My Simulated Road to Immortality

Sun Zhang glanced at Su Changyu, patiently explaining, “If a mortal wishes to cultivate, they must first eliminate the miasma within their bodies. Those of you returning from the exile, the concentration of miasma in your bodies far surpasses that of ordinary people. Therefore, without eliminating the miasma within you, cultivation would be impossible.”

With furrowed brows, Su Changyu said, “This, we have long known about. But how can we get rid of the miasma?

Sun Zhang replied, “There are several ways to rid of miasma. One is the Spirit Cleansing Pond on the island. By soaking in the pond for a day and night, you can completely remove the miasma from your body. However, the materials needed to open the Spirit Pond are surprisingly abundant. Despite the wealth on Liuli Island, we can only open it once every three years. If memory serves me right, the last opening was a year ago. This means we will have to wait almost two more years for the Spirit Pond to reopen.”

“Furthermore, the quota for entering the Spirit Pond is limited, and the competition is fierce. You outsiders with no roots here, how can you possibly compete with the islanders?” Sun Zhang concluded shaking his head.

“What about the other methods?” asked Su Changyu, continuing the conversation.

“The second method is the practice of ‘The Mysterious Yellow Heart-Purifying Mantra’, which if combined with specific medicines and a particular diet, can gradually change one’s constitution, and completely purify the miasma within the body. Although this method takes longer, often requiring five to six years of effort, its advantage lies in its stability. No special price needs to be paid. ‘The Mysterious Yellow Heart-Purifying Mantra’ and its corresponding elixirs can be purchased in the island’s pharmacy.”

“Five to six years…” Su Changyu mumbled, still not convinced, he asked, “Any other way?

“The third method is to become a test subject.” Sun Zhang’s face changed upon mentioning this, seemingly with a fear difficult to suppress. Regardless, he answered Su Changyu’s question.

“Test subject?” Su Changyu looked confused.

“Indeed. Some Immortal Teachers are very interested in the miasma within our mortal bodies. Every year, they would select volunteers from the island’s mortal population to serve as test subjects. The Immortal Teachers would use special methods to continuously extract the miasma from the test subjects for research. In merely a few months, the miasma in the test subject’s body would be cleanly drained.”

Sun Zhang’s face went pale as he continued, “However, the process is extremely painful. Death is an escape that cannot be sought, while life is unbearable to live. Most people cannot withstand until the moment the miasma is completely drained from their bodies, often driven insane by the torment.”

“I don’t recommend you to use this method. It simply is not something an ordinary person can endure.”

It wasn’t clear whether Su Changyu heeded Sun Zhang’s advice or not. He fell silent for a moment before asking again, “Is there no other way?”

Sun Zhang shook his head, “It is said that the direct descendants of the Immortal Teachers can reshape their bodies with the help of rare and precious treasures. Not only will they no longer have to deal with the miasma, but it will also enhance their talent for cultivation. However, this method is beyond our means. Even our master of Liuli Island does not enjoy such a luxury.”

“That’s all I know. If you truly wish to cultivate, you should give it some thought in the days to come.”

Seeing Su Changyu’s dejected expression, Sun Zhang couldn’t help but console, “I know you have endured much hardship and pain in returning from the exiled lands, and you possess a heart pursuing the Immortal Way. Reminiscent of each one of us, aren’t we?”

“Regretfully, the pursuit of the Immortal Way is challenging. Even if you can rid yourself of the miasma, only a few can sense the Heavenly and Earthly

Spiritual Energy and draw the energy into their bodies. Why add extra worries? There’s nothing bad about being a mortal.” While Sun Zhang appeared to comfort Su Changyu, it seemed as though he was also soothing himself.

“Bathing in the unobservable nourishment of the Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Energy, even if you cannot cultivate, you can live far longer than in the exiled lands. It would not be in vain that your families paid great prices to get you out.”

“Rather than desperately chasing the Immortal Way, why not enjoy life and live in the present moment?”

Having finished his discourse, Sun Zhang took his leave.

The crowd in the room had various reactions. Some looked pleased with themselves, resonating with Sun Zhang’s words, as if they had found an excuse to indulge themselves; some could not accept the difficulty of cultivation and broke down in tears; others wore worried expressions, unsure of what to do…

Yet, only Su Changyu had a determined look, seemingly firm on a particular decision.

Observing the reactions of the voters, Li Fan couldn’t help feeling a sense of wonder at the diversity of life, where everyone’s choice determined their different destinies.

Not wanting to meddle in other’s business, Li Fan slipped away quietly while the others were still in shock.

After making inquiries, he found the place on the island where free residences were offered.

Li Fan presented his Spirit Symbol and was subsequently led by a staff member into the residential area in the northern part of Liuli Island.

Innumerable houses were densely packed here. Some were empty while others were already occupied.

Most of the houses consisted of only one room, but a small yard separated by the walls made them not appear too shabby.

“This is it, number seven of the sixth row.” The man passed the keys to Li Fan, impatiently, before hurrying away.

Li Fan opened the courtyard gate, walked in, and casually locked it behind him.

The dwelling was rather simplistic, containing only a bed and a few tables and chairs. It was a lifestyle that Li Fan was not accustomed to.

Nonetheless, he didn’t care about these superficial aspects. After a brief tidying up, Li Fan settled down to contemplate his future plans.

“I started off pretty well. Ease set in without much effort, thanks to those off-world travel individuals. Unfortunately, all of them, except for Su

Changyu, seem to be quite ordinary. They lack the aspiration for the Immortal

Way and are unlikely to amount to anything.”

“This place may be a bit simple, but at least it’s secure. I’ve already made inquiries, Liuli Island is protected by an Immortal Teacher. There hasn’t been any trouble caused by reckless individuals for a long time.”

“The top priority now is to remove the Poisonous Miasma inside me. Even though obtaining a spot in the Spirit Cleansing Pond is precious, the numerous treasures I collected from the Tai Yan Boat should be more than sufficient to secure a spot. The downside is that it’s too high profile. As the saying goes, wealth should not be exposed. As an outsider without any connections, revealing such wealth all at once would attract unwanted attention. I need to strategize carefully.”

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted Li Fan’s contemplation.

“Who’s there?” Li Fan immediately became alert.

“It’s me.” The voice was low and somewhat familiar.

Without betraying his emotions, Li Fan took out the Tai Yan Boat and removed a dagger from it, hiding it up his sleeve.

Cracking the door open slightly, Li Fan was able to make out the person’s appearance.

It was the fat man who had tried to strike up a conversation with him earlier.

Li Fan quickly decided to close the door.

“Wait…” The fat young man hastily blocked the door with his hand and whispered, “You’re not from our group, are you?” “What?” Li Fan was taken aback.

Taking advantage of the pause, the fat man squeezed in.

He peered at Li Fan and said with malice, “Who are you exactly, and what purpose do you have by sneaking into Liuli Island?”

“How do you know I’m not one of you?” Li Fan asked in return.

The fat man looked disdainfully at him, “When we were stranded in the sea, I saw your sneaky figure. At first, I thought it was an illusion, but your behavior last night made me suspicious, so I kept an eye on you. When I saw you hastily searching for a residence, I decided to follow and test you.”

“As expected, you exposed yourself the moment I put you to the test.” The fat man looked quite pleased.

“It seems you are clever and observant.” Li Fan nodded slightly.

“Of course. I can’t believe that none of those idiots noticed an outsider among us.”

“So, no one other than you noticed this?” Li Fan asked. “Of course! How can those idiots compare to me…”

His words ended abruptly.

The reason was a sharp dagger, already embedded in his chest.