"Beep, beep, beep..."
Racing across the land, a Dayun truck came hurtling in.
On a mountain bend, by the time Lu Chenxing saw the truck overtaking in the opposite lane, it was already too late. He could either be sent flying by the collision or drive himself off the cliff.
He chose.
Takeoff.
After his death, chaos enveloped his consciousness.
After an unknown length of time, a pair of large hands reached in and pulled him out.
Colors and depth gradually appeared before his eyes.
Several faces, men and women, old and young.
Voices reached his ears, clear and distinct.
"Master, madam, it's a little young master."
"Huh? Why isn't the little young master crying yet? That won't do."
"Madam, hurry and give him a couple of slaps."
I'll cry! I'll cry, all right?
And so, an infant's clear cries rang throughout the town.
Lu Chenxing seemed to understand a little. He had been reincarnated into this life with his memories of the last.
Master, madam, young master.
Such old-fashioned forms of address.
Could it be...
He buried his suspicions in his heart. As time passed, the answers would gradually unfold.
After crying for a while, he stopped and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
"The little young master cried himself tired and fell asleep."
"Quick, put him on the bed."
Warmth enveloped him, and Lu Chenxing grew sleepy.
Suddenly, a "ding" rang out, instantly making him a hundred times more alert.
[Suitable host detected. Lineage Cultivation Feedback System successfully bound. Once a lineage is successfully bound, whenever any member cultivates, the host will receive equivalent gains as feedback.] [Warning: abnormality detected in host.] [Abnormality investigation complete. The system has detected that the host's soul and body belong to two different lineages. Following a comprehensive assessment, two binding options are available.] [One: bind to Great Xia on Blue Star, population ten billion. Two: bind to the Lu Immortal Clan on the Tianxuan Continent, population one hundred thousand.] [Friendly reminder: if you choose to bind to Great Xia on Blue Star, the system will open a free two-way passage connecting the two worlds. One material transfer may be made each month. Transfers can be accumulated or assigned to designated Great Xia members. Living things cannot be transferred. If you choose to bind to the Lu Immortal Clan, the system will grant the host a generous lineage supplies gift package to support the lineage's growth and provide feedback to the host.]
Woohoo!
The system came as soon as I was born.
Wasn't this a straight takeoff from the spot?
Two choices...
Couldn't I have both?
Lu Chenxing fell into a dilemma.
Great Xia on Blue Star had ten billion people. Even if only one in ten thousand became an immortal cultivator, that would still be over a million.
A million immortal cultivators providing cultivation feedback simultaneously.
Wouldn't that mean Foundation Establishment in one day, Core Formation in two, Nascent Soul in three, Spirit Transformation in four, Void Return in five, Body Integration in six, Mahayana in seven, Tribulation Transcendence in eight, and ascension in nine?!
By comparison, the other choice was the Lu Immortal Clan.
With only one hundred thousand clan members, it presumably wasn't much of a major power.
Qi Refining? Foundation Establishment?
Golden Core would be its absolute ceiling.
Receiving cultivation feedback from the entire clan after binding might send him soaring with delight in the short term, but in terms of long-term gains, it probably fell far short of the former.
However, the ten billion Great Xia members on Blue Star were all mortals. Lu Chenxing would have to find a way to usher in an era of immortal cultivation for everyone.
The process probably wouldn't be too easy, either.
After much deliberation, Lu Chenxing made his decision and responded mentally.
"System, I choose to bind to Great Xia on Blue Star!"
[Congratulations to the host on successfully binding to Great Xia on Blue Star. System panel activated. Passage between the two worlds opened.] [Host: Lu Chenxing] [Physique: useless physique] [Spirit Root: useless-grade five-element spirit root] [Cultivation: none] [Bound lineage: Great Xia on Blue Star]
A simple panel, utterly useless talent.
It chilled half of Lu Chenxing's heart.
Fortunately, he had a chance to grow stronger while lying back without cultivating.
Every drop of sweat his Great Xia compatriots shed through their efforts would become a solid foundation for Lu Chenxing's ascension to immortality.
So, keep it up, comrades!
Of course, all of this depended on Blue Star entering the era of immortal cultivation.
Lu Chenxing studied the functions of the passage between the two worlds.
He found it quite convenient, too.
He could freely choose to deliver any item to any location in Great Xia on the other side. He had one opportunity each month, and unused opportunities could accumulate.
If Great Xia wanted to send something back in the opposite direction, that would likewise cost one opportunity.
"Let me think. What's indispensable to beginning an era of immortal cultivation is a cultivation method."
The Lu family certainly had cultivation methods.
Lu Chenxing suddenly felt a little fortunate. Thank goodness he had been born into an immortal cultivation clan.
He wouldn't have to trouble himself searching everywhere for a way to cultivate.
Unfortunately, in his current state, even turning over was difficult.
He could only wait patiently until he grew a little older.
In the days that followed, he drank more milk than he needed at every feeding to fuel his rapid growth.
Two and a half peaceful months passed in a flash.
While other babies could only go "wah, wah, wah," the extraordinarily gifted Lu Chenxing could already wriggle and crawl.
He had also tried walking upright, but the bones in his legs were too soft.
They couldn't support the weight above his waist. He needed more time to develop.
"Little young master? Oh no, the little young master's gone missing again!"
His father Lu Yunzhao's study.
Lu Chenxing slipped inside with both buttocks bare.
He wanted to learn about this world by reading books.
"The Tianxuan Continent, where the immortal Dao flourishes and a hundred races stand in great numbers. The six great races-humans, demons, yao, gods, shamans, and the winged race-each rule a region, while the other, lesser races dwindle and weaken..."
The bizarre and dazzling world of immortal cultivation soon left Lu Chenxing enthralled.
Suddenly, he felt the words moving farther and farther away until he could no longer make them out.
Turning his head, he saw a square face filled with anger.
His father had caught him.
He was hanging upside down, held by both legs.
Lu Yunzhao frowned at the fine son in his hand, unsure whether to hit him or scold him.
He was only two and a half months old!
His gaze shifted to the Record of Xuantian's Wondrous Writings lying open on the floor.
Suddenly, his scalp prickled.
Was Xing'er just... reading?
"Phew, so he's here. Yunzhao, what are you doing? Put Xing'er down!"
Seeing his savior arrive, Lu Chenxing immediately started crying.
"Waaah..."
His mother, the maids, and the servants all flooded in. Pale with alarm, Zhong Hui hurried over and snatched the child from Lu Yunzhao's hand, cradling him as she swayed and gently patted his back to soothe him.
She glared at Lu Yunzhao in anger, her eyes looking as though she wanted to flay him alive.
"What are you doing? If you hurt Xing'er, I'll never let you hear the end of it!"
Lu Yunzhao felt terribly wronged.
"No, dear, I didn't..."
"It's Xing'er. He... he isn't normal..."
Those words jabbed straight into a hornet's nest.
"Lu Yunzhao!"
"How is Xing'er not normal? He's just a little lively and active, growing a little faster than others, and learned to crawl and move a little earlier. He's a born prodigy, with an innate root of wisdom in his spiritual mind! What the hell do you know?!"
"If you dare say another bad word about Xing'er, I'll divorce you!"
Ah, was that really necessary?
Identify the problem, analyze the problem, solve the problem.
There was clearly something wrong with our fine son.
From the side room to the study-whose two-and-a-half-month-old baby could crawl that far? Even more terrifying, he'd seemed to be reading just now!
"Dear, I was wrong!"
"I won't dare do it again!"
The crying stopped at once.
Lu Yunzhao glanced over and seemed to catch a fleeting sneer at the corner of his son's mouth.
He couldn't help shuddering all over.
That night, he tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep no matter what.
Early the next morning.
Lu Yunzhao secretly carried Lu Chenxing away and rode toward Heavenly Traversal Peak, where the Lu Immortal Clan's cultivators gathered.
"Madam, the little young master... the little young master's missing again!"
"Master... Master's missing, too!"
The entire Lu residence descended into a pot of boiling chaos.
Four hours later, Lu Yunzhao arrived on Heavenly Traversal Peak, where the disciple guarding the mountain gate verified his identity.
"Leave within two hours. You mustn't linger."
Immortals and mortals were different.
Lu Yunzhao understood the rules.
He had brought Lu Chenxing here so his father, who had been fortunate enough to embark on the immortal path-Lu Chenxing's grandfather-could examine his own grandson.
What exactly was wrong with him?
Had an evil demon entered his body?
Or was he an immortal reincarnated?
Or was he truly just extraordinarily gifted?
Upon entering the Lu family's cultivation grounds, Lu Chenxing immediately felt that the surrounding air had become much fresher. He realized something at once.
His heart leaped with joy.
He had deliberately revealed his abnormalities.
His goal was to attract the attention of the Lu clan's immortal cultivators so he could scheme to obtain a method of immortal cultivation.
Sure enough, it had worked.
His bargain-bin father had really come through, too!
Lu Yunzhao carried Lu Chenxing into a cave abode, where an elderly cultivator with graying temples sat cross-legged.
As they approached, the man opened his eyes. They were deep, yet held a trace of cloudiness.
"Father!"
Lu Xuanqing parted his lips slightly, and his deep voice echoed through the cave.
"Why have you brought an infant here?"
As he spoke, displeasure quietly rose between his brows.
Clearly, he was unhappy at having his cultivation interrupted.
Lu Chenxing's behavior was simply too strange. The only solution Lu Yunzhao could think of was seeking help from his father, an immortal cultivator.
That was why he had risked coming so abruptly to disturb him.
He held out the infant in his arms and said,
"Father, this is your own grandson, Lu Chenxing, born two and a half months ago. There are some extremely strange things about him. I've been so worried I can barely sleep, so I..."
"Strange? How so? Tell me in detail."
At that, Lu Yunzhao rattled everything off like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.
After hearing him out, even Lu Xuanqing was momentarily stunned and surprised.
"This child certainly is sturdy. He can crawl at only two and a half months old, and even read?"
He was a little skeptical, so he lowered his head to look at the infant in his arms, only to find him staring back with wide, crystal-clear eyes.
He released his spiritual sense, probing the infant's body.
He did not miss a single inch.
Unfortunately, he found nothing.
With his meager Qi Refining Stage cultivation, he could not yet peer into the mysteries of the soul.
Lu Xuanqing thought for a moment, then set Lu Chenxing on the ground.
"My good grandson, crawl for Grandpa. Let me see."