My parents of this life looked at me with smiles. My mother mouthed, “Thank you.” My father said, “I’m proud of you.” The words were soundless, and yet they filled my heart with something steady. My stomach lurched. I had not expected to see them here; I had not allowed myself to imagine it.My hands lifted without thought and then lowered again, because reach would have turned into grasp, and grasp had no place in this moment. The line between the living and the dead was clear, held the way the Tree held, because that was what the world asked it to do.Feng Sha was the one to step forward. “You have done enough,” the Black Tortoise said, smiling. The corners of his mouth were turned up as he set his palm up, asking for mine.When I placed my hand on his, I felt the trace of the shell that wasn’t visible now, the firm, woven reinforcement that had protected others long before it protected him.“We shall help you.” His voice was certain and carried no doubt.The Divine Beasts held each

Being an alchemist in a mansion, retired, just experimenting… It totally rocked! Exactly like I’d assumed, which, duh.I woke when I wanted, brewed when I felt like it, and stopped the moment the room started to smell more of singed herbs than progress. It was an amazing lifestyle, satisfying and carefree by turns, hard enough to be a challenge and unrestricted enough to limit frustration to the bare minimum.Especially since I had Flee, Ash, Ren, Nyan to accompany me. Speaking of Nyan, that cat truly was something, disappearing whenever it wanted to and then randomly reappearing; I’d even learned it had saved two soldiers in the final battle, but I didn’t even know about it until months later!The mansion had more rooms than we needed and more corners than any sweeping schedule could truly handle, but it gave us space: a quiet library with a long table that held three pill furnaces in a row; a sunlit corridor where Ash preferred to nap, stretched across the warm tiles; a back courtya

"Where am I?" Jun Jie felt a severe headache and slowly opened his eyes. Looking around, he found himself in an extremely simple wooden hut. The next moment, countless memories rushed into Jun Jie's head, causing a greater headache, but also granting him a vast amount of information. "Heavenfall Mountains Range, Cultivators, this place is the Cultivation World!!" From the memories of this body, Jun Jie learned that he was currently in a small market named Heishan, established by the great Cultivation sect Nine Star Sect near the Heavenfall Mountains Range. In the Cultivation World, Cultivators' levels are divided into the Qi Refinement Realm, Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, Divinity Transformation Stage, Return to Void Stage, Transcendence Tribulation Stage, and the Mahayana Realm. After Mahayana, one could become an immortal. The original owner of this body, also named Jun Jie, was thirty-eight years old and had the lowest grade of Low-grad

In the Spirit Fields, Jun Jie stood under the scorching sun, circulating his blood and transforming his Inner Qi as he slowly executed the secret technique recorded in the "Crimson Sun Divine Skill." "Crimson Sun Divine Skill, First Level (1/100)." After completing a cycle of breath cultivation, Jun Jie was drenched in sweat. As he thought it, a line of information emerged: "Each cultivation session yields one point of proficiency, and one can cultivate twice a day! This means it would take fifty days to complete the first level of the Crimson Sun Divine Skill." "According to the author of the Crimson Sun Divine Skill, each level is more challenging than the last! Based on my cultivation speed, it would probably take about sixty years to cultivate the Crimson Sun Divine Skill to the Great Grandmaster Realm. That speed is only achievable cultivating above the Market's Spirit Vein. As for my Martial Talent, it really is quite ordinary!" Jun Jie looked at his cultivation progress and

A month later. Jun Jie stood on the open ground next to the Spirit Fields, executing the Light Body Phantom Step. His movements were agile, like a phantom; with a leap, he soared three zhang into the air and landed lightly on a large tree. With a flick of his wrist, a Flying Dagger shot out, embedding itself into another large tree ten zhang away. "I finally have some ability to protect myself!" Jun Jie leaped down from the tree with ease, and as he concentrated, a series of information appeared before him. "Martial Talent: Quite Outstanding (45/100)." "Tenth Level of the Earth Elemental Skill (15/100)." "Qinggong: Phantom Step (Expert level 19/100)." "Flying Daggers (Expert level 27/100)." "Clear Stream Sword Technique (Expert level 9/100)." "First Level of the Earth Elemental Skill (98/100)." Jun Jie's Martial Cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. With the fourfold blessings of Qi Blood Pills, his outstanding Martial Talent, the Spirit Vein, and Spirit Rice, it took