Chapter 1: Am I the Only One Who Hasn’t Ascended?

A sharp headache pulled him out of deep meditation.

He opened his eyes, letting the world rush in.

He saw the sun high in the sky, the blue sky clear as if washed... it was still that familiar sky, the sky within the dome.

This was the Dingling Hall, ranked second among the hundred halls of Hillcrest. Within the hall, heaven and earth formed a world of their own, drawing upon the ley lines of the Nine Provinces, providing an endless supply of spiritual energy for those in seclusion. It was the most renowned blessed land in the world.

And he was here in seclusion, seeking to form a miraculous golden core that could reach straight to the heavenly court of the Immortal Realm.

As the last disciple of the mountain master James Sutton of Hillcrest, he naturally enjoyed the most privileged cultivation environment under the heavens, and was confident that within at most three months, he would successfully form his core and become the youngest Golden Core Master in immortal history.

Hillcrest was the leader of the immortal sects of the Nine Provinces. Its founder, Charles Grant, was the first to ascend to the Immortal Realm and establish the heavenly court, the ancestor of ten thousand immortals. The current mountain master, James Sutton, was truly the number one person in the mortal world... With such a background, his path of cultivation should have been smooth and unimpeded.

But now, it seemed that the matter of forming his core had taken a turn. He shouldn’t have awakened so early, nor should he feel so lost upon waking, as if he had lost many memories. His limbs felt weak, and the true essence that should have been as abundant as a surging river was nearly depleted. His dantian and jade palace were still empty.

This was more than just a setback in forming his core—it was a complete failure, as if he had regressed overnight to the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Yet he did not feel discouraged, as if there were no setbacks in the world worth being discouraged over.

If forming the core failed, he would just try again... except that the medicinal materials he had prepared for seclusion were used up, and the regression in cultivation had somewhat damaged his foundation. Although the hall was filled with spiritual energy, it was not suitable for healing.

Thinking of this, he forced himself to get up and casually said, “Ascension Record.”

The next moment, a gentle golden light blossomed at his hand, and a pale yellow book floated before him. The cover bore the words “Ascension Record” in ancient script, with his personal signature below.

“Oh, Lucas Warren.”

Seeing that familiar handwriting, he finally shook off the confusion in his mind and remembered his name was Lucas Warren, born in a secluded paradise in Lingzhou, but as a child, he was caught in the flames of mortal war. Fortunately, his master James Sutton passed by, saved his life, and brought him back to the mountain to cultivate, thus beginning his supreme immortal fate.

And the Ascension Record in his hand was proof of that fate.

Every member of Hillcrest received an Ascension Record personally bestowed by the mountain master upon entering the sect. It served both as identification and as a supreme magical tool to aid cultivation, with numerous functions and vast powers, enough to accompany a cultivator all the way to ascension.

What Lucas Warren needed now was the most basic messaging function.

“Senior sister, I failed to form my core. Please comfort me.”

When encountering problems in cultivation, his first reaction was not to seek help from his master, because although the mountain master James Sutton was the number one in the world and truly cared for his last disciple, after over four hundred years of cultivation, he was only a step away from ascension and had no time to be distracted by mortal affairs.

In fact, the one who truly guided Lucas Warren in cultivation was his senior sister Olivia Warren, who taught on behalf of their master.

A true eccentric in every sense.

As the first disciple of the mountain master James Sutton, Olivia Warren’s talent and intelligence were beyond doubt. Before Lucas Warren joined the sect, she was recognized as the most gifted of her generation, already a master of a hundred arts when she formed her core, her achievements rivaling even the immortal ancestor Charles Grant.

But in his memory, there was little about her actual teaching—more were scenes of their daily companionship.

Because Olivia Warren’s daily life was truly extraordinary.

When Lucas Warren first entered the sect, he was introduced to the cultivators of Hillcrest by James Sutton. Some were warm, some cold, but all maintained their dignity and manners.

Only Olivia Warren exclaimed softly, “A shota!?”

And then picked Lucas Warren up and lifted him high.

With a single toss, she sent him soaring above the clouds—on a whim, she threw Lucas Warren a hundred zhang into the air, leaving the newly arrived little boy with an unforgettable first impression of Hillcrest.

After returning in embarrassment from the Reflection Platform, Olivia Warren was still assigned to teach on behalf of their master, but besides guiding his cultivation, she loved to tell all sorts of strange stories.

In those stories, there were many inexplicable terms, like “shota” and “gay.” There were also many stories that defied proper conduct, such as those about shotas and gays.

When Lucas Warren didn’t understand, Olivia Warren would kindly explain: “For example, you are the shota, and James Sutton is the gay.”

Although every time she explained like this, it would infuriate the mountain master James Sutton, Olivia Warren always managed to escape unscathed from the wrath of the number one in the world, and then tell Lucas Warren even more outrageous stories.

Those stories took place in another world, full of baffling and unfamiliar terms, like “single fat otaku” and “resource-sharing group.” There were also social organizations completely different from reality, like “doujin resource exchange groups.” Yet amidst all the strangeness, that world was self-consistent and fascinating.

...

While unconsciously recalling his senior sister’s colorful stories, Lucas Warren waited for her response.