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

This Qianmen Mountain is much wider and higher than Qijing Mountain.

Even at Yu Yan's pace, it took him an entire day to climb before he finally approached the summit at dusk.

The last rays of the setting sun were swallowed by the mountain peaks, and mist rose unnoticed from the valley floor. The fir and pine needles filtered the moonlight into shattered silver, creating a unique scene in the mountains.

"We're almost at the top of the mountain, and we haven't seen a single person."

Yu Yan stopped in his tracks, a question swirling in his mind.

Could it be that I, like Old Man Zhang, am without any affinity for immortality?

Don't joke around. Although his spiritual root is not good, he is still not without the potential to become an immortal.

After all, Yu Yan has already reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.

His divine sense, twice as strong as in his previous life, spread out and penetrated deep into the jungle, where he discovered the strangeness of the place.

All the birds and beasts in the mountains were gone, leaving only moss-covered boulders and endless forests.

It's really strange; even divine sense can't detect anything.

"Are you here to seek immortality?"

A slightly immature voice suddenly rang out behind him. Yu Yan turned around abruptly and saw a boy who was not yet tall enough.

Although he was said to be a young man, he was also excessively handsome, with his long hair tied into two buns on top of his head, and holding a whisk in his hand, which looked somewhat incongruous.

"Strange, when did this guy arrive? I didn't even detect him with my divine sense."

Yu Yan frowned slightly and probed with his divine sense again, but there was no trace of the Daoist boy.

Only those with the naked eye can see this spirited young man, but even if they see him, they cannot sense his cultivation level.

He couldn't tell whether the other had cultivated a special concealment technique or possessed strength far exceeding Yu Yan's.

Seeing that Yu Yan was just staring at him without speaking, the young Taoist asked again, "Have you come here to seek immortality?"

Yu Yan suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and cupped his hands, saying:

"Exactly."

"Then come with me."

The young Taoist nodded, said nothing more, and turned to walk into the depths of the thick fog.

His steps were light, and he landed silently, making it seem as if he were flying close to the ground.

Yu Yan followed obediently behind, without using any magic, relying on his own two feet to travel, deliberately lagging behind a distance, watching the Taoist boy leap and frolic in the mountains and forests, but always pausing for a moment after a while.

"The appointed time for today's extradition has already passed, and the mountain gates are closed. However..."

The young Taoist priest walked ahead and spoke, turning half of his face to the side, the moonlight illuminating his excessively refined profile.

He was clearly just a young boy, but his tone was incredibly mature.

"Seeing that your attitude is quite sincere, I'll make an exception and take you this time. Keep up, and don't look around, or no one will look for you if you get lost."

Yu Yan said "Thank you, young Taoist" and quickly followed, but he felt increasingly strange.

Sincere attitude?

He merely answered "that's right," so how can it be said that he was "sincere"?

What about spiritual roots? What about temperament?

Can one directly join a sect of immortals without considering qualifications?

This entrance test, or this determination of "fate to the immortals," is far too frivolous.

Is it that the master of this mountain gate possesses immense supernatural powers that allow people to cultivate immortality regardless of their natural talents, or is it...?

Yu Yan's mind raced, and he deliberately feigned being out of breath, asking:

"Young Daoist, what are the requirements for becoming an immortal? Can everyone who comes up the mountain seeking immortality become an immortal?"

"How is that possible?"

The young Taoist priest walking in front immediately answered.

"Seeking immortality and enlightenment requires sincerity, but whether one can endure the hardships of cultivating in the mountains is another matter."

"The path to immortality is arduous. Cultivation on Qianmen Mountain is far beyond what ordinary people can endure. Many people ultimately fail to persevere, suffer from qi deviation, and fail at the last hurdle."

As he spoke, the young Taoist stopped and turned to look at Yu Yan, who was panting heavily.

"However, judging from your extraordinary appearance and the calm aura at your Shaoyang acupoint, you must be a person of strong will and should be able to persevere."

"After becoming an immortal, one will have countless riches in the mortal world, and can obtain anything."

That's a really big promise.

However, Yu Yan estimated that the immortality he mentioned was just entering the Dao, barely stepping into the first level of Qi Refining. Wasn't all this just to lure people up the mountain?

The more I look at it, the less reliable it seems.

On the surface, he appeared completely encouraged, patting his chest excitedly and trying to catch his breath.

"I knew it all along. I met an old Taoist priest at a restaurant before, and he said I had a natural talent for cultivating immortality, and that I could definitely persevere!"

Seeing Yu Yan's excitement, which seemed to have been injected with adrenaline, the Daoist boy's originally expressionless face showed a slight smile.

He glanced at the bundle behind Yu Yan, his eyes darting around, and continued walking.

"Keep up. If I didn't see your talent, why would I be telling you all this and deliberately letting you rest for a while?"

Thank you so much.

Yu Yan took in all of the other party's subtle movements, thanked them, and chased after them again.

The two walked one after the other through the increasingly thick mountain fog.

The young Taoist seemed to walk casually, but the path beneath his feet was winding and difficult to discern, sometimes stepping over slippery mossy stones, and sometimes passing through seemingly pathless gaps in the dense forest.

Yu Yan focused intently on memorizing the route, but initially found that the surrounding scenery was somewhat blurry and distorted due to the fog and some inexplicable interference, making it difficult to form an accurate memory of the location.

However, everything returned to normal after the divine sense probed out.

He had memorized the entire route the two of them had taken.

This must be some kind of formation or array; it can only be entered by following a specific route.

Looking at it this way, cultivating immortality seems to make some sense again.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the view ahead finally opened up.

The mist mysteriously parted to the sides, revealing an ancient Taoist temple.

The gate is not grand; in fact, it is somewhat old.

A plaque hangs above the doorway, bearing three large ancient seal characters.

Yu Yan examined it and it appeared to be the three characters "Qingwei Temple".

The temple's facade is poorly maintained; the three-character plaque is in such a state. It's truly unreliable in every way.

He really wanted to see how they preached here.

The door was ajar, and a warm, orange light shone from inside, clashing with the cool moonlight in the mountains. The two seemed incompatible and extremely discordant.

"arrive."

The young Taoist stopped in front of the door, turned around, and his gaze first swept over Yu Yan's body before finally landing on the bundle on his back. The "immortal aura" he had been trying to maintain on his face faded a bit, replaced by a more worldly scrutiny.

"To enter my Pure and Subtle Observatory and seek the path to immortality, the first priority is sincerity. One must sever worldly ties and cast aside external attachments."

He cleared his throat, trying to make his childish voice sound solemn and dignified.

"Gold and silver, in particular, are the accumulation of worldly impurities, which are most likely to defile the mind of the Way and hinder spiritual practice."

"If you have any such worldly items in your baggage, hand them over to me here. The temple will keep them for you. Once your faith in the Dao is firm, you will return them."

"This is also a rule of the temple, to prevent newly initiated disciples from being tempted by external things and ruining their cultivation."

Oh, so that's where they were waiting.

It seems this Taoist temple isn't a proper immortal sect; they even accept worldly gold and silver. Spirit stones are probably rare treasures in their eyes.

I thought this trip would be fruitful, but it seems the chances are slim.

Despite saying that, Yu Yan also wanted to see if there was anything real in this Taoist temple, so he continued the performance.

His face showed a hint of difficulty and struggle as he hesitated before untying his bundle, muttering to himself:

"This... young Taoist, this is all my belongings, I'll need it on the journey..."

Yu Yan looked aggrieved, but inwardly he was somewhat smug.

His acting skills are truly unmatched.

The young Taoist disciple could easily handle it.