I Was the Sun Before I Became an Immortal

Wang Yan left, clutching his beloved iron wok, pocketing a few Scallion-Fragrance Qi-Restoring Pills, and departing the small courtyard with one last look over his shoulder every few steps.

His heart felt both hollow and heavy at the same time.

Hollow, because his master was leaving.

Heavy, because the debt of gratitude was too great to bear.

Heishan watched the direction in which the young man had disappeared. For once, he held back his usual sarcasm and instead smacked his lips, saying to Si Chen in his rough, gruff voice: "That kid's a bit stubborn in the head, but that tenacity of his — this old bear finds it rather pleasing."

Chifeng gave a nod as well.

Over time, these two great demon lords had developed a genuine fondness for Wang Yan.

Whether Si Chen truly acknowledged him as a disciple, they couldn't say — but in their own hearts, they had come to respect the boy.

"Come to think of it, ever since we left Wanji Mountain, we've kept running into the strangest things."

Heishan scratched his head. "First there was that so-called Immortal Emperor seedling, and now this Alchemy Grandmaster of cooking... but you know what, it's actually been pretty interesting."

They all found themselves thinking, without prompting, of that young man who had shouted his declaration on the Cloud-Ascending Stairway of the Liuyun Sword Sect.

Li Tiezhu — the kid who had vowed to dominate the Myriad Worlds. Who knew where he was grinding away in bitter cultivation right now.

Hearing this, Si Chen's lips curved slightly without him noticing. Indeed, this journey had been far more interesting than his days back in the clan.

He rose from his recliner and stretched his body.

The days spent in Danding City had truly been pleasant — every day was either spent sampling the various delicacies Heishan had hunted down, or watching Wang Yan tinker with his wok.

But now, it was time to move on.

The strange core in his Elixir Field stirred restlessly, as if urging him forward. The moment to condense his Nascent Soul had arrived.

And honestly, they had already tasted just about everything Danding City had to offer.

"Let's go," Si Chen said.

There was nothing much to pack — everything was stored in his Storage Ring. He walked out of the small courtyard and took one last look at this temporary home.

With a subtle shift of his intent, a streak of purple lightning spread from beneath his feet, silently weaving itself into the wooden gate and walls of the courtyard.

This was a little trick he had recently worked out — a trace of thunder power left behind, capable of deterring anyone with ill intentions from trespassing. It was a simple protective charm he was leaving for Wang Yan and his mother.

From now on, this place would be Wang Yan's home — his and his mother's.

Chifeng was the first to transform into a streak of crimson light and shoot into the sky. Heishan summoned a demonic gale and followed close behind. As they passed over Wang Yan's house, all three of them instinctively slowed their pace.

Down in the courtyard below, Wang Yan had been staring blankly at his iron wok. Something seemed to stir within him, and he snapped his head upward.

In the sky above, the red-haired muscular man that was Chifeng's human form and the wild-haired Heishan both waved down at him.

And Si Chen — the master who had changed his entire life — stood quietly among the clouds, giving him a gentle nod.

Wang Yan's eyes turned red in an instant. He waved his arms with all his might, opened his mouth — but not a single sound came out.

This parting stretched across mountains and rivers; who knew when he would next hear his master's teachings.

But in the next moment, he drew a sharp breath and pressed all his sorrow back down into his heart.

He straightened the spine that had grown accustomed to a slight bow from his days as a waiter, and toward the sky — toward the direction Si Chen had departed — he bowed deeply and held it for a long, long time.

This disciple will not fail the grace of his master!

Si Chen took one final look at him, then turned and left. Heishan and Chifeng followed close behind, and their figures quickly vanished beyond the horizon.

Wang Yan stood where he was, staring at the sky that had long since emptied, lost in a daze for quite a while. Then he suddenly spun around, rushed back into the kitchen, and grabbed his gleaming iron wok with both hands.

Today, he would try to cook a pot of "Assorted Origin-Nourishing Pills."

"The wok — it is the foundation of the Dao!"

* * *

High above the clouds, three figures cut through the sky.

"Brother," Heishan leaned in a little closer, his rugged face wearing an unusually serious expression. "Are you about to... you know... do that thing?"

He extended a finger and pointed upward with some uncertainty.

Si Chen knew he was referring to condensing his Nascent Soul. He nodded. "Yeah. Feels about time."

Chifeng's eyes flickered with a hint of gravity upon hearing this. "Are you confident?"

Heavenly tribulation was no joke — the lightning strikes they had endured when their own Demon Race took on human form were still fresh in their memory.

Si Chen answered honestly, with a touch of curiosity. He shook his head. "No idea. Never tried it before."

Heishan, rough as he was, showed a rare moment of thoughtfulness. He gave Si Chen a firm clap on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it! You've got this, brother! Once you get through this, we'll head to the next place and have ourselves a proper meal — er, I mean, a proper journey!"

Red Bean affectionately nuzzled Si Chen's cheek, letting out soft little "Chirp chirp" sounds, as if cheering him on.

As the group bantered, they began searching for a secluded spot suitable for crossing the tribulation.

Si Chen could feel the strange core inside him spinning faster and faster, as though it were eagerly anticipating its encounter with the heavenly tribulation.

* * *

A thousand miles away, in a desolate mountain valley.

[Ding! Daily Cultivation Task completed. Reward: seventh-layer Qi Refining Stage cultivation, low-grade Spirit Stones x500]

The cold, mechanical System notification rang out in Li Tiezhu's mind, but he didn't even bother to lift an eyelid.

"Get lost! Just get lost! I don't need you anymore!"

He brushed the dust off himself and jumped down from the boulder he had been meditating on.

Ever since he had left the ruins of the Liuyun Sword Sect, his System — the one that grandly called itself "Supreme Unrivaled Sovereign of the Myriad Worlds" — seemed to have rebooted from scratch.

It kept issuing nothing but trivial, petty tasks, and the rewards were stingier than ever.

And every time he thought back to climbing that wretched Cloud-Ascending Stairway, he seethed with rage.

The entire Sect was gone, yet it had him taking on a task to "Ascend the Cloud-Ascending Stairway" — the dynasty had fallen before the mission even started!

What infuriated him most was that he had huffed and puffed his way all the way to the top, brimming with excitement and ready to claim his reward — only for this damned System to play dead. No matter how much he called out to it, there was no response whatsoever.

A System this unreliable had earned nothing but his deep and thorough contempt.

He had figured it out now: better to rely on yourself than on the System, and better to rely on a master than on the System at all.

If not for that kind-hearted young master he had encountered along the way — who had given him meat buns and a Cultivation Technique, and whom he had moved with his sincerity, thereby "successfully" taking him as his master —

Li Tiezhu might still be digging for wild vegetables in some mountain ditch right now!

[Detecting strong rejection emotion from host... Initiating compensation protocol...]

[Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation granted. Mid-grade Spirit Stones x250]

Li Tiezhu froze, before he could even process what had happened, he felt a warmth surge in his Elixir Field as a wave of pure spiritual energy suddenly flooded into his body.

The barrier of the Qi Refining Stage shattered in an instant, and he stepped directly into the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Unlike those who advanced through bitter cultivation, the cultivation granted by the System carried not a single trace of instability.

"Just like that... Foundation Establishment?"

[System-made, guaranteed quality.]

"Quality my foot!"

Li Tiezhu rolled his eyes. Though his mouth was still grumbling, he knew in his heart that this was probably the one and only thing this wretched System was actually reliable for.

His tone softened slightly. "Don't think this buys you off! I'm telling you, this isn't over!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Li Tiezhu suddenly realized — mid-grade Spirit Stones x250?

"Two hundred and fifty?!"

His fury surged instantly. He jabbed a finger at the empty air. "Are you calling me an idiot?!"