I'm The Only True Immortal In The World.

Chapter One: The Bloom of Youth

It was

past eleven o'clock at night, the time known in ancient times as the midnight hour.

In the west bedroom of the second floor of a self-built house in his rural hometown,

Fang Yi sat in a chair, a computer desk in front of him. He had just calmed his mind and was clearing his mind of all distractions.

"Since I obtained Mr. Chen Pu's manuscript, 'Mr. Chen's Inner Alchemy Manual,' three years ago, I have diligently practiced it, yet I still cannot complete the process of lowering the elixir. Is cultivating immortality truly a fabrication of the ancients?"

Fang Yi's heart was filled with turmoil, unable to find peace.

Since ancient times, immortality has been the ultimate ideal pursued by humankind, and even royalty and nobility were not exempt.

Fang Yi was no exception; having read countless cultivation novels in his youth, he had always harbored a dream of immortality.

Time flies like an arrow.

More than twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye, and he remains just one of the masses.

Society has smoothed his rough edges, but he has never given up his dream of immortality.

Three years ago, during a trip to Qingcheng Mountain, he accidentally obtained a secret method called "Mr. Chen's Inner Alchemy Manual," which led Fang Yi to believe that his piety had moved the heavens, thus bestowing upon him a chance for immortality.

However, despite three years of diligent practice, he still couldn't complete the first stage of the technique, "Descending the Elixir."

Extremely disappointed, Fang Yi began to question himself, "Could it be that I lack talent?"

Or...

where did I go wrong?

Tonight, he felt restless, unable to clear his mind and enter a meditative state.

Fang Yi had a premonition that something significant would happen tonight.

"One last attempt at cultivation. If it still doesn't work, then...I'll give up this illusory dream of immortality!"

After three years of no progress, Fang Yi's patience was almost exhausted.

Perhaps it was letting go of his obsession that made him feel light and free of distractions. He began to recall the technique.

"First, practice at the beginning of midnight each day. Eat a small amount beforehand to avoid being too hungry or too full. Wash and calm your mind, regulate your emotions, and eliminate distractions. I've done all these preparations."

As Fang Yi recalled, he unconsciously sat cross-legged.

These actions had been repeated countless times over the past three years, becoming as practiced as eating and drinking.

Then, Fang Yi closed his eyes, focused his mind, and regulated his breathing, making it even. He then curled his tongue back to

hold his breath at the two points at the root of his tongue , specifically the submandibular gland ducts. He held his breath

by fixing these points with the root of his tongue. Previously, he couldn't continue beyond this point.

The cultivation method explained that after holding one's breath, one would gradually feel two streams of energy rising from the roots of the molars, passing through the two temples, and then entering the crown of the head. One could feel the two streams of energy merging; this was the beginning of a small cycle in the cultivation method.

Fang Yi couldn't even feel the energy; how could he continue cultivating?

Perhaps it was because he had let go of his obsessions tonight, but

he actually felt two streams of energy being born from the left and right temples.

Normally, he would have been overjoyed.

But Fang Yi was completely immersed in it, his mind filled only with the pure thought of cultivation; there wasn't a single other thought in sight.

These two streams of energy rose from the roots of the molars, reached the temples, and then slowly spread towards the crown of the head.

"Four orifices under the tongue, two connect to the heart, two connect to the body fluids; a single rotation is like a precious pearl, penetrating the spirit body through mountains, rivers, and the universe."

The mantra of the cultivation method flowed through Fang Yi's mind.

Gradually, he felt the two streams of energy merge.

Fang Yi slowly opened his eyes; according to the method, this was a small cycle, and he would have to do it twice more later.

After a short rest, he continued his previous actions, stopping each time when the energy reached the Niwan Palace (upper dantian).

Finally, he completed three cycles.

He should have rested then and continued cultivating the next day.

However, during the third energy circulation, Fang Yi suddenly felt a cool sensation flowing into the top of his head.

Immediately, the energy flowed from the Niwan Palace into his brain, down his throat, through his spine, and finally to his coccyx.

"Huh, shouldn't this be something you can only do a few days after the first successful energy circulation? How come I've done it now?"

A hint of doubt flashed through Fang Yi's mind, because he was at a crucial juncture in his cultivation, and he couldn't afford to think too much; he simply controlled his energy according to the methods described in *Mr. Chen's Inner Alchemy Manual*.

When this energy reached the coccyx, a series of changes occurred.

Then, a cool sensation came from above his head, and the energy moved forward to the navel.

Fang Yi felt a warm and comfortable feeling in his chest.

According to the instructions of the technique, this was a sign of the descending of true energy.

But it didn't end there; the energy rose along his lower abdomen to his heart.

He felt a slight warmth stirring in his heart, as if his heart had come alive.

This warm energy then rose from his heart, passing through the twelve levels of the body, and reached under his tongue.

Fang Yi tasted a slight bitterness in his mouth.

He thought to himself, "This is the sign of the gallbladder energy rising, yin and yang harmonizing, and the inner elixir about to descend."

At this moment, he became cautious, because he had reached the most dangerous moment.

Generally, when practicing this technique, one must avoid being disturbed by people or animals, otherwise, it is easy to experience a sudden sensation of energy movement, a gradually enlarging body, mental excitement, or even hallucinations of houses, people, mountains, and rivers appearing inside one's body.

This is one of the reasons why cultivation is chosen to be done in the quiet of the night at midnight.

...

Meanwhile, a similar miracle was unfolding outside.

Night descended, shrouded in darkness, so thick that not a hand could be seen in front of one's face. A harsh, bleak autumn wind tore through the stillness .

There was no moon, no stars.

The myriad lights of homes gradually faded at midnight, their vibrant colors merging with the night.

Above an old building, a flickering light inexplicably appeared, its brightness mirroring the rhythm of human breathing, weak as a candle in the wind, seemingly on the verge of extinction.

Suddenly, a rainbow of light shot skyward from a small temple on the banks of the Grand Canal, three or four hundred meters to the south.

This straight, rainbow-like beam of seven-colored light was wondrous; though only as thick as a thumb, it pierced the heavens and earth, seemingly unable to be dispersed even by the fiercest winds, as if it were holding up the very fabric of the world.

The light was initially dim, barely visible to the naked eye.

But after a few breaths, the rainbow intensified, almost overwhelming the sky, like a giant wave crashing towards the flames.

Before it even stopped, the rainbow light instantly changed, spreading out and merging with the white clouds in the sky, turning them into colorful clouds!

The sky was immediately obscured!

The vibrant, multicolored clouds rolled and enveloped the old building.

The terrifying scene made it seem as if the sky was about to collapse, sending chills down one's spine.

The colorful clouds swirled wildly!

Like raging waves!

The entire area within a mile of the building seemed to be enveloped by this rolling, multicolored cloud.

In an instant, the fire was about to be extinguished.

Just then, the colorful clouds gradually parted, and a rainbow of light suddenly spread out from the very center.

The obscured starlight converged.

When the starlight overflowed, it was like the Milky Way collapsing and cascading down, rolling towards the flames.

Wherever the starlight reached, it completely enveloped the small building from top to bottom, all the way down to the depths of the earth. All

around was starlight, vast and boundless.

The flames seemed to have found fuel, burning fiercely, growing ever more brilliant.

Finally, half the sky was faintly burned red.

If someone were to look from afar, they would find that this flame was exquisitely beautiful, resembling a Taoist priest sitting cross-legged, and on the left chest of this huge figure of firelight, there was a bright fireball burning.

The light of this fireball was dazzling.

Suddenly, it rose up and transformed into a red sun.

Then, as if pulled by an immense force, this red sun fell downwards.

Whoosh!

The red sun fell into the abyss with a "splash."

Water and fire merged, yin and yang harmonized.

The fiery sun gradually faded, transforming into a pure, flawless light that hovered silently within the fiery figure.

As this light returned to its place, it inexplicably emitted countless bright rays, like streams, covering every part of the fiery figure.

The fiery figure "opened its eyes."

The starlight also dissipated, and if it weren't for the rainbow still standing between heaven and earth, it would have seemed as if nothing had happened.

Fang Yi was experiencing a miracle.

He felt his "consciousness" transcend his physical body, inexplicably appearing in nothingness.

This feeling was extremely strange.

He could clearly "see" his own body sitting cross-legged in a chair in the bedroom on the second floor of a small building not far away.

Everything in the room was clearly visible.

The wardrobe, the computer desk, the curtains, and even the crawling of several unknown insects under the bed were all clearly visible.

Fang Yi's "gaze" seemed to possess X-ray vision, able to penetrate thick walls.

Looking around, the night was exceptionally dark; with the naked eye, one probably couldn't see anything two meters ahead.

However, Fang Yi saw it all very clearly.

Two sparrows nestled together in a bird's nest in the branches of two metasequoia trees; a middle-aged couple on the second floor of a building across the river...

and even... the wind, the river water, and all the particles that make up matter!

What surprised Fang Yi most was that he could observe these particles forming "lines," intertwined like tiny spider webs forming a vast, incomparably large net, stretching to the heavens and even into the depths of the endless starry universe.

It was as if he had grasped the essence of matter.

Incredibly magnificent, awe-inspiring and grand.

Fang Yi couldn't help but marvel.

At the same time, endless questions arose in his mind.

Suddenly, he felt a bright light, like the sun falling into his lower dantian—a manifestation of the descent of the inner elixir.

The first stage of *Mr. Chen's Inner Alchemy Manual* describes the descent of the elixir as having the effect of eliminating all diseases and increasing physical strength.

In ancient times, if one could cultivate to this stage, it was considered the initial formation of the Golden Elixir, and one could be called a Golden Elixir True Person.

Just now, after three years of arduous cultivation, Fang Yi finally reached this stage, allowing his mind to transcend his physical body and float in the void. In the *Chen Xiansheng Neidan Jue*, this is called "soul astral projection," a supernatural ability attainable only at a certain level in alchemy.

There was no doubt about any of this.

What was questionable was that tonight was no different from the past three years; his meditation and practice had made no progress. Just as he was about to finish, suddenly a large mass of powerful energy seemed to be infused into his body, forcibly condensing into a golden core.

"What happened?"

Fang Yi was puzzled.

But before he could think further, a blazing rainbow light struck, enveloping and pulling back his golden core, which he had painstakingly cultivated for three years and which resembled a dewdrop. It plummeted rapidly towards the southern riverbank and then disappeared without a trace.

Fang Yi was stunned. His newly cultivated golden core had been stolen?

He was both shocked and furious, and without further thought, his mind raced, instantly appearing near the red light.

Looking down, he saw the only temple in the village, enshrining Huang Daxian.

"Could there be a cultivator in the temple who took the opportunity to steal my golden core?"

Fang Yi was frantic. His mind raced again, and he tried to break into the temple.

Suddenly, a deafening roar exploded deep within his soul!

The sound was thunderous, yet different; it was more like the roar of some animal.

What terrified Fang Yi was that this roar seemed to have a destructive power over his soul. Just that roar had nearly caused his "thoughts" to crumble and scatter.

"What a terrifying roar!"

Fang Yi dared not covet the temple anymore; his thoughts retreated like a tide back to where his body was.

The next moment, he suddenly opened his eyes in his bedroom. A strange "light" flashed in the darkness of the room, then vanished.

"What was that roar just now? It was so terrifying!"

Fang Yi was somewhat surprised and uncertain. He suddenly remembered the description of a dragon's roar as thunder in the *Mr. Chen's Inner Alchemy Manual*. "Could it be... a dragon's roar?"

The moment this thought crossed his mind, he found it somewhat laughable.

Where in the world could there be a divine dragon?

But then Fang Yi muttered to himself in doubt, "Could it really be a divine dragon?"

Since according to the *Mr. Chen's Inner Alchemy Manual*, he was already a Golden Core cultivator, and he could even have his soul leave his body, what was so strange about the existence of dragons? "The temple isn't far from

my home, just on the southern riverbank. I'll get up now and go see who stole my Golden Core."