SWDnovel Chapter 2: The Book of the World
Chapter 2: The Book of the World
No, that's not right!
He clearly remembered the cold jade plaza, the light of the spirit-testing stones, and the indifferent face of the steward cultivator.
I remember sitting there, listless, beneath the stone pillar, my life slowly slipping away with the night...
Seventy-one years of life, fifty-six years of pursuit.
The chilling despair and resentment of that final moment were so real, so deeply imprinted on my soul, utterly genuine!
Could it be... a long and terrifying nightmare?
No.
Lu Qingyun closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down.
Then, he saw it.
Deep in my mind, there was not a stone tablet, but a... book.
A thick book, neither gold nor jade, of unknown material, with a cover of deep ink, seems to exude the aura of ancient times.
【The Book of a Hundred Generations】
The moment Lu Qingyun's consciousness touched the book, the pages turned slowly on their own, without any wind.
The first page is blank.
On the second page, faint ink marks emerge, outlining a simple sketch: a boy dressed in coarse cloth, holding a wood-chopping knife, stands by a mountain stream, gazing up at two streaks of light in the sky. Beside the drawing, tiny words, barely visible, appear:
[First Incarnation: Lu Qingyun. Lifespan: 71. A mortal martial artist. Obsessed with immortality, he searched for 56 years, but ultimately found no path, dying far from home at the foot of Yunxia Mountain. Regret: Never encountered the destiny of immortality.]
The third page is a chaotic glimmer of light, in which a youthful phantom, identical to himself at this moment, can be vaguely seen, slowly coalescing, not yet fully formed.
Further on, the pages became thick and seemingly endless, yet they were all blank.
"This is……"
Lu Qingyun's heart pounded wildly, and an unbelievable thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
A book for all ages?
Could this be the treasure that allowed him to travel to this world and be reborn after death?
The white porridge was cooked, and its aroma filled the air.
Lu Qingyun held the warm ceramic bowl with trembling hands; the warmth from his fingertips felt so real.
He looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar poor thatched hut, and at the autumn sunlight that had shone through the crack in the door, the sunlight from when he was sixteen.
The image of a lonely and destitute person from a past life, who had traveled thousands of miles, overlaps with the simple yet warm scene before my eyes.
His eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
came back.
He really came back.
She returned to the time when she had just transmigrated, at the age of sixteen, before she encountered any immortal opportunities and before anything had even begun.
"The Ascension Ceremony awaits me!" Lu Qingyun lowered his head, his eyes filled with tears.
The path to immortality is uncertain, and the future is unknown.
But in this life, he will never let that spirit-testing stone be within an inch of his reach again.
Lu Qingyun looked around and found that there seemed to be a barrier blocking him. The scenery around him seemed real, yet it was very far away from him.
Just as I was wondering, the Book of a Hundred Generations returned to the second page.
A line of small print appeared before Lu Qingyun's eyes:
Your first life has ended.
You can choose one of the following options to keep:
1. An item you possess in this world.
2. Your current state of spiritual practice at the end of this period.
3. Abandon the above options and use a certain time or place in this life as an anchor point to choose from for the start of the next life.
Lu Qingyun was taken aback. He hadn't expected that the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes could bring him a gift from his previous life, and this was the place he had chosen to give the gift.
His gaze hardened.
Mortal cultivation levels and possessions are of no use.
Without entering the gates of immortality, one will ultimately remain an ant.
He wanted to know if he actually had spiritual roots!
Is it even possible to cultivate immortality?!
The next second, Lu Qingyun's eyes were resolute as he chose the anchor point: the location of the Ascension Conference when he was sixteen!
Even if he can't cultivate immortality, he will still seek the opportunity to pursue immortality and enlightenment in a sect that is close to one!
A sound of pages turning came from the book.
The next moment, Lu Qingyun opened his eyes.
The first rays of dawn break over Qingyu Square.
The scene overlapped with memories of his past life, yet was completely different. Hundreds of teenagers lined up, and the monks calmly called out names. The air was filled with tension and anticipation.
The man queuing in the crowd was no longer old and frail with white hair, but instead full of vigor and in his prime!
"Next."
It was his turn.
He walked steadily forward towards the familiar spirit-testing stone. The jade was warm and smooth, radiating a faint spiritual light.
This time, there was none of the trembling or eagerness of those teenagers.
Lu Qingyun placed his palm firmly on it.
The jade felt cool to the touch, and then a faint suction force came from within it, as if trying to penetrate deep into his bloodline.
Will it succeed? Lu Qingyun held his breath, waiting for the test results.
Much later, just when he was about to let go and give up in despair.
The spirit-testing stone was silent for a moment, then its internal light flowed, changing from white to blue, then from blue to a faint gold, and finally stabilized, presenting a stable radiance with blue and gold interwoven, and blue as the main color.
I have spiritual roots! I really do have spiritual roots!
Lu Qingyun could hardly contain his excitement. His decades of hard work had finally paid off; he had succeeded!
He has successfully found the path to immortality!
Take a deep breath.
Next second,
Lu Qingyun's mood quickly calmed down.
"Lu Qingyun, place of origin?" The steward looked up at him, then at the light emanating from the spirit stone.
"Originally from the Great Liang Kingdom, he is sixteen years old this year." Lu Qingyun's voice was calm and composed.
A few murmurs could be heard from the surrounding area.
"Sixteen years old? Such composure is truly rare..."
"However, this spiritual light... seems to be only a slightly above-low grade metal, wood, and earth elemental root? Primarily wood with secondary metal, and a trace of earth attribute impurities?"
"What a pity. Even with a mid-grade spiritual root, such a temperament would surely be valued by the sect. But being only a low-grade one... the hope of reaching Foundation Establishment is slim, and the potential will be greatly reduced."
The steward nodded and recorded in the jade book in his hand: "Lu Qingyun, sixteen years old, low-grade spiritual root, wood as the primary element and metal and earth as secondary elements. He can serve as an outer sect servant. His future will be determined after three years based on his cultivation progress and contributions."
Although his tone was flat, revealing no emotion, it was a world apart from the cold rejection he had received in his previous life.
Odd jobs.
It meant the lowest social class, heavy labor, and limited resources.
But for Lu Qingyun, this was already the opening of the tightly closed door between two lifetimes.
He slowly withdrew his hand, and the light of the spirit-testing stone dimmed.
There was no excitement, no cheering, and not even much change in expression.
Lu Qingyun nodded slightly to the steward cultivator, then calmly walked toward the area where the guides had gathered.
Several flags were hung on the stone platform, arranged according to nationality.
The area belonging to the Liang Kingdom had the smallest population, with only a few teenagers gathered together.
"He's here. It seems he's also from Liang."
The teenagers looked at the composed Lu Qingyun in surprise.
"Lu Qingyun, have you been assigned to the outer sect?"
The young man in blue was the first to ask, his eyes gleaming with a defiant light. Dressed in fine silks and satins, he was clearly of high status.
"No, I'm just a handyman."
Lu Qingyun shook his head and looked at the group of people.
The young man in blue was well-dressed and exuded an air of nobility. In addition, there was a dark-skinned boy in linen clothes and a serene and beautiful girl.
"It seems that only Chen Xiru is an outer disciple this time, and the rest of us are just menial servants."
The young man in blue, his eyes sharp, retorted defiantly, "So what if we're just menial laborers? As long as we work hard, we can definitely make a name for ourselves and not be inferior to those people."