Immortal Ascension Technique

In the eighth peak, Kaelen slowly followed a young man through a magnificent and gigantic hall, the hall exuding an air of oppression.

The young man, with a serene gaze, introduced himself:

"I am Qian Xuan. I believe I have not properly introduced myself, have I?"

In a calm voice full of authority, Qian Xuan continued:

"I have never had any disciples here; you are the first. In fact, you will see that the eighth peak is relatively new compared to the other peaks. From now on, you are my only true disciple."

Kaelen listened to every word with attention, while the master continued:

"Normally I am in seclusion for most of the year, so I will not guide you personally very often, although sporadic occasions will occur. If needed, you can isolate yourself in a cave on the mountain to cultivate; use this token, it contains the technique of the eighth peak and all the basic guidelines for your cultivation."

Without hesitation, Qian Xuan tossed a strip of jade in Kaelen's direction, which he caught with an agile reflex.

The atmosphere seemed to carry a subtle tension when the master, about to bid farewell, noticed an unusual expression on the young man's face.

"What is the matter, Kaelen?"

With a strange look, Kaelen spoke:

"Master, I do not know how to cultivate... nor how to use these jade strips."

Immediately, Qian Xuan coughed lightly and spoke to his disciple:

"Kof, kof! It was only a test for you."

With a gentle gesture, the master touched Kaelen's forehead and, in an instant, a message projected into his mind:

[Detected master's intention to transmit the technique of Immortal Ascension.] 

[Do you wish to learn?] [Yes] [No]

Without hesitation, Kaelen clicked [Yes]. For a brief moment, a sharp pain coursed through his head, followed by the display of his status:

[Host: Kaelen/Eric] 

[Race: Human] 

[Age: 15/74] 

[Physical Condition: Poisoning resolved] 

[Cultivation: Essence Forge (2)] 

[Techniques: Immortal Ascension (small success)] 

[Talent: Radiant Sun] [Constitution: Strong Body (Alterable)] 

[Fate: Light Blue (Excellent) (Alterable)] 

[Opportunity to Update the System] 

[Do you wish to update?] [Yes] [No] 

[Do you accept these settings?] [Yes] [No]

Surprised, Qian Xuan quickly held Kaelen's wrist to confirm his state, and exclaimed enthusiastically:

"Extraordinary! You have already reached the Essence Forge stage level 2. And it seems that you already master the cultivation technique with a small success. Impressive, you completely skipped the introductory level."

Qian Xuan appeared shocked for a moment.

As if that were not enough, another prompt appeared in Kaelen's mind:

[Qian Xuan's favorability +5 stars.] [Current Favorability: 5 stars.]

With a gentle smile, Qian Xuan looked deeply into Kaelen and, with an enigmatic smile, said:

"To use a jade strip, just pour spiritual energy into it. I have not encoded this jade strip, make sure to destroy it after you understand all the content it contains."

In the blink of an eye, reality around him seemed to oscillate, and Kaelen found himself transported out of the hall. A serene voice echoed in his ears:

"If you need help opening your cave, ask the deacon of the Task Hall. Enjoy the privilege of being a true disciple."

Kaelen stopped, immersed in thought, pondering the convenience of passing the task to the Task Hall. After all, why bother when others can do it for you?

At night, inside a relatively grand cultivation cave, Kaelen felt satisfied.

"Indeed, it took less than two hours for this cave to be ready."

The newly built cave with walls decorated by finely carved moving inscriptions and shimmering stalactites completed the scene, uniting comfort and spirituality in perfect harmony. With paintings on the wall and an artificial lake at the center of the cave.

Kaelen was stunned when he saw it for the first time.

Upon requesting the Task Hall to construct a cultivation cave, almost several external elders nearly got into a physical fight to take on the task, until finally, an external elder named Zhang Yundun, an expert in refining spiritual artifacts, assumed the mission.

Kaelen discovered that his short stature was not without reason; the elder belonged to the race of dwarves, which also justified why the spiritual cave turned out so well.

Putting aside his curiosity about Elder Zhang, Kaelen refocused on the possible update of his system.

Although the temptation was great, a persistent trauma from the last time he risked altering his talent still haunted him.

"Who doesn't take risks, doesn't get the biscuit. A little pain is the price to forge a true cultivator."

With that in mind, Kaelen accessed his status tab.

[Opportunity to Update the System] [Do you wish to update?] [Yes] [No]

After a moment of hesitation and a deep breath to calm his fears, Kaelen pressed [Yes]. In an instant, he completely lost control of his body and collapsed, helpless, like a sack of potatoes.

Despite the motor blackout, his consciousness remained alert, clinging to every sharp pain spreading indiscriminately throughout his being, an indescribable anguish that seemed to arise from nowhere in his body, yet was an unbearable pain. In fact, it was not possible to describe the origin of the pain.

Yet the pain was excruciating.

Hours passed until, finally, a sharp beep cut through the silence of the cave, and luminous letters formed before his eyes. Slowly, control returned to his exhausted body. On the system interface, a message shone:

[Update Successful] 

[New functions added to the system] 

[Enhanced status function] 

[Enhanced status view function] 

[Please explore the system to better understand the new functions]

While recovering, Kaelen carefully examined the status screen of his master:

[Name: Qian Xuan/Yun Shen] 

[Age: 1220/3,092,382] 

[Goldfinger: Celestial Gourd – multiplies cultivation speed and ensures critical hits] 

[History: Reincarnated immortal monarch, awakened memories] 

[Recent Events: After returning from the Lower Earth, Qian Xuan attended the exam in the city of Viresta. Attracted by Kaelen's above-standard talent, he chose to make him his disciple to assist him in his revenge in the higher realms] 

[Favorability: 5 stars]

Kaelen could hardly believe it.

"An immortal reincarnated? Are all peak masters like this? Impressive..."

Determined to compare, he consulted the status of a friend:

[Name: Ermin/Jin Ruilong] 

[Cultivation: Essence Forge (1)] 

[Talent: Morning Star] 

[Constitution: Body of Sleep (In awakening phase)] 

[Age: 15/89] 

[History: Reincarnated golden immortal; accidentally died during a fight among immortal monarchs, memories not awakened] 

[Recent Events: After the talent test of the Dragon Celestial Sect, he was accepted as a disciple by Hua Chen, who gave him a pill to prevent sleep and boost his cultivation and awaken his physique.] 

[Techniques: Dragon Celestial Cultivation Technique] [Favorability: 5 stars]

Kaelen, thoughtful upon seeing his friend's cultivation technique, nodded:

"It makes sense... My master would not give me a standard technique if he had something better at hand."

Immediately afterward, Kaelen seemed to realize:

"My god, another immortal reincarnated? Ermin, an immortal reincarnated? That makes no sense, I cannot believe it."

Kaelen was dumbfounded by the information contained in the system.

"Body of Sleep? That makes sense, meaning, that bastard isn't lazy out of mere laziness, after all."

After a brief contemplation, Kaelen thought again:

"But the body is still awakening, so that bastard is just lazy."

Having realized that, Kaelen proceeded.

Soon after, he reviewed the status of Elder Zhao:

[Name: Zhao Yufeng] 

[Cultivation: IQ Refinement (8)] 

[Talent: Common Root] 

[Constitution: Mortal] 

[Age: 52/173] 

[History: After seeing his sect destroyed by a demonic sect, he used his alchemical knowledge to secure his position in the Dragon Celestial Sect and summoned an internal elder to avenge its destruction] 

[Recent Events: One of his servants and another nearby mortal tested talents of 20 chimes, awakening in him a whirlwind of emotions – envy, anxiety, euphoria – which led him to fail in refining the pill for the internal disciple] 

[Techniques: Sect Elixir Cultivation Technique, Basic Technique of the Dragon Celestial Sect] [Favorability: 2 stars]

Upon reading about Zhao Yufeng, Kaelen was dumbfounded. "Sect extinction, revenge... And he distances himself from me because I am talented? That makes no sense," he murmured.

After reflecting, Kaelen realized:

"He does not reject me out of malice; he simply believes I am a disciple too distant to maintain closeness."

With that understanding, Kaelen decided that he would see Elder Zhao the next day.

With that in mind, Kaelen decided to examine the jade strip that his master had given him. With a gentle surge of his spiritual energy, the jade strip lit up and a vivid scene appeared in his mind.

The scene detailed his master, Qian Xuan, teaching the Immortal Ascension technique.

Then, the scene changed, and his master began to explain some information to him.

It turns out that the eighth peak has existed for only 30 years. Which is incredibly new by immortal standards. His master, Qian Xuan, was a common-lineage disciple under the sixth peak, but 900 years ago he went into seclusion. Emerging only 100 years ago, already with cultivation powerful enough to become a peak master.

However, Qian Xuan chose not to inaugurate a new peak until 30 years ago, when he, on a whim, created the 8th peak.

Then, Qian Xuan detailed basic information about the sect, how it worked hierarchically, where to obtain cultivation techniques and contributions.

Finally, Qian Xuan explained that Kaelen would have the right to decide who would become a lineage disciple for the eighth peak, since Qian Xuan did not care much about that.

Suddenly, with a deafening crash, the jade strip self-destructed.

Kaelen was stunned.

"If the jade strip self-destructs, what is the point of asking me to destroy it?"

Irritated, he scoffed:

"Let's cultivate! I hope to reach the third level of the Essence Forge by tomorrow morning."

With that in mind, Kaelen swallowed a pill that Elder Zhang had given him. Elder Zhang had assured him that, by ingesting this pill, a cultivator would not need to sleep for a week.

Immediately, Kaelen felt agitated, anxious, and had difficulty focusing and breathing.

"Elder Zhang, you bastard!" Kaelen shouted.

---------------------------------

Meanwhile, in a hall of the external sect, an old, short man exuded satisfaction. Looking at his Taoist partner, Elder Zhang murmured:

"Mei Mei, today I completed a task for a true disciple of the eighth peak. Soon, we will soar to the heavens."

The cultivator MeiMei blushed slightly and replied:

"Little Zhang, let's set that matter aside for now. Let's focus on dual cultivation."

With that in mind, Zhang reached into his bag and pulled out a pill. Examining it, he frowned:

"How strange, the pill for sleep removal is here. I could have sworn I had given it to the true disciple Kaelen."

Without delving into the matter further, Zhang returned to his bag and took out another pill identical to the one Kaelen had ingested.

"MeiMei, get ready. This pill was specially commissioned to be used with you."

Upon swallowing the pill, Elder Zhang immediately plunged into dual cultivation, his eyes shining with determination.