Gao Tian stood at the edge of a vast forest. He rubbed his head and narrowed his eyes.
"Why does this forest feel… different from the others?"
The trees here were ancient, their trunks wide and gnarled, and a thick, almost tangible spiritual energy pulsed in the air.
"The spiritual energy here is dense. It's coming from… something. A source?"
He shook his head and muttered.
"Forget it for now. This place should be good enough to cultivate."
With a calm breath, he stepped into the forest.
Following the path from Gao Tian's memories, he made his way deeper into the woods. As he moved closer to the distant mountain, the trees thinned out slightly. The mountain loomed high above, half-shrouded in mist.
When he finally reached its base, he began searching along the rocky surface.
Left, then right… again and again. Yet no entrance revealed itself.
After a while, sweat dripped from his brow. His breathing grew heavier.
"Where is it? Don't tell me there's some kind of illusion here… Damn it, I don't have enough cultivation to break through one!"
Still, he refused to give up.
Suddenly—
A pulse.
A faint spiritual fluctuation from the left.
His eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he ran toward the source, despite his exhaustion.
After pushing through a patch of thick vines, he stopped in front of something astonishing.
A white hole, about the size of a doorway, flickered in and out of existence — appearing for a few seconds, then vanishing.
His jaw dropped.
"W-What the hell? This… This is the Whitefield Chamber!"
His voice trembled with disbelief.
"Even in the Immortal World, this was considered a legendary place. A natural spatial treasure… Only one ever appeared in my past life, and I barely got in!"
Without a second thought, he leapt in as the portal flickered once more.
He landed softly in a small room.
The walls were pure white, glowing faintly. The spiritual energy here was several times denser than even outside.
"Incredible. Just as I remembered… this boy really was a prodigy to discover a place like this."
He sat down cross-legged in the center, entering a meditative state.
Now… which cultivation technique should I use for this body?
This body is exceptional — even better than my past life's. I need something worthy.
His mind cycled through countless scriptures.
The Flame Emperor Scripture? No… too specialized for fire element.
Then it clicked.
"Ah, yes… the Demons and Gods Scripture!"
How could I forget this legendary art? Back at the Heavenly Creator Ceremony, when all Immortals exchanges their techniques — this one ranked second.
With renewed determination, he began cultivating.
As the technique activated, a massive energy vortex surrounded him.
His left side became shrouded in crimson energy, the aura of a demon.
His right side glowed with golden light, holy and radiant.
Behind him, two phantom figures materialized:
A demon wearing a blood-red mask.
A god with a serene white mask.
Their auras clashed and merged.
Gao Tian brought his palms together. A surge of both energies coursed into his body.
Suddenly—
Black smoke erupted from his pores as impurities were expelled.
His robe darkened with stains.
Then—
BOOM!
A powerful explosion shook the room. Dust and light engulfed the chamber.
When it cleared, Gao Tian remained seated, unmoved.
His eyes slowly opened.
His left eye glowed crimson, and his right eye radiated gold. Energy flowed like rivers from them.
His upper robe had been burned off by the blast, revealing a body faintly glowing with divine and demonic energy.
He stood up, inspecting himself.
"Three breakthroughs at once? Heh… not bad at all."
"Qi Refining — Third Layer."
He clenched his fists, feeling power surge through him.
"Now… I need to find the herbs to heal my real body. I can't let it decay while I grow strong in this one."
He looked toward the portal, which had remained stable.
After finishing his breakthrough in the Whitefield Chamber, Gao Tian stepped back into the portal.
With a flash of light, he was out.
The sky had changed — the once-dark forest was now lit by the soft glow of morning sunlight.
He blinked in confusion.
"Huh? It's already morning? But I only cultivated for fifteen minutes…"
Then it struck him.
Wait. The Demons and Gods Scripture... it affects the flow of time!
If I'm not careful, I might end up cultivating for days without realizing it!
A strange, foul smell hit his nose. He grabbed his nostrils with his fingers.
"Ugh, what the hell?! My body's impurities… all released during cultivation. I stink."
Thankfully, he remembered a place near here — a small lake Gao Tian used to bathe in.
Without hesitation, he dashed through the trees, leaping from branch to branch with renewed energy.
Moments later, a clear blue lake came into view.
He stopped atop a tree branch, then leapt into the air—
SPLASH!
Unbeknownst to him, a girl was already swimming underwater.
As the water rippled from his impact, she surfaced silently.
She was beautiful — long red hair flowing in the wind, crimson eyes shimmering like rubies beneath the sunlight. Her expression, however, was completely emotionless.
She sensed the intruder a moment too late.
Who is this guy? I didn't even sense him until he was right here...
Meanwhile, Gao Tian resurfaced beside her — shirtless and stunned.
Their eyes met. His own widened in horror.
W-Wait, is that a girl?!
Before he could react, his body sank below the water again. Under the surface, his eyes accidentally caught something he shouldn't have seen — her bare form beneath the shimmering waves.
His cheeks flushed. A stream of nosebleed burst from his nostrils.
Shit!
He quickly came back up, coughing.
The girl simply stared at him, utterly calm.
"Hey," she said flatly, "you smell awful. Did you fall into an animal's poop?"
Gao Tian was stunned. No anger. No yelling. Just… cold honesty.
"Uh... no," he replied awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "I was cultivating and… my impurities got released."
He tried to sense her cultivation.
Body Tempering — Sixth Layer. Not bad... she's hiding her aura well too.
The girl kept staring.
"So you're a cultivator."
"Yeah," Gao Tian muttered, avoiding her gaze. She's so pretty...
In my past life, I never cared for romance... but this body seems to react on its own. Damn these hormones.
The girl casually turned and walked out of the lake, water dripping from her graceful figure. She showed no embarrassment, no attempt to hide herself. Just complete composure.
Gao Tian quickly looked away, his face bright red.
Control yourself, you ancient beast! Focus on cultivation, not curves!
The girl dried herself with a spiritual cloth, dressed swiftly, and turned to leave.
Gao Tian hesitated… then called out:
"Wait!"
She stopped and looked back, her face unchanged.
"Yes?"
He clenched his fists, forcing himself to drop his pride.
"Uh... do you know any place where I can find Three Mystic Fire Herbs?"
She touched her chin, pondering briefly.
Hmm... I think I do."
Still, her expression didn't change in the slightest.
Gao Tian's eyes lit up.
"Really? That's great! I need them — it's important!"
The girl fully turned toward him.
"Why should I help you?"
Same emotionless tone. Same blank stare.
Gao Tian froze.
Gao Tian scratched his neck and smiled awkwardly.
"Because... we're cultivators, right?"
The red-haired girl turned without a word and began walking away.
"Cultivators don't help each other without benefits."
Her voice was as flat and calm as ever.
Gao Tian's expression shifted. His smile faded, replaced by a serious, sharp look in his eyes.
So that's it. She wants benefits. Heh... fine. I'll give her benefits.
He called out to her again, this time with a confident grin.
"Then how about this — I'll help you once with anything. No matter what it is."
The girl stopped in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder.
"And how are you going to do that?"
Her eyes scanned him up and down. "You're just a Qi Refining cultivator."
Gao Tian smirked.
"That has nothing to do with it. Even if it leads me to death, I'll help you. That's my promise."
There was a pause.
Then the girl nodded slightly.
"Hmm. Then it's a win-win situation."
"Once you're done here, I'll take you to the place."
Gao Tian's heart thumped in his chest.
Oh no… this is bad. If she tags along with me, this body's lustful instincts are going to kill me one day!
He kept his cool on the outside.
"Alright. Just wait a bit — I'll be done soon."