Chapter 17: The Mysterious Fate of Immortality

Walking out of the Fengxian Hall with Yu Qing, Su Che felt a mix of emotions. Passing the assessment and becoming an official outer disciple was certainly delightful, but it was also expected, so it wasn’t really a surprise. However, this time, the small tower in his mind had absorbed another extraterrestrial demon, which was truly puzzling.
“It eats both humans and demons—seems it has no preferences.” Su Che couldn’t help but wonder, “Why would the small tower do this? What benefit does it gain from it?”
Just guessing like this would surely not lead to an answer. Su Che knew that to truly enter the realm of immortals, he first needed to master some internal vision cultivation techniques to see the true nature of the small tower in his mind and understand what it was doing…
Noticing Su Che’s thoughtful expression, Yu Qing smiled inwardly. “This child is quite calm. Usually, when others pass the assessment, some cheer wildly, while others cry with joy. It’s rare to see someone so preoccupied.”
“Junior Su, aren’t you happy to have passed the assessment?” Yu Qing asked casually.
“Happy!” Su Che replied quickly. “Senior Yu Qing, I just think the process of officially joining the sect can’t be that hasty, right?”
“Of course not!” Yu Qing smiled proudly. “Our Tianxuan Sect, despite having over two hundred thousand outer disciples, doesn’t simply grant someone official status just by giving them an identity jade talisman. Next, you’ll have to follow me to Immortality Fate Peak.”
“Oh.” Su Che realized why now.
“Immortality Fate Peak is one of the ten main peaks in the Tianxuan Mountain Range and the closest to Xuanji City. Every new disciple must go there as their first step into the sect!”
Yu Qing waved his hand, summoning a flying sword, and declared, “The journey is long. I’ll take you there.”
The delicate flying sword, which was only a little over a foot long when taken out of its Qiankun bag, had grown into a giant sword over seven feet long and more than a foot wide by the time it hovered beside Yu Qing’s feet—almost like half a door panel. Of course, comparing it to a door panel was an insult. Its shape was exquisite, its color dazzling—its light blue blade was crystal clear, clearly a rare treasure.
“A magic weapon that can change size must be at least at the spirit artifact level!” Su Che’s eyes shone as he gazed at the sword with envy.
Su Che also had three flying swords in his three Qiankun bags, but they were all low-grade magic tools, usable only for attack. It was uncertain whether they could be used for flying.

Of course, though he felt envious, Su Che was well aware of his own level. Even if given a high-grade magic artifact that could fly on its own, he wouldn’t have enough true energy to activate it. His cultivation level was too low—there was nothing much to say about it. The two boarded the flying sword one after another. Su Che stood behind Yu Qing, who sent out a wisp of true energy with a flick of his finger, firmly securing Su Che to the sword. “Go!” The flying sword soared into the air at incredible speed. Su Che was firmly held in place, so he didn’t need to balance himself. “Thank you, senior brother.” Basic courtesy couldn’t be forgotten. Yu Qing nodded slightly. With the howling winds high in the sky, and since Su Che hadn’t yet mastered skills like telepathy, it wasn’t convenient for them to chat. “Senior brother Yu Qing is truly a rare kind-hearted person in the cultivation world. Surely, he must also be very popular in the Tianxuan Sect…” Taking this opportunity, Su Che searched his memories and found no one else like Yu Qing. It might not be the case that everyone in the cultivation world was heartless, but at least a person’s original compassion would gradually turn numb due to the extremely cruel competitive environment, and this transformation usually happened very quickly. One could only say that not deliberately harming others was already considered being a good person! In the blink of an eye, the two flew over the vast plain outside Xuanji City and entered the protective array of the Tianxuan Sect. The flying sword beneath Yu Qing immediately left behind a long trail of light. The light was deep blue. Su Che guessed that this color was related to Yu Qing’s true energy attribute—likely water or ice. “If it’s ice, then it’s really impressive,” Su Che thought to himself, sincerely hoping that this senior brother Yu Qing would become even more powerful… Xianyuan Peak was indeed not far away. After entering the protective array, they arrived at the foot of the peak in less than fifteen minutes. From afar, they saw a huge mountain. Yu Qing steered the flying sword upward, climbing higher and higher. After a long flight, they finally reached the summit. Only then, after seeing this enormous mountain with his own eyes, did Su Che understand what it meant to be one of the ten major peaks. The height of the entire mountain was unknown—possibly tens of thousands of feet—too high for Su Che to estimate. Below halfway up, it was completely obscured by thick clouds, making it invisible. Just the upper half was already an unimaginably massive structure.

On the bluish-green mountains, countless buildings and caves were scattered everywhere. The very top of the mountain had been leveled off, with magnificent palaces built on it. Between these palaces were various gardens, courtyards, or extremely spacious squares.
Su Che could only roughly estimate that the area occupied by these buildings alone on the mountain top was hardly smaller than that of an entire city.
It was too huge! Absolutely astonishing!
Those who had never been here could hardly imagine that just the leveled-off summit covered such a large area. So, how big could the entire Xianyuan Peak be?
This was the grandeur of the Ten Major Peaks!
“A single person is truly insignificant.”
That was Su Che’s true feeling at that moment—he felt himself, such a minor figure, to be utterly insignificant…
Before descending, Yu Qing said solemnly, “Junior Su, with your current cultivation level, if I hadn’t guided you up, it would take you at least a day and night to climb to the summit on your own.”
A day and night!
Although those at the first level of Qi Cultivation were the lowest in the ranks of cultivators, they could still move as swiftly as a galloping horse when climbing mountains. Yet even so, it took them a whole day to conquer such a large mountain.
Other than being in awe, Su Che really didn’t know what else to say.
“We’re going down!”
Yu Qing rode his sword downward and landed at the edge of the mountain top, reminding him, “Remember, even if you can fly in the future, you must not fly straight over the Ten Major Peaks. You need to lower your altitude and fly around them… If you want to land, we disciples must not land directly in the buildings on the summit either. We should land at the edges and walk over.”
“I remember. Thank you, senior brother, for your guidance.” Su Che listened carefully, making sure to remember these rules and taboos.
Yu Qing smiled slightly and said, “If you decide to join my Xuanji Peak, then in the future, I will not only be your senior brother but also half of your teacher.”
“Oh?”
Su Che was slightly stunned, not quite understanding these words.
“You’ll understand soon.” Yu Qing pointed to the large palace ahead, “That is the Xianyuan Hall of our Xuanji Peak.”
Earlier in the air, Su Che had already seen that among the palace complexes on the mountain top, this large hall was the largest in scale, with a few others of similar size. The other palaces were much smaller in height and span.
This clearly showed that these palaces also had hierarchical distinctions.

To enter this magnificent hall before us, one must first cross a square spanning hundreds of zhang, as the two of them walked while talking.
Yu Qing explained, “I have over two hundred thousand outer disciples in total. Among them, less than one-third are fortunate enough to be assigned to the ten main peaks to receive the teachings of the immortal path. Only by joining these ten main peaks can they have the chance to advance further and become inner disciples.”
While listening to Yu Qing, Su Che saw, in the square in front of the hall, thousands of outer disciples sitting in neat rows, seemingly practicing together, yet not quite.
Yu Qing clarified, “These disciples sitting here are those who wish to join my Xuanji Peak as outer disciples. Usually, they like to practice here, aiming to showcase their overall abilities and hoping to be selected and admitted by the attendants of Xuanji Peak. In other words, whenever they have time, they come here, waiting for their own chance to become immortals.”
Su Che nodded gently, thinking, “I never expected that these outwardly arrogant outer disciples in Xuanji City also need to wait so devoutly for opportunities inside the actual mountain gates. In fact, they’re no different from those self-studying disciples in Xuanji City who long to enter…”
Yu Qing added, “Xuanji Peak is also one of the ten main peaks. With my recommendation as an inner disciple, it shouldn’t be a problem for you to join Xuanji Peak… So, do you have any other choices?”
“How could I?” Su Che replied seriously, “To be favored by you, my senior, is already my fate as an immortal. How could I have any other thoughts?”
Su Che wasn’t foolish—he would never give up such a rare opportunity. The outer disciples sitting on the ground before him were the clearest example; throughout the Tianxuan Sect, there were still over a hundred thousand outer disciples waiting to join the ten main peaks. The fact that he could easily join Xuanji Peak was a gift from Yu Qing.
This kindness must be remembered dearly—how could he disappoint such generosity!
“Very well,” Yu Qing nodded. “I’ll decide to admit you to Xuanji Peak.”