Chapter 12: The Second Anchor Appears

“Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture, Nascent Soul technique. Current practitioners: 0.”

As Li Fan picked up the jade slip, the information flowed naturally into his mind.

The Nascent Soul realm...

A wave of longing surged through Li Fan’s heart. Yet, at present, he was still merely a mortal, with no divine sense. Though he could use the basic functions of a storage ring, this Nascent Soul technique remained utterly beyond his grasp. He could only stare at it longingly, unable to glimpse its contents.

It was like sitting on a mountain of treasure he couldn't touch. Li Fan could only greedily drink in the sight of the jade slip a few more times before reluctantly setting it down.

His gaze then shifted to a rusted iron sword lying nearby.

It was Dao Xuanzi’s Foundation Establishment Curio, Rusted Sword Dao Xuan.

According to Kou Hong, Qi Refinement cultivators seeking a breakthrough needed to rely on various Curios of heaven and earth to forge their Dao Foundation.

Each Curio possessed its own wondrous abilities, and only those who were fated could find them.

Once a cultivator forged their Dao Foundation with a Curio, it became inextricably tied to them.

Should the cultivator perish, the Curio would lose its miraculous properties, reverting to nothing more than an ordinary object.

Li Fan ran his fingers over the unremarkable iron blade, but his attention was fixed on the sudden notification from Return to Truth.

[Discovered item convertible to charge: Rusted Sword Dao Xuan (Damaged).]

[Proceed with charging?]

After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan chose “Yes.”

The rusted sword vanished silently from his grasp, and a line of text appeared in his mind.

[Charging Progress of Next Anchor Point: 1%]

[Anchor Points In Use: 1]

Li Fan’s heart stirred. According to the message from Return to Truth, once the charging progress of the next anchor point reached 100%, a second anchor point would be unlocked.

From then on, when he activated Return to Truth and everything was virtualized, he could restart from any anchor point he desired.

If I can truly unlock a second anchor point, it’ll make things far more convenient.

Li Fan mused, his anticipation growing.

For instance, the main goal of his current and previous few lifetimes was to figure out how he could begin cultivating from Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi. The first fifty years of each life were nothing but a repetitive ordeal, not to mention the occasional uncontrollable variables.

If he could restart directly from the point where he became Grand Preceptor and controlled the world, his efficiency of trial-and-error would skyrocket.

Thinking further ahead—right now, he was just a mortal, and each cycle lasted only fifty years. Though tedious, Li Fan could endure it. But once he stepped onto the path of cultivation, where lifespans stretched for centuries or even millennia, a single failure would force him to start over from scratch. Just the thought of it made his scalp prickle.

And if he could unlock even more anchor points? Then Li Fan would have ample room for trial and error. Step by step, he could refine his approach, paving the way toward a flawless path to eternal life.

As for the initial anchor point, it could serve as his final safeguard.

Though Curios of heaven and earth are rare, the cultivation world is vast beyond measure, and Curios emerge endlessly. As long as I escape this Immortal Forsaken Land and break free from these shackles...

The more he contemplated, the fiercer his desire to leave this place.

After absorbing Rusted Sword Dao Xuan, Li Fan paid little attention to the remaining items in the storage ring. They were nothing more than some standard spirit stones and low-grade artifacts.

Standard spirit stones were jointly manufactured by organizations like the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council. They were categorized into different grades, serving as the cultivation world’s legal currency. Each spirit stone bore a unique anti-counterfeit mark, making it impossible for others to replicate.

In truth, the value of standard spirit stones lay in their recognition by the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council, as they could be exchanged for cultivation techniques within these organizations. Meanwhile, privately minted inferior spirit stones or natural ones mined from spirit veins were utterly worthless.

Ultimately, what limited cultivators of the present day wasn’t resources like spiritual qi or spirit stones, but techniques—the techniques for each cultivation realm.

The Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council dominated the cultivation world precisely because they controlled the vast majority of techniques.

As for those low-grade artifacts, most were expendable tools for combat. Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi were far from wealthy, so the artifacts they carried were all common goods and weren’t too valuable.

After carefully storing all the items back into the storage ring, including the Nascent Soul technique, Li Fan was left panting heavily.

This body had grown decrepit, like a candle guttering in the wind, about to be extinguished at any moment.

Taking a deep breath, Li Fan closed his eyes, as if engraving this moment of frailty deep into his heart.

Then, without hesitation, he activated Return to Truth and ended this lifetime.

***

In the darkness, scenes flashed rapidly before his eyes. Then, familiar words appeared in his vision:

[This simulation has ended]

[You may choose one of the following options:

1. Retain an item you possessed in this simulation

2. Retain your cultivation level in this simulation.

3. Retain the simulated memories of one closely associated individual. These memories can be inherited by that person.

4. Forfeit the above choices to accelerate charging process.]

This time, Li Fan chose the first option.

He had attempted to trick the system by storing all his items in the storage ring at the end of his previous life. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.

The storage ring, the Nascent Soul technique, spirit stones, and artifacts all surfaced in Li Fan’s mind one by one.

Naturally, Li Fan selected that Nascent Soul technique.

To his delight, upon choosing the technique, he found that he could retrieve it from or return it to Return to Truth’s space at will. Moreover, the technique had formed a kind of bond with him.

This technique now fully belonged to him. Even if he didn’t choose to retain it for his next lifetime, it would remain permanently within Return to Truth.

With this, I can devise many more schemes...

Li Fan retrieved the golden jade slip, turning it over in his hands as he contemplated his plans for this life.

The Great Migration ended thousands of years ago, and its traces have long been buried. Excavating ancient tombs on a large scale would cause far too much upheaval. Even with the immense control I wielded over the imperial court in my last life, it still provoked significant opposition. It would not be sustainable for a newly established court to attempt such a thing immediately.

However, if I begin laying the groundwork now, spending twenty years preparing, perhaps I can still reshape the world’s mindset...

Name: Li Fan

Realm: Mortal

Biological Age: 20/86

Psychological Age: 282/1109↑

Virtualization Charging Progress: 0%

Charging Progress of Next Anchor Point: 1%

Anchor Points In Use: 1

Bound Items: Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture

***

Time flowed onward, and Li Fan’s sixth lifetime began.

Everything followed its predetermined course. Yet under Li Fan’s subtle machinations, countless minute changes rippled through the world.

In Anchor Year 3, whispers of immortals descending began spreading across Great Xuan.

By Anchor Year 5, the School of Historical Inquiry emerged in spectacular fashion. Bearing several ancient texts, its scholars journeyed to the capital for an audience with the Emperor. The unparalleled sophistication of these long-lost works sent shockwaves through the empire.

Their names: The Book of Changes, Tao Te Ching, Zhuangzi, The Analects, The Great Learning...[1]

1. These are all famous classical Chinese texts ☜