Chapter 25

The teleportation brought him precisely to the mid-slope of Water Mirror Peak.

Clear springs gurgled, flowing from eight different directions, converging into a lake.

The lake’s surface reflected the full moon and a sky full of stars, as if the stars and moon were within reach.

A cold wind from high above stirred the surface into shimmering ripples.

Around the lake grew unnamed trees, ranging from a few meters to dozens of meters tall.

Beneath his feet seemed to be a long path paved with rough jade stones; to the left, ascending along jade steps, stood a wooden pavilion in ancient Chinese style, five stories high and nearly a hundred meters wide.

On the half-mountain path, where the trees grew sparse, stood a wooden pavilion.

To the right lay a downhill path, with scattered buildings below.

Not far from where Su Lin stood was a spacious flat area.

Like a square.

Occasionally, fallen leaves drifted down and scattered across the rough, ancient jade steps.

The cold wind carried the scent of soil and leaves into his nostrils.

Gazing at the scene before him, breathing in these scents, Su Lin was momentarily at a loss.

After a while, he remembered what he was supposed to do.

He walked up the stone steps, observing the surroundings.

Thinking carefully, he recalled how once, long ago, he had dreamed of such a scene.

During his student years, he loved reading novels; though he read everything, he especially favored cultivation-themed stories.

Everyone’s youth is different: some people’s youth is vibrant, filled with idol dramas, underdog comebacks, academic rivalries, and unregretful chapters of friendship and love balanced with studies.

But those who had such youth were few.

Su Lin belonged to the majority.

Heavy academic pressure, family pressure, pressure from all sides.

The only escape was novels and comics.

Whenever he was exhausted, he fantasized about embarking on the cultivation path—in a sect detached from the mundane world, training in this environment, gazing at the stars, watching the moon, discussing the Dao.

Compared to continuing to sink among the masses, struggling against the daily troubles of reality, being chosen by the system was undoubtedly lucky.

As for what lay behind it—he didn’t care. Let it be.

He strolled slowly toward the lake, where not far off stood another wooden pavilion, surrounded by trees, an elegant pavilion with delicate corridors, mirrored by the clear waters—a perfect harmony.

Beneath the pavilion stood a stone table, along with several bamboo and jade tubes.

Curious, Su Lin walked over, sat on the stone chair, and picked up one of the tubes to examine.

It bore a script he had never seen before.

Not any common ancient Chinese script—no, it might not even be Earth’s writing.

Su Lin secretly speculated: if so, perhaps Earth’s waters weren’t deep after all—maybe the system included items from other worlds? A flicker of hope stirred in him.

If Earth’s waters were deep, wouldn’t he have to race against time just to gain power?

He’d been a wage slave for two lifetimes—couldn’t he just live a leisurely cultivation life, enjoy himself?

Why not cultivate peacefully, and occasionally visit a harmless world for fun?

Before Su Lin could examine the tube long, a sudden realization dawned in his mind.

【Rain Transformation】

Startled, Su Lin quickly picked up another tube.

【Weave Starlight】

Are these spells?!

The next morning, Su Lin experienced a real-life Zelda, or rather, a real-life Genshin Impact.

After exploring a small portion of Water Mirror Peak, an inexplicable feeling took root in Su Lin’s heart.

Drawing Water Mirror Peak might have been a massive windfall.

The various cultivation techniques and transmissions within seemed preserved intact—this was the complete inheritance system of Water Mirror Peak, belonging to the Immortal Sect known as Xian Ning Sect.

The lottery didn’t just grant him a floating mountain—it granted him an entire immortal sect.

But…

Too complete.

During his exploration, Su Lin felt a strange sensation.

It was as if the people of Water Mirror Peak had merely stepped out for a moment.

The pavilion atop the peak held cultivation techniques and spells.

The furniture, tea sets, brushes, ink, paper, inkstone, potted plants—none of that mattered…

In some rooms he entered, there were sect robes, even personal clothing.

In the scattered houses below the square, books lay half-open on tables, tea remained in teapots, and rummaging through chests revealed pills.

In one room, there was a woman’s outfit—perhaps the senior sister’s, or perhaps the junior sister’s.

The whole thing felt quietly unsettling.

Back home, Su Lin stored Water Mirror Peak and carefully reread the system’s description of the item.

The description spanned tens of thousands of characters—until Su Lin reached the final passage.

【Founded in Tian Wu Year 334—Destroyed in Kui Yue Year 1745】

He fell silent for a while.

Destroyed?

So Water Mirror Peak was a reconstruction?

Recalling the scenes within, Su Lin deduced that the system had likely replicated a single moment—perhaps the instant before destruction, or even earlier.

The system had copied and recreated a complete snapshot of Water Mirror Peak at one point in time.

As long as it wasn’t some horror of dragging someone’s entire homeland from another dimension, it was fine.

Otherwise, he could only say: I’m sorry…

The next night.

Su Lin sat inside the Wangshu Pavilion on Water Mirror Peak, a teapot and a platter of chilled seafood on the table.

At his feet lay several fire essence stones he had exchanged for.

He had no choice—the temperature ten thousand meters up was freezing.

He ate while studying the introductory cultivation method.

He had to admit—

His talent was probably just average…

Well, he didn’t even know what average talent meant.

If he had to learn entirely on his own, without guidance, it might take him a long time.

No rush… no rush…

Though the system could grant him instant mastery, this was still a rare experience.

If all else failed, could he find someone to guide him?

Emmm…

The space inside Wangshu Pavilion was far larger than it appeared from outside.

Aside from scarce cultivation resources, it held one core transmission—a cultivation method directly pointing toward immortality—and various spells.

His group friends… if he opened all this to them just to find someone to teach him, wouldn’t he become their source of fortune?

Yesterday he’d wanted to cling to someone’s leg; after visiting another world, the roles had reversed.

In the end, the fortune was himself.

Excluding Luffy, he’d only known the group members for a day, and hadn’t even met them in person.

Of course, the pole-vaulting protagonist hadn’t even spoken up yet.

But yesterday, when he asked for help, they’d immediately sent him a pile of items without hesitation, offering substantial aid.

In terms of character, though some in the group were a bit shady and others a bit cowardly, they all shared one trait: they repaid kindness and valued loyalty—provided they truly considered you a friend.

He wouldn’t lose anything by sharing these things—his only issue was how fast the role shift had come, leaving him unaccustomed.

Indeed, skipping straight from beginner status to billionaire status was kind of satisfying.

His fingers tapped slowly on the wooden table as he glanced back at the floating bookshelves behind him.

Ye Fan ignored the giant black dog beside him boasting about his past glory, urging him to have children with the Purple Mansion Holy Maiden.

Why not just read The Legend of the Condor Heroes, chat in the group—isn’t that more fun than having kids?

Don’t you already have enough romantic drama?