The Best Era

Having spoken, Bing Yin looked at Li Fan's expression and remarked casually, as if entirely used to such reactions, "What? You don't believe me?" Li Fan did not answer. Bing Yin pointed toward the cluster of light ahead. The shifting scenery blurred and parted, revealing a portion of the azure crystal within. Amidst the shimmering light and shadow, a blue beam shone down before Li Fan. "You can try sending a strand of your divine sense inside. You will understand once you give it a try," Bing Yin said with complete confidence. Li Fan pondered for a moment, his eyes flickering, before separating out a sliver of his divine sense. The instant it touched the blue light, the beam pulled back. A wave of dizziness washed over him, and Li Fan closed his eyes. The next moment, his divine sense snapped back. Li Fan opened his eyes abruptly, somewhat stunned. Sensing the memories transmitted back through that divine sense, he was left momentarily speechless. He had been born into the Great Plague Era as an ordinary Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator. Merely because he visited a market to purchase ingredients for alchemy, he had inadvertently contracted the immortal-mortal miasma. At first, he felt weak, dizzy, and faint. Assuming something had gone wrong with his cultivation method, he swallowed a medicinal pill and forced himself into arduous secluded meditation. Who could have guessed that when he awoke the next morning, his cultivation had completely vanished, reducing him from a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator to a mortal with not a shred of magic power? Unable to accept such a fall, and with his body growing weaker and sicker, he died under the double blow. Survival time: seven days. "The initial immortal-mortal miasma had truly terrifying power." Li Fan recalled his fleeting lifetime and frowned slightly. He then looked at the guide, Bing Yin. "I want to try again." Bing Yin smiled, not at all surprised. Pinching a hand seal, he summoned the blue beam once more. This time, Li Fan was born into the Wasteland Era. The original host was a Soul Formation cultivator who had survived the horrific slaughter of the Great Dark Era. His hands were soaked in blood, and he trusted no one—a lone wolf wandering the wasteland, an ascetic cultivator who walked alone. After taking his place, Li Fan endured countless hardships while exploring an ancient ruin alone and finally had the fortune of obtaining a Dao Integration technique. He then secretly began searching for news of an anima of Heaven and Earth, attempting to break through to the Dao Integration realm. Unfortunately, cautious though he was, word somehow leaked out. He was besieged in the wilderness by several cultivators and perished in bitter resentment. Survival time: three months. Li Fan came back to his senses, carefully analyzing both experiences. He then asked Bing Yin, "Can I choose to start from scratch with a blank identity?" Bing Yin seemed to understand what he was thinking and chuckled softly. With a flick of his finger, a blue beam shot toward Li Fan again. This incarnation was set in the peak era of cultivation before the great calamity fell. Sects stood in great numbers; Nascent Soul cultivators walked everywhere, and Soul Formation figures were treated like nothing. Li Fan was born into a small mountain village within the territory of the Crimson Flame Sect. Through the quinquennial Immortal Ascension Assembly, he became an outer disciple of the Crimson Flame Sect. After toiling diligently for two years, he finally succeeded in stepping into the Qi Condensation stage. Just as he was about to be promoted to an inner disciple and truly embark upon the path of cultivation, a great war erupted between the Crimson Flame Sect and the Nine Yang Mansion over the contention for a spirit vein. Though Li Fan was extremely unwilling, the choice was not his to make. Cast as cannon fodder, he marched onto the battlefield. He lasted less than two days before falling in battle. Survival time: fifteen and a half years. ... "You haven't deliberately cranked up the probability of misfortune, have you?" Li Fan looked at Bing Yin with slight suspicion. Bing Yin shook his head. "The world always speaks of the wonders of the immortal path, yet they do not know that in antiquity, beneath the feet of every ordinary cultivator lay the corpses of countless failures. "I see you still have your doubts. Very well, let me convince you completely." Bing Yin's expression turned a shade more solemn. He formed an incantation gesture, exposing even more of the blue crystal enveloped by the cluster of light. The crystal projected a diamond-shaped blue pattern that hovered before Li Fan. "Please divide out a larger portion of divine sense before trying again," Bing Yin advised. Li Fan nodded. The moment his divine sense touched it, heaven and earth spun. His consciousness was split into a hundred fragments, each cast into different regions of the era simulation to experience a different life. In the Great Plague Era, he barely endured the immortal-mortal miasma, only to vent his frustration by slaughtering mortals en masse. This triggered a relapse of the miasma within him, stripping his cultivation entirely, and he was stoned to death by vengeful mortals. In the Great Dark Era, he killed every cultivator practicing the same technique, becoming the sole surviving Gu King. He originally planned to hide in a secluded cave dwelling deep in the mountains until the calamity passed, but he was accidentally caught in a clash between two passing almighty figures and died in utter bewilderment. In the era when the new methods were first taught, he was among the fortunate first batch of cultivators to hear the Immortal Venerable preach the Dao. Having once struggled terribly as a rogue cultivator, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds after switching to the new method. Just as he thought the immortal path lay open and smooth before him, a group of people suddenly confronted him. Denouncing him as an "evil heretic," they struck him dead on the spot without another word. There was even an unknown era that possessed a miraculous existence known as the Immortal Spirit Towers. Immortal Spirit Towers covered every corner of the world, ceaselessly pouring forth pure spiritual energy day and night. During that period, the world's spiritual energy concentration surpassed even what the Heavenly Profound Mirror offered after activating Spirit Enlightenment. Even more enviable was that anyone could freely search and study any cultivation technique through the Immortal Spirit Towers whenever they wished, completely without restriction. If one encountered an inscrutable passage in a technique, one could consult the tower's immortal spirit for guidance, or seek advice from other cultivators studying the same method. It was truly a paradise straight out of a cultivator's dreams. And yet... Perhaps because they were born into it and took it for granted, the people living in that era had little enthusiasm for cultivation. In that highly developed society, no matter how high one's cultivation grew, one still had to abide by the rules laid down by the supreme authorities. Conversely, even for an ordinary mortal who did not cultivate at all, basic rights were respected. Living in an environment so rich in spiritual energy, people consumed all manner of heavenly treasures and earthly wonders as casual meals. Their lifespans were unimaginably vast, with no end in sight, and every desire could be fulfilled. As time wore on, an inexplicable emptiness crept in, taking hold of and corroding their souls. After Li Fan was born into that world, he indulged in pleasure for five hundred years, drifted idly for five hundred years, grew gradually lost for five hundred years, and sank into despair for five hundred years. Finally, after surviving for more than two thousand years, he ended his own life with a burst of hearty laughter. ... Of the more than one hundred portions of divine sense, aside from that "Cultivation Paradise," the longest any lived was merely forty-three years. The average lifespan was a fleeting half year. The highest cultivation achieved was merely the early Golden Core stage, while the lowest met an untimely end before even stepping onto the path of cultivation. A hundred diverse cultivation lives played out across Li Fan's mind. As he gradually recovered his senses and all the scenes dissolved, he caught a vague glimpse of an indistinct figure standing before him, who said softly, "Remember, it is not the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals that needs you. "It is you who need the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. "This era is the best era. "Without a shadow of a doubt." All the imagery shattered like broken glass, scattering across his sea of consciousness like trails of starlight. Right then, a blue light flared at the center. As though drawn by a powerful attraction, the starlight shifted course and flew back toward the blue crystal. Li Fan snapped his eyes open.