Immortality Starts With Investment

Right before entering seclusion, Ye Chen felt as though he had forgotten something. But no matter how hard he tried, the thought refused to surface, so he decided to let it go. Whatever it was, he could deal with it after breaking through to Saint King.

With that settled, Ye Chen sat cross-legged. The entrance to his cave heaven manifested around him. The illusory image of the Nine Transformations Heavenly Furnace appeared behind him, enveloping his form.

At the same time, he offered up the Heavenly Will Sand. A terrifying aura of transformation immediately surged forth.

…

Inside the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land, Feng Baiyu sat within the Cloud Summit Heaven Palace. He was still sighing with emotion over the fact that Ye Chen was about to break through to the sixth layer of Mahayana and achieve Saint King, when a figure flew into the palace.

The newcomer had gentle features as refined as jade, an imposing yet elegant bearing, and a divine wheel behind him that shone like a great sun, making him appear extraordinarily distinguished.

Feng Baiyu didn’t even need to look up to know who it was. He simply gestured for the man to sit and have some tea. During Ye Chen’s recent visit, he had left behind quite a lot of Enlightenment Tea as thanks for accompanying him on the journey.

The visitor’s eyes carried clear anticipation. ”Holy Master, Junior Brother has returned, hasn’t he? How is Dantai doing now?”

Feng Baiyu glanced at Hua Yunfei and shook his head. ”I forgot to ask. Ye Chen didn’t mention it either—he just went into seclusion to break through to Saint King…”

Truthfully, Feng Baiyu held little hope for Dantai Xuan. He knew a little about the terror of the Supreme. It was one of the true pinnacle existences from the Other Domain. Though it had never personally acted back then, merely standing at the border of the Other Domain had brought unimaginable pressure upon the entire Immortal Realm.

He did not believe Ye Chen could easily resolve the issue of the Supreme. Even temporary suppression was meaningless. Even if Dantai Xuan never reached the Immortal Realm in the future, an existence like the Supreme had ways to forcibly tear open the boundary and pull her across. The only true solution was death. But such words obviously could not be spoken aloud.

Hua Yunfei stared blankly for a moment. He had missed her again. He truly hoped his junior sister could recover. Yet time and again, he failed to meet her. Could she still be inside the Divine Maiden Furnace? It had already been three years. And his junior brother never mentioned it. What exactly was going on?

Hua Yunfei couldn’t figure it out. He decided this clone would remain here and wait patiently.

Feng Baiyu smiled warmly at Hua Yunfei. ”Your junior brother’s cultivation is about to catch up to your true body, isn’t it? Feeling nervous yet? Come on, tell me—what realm has your true body reached?”

Hua Yunfei laughed lightly and did not answer directly. Instead, he gently lifted his cup of Enlightenment Tea and took a sip. ”Junior Brother really is generous.”

Feng Baiyu nodded in agreement.

Ye Chen truly was generous. Thanks to him, the average lifespan of the older generation in the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land had increased by nearly a thousand years. Many elders had also made breakthroughs because of the Enlightenment Tea, greatly elevating the holy land’s overall combat power.

This was why every time Ye Chen went out, the elders practically fought to serve as his protectors. If Feng Baiyu hadn’t intervened and arranged a rotation schedule, Ye Chen’s departures would likely have emptied the upper echelons of the holy land every single time.

Back then, the Heavenly Emperor had also been very generous. He had willingly shared his best treasures with those around him, never stingy. Yet Ye Chen had surpassed even him. Having inherited the Heavenly Emperor’s legacy, he was even more lavish—practically extravagant.

Still, Feng Baiyu often marveled in private. A million years ago, the Heavenly Emperor had already laid plans in this world, leaving behind Enlightenment Tea trees and Ginseng Fruit trees for future generations… And that was only the beginning.

Feng Baiyu estimated that Ye Chen had inherited at least four or five immortal roots. If word of that ever spread, it would shake the entire cultivation world to its core.

On the Fourth Holy Son Peak—also known as the Ascension Peak—Lu Jing, who had finally been granted a holiday and was no longer forced to cultivate by the workaholic Luo Bingling, gazed at the familiar courtyard. She let out a long, contented sigh.

Years ago, this was exactly where she used to spend her days—watching sunsets, waiting for the Holy Son to occasionally return so she could catch a glimpse of him. Returning to this old place now filled her heart with an especially deep calm. But soon, voices drifted to her ears.

”Sister Lin has already reached peak Deity Transformation—truly astonishing!”

”Young Master has bestowed upon us top-grade Unity treasures. Sister Lin will surely break through to Unity very soon.”

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”It’s been so long since we last saw Sister Lu. Do you ever get bored staying alone inside Young Master’s cave heaven?”

”From now on, none of us is leaving. The moment Young Master emerges from seclusion, we’ll be the first to greet him.”

Four graceful figures slowly returned. They were none other than Lin Ke’er, Cai Die, Yun Qianyue, and Sun Ruoxin. All four were Ye Chen’s personal maids.

So many years had passed. The once fresh, delicate, and modest girls now carried the mature charm of women who had bloomed with time. But Ye Chen no longer needed maids, so the four had become ordinary disciples of the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land. Yet the treatment they enjoyed surpassed what most prodigies could ever dream of.

Sometimes, when they looked back on the past, they still found it unbelievable—like something out of a dream. Without encountering the Holy Son, reaching Foundation Establishment in their lifetime would already have been a stroke of immense luck.

Golden Core? They wouldn’t have dared imagine it.

Yet now, all of them had basically reached Nascent Soul. And Lin Ke’er, the most competitive among them, had already reached peak Deity Transformation.

Lin Ke’er had originally been in high spirits. But when she thought of Lu Jing, a trace of unwillingness flickered in her eyes. Her greatest regret was that she hadn’t seized the opportunity back then—hadn’t offered herself to Ye Chen at the very first chance. As a result, Lu Jing had stolen ahead and become the Young Master’s first woman.

Lin Ke’er had long since realized: a man’s attitude toward his first woman was always different. Young Master clearly favored Lu Jing more. Still, Lin Ke’er refused to despair. Ability mattered just as much. As long as she cultivated diligently, she would surely earn Young Master’s attention in the future.

Now she was already at peak Deity Transformation. And Lu Jing? With her lazy nature—even if Young Master occasionally motivated her—she would at most reach early Deity Transformation. In the future, Lin Ke’er was confident she would surpass Lu Jing by an even wider margin.

Just as Lin Ke’er revealed a confident smile and prepared to return to her courtyard—ready to wait for Young Master’s emergence and leave him astonished—the courtyard gate was pushed open.

Lu Jing appeared with a gentle, radiant smile. She looked at the four women warmly. ”All four sisters have returned?”

The moment the four saw Lu Jing and sensed the terrifying aura radiating from her, their eyes widened in shock. That was the unmistakable aura unique to Mahayana cultivators.

Lin Ke’er’s face filled with disbelief. ”Lu Jing… you… Mahayana? How could you possibly be at Mahayana?”

She herself had only just reached peak Deity Transformation. Between them lay an entire Unity realm before Mahayana. How had Lu Jing directly reached Mahayana? Why was this happening? Could it be that Lu Jing’s laziness was only an act—and she had actually been secretly working hard all along?

Lu Jing sighed with visible distress. ”I originally wanted to quietly enjoy the peace inside Young Master’s cave heaven… But who knew there was also one of Young Master’s Dao companions inside—a peak Half-Saint who is currently breaking through to Saint… She cultivates every single moment and can’t stand my idleness. She forces me to cultivate alongside her!

”And Young Master doesn’t help me at all—he even approves and joins her in supervising my cultivation… I have to cultivate for twenty full hours every day. It’s truly exhausting… This time, I finally begged for a long time to come out. I don’t want to go back. I want to stay in the holy land and live as I used to…”

Lu Jing genuinely did not want to return. Luo Bingling had recently even proposed raising her daily cultivation to twenty-two hours. Lu Jing suspected it was revenge—Luo Bingling must have grown resentful after Lu Jing had seen too many of her embarrassing moments.

The four women’s eyes widened even further. Lu Jing had a dedicated peak Half-Saint personally supervising and guiding her cultivation? And Young Master frequently went in to help raise her realm?

This… Was this the legendary ”lie down and win”?

Feeling the overwhelming power of Lu Jing’s Mahayana aura, the four suddenly felt as though all their hard work had lost meaning. Especially Lin Ke’er—her mentality completely collapsed…

Her face, still as clear and pure as first love despite the faint traces of maturity, now carried open longing. ”Sister Lu Jing… I also want to go into Young Master’s cave heaven…”

”Me too!”

”I want to go as well—I’ll help Sister Lu share the pressure!”

Lu Jing wasn’t foolish. Of course, she understood what the four really wanted. But she had no interest whatsoever in competing for favor. She truly did not want to go back. It was too tiring.

”Young Master’s cave heaven is very powerful, but in the end, it’s not as lively as the holy land! If you can endure the loneliness, I think Young Master won’t refuse. But I’m not going back… I’m definitely staying in the holy land!”

Seeing Lu Jing’s unchanged attitude of perfect laziness—never forgetting her original heart—yet feeling that terrifying Mahayana aura, the four felt a wave of self-doubt wash over them. It suddenly dawned on them what people meant by ”a deliberate flower refuses to bloom, yet the willow planted without intent grows into shade.”

But their determination to enter Ye Chen’s cave heaven only grew stronger. After all, Young Master would soon ascend to immortality. They, as mere maids, could never compare to those heavenly prodigies. There was no way they would receive a slot to the Immortal Realm. And once Young Master left this world, who knew what would happen? Would their favor fade with his departure?

Their current status and resources in the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land were all illusory. Only cultivation truly belonged to them. If they could achieve Mahayana before Young Master left, that would be the best outcome. They weren’t like Lu Jing—they actually considered the future.

As for Lu Jing, seeing that the four wanted to go relieved her worries. She had originally been concerned that if she left the cave heaven, no one would take care of Young Master anymore.

When Luo Bingling went too far, there would be no one to share the firepower. She had genuinely worried Luo Bingling might end up dead… Now she no longer had to worry. She could simply stay quietly in the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land. Whenever Young Master returned, that would be enough.

As for the future? Once Young Master ascended and left, whatever came after naturally wouldn’t matter anymore.

…

And so, half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

In the sixth realm of the Immortal Path, sudden news spread. A Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb had appeared in the world. The moment the news broke, it caused massive waves across the cultivation realm.

A Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb could allow a sixth-layer Saint King to accelerate comprehension of Heavenly Position laws and speed up the growth of their Heavenly Heart Imprint.

Refining and imprinting it between the brows could roughly halve the time needed to break through from Saint King. For Saint-realm cultivators, a Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb was an absolute top-grade heavenly material.

In an instant, countless Saint Kings surged into the sixth realm of the Immortal Path, frantically searching for information about the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb…