Cultivating Immortality Through a Hundred Lifetimes: I Possess the Heavenly Book of Merit

The sixty-third year of the Qingli era.

Fengguo, Qijing Mountains.

The second stage of the Immortal Sect's assessment is the Path of Reflection.

On the jade steps, hundreds of young men and women walked, most of them with furrowed brows and closed eyes, trapped in an illusion, their faces showing fear, fascination, or rage...

The myriad aspects of human life are reflected on these mere three hundred steps of jade staircase.

"Huff, huff..."

Yu Yan gasped for breath, then suddenly woke up with a start.

His brows were furrowed, his clothes were completely soaked with sweat, and all sorts of memories surfaced in his mind, constantly impacting the depths of his brain.

"Not bad, the first among the Immortal Seeds to complete the Path of Reflection, showing good character."

On the cloud-top crane, several sect masters offered their comments.

The Path of Reflection is the final test for the Luoxia Sect to recruit disciples, a test of their character and will.

"Yu Yan came with the guiding disciples. He was young and his thoughts were chaotic, but he overcame them one by one. He has a superior temperament and is a promising candidate for cultivation."

"Hmm? Five spiritual roots?"

"What a pity, what a pity..."

A few sighs lingered in the clouds, and then there was no more movement.

At this moment, Yu Yan had awakened from his past memories. All the events of his past and present lives seemed like a dream, and they all re-entered his heart.

"Reincarnated, at thirteen, he unraveled the mystery of his birth, accumulating merit for a hundred lifetimes—it's all true!"

"Spiritual root! In this life, I have a spiritual root!"

Even though he had lived a full life, Yu Yan could not hide his excitement as his long-standing regrets were finally resolved.

He tried to summon the treasure in his mind, and the closed jade book in his mind appeared. A soul that looked exactly like Yu Yan sat cross-legged on it, but it still wouldn't obey his control.

Yu Yan seemed to be deep in thought. All the merits he had accumulated in his previous life had been used up. If he wanted to be reincarnated, he would probably have to continue accumulating merits.

But that's a story for another time.

"Spiritual root..."

Although he only possessed the lowest level of the five spiritual roots, he did indeed have spiritual roots and could cultivate immortality!

And this young body.

Yu Yan lifted his feet and moved his legs. His thighs, which had been sore, had recovered and were completely different from the feeling of old age he remembered from his previous life.

Thirteen years old!

Five spiritual roots!

He can cultivate immortality now!

In my previous life, my younger brother also left home at this age with the immortal master.

Did he also walk this path of reflection?

Thirteen years have passed, and he wonders where his former younger brother, now a celestial master, is now.

As Yu Yan was thinking this, he noticed that there were more people around him, and the noise was getting louder, but it was immediately drowned out by a loud shout.

"Brother Yu!"

Yu Yan turned his head in the direction of the sound and saw a burly man dressed in hemp clothing squeezing through the crowd, ignoring the disgruntled young men and women who were bumped into along the way, and walking straight toward him.

As he approached, the sunlight in front of him was blocked, and Tian Erwa, who was from the same village and the same age as him but looked far more mature, smiled.

The guiding immortal master brought the two out of the famine-stricken village. One had five spiritual roots and the other had four, but their talents were different.

The two had a good relationship. If Tian Erwa hadn't shared his cornbread, Yu Yan wouldn't have lived to see the arrival of the Immortal Master.

"Brother Yu, we've all passed! We can now join the immortal sect. We won't have to worry about going hungry anymore!"

Tian Erwa's purpose in cultivating immortality was very simple: to be able to eat his fill. At this moment, the thought of being able to eat white flour buns every meal filled him with joy.

He couldn't help but reach out and hug Yu Yan, almost lifting him up completely.

Yu Yan quickly patted Erwa to make him put him down, but he didn't share Erwa's optimism.

According to the immortal master who guided them, those with spiritual roots can enter the path of cultivation, but in order to join a sect, their aptitude and talent cannot be lower than the standard.

Although Yu Yan's temperament and willpower are quite good, his talent in spiritual roots is a major drawback, and the chances of him staying in the Luoxia Sect are probably not high.

But Yu Yan had absolutely no desire to become a rogue cultivator.

Cultivating immortality is all about acquiring "wealth, companions, methods, and land." If one doesn't join a sect, not to mention where one's cultivation techniques come from, even the lowest-ranking "land," namely spiritual veins and dojos, is occupied by sects and families. Independent cultivators can only cultivate in mortal lands.

However, the spiritual energy in mortal areas is scarce and unsuitable for cultivation. In addition, without cultivation resources such as spirit stones, pills, talismans, and magic treasures, the path of cultivation is extremely difficult.

In his previous life, he wasted his entire life trying to attain immortality. Now that he finally has this opportunity, he must not waste his time as a rogue cultivator.

Yu Yan inquired with the guiding immortal master and learned that in previous years, some of the cultivators who failed the sect's assessment joined nearby small cultivation families, married, had children, and expanded their lineage in exchange for cultivation resources.

However, many more people gave up this opportunity and went down the mountain empty-handed.

Those who join cultivation families don't have a good reputation.

Tools for breeding, live-in sons-in-law, etc.

Many teenagers, unable to accept this due to their pride and unwilling to be bound by their families, yearn only for freedom, only to end up trapped at the threshold of spiritual practice, unable to make any progress.

But Yu Yan is different.

He had waited for sixty years, a full 21,900 days and nights, and now that he had finally gotten halfway in, how could he give up because of a bad reputation?

Self-respect, how much is self-respect worth? Can it be exchanged for immortality?

If you can't join a sect, joining a small cultivation family is a better option.

Moreover, this is just a transitional place for his cultivation. If he encounters a troublesome and insurmountable problem, Yu Yan will decisively run away.

He was mentally prepared.

"Everyone, time's up. Those who haven't reached the top, your second-round results are invalid. Now, leave."

A majestic voice rang out from the clouds, causing many of the young men and women still on Yingxin Road to turn pale.

"Immortal Master, I can still climb! Please, please let me continue!"

"Please, I was just momentarily confused and couldn't see through the illusion. Give me some more time, I can reach the top, please!"

"The women in my illusion are all my true loves. I only want to give them a home. Please, for my sake, give me another chance!"

……

On the steps, Yu Yan watched them kneel and beg, recounting their tragic pasts with sorrowful words.

Some of them were true, some were false, but they were unwilling to give up.

However, the path to immortality is not so trivial. No matter how tragic their background, pity will not descend. From beginning to end, all that awaits them is the distinction between immortals and mortals.

Above the clouds, thunder rumbled past.

"Enough with the noise! ​​Do you want to test the sharpness of my flying sword?"

Yu Yan covered his ears, the thunderous sound seemed to transform into a wave of sound that crashed onto them, shaking everyone uncontrollably.

He couldn't help but look up at the sky, his eyes filled with shock and longing.

This is what cultivators are like!

A reprimand spurred these mortals to fight back with all their might.

Now that he has spiritual roots, will he be able to do the same in the future?

In a moment, the sound subsided, and the area below the steps fell completely silent.

Unable to object or resist, those who were eliminated early could only retreat in despair, waiting for the immortal master to announce the results and accept their fate.

With all the tests over and the list of those who passed about to be announced, Yu Yan was still a little nervous even though he had prepared for the worst and was not selected.

Will I be selected by the Luoxia Sect?

Finally, after an agonizing wait, the clouds parted, and a sect elder dressed in a plain Taoist robe floated in mid-air. He waved his hand, revealing a golden scroll, and said slowly:

"Those whose names are called, please stand up."