Shrinking the Earth to Inches, Riding a Tiger Up the Mountain

The immortal breeze was intoxicating, the sunset glow slightly tipsy.

Lu Ya sat cross-legged atop his iron sword.

In every direction, above and below, as far as the eye could see, were floating mountains of all shapes and sizes.

Among them were primarily the verdant peaks of immortal sects, but there were also continental floating mountains covered in spiritual flora, golden and resplendent immortal cities, primordial floating mountains where fierce beasts roared, and river-and-sea floating mountains where Kunpeng leaped.

The smallest were private grotto-heavens a dozen yards wide, while the largest were vast continents stretching for a thousand miles.

Immortal clouds, spiritual energy, thin mist, beast cries, bell tolls, and ritual music filled the space between heaven and earth.

It was magnificent and ethereal, unlike the mortal realm.

Lu Ya felt as if he had returned to the days when he first played the game and learned to fly on a sword; back then, he could spend an entire night foolishly just flying around.

Real sword flight was even more thrilling!

However, the sword-flying skills of the two Tiger Immortal, Muyu Feifei, were hardly worth mentioning. Whenever they encountered a gust of wind or an immortal crane flew past, they would wobble and sway incessantly.

Lu Ya suspected their instability wasn't due to poor technique... but rather a fear of heights.

After all, tigers were the kings of the land and not naturally inclined to flight, so it was understandable.

After flying for half a day, Lu Ya realized the three of them had been circling within a two-hundred-mile radius. Looking at the two girls' terrified expressions as they peered around, it was clear they were directionally challenged.

They say tigers are blockheads, and it seems your brains really are just axes.

Lu Ya was speechless, and his stomach growled again, leaving him no choice but to ask:

"Where exactly is the Bamboo Spring Sect? If we can't find it, I really might eat a child!"

Muyu looked flustered.

"Maybe we ate too much and got a bit dizzy, losing our sense of direction. Don't worry, once we digest, we'll be clear-headed again."

Feifei, on the other hand, acted as if she were a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, patting her round, furry tiger belly as she said:

"We came out riding Xiuchiu; only Xiuchiu remembers the way back."

"..."

These two damned, stupid tigers!

Lu Ya tried his best to calm his temper.

"Then tell me, does the Bamboo Spring Sect have any landmark buildings?"

The two girls scrambled to answer.

"Our floating mountain is all flat land except for the Little Bamboo Spring Mountain in the middle, and over a hundred households of immortal commoners live there!"

"As for Little Bamboo Spring Mountain, you can tell by the name—there are bamboo forests, spring water, and a hot spring at the peak."

"Look for it, it's not far, three hundred miles at most."

Lu Ya opened his eyes wide, and a sharp divine sense instantly expanded to a radius of a thousand miles.

He carefully scanned every floating mountain, attempting to find an immortal mountain with flat land, a solitary peak, bamboo, and springs.

And he actually found one!

Eight hundred miles away, a circular floating mountain about twenty miles in diameter featured a solitary peak roughly three hundred feet high in the center. Whether there was a bamboo forest was unclear, but there was indeed a hot spring.

Lu Ya narrowed his eyes, and the earth shrank beneath his feet.

The mountains and rivers of the world passed by like smoke in his eyes.

In an instant, the three of them appeared at the foot of the Bamboo Spring Sect.

There was no spell-casting process, no acceleration or deceleration, and no wind brushing their faces; it was as smooth as a teleportation, so much so that the two girls didn't even realize Lu Ya had used a technique.

Looking at the lush bamboo covering the mountain and listening to the gurgling of the streams, the two realized what had happened.

"I told you I was dizzy from eating too much! Look, the sect is right here!"

"So we haven't gone far at all today, haha!"

"..."

He looked around.

The floating mountain was not large, with only about ten miles of flat land and a river running through it. It could be considered fertile, yet it was only sparsely populated by over a hundred households of immortal commoners, with a population barely exceeding a thousand—truly a dismal sight.

The Little Bamboo Spring Mountain in the center was about three hundred feet high and rich in spiritual energy. Amidst the clear, swirling mist, there were lush bamboo forests, gurgling springs, and high mountains with flowing water, possessing quite the immortal atmosphere.

However, after a sweep of Lu Ya's divine sense, the highest cultivation level among the immortals on the mountain was merely that of an Immortal Master.

According to the level settings of the game Ancient Immortal Court—

Levels 1-9: Immortal Commoner (Level 10: Half-step Immortal Monarch)

Levels 11-19: Immortal Monarch (Level 20: Half-step Immortal Master)

Levels 21-29: Immortal Master (Level 30: Half-step Immortal Sect)

Levels 31-39: Immortal Sect (Level 40: Half-step Immortal Venerable)

Level 41-49, Immortal Venerable (Level 50, Half-step Immortal Saint)

Level 51-59, Immortal Saint (Level 60, Half-step Immortal Emperor)

Level 61-69, Immortal Emperor (Level 70, Half-step Immortal Monarch)

Level 71-79, Immortal Monarch (...)

Each title has a subdivision from one to nine stars; for example, Level 25 is equivalent to a Five-Star Immortal Master.

In other words, an Immortal Master is only one rank higher than an entry-level Immortal Lord, equivalent to Foundation Establishment in cultivation novels.

The wealthy fairy on this mountain has cultivated for three thousand years and is still only an Immortal Master; this talent cannot be called poor, but it is far too mediocre.

Could it be that she wants to find a suitable immortal partner to improve her cultivation through dual cultivation?

What exactly was the rumor the two girls were about to say but held back?

Lu Ya felt a bit curious.

Thinking this, he did not fly his sword directly up the mountain, but instead landed in a small immortal village at the foot of the mountain.

He spread his divine sense to look around.

The village was not small, but there were few people—about a hundred, mostly women, with only a few old men and little boys; there were basically no young, able-bodied men.

By the standards of immortal commoners, they lived on the edge of the poverty line, possessed basically no cultivation talent, had no hope of becoming immortals, and belonged to the lowest class of immortal commoners.

The spiritual energy here was rich, the immortal soil fertile, and the small stream in front of the village flowed murmuringly, with immortal grain swaying like waves; it was a good, livable place.

But why was the population so sparse?

Where did the men of the village go?

At this moment, several women returning from the village entrance after harvesting spiritual grain, carrying bundles of grain on their backs, happened to run into Lu Ya and the others.

Seeing Lu Ya, these women widened their eyes, staring at him as if they had never seen a man before.

While looking, they began to chat without any inhibition.

"Look quickly, did Lord Tiger Immortal really trick a man into coming back..."

"Eh, did Xiuchiu not come back?"

"Xiuchiu must have flown thousands of miles away to find an outsider man; how could she return so quickly?"

"Then where did this man come from?"

"Look at how handsome he is; could he be a woman in disguise?"

Lu Ya choked on a mouthful of blood.

These immortal commoners were truly as bold as they were in the game, showing no respect for immortals at all...

In the setting of Ancient Immortal Court, although immortal commoners did not have high cultivation talent, they lived in the Immortal Realm, had long lifespans, possessed a bold folk culture, and their personal and property safety were protected by the Immortal Court, so they did not fear immortals at all.

The immortal commoner NPCs in the game were even more amusing, with very unrestrained personality settings; although they could not cultivate, they would point fingers at the immortals and criticize the world, just like netizens with a keyboard, their language very sharp.

In his past life, there were even mischievous players who specialized in making silly videos of in-depth interactions with immortal commoner NPCs, which were incredibly hilarious and were Lu Ya's favorite things to watch while eating instant noodles during his late-night gaming sessions.

At this time, a sturdy-looking woman shouted at Muyu Feifei:

"Lord Tiger Immortal, you must tell people the truth; you cannot deceive them."

"At the very least, you need an Immortal Sect to be able to control the Sect Master."

"Look at his delicate appearance; he is still just a child..."

Lu Ya became increasingly curious.

Muyu Feifei, however, was furious; her round tiger ears suddenly popped up, and she bared her large mouth at the women, letting out a roar that shook the mountain forest—

Awoo~

The women were frightened and quickly walked away, glancing back as they went and giggling secretly:

"Lord Tiger Immortal is angry."

"Lord Tiger Immortal is so cute."

"I really want to hug one and take it home to raise!"

"Sigh, what a pity; I'm afraid the Bamboo Spring Sect won't be able to hold on for much longer..."

Turning back, Muyu Feifei pouted her little round face, glared with her big eyes, and questioned Lu Ya:

"Why didn't you fly your sword directly to the top of the mountain?"

Lu Ya held back his laughter, stood with his hands behind his back, and said sternly:

"This is my first time entering the sect; how can I go straight to the top? One must walk through the main gate, you know?"

"Then why didn't you walk faster?"

"How can I walk fast when I'm hungry?"

"Get on."

With an awoo, Muyu transformed into a massive tiger form, standing imposingly before Lu Ya.

Feifei had a flash of inspiration; she leaped onto the tiger's head, grabbing its two round, fuzzy ears and tugging them back and forth.

Riding a tiger up the mountain?

Hmm...

Lu Ya climbed onto the tiger's back without hesitation.

With a crisp slap of his backhand, he struck the tiger's rump.

"Giddy up!"

Muyu let out a cry of indignation, stomping her feet and bolting forward in a frenzy, trying her best to buck Lu Ya off.

Lu Ya remained unmoved, as steady as a rock.

Looking at this plump tiger body, it appeared somewhat clumsy, yet it zipped through the mountain terrain, weaving and dodging through the verdant bamboo forest, clearing over a zhang in a single leap.

Strength and agility were both perfect; it was truly worthy of being the King of the Mountain.

Lu Ya looked at Bamboo Spring Mountain once more.

The lush bamboo forest blotted out the sky, interspersed with lone pines and strange rocks. Immortal flowers and wild fruits grew in abundance, blue bees and red butterflies danced, birds chirped incessantly, and the sound of several streams trickling by created a scene of perfect harmony.

Further up.

There were rows of bamboo huts where outer disciples once lived. The huts were covered in vines, and the doorsteps were thick with moss, as if they hadn't been inhabited for a long time.

This place was rich in spiritual energy and beautiful in scenery, easily capable of accommodating hundreds of people for cultivation; why was it so desolate?

Lu Ya felt a flicker of curiosity and unfurled his divine sense—

There were only two people on the entire mountain!

An immortal sect with only four people in total?

And two of them were Tiger Immortal?

This was too bizarre.

What on earth were those rumors about?

The desire for exploration buried deep in Lu Ya's heart was stirred once again.

Until he came face-to-face with a beautiful woman standing before the mountain gate.