At 28: You never expected that Wang B0'an, who had been advancing in officialdom and had established a school of Confucianism, turned out to be a first-grade martial artist who touched the pinnacle of martial arts.
Wang B0'an's arrival this time was meant to capture the ringleader first in order to end this rebellion. He didn't expect to run into you unexpectedly.
Originally, you were prepared to confront Wang Bo'an, but surprisingly, he only took one look at you, then turned around and left.
At 29: Yu Zhenzi sent a message, informing you that the Lord of Shenxiao Gate, intended to make a move against you. You took precautions and confronted the Lord of Shenxiao Gate, eventually repelling him.
At 30: Because of the anomaly of the Netherworld Book, you accidentally encountered an expert from the underworld and obtained two pages of the Netherworld Book.
Half a year later, you returned to Shenxiao Mountain with Pang Hong, closed off all outside disturbances on Shenxiao Mountain, and comprehended martial arts.
At 33: The emperor passed away, and the new emperor ascended the throne.
At 35: After five years of seclusion, you were unable to find the possibility of breaking through beyond the first-grade. This led to a deep desire within you to challenge the world.
Half a month later, you ascended Justice Hall, challenging its two hall masters, Ma Wuji and Zhang Xiaoyao. To your surprise, they weren't your match even when they joined forces.
A month later, you challenged Murong Hua, the master of the North Pole Association. Even though Murong Hua's unique skill, Stellar Conversion, had reached the peak of perfection, he still lost in the end.
A month later…
At 38: Over three years, you traveled all over the world, challenging many famous first-grade masters, and you remained undefeated. Over these three years, you gained a lot and your martial arts realm deepened day by day.
At this time, you finally set your sights on those big forces that dominated one side.
The first big force you chose was Dragon Tiger Mountain, a Taoist school with a lineage of thousands of years.
Half a year later, you ascended Dragon Tiger Mountain and engaged in a debate and a contest of skills with the current Celestial Master.
A month later, you and the Celestial Master were evenly matched, neither gaining an advantage over the other.
You returned to Shenxiao Mountain.
At 40: After your return from the debate and martial arts competition on Dragon Tiger Mountain, you retreated to Shenxiao Mountain for three years.
When you came out of the retreat, you received an invitation from Zhao Baiyang for a fight, which you happily accepted.
At 43: Heroes fought at the top of Tianshan Mountains, attracting celestial phenomena. The intense battle broke the seal at the top of Tianshan Mountains. Heaven and Earth revived, and the world ascended.
At 50: You studied various ancient books, deduced martial skills, and tried to explore the realm above the first-grade.
At 53: You revamped the "Shenxiao Heaven's Will Skill" , promoting this skill to a peerless martial study.
At 55: A high-level martial artist from the Demonic Cult made a breakthrough. Although he did not successfully ascend, it allowed him to possess power far beyond that of a first-grade martial artist.
This Demonic Cult adept began to behave recklessly, causing troubles in the world, and aimed to kill those who might pose a threat to him.
At 56: You and Qingxu, the Taoist, joined hands with the Lord of Shenxiao Gate, Maitreya Sect Leader Zhao Baiyang, and many other experts to jointly suppress this Demonic Cult adept who failed to ascend.
Unexpectedly, the strength demonstrated by the Demonic Cult adept completely exceeded everyone's expectations. Even though you all inflicted heavy damage on the opponent, you also suffered heavy losses.
You, as the main force on your side, became the opponent's main target and ultimately died in battle.
[End of this life.]
"Is the realm above the first-grade really that powerful?" Pei Xuanjing frowned to himself.
Against such a formidable enemy, even when he set aside personal grudges and teamed up with the Lord of Shenxiao Gate and the Maitreya Sect Leader, he still couldn't subdue the opponent. This made Pei Xuanjing all the more curious about what the realm above the first-grade was.
[Simulation ends, you can choose to keep one of the following rewards.]
[First: Martial arts realm at the age of 56.] [Second: The latest version of "Shenxiao Heaven's Will Skill".] [Third: Life experience at the age of 56.]
After some thought, Pei Xuanjing chose the second option.
Suddenly, his mind was filled with information about the "Shenxiao Heaven's Will Skill".
"Shenxiao Thunder Gang Qi!"
Pei Xuanjing discovered that this version of Shenxiao Heaven's Will Skill combined several Gang Qi cultivation methods and added a new Gang Qi cultivation method, allowing one to cultivate Shenxiao heavenly thunder gang qi.
Several days later, after Pei Xuanjing's spiritual power had recovered, he launched another life simulation.
At 26:…
At 27: You cultivated the Shenxiao Thunder Gang Qi.
At 32: You perfected the Shenxiao Thunder Gang Qi.
At 56: You and several others joined forces, barely managing to kill the Demonic Cult adept. You were lucky enough to survive this battle.
At 59: While recovering from your injuries, you finally understood the secrets of the Netherworld Book and fully recovered with its help. Meanwhile, you also uncovered a shocking secret: There are no immortals in this world.
At this point, although you knew this secret, you still had great ambitions and believed that you could definitely achieve longevity and become the first immortal in history.
At 61: You didn't expect the Netherworld Book to be such a large post-obstacle. At this time, your life force was constantly being drained by the Netherworld Book, and you couldn't stop it.
You, who originally had a lifespan of 60 years, should be in your prime, but unexpectedly, you were full of white hair and your body was aging. You knew that if you couldn't break through, your life would certainly not last long.
At 65: Your attempt to break through in seclusion failed, and you passed away in your secret chamber.
[End of this life!]
"What's mysterious about the Netherworld Book!" Pei Xuanjing looked grim.
Seeing himself safely through the calamity of the Demonic Cult adept, he thought that this lifelike simulation would last much longer and bring great gains.
But in the blink of an eye, he received a huge blow. In just a few short years, he aged and died due to lack of lifespan.
Almost three 60 -year cycles of his lifespan were drained. The Netherworld Book was indeed terrifying. Pei Xuanjing thought to himself.
[Simulation ends, you can choose to keep one of the following rewards.]
[First: The perfected Shenxiao Thunder Gang Qi.]
[Second: Accumulated inner Qi of martial arts at the age of 65.]
[Third: Shocking secret: There are no immortals in this world.]
This time, Pei Xuanjing didn't hesitate at all and directly chose the third option.
At this moment, his curiosity about that secret far exceeded everything else, even the perfected Shenxiao Thunder Gang Qi.
After making the choice, there was suddenly a lot of information in his mind.
There are no immortals in this world.
This secret was obtained from the Netherworld Book, and it was also the message obtained by the last owner of the Netherworld Book.
Since ancient times, who has passed on the Dao?
In this world, there no longer exist immortals.
The owner of the Netherworld Book believed that perhaps there were beings similar to immortals a long, long time ago, but after the startling war that began in the early Tang Dynasty, there were no more immortals in the world.
Moreover, the owner of the Netherworld Book believed that the group of people who started the startling war were just ordinary people. They may have had a long lifespan and extraordinary power, but they were not immortals.
Pei Xuanjing let out a deep breath, calmed down, and began to carefully read the information obtained from this lifelike simulation.
After all, this was the most concrete information he had ever received about immortals, so he had to take it seriously..
In this world, there are no immortals, only a group of longevity-keepers who possess superior powers.
Despite their powerful abilities, these longevity-keepers are not immortal; they merely enjoy a prolonged lifespan.
The last owner of the Netherworld Book was a man with the last name 'Cui'. A minor official during the early Tang Dynasty, he stumbled upon the Netherworld Book by chance. This allowed him a certain control over life and death, endowing him with the authority of the Underworld Judge.
With the power of the Netherworld Book, he was in charge of adding lifespan to the good and sending the evil to the Netherworld. Due to his position as Underworld Judge, many referred to him as Judge Cui.
In Judge Cui's memory, the early Tang Dynasty was almost a golden age for cultivators, with numerous robust and ancient cultivators co-existing in the world.
Because Judge Cui controlled the Netherworld Book, even just a part of it, his power of life and death made him prominent among these powerful figures.
They had divine abilities to move mountains and fill seas, to ride on clouds and fog. They could visit the distant seas in the morning and return by dawn. Their capabilities ranged from the azure sky to the yellow springs.
However, for these mighty and ancient cultivators, the inevitable decline in health and limited lifespan was like a sharp sword hanging over their heads, constantly unsettling them.
Perhaps, for newly powerful figures like Judge Cui, they still have a long life ahead, and the end of life appears to be far into the unknown future.
But for those who have lived for countless years and who have already reached the peak of cultivation, they still face the threat of death, despite their immense powers and limitless authority. Their death is not like an ordinary person's death; perhaps it can be referred to as the 'Tao becoming.'
Those with limitless power return to the world upon death and become a part of it, with no chance of rebirth.
Therefore, some powerful entities, unwilling to give in, began to devise plans. They wished to pioneer a new path, seeking true longevity, striving to become immortal 'Fairy Gods' , free of the worries brought on by the limits of lifespan.
These ancient longevity-keepers tried various methods, but they gained nothing.
They could only watch as they aged day by day, drawing ever closer to the Tao becoming.
During this period, within the Taoist School, two powerful figures, summarizing all the attempts of the ancient longevity-keepers, refined a theory: the Theory of The Five Immortals.
The theory held that there were technically five types of immortals – Celestial Immortal, Earth Immortal, Human Immortal, Divine Immortal, Ghost Immortal.
Reaching any one of these five Immortal states promises eternal life, immortality, and continued existence in the world.
However, it remained only a theory, with no one ever reaching such success.
Moreover, among the Five Immortals, becoming a Celestial Immortal is the most challenging. It's difficult to enter the Human Immortal state, and Ghost Immortals are the weakest. Most longevity-keepers pursued the path of Divine Immortals and Earth Immortals.
However, the path of the Divine Immortal emphasizes mastering the Heavenly Authority and acting in line with the Heaven's will. The Earth Immortal's path requires integration with a Blessed Land, a Cave Heaven.
No matter whether it's the Heavenly Authority or a Blessed Land, Cave Heaven, there's only a limited number of these.
The myriad powerful ones all wish to become immortal and are unwilling to yield the opportunity for everlasting life and sight to another.
Thus, conflicts gradually occurred among these strong entities and escalated progressively.
Eventually, a war engulfing the cultivation world broke out, pulling countless cultivators into it.
The battle caused Heaven and Earth to collapse and mountains and rivers to shatter. Numerous cultivators lost their lives amid the chaos.
Judge Cui was one of those who died in this war.
"So the cultivation of this world harbors such secrets, " Pei Xuanjing thought.
No wonder many records only trace back to the Tang Dynasty, and anything earlier is just bits and pieces – so much is missing.
It'S a shame that Judge Cui died too early. It'S unknown whether any powerful entities emerged from that calamitous war to join the league of Immortals and truly achieve immortality and eternal sight.
"But where did the remaining longevity-keepers go after the war?" Pei Xuanjing was curious.
He knew that even after such a catastrophic war, it was impossible for all powerful entities to perish. There would surely be survivors.
If there were survivors, why then is there no record of them?
According to what Judge Cui conveyed, their original system of cultivation had three significant realms – Mortal Realm, Spirit Realm, Immortal Realm.
The Mortal Realm is where people like Pei Xuanjing and others cultivate the Ninth-grade of Martial Arts, which corresponds to the upper, middle, and lower divisions.
The Spirit Realm is the realm where Judge Cui and other ancient and mighty longevity-keepers dwelled. At this level, they wielded vast power, mysterious divine skills, and had lengthy lives.
The Immortal Realm is a realm that ancient and robust beings like Judge Cui had never touched but which they longed to reach. Once they attained this realm, they could become immortal and enjoy eternal sight.
In other words, Pei Xuanjing is now standing at the pinnacle of the Mortal Realm and has yet to step into the Spirit Realm.
However, it should be noted that the current methods and martial studies of the various factions in the world can only lead to the Mortal Realm. There are no methods to breakthrough to the Spirit Realm.
According to the information Pei Xuanjing received from the life stimulator, even after the seal atop the Tianshan Mountains was broken and Heaven and Earth started to rejuvenate, people were still trying to find a way forward. They didn't know how to make a breakthrough.
If a true inheritance existed, it wouldn't have taken so long for someone to make a breakthrough. The breakthrough made by the elder from the Demonic Cult atop the Tianshan Mountains was indeed unsuccessful.
Therefore, this matter is something Pei Xuanjing could be practically certain of.
"It seems that many things have happened after that war, which Judge Cui didn't know about." Pei Xuanjing speculated.
Reflecting on the seal at the summit of the Tianshan Mountains, only after it was broken did Heaven and Earth start to revive, enabling a breakthrough.
"Could it be that the people disappeared or died due to the dissipation of the world's spiritual energy?" Pei Xuanjing wondered.
However, this doesn't explain why the information failed to be passed down.
"Sigh," he exhaled a deep sigh and shook his head. It seems that the reason behind this can only be found slowly.
Celestial Immortal, Earth Immortal, Human Immortal, Divine Immortal, Ghost Immortal.
So that's the realm of Immortals?
Pei Xuanjing, gazing up at the heavens, thought to himself.
Since this realm indeed exists, I must aim for it.
Even if there is no inheritance, no records, no skills, and the road ahead is blocked, so what?
I, Pei Xuanjing, can simply be the one to pave the way to immortality, relying on myself and the aid of the simulator. Would it be impossible then to tread a path towards immortality?
"Let me pioneer a path towards immortality for myself and all beings under Heaven! " A surge of ambition suddenly emanated from Pei Xuanjing..