter training, Shen Mo still had not made much progress.

"Truly pitiful."

Thinking of his predecessor's bitter experiences over the years, he could not help but shake his head and sigh.

Although he wasn't exactly a winner in life in his previous world, at least his parents were alive, and his life was fulfilling and happy.

But the life story of this predecessor was truly miserable.

Just as he was thinking, the sound of air being torn apart reached him from the distance, one after another.

The abrupt noise interrupted Shen Mo's thoughts, and he looked up.

He saw figures in purple robes above the firmament, stepping on flying swords, turning into streaks of flowing light that pierced through the sea of clouds as they returned through the sky.

"Uncle Chen is leading the team back."

Shen Mo recognized their identities at a glance.

The purple robes were the exclusive attire of the River-Facing Sect's inner disciples.

And the thin, middle-aged man with half-white hair leading the front was none other than Deacon Chen An, the one who had looked after him so well in the sect.

"Three days ago, Uncle Chen led the newly promoted inner disciples deep into the inner reaches of River-Facing Mountain to hunt demon beasts. Returning now, they must have had quite a harvest."

Shen Mo observed carefully, seeing some disciples carrying the corpses of demon beasts, looking spirited and proud, and couldn't help but feel a secret envy.

But soon, that envy was once again occupied by panic.

"I remember when they set out, Uncle Chen led a team of over twenty people; now, only thirteen have returned."

Needless to say, the remaining seven inner disciples who did not return had likely perished in the jaws of the demon beasts.

"The world of cultivation is indeed perilous."

Shen Mo's heart chilled slightly as he offered a wry smile.

As a web novel author in his previous life, Shen Mo had harbored many fantasies and longings for the world of Xianxia.

But only after truly transmigrating did he feel the cruelty and hardship of this cultivation world.

The River-Facing Sect boasted a hundred thousand disciples and stood as the premier cultivation sect in the Blue Province, with those coming to seek apprenticeship each year as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river.

Yet, the vast majority could only become peripheral disciples unrecognized by the sect, spending their entire lives trapped within the Body Tempering stage.

Those who truly ascended to the inner sect were fewer than one in a hundred.

Even those who managed to enter the inner sect were far from being able to rest easy.

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

Although the River-Facing Sect provided a monthly stipend to assist with cultivation, it never supported idlers.

To ascend to higher realms and gain greater power, one had to exhaust every possible means to obtain spirit stones and cultivation supplies.

Hunting spirit beasts was the most common method for inner sect disciples of the River-Facing Sect.

Cultivators hunted these beasts, harvesting their spirit cores and selling their carcasses in exchange for spirit stones to purchase cultivation necessities.

However, spirit beasts were not moving bundles of experience points; they naturally fought back.

While many Qi Gathering stage cultivators had successfully relied on hunting spirit beasts to gain the capital needed to raise their cultivation, far more had died within the spirit-beast-infested Linjiang Mountain Range.

Just like Shen Mo's parents, they left and never returned, leaving behind no word.

"The River-Facing Sect has been established for over a thousand years. Throughout these centuries, the total number of disciples who have joined has exceeded a million, yet most died midway. Only tens of thousands ever truly reached the inner sect, and those who could cultivate to the Spirit Sea realm and become sect elders numbered merely a few dozen, let alone the Core Formation stage experts who serve as the sect's pillars."

Although the supernatural powers of great cultivators—moving mountains, filling seas, and traversing the heavens—were fascinating, the path to success was paved with the bones of the fallen. Every cultivator who wished to reach such a level had to crawl their way up from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

With my aptitude and talent, I had best not bank on becoming a great power, Shen Mo thought with self-awareness. As a bottom-feeding minnow in the cultivation world, the mortality rate is too high. It would be better to return to the mortal world and live as a wealthy man.

The moment he transmigrated, this thought had taken root in Shen Mo's mind.

Over the past few days, as he continuously digested the original owner's memories and understood the hardships of the cultivation world, this idea had only become more firmly set.

Rather than living in constant fear, with his head tied to his belt, scrambling for resources and fighting for that slim chance to become one of the elite, it would be better to lie flat. At least he could live a peaceful life, enjoy a century of lifespan in this strange world, and not worry about being killed at any moment.

"Mo'er, has your cultivation improved lately?"

A resonant, spirited voice arrived. The man speaking to him was Chen An, an outer sect deacon of the River-Facing Sect who had just returned to the sect and was a close friend of his parents.

"No progress to speak of." Shen Mo bowed to Chen An and smiled bitterly. "My cultivation has been stuck at the fifth level of the Body Tempering stage for three years. I've tried hard to break through these past few days, but I still feel my foundation is insufficient. I've disappointed you, Uncle Chen."

"No rush, no rush." Upon hearing this, Chen An patted his shoulder and said, "The path of cultivation is difficult; it is not strange to have no results for a few years. You need only be diligent and work hard; there will come a day when the constant dripping of water will pierce the stone."

"Uncle Chen, this path of cultivation is far too dangerous. With my mediocre aptitude, I fear I will never achieve much in this life."

Shen Mo carefully weighed his words in his heart before voicing his thoughts. "I was thinking, rather than struggling bitterly within the sect, it would be better to return to the mortal world, become a carefree, wealthy man, and spend the rest of my days in peace."

"You want to leave?" Chen An was slightly stunned, then immediately looked at him with a sense of 'iron not becoming steel.' "Do you know that if you leave the River-Facing Sect, you will have no more affinity with the immortal path in this life?"

"So many mortals cast aside their families and businesses just to seek immortality, yet you—at the first sign of a setback, you want to retreat!"

As his elder, Chen An said with a solemn expression, "Back then, your parents ventured into the Linjiang Mountain Range to fight for a glimmer of a chance to break through, and they never returned."

"Before they left, they instructed me that if they didn't come back, I must help look after you."

"For the sake of this promise, I have been conscientious and diligent all these years, hoping only that one day you would break through to the Qi Gathering stage, step onto the true path of immortality, and realize the unfinished wish of your father and mother."

"How can you be so self-deprecating! Cutting off your own path to immortality!"

Chen An's face turned livid as he reprimanded him.

Afterward, he took a jade box from his robes, handed it to Shen Mo, and said earnestly, "I had some small gains on this trip. I ran into someone selling Qi Gathering Pills at the market and thought this pill would be of great benefit to Body Tempering cultivation, so I bought it to bring to you."

"There are three Qi Gathering Pills in this box. Take one each month to aid your cultivation; do not be slack."

"Following a normal pace, these three pills are enough to raise your cultivation to the seventh level of the Body Tempering stage."

"Remember, cultivate diligently and do not fail the dying wishes of your parents! I will come back in three months to check your progress."

Having said his piece, Chen An did not wait for a reply; he turned and transformed into a stream of light, departing from the mountain gate.

"Many thanks, Uncle Chen."

Having been doused with a bucket of cold water in the form of a lecture, Shen Mo could only sheepishly accept the jade box containing the pills. Watching Chen An's retreating back, he sighed in his heart.

The night sky blanketed the world, dotted with stars.

Shen Mo sat cross-legged, holding the Qi Gathering Pill in his hands, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

The Qi Gathering Pill was the best medicinal pill for Body Tempering cultivation; it was said that a single pill could allow a Body Tempering cultivator to break through.

The price was exorbitant.

If purchased at the market, a single pill would cost at least thirty low-grade spirit stones.

For a cultivator at the Qi Gathering stage, this sum of money was by no means insignificant.

Chen An had prepared three of them for him, which truly showed that he regarded Shen Mo as his own nephew.

Yet, while Shen Mo felt moved, he also felt a crushing pressure from Uncle Chen's earnest expectations.

He truly did not believe that someone with his aptitude, cultivation, and talent could carve out a bloody path in the incomparably cruel world of immortality.

And yet, Uncle Chen had poured so much painstaking effort into him.

Forget it, I'll cultivate first. I can think about leaving the River-Facing Sect later.

Forcing down the distracting thoughts in his mind, Shen Mo swallowed a Qi Gathering Pill.

Gulp!

As the medicinal pill entered his body and its power gradually dissolved, a warm current continuously spread, causing Shen Mo's meridians to feel a faint, throbbing pain.

Shen Mo dared not slacken; he hurriedly circulated the basic cultivation technique, the Heaven Origin Technique, to gradually absorb this surging, restless medicinal power.

As the medicinal power was steadily drawn into his body, Shen Mo's entire frame trembled, and something seemed to explode suddenly within his mind.

[Destiny!]

Two gold-leaf characters gradually imprinted themselves upon his vision.

"Destiny? What is this thing?"

Shen Mo was slightly startled, but before he could react, these two gold-leaf characters dissipated once more, transforming into a panel recording various fates.

[Fate Master: Shen Mo]

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

Special Destiny: [Robust (White): Your physique is decent; your strength and bone structure are more robust and resistant to a beating than the average person.]

"What... is this?"

Shen Mo gazed at the panel attributes appearing before him, feeling somewhat stunned.

"System?"

He called out tentatively, but no one answered.

Thus, he had no choice but to explore on his own, ruminating on the information appearing before him to figure out exactly what functions this thing possessed.