Transmigration: The Peerless Immortal Husband

On Tianlin Continent, there is a force known as Cuiyan Valley. Although it cannot compare to sects like Beixing Sect in terms of power, it is highly respected for its proficiency in alchemy. Especially with the current Valley Master, who revealed his alchemical talent early on. He is now an eighth-grade senior alchemist and is considered the most likely person on Tianlin Continent to become a seventh-grade alchemist. Naturally, he is a person whom many forces avoid offending.

Tian Feirong took a big gulp of tea, wiped his mouth, and continued explaining to Gu Yao and Chi Changye, “This Valley Master Hu has had a smooth journey so far, but it’s his descendants that have caused trouble. In his early years, he had a fleeting romance with a female cultivator. After that, he entered a secret place for secluded cultivation. It wasn’t until he reached the Foundation Establishment stage and his alchemy skills soared that he returned to Cuiyan Valley. During the roughly 20 to 30 years he was away, he didn’t know that the female cultivator had given birth to a son. Unfortunately, the son was of poor talent and had no background. He married young and had children. Later, when he went out for a cultivation trip, both he and his wife tragically passed away, leaving behind a child.”

“At that time, Valley Master Hu hadn’t taken over as the Valley Master yet. He deeply regretted that he had a son he never met. Sadly, father and son never even laid eyes on each other before the son died. So, Valley Master Hu raised his grandson. Feeling an immense sense of guilt, Valley Master Hu doted on and indulged his grandson. Since he was so absorbed in cultivation and alchemy, he often entrusted his grandson’s care to others in the valley. Over time, the boy, named Hu Weicai, grew up spoiled. When Valley Master Hu realized what had happened and wanted to correct the situation, it is said that he often found it hard to be strict.”

“Originally, Cuiyan Valley wasn’t going to participate in the Ascension Conference, but recently Hu Weicai caused a scandal. It’s said that he became infatuated with a female cultivator, but she didn’t reciprocate. Her elders brought the matter to Valley Master Hu. In a fit of anger, Valley Master Hu decided to imprison Hu Weicai in the forbidden area. The boy couldn’t stand the punishment, and somehow bribed the guards to secretly escape. In the end, he was discovered in Shifang City.”

Tian Feirong swallowed excitedly and said, “I heard that when the news reached Cuiyan Valley, Valley Master Hu decided to personally come to Shifang City. Once he arrives, many important figures will surely gather. So, this Ascension Conference is going to be quite lively. You have no idea, the people from the Gu family—those naive fools—are all eager, trying to find a way to get a look at the cultivators from Cuiyan Valley. If one of them is lucky enough to be accepted as a disciple by Valley Master Hu, they’ll be on their way to greatness! But in my opinion, those guys are just daydreaming.”

Chi Changye crossed his arms and coldly watched Tian Feirong, thinking to himself, ‘This guy at the third level of Qi Refining actually dares to say that the Gu family is clueless about their place in the world? Where does he get his confidence from?’

Gu Yao didn’t expect such a side story and felt a bit intrigued. He asked, “So, where is this person named Hu Weicai now?”

Tian Feirong laughed heartily, “This kid is incredibly slippery. As soon as his identity was exposed, he managed to slip away. It’s said that he’s skilled in the ways of Cuiyan Valley, but what we can be sure of is that he’s still in Shifang City. Oh, and I heard he’s a fat guy. We might just run into him.”

Gu Yao chuckled and, with Chi Changye, paused their cultivation and went for a walk. Sure enough, Shifang City was even livelier now. Word had spread that many people were looking for Hu Weicai, hoping to find him before Valley Master Hu arrived. They thought that if they could find him first, Valley Master Hu might owe them a favor, and getting alchemy pills would be easy.

Of course, some might also be planning to get their hands on his alchemical pills. It was said that he might even have eighth-grade pills and countless spirit stones on him. If they could rob him, they would make a fortune. Then, they could hide away and cultivate for ten or more years. No matter how powerful Valley Master Hu was, he’d be helpless in such a case.

Unfortunately, as Tian Feirong said, the kid was too slippery. They had found many chubby cultivators, but none of them matched the description.

And so, the Ascension Conference arrived as scheduled.

The Tian brothers, Gu Yao, and Chi Changye had nothing to worry about. They already had places to go, so all they had to do was register early and go to other places to see the sights and broaden their horizons. As for other younger disciples, Tian family naturally encouraged them. If they passed the tests and joined another sect, the family wouldn’t just encourage them but also provide resources. These disciples would become the pillars of the family in the future.

However, joining a sect wasn’t that easy. The Ascension Conference was held once every ten years, and the Tian family had had disciples join other sects before. But over the years, they either remained obscure or fell during their trials. Still, as long as there was a success story like Tian Ru, who successfully established her foundation and made a name for herself, the Tian family would be more than willing to pay any price to support such disciples.

“Gu Yao, hurry up, over there!” Tian Feirong called while running ahead, urging Gu Yao to catch up as they headed to Tianfu Academy’s registration point.

Suddenly, someone dashed out diagonally. Gu Yao quickly shouted, “Watch out…”

But it was still too late. The person who rushed out collided with Tian Feirong, who had called out behind him. With a loud “bang,” both of them fell to the ground, clutching their heads and groaning, “Ouch.” Gu Yao covered his eyes, unable to bear to look. Even though there weren’t many people around, these two still managed to crash into each other.

“Ouch, are you blind? You’re blocking my way and knocked me over! I won’t let you off easy!” A chubby little guy got up from the ground, rubbing his forehead and twisting his waist. He angrily shouted at Tian Feirong, who had also gotten up.

“Spare me! Who’s the one who isn’t looking? I was walking just fine, and you came rushing from the side and bumped into me. I haven’t even settled the score with you yet. I am the one who’s your senior! You fat little brat!” Tian Feirong, who wasn’t one to hold back, immediately snapped back at the little chubby guy.

“You’re asking for it! I’ll crush you with my thousand-pound weight!” The chubby little guy gritted his teeth and started wrestling with Tian Feirong.

Gu Yao stared wide-eyed, and Chi Changye helplessly rubbed his forehead, speechless. Ever since he had lost his cultivation after falling through the spatial rift into this place, it seemed that his old image and mindset couldn’t be maintained. Now, watching these two rolling around, if it had been before, Chi Changye would have just walked away without giving them a second glance, considering such people utterly boring. He would’ve thought it was a waste of time to get involved in such meaningless things instead of meditating, cultivating, or practicing swordplay.

But now, he had the leisure to watch these two immature fools fight. Both could tell that, although it looked like they were fighting fiercely and cursing each other without holding back, the two of them were both weak in terms of strength and had not used any spiritual power. They were only relying on physical fighting, so there was no need to intervene. They just let them go at it.

With each punch and kick, the chubby guy’s weight advantage became apparent, and in the end, Tian Feirong was at a disadvantage, his face bruised and swollen. Of course, the chubby guy didn’t look much better, his face also marked with injuries. Finally, after glaring at each other for a while, the chubby guy spoke first: “Where are you guys going? Are they with you?”

“Fatty, why does it matter where we’re going? We’re going to Tianfu Academy to handle our enrollment procedures. If you delay us, see if I don’t deal with you!” Tian Feirong quickly pulled out the medicine he had gotten from Gu Yao to apply to his wounds.

“Tianfu Academy?” The chubby guy immediately showed a look of disdain. After all, who didn’t know that the kind of cultivators who would go to Tianfu Academy weren’t exactly impressive. But then, his eyes twinkled as a smile appeared on his face.

He reached out and patted Tian Feirong’s shoulder. “Well then, I’ll accompany you. I’ve decided, I’m going to join Tianfu Academy too.”

“Scram, who said we’d go with you? If you want to call me ‘brother,’ then I might reluctantly cover for you in the future. But look behind you, this is my brother. The three of us, you’re the one,” Tian Feirong said, pointing at Gu Yao and Chi Changye, who were watching the scene, proudly.

The more Tian Feirong said this, the more the chubby guy refused to leave, as if he was intent on sticking with him. In the end, the three of them became four, and they all went to the plaza where Tianfu Academy was located.

The central plaza of Shifang City was large enough, but in the past few days, it seemed as though every cultivator in the Tianlin Continent had gathered here, almost overflowing the vast space.

In many places, people were packed closely together, but there were also a few spots that were quiet and spacious, such as Tianfu Academy’s area. The teachers responsible for the recruitment of new students were sitting there bored, chatting casually. One of them rubbed his teary eyes and muttered with irritation, “What’s the deal with Cuiyan Valley coming here to make a scene? It’s making our Tianfu Academy even more desolate. We have everything a good academy needs, and we allow students to develop freely. Don’t they think that’s better than those sects? If I find out who this ‘Hu Weicai’ brat is, I’ll make sure to give him a good beating!”

As the teacher ranted about Hu Weicai, he slammed the table in front of him, making a loud noise. Someone walking over heard the loud voice and instinctively clutched their backside, cautiously glancing forward. They poked Tian Feirong and said, “Bro, should we move somewhere else? This Tianfu Academy has such a bad reputation.”

Tian Feirong deliberately disagreed with the chubby guy, shaking his head and saying, “No, I’ve set my sights on Tianfu Academy. If you don’t like it, you can go somewhere else.” Of course, he thought to himself, “But you have to be able to get in somewhere else.”

At that moment, another student said, “Senior Fang, things will get better in a few days. Those cultivators who can’t get into other sects will naturally come running to our Tianfu Academy.”

In fact, it had always been like this in previous years—after other sects had recruited enough disciples, those who were eliminated would come to Tianfu Academy seeking opportunities.

“Bah! Do you think I don’t know? Those good-for-nothing leftovers are what other places rejected. So are we supposed to just accept the trash?” Teacher Fang continued to curse angrily. Suddenly, his eyes shifted, and he saw the four of them coming over. He quickly pulled his legs off the table, rubbed his face, and tried to turn his fierce expression into one that seemed more kind and approachable. He then forced a smile he thought was gentle and waved at them.

“Good youngsters, you have good taste, coming straight to our Tianfu Academy.”

Tian Feirong and the chubby guy stopped in their tracks and looked at each other, hearing the conversation in front of them. Was it really okay to enter this kind of academy?

Gu Yao twitched the corner of his mouth, his eyes showing a hint of nostalgia. This Teacher Fang reminded him of a high-ranking military figure he had interacted with in his past life. Their working styles were somewhat similar. The military leader’s hobby was to relentlessly exploit himself, but when trouble came, that leader was always the first to step forward and defend him. Later, when he got into trouble, he wondered if that leader would cause a storm within the alliance.

The chubby guy leaned in close to Tian Feirong and whispered, “Is it really okay? Should we hurry and leave?”

Tian Feirong was about to hesitate and turn around to ask Gu Yao for his opinion, but what kind of strength did Teacher Fang have? Could they really hide their quiet conversation from his ears?

At that moment, the smile on his face disappeared, instantly replaced by a fierce, menacing expression. He reached out and grabbed forward, growling, “You two little brats, why don’t you come here and pay the entrance fee? You think you can come onto my turf and then leave? Hand over your entry fees!”

Tian Feirong and the chubby guy were suddenly seized by an invisible force around their necks. With a swift motion, they were dragged in front of the group from Tianfu Academy, unable to move. The surrounding cultivators either coughed or choked on their saliva, and one of them quickly spoke up to calm Teacher Fang down, “Senior, please calm down. Keep our Tianfu Academy’s image intact,” and at the same time, gave Tian Feirong and the chubby guy a meaningful look. “Hurry up and say you’re joining our academy. Teacher Fang is the one who loves our Tianfu Academy the most, and no one can question that.”

The coughing and choking sounds grew louder, and others were seen holding their foreheads in despair. Tianfu Academy had been ruined by them like this. Fortunately, there weren’t many people around at the moment; otherwise, they would surely scare everyone away with their behavior. If this were to spread, who would dare set foot on Tianfu Academy’s grounds?

Tian Feirong finally managed to squeeze out some words, his face turning bright red. “I—I’ll pay!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the pressure around his neck vanished, and he was free again. Tian Feirong quickly stepped aside, glancing nervously at Teacher Fang. What level of cultivation was this person at? He hadn’t been able to resist at all.

The chubby guy was a beat too slow to respond, unable to make a sound, so he could only nod vigorously, signaling his agreement to pay the entrance fee.

With the spiritual energy dissipated, the chubby guy collapsed onto the ground. Teacher Fang burst into loud laughter, saying, “I told you, with me, Fang, handling things personally, how could Tianfu Academy not recruit any students? Once you join the academy, you’ll see that our Tianfu Academy is not inferior to those so-called North Star Sect or whatever.”

His laughter subsided as he stroked his chin, looking at Gu Yao and Chi Changye behind them with a gleam of interest in his eyes. “You two…”

Gu Yao quickly understood the situation and said, “I came specifically to enroll in the academy,” then pulled Chi Changye over, “He’s following me.”

“Kid, you have a good eye,” Teacher Fang said with great satisfaction, then called out behind him, “Jiang Yan, come quickly and take care of this…” He turned back to Gu Yao and asked, “What’s your name?”

“My name is Gu Yao,” Gu Yao quickly replied.

Teacher Fang continued calling, “Jiang Yan, take care of Gu Yao’s enrollment procedures.”

“Coming,” a gentle yet helpless voice came from behind. Immediately, a tall young male cultivator walked out from the back. His features were soft and gentle; even though his appearance wasn’t the most striking, there was an aura about him, as if he were bathed in a soft glow, making him incredibly pleasant to look at.

Jiang Yan looked at Gu Yao, whom Teacher Fang had pointed to, and smiled warmly, saying, “Gu Yao, follow me.”

“Okay,” Gu Yao responded with a smile, and he and Chi Changye walked over to Jiang Yan, following him to an area where the procedures were being handled. At that moment, Tian Feirong and the chubby guy were there, both with bitter expressions as they were completing their paperwork. The person standing next to them was the one who had been chatting with Teacher Fang earlier.

The person turned around upon seeing Jiang Yan and Gu Yao, and smiled, saying, “Senior Brother Jiang, these are the companions who were with Junior Brother Tian earlier. Welcome to Tianfu Academy! Don’t worry, once you join, you’ll never regret it.”

“Junior Brother Zhou, say less. You should be persuading Teacher Fang instead of joining in with this nonsense,” Jiang Yan scolded lightly. However, Gu Yao’s gaze remained fixed on his face, noticing that there was no real reprimand in Jiang Yan’s expression. He couldn’t help but feel a slight shiver inside—this Senior Brother Jiang seemed as gentle as the wind, but instinctively, he felt that he was even more difficult to deal with than this Junior Brother Zhou.

Tian Feirong and the chubby guy were filling out a form with bitter gourd faces as instructed by Junior Brother Zhou. Then, they were headed for the spirit root test.

The chubby guy muttered, “Shouldn’t the aptitude test be done first, to see if we even qualify to join?”

Junior Brother Zhou’s lips twitched, and he reached out to pat the chubby guy’s shoulder, saying, “This is the normal procedure. Once you’ve filled out the forms and submitted your spirit stones, you’re already my junior brothers. The aptitude test is to help arrange your training direction once you’re in the academy.”

While saying this, he secretly rolled his eyes. Of course, the priority is to collect the registration fees first. Those with good aptitude would be treated accordingly, and those with poor aptitude would be handled in their own way—no one can be overlooked.

Gu Yao stood nearby, watching the spirit root testing instrument. It was different from the one he had used in the Gu family, so he curiously stood there, observing. Jiang Yan didn’t remind them to hurry up and fill out the form and submit their spirit stones.

The testing instrument was a circular disk, with intricate patterns engraved on it. Tian Feirong placed his hand on it, and after a moment, three beams of light—red, green, and gold—were projected above. This indicated that Tian Feirong had three spirit roots. In terms of aptitude, it was better than Gu Yao’s four spirit roots, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that the three beams of light were nearly the same thickness, with no distinct primary spirit root. This meant that, if the three spirit root aptitude were rated, it would be at the lowest tier.

Tian Feirong wasn’t surprised by the result and was about to withdraw his hand when he saw that the light beams changed.

“Fire Spirit Root: 23, Wood Spirit Root: 24, Metal Spirit Root: 22.”

“Senior Brother Zhou, what are those numbers?” Tian Feirong curiously pointed at the values displayed above.

Senior Brother Zhou raised his eyebrows proudly and said, “This is the special spirit root testing instrument unique to our Tianfu Academy. The values on it represent the purity of your spirit roots. The higher the number, the better the aptitude. Having multiple spirit roots doesn’t necessarily mean poor aptitude.”

However, seeing the purity values for Tian Feirong’s spirit roots, Senior Brother Zhou’s lips twitched, and he couldn’t come up with any particularly comforting words.

Tian Feirong, on the other hand, wasn’t bothered and said casually, “My values are on the lower side. Are you still going to accept me?”

“Of course! We accept anyone who is willing to dedicate themselves to cultivation. Our academy doesn’t discriminate like some sects do!” Senior Brother Zhou tossed his head and said with righteous indignation.

Gu Yao didn’t believe a word of that. The academy probably doesn’t discriminate when it comes to spirit stones, though.

“Wei Zhengfei, it’s your turn.”

The chubby guy walked over. It turned out his full name was Wei Zhengfei. He also placed his chubby hand on the testing disk.