Wonderful Dharma Blessed Fate

A rustling, noisy clamor echoed in his ears, and Xu Yan snapped his eyes open.

Before him, a middle-aged man with a face full of jowls rested his elbows on the table, rambling on in a long, incoherent stream of words. Spittle was practically flying onto his face!

"Brother Xu, I, Yan Qihu, have cultivated at Evergreen Temple for over ten years. My cultivation has reached the perfection of Qi Exhalation, and I am but a single step away from Pulse Opening. If I return empty-handed from the Dragon Ridge Immortal Treasury this time, I fear my Great Dao will be hopeless in this life. You must divine my blessed fate for me—do I truly have the destiny for this? Speak plainly, do not hold back!"

In an instant, countless unfamiliar images and memories flooded Xu Yan's mind, causing a splitting headache.

"This... Brother Yan, wait a moment!"

Cold sweat beaded on Xu Yan's forehead. It took him quite a while to sort through the memories in his mind.

Xu Yan was twenty years old this year, a native of Green Ox Town, Sishui City, Yuanwu Kingdom, in Cang Province.

His family had been farmers for generations. His parents died early, and he grew up relying on the charity of the village elders.

When he was sixteen, a wandering Daoist passed through Green Ox Town. Claiming his root bones and aptitude were decent, the man left him three Daoist texts: Taicang Breathing Technique, Twelve Spell Divine Powers, and Plum Blossom Qimen. He pointed him eastward, saying he might catch a glimpse of the Great Dao of Longevity.

Thus, he embarked on the path of cultivation.

Xu Yan had no grand ambitions; he simply did not want to farm for his entire life, nor did he want to die in a small town, unknown like his parents.

Cultivating immortality, even if only scratching the surface, opened up an entirely new world for him.

The Daoist told Xu Yan that to step onto the Immortal Great Dao, one must first exhale Mystic Qi, then open the pulses, condense the Dao Embryo, evolve the Spirit Sea, and clear the Immortal Apertures.

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

These five realms were collectively known as the Foundation Establishment Path. Only upon perfecting these five could one reach Foundation Establishment Perfection and step into the realm of the Longevity Purple Mansion.

Xu Yan's current realm was the eighth level of Qi Exhalation. With his superior root bones and aptitude, it was no small feat for a rogue cultivator to reach this level in four years.

Cultivating immortality was nothing more than "wealth, companions, method, and land," and this was largely thanks to Xu Yan's "supernatural" skill in the Mystic Gate.

The Plum Blossom Qimen was obscure and difficult to understand. Without a famous master to guide him, Xu Yan had only managed to grasp the basics on his own.

Consequently, because the original owner had spouted nonsense and engaged in swindling, he had offended many practitioners and nearly died on the road.

Playing a game of whack-a-mole, moving from hole to 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 mountain range stretching over a hundred thousand miles along the Azure Sea, and it was one of the oldest territories in Cang Province.

Above the Azure Sea sat a Longevity Orthodoxy known as the Taiyuan Divine Sect.

This sect had existed since the primordial era and was one of the three great sects of Cang Province, dominating the eastern region where countless orthodoxies bowed their heads.

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

After endless ages of sedimentation, it had transformed into a piece of Divine Land within the sea; cultivating here allowed one to advance a thousand miles in a single day.

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

They served as the bridgehead for the Taiyuan Divine Sect, and the sect's true disciples were all selected from these hundred academies.

The original owner had thought that even if he could only sneak into a Dao academy as a nominal disciple, it would be better than drifting outside.

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

Xu Yan looked down at the Taiji Fish Daoist Robe on his body, which had been washed until it turned white. On the wooden table lay copper coins and a Zhou Yi Bagua diagram. He tilted his head to look at the black banner standing beside the table, which read: "Wondrous Method Mystic Gate, Heaven-Divining Trigram Inquiry." He nodded for a few seconds.

In his previous life, he was a foreign mercenary who had spent over twenty years drifting through battlefields across various countries, only to be shot through the chest by a stray bullet.

With a blink of his eyes, it was as if he had lived another life, his soul transmigrating into this youth who shared his name.

As he sorted through the original owner's memories, the more he learned about this world, the more his heart pounded.

This world had practitioners, demons, ghosts, and gods; it had the Great Dao of Longevity.

To think I have arrived in such a magnificent world. Cultivation? Longevity?

Suddenly, he felt a burning pain in his palms. As he flipped his hands over, two peculiar characters, resembling ants clinging to his skin, were quietly emerging.

These were Edict Scripts, primordial characters. The meaning of these two Edict Scripts in his palms was "Wonderful Dharma Blessed Fate."

Edict Scripts were mostly used in heterodox arts for forming arrays and inscribing talismans. Xu Yan recognized these characters; although the original owner was a half-baked Mystic Gate sorcerer, he still possessed some genuine knowledge.

"When were these Edict Scripts carved into my palms!"

Xu Yan was shocked; these two Edict Scripts felt as if they were etched deep into his marrow.

"Brother Xu? Are you alright!" Seeing Xu Yan's face turn ashen with sweat beads appearing on his forehead, Yan Qihu assumed he had been tainted by the heavenly count due to the divination. He was greatly alarmed and pressed down on his shoulder, saying, "Stop quickly, do not suffer a backlash!"

Xu Yan gasped for air, clasping his palms together, and the Edict Scripts on his palms gradually faded away.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and waved his hand, saying, "Brother Yan, I am fine."

Hearing this, Yan Qihu hesitated before saying, "Brother, then what of my blessed fate and destiny..."

Just as Xu Yan was thinking of something to say to brush him off, a heaven-shaking roar suddenly erupted from the depths of Dragon Spine Mountain. The commotion was immense, shaking the clouds in the firmament until they split apart. The sound resembled a dragon's roar, lingering and unending.

In an instant, everyone in the Langya Immortal Inn was in an uproar, looking around in shock and astonishment.

"What is this commotion?"

"The sound came from the depths of Dragon Spine Mountain!"

"Could it be that the Hundred Academies have already opened the Immortal Treasury?"

Discussions erupted everywhere, and many cultivators mounted their artifacts, soaring across the sky in a flurry of movement.

There was more than just the Immortal Inn in Langya on the outskirts of Dragon Spine Mountain; in the distance, a dark, dense mass of figures rose into the air, all surging toward the direction of the mountain range.

Xu Yan stood up, watching that sea of figures with a slight tremor in his gaze.

This Dragon Ridge Immortal Treasury was the trial ground where the Hundred Dao Academies recruited their disciples.

With a hundred-day limit, those who passed could enter the Dao Academies to cultivate and become registered disciples.

If one managed to take the top spot, there was a chance to enter the Upper Three Academies and compete for a position as a true disciple of the Taiyuan Divine Sect in the future.

But with his current cultivation level, going in was just asking for death.

"Brother Yan, let's not rush the divination for now; let's first see what is happening."

As Xu Yan spoke, he stomped his foot hard against the ground, the released Mystic Qi kicking up a cloud of dust. He rode the wind, rising twenty zhang into the air to gaze into the distance.

In the distance, the Dragon Spine Mountain Range stretched endlessly, lying dark and heavy between heaven and earth.

Deep within the mountains, an aura like molten gold shot into the sky, persisting for half an incense stick's time before being obscured once more by churning mists.

Yan Qihu followed him up, eyes wide as he exclaimed, "Mother of mercy, this commotion is far too great! With auspicious energy piercing the heavens, the opportunity must be immense!"

Xu Yan did not respond, merely staring blankly at the endless mountain range in the distance.

"One must have the life to enjoy such blessed opportunities."

Xu Yan's eyes darkened as he spoke offhandedly.

His personality was clearly vastly different from the original owner of this body; if it were the original, he would likely have already rushed excitedly to the very front.

Having spent over twenty years surviving on the battlefield, caution was a gene carved into Xu Yan's very bones.

Yan Qihu turned his head to glance at Xu Yan, somewhat surprised, and asked, "How is this, Brother Xu? Do you not intend to go to the Immortal Treasury?"

Xu Yan was lost in thought, speaking bluntly, "This Dragon Ridge Immortal Treasury is fraught with crises, with demons and ghosts lurking within. Not to mention those, even the disciples of the noble families and prestigious sects mostly possess Pulse Opening cultivation, backed by divine abilities and magical artifacts. How are we rogue cultivators to compete with them?"

Xu Yan was but a rogue cultivator; he possessed neither magical treasures nor spiritual artifacts, nor did he have any superior divine abilities or spells to cast.

He was naturally interested in the Immortal Treasury—if he could break through and enter the Dragon Ridge Hundred Academies to cultivate, it would be ideal—but certainly not right now.

Going into the Immortal Treasury now, the probability of coming out alive was effectively zero.

At the very least, he had to wait until he reached Pulse Opening and had mastered a few lethal divine abilities before attempting to brave the Immortal Treasury.