In Order to Live as an Immortal, I changed a martial artist world to a xianxia world

Chapter Eighty-Three: Bai Chen’s Limit! The Dynasties’ Mixed Reactions!

Xuantian’s Path of Inquiry

“So they’ve finally realized?”

Standing on the forty-seven-thousand-six-hundred-and-twenty-second step, Bai Chen’s lips curled into a faint smile.

Although he continued ascending the Xuantian Path of Inquiry, he would occasionally glance at the cultivators below. Thus, he quickly took notice when Shi Feixuan and Ximen Chuixue crossed the ten-thousandth step. However, Bai Chen only observed them briefly before dismissing the thought. After all, he had designed the Xuantian Path of Inquiry himself—he knew exactly what it was capable of.

His stance remained unchanged. From Bai Chen’s perspective, very few of those currently on the path would make it past the ten-thousandth step. The reason was simple.

The higher one climbed, the stronger the sword intent they had to face. Not everyone possessed Ximen Chuixue’s monstrous Sword Dao talent. Without exceptional comprehension of the sword or cultivation at Qi Refining into Spirit Transformation, reaching ten thousand steps was nearly impossible.

Among the climbers, true Sword Dao prodigies were rare, and only a handful had reached Qi Refining into Spirit Transformation.

For most, the ten-thousandth step would be their limit.

“It’s close now.”

“The first failure will appear soon.”

Shaking his head, Bai Chen stopped paying attention to those below and resumed his ascent.

He had already reached the bottleneck of Void Fusion

[Void Fusion (炼虚合道, Liànxū Hédào) – A high cultivation stage where the practitioner merges their spirit with the heavens, achieving near-divine power.]

For Bai Chen, this was a novel experience.

Ordinarily, if he wished to advance, he could simply use Fortune Force to push himself forward instantly. Yet, this time, he chose to rely on his own efforts.

Partly, he was waiting for the Xuantian Sword Sect’s situation to unfold so he could gather more Fortune Force. But more importantly, he wanted to test his own cultivation talent.

So far, he had yet to encounter any obstacles.

To gauge his true limits, he needed to climb higher.

…………………………………………………………………………………

The Grand Celebration Hall, Great Song Dynasty

“Your Majesty!”

“We underestimated the Xuantian Sword Sect.”

“The warriors who entered have undergone extraordinary transformations in just half a month!”

Huang Shang stood in the great hall, reporting the latest events. After securing the loyalty of several cultivators, he had immediately left Lin’an City and returned to the imperial palace. He was not alone—the Land Immortals of the other dynasties had also withdrawn.

Only a handful of warriors and royal envoys remained near Xuantian Sword Sect, waiting for their kin. After all, the dynasties had already made their stance clear. Any cultivators who exited the sect would know exactly where each empire stood. With that, the Land Immortals

More importantly, those who remained inside were powerful cultivators. If they refused to submit, even an empire’s might could not compel them. Acknowledging this, all five great dynasties tacitly chose to withdraw.

“Only seventeen cultivators chose to join the Great Song?”

“And several of them practice the same technique?”

“So in the end, we obtained just five unique immortal techniques?”

Seated on his dragon throne, Zhao Kuangyin scowled as he listened to Huang Shang’s report. He clenched his fists in frustration. He had indeed miscalculated. He had underestimated the Xuantian Sword Sect and the warriors who entered it. But what infuriated him most was that, despite all their efforts, the Great Song had only recruited seventeen cultivators.

Of the forty or so Great Song cultivators present at the sect, fewer than half had chosen to align with the imperial court. This filled Zhao Kuangyin with fury.

These mere martial artists—despite the court’s generous offers—still refused to serve. As for obtaining only five cultivation techniques, Zhao Kuangyin was less concerned. To him, having one or five made little difference—he would only cultivate the strongest one. The others would be given to trusted ministers.

“Your Majesty…”

“That is correct.”

Sensing Zhao Kuangyin’s anger, Huang Shang steeled himself and nodded.

He understood the emperor’s frustration but there was nothing he could do.

He couldn’t have forced the cultivators to join them.

Ridiculous!

Had he tried, they would have defected to another dynasty instead. He had already done his best—but these people simply did not trust the Great Song.

“…Forget it.”

“We’ll deal with this later.”

“For now, discuss how to reward those who pledged loyalty to the court.”

“Make sure they receive ample rewards without compromising the Great Song’s interests.”

“We cannot let the other dynasties think us stingy.”

Zhao Kuangyin sighed in exasperation. At present, the Great Song’s strength was indeed weaker than the other four dynasties. For now, he had to swallow his pride. But once his empire grew stronger, he would ensure this slight was repaid.

…………………………………………………………………………………

Forbidden City, Great Ming Dynasty

“Excellent!”

“You’ve done well!”

A rare smile crossed Zhu Yuanzhang’s face as he praised Zhu Wushi.

Among the five great dynasties, the Great Ming had recruited the most cultivators—thirty-seven in total. Of these, six had come from rival dynasties.

This delighted Zhu Yuanzhang. Even cultivators from other dynasties had chosen the Great Ming. This was undeniable proof of its superiority.

“Your Majesty, I do not dare take credit.”

“I left Prince Yan behind and returned first. Please punish me.”

Zhu Wushi stood below the throne, lowering his head. He understood that his success had little to do with him personally.

First, he had been the first to make an offer, making a lasting impression. Second, the Great Ming was among the strongest of the five dynasties. Finally, Zhang Sanfeng and Bai Chen—both powerful cultivators—were aligned with the Great Ming, particularly Bai Chen, who had reached the Void Fusion realm—the strongest expert of this age.

With such figures backing the dynasty, any cultivator seeking protection naturally gravitated toward them. However, he had left Zhu Di behind in the Great Song’s territory. Though he had valid reasons, it was still a failure of duty.

“Tch!”

“You think I don’t know?”

“The Land Immortals of every dynasty withdrew—it was clearly prearranged.”

“Besides, Prince Yan has four top agents by his side—nothing will happen to him.”

“I will not blame you for this.”

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand dismissively. Had Zhu Wushi stayed behind, it would have cast suspicion on the Great Ming’s motives. That was a burden Zhu Yuanzhang did not wish to bear. More importantly, he did not believe the Great Song had the audacity to harm Zhu Di. Turning to his ministers, he commanded:

“Draft a plan to reward these new cultivators.”

“They have chosen the Great Ming—we must show generosity.”