The Second Loop Starts Invincibly

A sharp screech pierced the rolling immortal firmament.

An Azure Phoenix streaked across the floating mountain, its long tail feathers whipping up gusts of gale-force wind that set the pines to roaring in a harmonious, echoing chorus.

At the edge of a cliff on the floating mountain, an old pine tree twisted its roots into the earth.

A youth in plain cloth clothes with handsome features lay nestled against the roots, a stalk of dog-tail grass in his mouth and his sword serving as a pillow. As he watched the Azure Phoenix pass overhead, he mused to himself:

If I suppress my cultivation to the lowest level and use this piece-of-trash iron sword to chop this fat bird into subatomic particles in one strike, perhaps I could gain a skill point for my swordsmanship...

At this thought, the youth backhanded himself across the face.

What are you daydreaming about? Your swordsmanship is already maxed out; there's no need to grind mobs anymore.

Lu Ya, twenty-one years old this year, was one of the many transmigrators from the 21st-century Earth.

He had arrived in this immortal realm less than an hour ago, remaining prone on the cliffside in a daze without taking a single step.

The reason he was certain this was an immortal realm was that in his previous life, he had been obsessed with a massive immortal-themed online game called Ancient Immortal Court.

The game featured an immortal realm composed of countless floating mountains, a seamless and infinite super-sized map, breathtaking floating landscapes, a rich variety of freely switchable classes, and all manner of demonic beasts and nether entities...

It was exactly the world he saw before him!

For five full years, Lu Ya had stayed up late cultivating, grinding, and spending money, even accidentally getting stuck on a certain slope for a month just to practice his swordplay... He had soloed hell-tier dungeons, insta-killed Nine-Star Nether Gods, bulldozed major immortal sects, thrashed Immortal Emperors and Immortal Monarchs, and eventually played through every single class. The moment he achieved the first "Max Level in All Classes" title since the launch of Ancient Immortal Court—

He transmigrated!

He arrived in a parallel yet real immortal realm, retaining the handsome appearance he had meticulously crafted in the game, his starting gear as a sword cultivator—a set of plain clothes with no attribute bonuses and a cheap iron sword—and, above all... the strength of a max-level player who could thrash the entire server!

I've transmigrated, and I'm invincible?

He had thought his real and exciting life was about to set sail, but Lu Ya quickly discovered a cruel fact: he had already reached the pinnacle of every class and could not advance a single step further.

Invincibility also meant boredom.

Sect tournaments, dungeon grinding, wars between immortal kingdoms... he had grown tired of all the joys the immortal realm had to offer.

He had no desire to explore, no goals for his life, and absolutely no motivation to work hard.

If he had encountered the giant Azure Phoenix in the game, he definitely would have rushed up to hack it to pieces immediately, trying to see if he could farm some sword skill points or experience.

But now?

Lying by the pine tree, breathing in the immortal breeze, and gazing at the floating scenery above, Lu Ya didn't want to move a muscle.

The gentle mountain wind ruffled his hem and hair, bringing with it the fragrant scent of pine nuts and the pleasant sound of rustling needles.

The ultimate meaning of hard work is to become a salted fish.

These five years of staying up late to grind the game, while happy and fulfilling, had been truly exhausting.

Since he was already at max level, there was no point in exerting himself; it was time to start his life as a salted fish.

Lu Ya made his decision on the spot and immediately began to plan.

Being a carefree rogue immortal would be stylish, but everything would require doing things himself, which was still too tiring.

According to the class settings of Ancient Immortal Court, there were three decent directions for a salted fish:

First, join a small immortal sect and become an elder who just mooches off the food.

Second, go to a major immortal city and find a wealthy immortal woman to keep him.

Third, obtain an official position in the Immortal Court and land a lazy, low-effort job.

Hmm...

Lu Ya imagined it briefly, and he felt as refreshed as if bathed in a spring breeze, savoring the three options.

Suddenly.

His stomach gave a loud growl!

Growl?

I'm at max level, and yet I'm growling?

Lu Ya was somewhat surprised. He was one hundred percent certain that in his max-level state, it was absolutely impossible for him to starve to death; even if the spiritual energy dried up and the immortal realm collapsed, he would not perish from hunger.

However, after a simple test, he discovered that he still felt cold and heat, experienced thirst and hunger, felt pain when biting his tongue, suffered numbness in his legs after sitting too long, and felt annoyed when bored—it was clear he had retained the five senses of a mortal.

Is this meant to make me experience mortality, to live an immortal life? But experiences have their ups and downs. Just like now, I can't die of hunger, but being hungry is miserable. This forces me to pursue the joy of good food...

Well, that's fine. The food in the real immortal realm must be better than the virtual textures in the game. If one only pursues being a salted fish, hibernation could solve the problem, but only a happy salted fish makes for a life worth living.

Let's find something to eat first.

He expanded his divine sense slightly, covering the entire floating mountain in an instant.

The floating mountain was small and uninhabited by immortals. In the woods, there were squirrels, sparrows, rabbits, pangolins, and various wild vegetables, mushrooms, and fruits; there were even man-shaped ginseng roots in the soil... Unfortunately, these ingredients hadn't entered the immortal grade. In the game, they were considered vulgar food that provided no spiritual energy recovery no matter how much one ate, and more importantly, their taste was far inferior to immortal-grade delicacies.

I need to eat something special!

Thinking this, Lu Ya suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He stood up and waved his hand.

"Come here, bird—"

In that split second, the giant Azure Phoenix, which had already flown to the next floating mountain, was suddenly seized by an irresistible and terrifying force, dragged backward through the air all the way back to the peak of the mountain he had just passed.

By the time he regained his senses, his neck was already tightly gripped by a massive hand.

Clutching the giant bird with his bare hands, Lu Ya sighed at its staggering size; it was over a zhang long, its feathers smooth and vibrant, a blue-tinted teal, while its round, plump belly resembled a green Xiuchiu.

While marveling at the rarity and beauty of the Azure Phoenix, Lu Ya knocked it unconscious, plucked its feathers, drained its blood, and gutted it...

His movements were incredibly practiced.

In the game Ancient Immortal Court, Lu Ya's cooking skill was the second one he had maxed out, right after his swordsmanship.

He was particularly adept at roasting; the immortal energy in his grilled food was even purer than what others produced through alchemy.

To him, there was no recovery or leveling issue that couldn't be solved by a barbecue. If there was...

Then two would do.

It was just a pity that his inventory hadn't traveled over with him. It contained his meticulously crafted god-tier grilling equipment and seasonings; he could have roasted even a divine dragon until it was crispy and crunchy.

A clever housewife cannot cook without rice.

Lacking his seasonings, Lu Ya made do with what he could find on the spot, scavenging the forest for herbs and spiritual fruits that could provide flavor, such as the salty Salt-Beard Grass, the spicy Wild Mountain Pepper, and the aromatic Cumin Fruit...

Lacking his equipment, Lu Ya dug a large pit by the cliff, skewered the Azure Phoenix with his iron sword, suspended it over the pit, gathered some firewood, and snapped his fingers to ignite a flame, beginning to roast the whole bird.

His style of doing things retained the precision and frugality of his in-game persona; unless absolutely forced, he would never waste a single drop of his health or mana bar.

Even so, after all that effort, compared to the one-percent fatigue setting in his gaming pod, doing it himself in the real Immortal Realm was still a little tiring.

I really have it hard.

It seemed he would need to find a wealthy immortal lady to support him, or perhaps get an apprentice or a maid to serve him so he could truly live the life of a slacker...

An incense stick of time later.

Under Lu Ya's precise fire control and the thorough infusion of over a hundred seasoning fruits, a meat aroma that pierced straight to the soul erupted like a volcano.

As the mountain breeze blew, the heaven-defying scent could be smelled for ten miles.

It smelled much better than the pixels in the game!

Just as Lu Ya was preparing to tuck in and have a feast—

Two miniature sword shadows suddenly wobbled down from the sky toward the cliff edge.

Lu Ya looked up.

They were twin girls, six or seven years old. Their features, build, and clothing were identical, as if copy-pasted, making them hard to distinguish.

Both were at the entry-level of Immortal Monarch cultivation, wearing their hair in double buns and dressed in teal robes with yellow diamond-shaped waist ties. Their pink, chubby faces were adorable, and their large, watery eyes were enough to stir anyone's pity!

Unfortunately, Lu Ya was not a fan of little girls; he found bratty kids most annoying, so he turned his back, pretending he hadn't seen them.

As soon as the two girls landed, they put away their spirit swords and stared straight at the giant bird, their clear, milky voices blurting out.

"Xiuchiu!"

"Xiuchiu... is that you?"

Xiuchiu?

Lu Ya frowned, suddenly struck by an ominous premonition. He replied coldly:

"No."

Ignoring Lu Ya, the two girls scrambled over on their chubby legs and threw themselves at the roasted Azure Phoenix. Not even fearing the heat of the meat, they burst into tears, snot and tears streaming down their faces in a display of utter, heart-wrenching grief.

"Xiuchiu, what happened to you, Xiuchiu?"

"Xiuchiu, you can't die!"

The bird he'd roasted on a whim turned out to be these children's pet?

Why was he so unlucky?

Lu Ya dreaded dealing with children because they were unreasonable, he couldn't hit them, and to make matters worse, he was at fault, putting him in a very passive position.

Sure enough.

After confirming the roasted bird was indeed "Xiuchiu," the two girls looked up at Lu Ya with tear-filled eyes and asked, sobbing:

"Big brother... did you kill Xiuchiu?"

Seeing the girls crying their hearts out, Lu Ya felt too embarrassed to lie to children, so he nodded and said:

"I did."

The crying stopped abruptly, and the two girls said in unison:

"As long as it was you, it has nothing to do with us."

What did they mean by "it has nothing to do with us"?

Lu Ya didn't quite grasp the logic.

He watched as the two girls exchanged a look and nodded in mutual understanding.

Then, licking their lips, they both began to gnaw on the roasted Azure Phoenix!

Their small mouths worked like tools, their tongues darting with professional speed.

They looked like gluttonous beasts, a truly shocking sight!

1. The opening of this book is similar to my banned old book; it is not plagiarism.

2. This book is purely set in another world; there will be no "public beta" or player-related content.

3. This book is lighthearted; those who prefer dark or aggressive themes should look elsewhere.