Chapter 1: Fairyland

Li Xian widened his eyes, staring intently at the jade cylinder the size of a water cup in front of him. Yes, it was just an ordinary piece of jade, except that it was covered in strange symbols that gave the jade a new function—illumination.

As long as the jade was flipped, it would emit a glowing light, making everything in the room clearly visible; flipping it back would return it to an ordinary jade stone.

“Wow, it even has gravity sensing.”

“I’ve looked at it from every angle—left, right, up, down, front, and back—yet I just can’t figure it out. The structure is very simple, but it’s too simple: no wires, no energy source, not even a place to store power. How is this possible?”

Li Xian stared at it for a long time, unable to make sense of it. He looked around at the unfamiliar style of the room, the countless items with strange symbols on the walls, the oddly shaped objects on the floor, and the incense burner. He was completely bewildered.

“What on earth is going on? I remember lying in my school dorm, lazily sleeping, when I suddenly heard a loud bang. I was surrounded by a blinding white light and slowly lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was here.”

He looked again at his hands, which were noticeably paler and more delicate, and a wave of fear swept over him—time travel? What about the me on Earth? I was just taking a nap, was this really necessary?

“Ugh… my head hurts.”

Li Xian rubbed his head and found it wrapped like a mummy. Slowly, fragments of memory began to resurface.

It seemed that this body—or rather, its previous consciousness—had publicly harassed a young woman. Unexpectedly, the girl turned out to be a small expert in the Foundation Establishment stage, and this body had its head smashed, with its consciousness scattered as well.

Wait, Foundation Establishment stage? Is this a world of immortal cultivation?

Gradually, more memories floated to the surface.

This place really… turned out to be a world of immortal cultivation, called “Xianyu” (Immortal Domain). However, this Xianyu was entirely different from the cultivation worlds in novels.

This Xianyu had existed for countless millennia, and after millions of years of development, many things had changed.

For instance, the cultivation techniques from various sects had already been leaked and were available everywhere. Even a deluxe engraved edition of the Taoist Three Purities’ teachings could be bought for just five hundred taels of silver. If you purchased them separately, it was one tael per volume. If buying cultivation manuals in bulk, there were even discounts.

In short, cultivation methods were now so cheap that the founders of those sects would probably crawl out of the underworld in rage. Back in the day, rivers of blood were spilled fighting over a single cultivation manual. Now, a few taels of silver could buy one, and people still had the luxury to pick and choose. If a family didn’t own at least a hundred or so cultivation manuals, they’d be embarrassed to call themselves “learned.”

Because these cultivation techniques were so widespread, Xianyu was now teeming with powerful factions. And the result of these factions rising was the emergence of centralized states. Each centralized state was a hegemon in its own right, or at least a local overlord.

In the past, Xianyu’s cultivation system was dominated by sects, with families serving as its branches and leaves, forming a forest of sects.

The appearance of centralized states posed the greatest challenge to the traditional sect-based cultivation system: for instance, mass brawls, or monopolizing resources.

In addition to the states, many new ideas, new forms of cultivation, and new things were springing up like bamboo shoots after the rain. Various schools of thought were contending, and countless flowers were blooming. In short, the current cultivation world was both thrilling and an absolute mess.

Oh, and another very important change: over the millions of years, most of the heavenly treasures in Xianyu had been almost entirely plundered, with 99% of the rare items having become mere legends. Cultivation techniques were everywhere, low-level cultivators filled the streets, but true treasures were incredibly scarce.

Then, memories of this body’s identity began to surface. The name was still Li Xian, 16 years old; but his identity was no small matter. He was the youngest son of Li Yulong, a second-ranking official of the Daxia Kingdom, who held the position of Imperial Censor.

Li Yulong, Lord Li, was one of the most capable ministers in the Daxia Kingdom. Just how “capable” was this capable minister?

Some people say that the current decline of the Daxia Kingdom owes thirty percent of its credit to Li Yulong. The “great idea” of selling official positions was proposed by none other than Lord Li Yulong, and it received high praise from the current emperor of Daxia. Naturally, it also garnered the support and admiration of many wealthy individuals.

As for Li Xian, the younger son of Lord Li, the former Li Xian was, of course, the perfect model of an aristocratic playboy. No surprise, he was publicly harassing women and ended up having his soul shattered by a beating.

To be fair, Li Xian wasn’t without talent, but he simply refused to cultivate properly. Every day, he roamed around with a group of close friends, acting more arrogant than even the Crown Prince; he was willing to try anything, except for good deeds and insanely depraved things.

Just as he was sorting through his memories, he heard a familiar voice shouting: “Brother Xian, Brother Xian! I heard you harassed a woman and got your head smashed? Haha, I came to check on you.”

Relevant memories of this person surfaced in Li Xian’s mind, and he felt exasperated. This guy was named Shangguan Yong, the son of the great general Shangguan Guang. The “Xian” in “Brother Xian” was not the virtuous “Xian,” but simply part of Li Xian’s name. However, calling him “Brother Xian” really rolled off the tongue.

Shangguan Yong was truly worthy of being the son of a great general; even the way he entered Li Xian’s room exuded a general’s aura—he simply kicked the door open with a powerful stomp. The poor door flew off its hinges with one kick. A burly young man strode in amid the scattered debris.

Li Xian, enraged at the sight of his shattered door, shouted, “Shangguan Yong! How dare you kick down my door!”

“Huh?” Shangguan Yong looked at Li Xian in confusion, “Brother Xian, did getting hit mess up your brain? You’re not even calling me Brother Yong anymore?”

Li Xian froze for a moment, realizing his slip-up. He quickly said, “I’ve been through a near-death experience, and you didn’t even bring a gift when you came to visit!”

Shangguan Yong responded with his usual bluntness, “I just came to see if there was any hope for you, Brother Xian, before going to prepare a gift. If you weren’t going to make it, I was going to get ready for a funeral. But seeing you all lively and energetic, I guess I’ll go get some supplements instead.”

Before finishing his sentence, Shangguan Yong grabbed a Wind Escape Talisman and vanished without a trace.

Li Xian, trembling with anger, pointed at Shangguan Yong’s disappearing figure. This really was the kind of troublemaker friend he had—coming to check if he was dead before preparing a gift! What nerve!

The commotion had alerted the butler who was taking care of Li Xian. Upon seeing Li Xian alive and well, the middle-aged butler hugged him tightly, sobbing, “Young master, you’ve finally woken up. The lord has been worried sick about you. Is there anything uncomfortable? Please don’t hide it, we can’t afford to let you suffer any lasting effects!”

Seeing the butler, a trace of warmth emerged from deep within Li Xian’s heart. Li Yulong was busy with state affairs and spent his free time cultivating; therefore, the task of taking care of Li Xian fell to the butler, Yang Zhong.

As for Yang Zhong, the former Li Xian had a certain fatherly affection toward him, which had also influenced the current Li Xian. His tone softened slightly: “Uncle Yang, I’m fine.”

“Don’t push yourself. Come, lie down first and let me examine you.” Yang Zhong spoke warmly. Once Li Xian lay down, he extended his true essence and spiritual sense to check him over. After a long while, Yang Zhong finally breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s fortunate; it seems that those soul-calling sorcerers are indeed quite skilled. No wonder they’ve recently risen to fame as a new faction.”

Soul-calling? Li Xian’s eyes flickered, and his heart raced.

“Young master, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, Uncle Yang. I just thought of some experiences during my wandering soul state.” At that moment, Li Xian had figured out how to explain his changes—if anyone became suspicious.

Yang Zhong examined him once more and finally smiled, “It’s fine, it’s fine. Just forget the experiences you had while your soul was lost.”

Seeing Li Xian so “fearful,” Yang Zhong assumed that his soul must have encountered something terrifying, which was perfectly normal.

Acknowledging with a sound, Li Xian shifted his attention to the target he was most interested in: “Uncle Yang, where did this jade lamp come from?”

The jade lamp was the glowing jade stone that Li Xian had seen earlier.

Yang Zhong frowned slightly. “That jade lamp? It was just made by the craftsmen in the house. It’s just some trivial handiwork; why is the young master asking about this?”

Seeing Yang Zhong frown, Li Xian knew he had given himself away, but feeling confident, he became more open. “Uncle Yang, during my soul wandering, I saw many interesting things, and I want to try replicating them. It might be of great help to my father.”

Yang Zhong looked at Li Xian for a long while before finally responding, “Please wait a moment, young master. I will go report your condition to the master.”

After Yang Zhong left the room, Li Xian’s eyes lit up like lightbulbs: “Oh yeah, so they don’t really pay much attention to craftsmen. This must be what they call ‘opportunities everywhere.’

Hmm, technology is necessary. Changing the world starts with technology. Missiles to shoot down flying swords, nuclear bombs against heavenly tribulations, tsk tsk…

Oh, right, there’s a legend that immortals share the same lifespan as heaven and earth. Never mind anything else—for longevity alone, I have to become an immortal.

Also, does this Immortal Realm have the Seven Fairies?”

The aftereffects of time travel began to surface. His scattered thoughts and indescribable emotions were like a tangled mess in a washing machine.

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