Chapter 1

In the southeastern corner of the Eastern Shengzhou, in the land of the Azure Hills, on the True Might Peak of the Ethereal Mountains, the True Might Sect stood quietly.

In the main hall of the True Might Sect, an elder wearing a purple-golden robe, with a golden crown on his head and a youthful appearance despite his white hair, was explaining cultivation techniques to six or seven newly admitted disciples.

The Ethereal Mountains are the largest mountain range in the Azure Hills, in the province of Chilong, and there are two cultivation sects on the mountains: the True Might Sect and the Great Yin Sect.

The two sects each occupy one of the two spiritual veins of the Ethereal Mountains, recruiting disciples and teaching them the methods of cultivating qi.

The founders of these two sects were once disciples of great sects, but due to their lack of cultivation, they failed to achieve the Golden Core stage and thus established their own sects on the mountains.

The founder of the True Might Sect came from the Tai Bai Sword Sect and cultivated the Gourd Sword Technique, while the founder of the Great Yin Sect came from the Divine Dawn Dao and cultivated the Great Yin Ghost-Slaying Seal. However, due to their limited cultivation, the techniques they taught were incomplete.

Because the two founders cultivated different techniques and there was another spiritual vein on the Ethereal Mountains, the two sects developed a rivalry, secretly competing with each other. Every six years, they would hold a competition to determine the allocation of resources.

In the main hall of the True Might Sect, the Transmission Elder was giving a detailed explanation of the basic knowledge of cultivation to the newly admitted disciples.

"Our Daoist sect, the Daoist School of the Mystic, bases its principles on the Taiji, the Five Elements, the Eight Trigrams, and the Nine Palaces, using these to communicate with the primordial energy of heaven and earth to cultivate the spirit and soul. By doing so, we can achieve boundless abilities, ride the clouds, control the weather, and live a carefree life, seeking immortality.

The stages of cultivation include Stabilizing the Spirit, Astral Projection, Manifestation, Possession, Unity, and the Golden Core, among others."

While the Transmission Elder, Changchunzi, was giving a detailed explanation, he was unaware that in a corner of the hall, a simple iron microphone was connected to an iron wire buried underground, leading all the way to a small servant's room behind the ancestral hall on the back mountain.

In this servant's room, a young man with a clear face, dressed in black, and only sixteen years old, named Zhu Ganglie, was listening intently with his ear pressed against another iron microphone.

Zhu Ganglie was a servant in the True Might Sect and had no right to learn cultivation techniques.

The original Zhu Ganglie was a simple and obedient person, strictly following the rules of the True Might Sect and focusing on learning the mundane martial arts taught to the servants.

However, the Zhu Ganglie from the previous life was a promising young man from the 21st century. Since he had been reincarnated into this body, his mind had become agile, and he was determined to learn cultivation techniques and not just be a mundane person.

If he were caught learning cultivation techniques, not only would he face certain death, but his soul would also be refined into a puppet, suffering eternal torment.

But Zhu Ganglie was unwilling to be just a servant, to be at the mercy of others.

Since he had been reincarnated into this magical world of gods and demons, he was determined to take a chance.

Immortality and freedom were worth fighting for. Otherwise, how could he justify this reincarnation, and how could he justify this name that almost scared him to death?

If this name really belonged to someone from the future, he would do everything in his power to change his fate, to seize control of his destiny with the greatest strength.

"Senior, how are the stages of cultivation divided?"

A disciple's question brought Zhu Ganglie back from his thoughts. He immediately perked up his ears, listening carefully, afraid to miss a single word.

"Stabilizing the Spirit involves focusing the mind, eliminating all distractions, and calming the soul to prepare for Astral Projection. The stronger the soul power, the better the aptitude, and the easier it is to enter the Stabilizing the Spirit stage.

Those with weak aptitude may never be able to eliminate distractions and stabilize their minds.

Astral Projection is when the soul leaves the body, absorbing the primordial energy of heaven and earth to enhance cultivation and increase soul power, then refining it into spiritual energy.

The more abundant the primordial energy in the area, the faster the spiritual energy can be refined, and the stronger it will be.

The Manifestation stage is when the practitioner has mastered techniques to convert spiritual energy into magical power, allowing the soul to manifest and move freely outside the body.

Possession is when the soul can attach to a spirit animal and control it.

Unity is when the various magical powers are refined into a seed of a life-bound talisman, which can take various forms.

The Golden Core is the pinnacle of the first stage, where the life-bound talisman is refined into a Golden Core, achieving supreme Daoist fruit and extending life by eight hundred years."

Changchunzi's eyes were gentle, but his voice was like a great bell, explaining each stage in detail, making it hard to forget.

Hearing these words, Zhu Ganglie felt as if a door that had never been opened before was now wide open, leading his thoughts into the mysterious world of gods and demons.

"Do not think that the Golden Core stage is the limit. It is just the beginning. Our True Might Sect's founder learned from the Tai Bai Sword Sect and received true immortal teachings.

There are many mysterious stages beyond the Golden Core, but our True Might Sect has not had the opportunity to obtain them. In fact, both the True Might Sect and the Great Yin Sect only have techniques up to the Possession stage."

The Transmission Elder's expression was solemn, his eyes filled with regret and sorrow.

These words made Zhu Ganglie even more eager to learn, realizing that there were even more mysterious powers beyond the Golden Core stage.

"Senior, what are spiritual energy, magical power, and spells?"

At this moment, a disciple asked.

Changchunzi looked at the disciple with approval and explained, "The soul of a cultivator is the foundation, the Dao, the source of immortality. Spiritual energy and magical power are the techniques.

However, having the Dao alone is not enough. On the path to immortality, there are countless dangers and obstacles, including demons and monsters. Therefore, we must have the means to subdue demons and protect the Dao, which is the origin of magical power and spells."

Changchunzi spoke confidently, and Zhu Ganglie listened even more attentively, wishing he could be in the hall to hear the teachings directly.

" Spiritual energy is produced when a cultivator's soul leaves the body and combines with the primordial energy of heaven and earth. Some cultivators refer to it as a thought, which is smooth and radiant, with a color like a star and a size like a grain of rice.

Magical power is formed after the Manifestation stage, when the practitioner learns techniques and transforms spiritual energy. The shape of magical power changes according to the technique, and it is several times more powerful than spiritual energy.

In our True Might Sect, we cultivate the Gourd Sword Technique, and the shape of magical power is like a small gourd. In the Great Yin Sect, the shape of magical power is a small black talisman.

The refinement of spiritual energy depends on the cultivator's aptitude. Those with good aptitude have strong soul power and can refine spiritual energy more easily and quickly.

Those with weak soul power need to refine it slowly, and some may never be able to refine a single unit of spiritual energy. You all have strong soul power and good aptitude, so as long as you work hard, you will eventually refine spiritual energy and learn techniques to transform it into magical power.

At the Astral Projection stage, a cultivator can refine nine units of spiritual energy, or nine thoughts.

At the Manifestation stage, a cultivator can learn techniques to subdue demons and protect the Dao, converting spiritual energy into more powerful magical power. At this stage, you can cultivate the Gourd Sword Technique, absorbing the metallic energy of heaven and earth to form magical power.

At the Possession stage, a cultivator can refine 360 units of magical power, each of which needs to absorb primordial energy to enhance cultivation.

At the Unity stage, the 360 units of magical power are refined into a life-bound talisman.

At the Golden Core stage, there are 1,290 units of magical power, and achieving this stage can extend life by a thousand years."

After Changchunzi finished speaking, Zhu Ganglie's eyes sparkled with a strange light. He realized that the world of cultivators was so mysterious and magical, and he was even more eager to explore it.

He was a servant in this reincarnation, but he was not willing to be a servant for life. He was determined to roam the world, seek immortality, and live a carefree life.

"Senior, can we know what stage you are at?"

A few disciples asked cautiously, their eyes filled with curiosity.

"Do not aim too high. Each stage of cultivation is extremely difficult. Refining a single unit of magical power can take several years, even decades.

Advancing to a higher stage requires great opportunities and effort.

Refining spiritual energy and magical power can be achieved with time, but advancing to a higher stage depends entirely on the individual's aptitude and opportunities.

I have been cultivating for 230 years, experienced various tribulations, and gained many opportunities. Yet, I have only just entered the Possession stage.

Of the 360 thoughts, I have only refined about twenty into Gourd Sword Primordial Energy. To fully achieve the Possession stage, it will take a lot more time and effort."

Changchunzi's voice was like a thunderclap, dispelling the disciples' unrealistic excitement and bringing them back to reality.

Zhu Ganglie was also startled awake, realizing that his thoughts were too idealistic. He was just a servant and did not even have the basic cultivation techniques, let alone the resources to cultivate.

Even if he could cultivate, he would need many resources, which he could not obtain with his current status. He also had to be constantly vigilant to avoid being caught learning cultivation techniques, which would result in severe punishment.

"Now, I will teach you the Pagoda Visualization Technique and the first level of the Gourd Sword Technique.

Visualize a golden nine-story pagoda, striving to stabilize your spirit and achieve Astral Projection. Once your soul leaves the body, you can follow the first level of the technique to refine a unit of spiritual energy by combining soul power with the primordial energy of heaven and earth."

Hearing Changchunzi's words, Zhu Ganglie's eyes lit up, and he held his breath, listening intently, afraid that even his breathing might affect his hearing and cause him to miss a single word or note.

After a moment, Changchunzi imparted the Pagoda Visualization Technique and the first level of the Gourd Sword Technique, which Zhu Ganglie memorized carefully, not missing a single detail.

After hearing the technique, Zhu Ganglie carefully hid the microphone and quietly left the servant's room, heading toward a large cave deep in the forest on the back mountain.

Fortunately, he was responsible for cleaning the ancestral hall on the back mountain, and he rarely had any tasks or interactions with others.

He was also curious about the identity of the original owner of his body, who had been assigned such a quiet and isolated job.

But now, it allowed him to cultivate in peace.

The back mountain was a vast ancient forest, filled with wild beasts, and few disciples ever came here.

In the depths of the forest, Zhu Ganglie accidentally discovered a lava cave with numerous large and small chambers. If anything unexpected happened, he could quickly escape without being discovered.

He hurried to the large cave and sat cross-legged in a small chamber, visualizing a golden nine-story pagoda in his mind.

After his reincarnation, he had merged with the original owner's soul, giving him extremely strong soul power.

Having lived alone on the back mountain for two years, his mind was as calm as water, making it relatively easy for him to stabilize his spirit.

After confirming that his mind was stable and free of distractions, Zhu Ganglie prepared to take a risk and attempt Astral Projection.

Unlike the others, he had no guidance and no resources.

Therefore, he had to take the risk, placing himself in a desperate situation to make rapid progress with great courage.

If he hesitated or feared, he would never advance and would never change his current status.

Zhu Ganglie understood this better than anyone, which was why he was determined to take the risk and fight.

He lit nine specially made sandalwood incense sticks around him, and as the incense smoke filled the air, his mind gradually stabilized.

The golden nine-story pagoda appeared in his mind again.

This time, Zhu Ganglie followed Changchunzi's method, visualizing himself climbing the pagoda, one floor at a time.

When he reached the ninth floor, his mind suddenly leaped off the pagoda.

After a brief moment of disorientation, Zhu Ganglie found that his body had become lighter, and he looked around in surprise.

"Hey!"

In his surprise, Zhu Ganglie saw his body sitting cross-legged on the ground, while he was floating above it, supported by the incense smoke. He was both amazed and delighted.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

At that moment, a strong wind suddenly blew, scattering the incense smoke that protected his soul.

As the incense smoke dispersed, Zhu Ganglie felt a bone-chilling cold and a pain like being cut by a steel blade, similar to a drowning child struggling in vain.

"Damn, how can there be wind in the depths of this cave?"

Zhu Ganglie cursed and had to focus on visualizing the golden nine-story pagoda to stabilize his soul, or he would be scattered to the winds, never to return.

"Hey, someone is trying to achieve Astral Projection."

Suddenly, a clear and cold voice rang out, shocking Zhu Ganglie. It was truly a case of misfortune piling up, as someone had intruded at this critical moment, sealing his fate.

"Dragon Coiling Jade? Dragon Coiling Jade! It's actually Dragon Coiling Jade!"

The cold voice suddenly burst with joy, followed by a strong wind that swept away a jade pendant hanging from Zhu Ganglie's neck.

As the wind hit, Zhu Ganglie fainted completely.