Chapter 401: Why Wake From a Lingering Dream

The instant he entered the Platform of Immortal Dreams, Wang Sheng felt the Dao Rhythm urging him to sleep and dream. At the same time, he faintly comprehended that the true purpose of the platform was to mend a cultivator's state of mind—to allow them to temper their heart and gain insight within the seemingly real Dream Realm.

Why am I starting my dream as a brothel keeper in an ancient pleasure house, though? Does the Platform of Immortal Dreams think I've lived my whole life without ever feeling the embrace of a woman?

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in an ancient-style pavilion. Finely dressed men and women clinging to one another mingled before him.

At that moment, a coarse-looking fat man suddenly kicked him and, in an archaic tone, shouted, "Stop blocking the way and go fetch me some wine!"

Wang Sheng stared wide-eyed at the man. He thought to punish him slightly, but before he could act, the fat man kicked him again.

Having already calculated to strike the man's knee, he raised his left leg. As he did, he felt just how weak and slow his body was.

The kick landed on his hip this time. He slammed hard onto the floor.

A young woman with heavy makeup quickly clung to the richly dressed fat man, teasing him playfully until he snorted coldly and walked off with her in his arms.

"A setting like this exists, too, huh?"

Wang Sheng lay on the ground and observed his surroundings. Two other brothel keepers dressed like him hurried over and dragged him to the back courtyard.

The older, frailer one scolded him. The other sighed and told him not to be so stubborn, telling him that if their head found out, he would surely be starved for days again.

Soon after, Wang Sheng adapted to his role.

Everything around him felt so real, but he was well aware that he was simply here to temper himself. If he could not immerse himself in mortal life, the training's effect would be greatly diminished.

He quickly adjusted his state of mind and followed the others back to his duties. Though he never stooped to flattering guests, he at least brought tea and poured water with a certain deftness. A few times, he brought food and drink into some of the more higher-class rooms, where he found rather chaotic scenes revolving around what could only be called bedroom arts.

In his previous life, Wang Sheng had already attained the supreme realm of having watched countless explicit films until his heart was unfazed. He had also dated a few girls. Hence, such sights no longer had any impact on him.

This, perhaps, was where the Platform of Immortal Dreams had miscalculated.

He could not help but wonder what would happen if the platform gave a female immortal such a scene.

That would be interesting.

He doubted it would ever play such tricks, though. After all, immortal maidens all prized purity.

Their work finally ended at dawn. Most of the guests slipped away while they still had the cover of night.

Wang Sheng lay with others on a crowded brick bed, pondering what he should do next. The best way to temper his heart was to truly step into the dream, not just merely stand aside as an observer. To immerse himself, though, he needed a goal.

He quietly sensed the world of the dream. It had primal qi, but it was scarce. Its density was only a tenth of Earth's before the Earth Qi Seal had been released. Moreover, his foundation was extremely weak in this dream.

On the other hand, Wang Sheng still had many immortal arts. He began trying to cultivate according to the opening chapter of the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra, drawing together faint threads of internal qi.

Training in a dream was like grasping at illusions. The cultivation itself could not be brought out. Still, even if he woke up, he would retain the realms he had reached and the insights he had gained.

How is this brothel keeper this feeble, though?

He soon got his answer.

That afternoon, many finely dressed women came into the back courtyard to meet their chosen "companions," which was both a rule that the madam had set and a way for the "less popular" ones to seek comfort.

The one linked with Wang Sheng was a girl named Yinying. She had been sold to the brothel two years ago. When she saw him, her once somber face softened with a touch of warmth. Clearly, she had pinned her feelings onto their twisted relationship.

Wang Sheng wanted to immerse himself fully in the dream role, but he only had his senior sister in his heart. Moreover, back in reality, he was always either with his senior sister, an immortal beauty with jade-like skin; or Xi Lian, a peerless woman of alluring grace. Hence, the women here simply couldn't rouse him.

Hence, he took the opposite path. In Yinying's narrow little room, he stopped her just as she began loosening her robe.

Yinying looked at him curiously. "What's wrong? Why are you acting like a scholar today? You usually pounce on me impatiently."

In an archaic tone, Wang Sheng replied, "Have you ever thought of changing your life?"

She froze, then stared at him strangely. Still, she untied her robe, reclined on the bed in a silk undergarment and trousers, and asked, "What's wrong with you today? Are you mocking me? If I leave this place, I would either starve to death or end up having thugs ruin me."

Wang Sheng simply nodded. He listened to the indecent sounds drifting from other rooms, then walked to the wooden window and pushed open its paper pane. Outside was a stone road lined with green willows. The scenery was pretty decent.

He had thought to leap out then and there, but a faint thought stirred in his heart. He turned back and looked at Yinying with a trace of helplessness.

Perhaps it was just in his nature to interfere. Since he was merely in the Dream Realm, he might as well act freely. There was no need to hold back.

Hence, Wang Sheng stayed in the brothel, secretly cultivating while also gathering information about cultivation.

This land was not part of any dynasty known to history; it was a secular empire called Chaofeng. In the secular world, countless legends about immortals were told, yet they all depicted cultivators flying with controlled objects.

Once Wang Sheng reached the Spirit Convergence Realm, he began sneaking out of the brothel each night to rob houses—to rob the wealthy and aid the poor.

Two years later, when he reached the Seed Formation Realm section of the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra, he decided not to practice the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art. Instead, he focused completely on comprehending the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra.

As far as arts and techniques went, his Sword-Controlling Art was more than enough.

Two more years passed. After completing the Foundation Establishment Stage, Wang Sheng left the brothel. He stormed a powerful bandit stronghold, subdued the bandits with his fists, slew the wicked bandit leader, and officially became an "outlaw hero."

Wang Sheng concealed his identity as a cultivator with martial skill and began reforming the bandits' way of thought. He turned them into a group of outlaw heroes that punished corrupt officials, crushed other bandits, and eradicated local tyrants. The process was somewhat bloody. He mercilessly killed those who refused to change.

Later, he bought the city's brothel and transformed it from a place of prostitution into a high-class establishment where guests came only for music and performance, not for sex. He invited famous musicians and retired dancers from the Hua Republic, and helped the women, including Yinying, relearn and rework, allowing them to live new lives.

It took only two more years for him to unify the city's brothel trade. He turned half the brothels into music houses and left the rest to continue their original business.

Wang Sheng reached the Golden Core Realm in his eleventh year in the Dream Realm.

He used Daoist arts to control the city lord of the great city, allowing the Yinying Music House to expand swiftly throughout the secular world. He also exchanged the immense wealth he had gathered for cultivation materials, refining his first flying sword.

Soon after, Wang Sheng came into contact with the power structure of the Chaofeng Empire. He entered the circles of the capital as a wealthy merchant. Instead of taking office or drawing close to nobility, he merely observed in secret how the secular authority functioned.

He quickly discovered that the Chaofeng Empire was nothing more than a great cultivation sect's puppet for amassing wealth and recruiting fresh blood.

Changing his plans, he returned to his base. He cultivated diligently, enjoyed life, and even considered starting a peasant uprising for amusement.

After another ten years, Wang Sheng reached the Heavenly Abode Realm. By then, his hidden influence had already threatened the rule of the secular dynasty. He was now competing with the great sect for secular resources.

Before they could act against him, Wang Sheng dismantled the industries he had painstakingly built and withdrew to a deserted land to continue cultivating.

Yinying had already passed away. The wealth he had amassed in the secular world was vast, yet without a storage artifact, he could only hide it.

A hundred years later, Wang Sheng reached the middle stage of the Rebirth Realm. With his sword, he attacked the great cultivation sect alone and wounded its sect master, who was at the Tribulation Realm. He then plundered several of their greatest treasures and warehouses of cultivation materials.

Since he bore no true enmity with them, Wang Sheng did not kill. After all, they were fellow cultivators.

He fled again, for he learned that the sect had produced many immortals who had ascended, and an elder of the sect had already sent help requests to them.

As the saying went, "an educated man does not linger under a collapsing wall."

Wang Sheng quickly retreated, but he remained curious.

What kind of place is this, really?

Two days later, several overwhelming auras swept through the realm, searching all over. The furious immortals scoured the land inch by inch, yet they never found even a trace of Wang Sheng.

Hidden in a cavern at the bottom of the sea, Wang Sheng smiled faintly. Once the three immortals departed, he resumed cultivating in secret. However, he had already sensed the lack of primal qi back at the Golden Core Realm. Without spirit stones to arrange a qi-gathering formation, his cultivation speed was heavily hindered.

Around three hundred years after his descent into this world, he had almost used up all the spirit stones that he had stolen from the sect. He had now completed his rebirth and reached the Tribulation Realm.

Wang Sheng suddenly wondered if he was truly within a dream.

What kind of divine power could even create such a vivid Dream Realm?

He began to fear that he would suddenly awaken. After all, he had completely comprehended the Nascent Soul chapter, the Rebirth chapter, and the Tribulation chapter of the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra.

These insights were his harvest from the Dream Realm. Once he awakened, he would only have to trace his steps to steadily progress his cultivation and accumulate enchanted power. He'd face no bottlenecks all the way to the Tribulation Realm.

Is this truly the Dream Realm or the real world?

To uncover the truth, he had to reach the domain where the immortals dwelled.

In this realm, Wang Sheng had abundant patience. He remained in hiding, quietly cultivating bit by bit. He overcame heavenly tribulation, forged both an immortal body and a divine soul, and formally reached a new milestone: the Ascended Immortal Realm.

By then, he had been in the Dream Realm for a thousand years.

He attacked the great sect once again, provoking several immortals. When they finally departed after a few days, he secretly followed them and encountered two unexpected events.

First, the immortals possessed a shuttle-shaped artifact. Once they entered it, the artifact pierced the void and vanished instantly. Second, when Wang Sheng flew beyond the planet's atmosphere, he suddenly realized that he was about to awaken.

Looking down, he saw the pale green planet slowly rotating. Above him was a massive red dwarf star, and beyond it was a shattered star.

A force pulled at him. The immortal body that he had worked so hard to forge vanished in the blink of an eye.

The scene before him rewound rapidly. The star system disappeared like flowing light, replaced by a grand expanse of stars, galaxies, and a vast disk of countless suns.

The scene quickened. Wang Sheng seemed to cross from one end of the cosmos to another. When he turned his head, he found himself crashing into a cluster of starlight.

In a daze, Wang Sheng opened his eyes. Before him stretched an empty sky.

He slowly sat up, finding himself back on the Platform of Immortal Dreams. A thousand years' worth of cultivation memories stirred within him. Insights rose one after another, and he immediately sealed them deep in his heart.

From beside the platform, someone called in a familiar tone, "Junior Brother?"

Wang Sheng exhaled in relief and rose to his feet. "How long have I slept?"

Standing on Spiritless, Yaoyun replied, "More than a year. Come down first."

More than a year?

Wang Sheng frowned slightly. A year on Earth was the same as a thousand years outside the Realm of Exiled Immortals.

Have I truly entered a dream, or has my soul been drawn into some "low-level" planet in the endless cosmos?

For a moment, confusion filled Wang Sheng's gaze. He whispered, "Let me settle myself first."

He sat down slowly on the steps, sinking into thought for three days and three nights.

When Wang Sheng finally returned to his senses, he decided not to dwell on it further. He rose calmly, his eyes regaining clarity.

By then, his entire demeanor had become steadier and more profound.

Moreover, without realizing it, he had already reached the middle stage of the Rebirth Realm. His Dao Body likely benefited from his breakthroughs and insights in the Dream Realm.

Soon, Wang Sheng noticed Mu Wanxuan looking dejected. His spirit shook.

"What's wrong, Senior Sister? Wait, you broke through?!"

Mu Wanxuan silently turned on her phone. With the last bit of power, she sent out two memes.

I'm gradually dying inside.

Dead fish stab.