Chapter 3: Resigned to Fate After Crossing Over

Bai Sheng crossed over to a place called the Yanfuti World, becoming a disciple of the Chicheng Immortal Sect named Duan Gui.

The Yanfuti World consists of four continents: Dongcheng Shenzhou, Nanchan Budizhou, Xiniu Hezhou, and Beiluosi Zhou.

The Chicheng Immortal Sect is one of the seven major sword immortal sects in Nanchan Budizhou!

In other words, Bai Sheng had somehow crossed over from a fantasy game to a real fantasy world.

Although the Chicheng Immortal Sect is one of the seven major sword immortal sects in Nanchan Budizhou, the number of disciples is not large. Apart from the founding patriarch Zhu Shang, there are only twenty-four direct disciples of Duan Gui's generation. Duan Gui ranks sixteenth among the disciples under the Chicheng patriarch Zhu Shang, and he is the least talented and least favored by his master. Even the flying sword he uses, Zhu Shang was too lazy to refine for him, merely giving him a low-quality sword taken from an evil sect disciple.

At the time, Zhu Shang said, "It will take you many years to master the skill of flying with a sword. Although this sword is of low quality, it is sufficient for you to practice our sect's sword techniques."

Duan Gui is the third son of Duan Xuanye, the national general of the Huaxu Kingdom. His entry into the Chicheng Sect has a rather complicated story.

Since the Chicheng Immortal Sect and other orthodox sects support the Huaxu Kingdom in resisting the Six Southern Kingdoms and the Northern Sea demon race, they often take in some noble children of the Huaxu Kingdom as disciples. However, these people are destined to serve the court, so they often cannot focus on cultivation. They only learn a set of astonishing martial arts and some methods to defeat enemies, then leave the sect to lead troops in battle.

Duan Gui, being a secondary son and with his mother having died early, was often marginalized by his clan. Due to his youthful arrogance, he caused a major disaster, leading to a deep rift with his brothers. Duan Xuanye then sent him to the Chicheng Immortal Sect to learn skills, not expecting him to achieve much, but just to avoid the trouble he caused. Duan Gui, through this opportunity, gained the qualification to join the Chicheng Sect. Therefore, whether he would succeed or not, Zhu Shang did not care, otherwise, the Chicheng patriarch would not have taken in such a disciple with poor cultivation potential.

Duan Gui knew his talent was poor, so he practiced diligently, almost spending all his time on cultivation. This time, Duan Gui wanted to forcefully break through a long-stagnant realm, but he encountered a problem during cultivation, leading to a mental breakdown and his soul dissipating, ending his bleak life. However, by a twist of fate, he was reborn with Bai Sheng's soul.

"If you've crossed over, clap your hands! If you've crossed over, stomp your feet! If you've crossed over, just accept it."

A European research institution once conducted a survey, stating that when people suddenly enter a strange environment, such as a deserted park at night or a remote abandoned factory, 13.9% of people choose to sing to boost their courage, and the songs they choose are often not the usual ones they sing in KTV.

This song about crossing over is so powerful that Bai Sheng never forgot it after hearing it once. Now, singing it is quite fitting. Using such a heart-stirring song to bid farewell to his previous life, Bai Sheng decisively patted his old blue Daoist robe, accepting his new identity. After all, what else could he do if he didn't accept it?

What made Bai Sheng sad was that despite his loud singing and shouting, no one paid attention. The place Duan Gui, the Chicheng Immortal Sect disciple, chose for cultivation was too remote. Even if he shouted until his voice was hoarse, no one would know he was trapped here.

"Why did this short-lived guy choose such a desolate place? I can't even find someone to help me leave!"

Thinking about this damned problem, Bai Sheng was momentarily lost in thought!

The lineage of sword immortals is the oldest among the four major cultivation methods—Qi, Talisman, Artifact, and Soul—following the ancient practices of the Qi cultivators. They have always been regarded as the orthodox and direct descendants of the ancient world. Therefore, the lineage of sword immortals has never looked favorably upon other cultivation methods, even considering the talisman cultivators, who also originate from the ancient Qi cultivators, as a separate tradition, refusing to consider them as equals. As for artifact cultivators and soul cultivators, they are outright regarded as side branches.

Regardless of the sect or method, the cultivation in Nanchan Budizhou is divided into nine major realms: Fetal Movement, Entry into the Meridians, Sensory Perception, Condensation of Evil, Refinement of Qi, Formation of the Golden Pill, Foundation of the Dao, Escape from Tribulation, and Cultivation. Once the Golden Pill is formed, immortality is within reach; once the Foundation of the Dao is established, the gates to immortality are open; after passing the ninefold heart tribulation, one can be considered half an immortal; and after cultivating the primordial spirit, one ascends to the heavens to comprehend the techniques of the primordial spirit. Beyond the primordial spirit, there are the true methods of immortals, which are ethereal and beyond the reach of human cultivators, only comprehensible by the immortals in the Nine Heavens.

Duan Gui has been a disciple under the Chicheng patriarch Zhu Shang for nearly twenty years and has practiced the Chicheng cultivation method for nearly twenty years, but his cultivation has always been stuck at the Entry into the Meridians stage, unable to advance to the Sensory Perception stage. Without sensing the fluctuations of the primordial energy in the universe, he cannot harmonize with the spirit of the flying sword, and thus cannot control the flying sword or manipulate magical artifacts from a distance. In any sect in Nanchan Budizhou that focuses on flying sword cultivation, a disciple who cannot refine Qi and control a sword after twenty years of hard practice is considered a great disgrace.

When the initial true Qi forms in the dantian, like a newborn baby, it is called Fetal Movement. As long as one has good talent, sincere dedication, and receives orthodox teachings, it can be cultivated in about a year or two.

When the initial true Qi can be used to open the twelve main meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians, circulating through all the body's acupoints and filling the 365 acupoints, the true Qi becomes abundant, and it is called Entry into the Meridians. This step also requires persistent effort; those with poor talent may take ten to eight years, while those with good talent may take three to five years. Achieving the great completion of refining Qi and entering the meridians is considered the pinnacle for human warriors, but it is just the beginning on the path to immortality.

These first two steps, as long as one is persistent, will eventually lead to success. Although Duan Gui's talent is poor, he practices diligently, and his true Qi has long filled the 365 acupoints, making his Chicheng true Qi extremely pure and powerful, not inferior to any of his fellow disciples.

However, the Sensory Perception stage is extremely difficult to pass without exceptional talent and a stroke of luck.