Confession

The Peach Spirit had already stepped onto the path of cultivation; in terms of pure cultivation base, it was at the Qi Induction into Body realm.

Zhou Yi, however, was utterly unafraid. If a wild beast had reached Qi Induction into Body, he might have avoided its edge and sought revenge later, but a plant spirit was simple.

Plant spirits not only cultivated slowly—in the early stages, they were nearly indistinguishable from ordinary trees, only blessed with exceptionally long lifespans.

The Peach Spirit before him lacked the ability to move and was naturally restrained by fire. Lighting an ordinary flame would be enough to burn it half to death.

The Peach Spirit was cleverly positioned, right at a convergence point of spiritual energy. Combined with the wood-type spiritual energy it emitted, the spot was no worse than a sacred mountain or great river.

"This humble priest is Chixiao, deputy sect master of the Kunlun Sect. I'll borrow this blessed land to cultivate for a while. From now on, we'll be neighbors."

The Peach Spirit's branches and leaves trembled, a surge of indignation radiating from its Divine Sense, yet it was utterly helpless.

Zhou Yi found a piece of greenstone nearby, moved it under the peach tree, and sat cross-legged on it to meditate.

The Peach Spirit would naturally drive away any approaching visitors, saving him from disturbance.

The air was thick with wood-type spiritual energy, but even sensing it, refining it was difficult.

He had no spiritual root, no cultivation technique, and his Soul Power was too weak to forcibly draw spiritual energy into his body.

As his senior brother Yan Chixia had said, entering the Dao through martial arts—achieving a flawless physical body and a complete soul—was the only path for those without spiritual roots to step onto the road of cultivation.

Spiritual roots were innate, one in ten thousand, but they hadn't completely sealed off the mortal path.

Zhou Yi never expected to directly achieve Qi Induction into Body and ascend in one step. Instead, he followed established experience: entering the Dao through martial arts.

Ape Python Body Refining Technique!

Python Form Internal Refinement!

Not the Primordial Chaos Technique.

The Primordial Chaos Technique was merely an ordinary Daoist method, while the Ape Python Body Refining Technique was a top-tier legacy of the martial world.

Having mastered the technique to perfection, Zhou Yi was no longer bound by specific moves. Even sitting cross-legged in meditation, he naturally assumed the coiled posture of a serpent.

The Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound rumbled from within his body, tempering his internal organs.

"Hmm—Hah—"

With each inhale and exhale, strands of spiritual energy entered his body, refining his bones, tendons, flesh, and blood.

Wood-type energy excelled at nurturing. In just two hours, all of Zhou Yi's minor ailments and hidden injuries were purged.

"No wonder this is a spiritual land. Even without directly refining spiritual energy, just breathing brings it in to temper the body. By this logic, those born in the Immortal Realm breathe immortal qi from birth and naturally achieve eternal youth."

Zhou Yi couldn't help but marvel. In countless worlds, cultivators went to any lengths in their pursuit of immortality, yet perhaps to the natives of the Immortal Realm, it was simply theirs from birth.

"At this rate, I'll condense inner qi in just a few days."

Zhou Yi's face was full of joy. He clasped his hands and bowed to the Peach Spirit. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Peach Tree, for your hospitality. I'll return tomorrow."

The Peach Spirit knew it couldn't drive Zhou Yi away, so it simply ignored him, not even a flicker of Divine Sense.

"Must be a girl—why else would she be so tsundere?"

Zhou Yi muttered to himself as he made his way down the mountain.

By now, dusk had settled, and all the tourists were gone.

At the foot of Peach Blossom Mountain, there were many guesthouses, and plenty of unlicensed cabs were still trolling for fares at night. He didn't make it home until after ten.

During his cultivation, Zhou Yi had set his phone to silent, and his parents had called several times.

As he walked in, he saw his mother sitting on the sofa, expressionless. When she saw Zhou Yi enter, she deliberately coughed twice, signaling that the Empress Dowager was angry and the consequences would be severe.

His father, Zhou Dayou, was beside her, pouring tea and shooting meaningful glances—don't you dare piss off your mom; once you skip town in a couple of days, I'm the one who'll suffer.

The Zhou family lived in an ordinary two-bedroom apartment—small, but cozy.

His parents were regular office workers, neither wealthy nor poor.

"Mom, Dad, I quit my job. I'm planning to cultivate immortality on Peach Blossom Mountain."

The moment Zhou Yi opened his mouth, Yi Wan, who had been ready to grill him about ignoring her calls, immediately lost her composure.

It didn't matter that her son quit his job—he could find another. But what was this about cultivating immortality? Was he planning to become a monk?

"Not becoming a monk."

Zhou Yi seemed to read their thoughts. He pressed his index finger lightly on the coffee table.

Dong!

A crisp sound rang out, and a perfect round hole appeared in the solid wood table.

The Gold Pointing Finger technique—at its peak, it could pierce through iron.

Zhou Yi's finger wasn't strong enough to punch through metal yet, and he quietly used his Origin to repair the table.

His parents stared in shock, touching the coffee table and checking it several times before confirming it was real skill.

"The world has changed..." Zhou Yi said. "Spiritual energy has suddenly appeared in the world, and with it, the foundation for cultivation. By fate, I've been accepted into the Kunlun Sect, and from now on, cultivation will be my path."

Zhou Yi held nothing back. He explained everything plainly—what the Spiritual Energy Revival was, what cultivation meant.

These two people before him were his closest kin, the ones he trusted and loved most in the world. There was nothing to hide from them, except the Gateway to Myriad Wonders.

The Gateway to Myriad Wonders, of unknown origin—Zhou Yi would be lying if he said he had no doubts in his heart.

Zhou Dayou and Yi Wan had already passed the optimal age for cultivation. If he kept hiding it, he would be directly cutting off his parents' path to the Dao—doing so would be utterly unfilial.

Besides, even if some trouble arose, Zhou Yi was confident he could handle it.

He had only been cultivating for a few years. Far from attaining the state of "Supreme Indifference," he still grieved deeply at the thought of his parents one day passing away, leaving him alone in the world.

The Great Dao stretched endlessly. Walking it alone—too lonely.

Fetching paper and brush, Zhou Yi drew the Primordial Chaos Stance. Not just the stance's breathing method, but also detailed diagrams of the human meridian system, complete with annotations.

At the realm of an Innate Grandmaster, with a perfected Primordial Chaos Stance, his high-level perspective meant the stance manual he wrote was already thirty percent different from the original.

It wasn't that Zhou Yi could casually alter the Daoist lineage's teachings. Rather, he had made cuts and adjustments based on his parents' age and physical condition.

Nearly fifty years old—if they started cultivating the complete stance right away, without an Origin to heal hidden injuries, one wrong move could cripple them.

"The Ape Python Body Refining Technique is too obscure and hard to grasp. You two should start by learning the Primordial Chaos Stance. Once you reach minor success in it, you can switch to the Ape Python Body Refining Technique."

Zhou Dayou picked up the manual, reading it word by word. He always felt today's events were too surreal.

Yi Wan, however, was extremely excited—not because she could cultivate, but because her son had made something of himself.

Her colleagues' sons studied abroad, landed government jobs, started businesses—all strutting around smugly. Now her son was cultivating immortality. One day, this old lady would be an immortal too. You mortals, kneel quickly.

Within minutes, Yi Wan was already pondering the proper entrance style for the Queen Mother of the West.

Zhou Dayou suddenly asked, "Son, you're saying that after spiritual energy appeared, there would also be monsters?"

Zhou Yi hadn't told his parents about the Wolf Demon—no need to add worry over a life-or-death crisis.

"Not 'would appear.' They're already here, right now. And on Peach Blossom Mountain."

"What? There are monsters on Peach Blossom Mountain!"

Zhou Dayou couldn't help raising his voice. Thinking about how he'd been on that mountain during the day, he felt a chill of fear.

Monsters—influenced by movies and shows—were surely harmful to humans.

Either they had a human body with a tiger's head, a lion's head, or a leopard's head, craving human flesh and blood.

Or they were breathtakingly beautiful, seductive, and loved draining men's yang energy.

"Don't worry. It's just a little Peach Spirit. That Peach Spirit has extraordinary talent, and happened to be born where spiritual energy converges. It's already become a plant spirit."

Zhou Yi shrugged. "It's only just developed consciousness, mentally childish—less clever than a primary school student."

After explaining the difference between plant spirits and beast demons, his parents grew very interested in the Peach Spirit.

Never mind the rule that spirits weren't allowed after the founding of the nation. In five thousand years of history, there was no solid record of anyone ever seeing a demon.