Essences Used: Cultivator And Harem Protagonist
"So what you're telling me is that all I have to do is survive ten years in the world of Against The Gods, and when I do, I will gain the ability to traverse the multiverse?" I asked as the man was sitting on the golden throne. He then nodded, or at least I think he nodded, as his form was simply light in my eyes.
"You would be right. And as to make sure you survive, I am giving you this." The being then formed a bottle out of thin air, and as it floated in front of me, I hesitated to drink it, to which the being simply said, "If I wanted to poison you, I would have done so already, and why would I need to do that?"
"Understandable, but can I ask you something?" A nod then acknowledges my question, yet before I could even ask, being simply placed a mirror in front of me showing my pets going to new owners. I may have shed some tears at that as I cared for those little guys.
"I have already sent your pets to new owners, and they shall be treated well until they expire. Oh, and your family says hello from the afterlife. And yes, I am technically the god of your universe." But then another question comes to mind.
"Did they know of my hard drive? And also, why do this? You don't seem like the type to do this out of boredom." The room then began to shake, but not out of an explosion of power or anger but laughter. The room itself warped as it shook immensely, but it soon calmed down.
"The reasoning is simple: it's because I can. There is no grand design or threat to the Multiverse that can't be taken care of by others. I am simply a being with enough power to provide other beings with an opportunity to think of random omnipotent beings like normal people, as most of them have desires, fears, and a history of victories and failures. I mean, how do you think I was when I found myself in the form of a giant man on a Golden Throne and had to drag my faction from the brink of extinction? After all of that, I want to see happy endings; after everything that has happened, I simply desire to see stories of triumph and happiness. Grimpderp is not a fun place after all."
The pure emotion behind his words does convince me, but then I ask two final questions: "Before this begins, may I ask if there is some mission or quest you need me to do other than living the n years? And may I inquire where you are sending me?" I did not even notice when my language became more refined and respectful.
"Well, the cliche place to send you would be the Blue Wind Empire, but I've seen enough stories there. Don't worry; I'm not sending you to any Divine Realm. You will be starting in the Divine Phoenix Empire on the Blue Polar Star, and you will have a year before Yun Che reincarnates. Also, don't worry about the timeline messing with you. Other than that, should you desire power, then seek it; women find them and claim them, but I would ask if you not abandon them; finally, if you desire items, go and locate them." He then opens a portal behind me as I drink the bottle's contents and feel myself fading as the portal overtakes me.
"Oh, and don't worry about your hard drive. They never knew about it. I was also once a very young man, after all. But for now, I must return as Erda is calling for me. Safe journey, and try to keep yourself from going full murderhobo. I'm coming, Erda! I know Magnus wants to go to Worm, but he can't until he learns not to trust warp demons on first meeting them!" A small smile forms on my face, and I find myself waking up in a small room with a bed and mat for meditation.
A sword hung on one of the walls that I assumed was meant to be used when hunting profound beasts, and after taking in my surroundings, My mind filled with information about my identity.
I swear that the ROB had to be trolling with this name Lin Fang, one letter off of Fan, and I could hear laughter in my mind as I got up from the bed. Thankfully, the being made it so that this body was an empty shell that I simply took control of. I had the credentials of a citizen of the empire, so `all I had to do was make my way to the sect and enter.
And as I looked at the table near me, I saw a map leading to the nearest Sect Outpost for beginners. Phoenix Empire does things a bit differently from normal cultivation sects as the stronger you become, the closer to the main Phoenix City you get, so you have to start at the outskirts and make your way inwards.
I do not know what that bottle was nor the intricacies of cultivation, but as I looked outside, I saw trees that seemed to scrape the skies, and as this Hut was stationed on a cliff, I looked outside and saw a large forest with a small town, which I assumed was the Sect Outpost in the distance.
But I knew that I had to get started on my cultivation in order to enter the outpost, as you must be at least peak Elementary Profound to early Nascent Profound.
So I grabbed the mat that was in the small Hut along with the sword and made my way out. As I exited, I saw the building simply disappear. I then placed it on the ground, and following my instincts, I focused on the world around me. And as I focused inwards, I found a spark from within that seemed to come from a part of the bottle from before.
As I used the energy from outside and brought it in, the spark grew in size before then igniting and spreading through my body like veins across my form.
As I counted them, I saw 54 veins in total, and as the spark lessened, I noticed something new info found in my mind. As I dug into it, it seemed to contain information on how to hide how many profound veins I have.
This actually makes sense because from what little I can remember of this universe, having 54 profound veins is the great way to get either killed or dissected or crippled, so using the manual, I managed to hide my veins down to 18 as it was just enough to get some attention but not enough to garner attention from those young masters or whatever.
Unlike most, I'm not too much in a hurry as while I do want to find treasure and cultivate my own area, all I have to do is survive ten years in this place, and I will be able to travel anywhere I want. But what matters most is finding a purpose, as while my old life may be behind me now, I can't just go through the motions. I need a mission, some type of goal to achieve.
Should I try to become the master of the sword? An alchemist? Or maybe even a cultivator in the literal sense for cultivating plant life or simply herbs and resources. For now, though, I stop myself from taking in more to kneel on that cliff and send thanks to whatever sent me, as well as my family, for watching over me all this time.
I wouldn't say that my life wasn't good, but things could have always been better. If I just made some different decision or spent my money a bit more frugally, I would have been able to do a lot more things on that bucket list of mine. I was lucky, and I knew it. Or, in that classic cultivation speak, I had spent multiple generations' worth of luck just getting this opportunity.
So I spent the first day in this new world simply thanking whoever sent me here and reminiscing, and while a decent amount of tears were shed, I knew that if I wasted my life, it would be an affront to everything I left behind. I even found some alcohol spawning next to me with a small note that said, "One day, to let it all out, simply be Lin Fang and accept the new reality."
I then drank from it and said so many things I never would have considered even saying. Like how my boss was a dick and how people constantly matching Goku against various characters was stupid other than Superman. If it were Silver Age Superman, I thoroughly believe he would win against Goku.
And while that night was full of booze and tears and laughs, I would always find that it was a day of liberation. Since this was a new world with new rules, I would need to adapt as it was either you swam or you sunk, so I decided to swim enough to make my way but not draw attention until I found myself a place to call my own.
So as the sun rose in the sky and a new day began, I cleaned myself up and began my trek through the woods. From the cliff that outpost seemed close, I knew that it would take about two to three days of walking to get there especially if I take time to cultivate my profound energy which felt nice to say the least.
Like liquid strength filling my form, and while it made my confidence rise, I knew from my previous experience of reading cultivation novels that the beginning levels are but ants to the higher ones. Not even mentioning novels like Apotheosis that are able to form entire universes within their soul or the ridiculousness that was Li Qiye from Emperor's Domination.
Honestly, I am so glad I am not in that universe as I don't even dare speak his name out loud lest he somehow bring himself from his own Multiverse to this one and smack my shit. Although the image of a god descending from the clouds just to slap people is somewhat funny,
"One step at a time, Lin; let's try not to get ourselves hunted by a family within my first year, yes?" I told myself mentally. Thankfully, there were roads that I could use to get to the sect, and thanks to cultivation, I could survive without food and water, but not for very long.
And in those two days, I had sung nearly every song I could remember to myself and cultivated to the peak of elementary profound. And while it seemed easy, which it technically was, I knew that the levels ahead would require much more energy than this, so I prepared myself to have to sit and wait for days, if not months, eventually.
The very idea brings to mind that old meme I once saw about cultivation levels in these novels, yet now that I was in one such a mem, it was now my very DNA or the DNA of my soul.
As I saw the sect outpost, I found a decent line had formed at what I assumed was a security stop, and as I got to the back, I then waited for my turn to present my potential.
So, while I waited for the line to die down, I wondered if I should try to remain an outer court disciple or an inner one. Each represented possible pros and cons, but after some deliberation, I came to the conclusion that becoming an inner court disciple was better.
As while, I will end up rising in the ranks. I should be able to keep myself low enough not to attract attention, and the fact that I have to even consider such things makes me realize the cliche thinking that I was going through.
Well, when you're at the bottom, the only place you can go is up.