Immortality: Starting with the Fruit of Taiyin

The State of Chen was under the rule of the Southern Hua Sect.

In the lower courtyard of Linzhang, in front of the general affairs hall.

On a bluestone ground several tens of feet wide, hundreds of teenagers were sitting on the ground.

In mid-air, several cultivators with profound auras held scrolls in their hands. Occasionally, someone would be called by name, and then, led by a gray-robed servant, they would depart with either joy or sorrow.

The onlookers around the open space gradually left, clearly indicating that only a handful of the newly initiated lower courtyard disciples were worthy of their attention.

"..."

"Zhang Erhe, born into a farming family in Xuanfu, Chenguo, was born with exceptional talent."

"He was appointed as a preparatory inner disciple and entered the 78th courtyard of the Jia class."

"If you make perfect progress within twelve years, you may enter the inner sect. I hope you will diligently cultivate and live up to the sect's expectations."

The middle-aged cultivator's voice was calm, yet clear, reaching everyone's ears.

As Zhang Erhe expressed his deepest gratitude, another figure left the open space.

On the bluestone slab, dressed in a clean blue robe, Wang Xuan, like the young men and women around him, had a slightly tense expression, as if he was also worried about his future.

In the early stages of cultivation, aptitude is paramount. Within the lower academies, those in the first academy are the future inner disciples, while those in the second academy have slight flaws in their innate aptitude. However, as long as their acquired character and temperament are up to par, they are still considered valuable for cultivation by the sect.

As for Category C, unless they can demonstrate talent in other areas later, they will simply be future resources for the sect.

The path to immortality has already ended for most people before it even begins... However, although the young men and women present have already passed the seven initial trials and their aptitudes are already determined, there is always a chance of something going wrong.

At the age of twelve or thirteen, it's inevitable that he would have more unrealistic expectations than older people... However, his hands clenched slightly under his long sleeves as he watched his future fellow disciples leave one by one. Only Wang Xuan himself knew that their hopes would probably be dashed, and he himself was not worried about it at all.

While innate talent is indeed important, Wang Xuan's talent, though not exceptional, was not terrible either.

Logically speaking, such a start is already quite good... However, for Wang Xuan now, the so-called spiritual root is no longer as important as he imagined.

······

"call--"

"The Immortal Cultivation World of Chen Kingdom... Introduction to the Nanhua Sect..."

"A young man with a mid-grade spiritual root born in the mortal realm... a powerful demonic cultivator from another realm... a mysterious Dao fruit left behind after a failed attempt to possess another body..."

"Tsk tsk, since I awoke from the 'mystery of the womb,' I've been dreaming for seven years of being ennobled and becoming a famous figure in this world. But who could have imagined that in the blink of an eye, the 'alternate history' would turn into a 'world of cultivation,' and all my preparations would be rendered useless."

"Indeed, any conventional way of thinking is undesirable. If it weren't for this accident, I probably would still be thinking of those legends of immortals as the delusions of worldly emperors seeking immortality."

"As it turns out, I was the one who was narrow-minded and short-sighted."

"Time flies like a bird in flight, and life is like a game of chess, with each turn bringing a new chapter..."

A soft sigh escaped his lips, and a thought stirred within him.

Around Wang Xuan, his future fellow disciples awaited the judgment of their fate.

His mind, however, had already soared into the distance, and he didn't know where it had gone.

Several months ago, Wang Xuan had just learned of the existence of the cultivation world and felt that his worldview had been reshaped. Before he could adjust his life plans, a blood-red infant exuding an overwhelming aura descended from the sky.

Under Wang Xuan's horrified gaze, the blood infant entered his body directly, attempting to seize his body and be reborn, to live another life... However, to the surprise of this Nascent Soul cultivator from another continent, the mortal he randomly chose had awakened his past life memories.

Thus, under the influence of the mysterious cycle of reincarnation, the Blood Infant instantly vanished, leaving behind only a fragmented moon wheel that it itself had never mastered.

【Taiyin Fruit】, that's its name.

Although Wang Xuan didn't know what it was, he knew it was a great treasure just from the name.

Perhaps the blood infant that flew through the air was also hunted down because of it... and then became a treasure-delivering boy.

"The Taiyin Fruit...is it about extracting, endowing, and even integrating and sublimating concepts related to this field?"

"Such ability does indeed deserve the title of 'Dao Fruit'."

"But to use its power, one also needs the corresponding source."

With a thought flashing through his mind, Wang Xuan glanced at his wrist.

There stood a jade bracelet, radiating a warm glow like a luminous pearl.

This was the result of his previous experiment with the power of the Dao Fruit, which gave this originally low-quality jade bracelet the concept of "moonlight".

Wang Xuan lost a full ten pounds because of this, as his lack of cultivation meant that the essence of his flesh and blood became the target for the Dao Fruit to absorb the source energy.

His ultimate achievement... was creating this bracelet that could emit moonlight.

"I remember when I was using the Dao Fruit, I always felt like I hadn't had enough... Well, the moonlight in the cultivation world must contain corresponding power."

"In comparison, this bracelet can probably only 'glow'... or it would be more appropriate to describe it as a rare artifact imbued with the power of [Moonlight-0].

"Only when I formally begin my cultivation and use my magical power to activate the Dao fruit will its true effects be realized."

"However, besides that, I do have one more 'divine draw' I can use..."

He whispered to himself, his thoughts stirring slightly. Wang Xuan could sense that deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, beside the incomplete moon, lay a ball of extremely pure energy.

That was the origin of the Nascent Soul, the essence condensed from the life's cultivation of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, enough to drive the entire cultivation world of Chen Kingdom crazy, but now it was obediently staying around the Dao Fruit.

"The path to the Great Dao begins here... Let me first understand what the cultivation world is really like before I consider using this Nascent Soul level source."

······

"Next..."

"...Ye Cheng...entered Courtyard No. 451, Class B..."

"Next..."

"...Well, as is customary, I'll emphasize it again."

"Spiritual roots are predetermined and cannot be changed later in life. This is why inner and outer sects are divided, and resources are allocated differently. I hope you are aware of this beforehand so that you will not blame the sect for unfairness later."

"Of course, things will be stable both internally and externally at the beginning, but there will be ups and downs later. Moreover, the world is vast and never just a corner of Nanhua."

"If any of you are inclined toward the Great Dao and do not wish to be bound by your aptitude, you may now make preparations to leave the mountain together in three days. There are cultivation families and merchant guilds in various places at the foot of the mountain recruiting people with spiritual roots... Becoming a rogue cultivator is also an option."

"Our Nanhua School is a reputable and righteous sect, and we will never force anything."

"Alright, let's continue..."

……

"Wang Xuan, is it almost our turn?"

In mid-air, the sect's steward was still calling out names.

Beside Wang Xuan, a young man dressed in brocade robes was already getting impatient.

Beside him and Wang Xuan sat several young men and women, all from the same prefecture.

The young man in brocade robes was named Han Cheng, a member of a small cultivation family. However, among the group present, he was the most anxious.

"Damn it... the difference in spiritual roots is like an insurmountable chasm, I don't even know if I'll ever have a chance..."

"If only I also had a mid-grade spiritual root... sigh..."

Despite his sighs and lamentations, the boy clearly still held onto a sliver of hope.

Wang Xuan couldn't say anything about this, so he could only offer a few nice words.

"Well... Brother Han, there's no need to be too anxious."

"Although his spiritual root is a bit lacking, Brother Han has a long family tradition of learning and entered the path of immortality at a young age."

"This alone puts us far ahead of others."

This is the truth. The path to immortality values ​​life, especially in the early stages, when a cultivator's time is extremely precious.

Han Cheng knew this too, but he also understood that for immortal sects, being born into a family of cultivators was not a plus, but a minus, unless he came from the family of one of the sect's ancestors. But how could he say such a thing?

Therefore, he could only sigh and realize that there was nothing he could do about it.

"Sigh—what's the use of cultivating a few years earlier compared to the channels of a sect?"

"Judging from the current results, you can at least join the outer sect and become official disciples of the sect. It's different for me; whether I can succeed will probably depend on luck."

"Why did it come to this?"

Gently shaking their heads, the girl in the light-colored ruqun beside them offered words of comfort.

"Senior Brother Han, there's no need to be discouraged. Although one's spiritual root cannot be changed, the Nanhua Sect doesn't only consider this when recruiting disciples."

"Of the three stages of Foundation Building—'Essence,' 'Qi,' and 'Spirit'—while Qi Refining is paramount, the other two stages are equally important. We cannot yet make a definitive judgment on the outcome."

The girl who spoke was named Chen Wanrou. She possessed a superior spiritual root, especially strong in the water element, and was a distant descendant of the secular royal family of the Chen Kingdom. It was said that if her lineage were two generations closer, she could be considered a princess.

Even though she is no longer of noble birth, her daily behavior and manners show that she was raised with strict discipline.

For a moment, the girl's gentle voice and the way she addressed him as "senior brother" made Han Cheng's expression soften a little.

But the next moment, another voice made his expression darken again.

"Indeed, as Junior Sister Chen said, Brother Han need not do this. Besides, although the Nanhua Sect is a major sect in the Chen Kingdom and even a half-branch sect of a Nascent Soul sect, its outer disciples are not necessarily much better than the family cultivators."

"Brother Han is a man with solid foundation. Even if he leaves the sect, he will not become a rogue cultivator or a 'sprout' recruited by a cultivation family."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment. Apart from Yang Yunzhi, who had been silent, Chen Yao, who hadn't said a word, couldn't help but glance at him.

Han Cheng's eyes flashed with anger, but he ultimately said nothing.

Speaking of which, this was something he told a few people a few days ago—it was roughly the fate of some people who were found to have spiritual roots by the Nanhua Sect, but who were unable to join the sect.

Needless to say, most independent cultivators have no hope of achieving immortality and go to the mortal world to enjoy some wealth and luxury. As for those who still harbor the idea of ​​cultivating immortality, they either choose to live a life of danger or join small cultivation families to cultivate by taking advantage of their spiritual veins.

However, cultivation families place the utmost importance on bloodlines. It goes without saying that an outsider would have to find a way to integrate.

Even in the world of cultivation, being a "son-in-law who lives with one's wife's family" is ultimately not a very honorable thing. Moreover, even if one were to swallow one's pride, it would be difficult to truly be regarded as one of the own by those cultivation families, and one could only place their hopes on future generations.

Wang Xuan glanced sideways and could tell that Yang Yunzhi's words were not meant to mock Han Cheng. Rather, he was probably just showing off his future status as an inner disciple, having also tested positive for a superior spiritual root, and also trying to get closer to Chen Wanrou.

After all, the girl's excellent upbringing, her youthful yet beautiful appearance, and her already showing figure despite being only twelve or thirteen years old, made several naive young men waver along the way.

This approach is simply too naive; they don't understand the complexities of human relationships.

Moreover, although the girl seemed approachable, she actually maintained a very distinct sense of distance in her daily life.

Yang Yunzhi's display was stiff, and the others were too embarrassed to flatter him. Chen Wanrou also frowned slightly, but her smile immediately became formal and standard.

Seeing this, Yang Yunzhi, who had been looking forward to this, was greatly disappointed.

……

P.S.: The earlier chapters may have had a lot of background setting descriptions, but I won't go that way later. Sorry.