Chapter 1: I Want to Cultivate Immortality (Please Recommend and Add to Favorites)

Opening his eyes, Wang Liang glanced around and discovered that he was not in his newly acquired residence, nor in his former abode in Chang’an. The scene before him was that of a roadside inn.

He lay half-reclined on a bed, dressed in a brown short robe, his head resting upon a celadon pillow.

In front of his bed sat an elderly man, tall and robust, his beard mottled with white. He wore ordinary clothes, stained with traces of wine and oil, yet upon closer inspection, he emanated a youthful vigor.

Though he bore no weapons, a pure and righteous sword aura was hidden within him, especially in his eyes, which seemed to pierce through all things.

Seeing Wang Liang awaken, the elder appeared somewhat puzzled, but nonetheless uttered, “The glory one experiences in life is merely so.”

Wang Liang regarded the old man with confusion, then after a moment slowly asked, “Master Lü? Where am I...?”

Wang Liang’s reaction took Master Lü by surprise; he sized Wang Liang up and down, then said, “So that’s why things aren’t following the usual pattern—now it makes sense.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Liang couldn’t help but ask, “Master Lü, what is happening? What’s wrong with me?”

“You awoke too soon. Not to mention whether the millet is cooked—over there, the proprietor hasn’t even put the grains in the pot yet.”

Wang Liang looked toward the innkeeper and saw him washing rice. Suddenly something occurred to him, and he pressed his fingers to his brow, asking,

“What was supposed to happen to me at the end?”

“To experience glory and loss, and finally to die amid the rising fortunes of your clan; from it, to comprehend the favor and humiliation of life, the fortunes and misfortunes of fate, the logic of gain and loss, the meaning of death and life. In the end, you realize that whether rich or poor, noble or humble, the outcome is the same.”

Wang Liang recalled his own experiences. “So, my demotion and capture were merely parts of the ebb within the cycle of rise and fall. But why have I awakened early? And why did you come to enlighten me?”

“How should I know why you woke up early? Wait, no, I think I see something now.”

Master Lü seemed to notice something unusual about Wang Liang, gazing intently at him. A flicker of intrigue and excitement flashed across his eyes.

“So that’s it. You’ve had quite the fortune. Even I didn’t realize it at first—you’ve embarked upon the path of immortality within your dream. It seems my task here has come to an end.”

Task? What task?

Before Wang Liang could react, Master Lü raised his hand, pressing his thumb against Wang Liang’s brow.

Wang Liang felt a surge of warmth flow from Master Lü’s thumb into his brow; his vision darkened as if his head was about to explode.

In his haze, he seemed to see an old man speaking to him.

Yet when he tried to listen closely, it was as though he could hear nothing. Only fragments of sentences drifted to him:

“Yang, you are my own nephew... you lack the talent for the mysterious arts...”

“I am leaving; this is the golden pill I leave for you. If you take it, though you may not ascend, you can live forever...”

“The path of immortality is not for you. In the next nine lives, you are fated never to become immortal. Do you truly wish to pursue this path?”

“The road is yours to choose. Set out upon it...”

“...”

These words stirred Wang Liang’s heart. He pressed his hand to his chest, feeling its powerful beats. In the end, all was distilled into a single sentence.

“I want to cultivate immortality!”

No sooner had Wang Liang spoken this than something seemed to explode in his mind, flooding it with countless scriptures.

The “Scripture of Supreme Response,” the “Classic of Virtue,” the “Yellow Court Scripture,” and other texts and insights appeared, as well as cultivation methods like the “Ninefold Golden Pill Manual” and the “Innate Qi Practice.” Ultimately, all merged into one book.

Wang Liang tried to discern its title, but the book rapidly multiplied and thickened, becoming thousands upon thousands of volumes.

All bore a single name:

“The Supreme Mystery Canon”

As Wang Liang tried to investigate further, the name spun round and transformed into another: “The Dao Compendium.”

Now Wang Liang was speechless; he hadn’t expected things to escalate so dramatically.

He only wished to cultivate immortality—why was he suddenly presented with a tome called the “Dao Compendium,” the “Supreme Mystery Canon”?

As Wang Liang struggled to make sense of things, a series of ringing sounds echoed at his ear.

[Supreme Mystery Canon (Grade One, max level 120)]

[Description: Composed of the “Classic of Virtue” by Laozi, the “Sublime Truth Canon” by Laozi... the “Five Kitchens Canon” by the Supreme Lord Lao, the “Nine Essentials Heart Seal Sublime Canon” by the Supreme Lord, and other scriptures. It is the principal canon among the Supreme Mystery section of Daoist texts listed in the “Catalogue of Daoist Scriptures.”]

[Note: To study this book, a deep understanding of the Daoist Canon, Daoist Scriptures, and Dao Compendium is required. The choice of scriptures will influence future progress.]

[Would you like to study the “Supreme Mystery Canon” (Dao Compendium direction)?]

Grade One? Max level 120?

Gazing at these prompts, and at the multitude of scriptures combined to form the “Supreme Mystery Canon,” Wang Liang swallowed hard. He had never imagined acquiring such a thing.

Was there even a choice to be made?

Without a moment’s hesitation, Wang Liang chose to begin studying.

Unlike learning the “Innate Heaven-Earth Practice,” however, this time he had no prior knowledge in the Dao Compendium direction; everything had to be learned from the very basics.

Moreover, this was something he could use up to level 120—the contents were vast and profound, and Wang Liang had much to study before mastering it.

Slowly opening his eyes, Wang Liang saw Master Lü inspecting the pillow, flipping it back and forth. When Master Lü noticed Wang Liang watching, he awkwardly set the pillow down.

Then, realizing something was amiss—after all, the pillow belonged to him—Master Lü casually collected it and said to Wang Liang, “Well, what have you learned?”

“The ‘Supreme Mystery Canon’—I can’t quite make sense of it yet.”

“That’s as it should be. Sit down, and I’ll explain to you my own understanding of the ‘Supreme Mystery Canon.’ Don’t look at me like that; I was trained in this tradition. Later, I gained my own insights and followed the path of pure yang.

Your future journey I may not be able to guide, but I can certainly help you get started.”

Wang Liang, hearing that someone would guide him, naturally stood up to express his gratitude.

But Master Lü interjected, “Let me be clear: I will only set you upon the path. Everything thereafter is none of my concern. Don’t call yourself my disciple or anything—I won’t accept that...”