System Bestows me with Immortality, Living on to Eventually Become Invincible

"Moo~ Moo~" Black Bull nuzzled against Chen Xun, his eyes brimming with excitement. Was this the world of cultivators? It was truly fascinating.

"Bull, oh Bull..."

Chen Xun cradled Black Bull's head with one hand, his lips quivering slightly, "We've lived for so long, and it's all been in vain."

"Moo!" Black Bull nudged Chen Xun, as if to say, of course not.

Chen Xun kept muttering 'awesome' under his breath, as if bewitched. A single stall could capture their attention for an entire day from a distance, yet this was merely the tip of the iceberg in the world of immortals.

They walked until nightfall, finding a deserted spot to rest, using the sky as their blanket and the earth as their bed, leaning on each other as they slowly drifted to sleep, but they dared not sleep too deeply.

Inside the valley, disciples from various sects maintained order, so it appeared quite orderly. Those with grudges would settle them outside the valley.

Three days later, countless independent cultivators gathered in the valley, shoulder to shoulder, their eyes alight with burning ambition, their magical instruments gleaming, all determined to ascend to immortality in one fell swoop!

"What a lively scene."

Chen Xun led Black Bull to the edge of the crowd, looking towards the center of the valley, where ten high platforms were constructed, their intricate patterns embedded within, clearly not made of ordinary iron.

"Moo~ Moo!"

Black Bull raised his head, admiring these structures from afar, sensing a powerful aura they had never encountered in the mortal realm.

Boom—Boom—Boom—

A tremendous sound of breaking through the sky echoed as a massive Sky-Breaking Boat slowly approached, with several figures standing atop, ethereal and indistinct, a banner billowing in the fierce wind.

"The Sunshine Sect has arrived!"

"One of the ten great immortal sects of Kingdom Qian!"

"The Sky-Breaking Boat, my heavens!"

...

A cacophony of gasps and exclamations rose from the valley. These experienced cultivators recognized it immediately, while Chen Xun and Black Bull could only continuously exclaim in awe...

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!@@novelbin@@

Four enormous red spiritual beasts flew across the sky, their cries resounding. Silhouettes stood upon them, overlooking Nine Stars Valley.

"One of the ten great immortal sects of Kingdom Qian, Noble Sect!"

"It's said that the sect has countless stunning fairies. If only one could savor their grace..."

"The Red Lin Jade Phoenix, only such immortal sects could afford to keep them."

...

Again, a multitude of voices rose, even the spiritual beasts were deployed, truly a display of wealth and power, stirring even greater longing in the hearts of the independent cultivators.

The smaller sects felt a pang of jealousy, wondering when they could make such an entrance like the ten great sects. Each year, they could only pick up the leftovers, seemingly trapped in a vicious cycle.

One after another, the ten great sects made their grand appearances, the valley and skies filled with continuous thunderous noises, each more extravagant than the last.

It seemed as if they were competing with each other, showing off their sects' strengths to the independent cultivators.

The independent cultivators were so stirred up that they were panting and flushed, their hearts nearly bursting with excitement. The chance to ascend to the heavens was right here!

Chen Xun and Black Bull were already on their knees, sweating profusely, even more exaggerated than the independent cultivators, their muttered exclamations of awe never ceasing.

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This was far more impressive than when that cultivator recruited disciples in the mountain village. This, truly, was cultivating immortality...

"If I were given another chance, and a disciple from one of the ten great sects invited me to do menial work..."

Chen Xun looked towards the high platforms with hopeful eyes, foolishly saying, "I would agree, and if there was a time limit, I'd wish it to be ten thousand years..."

"Moo Moo!!"

Black Bull nodded vigorously, indicating it could help too, doing menial work with gusto, even plowing fields.

On the ten high platforms, cultivators from various sects stood at the forefront, men and women alike, hands behind their backs, their piercing gazes and Foundation Establishment mana pressing down on the independent cultivators.

Everyone's expression changed, becoming much more composed as they all looked towards the platforms.

"The rules remain the same. Those under the age of forty have the opportunity to pass five challenges and enter the immortal sects."

An elder stood at the forefront, channeling his mana, and shouted, "Those who are interested, step forward. The valley will close in seven days!"

Roar!

Roar!

Low roars echoed as the independent cultivators' eyes reddened, looking towards the immortal sects they aspired to join, taking their first steps.

Some sects had fighting platforms, others had spiritual root tests, each with their own methods, all aiming to select one in ten thousand disciples from among the independent cultivators.

Every year, countless independent cultivators would die or be injured, but no one gave up. In Kingdom Qian, Foundation Establishment Pills were hard to come by, only available within the great immortal sects.

Elders from various sects also roamed around, observing the cultivators who failed to pass, personally inviting those they found suitable.

This was an unspoken agreement among the ten great sects, always leaving some room for others to survive.

"Bull, let's not go."

"Moo?"

"There's no chance for us. We can't even pass the spiritual root test, let alone talk about strength."

Chen Xun gave Black Bull a sidelong glance, as if to say they shouldn't go to their deaths, "I've suddenly found a way to make money."

"Moo?!" Black Bull perked up, they were in desperate need of spirit stones.

Chen Xun sneakily took out a booklet, looked around, and said, "Let's remember the challenges of each sect and analyze their pros and cons."

"Moo?"

"They said the rules don't change, right? If we understand the general strength required for these challenges and compile it into a booklet, we can sell it to the new independent cultivators!"

Chen Xun patted Black Bull, "This could save them so much time, so many casualties, get it?!"

"Moo Moo!"

Black Bull nudged Chen Xun excitedly, truly a brilliant idea.

"Let's go!"

Chen Xun's lips curled into a sly smile as they headed to the fighting platforms, continuously recording the strength of the independent cultivators, figuring out what level of strength was needed to win with some certainty.

He categorized the challenges of each major sect, organizing and analyzing them, determining who was best suited for each.

Seven days flew by in a flash, and Chen Xun with Black Bull were dumbfounded at how quickly it passed; they hadn't even finished their analysis.

The ten great sects each took a dozen or so independent cultivators and left gracefully, while the elders of the smaller sects also returned satisfied, leaving countless independent cultivators dispirited.

Those who died in the challenges were taken care of by the smaller sects, responsible for maintaining order in the valley.

"Ah, I shouldn't have gone to the Noble Sect's challenge. I wasted so much time and mana, it wasn't suitable for me at all!"

One cultivator beat his chest in regret, having wasted another year. How many years does one have in life? After forty, there would be no more chances.

"At least the trials at Noble Sect were the safest, weren't they? Cheer up, fellow Zhou, he didn't even make it out alive."

"Ah, if it doesn't work out next year, I'll just enjoy the worldly pleasures."

"That's all we can do."

...

One by one, the independent cultivators passed by Chen Xun, their eyes filled with sorrow and self-doubt, some even going mad and being slain by the sect cultivators within the valley.

Others came to terms with it, realizing that the path of cultivating immortality was not for them, returning to the mortal world, never to come back.

And yet, the struggle seemed to have just begun. Some older independent cultivators, over forty, came to the Ascension Conference to seek out prey.

Outside the valley, numerous fierce battles took place. Chen Xun and Black Bull ran for their lives, thankful for their poverty that kept them off the radar.

"Bull, let's head to the outskirts of the mountain range first!"

"Moo!"

Chen Xun and Black Bull fled frantically. No one could help them now; they just had to run, as the dark side of the world of immortals was just beginning to unfold.