Wonderful Dharma Blessed Fate

A rustling commotion reached Xu Yan's ears. He abruptly opened his eyes.

Before him, a middle-aged man with a face full of jowls rested his elbows on the table, rattling off a long string of words. Spit nearly flew into Xu Yan's face!

"Brother Xu, I've cultivated at Evergreen Temple for over ten years. My cultivation has reached Qi Exhalation Perfection, and I'm only one step away from Pulse Opening. If I come away empty-handed from the Dragon Ridge Immortal Treasury this time, I fear my path to the Great Dao will be hopeless for the rest of my life. Tell my fortune. How's my Fortune Edict this time? Am I fated to succeed? Speak freely. Don't hold back!"

In an instant, countless unfamiliar images and memories surged into Xu Yan's mind, making his head throb as if it would split.

"Brother Yan... hold on a moment!"

Cold sweat poured down Xu Yan's forehead. It took him a good while to sort through the memories in his head.

Xu Yan was twenty years old. He came from Green Ox Town, Sishui City, in the Yuanwu Kingdom of Cang Province.

His family had farmed for generations. His parents had died young, and he'd grown up relying on the support of his uncles and other villagers.

When he was sixteen, a wandering Daoist passed through Green Ox Town. He said Xu Yan had good Root Bone and aptitude, left him three books—the Taicang Breathing Technique, the Twelve Spell Divine Powers, and Plum Blossom Qimen—and pointed him east, saying that perhaps he could catch a glimpse of the Great Dao of Longevity there.

And so he had embarked on the path of cultivation.

Xu Yan had no grand ambitions. He simply didn't want to farm his whole life, or die in obscurity in a small town like his parents.

Cultivation, even if he only learned a fraction of it, had opened an entirely new world to him.

The Daoist had told Xu Yan that to set foot on the Immortal's Great Dao, one first had to exhale and absorb Mystic Qi, then open the meridians, condense a Dao Embryo, evolve a Spirit Sea, and open an Immortal Aperture.

Qi Exhalation, Pulse Opening, Dao Embryo, Spirit Sea, Immortal Aperture.

These five realms were collectively known as the Foundation Establishment Path. Only after reaching the peak of all five could one achieve Foundation Establishment Perfection and enter the realm of the Longevity Purple Mansion.

Xu Yan's current cultivation was at the eighth level of Qi Exhalation. His Root Bone and aptitude were excellent, and for a Rogue Cultivator, reaching this level in four years was already no small feat.

Cultivation was all about "wealth, companions, methods, and a place to practice." Xu Yan had his "masterful" Mystic Gate skills to thank for getting this far.

The book Plum Blossom Qimen was obscure and difficult to understand, and Xu Yan had no renowned master to guide him. Relying on himself alone, he had only managed to scratch the surface.

As a result, his former self had made a habit of running his mouth and swindling people, offending more than a few cultivators and nearly dying on the road.

Like a groundhog ducking into a different hole, Xu Yan had only arrived at the outskirts of Dragon Spine Mountain half a year ago.

He knew he had reached the edge of the Azure Sea.

Dragon Spine Mountain was a range stretching over a hundred thousand li along the Azure Sea, and one of the oldest lands in Cang Province.

Across the Azure Sea lay a Longevity Orthodoxy called the Taiyuan Divine Sect.

The sect had existed since the Primordial Era. It was one of the three great sects in Cang Province, dominating the eastern region, with countless orthodoxy lineages bowing before it.

It was said that the sect's founding Patriarch had once dug a piece of Divine Land from beyond the heavens and placed it at the bottom of the Azure Sea.

After the passage of endless ages, a Divine Land had formed within the Azure Sea. Cultivating there brought a thousand miles of progress in a single day.

Within the Dragon Spine Mountain Range stood a hundred Dao Academies, collectively known as the Dragon Ridge Hundred Academies.

They served as the Taiyuan Divine Sect's bridgehead. The sect's True Disciples were all selected from among the Hundred Academies.

His former self had thought that getting into a Dao Academy—even as an unofficial disciple—would be better than drifting around outside.

So he'd stayed at the Langya Immortal Inn, one of the many inns where cultivators gathered to rest on the outskirts of Dragon Spine Mountain.

Xu Yan looked down at the faded Taiji Fish Daoist Robe he wore. Copper coins and a diagram of the Zhouyi trigrams sat on the wooden table. He turned to look at the black banner standing beside it, which read, "Wondrous Method, Mystic Gate; Heaven-Divining Trigram Inquiry." He nodded to himself, then fell silent for a few breaths.

In his previous life, he had been a foreign soldier who'd roamed battlefields across various countries for more than twenty years. In the end, a stray bullet had punched through his chest.

His vision had gone black, then he'd opened his eyes again, as if reborn into another life, his soul having crossed over into the body of this young man who shared his name.

As he pieced together his predecessor's memories, the more he learned about this world, the more his heart pounded with alarm.

This world had cultivators, demons, devils, ghosts, and gods, as well as the Great Dao of Longevity.

I've actually come to such a wondrous world, where people cultivate and seek immortality?

Suddenly, his palms began to burn. He turned them over, and two strange characters, like ants crawling across his skin, quietly appeared.

These were Edict Script, ancient characters. The two characters in his palms meant "Wonderful Dharma Blessed Fate."

Edict Script was mostly used in the Outer Dao to form arrays and inscribe talismans. Xu Yan recognized the characters. His former self may have been a half-baked Mystic Gate practitioner, but he did have some real skill.

"When were these Edict Script characters carved into my palms?!"

Xu Yan's heart lurched. The two characters seemed to have sunk deep into his bones.

"Brother Xu? Are you all right?" Seeing Xu Yan's face turn ashen and sweat appear on his brow, Yan Qihu assumed that fortune-telling had exposed him to the workings of fate. His expression changed in alarm, and he grabbed Xu Yan by the shoulder. "Stop at once! You'll suffer a backlash!"

Xu Yan gasped for breath. He brought his palms together, and the Edict Script characters slowly faded from sight.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and waved a hand. "Brother Yan, I'm fine."

Yan Qihu hesitated, then said, "Brother, what about my Fortune Edict and fate...?"

Just as Xu Yan was thinking of something to say to brush him off, a thunderous roar suddenly came from the depths of Dragon Spine Mountain. The sound was so immense that it split the clouds across the sky. It resembled a dragon's roar and lingered without end.

Everyone at the Langya Immortal Inn erupted into a commotion, looking around in astonishment.

"What was that?"

"The sound came from deep within Dragon Spine Mountain!"

"Could the Hundred Academies have opened the Immortal Treasury?"

People everywhere started discussing it. Quite a few Daoists rose into the sky on their artifacts and streaked away.

The outskirts of Dragon Spine Mountain had more than just the Langya Immortal Inn. Far off in the sky, a dense mass of figures surged upward, all streaming toward Dragon Spine Mountain.

Xu Yan stood up and gazed at the mass of figures. His eyes flickered.

The Dragon Ridge Immortal Treasury was a trial ground where the Hundred Dao Academies recruited disciples.

The trial lasted a hundred days. Those who passed could cultivate at a Dao Academy as unofficial disciples.

The one who came out on top would have a chance to enter the Upper Three Academies and later compete for a place among the Taiyuan Divine Sect's True Disciples.

But with his current cultivation, going in would be a death sentence.

"Brother Yan, the fortune-telling can wait. Let's first see what's happening."

As Xu Yan spoke, he stamped one foot against the ground. Mystic Qi burst out, kicking up a cloud of dust, and he rode the wind into the air, rising twenty zhang to peer into the distance.

The distant Dragon Spine Mountain Range stretched endlessly, a dark mass across the boundary between earth and sky.

From deep within the mountains, a golden aura shot into the heavens. It lasted half an incense stick, then was swallowed by the churning mists.

Yan Qihu followed him up. He widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Good heavens, what a commotion! Auspicious qi is soaring into the sky. This must be a tremendous stroke of fortune!"

Xu Yan didn't reply. He simply stared into the endless mountain range, lost in thought.

"To enjoy these blessed lands and treasures, you have to be alive to enjoy them."

Xu Yan's gaze darkened as he said it casually.

His temperament was clearly worlds apart from his predecessor's. If his former self were here, he'd probably have rushed to the front of the crowd already.

After roaming battlefields for over twenty years, caution had been etched into Xu Yan's bones.

Yan Qihu glanced at him, somewhat surprised. "What, Brother Xu? You don't plan on going to the Immortal Treasury?"

Xu Yan considered it, then spoke plainly. "The Dragon Ridge Immortal Treasury is rife with danger, and demons and devils lurk there. Setting those aside, the disciples from Aristocratic Clans and famous sects are mostly at the Pulse Opening realm, with Divine Powers and magical artifacts at their disposal. How can we, Rogue Cultivators, compete with them?"

Xu Yan was only a Rogue Cultivator. He had no magical treasures or spiritual artifacts, and no superior Divine Powers or spells to use.

Naturally, he was interested in the Immortal Treasury. If he could make it through, he could cultivate at the Dragon Ridge Hundred Academies. But definitely not now.

If he entered the Immortal Treasury now, his chances of coming out alive would be practically zero.

At the very least, he needed to wait until he reached Pulse Opening and had mastered a few offensive Divine Powers before attempting to brave the Immortal Treasury.