Immortal Druid

[POV: Guo Yupin]

Guo Yupin watched with narrowed eyes as the silver-haired stranger stood unflinching below him. The single sword hovering above his fingertip pulsed with restrained killing intent, its edge humming with condensed sword qi.

“Very well, I accept your condition,” Wo Li said calmly.

At least the outsider knew when to show some respect. Guo Yupin flicked his finger.

“Serenity Lightning Edge.”

The sword shot forward like a streak of silver lightning, tearing the air with a piercing whistle. It was not his full strength, but it was more than enough to bisect a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. The blade left faint afterimages as it spiraled, seeking the stranger’s throat with unerring precision.

Wo Li did not dodge.

Instead, he raised his free hand in a casual gesture and declared in a clear, resonant tone, “Wild Shape: Primal Nature Elemental.”

A surge of life force erupted from his body. In the blink of an eye, silver wood-like texture and all manner of flora bloomed on Wo Li’s body and clothing. The change was seamless, almost instantaneous, yet Guo Yupin felt no violent qi explosion, only a quiet, profound harmony with the surrounding nature.

The sword struck true.

Clang!

The sound was not that of metal piercing flesh, but of a blade rebounding off an ancient, immovable tree. Sparks flew as the sword skittered harmlessly across Wo Li’s transformed chest, leaving only a shallow white mark that began healing the moment it appeared. The force of the impact barely made the stranger shift his stance.

An awkward silence fell over the entire field.

Guo Yupin’s expression froze.

What manner of spell was that? He could now sense the shift in Wo Li’s essence. Every trace of whatever strange power the outsider had used earlier had vanished, replaced entirely by thick, heavy life-attributed qi that felt as ancient and unyielding as the roots of the world itself. It was a complete transformation of being.

The Sword Formation King’s hundreds of hovering blades trembled slightly in the air as his focus wavered. In all his centuries of cultivation, he had never witnessed such a technique. It was not mere body refinement or qi armor. The man had literally become something else, something rooted in the primal forces of nature itself.

Below, the crowd remained deathly quiet, their eyes wide with disbelief.

“Impressive,” cried out Guo Yupin, grinning. “It looks like you possess quite the cultivation, my fellow daoist.”

…

..

.

It was a strange sensation. Primal Nature Elemental was one of my strongest Wild Shape abilities. It had a very nice ability that negated the first damage incurred. It was useless against continuous damage, but a sure-fire way to nullify a foe’s strongest single strike or spell.

Back in Legacy World Online, a druid could only be granted a single elemental shape, and I had picked Nature Elemental, eventually raising it all the way to Primal Nature Elemental.

It felt strange, though. Normally, using this Wild Shape would grant me an enormous tree-like body, but now I felt like I was a human tree of sorts? Yeah, it felt weird. It probably had something to do with the ‘different mana’ of this world.

“Is that enough?” I asked. At this point, I just wanted to leave and avoid any more unnecessary trouble.

Gao Yupin lowered himself, landing softly before me. Like an illusion, all of the swords folded into themselves as they became a single sword. He sheathed it and remarked, “It’s enough. Let go of my sect members.”

I canceled the Entanglement spell with a thought, freeing them.

“They should eventually wake up,” I remarked. I thought about it more. Depending on their resistance, they might sleep for a long time. After that brief exchange with Gao Yupin, I could tell I was fairly strong here.

“Cleanse Spirits,” I uttered, removing their status ailment.

The unconscious ‘young masters’ woke up.

Guo Yupin turned his gaze back to me, his expression calm but probing. “What are your plans now, Wo Li? Cultivators from many sects around this land have gathered in this hidden village to prepare for the opening of a secret realm. The Emerald Verdant Forest will open only once every six hundred years. My Serenity Cliff Sect is the reigning power in these lands and possesses the best entry spots. If you have no pressing destination, I invite you to come with us. You may enter the secret realm alongside our disciples.”

The call to adventure was literally staring me in the eyes. I honestly didn’t know what to make of my life in this world yet. I considered the offer for a moment. A secret realm opening every six hundred years sounded like a major event. It was probably full of rare treasures, spirit herbs, and opportunities that could help me understand this new world better. Turning it down without good reason would be foolish, especially since I had nowhere specific to go.

But the problem was what I personally wanted.

In my past life, I had lived the nine-to-five grind zealously, working a thankless job that never appreciated me. I often daydreamed about outdoor camping, recalling the few shorts I had watched while doom-scrolling on my phone. I had always thought of the isekai genre as secretly horror stories, which in hindsight wasn’t wrong if you removed all the cheats, systems, and convenient gimmicks. If I didn’t have all these powers with me, the idea of “doing whatever you want” would have been laughable.

I took a slow breath and met Guo Yupin’s gaze.

“Senior Guo, please do not take offense,” I said carefully, “but I believe I have to go my own way. I have no interest in this secret realm.”

Exploring the world at large might give me a clue how to return home… but would I even want to return home? The right choice, at least for now, seemed to be isolating myself from the xianxia world at large. My sensibilities as a 21st-century Earthling would definitely lead me to many conflicts and butting heads with people. Just preventing someone from dying in that petty duel had already gotten me in trouble. Add to that the existence known as Nevle Drol Diurdhcra—the druid in me—and I honestly didn’t know what I would do if I was faced with things that confronted both the gamer in me and the avatar I had now become.

I recalled the few tropes I remembered from xianxia novels: people grinding others into pills, endless scheming and backstabbing, all manner of infighting, probably cosmic wars, brutal competition, and various unethical practices you could imagine in a fantasy world. What would I do if I encountered slavery? Ugh… These things were too big for me right now. I was lucky I wasn’t a Paladin and therefore compelled to confront every injustice I saw, because most likely those things did exist here.

Before I went out into the world at large, I wanted to enjoy some peace and quiet for now. I wanted to live that outdoor camping life I had been dreaming about for years, and maybe learn more about myself in the process. It honestly sounded very hippie. Peace and love, baby.

I looked at the old man with a calm but resolute expression and spoke in a measured, almost profound tone.

“Senior Guo, I must reject the call to adventure for now. Instead, I choose to answer the call of the wild. If you will excuse me, I shall take my leave. Farewell.”

I turned quickly, mana already stirring as I prepared to Wild Shape.

“Senior, please take me with you!” called Xing Ning, the young master I had just saved. He scrambled to his feet, eyes bright with a mix of gratitude and excitement.

I sighed. Fine. I could use a guide.

“Keep up,” I remarked simply.

Guo Yupin’s expression softened. He gave a small, amiable nod, his white beard shifting slightly in the breeze.

“Very well, Wo Li. Go as you wish. If the heavens allow it, perhaps we shall meet again under better circumstances.”

I stirred my mana.

“Wild Shape: Eagle.”

Power surged through me, and my body transformed in an instant. Feathers sprouted, wings spread wide, and I lifted gracefully into the air with strong beats of my powerful wings. The warm wind rushed past me as I climbed higher.

Xing Ning followed closely behind. He soared on his sword with a powerful thrust of qi, then, with an acrobatic motion, let go of the hilt and lightly landed on the flat of the blade, surfing through the sky with surprising grace.

Okay, that was cool.

…

..

.

[POV: Guo Yupin]

Guo Yupin stood motionless on the grassy field long after the silver-haired stranger had transformed into a majestic eagle and soared away, with the young Steel Sky Sect disciple riding his sword close behind. The warm breeze still carried the faint scent of blooming wildflowers that Wo Li had left in his wake. The Sword Formation King’s expression remained calm on the surface, but inside, a storm of conflicting thoughts churned.

He turned slowly toward his son and two grandsons, who were now fully awake and standing with heads bowed in shame. Guo Yume, his son, looked particularly grim, while Guo Yuti and Guo Yimu avoided their patriarch’s gaze entirely.

“Foolish!” Guo Yupin’s voice cracked like a whip, sharp enough to make several outer disciples flinch. “All three of you have been utterly foolish! You let your petty pride and lust for a village girl drag the entire Serenity Cliff Sect into humiliation before a true expert. Had Wo Li been a lesser man, or had he chosen to retaliate with full force, our sect might have lost its three pillars today. Do you understand the gravity of what nearly happened?”

Guo Yimu opened his mouth to protest, but one cold glance from his grandfather silenced him instantly.

Guo Yupin continued, his tone heavy with disappointment. “You boast about your duels, your sword counts, your so-called victories… yet when faced with real power, you were slapped down like children. This is the cultivation world. Arrogance without strength is suicide. Today you learned humility the easy way, through mercy instead of death. Remember this lesson well, or the next time you provoke someone beyond your station, no one will be there to spare you.”

He swept his gaze across the gathered sect members and villagers who had witnessed the entire confrontation.

“As for all of you who stood here watching and betting spirit stones like it was mere entertainment,” Guo Yupin said, raising his voice so it carried clearly, “take heed as well. The world is vast and filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. That silver-haired Wo Li appeared out of nowhere, interfered in a trivial matter, and walked away untouched by even my Serenity Lightning Edge. Do not judge by appearances or assume every stranger is beneath you. True power often hides behind calm words and gentle actions. Cultivate humility, or one day you will provoke someone who shows none.”

The crowd murmured in agreement, many lowering their heads in reflection. Even the earlier skeptics who had whispered that Wo Li was courting death now looked thoughtful.

Guo Yupin fell silent for a moment, his mind turning inward. In truth, he was still unsettled. He had initially mistaken Wo Li for a mere Foundation Establishment or early Core Formation rogue cultivator at best, someone strong enough to casually handle his juniors but not a real threat to himself. Yet after that single clash, all such assumptions had shattered. The way Wo Li had casually transformed his entire being into living primal wood and earth qi… it was no ordinary technique. Guo Yupin’s spiritual sense had brushed against an essence so ancient and profound that it felt older than the mountains themselves.

He had thought the stranger was at least in his own realm of Core Formation, but now he felt confident that Wo Li was at least Nascent Soul, or perhaps even higher, possibly one of those legendary old monsters who rarely appeared in the world. The complete lack of detectable cultivation base, the effortless negation of his sword strike, and that serene, harmonious aura that made the land itself bloom… only someone far beyond ordinary Core Formation could achieve such things so casually. And yet the man had chosen mercy and solitude over dominance or treasure. Truly enigmatic.

A soft voice interrupted his reverie.

“Patriarch Guo, it seems the excitement has finally settled.”

Guo Yupin turned to see an elderly woman approaching with graceful steps. She wore simple yet elegant green robes embroidered with leaf patterns, her silver hair pinned neatly with a jade hairpin. Despite her advanced age, her eyes sparkled with sharp intelligence and steady power. Li Ming, the leader of the Hidden Village of Leaf and the guardian appointed to watch over the Emerald Verdant Forest secret realm, was a Core Formation cultivator like himself. This woman was respected throughout the region for her wisdom and neutral stance.

“Village Leader Li Ming,” Guo Yupin greeted her with a respectful nod and a faint smile. “It has been many years since we last spoke face to face. I apologize for the disturbance my reckless juniors caused in your peaceful village today.”

Li Ming waved a hand lightly, her expression warm and understanding. “No need for apologies, Patriarch Guo. Young hearts are hot-blooded; such incidents are not uncommon before a secret realm opens. More importantly, I am glad no blood was spilled. That stranger… Wo Li, was it? His presence felt extraordinary. The flowers he left behind still carry a trace of pure life qi. I suspect today’s events will be spoken of for a long time.”

Guo Yupin chuckled softly, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. “Indeed. The cultivation world is full of surprises. Come, let us speak inside. There is much to discuss regarding the upcoming opening of the Emerald Verdant Forest and how our organizations may cooperate for mutual benefit.”

Li Ming nodded graciously and gestured for him to walk with her toward the village center.

As the two Core Formation experts moved away, the gathered disciples and villagers slowly dispersed, still whispering among themselves about the mysterious silver-haired cultivator who had appeared like a storm and vanished like the wind.