The journey north was not a peaceful one. Daoist Wu-Ji moved through the shadows of ancient forests, crossing rivers that flowed with liquid starlight and bypassing mountains that breathed fire. Thanks to the 'Heavenly Aura Concealment', he was like a ghost in a world of giants.
"System, 500 units of energy were spent on the 'Hidden Mountain Seed'. Now, I need a place to plant it. It can't be a famous mountain like Kunlun or Buzhou—too many eyes. I need a place with 'Hidden Fate'."
[Ding! Scanning for 'Hidden Fate' nodes... 300 miles ahead: The Mist-Veiled Valley. It contains a broken spirit vein, making it unattractive to powerful immortals but perfect for a 'Hidden Grotto'.]
Wu-Ji arrived at the valley three days later. It was a place of perpetual gray fog, where the trees grew in twisted, erratic shapes. To a Saint, this place was "trash." To Wu-Ji, it was the perfect camouflage.
He stood at the center of the valley and pressed the Hidden Mountain Seed into the earth.
"Grow," he commanded, pouring a trace of his Chaos-Innate Qi into the soil.
RUMBLE.
The ground didn't shake violently; instead, it seemed to fold inward. A pocket of space began to expand beneath the roots of the valley. This was a Grotto-Heaven—a private dimension. As it grew, it pulled the surrounding mist inside, creating a natural barrier that would make the valley look completely empty to anyone passing by.
[Ding! The 'Heaven-Veiling Pavilion' (Level 1) has been established.]
Features: 10x Qi Concentration, Basic Illusion Array, Chaos Concealment.
Current Occupants: 1 (Daoist Wu-Ji).
Wu-Ji stepped into his new domain. Inside, the air was crystalline. A small spring of spiritual water bubbled from a rock, and the ceiling of the cave shimmered like a night sky.
"Finally... a place to breathe," Wu-Ji sat cross-legged. "But a home is not enough. I need to test my limits. System, run a 'Long-Term Cultivation Simulation'. I want to see how far I can reach before the first Great Tribulation hits its peak."
[The Simulation: 500 Years of Seclusion]
[Year 1-10: You focus on refining the 'Innate Phoenix Source'. The fire energy tempers your obsidian bones, turning them into 'Crimson Chaos Marrow'. Your physical strength triples.]
[Year 50: You reach the Peak of Foundation Establishment. You attempt to form a 'Golden Core'. Because your body is half-Chaos and half-Innate, your Core is not golden, but a swirling vortex of purple and white. The 'Chaos-Innate Core' is formed!]
[Year 100: You emerge from the Grotto to find spirit herbs. You encounter a young Daoist from the 'Jie Clan' (The Sect of Tongtian). He sees your aura and tries to recruit you. You refuse. He feels insulted and attacks. You kill him in one move, but his master—an Immortal—tracks you down. Death!]
[Year 200 (Retry): You don't leave the Grotto. You use the 'Simulation' to study the 'Dao of Formations'. You turn the Mist-Veiled Valley into a death trap. A group of wandering demons enters the valley. They are shredded by your arrays before they even see your face.]
[Year 400: You reach the Mid-Stage of the Golden Core Realm. Your lifespan increases to 2,000 years. You begin to develop your first Divine Ability: 'The Void-Crushing Palm'.]
[Year 500: The Dragon-Phoenix War reaches its climax. A stray blow from a Dragon King shatters the space of your Grotto. You are sucked into a spatial rift. Death!]
[The Simulation has ended. Duration: 500 years.]
[You may choose one of the following rewards:]
[Cultivation: Early-Stage Golden Core (Chaos-Innate Core).]
[Skill: 'The Void-Crushing Palm' (Initial Mastery).]
[Knowledge: 'Advanced Primordial Formations'.]
"I choose Option 1! In the Honghuang, Realm is everything. Everything else is secondary."
BOOM.
The Grotto-Heaven trembled as Wu-Ji's aura exploded. Inside his dantian, the liquid Qi solidified, spinning faster and faster until a marble-sized pearl appeared. It was half-violet and half-gold, pulsing with a rhythm that seemed to synchronize with the heartbeat of the world.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have stepped into the 'Golden Core Realm'.]
[System Update: 'The Simulation' can now simulate 'Social Interactions' and 'Sect Management'.]
Wu-Ji opened his eyes, feeling the power. He could now fly, move mountains with a thought, and live for millennia. But he knew that in this era, a Golden Core cultivator was still just a slightly larger ant.
"Master! Help!"
A sudden, high-pitched scream echoed from outside the valley's mist.
Wu-Ji frowned. His arrays were active, but his spiritual perception saw a small figure stumbling through the fog. It was a girl, barely twelve years old, wearing a tattered Daoist robe. She was holding a broken Jade Mirror that emitted a faint, holy light—a light that was keeping a pack of Shadow Wolves at bay.
"A human?" Wu-Ji's eyes narrowed. "No... she has the aura of the 'Innate Humans' created by Nuwa. But it's too early for them to be wandering this far south."
He ran a quick 1-minute simulation.
[Simulation: You ignore her. The wolves kill her. Her Jade Mirror shatters, releasing a signal that attracts a nearby Golden Immortal. The Immortal finds your valley and kills you for 'watching a human die'. Death!]
"What kind of logic is that?!" Wu-Ji cursed. "Fine, I'll save her."
He didn't move his body. He simply flicked his finger.
A thread of Innate Gravity shot through the mist. The Shadow Wolves—creatures that could kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator easily—suddenly felt as if a mountain had been placed on their backs.
CRUNCH.
The wolves were flattened into the dirt instantly, their bones turned to powder.
The girl froze, her eyes wide with terror and hope. She looked at the deep mist, where a young man in purple-black robes was slowly walking out.
"T-Thank you, Immortal!" she sobbed, kneeling and banging her head on the ground. "Please... save my village! The demons... they are eating everyone!"
Wu-Ji looked at the Jade Mirror in her hand. His system suddenly chimed.
[Ding! Rare Item Detected: 'Fragment of the Haotian Mirror' (Degraded).]
[Mission Triggered: 'The First Disciple.']
Objective: Save the 'Stone-Skin Village' and take this girl as your disciple.
Reward: 1000 Units of Energy and a 'Path to the Earth Immortal Realm'.
Wu-Ji looked at the girl, then at the sky where the clouds were turning dark with demonic Qi. He knew that by taking this step, he was officially stepping onto the "Chessboard."
"What is your name, child?" Wu-Ji asked, his voice calm but cold.
"I... I am Yun'er," she whispered.
"Yun'er," Wu-Ji looked at the horizon. "Do not call me Immortal. From today, you shall call me Master. And I will show you that in this world, even the 'food' can become the 'hunter'."