Second-in-Command of the Immortal Lineage

"There were two main reasons they stopped me." "First, people hoard resources not merely to survive, but to live better." "If everyone grew old without dying and held onto vast amounts of resources, newborns would find life excruciatingly hard. They would have to scheme and intrigue against old monsters, or beg for whatever scraps leaked between their fingers. As time went on, each subsequent generation of newborns would struggle even more. They wouldn't be born to enjoy life, but to suffer. In the long run, the world would turn lifeless and stagnant." "Second, all living beings have a finite lifespan, which can also be regarded as a rule. If everyone were granted eternal life, it would conflict with the rule of lifespan, and that would shake the very foundation of the Immortal Dao fruit." "I felt that even though they weren't as smart as me, those two points made quite a bit of sense, so I accepted them." "Don't worry, Lu Yang. Although I can't give everyone immortality, giving you a rudimentary Immortal Dao fruit so you can live forever won't be a problem at all." The Immortal Fairy said magnanimously, "So, how about it? Want to join my Immortal Lineage and follow me? I guarantee you'll be living the high life—anything you want will be yours for the taking!" "From now on, you'll be the second-in-command of the Immortal Lineage!" "Allow me to ask first: how many people are in this Immortal Lineage altogether?" "Three! Me, you, and Bu Yaolian. Your status will be higher than Bu Yaolian's, and you'll have eternal life! Heh heh, now do you realize how precious this spot is?" The Immortal Fairy giggled foolishly. Each of the Five Ancient Celestials had their own confidants and successors. While not numerous, an immortal's lineage never consisted of just a single person. The Immortal Fairy was the sole exception. In truth, she had been the only one in the Immortal Lineage; Bu Yaolian had only been lumped onto her side after falling victim to someone's schemes. As for Lu Yang, he was someone the Immortal Fairy had just roped in. Lu Yang fell silent for a few seconds before shaking his head firmly. "I'll rely on my own efforts." "Tch, no fun." The Immortal Fairy pouted, somewhat disappointed by Lu Yang's choice. She truly wanted to give Lu Yang a rudimentary Immortal Dao fruit and have him run with her. Back in the ancient era, countless people had dreamed of being inducted into the Immortal Lineage by the Immortal Fairy, only to be turned away. As for those harboring ulterior motives, she hadn't bothered to give them the time of day. From ancient times until now, Lu Yang was the cultivator who suited her tastes the best. This was the very first time she had taken the initiative to invite someone into her lineage. Unfortunately, she had been turned down. "Fairy, can you tell whether Li Haoran has a Reincarnation Dao fruit? Or perhaps a rudimentary Reincarnation Dao fruit?" This was what Lu Yang cared about most at the moment. The Immortal Fairy shook her head. "Can't tell. That's outside my field." "All right then." ... While Lu Yang's exchange with the Immortal Fairy seemed to have taken quite a while, communication within his spiritual space was far faster than in reality. In reality, Li Haoran remained steadfast in his belief that he had nothing to do with Qin Haoran. Just think about it: what would happen if he admitted to being Qin Haoran's reincarnation? He would gain a Body Integration stage wife as lovely as a heavenly immortal. He would gain a lively, adorable daughter. He would have a steady stream of resources: spirit stones, pills, weapons, and heavenly treasures would never be a concern again. He would have a Body Integration stage Dao protector. ...Wait, it seemed there wouldn't really be anything wrong with admitting he was Qin Haoran's reincarnation? No, no, he couldn't think like that! He needed to consider the downsides. Li Haoran pondered for a long time, only to conclude that there didn't seem to be any downsides at all. "Vixen, corrupting my Dao heart! My goal is to become a genius cultivator like Senior Brother Lu—relying on no external crutches, using purely my talent and natural gifts to cultivate to the supreme realm!" Look at Senior Brother Lu. Roughly the same age as him, yet already sitting in the position of Acting Sect Master! Look at himself in contrast: all he'd be doing was living off a woman! "Forget it, forget it. It's been an exhausting day; let's all get some rest first." Seeing that no conclusion would be reached anytime soon, Father and Mother Li decided to shelve the topic for now. "We have plenty of guest rooms. Little Lu and Little Meng traveled all the way from the Dao Seeking Sect, so stay a few days and enjoy yourselves in Luofeng Commandery." "And Yiren, Yanyan, don't stay at an inn. Stay here for the time being." Naturally, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou didn't decline Father and Mother Li's hospitality. After some coaxing from Su Yiren, Qin Yanyan agreed to stay as well. After half a day of commotion, it was now time for dinner. As long as Qin Haoran wasn't mentioned, everyone got along quite well. "Oh my, we've been talking for so long that I haven't even prepared dinner!" Mother Li said in a fluster. Lu Yang stopped Mother Li. "Leave dinner to us! Meng Jingzhou and I are famously good cooks back at the Dao Seeking Sect!" Mother Li was still hesitant, but Li Haoran, who knew what Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were capable of, talked his mother down. With practiced ease, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou fetched their gear from their identity jade pendants: a barbecue grill, basting brushes, fans, skewers, meat, seasonings... and, most crucially, the Automatic Skewering Array. This was the latest breakthrough by Master Liu and Master Gao. Answering the Immortal Celestial's call, they were striving to expand their barbecue joint beyond the Dao Seeking Sect and across the entire continent. What was the most important aspect of a chain store? Standardization and automation, of course! And the starting point for standardization and automation was this very Automatic Skewering Array. Watching from the side, the corner of Qin Yanyan's mouth twitched. She had long heard that disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect were versatile and accomplished, but she had assumed that meant the myriad arts of cultivation. How had barbecuing gotten lumped into that? Besides, according to Li Haoran's earlier introductions, one was the personal disciple of the Dao Seeking Sect Master, and the other was the eldest son of the Meng Family. With such illustrious backgrounds, did they really have to be so down-to-earth? "True Fire?!" Qin Yanyan exclaimed in shock when she saw Lu Yang spit out True Fire. What was True Fire? It was a flame that even cultivators at the Golden Core stage struggled to master, with a difficulty of cultivation as arduous as scaling the heavens. Li Haoran gave a scoffing smirk. "That's not just any True Fire—that's Samadhi True Fire, which ranks near the very top of all True Fires!" "Do you know who Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Meng are? They're first and second place in our year!" Qin Yanyan's eyes widened. Earlier, when she heard Li Haoran was ranked fifth in their year, she had assumed his ability was lacking. Yet after trading blows with him, she had to admit that even without his wig, she was no match for him. Back then, she had wondered: if someone like Li Haoran was only fifth, what kind of monsters occupied the top four? Now she knew. Mother Li had not expected Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou to be the top two of her son's cohort. No wonder she found them both so pleasing to the eye! "Haoran, just look at how others cultivate! Lu Yang must get up before dawn every single day to train. Now look at you! All day long, neither studying hard nor cultivating properly. Without me around to watch you, you probably sleep in till the sun is scorching your backside! If only you had half of Lu Yang's dedication!" Li Haoran's face darkened slightly. If he had known this would happen, he never would have brought Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Meng along. Besides, who the hell said Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Meng cultivated diligently? They were all peers of the same age—who was fooling whom? Their daily routines were basically the same!