Immortal Druid

Xing Ning flew steadily on his sword beside me, keeping pace with surprising skill as we left the village far behind. After a few minutes of silent flight, his voice carried over the wind.

“Senior Wo Li, where do you plan to go now?”

I couldn’t really answer him while in this shape. I’m an eagle, darn it. I let out a sharp, frustrated eagle screech in reply.

“Kraaaw!”

Xing Ning sounded genuinely confused. “Uh… Senior? Was that a yes or a no?”

Okay. What did I know about camping? First, you’d need gear. My druid equipment should be fine, along with the many abilities at my disposal. How about the camping itself? I guessed there was hiking involved. Yeah, let’s start with that.

I circled wider around the dense forest below, using my sharp eagle vision to memorize various landmarks from rocky outcrops, winding rivers, and clusters of ancient trees that stood taller than the rest. Xing Ning followed closely the whole time.

Whoa… Wait a second… This seemed easier than I imagined.

My memory had never been sharper before. Every detail etched itself into my mind with perfect clarity. When I felt confident I had a good mental map of the forest around us, I descended smoothly toward a clear spot by the river and released my Wild Shape.

Power flowed back into my human form as I landed lightly on the grassy bank, robes and staff reappearing as if they had never left. Xing Ning followed, sheathing his sword as he gracefully touched down beside me.

“We’ll walk from here,” I told him.

I led the way into the treeline. The moment I stepped forward, the wildlife literally opened a path for me. Bushes parted gently, low branches lifted out of the way, and even the tall grass seemed to lean aside, creating a natural trail through the undergrowth.

Xing Ning’s eyes widened in shock. “Senior… how are you doing that? The forest itself is making way for you!”

I glanced back at him with a small shrug. “So, why are you following me, anyway?”

He sounded a little doubtful at first. “Um… Because I’m thankful, senior. More than that, I felt uncomfortable in the village. They don’t take kindly to strangers.”

I nodded and kept walking. “How did you end up here anyway? What’s that about secret realms?”

Xing Ning fell into step beside me and began explaining. “Secret realms are pocket dimensions or hidden lands that appear in our world from time to time. They contain rare treasures, ancient inheritances, powerful spirit herbs, and sometimes even fragments of old dao insights. Many sects compete fiercely to enter them when they open. My own sect entered one not long ago. It’s probably a secret realm connected to the Emerald Verdant Forest that is about to open here. I got separated from my group during the exit and nearly got killed by some fierce beasts. If it weren’t for Village Leader Li Ming saving me, I would have died.”

I recalled the village I had just left. I thought it had been my imagination at the time, but I was fairly confident now that I thought back to it. That ‘village’ had been alive. Like, the very land and structures had a life of their own. Or maybe I had seen it wrong, since I was still new to the superpowers my class afforded me, despite the inherited memories from Nevle.

I asked, “Can you tell me more about the village?”

Xing Ning nodded. “The place is called the Hidden Village of the Leaf. It’s not really one village, but an organization scattered across the continent. They guard secret realms, grave sites, ancient altars, and other important places. They stay neutral in most conflicts and are respected by many sects.”

I flinched at the name. “Please tell me they’re not ninjas.”

He looked genuinely puzzled. “Huh? What is a ninja?”

Okay. At least I knew I wasn’t in some weird crossover.

I stopped walking and stared directly at Xing Ning. “Now, spill it. What do you really want from me? You’ve left the village. You can go on your separate way and just leave me alone.”

Of course, I would appreciate the company, but I knew nothing about this guy. I could tell he was a ‘young master’ even at a glance, considering his fine clothes and that unmistakable aura of privilege he carried.

Xing Ning hesitated, then bowed slightly. “I am sorry, senior, if I’ve been rude. Please protect me.”

Huh? Excuse me?

He took out a flat steel pendant fashioned like a small badge, tied to his waist, and explained, “This is the Steelmark, a sect treasure. There’s another one like this back in the sect. It tells my location, allowing the sect elders to locate me. I might not look like it, but… I’m a bit of a big deal in my sect. You will be rewarded most generously, senior, if you protect me! I promise! I’ve seen your righteous spirit, senior, so I wish to entrust my life to you.”

“Okay, sure,” I said.

Xing Ning’s eyes lit up with obvious relief and excitement, as if I had just handed him a winning lottery ticket. Like I said, I could use a gofer… er… I mean, a guide! Yes, guide!

I tried to play it cool as we walked and hiked deeper into the forest. The terrain gradually grew rougher, but I kept my tone casual while feeding my curiosity. “So, earlier you mentioned a continent. What’s this continent called? Tell me about it.”

Xing Ning looked thoughtful for a moment, carefully stepping over a fallen log as he answered. “This is the Earthly Heart Continent, Senior Wo Li. It is vast with many nations, countless sects, and endless mountain ranges and forests stretch across it. While I don’t know much about the rest of the world, I’ve heard stories of foreigners from other continents arriving by sea or through ancient teleportation arrays. But I’m not sure if those stories are true. The oceans surrounding our continent are said to be extremely dangerous, filled with terrifying sea beasts and violent storms that can swallow even Nascent Soul cultivators whole.”

I mentally took note of it. I’ve always loved this lore stuff, after all. I knew treating this world like a game would eventually come back to bite me in the ass, but it sounded so interesting. Lore was basically just history. It wasn’t like I was doing it purely for the love of the game and hunting for hidden pieces or something.

While we walked, I continued to engage him with questions, my curiosity honestly bursting through. The forest around us responded to my presence, gently shifting branches and clearing small obstacles, making the hike far easier than it should have been.

“So, about the power system of this world,” I asked. “How exactly do people here gain their powers?”

Xing Ning blinked, clearly not understanding my phrasing at first. “Power system…?”

I rephrased it. “Cultivation. How do the locals of this world cultivate and grow stronger?”

Xing Ning snapped his fingers in realization. “Ah! You mean how to cultivate immortality?”

I found that playing up the mysterious expert who pretended to know nothing was beneath me at this point, so I gave it to him straight. “Yes, that.”

To demonstrate, I drew in the strange mana of this world and gathered it at the tip of my fingers, forming a small, glowing orb of energy that floated above my palm. “Like this. What do you call this?”

Xing Ning stared at the clump of energy with wide eyes. “That is qi, Senior! Pure spiritual qi. Cultivators draw qi from the heaven and earth, refine it within their dantian, and use it to strengthen their bodies, extend their lifespans, and eventually cultivate toward immortality. Everyone starts at Body Tempering to strengthen the mortal flesh. Then comes Qi Condensation, where we gather and condense qi into our meridians. After that is Foundation Establishment, which builds a stable foundation for the dao. Then Core Formation, where we condense a golden core. Nascent Soul comes after that, where the soul itself gains form and independence. There are even higher realms beyond—Soul Transformation, Void Refining, and legends of Immortal Ascension—but those are rarely seen in our era.”

It seemed the thing I had been calling “strange mana” had been qi all along.

He continued to entertain my questions as we walked, explaining to me what he knew in the barest form. The river had already vanished behind us, and the terrain only worsened with steep inclines and thick underbrush. However, through this mana or qi, I managed to ease the path. Vines shifted aside, roots flattened into makeshift steps, and even the air felt fresher around me. I was learning a lot from him.

I guessed these powers were one thing to look forward to in this isekai life. I mean, who wouldn’t want magic, right?

…

..

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[POV: Xing Ning]

Xing Ning felt a quiet wave of relief wash over him as he followed Senior Wo Li deeper into the forest.

Being separated from his sect members was one thing, but being stuck in an unfamiliar place with no one to watch his back? Yeah, that could be scary. As a seventh-stage Qi Condensation cultivator, his strength was far too little for him to travel alone safely. He was lucky he hadn’t died the first chance he got. He was also lucky to have found that village and even luckier to have met such a powerful benefactor. Now, he just needed to wait a bit before someone from the Steel Sky Sect came to pick him up.

After a long hike, Senior Wo Li finally stopped in a spacious clearing surrounded by tall, ancient trees.

“This should be enough,” Wo Li said, his voice calm and decisive.

They had reached a pleasant open area beside a gentle stream. Wo Li thumped his staff firmly on the ground and poured an incredible amount of qi into the earth. The surrounding trees responded instantly, their branches and roots shifting and moving as if alive. They cleared more space, pulling back to widen the clearing while leaving a single majestic tree standing proudly in the center.

Xing Ning watched with wide eyes. Honestly, he found Senior Wo Li’s lack of knowledge about the cultivation world suspicious. He didn’t dare confront him, of course. He had no desire to offend such a powerful figure. He had first assumed the silver-haired man was simply a recluse or a hermit who had lived in isolation for many years. But not even knowing what qi was? That was truly strange.

Curious, Xing Ning asked, “Senior, which domain are you from?”

Wo Li tilted his head slightly, looking genuinely puzzled. “What do you mean by domain?”

Xing Ning thought the senior was testing him at first, but it quickly became clear that he was really clueless. He had assumed that when Wo Li called himself a wandering cultivator from distant lands, he had meant one of the furthest domains from here.

“This continent is divided into smaller units called domains,” Xing Ning explained patiently. “I am from the Steel Mountain Domain, where the Steel Sky Sect is based. This place is the Serenity Lake Domain, ruled by the Serenity Cliff Sect. Each domain is separated by thick layers of bottomless trenches that are completely devoid of qi. To travel between domains, one usually needs at least Core Formation cultivation to fly across safely or use special teleportation arrays.”

What were the chances that Senior Wo Li was actually an outsider? Someone from a different continent? Xing Ning shuddered at the thought. No way, right? After all, outsiders were said to be quite violent and ruthless, yet Senior Wo Li had been nothing like that. He had even saved his life without asking for anything in return.

Wo Li nodded thoughtfully and looked around the clearing. “We should make camp here.”

He thumped his staff once more. The single remaining tree in the center of the clearing began to transform. Its trunk widened and reshaped while branches wove together with astonishing speed, forming walls, floors, and a sturdy roof high above the ground. In moments, a comfortable-looking wooden house now sat nestled among the upper branches, complete with a simple balcony and stairs made of living wood.

Wo Li gestured toward the newly formed structure with a satisfied smile. “Welcome to the tree house. To be fair, this is kind of cheating for outdoor camping.”

What even was a tree house? It was Xing Ning’s first time seeing something like this. Maybe it was common wherever Senior Wo Li came from. The senior looked rather proud as he laughed lightly and asked, “What do you think?”

Xing Ning stared up at the elegant wooden house built into the living tree and replied with honest admiration, “It looks good, senior!”