"What a terrifying world, where a person's fate is decided the moment they are born. Those without a Spiritual Root are doomed to remain as mere fuels for the fire, stepping-stones for others, with no hope of rising above." A look of scorn appeared at the corner of Pei Xuanjing's mouth.
He reflected on the many things he had experienced in this simulated life, and felt that the world was truly laughable and pitiful.
Everything was destined at the moment of birth, without a Spiritual Root one would have nothing, without a Spiritual Root, not even an opportunity to strive existed, this was indeed laughable and pitiful.
Even in the world where Pei Xuanjing had once projected himself, a realm where members of the human race and the Demon Race confronted each other, the legacy of martial arts and cultivation was even more focused on the enhancement of bloodlines. But for ordinary mortals, their journey was not blocked entirely. As long as they could progress step by step through cultivation, they still held the possibility of altering their fates.
"The immortal sects tend to their flock, cultivators consider themselves superior, although of mortal origin, they regard mortals as aliens, treating them like grasshoppers and cattle. This inevitably means that when demons wreak havoc, these immortal sects, upon realizing the cost outweighs the gain and could be harmful to themselves, will undoubtedly choose to compromise; this is an inevitable outcome." Pei Xuanjing shook his head in disdain.
All cultivators from the immortal sects descended from ordinary mortals, they were initially members of the human race possessing great strength. But the self-highly regarded individuals, due to their strength, forget their origins and consider ordinary mortals as beneath them, not realizing they belong to the same race.
The so-called tending to all beings indicates their attitude.
The Immortal Path transcends but does not betray or forget its origin. Normally they are worshipped by all beings, and thus, when difficult times arise, they should stand up and fight.
"The 'I' of this Heaven and Earth universe was limited by my own cognition. Although dissatisfied with the state of the immortal sect tending to all beings and viewing all beings as worthless, I ultimately put up with it due to my own limitations of birth and standing." Thought Pei Xuanjing.
As for the choice made by his self in this life simulator, he also found it natural. After all, due to limitations of his own origin, even if he was dissatisfied with reality, the thought of truly betraying and overthrowing his own class was difficult.
"But what are these demons exactly? Why did they suddenly break out and run rampant?" Pei Xuanjing wondered.
According to the information he had received, although traces of demons circulated in this world, these demons were not strong. They didn't pose much of a problem to the original immortal sects, suppressing and clearing them was easy. They still existed because the immortal sects wanted to leave these demons to train future disciples.
More importantly, by nurturing these threats, the mortal world held the immortal sects in even higher regard.
The outbreak of demons this time around could be due to these immortal sects failing to cultivate their demon cultivations properly, culminating in a major disaster.
Apart from these matters, what interested Pei Xuanjing the most was the ancient book "The Art of War".
This skill, in the end, allowed his simulated self to overcome the powerful and slay the demons, which was a testament to the power of this skill.
Even though he had yet to truly witness the power of this skill, according to Pei Xuanjing's speculation, this skill should be related to the way of Incense Faith and Divine Tao Cultivation. Therefore, if possible, he certainly wanted to acquire it.
[Simulation termination: You can choose the following options.]
[Option one: Gain all the realm insights and lifelong knowledge at the end of this simulated life.]
[Option two: Project and possess once more, once again experience and dominate this life.]
This choice, for Pei Xuanjing, he would naturally choose to project and possess again in this simulated life.
After all, his strength in this simulated life experience was not powerful, and even obtaining all the realm insights wouldn't be of much value to him.
If Pei Xuanjing chose the first reward, perhaps the most significant gain would be the "Art of War". No matter how precious this skill was, it was probably not worth 20 million Taoyun value!
So, only by conducting a projected possession simulation to achieve enough gain, otherwise his 20 million Taoyun value would be wasted.
[Life Simulation – Projected possession mode activated:]
[There are fifty paths in the Great Tao, forty-nine in the Forty-Nine Heavenly Paths, fleeing one of them! Therefore, all things in the world have a glimpse of vitality!]
There's no denying that the life simulator was indeed powerful. Even though Pei Xuanjing already stood at the pinnacle of Heaven and Earth, he could still not sense a single thread, and could not detect its operational trajectory.
In an instant, Pei Xuanjing's surroundings fell silent as if even time had come to a standstill.
At this moment, his spiritual consciousness was like Chaos itself, and then with a loud bang, Heaven and Earth separated.
[Projected possession simulation begins: Please note, the host, in the projection simulation, if you die, you will never be able to project again.]
One year-old: Pei Xuanjing was born in this universe, descended into the royal family. Although he did not possess much strength due to his young age, his wisdom was not diminished in the slightest.
Pei Xuanjing, using his spiritual force, sensed this world and also the status of his own body.
He was extremely curious about the so-called 'Spiritual Root' credential of the cultivators in this world. Therefore his spiritual force was exploring everything about himself, trying to see if this Spiritual Root really descended at birth and if it could be easily changed.
With his formidable spiritual force scanning his body, Pei Xuanjing didn't feel anything unusual, compared to what he knew about humans there was no anomaly. All he clearly sensed was that his body had a strong affinity for the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, or 'spiritual energy' of this world. Even if he didn't consciously guide it, he could still feel the spiritual energy of this world nourishing his body.
Six years-old: It had been six years since Pei Xuanjing came to this world. In these six years, because his body couldn't bear his formidable spiritual force, he often fell into a slumber. Nevertheless, even with these limited active periods, Pei Xuanjing's physical conditioning far exceeded ordinary people, and he had basically figured out the mystery of the so-called Spiritual Root of this world.
The root, that's the source. The so-called Spiritual Root is not an actual entity growing in a person's body. The Spiritual Root is invisible and formless, representing the recognition and favor of Heaven and Earth, and is the foundation of cultivation.
A Spiritual Root is essentially the affinity a person has for the spiritual energy between Heaven and Earth. Therefore, only those with a Spiritual Root can cultivate.
That's because cultivation requires consuming the spiritual energy from within Heaven and Earth, but if one's own body has no affinity for this energy and can't attract it, how can they cultivate?
Therefore, the Spiritual Root is essentially a person's affinity for spiritual energy after birth. The higher the attraction, the stronger the Spiritual Root.
According to the classification in this world, Spiritual Roots vary in levels and properties. In Pei Xuanjing's view, it is just a distinction based on the speed and amount of attraction one's physique has for spiritual energy with different properties.
Nevertheless, even if one can't cultivate, Pei Xuanjing noticed that people here, under such abundant spiritual energy, even if they do not cultivate, have stronger physiques than many ordinary people in the Great Ming World.
Pei Xuanjing has a concept for this situation, but it's still just a budding idea that's not yet ready to be implemented.
Moreover, over many years, Pei Xuanjing has found that absorbing spiritual energy is not just through one's physique. His formidable spiritual power allows him to absorb this energy and forcefully utilize it.
At the age of nine, Pei Xuanjing participated in the selection of disciples for the immortal sect and successfully joined. Through years of careful polishing of his body, he found that the spiritual root talent test he had taken in the immortal sect was stronger than the one in his previous life simulation.
The findings from this test made Pei Xuanjing somewhat suspicious, but it needed time to verify and could not be confirmed just yet.
At the age of ten, the newly entered Pei Xuanjing, with his decent aptitude and his own experience, made rapid progress in his cultivation. His strength improved rapidly. Many senior disciples in the immortal sect favored Pei Xuanjing for his speed of cultivation and his rapid rise.
At the age of twenty-one, Pei Xuanjing, who had been in the sect for just over eleven years, progressed at an astonishing rate, breaking through realms and exceeded many of his senior creatures to reach the realm of true disciples, his strength on par with many elders.
In the eyes of many, if it were not because the positions of true disciples were already filled, Pei Xuanjing would undoubtedly have a place among them.
However, for Pei Xuanjing, he did not take these things to heart. After all, projecting onto this life, his goals couldn't be compared to before. A mere position as a true disciple in the immortal sect was not a big deal to Pei Xuanjing.
Sometimes, refusing to compete was the real competition. Pei Xuanjing's attitude, wholeheartedly cultivating and not competing for the position of a true disciple, earned him much admiration. Even many of the true disciples were surprised.
The competition in the immortal sect is fierce. While true disciples hold high positions and great power, they feel like they are sitting on pins and needles. They are always on their guard against the countless younger disciples who want to challenge and replace them.
Ordinarily, the appearance of an exceptional younger disciple like Pei Xuanjing would make many of the slightly weaker true disciples extremely alert, always prepared for Pei Xuanjing to make a move.
However, Pei Xuanjing's indifference impressed these true disciples quite a bit, giving them a different impression.
At the age of twenty-three, one of the true disciples broke through early. He told everyone he was grateful for Pei Xuanjing and admired his style, so he decided to break through and vacate a place for Pei Xuanjing among the true disciples.
Under these circumstances, Pei Xuanjing's reputation in the Immortal Sect rose even higher. Many elders came forward to promote him, seeming to want to push him to the position of a true disciple.
Over the years, Pei Xuanjing's displayed talent in the Immortal Sect has given many elders hope for the rise of a genius. They chose to back him, believing Pei Xuanjing will rise in the future.
With such momentum, the positions of true disciples, which should have been highly competitive, quickly eliminated many people. Only a handful of individuals could compete with Pei Xuanjing for the position.
At the age of twenty-four, the competition for true disciples originally should have been quite ordinary. However, with many elders participating, the situation intensified. Everybody in the Immortal Sect was affected, with everyone having to take a stance. Except for a few individuals, no one could remain impartial.
Under such circumstances, Pei Xuanjing and a few others became the center of attention, still being followed closely by other sects outside of the Immortal Sect and the competition for true disciples.
However, unlike other disciples who constantly demonstrated their strengths, Pei Xuanjing remained extraordinarily low-profile. He continued his normal habits, seemingly unaffected by the situation.
In the eyes of many, Pei Xuanjing did nothing except go to the Cultivation Methods Pavilion and explain cultivation methods to the people around him.
This behavior was quite peculiar.
At the age of twenty-seven, the competition for the positions of true disciples came to a conclusion. In the end, the victor was Pei Xuanjing. Even without deliberately showing anything, due to his exceptional strength and the support from countless people, he took the position rightfully and without objections.
Even his biggest competitor, a genius disciple of a deputy sect master, had no regrets after being defeated by Pei Xuanjing and was impressed by Pei Xuanjing's charisma.
That's how it was. When the gap between Pei Xuanjing and his opponent was small, they would feel a lot of regrets after losing. However, when Pei Xuanjing was defeated in a crushing manner, there were no regrets. Instead, they felt that losing was not a big deal and that being able to compete with Pei Xuanjing was a kind of luck.
After becoming a true disciple, Pei Xuanjing's status in the immortal sect improved, and he gained access to more resources. His authority in the Cultivation Methods Pavilion was also elevated again, giving him more qualifications to view cultivation methods.
This world is somewhat similar to the Great Ming World. Even the strongest person in the immortal sect is similar to the Strongest Realm in the Great Ming World where Pei Xuanjing lives. Even though they call themselves the immortal sect, there are no real immortal powerhouses. They are also exploring the Immortal Path, but so far, no one has discovered longevity.
After all, no matter how one cultivates in this world, they can't escape the cage of spiritual energy. Pei Xuanjing, with his realm and vision, integrated the essence of this world's skills into his Nine Revolutions Divine Sky Skill.
During his odd decades in this world, Pei Xuanjing, who although initially explored a multitude of techniques, truly based his cultivation and amalgamated everything into his own Golden Core Dao.
As for the enhancement of strength, it was quite effortless for Pei Xuanjing, as his cultivation realm was still there. If he was willing, he could regather his strength anytime and reach the pinnacle level of this world.
Yet, such methods held no meaning for Pei Xuanjing. Thus, he wasn't eager to enhance his power. He chose instead to learn the cultivation methods of this world, to nourish hundreds of canons, enhance his Nine Revolutions Divine Sky Skill, and provide extra nourishment for his Golden Core Dao.
At 31: During the three years after Pei Xuanjing's promotion to true disciple status, he went through all the techniques in the Retreat of the Immortal Sect that were within his permissions and found the ancient scripture "The Art of War."
After digesting all these cultivation methods, he then requested to leave the immortal sect and maintain law and order in his jurisdiction.
After contemplation, the elders of the immortal sect granted his request. After all, it is understandable for the disciples of the immortal sect to manage a region, and Pei Xuanjing, the heir of the true teachings, was no exception.
Thus, for the first time, after about twenty years, Pei Xuanjing left the immortal sect.
At 32: Pei Xuanjing arrived at his jurisdiction. As the highest ruler of this region, he did not start exerting authoritarian actions. For him, there was no need, because in this world ruled by the Immortal Sect, the strong naturally possess everything. As a chosen disciple of the immortal sect, his authority was undeniable to others.
Having control over this region, no one could restrain Pei Xuanjing. He dedicated himself to practicing and observing the mortals of this world.
During this period, Pei Xuanjing managed to decipher the ancient scripture of "The Art of War," gaining a comprehensive understanding of the technique.
"The Art of War" was a skill derived from ancient emperors deciphering the Profound Meaning of the Heavens from the Heavenly Sacrificial Decree. Once mastered, it would possess the power to vanquish all evils, maintain righteousness, suppress mountains and rivers, and allegedly the realm to command stars and enthrone gods.
This was possible only because Pei Xuanjing was highly insightful. Otherwise, ordinary cultivators who acquired this skill couldn't comprehend the profound methods.
However, the current version of "The Art of War" in Pei Xuanjing's hands was incomplete; he only had a fragment of it.
Such a profound technique, even if fragmentary, should not be seen in the Cultivation methods pavilion, let alone in the immortal sect's pavilion.
According to Pei Xuanjing's understanding, "The Art of War" should be the ultimate method for a human monarch, so how could its fragment appear in the Immortal Sect?
Coupled with the absolute authority of the Immortal Sect in this world, with ancient kingdoms and dynasties not possessing a noticeable existence like the Great Ming dynasty, this was thought-provoking.
It appeared that this world was not as simple as Pei Xuanjing initially thought, there were many secrets he hadn't discovered yet.
At 36: Pei Xuanjing's understanding about "The Art of War" and its profound origins made him realize that this world was more complex than he initially thought. Thus, he spent his time exploring many things, especially the history of the Immortal Sect.
With Pei Xuanjing's current realm and strength, he was capable enough to gather many interesting pieces of information, yielding significant insights.
According to fragmentary clues Pei Xuanjing acquired, he discovered that the world's history was not really as known to the public. The world was not initially ruled by the Immortal Sect. In the era when the Immortal Sect had not reached its peak, there were imperial dynasties.
Although it was just fragmented clues, Pei Xuanjing was still able to put together a rudimentary picture of the world's history and had a bold hypothesis.
The original state of this world might not have been this way. The development of the human race from tribes to feudal dynasties should have been inevitable, and "The Art of War," a technique of this kind, was born during this period. At that time, the Immortal Sect was perhaps just a force under the command of the human emperor.
However, something happened for unknown reasons and the Immortal Sect rose, replacing the existing dynasties, burying this segment of history, scattering "The Art of War" into pieces, erasing all traces so that it would not be known to the public.
…
Of course, all of this was a mere conjecture by Pei Xuanjing. The evidence at his disposal was still insufficient to validate this theory.
Regardless, such a bold hypothesis, if leaked, would evoke shock and astonishment amongst the cultivators and Pei Xuanjing might be perceived as a heretic, a madman of the Immortal Sect.
Hence, despite such a hypothesis, Pei Xuanjing had not told anyone about it. He temporarily suppressed the idea and continued to gather more evidence.
At 41: After a period of cultivation, Pei Xuanjing's strength had escalated further, reaching an unfathomable level. Although it still fell short compared to his original state in the Great Ming World, he was definitely able to traverse this Heaven and Earth.
At this moment, news about the emergence of demons reached Pei Xuanjing. He immediately put aside his affairs and began sending people to track down these demons.
About the origin of these demons, even after going through several scriptures of the Immortal Sect, Pei Xuanjing was still not clear. He only knew that these demons had been present since ancient times, their origins were unknown and they occasionally wreaked havoc, posing threats to all beings. The duty and responsibility of the Immortal Sect disciples was to capture and exterminate these demons, protect mortal people and earn their respect.
Pei Xuanjing was now curious about these demons. He was keen to understand what these demons truly were. After all, there were indications that these demons, who had persisted for countless years without becoming too powerful or causing harm within limits, would start spreading and escalating in the next few decades, even invading the entire Heaven and Earth.
So at this moment, whether to prepare in advance or prevent it before it happens, Pei Xuanjing felt the need to investigate first.