Perfect World: Dream of the Immortal Era

The Immortal watched these events unfold, nodding subtly in approval.

Sometimes, having exceptional talent doesn't guarantee that a being can reach the pinnacle; there are many other factors involved, such as temperament, luck, and brilliance.

For now, Gencun seems to possess both good aptitude and temperament, and at the very least, this Immortal greatly appreciates him.

“Thank you to the academy elders for valuing me. I promise I will not let the academy's nurturing go to waste," Gencun expressed his intentions to the Immortal with a respectful bow.

“Mm, I believe you are a raw gem with great potential for the future.

Now, step onto the Dao Platform and let me take a closer look at your physical form.

Don't worry, the process is harmless to you. Instead, if there are any issues or hidden dangers in your physique, I can detect them in time and help solve them early," the Immortal spoke gently, with a kindness that was not imposing.

With the talent level Gencun has already demonstrated, combined with the high-level decision by War God Academy to focus on cultivating him, attaining immortality is almost an inevitability.

The Immortal is fully aware of this, and thus, in some subtle way, he already sees Gencun as one of his own.

Yet for now, Gencun has just begun his journey, and as a senior, the differences in status and cultivation between them remain vast.

Gencun nodded without hesitation, exerting force with his feet to spring up and land steadily on the Dao Platform.

He settled before the Immortal, who was seated cross-legged on a mat, and sat cross-legged in front of him, fully relaxing and lowering all defenses.

Although any defenses he could mount at the blood-boiling stage would be null before the Immortal, making defense or no defense the same, he had to demonstrate his stance.

Seeing that Gencun was prepared, the Immortal began the examination.

Smooth and unmarked, the center of his forehead split open suddenly, revealing a third, vertical purple eye that blinked continuously, emanating an eternal aura.

It swiveled slightly to look at Gencun, shooting out a hazy purple light.

In an instant, Gencun felt as though he was being "dissected," with every part of his body laid bare under this gaze, devoid of any secrets.

Every particle of flesh, every bone, every drop of marrow was inspected, especially the blood, which received focused attention, swept over again and again by the purple eye.

“WOO!”

Suddenly, the true dragon's aura within his blood was activated, transforming into a vividly lifelike colossal dragon, gazing icily at the purple eye, its scales gleaming as if just broken through millennia-old mystical ice.

In the next moment, a true phoenix appeared, its magnificent aura matching the dragon's.

The harmony of dragon and phoenix, this formidable force, was so astonishing that even the investigating Immortal was awed.

His expression froze briefly, shock visible in his eyes.

However, this moment of stupefaction lasted only briefly before the Immortal collected himself and continued his deeper investigation.

In the end, his purple vertical eye overflowed with an intense aura of the laws of time, with fragments of time fluttering about, causing the normally forward-moving time to reverse and flow backward.

Under the ancestral art of his immortality, scenes from the past and present emerged before his eyes.

Vivid images illustrated the arduous journey of a young human boy who transitioned from being weak and frail to possessing extraordinary talents.

Several decades ago, a baby was born to slaves under the command of a royal clan. Wishing to prevent their child from suffering a fate worse than death within the confines of the royal status, the parents made the heart-wrenching decision to abandon him in the vast wilderness, leaving him to his fate.

The immense wilderness was home to countless races and creatures, where the law of the jungle—survival of the fittest, bloody massacres—was the order of the day.

For a baby unable to even walk, being left there was akin to a death sentence.

However, the baby was fortunate. A female ancient beast happened to pass by, adopting him as her own, keeping him safe in her den, warding off the peril of becoming another creature's meal.

As time passed, the baby grew into a healthy child, strong and robust, even more so than typical human children.

One day, the female beast that had raised him died in an accident and did not return, leaving him with no choice but to fend for himself.

Cautiously, he eked out an existence in the danger-laden wilderness, mastering numerous survival techniques and cultivating a daring courage beyond his age.

If fate had permitted, this boy might have spent his lifetime among ancient beasts, indistinguishable from them, relying solely on primitive survival tactics.

But, as life is unpredictable, he found himself chasing prey into a land forbidden to life.

Despite the natural avoidance of nearby ancient beasts, driven by some primal fear, this day the boy accidentally intruded upon the forbidden land, discovering many primitive patterns—creations of nature, not man-made; any observer would marvel at this natural craftsmanship.

In this place, he found some blood-red grass, with dragon patterns on some leaves and phoenix patterns on others.

Driven by curiosity, he ate the strange grass. As soon as it entered his belly, his vitality surged.

Realizing that these grasses enhanced his strength, he feasted on them, eventually venturing deeper into the forbidden land in search of more.

Unwittingly, he triggered something vast, causing the earth to shake and skies to tremble. Accompanied by a resounding dragon's roar and phoenix's cry that echoed through the heavens, the boy fainted.

When he awoke, all that lay before him was a barren wilderness, the forbidden land nowhere in sight.

The boy brushed it off as a hallucination, but from that day forward, his body underwent a transformation, growing ever more powerful, surpassing his previous limitations with each passing day.

In this way, he survived for years in the wilderness, clad in animal skins, resembling a wild man. As he grew into a young man, he decided to venture forth.

The Great Wilderness is boundless and the boy's stamina was limited. He walked in one direction for who knows how long. During this time, he often saw tribes and creatures of other races, but he didn't dare approach them until he encountered the Four-Armed Clan.

The subsequent scenes show the boy joining the Four-Armed Clan. Here, he learned the common language of various races and also learned the techniques of the Four-Armed Clan, successfully reaching the realm of Qi Consumption. Finally, he was brought to Blackwater City by an elder of the Four-Armed Clan to participate in the annual selection for training at the War God Academy.

The events that followed are already known. In the struggle for selection, Gencun made a stunning impact, not only defeating several noble scions but also slaying four royal geniuses, earning the title "Godslayer."

The scene shattered, fragments of time fluttered, restoring the normal flow.

The Immortal's vertical purple eye slowly closed, not leaving even a slit.

The feeling of being dissected and analyzed that enveloped Gencun disappeared.

After a long time, the Immortal sighed deeply, not expecting such a tumultuous life for this genius youth from the human race.

Nevertheless, it is precisely because of such experiences in childhood that Gencun's mannerisms are so composed.

“Elder, what is it? Is there something wrong with my body?” Gencun hurriedly asked upon hearing the Immortal's sigh.

The Immortal shook his head.

“No problem at all. Your body is excellent, with even more potential than I imagined.

Dragon and Phoenix in harmony, nurtured by heaven and earth, with supreme geographic fortune all working in your favor, allowing you to defy fate itself. Such a Dao fruit is far superior to the bloodline power left by predecessors. I have a premonition that your achievements might not just stop at immortality; you might even establish a new Imperial Clan someday.”

Seated cross-legged on the meditation cushion, the Immortal gave the highest appraisal, looking at Gencun with extreme solemnity.

“I can establish a new Imperial Clan? Elder, do you mean…” Gencun was somewhat dazed by this revelation, seemingly shocked.

The Immortal chuckled at his reaction.

“Wasn't your goal simply immortality?”

Gencun nodded.

“Immortality is already incredibly powerful. In this vast world, how many can truly achieve immortality? Let alone becoming the King of the Immortals. How could I dare indulge in unrealistic fantasies?”

“Haha, now you can aspire to it. Set your sights higher. As an Immortal, my judgment is not easily swayed. You definitely have the potential to become a king.”

"Compared to the young nobles of the Imperial Tribe, you possess an advantage they lack. You aren't bound by the shackles of ancestral doctrines, allowing you a greater chance to stand out and become a prominent figure of this era," the Immortal said.

It seemed the mention of "Boundless Immortal King" stirred something in him, his expression turning fervent. His gaze at Gencun became extremely eager, as if he were beholding a precious gem.

"Really? Thank you for your praise, senior," Gencun responded with excitement.

"Hmm, everything I've witnessed today, I will report in detail to my fellow companions at the academy.

Yet, there's something I must remind you of.

In our realm, it's always survival of the fittest, the weak are prey to the strong, and the hierarchy is strict. Your human race has always been at a disadvantage, with few strong figures emerging.

In fact, in the eyes of most races, humans are considered a race of slaves. I hope you can transform these prejudices into motivation. Do not lament the injustice, for that's the way of the weak.

Only by growing powerful can you shed this label.

If one day in the future, you truly become a Boundless Immortal King, the status of the human race will undergo an earth-shattering change, and no one will dare call it a race of slaves again," the Immortal said earnestly.

Gencun nodded.

"I understand, senior."

"Very well, you may leave.

After this exploration, a plan for your training will be formulated soon. At that time, someone will inform you. Until then, simply wait patiently in the cave abode."

With that, the Immortal vanished from sight.

Only Gencun remained, seated atop the Dao platform, his face alight with excitement and joy, emotions plainly written on his face. It took quite some time for him to calm down, resuming his usual composed demeanor.

This was Gencun's outward expression; inwardly, he felt no disturbance at all.

The foreign cultivator's examination of Gencun's body was something Wang Gen had already anticipated, so before leaving, Wang Gen had taken measures to conceal Gencun.

This involved compressing his bloodline and hiding historical fragments within the river of time. Even if a Boundless Immortal King personally investigated, they would find it difficult to uncover the secrets of Gencun's body, let alone just an Immortal.

The display of excitement was because Gencun wasn't certain if the Immortal had truly left, on the chance he might still be hiding in the void, observing his behavior.

To be safe, he had no choice but to proceed this way; he must not become complacent after deceiving the Immortals.

“After this, I should be safe. As long as the Immortal King himself doesn’t come, there’ll be no problems,” Gencun mused to himself.

Afterward, he jumped off the platform and ventured into the depths of the Hall of Flesh, experiencing various arrays designed to temper the body.

When he returned to his cave abode, wounds covered him.

Seated cross-legged on a meditation mat, Gencun retrieved a rare medicinal herb from his Ancient Immortal Ring, gnawed on a leaf, and began a quiet restoration.

Before long, he was as good as new, reinvigorated with a dragon’s might.

According to the Immortal’s words, he only needed to wait in his cave for their summons, thus he decided to skip the next event at the Primordial Spirit Hall.

The vast War God Academy, with several residing Immortals and the renowned Boundless Immortal King Luo Mo overseeing its operations, promised extraordinary opportunities for elite training, potentially accelerating his rise.

When Gencun first arrived in this world of gods and demons, it was during a foreign invasion at the borderlands, confirming it was the mid-era of the Ancient Immortal Epoch.

Yet, following the border conflict, nobody knew what stage the Ancient Immortal Epoch had evolved into—it could still be mid or have entered the later phase, marking the mid-to-late transition with the frontier clash.

Gencun was uncertain of the exact stage. All he knew was he had to seize time, make contact with the Ancient Origin Device, and find a way to break the Origin Blood Curse, otherwise, his father would succumb to the somber fate foretold in history.

Shaking his head, he drew out a massive block of divine source and devoured it, launching an assault on the peak of the Boiling Blood Realm.

Thanks to activating the latent potential of True Dragon and Nirvana Phoenix Bloods in the late Boiling Blood Realm, his body's "capacity" became extraordinarily vast.

Even after consuming all the divine source blocks granted by the ancient Immortal Gumo, he made no further progress.

“This is only the second realm, yet it demands such immense energy…”

Gencun found it unbelievable just how formidable his physical form had become.

With no other options, he retrieved the few "Immortal Sources" he had, resolved to use them to hasten his cultivation.

Despite their scarcity, in terms of energy grade and quantity, "Immortal Sources" far surpassed the divine source, existing on an altogether different level.

One could be refined by a Human Realm Supreme, able to seal beings below the Supreme level, freezing time indefinitely and keeping them forever youthful.

The other, requiring refinement by a Celestial Path Supreme, could seal Immortals for eons; as long as it remained unexposed, no matter how the external world’s grand laws shifted—from sea to mulberry field, worlds born and perished—its sealed beings would remain unaffected.

A fingernail-sized Immortal Source held more energy than a millstone-sized divine source.

All of this is due to the significant amount of longevity essence contained within the Celestial Source. When this essence merges with the innate primordial force, it forms an incomparable sacred celestial fate.

In the known world, the only things capable of accumulating such immense longevity essence are the celestial elixirs.