Cultivating Immortality in Two Realms

Chapter 2 Daosheng

"run!"

Without saying a word, Fang Qing turned and ran.

When individuals lack extraordinary power, the distinction between strong and weak is quite obvious: the thin cannot defeat the strong, the unarmed cannot defeat the armed, and one person cannot defeat a group of people.

Moreover, he knows his own limitations.

In my past life, I was just a weakling who had never learned any fighting skills. Who do I think I can mess with?

After running for a while, Fang Qing sadly realized that the pursuers seemed to be getting closer and closer.

"Damn, my body is too weak."

"Damn it, help me..."

"Did Uncle bring me here specifically to take a bullet for him?"

Fang Qing felt that he was going to die here today.

"As expected... even if a loser transmigrates, he's still a loser."

He felt bitter inside. Suddenly, he tripped, his vision went black, and he fell into a roadside ditch.

"I'm really going to die this time..."

As he heard the increasingly loud shouts, Fang Qing felt a wave of despair. Just then, he suddenly sensed a bead in his mind.

"This...this is..."

A thought struck him, and his figure vanished instantly.

A moment later, a group of fierce-looking men caught up, carrying spears and other weapons, and shining torches wildly: "Where are they? Where did they go?"

……

Splash!

The sun hung high in the sky, and the wind carried a faint, fishy smell.

The sea stretched to the horizon, while Fang Qing remained floating on the surface with his hands tightly pressed against his trouser legs and his head tilted back, not daring to move an inch.

Yes, he can't swim...

He was nearly scared to death when he suddenly appeared in the sea.

Luckily, I remembered the self-rescue guide I had read about falling into the water. By keeping my posture still, I could keep my nose floating on the surface of the sea and avoid drowning immediately.

Since he wouldn't drown anytime soon, Fang Qing wasn't in a hurry and decided to lie down and study his cheat system first.

He closed his eyes and saw a strange bead.

The bead is a chaotic color, radiating light from all sides, and surrounded by a misty haze, giving one a sense of the opening of the universe and galaxies.

The inside of the bead is neither clear nor cloudy, as if it has a doorway.

"The Dao gives birth to the Pearl?"

A message arrived, informing Fang Qing of the name and function of his cheat system.

"Aren't these the beads I casually bought online before I transmigrated? They even came with a free bracelet..."

Fang Qing realized that the "Dao Sheng Pearl" had three major functions.

The first is "Returning to the Origin". This pearl was born before heaven and earth and can refine all energy and transform it into the most basic "Primordial Qi". This "Primordial Qi" can then generate countless other things, which is extremely mysterious.

"In martial arts terms, it means being able to transform all kinds of exotic true energy into original true energy, and then simulate the mental techniques of all martial arts schools in the world? But I don't know any martial arts at all..."

To simulate true qi or magical power, one must first obtain the corresponding method.

Fang Qing shook his head: "The second major function is 'time travel' which takes me out of danger. You could say it's 'omnipotent,' but currently it can only travel back and forth between the anchor point in this body of water and the place I came from... Is it like having another teleportation portal?"

"As for the third major function, it is the 'Dao Sheng Zhu's' inherent ability to deduce and predict celestial secrets... which is called 'As If Within the Calculation'!"

The phrase "as if within the calculation" means that the Dao Sheng Pearl can also "weave" a layer of false destiny and identity information for him, blending in with the world and thus deceiving the calculation.

If it were simply "not included in the calculation," and merely an inanimate object, that would be fine. However, as its owner, Fang Qing would inevitably become an information black hole. Initially, it might not be obvious, but with numerous interactions with cultivators, it would eventually be exposed amidst a pile of abnormal data.

This "if it's in the calculation" is different; the fabricated, false fate allows the diviner to obtain a "reasonable explanation."

"Excellent! With this divine artifact, my path to immortality will be protected!"

Fang Qing opened his eyes, his expression invigorated, and then saw several seagulls flying overhead.

He didn't think much of it and began to try paddling and learning to swim, looking around: "The water is salty, could it be the sea? I wonder if there are any islands nearby, or if any ships pass by?"

As for dangers like sharks or exhaustion? Fang Qing wasn't too worried, since he could always go back to the ditch where he had fallen.

Half a day later.

Fang Xing began to feel tired. He looked in the direction of the sun, squinted, and suddenly his expression changed.

Not far away, on the surface of the sea, trident-like ripples suddenly appeared, and a gray dorsal fin could be faintly seen.

Several huge shadows were rapidly approaching underwater.

"Bad luck, out of here."

Fang Qing's heart stirred, and his figure vanished instantly.

Boom!

In a daze, Fang Qing seemed to witness the birth and death of the universe, the creation of the world...

The boundless chaotic energy surged and billowed, clouds and mist rose and shimmered, the Tao gave birth to One, One gave birth to Two, Two gave birth to Three, Three gave birth to all things...

Flowers, birds, insects, fish, and all aspects of human life...

"Is this... what it feels like to be everywhere?"

The Dao-Born Pearl reappeared before Fang Qing's eyes, with faint swirling energy of purity and turbidity, resembling a doorway.

……

Ancient Shu region.

Mountain gully.

The first light of dawn.

With a flash of light, Fang Qing's figure appeared, while the refugees had already left.

"Phew... It wasn't for nothing that I persevered for half a day."

Fang Qing glanced at the sky and wondered, "Should the flow of time be roughly the same in both worlds?"

He looked at his damp clothes, gave a wry smile, found an open space, and started a fire to dry them.

After all, this is ancient times. Catching a cold is no joke. He had just seen many of his clansmen die from illness.

"Um?"

Just as he was tidying up, Fang Xing touched the Immortal Calendar on his chest and couldn't help but cry out in distress.

Upon opening it, the already incomplete calendar had been soaked for half a day and was mostly destroyed, with only some blurry characters still faintly discernible.

"On the third day of the first month (the day of the void), the year is governed... A dark star pierces the sky; it is forbidden to draw talismans or refine elixirs..."

"March [Tail Fire], August [Ghost Metal]?"

Fang Qing sorted through the readable information, then sighed again: "How come there's no secret text or hidden layer after it got wet? The ancients were right, weren't they? They were just deceiving me..."

As for the few [Yearly Officials] he could clearly see, they gave him a much better understanding of the world.

"It seems... that these powerful beings are closely related to the daily production and sacrificial activities of the human race, even the course of mountains and rivers, the movement of the sun, moon and stars, and the changes of all things in nature? Therefore, they were recorded. What kind of great power is this?"

"Furthermore, it seems to have some connection to some ancient knowledge I've learned... the Twenty-Eight Mansions? Or the Twelve Zodiac Animals?"

"Alas... It's a pity I can't even enter the gate of cultivation now, how could I possibly know its secrets?"

After some thought, Fang Qing began to consider his future.

"I'm too weak right now..."

Possessing a great treasure but lacking the power to protect it is like a child holding gold in a bustling marketplace.

"The main group of refugees definitely can't go back... Going to the county town or the prefectural city alone? There will be too many people and it won't be good for crossing over. If I'm seen, I'll be in trouble..."

"So...why not stay in the wilderness for a while, explore that world, and try to gain some ability to protect ourselves?"

"Anyway, it's the sea over there. Where there's seawater, there's salt, so supplies won't be a problem. Survival in the wilderness, huh?"

"We also need to build a raft first, because it's not good to be constantly soaked in seawater. We also need to learn how to swim."

Fang Qing gritted his teeth, then paused, "I seem to have forgotten someone... Never mind, Uncle, good luck to you. If anything happens to you, I will definitely avenge you. I won't sever ties with my family..."

……

Three days later.

Outside the cave.

The aroma of roasted meat filled the air, and several branches were skewered with grilled fish over the fire.

Fang Qing would occasionally spin it around and sprinkle it with white salt.

A moment later, he opened his mouth wide, took a bite, and frowned: "It's a bit burnt... and there aren't any other seasonings, so the taste is just so-so... This is not as good as any grilled fish from a street stall in my previous life, sigh..."

After forcibly filling his stomach, he returned to the cave, blocked the door, and with a single thought, the world turned upside down.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived on a raft.

The raft was shrouded in mist, and the dark clouds in the sky were gradually dissipating, clearly indicating that a storm had just passed.

"The sea is truly unpredictable, but thankfully the plank of friendship didn't capsize."

Fang Qing tapped his raft with satisfaction and then drifted with the current.

He gazed into the distance, at the horizon where the sea met the sky, his expression filled with anxiety: "I overestimated myself, thinking that after watching a few seasons of Wilderness I could become a Wilderness Lord... but I couldn't stand being a savage for more than a few days. I'll wait two more days! If I still don't see any hope in two days, I'll go check out the nearby cities..."

Perhaps fate was finally on his side; half an hour later, Fang Qing gazed at the black line appearing in the distance, a look of surprise on his face: "An island?!"

……

Jade Island.

On the edge of the sea, Old Man Cha was taking his granddaughter Zhu'er out to sea in their small boat.

The seas are dangerous. If they go too far out to sea, they might encounter monsters. His family can't afford a large ship that can cut through the waves. What they call a small boat is actually just a small sampan. They only dare to sail near the islands. If they go any further, the boat might be destroyed and everyone could die.

As he tended to his fishing nets, Old Man Cha instructed his granddaughter, "We're running low on food, so catch as much sea salt as possible later... I even brought my ancestral red dragon wood fishing rod this time; who knows, we might catch a treasure fish..."

He watched his granddaughter, who was only ten years old, busy at work, and a hopeful thought filled his heart: "In a little over three months, it will be time for the Bihai Sect to test her qualifications. Who knows, maybe Zhu'er really has a destiny for immortality... Even if she doesn't have a destiny for immortality, eating a treasure fish can still lay a foundation for her qi and blood, and she can become a martial arts master or strongman..."

The overseas cultivation world has few islands and limited resources. Cultivators naturally have access to spiritual rice, but mortals can only rely on the sea for sustenance.

Fortunately, mortals are the foundation of cultivators. With a large number of them, there will always be cultivation prodigies among them. Therefore, there are great spiritual plant masters who specially cultivate special seaweed and seagrass. After fishermen catch them, they dry them and they become food.

Old Man Cha's children died early, leaving him with only one granddaughter whom he cherishes dearly. His greatest wish now is to pave the way for his granddaughter's future.

Just then, Old Man Cha, who was about to swing his club, suddenly rubbed his eyes, as if he saw something floating on the sea.

When they got closer, they realized it was a boy carrying a wooden plank.

"This is... a shipwreck?"

Old Man Cha quickly steered his boat closer, examined the boy more closely, and upon seeing the rough hemp clothing on his body, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He then shouted, "Is that boy still alive?"

Fang Qing had abandoned the raft as soon as he saw the island, and was struggling with a piece of plank. Sure enough, a fishing boat approached not long after, and the old man on board shouted.

"what?"

He blinked and realized that he could actually understand a few words.

When you come to a different world, it's normal to not be able to speak the language, but he found that the old man's language was actually somewhat similar to Pali.

"Could it be...?"

Fang Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he answered loudly, "He can still breathe!"