Li Feng currently slumped onto a cracked wooden bench just outside the outer sect living quarters.
At fifty years old, he was no longer the strong, sharp young man who first arrived in this strange world.
His face was now weary, his hair streaked with a bit of gray, and his belly had softened beneath the loose, robes.
Not to mention the thirty years of frustration and slow progress that weighed heavily on his heart, making it even worse.
Thirty-five thousand spirit stones was the fortune he had stumbled upon by luck, hidden in the remains of a fallen cultivator on his very first day here in this world.
It was an unbelievable amount for him or any new disciple, enough to open doors and buy influence in a world that valued power above all else like this.
So he had spent 30,000 spirit stones by "accident" just to buy his way into the Azure Moon Sect, a price unheard of for any outer sect disciple. While the remaining 4,900 stones had been thrown into countless attempts to break through his cultivation bottleneck.
Yet here he was, still stuck stubbornly at the third level of Qi Refining....pretty much the lowest realm in this sect.
The cultivation world he had come to was harsh and unforgiving.
Everyone chased the Dao, the eternal Way, seeking Immortality with relentless focus.
Flesh and desire were just distractions, a waste of precious time and energy that could be spent meditating or training to get one step closer to a breakthrough.
The road of the Dao was endless, and every cultivator's ultimate goal was immortality. Because no one wanted to rot away, forgotten as ash and bone in a thousand years.
That's why strength was everything, and those who couldn't keep up were discarded like broken tools.
Power here followed a strict ladder: Qi Refining first, then Foundation Establishment where the Dao is built solid, then Golden Core where potential truly awakens, and finally Nascent Soul where the soul manifests real power.
But few climbed beyond that... while Li Feng had been stuck on the very first rung for three decades.
Despite his slow progress, Li Feng's wealth had given him a sort of odd fame among the outer sect disciples.
And of course, they didn't respect him for his cultivation, but they whispered about this old disciple who bought his way in.
"Haa..." Li Feng let out a small sigh as his gaze drifted to the nearby market street, where a small crowd had gathered, murmuring in admiration toward the most eye-catching disciple in the center. He followed their gaze, and his eyes found Yue Lan.
Yue Lan was one of the top outer sect disciples, a shining star among the many who struggled to advance in this outer sect.
She had long black hair that flowed like a river of midnight down her back, catching the light with every subtle movement.
Her golden eyes burned cold and bright, and seem to pierce through the crowd with an intelligence that seemed to see through everything.
Beneath her calm, flawless pale skin, her figure hinted at quiet, seductive strength.
Her robes draped gently, tracing the curves of her soft jade and peach, which seem to sculpted perfectly by the Dao itself.
While just by standing there, her entire presence seemed to move like a moonlit breeze...distant, graceful, and utterly untouchable.
Among the outer disciples, she was the shining star, untouchable, brilliant, and also completely devoted to the Dao, drawing admiration from many disciples.
But instead of admiring her, Li Feng's thoughts were completely different. His eyes turned into obsession and lewd fantasies as he looked at her.
He imagined what it might be like to touch that cold and perfect body, to feel her close to him, and to push her underneath him.
But then he quickly pushed the fantasy away, as this was nothing but a foolish dream.
Someone like her, brilliant, graceful, and talented, would never give a second glance to a fat, stuck disciple like him.
With a bitter smile, Li Feng stood up and headed back toward his residence.
Unbeknownst to him, Yue Lan's golden eyes had flicked toward him moments ago. A flash of calculation crossed her cold and emotionless gaze.
That evening, after closing the door to his modest room, a soft knock startled Li Feng.
He turn to opened it and find Yue Lan standing there, her expression unreadable.
Li Feng heart started beating nervously to find this beautiful immortal fairy so close to him.
A nervous, weird smile spread across his face.
"Senior Sister Yue... what brings you here?"