Chapter 1: The Tenth Year of Undercover in the Immortal Sect
Fairy cranes fly leisurely and hover over the blue cloud mountains.
The main peak of Qingyun Mountain is steep and dangerous, with cliffs standing like fish scales, extending upward layer by layer until it reaches the top that soars into the sky.
Looking from afar, the entire mountain ridge is connected to form a giant dragon with layers of coils lying on the ridge. Disciple courtyards are carved in the dragon-shaped ridge, and all the outer disciples of Qingyun Sect are in them. They practice Taoism, learn the law, and ask questions here. As their cultivation level improves, their residences are gradually moved closer to the dragon head, until they reach the Qingyun Sect Hall on the dragon head and become disciples of the inner sect.
An ordinary outer sect disciple who originally lived at the dragon's tail, relied on his own efforts to rise from the dragon's tail to the dragon's waist, and then to the dragon's head, and then entered the main hall, worshipped the inner sect, and achieved great success... Just thinking about it makes one's blood boil.
Every year, countless people come here for this road to the dragon's head, and Nanwang was one of them.
Ten years ago, Nanwang, like many others, had dreamed of becoming a successful person overnight.
Ten years later, Nanwang was the only one awake while everyone else was drunk, and he saw through the truth behind the beautiful dream.
It’s fake, all fake.
Whether it's the Panlong Ridge, the Road to the Dragon, or the towering palace—
These are all baits to trick people into working for free!
Nan Wang got up from bed early in the morning to clean the stairs. He looked at the gray sky above his head and sighed sadly for the umpteenth time.
There are 3,000 steps on Panlong Ridge. A day's chores are considered complete only if every step is kept clean and dust-free.
Nanwang has been doing this kind of hard labor that seems to have no meaning for ten years.
Working from early morning to dusk every day, with one day off a week, and the worst thing is, there is no pay!
No wages!!!
The monthly salary in Qingyun Sect is paid according to one's cultivation and contribution. As long as one becomes an outer disciple, one can receive it on a monthly basis.
However, the minimum level of cultivation required to become an outer disciple is the fifth level of body refining.
Nanwang practiced hard for ten years, but could only break through to the third level of body refining.
A disciple with only the third level of physical training is not qualified to enter the outer sect and can only stay in the sect as a menial disciple. He or she must use the worst mental methods to train the body on a daily basis and be responsible for the dirtiest and most tiring work with no monthly salary. When he or she reaches adulthood, he or she will be expelled from the sect because of his or her age and lack of talent, and will completely lose the qualifications to seek the truth and immortality.
After working for ten years, I gained nothing and was kicked out when I got older.
This is the cruel truth buried beneath this road to success.
"Nanwang! Nanwang!"
The shrill, unpleasant voice of the errand boy came from far away, very recognizable.
"Disciple is here!"
Nan Wang wiped the sweat from his forehead, put away the broom in his hand with a swift movement, and responded crisply.
He was born with a good appearance, bright eyes, white teeth, a high nose bridge, and long, thick black hair tied behind his head. After the refining, his skin was not afraid of the sunlight and was as white as frost. His every move showed the agility of a young man and the elegance of a gentleman. Even when wearing the rough outer garment of a menial disciple, he was as eye-catching as a pearl covered with dust.
It’s a pity that this is the Qingyun Sect where strength is respected. No matter how handsome Nanwang, who is at the third level of body refining, is, no one will look at him kindly.
"Why do you smell like dirt? You must have been working in the fields again. You just don't listen to me and do useless work all day long."
The steward covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief in his hand with disgust from a distance. His posture was so artificial and his movements were so pretentious that he looked more like a eunuch who had lost his power in the mortal palace than a cultivator.
“…”
Nan Wang pursed his lips, let his hands hang by his side, and said nothing.
On days when he didn't have a scheduled day off, or when he finished work early, he would indeed go to work in the fields.
Farming was not the disciples' job, but Nanwang looked at the large tracts of abandoned fields overgrown with weeds at the foot of the mountain and felt it was a pity to leave them idle, so he secretly planted vegetables and fruits that the other disciples of the mountain sect disdained, so that he could have a small stove for himself and satisfy his hunger in the harvest season.
However, although Nanwang did often run to the fields, he paid great attention to personal hygiene and would bathe and change clothes every day. There was not even any smell of sweat on his body, let alone any smell of earth.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the person in charge is deliberately looking for trouble and taking advantage of someone who has nothing to lose.
The steward came closer and saw that Nanwang had a strange look on his face. He asked in surprise, "Why, you are not happy after this senior brother gave you some advice?"
"How could that be? Senior brother, your advice is invaluable. I was just savoring the truth in it and was lost in thought for a moment!"
Nan Wang grinned and spoke respectfully.
If you mess with him, you're like messing with cotton.
A disciple like him with such low cultivation level could be scolded for any reason. Not to mention the already mean and sarcastic steward, even the sect's dogs could bully him.
The steward nodded with satisfaction, revealing a smile as bright as a sunflower: "Put down the broom, you have a day off today, let your senior brother Wang take over your shift."
"Oh? Why... why is this?"
Nanwang did not agree immediately.
He understood very well that if someone is diligent without any reason, he is either a traitor or a thief.
But... no matter what bad intentions the manager has, he probably doesn't have the right to refuse.
People's words are insignificant and one's body is like a floating duckweed. In the Qingyun Sect, those who have low cultivation and no backing will suffer the same fate as him.
"There is a problem with the outer disciples on duty in the main hall. We need a few people to take over. It won't take long, just three days. Brother, I specially reserved this opportunity for you."
The steward's small, slender eyes rolled around, and a joking look kept flowing over Nanwang:
"This is a lucrative job. If you seize the opportunity, you might be noticed by the inner sect elders and rise to the top. Otherwise... I remember that you have reached the age of adulthood since last month. If you do not reach the fifth level of body refinement at the age of adulthood, you should be expelled from the sect according to the rules... I have given you a chance, so please do not be ignorant of what is good for you."
"Thank you for your cultivation, Senior Brother. I will never forget your kindness."
Nan Wang gritted his teeth and accepted what the errand manager called a "fat job".
Fat difference?
Haha, it’s just a joke.
He had heard a long time ago that things had been extremely turbulent in the sect recently, with Great Elder Jianfeng's spiritual energy frequently losing control, which had indirectly caused several outer disciples on duty in the main hall to suffer damage to their Taoism and a sharp drop in their cultivation. Some of the worst-case scenarios had even completely eliminated their chances of becoming immortals, and they didn't know where to turn to appeal for justice.
After this happened, the outer disciples were in a panic. The disciples who were originally on duty in the main hall found all kinds of excuses to ask for leave, so the miscellaneous disciples were needed to take over the shift.
The steward specifically gave him this "fat job" with the intention of making him leave the sect in the most unsightly way possible.
Nanwang, who had been unable to break through the fifth level of body refining after coming of age, had long been prepared to leave Qingyun Sect, but he had never expected to have to endure such an experience before leaving.
He has worked for nothing for ten years and has not received a penny of wages, which is fine, but now it has come to the last moment, can't you give him some face?
In addition to being angry, Nan Wang thought to himself as if to comfort himself: It is said that fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. Maybe if his spiritual heart is broken, he will return to his original world?
Yes, the original world.
Nanwang is not from this world at all.
His soul belongs to the Earth of the 21st century. He is a time traveler.
His time travel is not just an ordinary time travel, but the most popular soul travel in a book.
This world is a novel about cultivating immortals that he had always loved, The Return of the Dragon Lord (IV). The author had been updating the book for over half a year, and he had also been following the book for over half a year, waiting for updates on time every day, and never holding back when it came to rewarding the book. He knew every plot development, every character's fate, and every method of obtaining every rare treasure in the book.
When he first arrived, Nanwang felt that he had an innate advantage and would be able to achieve great things.
Unfortunately, no matter how ambitious I was, they were all worn away in these ten years.
When it comes to cultivating immortals, resources are the first thing to look at, and talent is the second.
If you get one of the two, your future will be worry-free.
Nanwang is good, he has nothing at all.
The original owner of the body that Nan Wang traveled to was an orphan. Both his parents had passed away. He was alone, extremely poor, and had no resources at all.
Not to mention talent. Others can achieve enlightenment after three days of body training, but Nanwang took half a year. Others can achieve perfection after five years of body training, but Nanwang spent a full ten years without success.
So...what's the point of knowing the plot?
With Nan Wang's level of cultivation, any cannon fodder in a book could beat him, and the natural treasures in the secret realm had nothing to do with him, because the lowest level of cultivation required to enter the secret realm was Qi refining.
Qi refining, this term that is used as an entry-level and fundamental term in many novels about cultivating immortals, is as far away and unattainable as a cliff to Nanwang.