"Why think so much? If you ask me, you should focus on finding a way to become an immortal."
The system glanced at Li Xingkong, then led the way to another teleportation portal.
"Immortal..."
A word that was both familiar and unfamiliar reached Li Xingkong's ears.
The ultimate goal of cultivators is to become immortals, but hearing it coming from the system's mouth at this moment gave Li Xingkong a somewhat unreal feeling.
I'm only at the Nascent Soul stage, how did I get involved in becoming an immortal?
In Li Xingkong's view, there is still a considerable gap between the Nascent Soul stage and becoming an immortal; there are at least several more realms to go.
"Yes, that's becoming an immortal, forming Nascent Soul. Normally, that gives one the potential to become an immortal. After the Nascent Soul is fully formed, one can hope to ascend to the path of immortality."
The system led the way while explaining.
"Hiss, I'm only one step away from becoming an immortal?"
After confirming it again, Li Xingkong gasped.
"One step? That's not just a little bit. Don't forget, your Nascent Soul was accelerated by the Primordial World. For other Nascent Soul, growing Nascent Soul would be a very long process."
"Besides, you still have a labor contract with the Primordial World. If you can't understand this, you won't be able to cultivate into an immortal."
"What? This contract has this effect? It can even hinder someone's cultivation progress?"
Li Xingkong had never heard of this before.
"The contract is fine, of course, but do you know what an immortal is?"
The system countered with a question.
"Hiss, if we're talking about immortals, they must be beings who are almost omnipotent..."
Li Xingkong's impression of immortals was still vague, but judging from his current situation, an immortal must be more powerful than himself.
"Wrong, wrong, wrong. You're still quantifying realm by ability. While this way of thinking isn't necessarily wrong, it's clearly one-sided."
The system shook its head.
"If we only judge realms by individual ability and strength, then the whole world would be nothing more than a law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak. But such a system is clearly primitive and incorrect."
"In the natural world, if we only consider fists and strength, then the top of the food chain should be ferocious beasts like lions and tigers, not humans."
"It can be considered a locally optimal solution, but it is definitely not the best."
"Our initial goal in spiritual practice is to achieve immortality, then perhaps freedom, and finally, to see a larger world."
"Having reached this level and stage, with limitless life and boundless freedom, having obtained everything one desires, what is the purpose of the next stage of cultivation?"
At this point, the system looked at Li Xingkong.
"What has been the purpose of your cultivation up to this point?"
Li Xingkong was genuinely at a loss for words.
Was it to rescue the Guapilong? Or was it to defeat the Wan Chongshan?
These are all reasons, but none of them are enough to explain why Li Xingkong persisted.
Especially in that endless Samsara, he relied on himself to embark on the path of cultivation time and time again. This kind of determination obviously cannot be explained by these small reasons.
"Maybe, I just want to keep going..."
After Li Xingkong realized that there really wasn't any other reason for his cultivation method.
"Cultivation gives me a sense of security. I feel most at ease whenever I feel my strength improving. That's probably why."
"That's right, everyone has different goals and purposes in their cultivation. How can we judge someone solely based on their strength?"
"The so-called immortal is not a definition of power, but a state of being."
"When your Nascent Soul matures, you will be as vibrant as a young man. The so-called ascension to immortality is about finding your path in this state and firmly embarking on it."
"The moment you take that first step, you've already embarked on the path to immortality."
Is it really that simple?
Li Xingkong found it a bit unbelievable.
Thinking back on my previous cultivation, each stage was incredibly difficult, and each stage had a clear purpose.
But now, the system is telling him that becoming an immortal is this simple!
Is it true that as long as you set your mind on it, you've embarked on the path to immortality?
No matter how I think about it, something just doesn't feel right.
Is it easy?
The system glanced at Li Xingkong and could only say that this guy's thinking was too simplistic. Perhaps he would only realize the problem when he truly reached the moment of becoming an immortal.
"Is there anything else you require?"
Li Xingkong didn't understand.
"No, but... you'll find out when the time comes."
"Alright, we've arrived at Laojun Heaven. That old man is the kindest senior in the entire Primordial World. Let's see what we can get from him."
"Old man?"
Li Xingkong became interested.
"That's right. Laojun follows the path of alchemy and artifact crafting, and he is devoted to refining pills and crafting artifacts. Everyone in the entire Primordial World knows him. Because he is kind-hearted, he gives away the pills and artifacts he refines everywhere, hence the title."
Looking at the towering palace before him, Li Xingkong had already grown somewhat accustomed to it.
These predecessors loved these tall, imposing buildings; each one was so huge it could terrify a person.
Following the path forward, Li Xingkong soon arrived at the main hall. Compared to the deserted state of the other halls, there were significantly more people here.
The area in front of the main hall was densely packed with cultivators. They sat or stood, and stood in twos and threes around the hall. Although they chatted occasionally, their attention was focused on the young attendants at the entrance of the hall.
The young boy was dozing off against the palace door, but despite the large number of people present, few dared to approach and disturb him.
"Let's find a place to wait and see. When the boy wakes up, that's when Laojun will start releasing the blind boxes."
Li Xingkong arrived just in time. He had just exchanged a few words with the system when the boy rubbed his eyes and sat up abruptly from the ground.
Then, he quietly opened the door behind him, and dozens of streaks of light instantly flew out and shot into the sky.
Some people couldn't contain themselves and moved to rush forward and grab a share, but before they could even make a move, they were immediately frozen in place.
This guy dares to act so arrogantly at Laojun's gate; he's truly foolish.
Putting aside Laojun's cultivation level, he possesses a plethora of magical treasures; any one of them would be enough to give everyone present a run for their money.
More than a dozen streaks of light flew everywhere, and soon one of them headed straight for Li Xingkong.
It wasn't due to Li Xingkong's luck or anything like that; he was a newcomer and deserved a share.
The first ray of light fell, naturally attracting the covetous eyes of many.
"Use it quickly, lest these people get any ideas."
The system urged.