After finishing the meal, William Thompson burped contentedly and asked with a grin, “Are these the legendary immortal fruits from the celestial realm that are said to grant you a hundred and eighty years of cultivation with just one bite? I feel full of energy right now.”

The old man’s beard bristled in all directions. “Where would you find something that good? These are just ordinary fruits from the mortal world.”

William Thompson immediately looked disappointed. “Where did you get them from?”

“These things are all gifts from people who ascended from the mortal world to the celestial realm, given to me out of respect.”

William Thompson thought that made sense. No matter what department you’re in, the gatekeepers always get plenty of perks. Even when he was a reporter, he had to slip some benefits to the agents when interviewing celebrities—let alone the celestial realm’s reception immortals! Besides, anyone who could ascend to the celestial realm must have been someone important in the mortal world, so the gifts they brought were surely more than just this.

His eyes rolled, and William Thompson rubbed his hands together, grinning as he said, “Then, do you have any of those immortal fruits that can grant you the same lifespan as heaven and earth, shining as brightly as the sun and moon, with just one bite?”

“No!”

“Do you have any immortal pills that let you ascend instantly and join the ranks of the immortals with a single dose?”

“No!”

“Do you have any spiritual medicine that can save you hundreds of years of bitter cultivation with just one pill?”

“No!”

“Do you have—”

“No! Absolutely not!”

……

“You’re being unreasonable!” The reception immortal was so annoyed by William Thompson that he couldn’t sit still, so he finally agreed to his lowest request: to teach him how to cultivate immortality!

From today’s experience of catching that bearded reedling, William Thompson realized that in the celestial realm, he was nothing at all. His only way out was to cultivate immortality. That’s why he latched onto this old farmer from northern Shaanxi, wanting him to be his master and teach him the ways of cultivation.

Although the old man agreed, all the cultivation methods passed down in the celestial realm were designed for the physiques of celestial beings. Even though William Thompson had been transformed by the reception immortal’s celestial light, and his body was now at least half-immortal—stronger than most celestial beings—if he really tried to cultivate using the celestial realm’s methods, the end result would surely be his body exploding from the strain. So, after rummaging through the bribes he’d received over the past hundred years, the reception immortal finally found a cultivation manual suitable for William Thompson in his storage ring.

This manual, called “The Treasury of Spirit Gathering,” was a cultivation method given to the reception immortal by an immortal named Edward Baker when he first ascended. Back then, Edward Baker was just an ordinary immortal, but within a mere hundred years, he managed to cultivate to the rank of High Immortal, all thanks to this very method.

“The Treasury of Spirit Gathering” is a manual that teaches how to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy to the greatest extent and convert it for one’s own use. It’s completely different from ordinary cultivation methods, which require simultaneous cultivation of both body and mind. If one’s cultivation is too high but their mind is lacking, the result is deviation—at best, losing all cultivation and falling into the demon realm; at worst, the soul is scattered, never to ascend again.

But “The Treasury of Spirit Gathering” takes the opposite approach, focusing on maximizing the cultivation of the body, while the mind must go with the flow and be ready to rebuild after breaking down. Only with this resolve can one succeed in cultivation.

On Edward Baker’s home planet, “The Treasury of Spirit Gathering” was also known among cultivators as “The Devil Cultivation Manual”! But Edward Baker, with his extraordinary talent, managed to master it. Mr. Baker also realized the dangers of “The Treasury of Spirit Gathering,” so when he ascended, he brought it to the celestial realm and gave it to the reception immortal.

Who would have thought that the reception immortal would pass this method on to William Thompson? If Mr. Baker had given a little warning back then, the reception immortal would never have let William Thompson practice such a dangerous method.

The reception immortal had only been guiding ascendants in the celestial realm for about a hundred years, and most of the gifts he received were pills or local specialties. He’d only ever received two cultivation manuals, and by comparison, he thought “The Treasury of Spirit Gathering” was at least an above-average method even in the celestial realm, so he decided to teach it to William Thompson.

Later, William Thompson suffered greatly because of this method, and the reception immortal deeply regretted it.

Chapter Three: Experts in the Celestial Realm

“Master, don’t be so stingy. Just give me one more, just one!” William Thompson pleaded pitifully, tugging at the reception immortal’s sleeve.

“Ah, disciple, it’s not that I’m stingy. This Nourishing Essence Pill is a spiritual pill for consolidating the Nascent Soul. You’re only at the mid-stage of Fasting; taking one is already your limit. If you take another, you’ll burst!” The reception immortal blinked as he spoke. “Do you understand?”

Just a few days ago, after successfully becoming a disciple, William Thompson had his first cultivation session with the help of the reception immortal. A single Nourishing Essence Pill boosted his cultivation straight to the mid-stage of Fasting. He had only just awakened from meditation today, feeling light and refreshed, his power greatly increased, so he pestered the reception immortal for another pill.

Seeing the teasing look in the reception immortal’s eyes, William Thompson said helplessly, “Alright, what do I have to do to get another pill?”

The reception immortal stroked his beard. “Oh, how could I, as your master, bargain with my disciple? If word got out, where would I put my old face? But… while you were meditating, I noticed you had something called a digital camera in your bundle. It looks quite fun…”

“Ah, you went through my stuff!” William Thompson shouted.