Nine Provinces Continent, the peak of Accumulating Thunder Mountain. Dark clouds gathered, lightning flashed and thunder roared. Bronze-colored heavenly thunder flickered between the clouds, like dragons and serpents slithering behind the dark veil, divine and demonic at once.
The heavenly might pressed down like a mountain, a terrifying sight to behold. The rumbling thunder was like drums beating right next to one's ears, deafening. Vast heavenly thunder cascaded down, turning into a plasma of electricity, surging towards the figure standing with his hands behind his back on the peak of Accumulating Thunder Mountain.
The figure allowed the heavenly thunder to fall upon him, remaining as steadfast as a mountain. After the lightning tribulation passed, Jiang Li looked up at the sky, full of expectation. However, the sky was merely clear after the dark clouds dissipated; the glittering golden Immortal Ascension Heavenly Ladder he had hoped for was nowhere to be seen.
"So it's true, I really can't ascend."
Jiang Li muttered to himself in disappointment, filled with melancholy. This was his fifteenth time transcending the Immortal Ascension Tribulation. Transcending tribulations to ascend was not some ethereal legend, but something for which there was clear evidence.
The Nine Provinces Continent still had Immortal's Dao Lineages, Immortal Artifacts, Immortal Arts, and even those old antiques who had seen the Immortal Ascension Heavenly Ladder. According to those old antiques, a few thousand years ago, it was common for great cultivators on the Nine Provinces Continent to become Immortals.
As long as one passed the heavenly tribulation, the Immortal Realm would lower the Immortal Ascension Heavenly Ladder to welcome the cultivator. But for some unknown reason, the Immortal Realm stopped sending down the Immortal Ascension Heavenly Ladder, cutting off the path to ascension. This caused countless great cultivators to wring their wrists in regret and die in sorrow.
Jiang Li had transmigrated to the Nine Provinces Continent five hundred years ago. Without any golden finger, relying on hard work, wisdom, and luck, he had risen from obscurity, overcoming all sorts of hardships and obstacles. He finally cultivated to the highest realm on the Nine Provinces Continent, the Mahayana Stage, becoming the contemporary Human Emperor.
He was, without a doubt, the number one person on the Nine Provinces Continent. To transmigrate to a cultivation world and not be able to ascend was truly a matter of great regret.
Jiang Li had also thought before that if he had a golden finger, like a system, or perhaps a wise old grandpa in a ring, he might have been able to avoid some detours. But then he let it go. What was the point of thinking about such things now?
With or without a golden finger, hadn't he reached his current position? And looking back now, weren't those extra detours he took a kind of enjoyment in themselves?
[Host information detected. Counterattack System activating.]
[Name: Jiang Li] [Age: 518 years old] [Identity: Contemporary Human Emperor] [Cultivation: Mahayana Stage] A mechanical-sounding voice echoed beside Jiang Li's ear.
Jiang Li subconsciously spread out his Divine Sense in vigilance, but as he heard the voice clearly, he froze. A feeling that was neither excitement nor resignation welled up in his heart, and he cursed with a laugh, "Aren't you a little too late, you system!"
Cursing and laughing was one thing, but he still had to check out the system.
[This system is the Counterattack System, dedicated to helping the Host defeat everyone who looks down on them.]
[Please accept the Novice Gift Pack.]
Hearing the word "counterattack," Jiang Li felt a deep sense of unease in his heart, but he suppressed it and said, "Accept." As soon as he spoke, a large pile of items appeared out of thin air in front of him. He sat down cross-legged and began to take stock of the items.
The moment he opened a small medicinal bottle, a clear fragrance wafted out, one that could elevate a person's state of mind. This was a scent only supreme-grade elixir pills possessed. Twenty supreme-grade Qi Condensing Pills, exceptionally effective for the Qi Refining Stage.
One supreme-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, capable of helping someone at the Qi Refining Stage achieve a Perfect Foundation Establishment. Ten low-grade talismans, including two Strength Talismans, two Godspeed Talismans, two Concealment Talismans, and four Heart Calming Talismans. One hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones.
A fragmented Dao Art manual, 'Four Ounces Move a Thousand Pounds.' The system had even thoughtfully added a note beside it.
['Four Ounces Move a Thousand Pounds' is a secret art of the Dao Sect. Mastering this fragment will make one invincible at the Qi Refining Stage. It can be completed by spending 100,000 Source Points.]
[Current Source Points: 0] Jiang Li stared at the large pile of items, rendered speechless.
Isn't this Novice Gift Pack a little too... novice? Jiang Li examined the items carefully. The most valuable among them was probably this tattered-looking Dao Art manual.
Not only was it tattered, but it was also just a fragment.
"And 'Four Ounces Move a Thousand Pounds'..."
Jiang Li pondered for a moment, then rummaged through his storage ring and pulled out a brand-new book. Its title was also 'Four Ounces Move a Thousand Pounds.' This one had been personally transcribed and gifted to him by the Dao Sect Master.
It even included the insights and annotations of various Dao Sect seniors. Generally, extremely powerful Dao Arts have realm requirements, for example, the Thick Earth Sect's 'Cauldron Suppresses the Central Plains' requires the magical power of the Golden Core Stage to activate, or the Heart Demon Sect's 'Butterfly Transforms Yin and Yang,' which also requires Golden Core Stage magical power.
The greatest advantage of 'Four Ounces Move a Thousand Pounds,' however, was that it had no spiritual qi restrictions. It focused on the principle of 'strength following the will' and 'the weak defeating the strong,' making it exceptionally suited for fighting above one's level. It was a rare Dao Art with no threshold.
After carefully comparing the two books and confirming their contents were identical, Jiang Li couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"These are indeed all good things, but why are they all for the Qi Refining Stage?"
"System, what is my cultivation level?"
[Mahayana Stage.]
"Did you give me the wrong Novice Gift Pack? Shouldn't it be a Mahayana Stage Novice Gift Pack, not a Qi Refining Stage one?"
[Verification complete. No error.]
"What is my cultivation level?"
[Mahayana Stage.]
"What level is the Novice Gift Pack you gave me suitable for?"
[Qi Refining Stage.]
"So you gave me the wrong one?"
[Verification complete. No error.]
"My level is..."
[Mahayana. No error.]
"Fine."
Jiang Li was speechless.
"It's even learned to buzz in with the answer."
Jiang Li didn't know whether to call this system rigid or intelligent.
[Issuing Novice Mission. This mission cannot be refused or avoided.]
[Penalty for failure: The remaining system functions will not be unlocked.]
[System functions include: Shop, Spiritual Qi Infusion, Heart Demon Evasion, Spatial Movement...]
[Novice Mission: Jiang Yixing, relying on his status as the Clan Head's son, has repeatedly bullied you. Please defeat Jiang Yixing.]
Jiang Li's mind was filled with question marks. Jiang Yixing... that name sounds so familiar. Who was that again?
He dredged up his memories from when he first transmigrated and finally remembered who Jiang Yixing was. Jiang Li's father was the previous Clan Head. After his father died, he left behind only a widow and an orphan.
Then, his mother also passed away from a severe illness, leaving Jiang Li with no parents. After his parents' death, Jiang Yixing, relying on his father being the current Clan Head, went around bullying people, and his favorite target was Jiang Li. This gave him a strange sense of accomplishment.
Furthermore, Jiang Yixing had the best talent in the entire clan, so no one dared to say anything. The original Jiang Li was also a disappointment. After being bullied, he did nothing but complain about fate and blame everyone else, eventually dying from a fit of intense anger.
That was when he had transmigrated. After transmigrating, Jiang Li determined that staying in this family would do more harm than good, so he left home directly. That was five hundred years ago.
Looking back from his current perspective, Jiang Yixing's so-called 'best talent in the clan' meant that at most, he would reach the Foundation Establishment stage in his lifetime, and then, through sheer grinding, maybe reach the late Foundation Establishment Stage. The probability of him reaching Golden Core was minuscule.
The heavenly lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was no different from a mortal's, about one hundred and forty years. A Golden Core cultivator's heavenly lifespan varied from person to person, between two and three hundred years. Regardless of whether Jiang Yixing ended up at Foundation Establishment or Golden Core, he was now deader than dead!
And most importantly, no matter how he looked at it, this novice mission was not meant for his current self to complete!
"System, what era is it now?"
[Year 4300 of the Yan Calendar.]
"It's Year 4800 of the Yan Calendar now!"
Jiang Li finally understood the source of his unease and the feeling of dissonance. This damn system had started up five hundred years too late!
[Please adhere to the time recognized by the system.]
Jiang Li was so angry he trembled all over.
"I demand to change the mission."
[Mission cannot be changed.]
"Jiang Yixing is already dead!"
[Please adhere to the time recognized by the system.]
"I'm at the Mahayana Stage now, and you want me to beat a Jiang Yixing who was probably at Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment. Is that appropriate? You call that a counterattack?!"
[Please complete the Novice Mission.]
"Restart system."
[Please complete the Novice Mission.]
"Uninstall system."
[Please complete the Novice Mission.]
Jiang Li nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood. He should have guessed when he first saw the word "counterattack." A counterattack system, my foot!
As the contemporary Human Emperor, the strongest in the Nine Provinces, who was he supposed to be counterattacking?
"What use is a crappy system like you!"
Jiang Li resolved to ignore this system. It started up five hundred years late and was now asking him to defeat a dead man. How was he supposed to do that?
With a spiritual victory?! ... At the base of Accumulating Thunder Mountain, countless powerful cultivators were waiting for the Human Emperor to finish his tribulation. These people were either leaders of great sects, rulers of imperial dynasties, or old monsters who had lived for thousands of years.
The cultivation of these sect masters and old ancestors could be described as world-shaking. If the Immortal Realm hadn't vanished, they would have long since entered seclusion to calm their minds, seeking to transcend their tribulations and ascend.
A few of them had even passed the Immortal Ascension Tribulation, though their number of attempts was far from comparable to Jiang Li's. They hadn't come here to see if Jiang Li could pass the tribulation, but to see if ascension was possible afterward. But this tribulation was also destined to disappoint them.
After the Immortal Ascension Tribulation, the legendary Immortal Ascension Heavenly Ladder did not appear. Becoming an Immortal was a distant dream. This thought inevitably surfaced in the minds of the sect masters and old ancestors.
Although they had long expected it, a faint shadow of gloom still fell over their hearts. Jiang Li flew down from the mountain peak. Even someone who was not good at reading expressions could see the disappointment in his heart.
If it were just another failed ascension attempt, Jiang Li wouldn't have been too disappointed. But then this system had suddenly appeared, making him think he had obtained some golden finger that could help him ascend, only to find out it was a useless finger.
The sect masters and old ancestors could naturally see Jiang Li's unusual state of mind, but they still put on joyful expressions to congratulate him.
"Congratulations, Human Emperor Jiang, on passing another heavenly tribulation."
"Not at all, not at all."
"Just watching from the side was terrifying, yet the Human Emperor passed through it safely. Your cultivation must have improved again!"
"It was just a stroke of luck, just a stroke of luck."
"If the Human Emperor could ascend, you would surely become an overlord in the Immortal Realm!"
"The path to ascension is long and arduous. It will require all of our combined efforts."
"Human Emperor Jiang, you must come to this old man's sect to give a lecture on your cultivation insights for our unworthy juniors. The Human Emperor must give this old man some face."
"What are you saying, Senior Zhang? This junior, Jiang, has always remembered your teachings. In a few days, this Jiang will exchange some cultivation experiences with Senior Zhang, and we can let the juniors listen in."
"It is a pity the Immortal Realm is too distant from us. Its position is unfixed, and the realm barrier is too thick. Otherwise, with the Human Emperor's cultivation, it might not be impossible to shatter the realm barrier with brute force!"
"Who doesn't know that your Mount Sumeru lineage is the most skilled in the Way of Space? If anyone can locate the Immortal Realm, it would have to be you!"
Jiang Li was very polite to these sect masters, thanking them one by one. He also promised to visit their various sects in the future to hold lectures and share his experiences, which made them all very happy. After bidding farewell to the sect masters, Jiang Li called out the system again.
The words of the old master from Mount Sumeru had just given him an idea.
"System, can you send me to the Immortal Realm?"
[The system will unlock a spatial teleportation function later, which can take the Host to the Immortal Realm.]
"Can you send me there now?"
Jiang Li was overjoyed. So this system was a little useful after all. It truly was a golden finger.
[Please complete the Novice Mission first.]
Jiang Li patiently explained to the system, "Send me to the Immortal Realm first. From the Immortal Realm, I can get to the Underworld. I'll find Jiang Yixing in the Underworld, defeat him, and then the mission will be complete."
[Please complete the Novice Mission first.]
"Be flexible! Can I do it on credit? You can't seriously expect me to fight a dead man."
[Please complete the Novice Mission first.]
"Useless system!"
Jiang Li felt that this wasn't a golden finger, but rather the heavens giving him the middle finger. While cursing the system for being useless, he began to ponder how to complete the system's mission.
For example, find someone named Jiang Yixing and beat him up, or find someone and force them to be named Jiang Yixing and then beat them up, or maybe dance on Jiang Yixing's grave... Of course, these were all backup plans. The first option was naturally to return to his old home and see if Jiang Yixing was still alive.
Maybe he had obtained a Longevity Pill—oh, one wouldn't be enough, he'd need a dozen or so—then he might have barely survived until today. Or maybe he received an empowerment from an expert, broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage, and with a Nascent Soul cultivator's lifespan of around five hundred years, he could have lived until now as well...
In any case, talent wasn't the only deciding factor. He, Jiang Li, was a perfect example. Without his diligent cultivation, and a tiny little bit of help from his Heavenly Spiritual Root and Immeasurable Dao Body, he would never have cultivated to the Mahayana Stage either.
(End of this chapter)