Absolute Destiny Game.

Chapter 565 A Profound Interpretation of Cause and Effect and Immortal Fate
"Young man, you've only been away from the village for less than a year, yet you've already experienced such an earth-shattering transformation! You've been reborn, and your appearance has become like that of an immortal! I, your old man, was right about you back then!" These words came from the bottom of his heart; he had always felt that Xiao Jie was no ordinary person.

"Haha, Uncle Huang, you flatter me." Xiao Jie smiled modestly. "When I first arrived, I was very grateful for the help I received from Uncle Huang and everyone in the village."

"Oh, no need for such politeness!" Huang Shidao quickly waved his hand. "If it weren't for the brave warrior Suifeng and your fellow 'Returnees' who stepped in to defend the village and repel the zombie ghost generals, how could our Ginkgo Village be as peaceful and tranquil as it is today? We are more than grateful!" As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Yuan Bai beside him, "—This young brother Yuan, is he a friend of the brave warrior Suifeng?"

Xiao Jie glanced at Yuan Bai, who was winking at him, and laughed, "It would be more accurate to say we're brothers."

"Hahaha! That's right, brother!" Yuan Bai put down his teacup, took over the conversation in an old-fashioned manner, and then looked at Xiao Jie, "I say, second brother, you look so relaxed, have you taken care of all those friends?"

“Yes, they have all become disciples of those immortals and begun their studies.” Xiao Jie nodded and asked in return, “Brother Yuan, aren’t you going to give it a try? Such an opportunity to become an immortal is rare.”

"Forget about me! I haven't even figured out how to be a god yet." Yuan Bai shook his head like a rattle drum. "I... uh, I finally managed to get rid of that old monkey look and become a human. I even got such a young, strong, and energetic body. I'm going to enjoy life and experience the fun of this mortal world."

How could I waste my precious time learning some Taoist magic or martial arts? Besides—" He pointed to his head, "all my skills are recorded here, every move is crystal clear! Once I've eaten and drunk my fill, and honed my strength and blood circulation, my power will naturally recover."

He patted his still rather thin chest with confidence: "Besides, with the potential of my current physique, once my strength is restored, I'll probably be several times stronger than that old, frail body I had back then! Why bother seeking instruction from some immortal? I plan to stay in the village for a few more days to get used to things, and then I'll go out and explore the world!"

Looking at his youthful face yet speaking the words of a seasoned veteran, Xiao Jie felt both amused and gratified. This old monkey and young man lived a very open and enlightened life.

"Very well! Then I wish Brother Yuan all the best for the future and a happy life!"

"That's for sure!" Yuan Bai patted his chest to assure him, then seemed to remember something and added, "By the way, second brother, if you ever need help in a fight, just call me! I'll be there anytime!" The young man spoke with the air of a江湖大佬 (jianghu big shot), but he quickly revealed his youthful nature, his attention returning to the chessboard, urging, "Hey, old man, don't try to play dumb and get away with it! Are you going to play this game or not? If you can't, just admit defeat and don't try to renege!"

"Hmph! How could I be the kind of person to renege on a debt!" Huang Shidao was provoked into a rage. Although his chess skills were lacking, his card-playing etiquette was impeccable. "Take it!" he said, tossing a copper key that looked quite old to Yuan Bai, clearly a wager.

Watching the two banter and tease each other, Xiao Jie felt a deep sense of relief. That Yuan Bai could find such a peaceful place to settle down and enjoy himself was a good thing for his "brother."

He turned to An Ran and said, "An Ran, I won't stay here any longer. You should focus on your cultivation and build a solid foundation." He then took out a thread-bound ancient book from his storage bag and handed it to An Ran. "I also have a copy of the 'Thousand Illusions Transformation Technique,' which contains many demonic transformation techniques. Take a look and study it; it might give you some inspiration and insights into the power of demon cores. Don't worry about the demon cores; I'll ask Long Xing Tianxia and the others later. The Long Xiang Guild should still have some in stock, or I can ask them to help collect some. You should prepare yourself first."

Next, he needs to help Long Xiang unify the Nine Provinces. Such a huge favor cannot be done for nothing. Although it would only take Xiao Jie a few minutes to farm demon cores, it would be better to use the readily available resources.

Having roughly arranged everything, Xiao Jie had a sudden thought and chose to exit the game.

A flash of white light appeared before his eyes, and after a familiar, slight dizziness subsided, Xiao Jie's consciousness returned instantly. He found himself back in the real world, sitting at his computer desk in the living room.

Seeing this, Gu Feiyu, who had been anxiously waiting nearby, immediately rushed over and asked urgently, "Damn it! Brother Jie, you're finally back! Why did you take so long? I was so worried! How is it? What's the situation over there? Brother Han and the others..."

"No need to rush, everything is fine." Xiao Jie took off his game helmet, rubbed his temples, and said with a smile, his tone relaxed after completing a major task. "I have resurrected your Brother Han, Wentian Wuji, Xiayi Wushuang, and Anran. It's just... they can't be resurrected in reality. Their souls can only remain in the game world and be reborn through reincarnation in the game. They are all starting to level up again in Ginkgo Village now."

He paused, then added, "Oh, by the way, I also specially found three real immortals to be their teachers and guide their cultivation. It's like securing an immortal destiny for them."

Then, Xiao Jie briefly recounted his experiences in the game to Gu Feiyu, including how he dealt with Yama, how he persuaded the immortals, and how he arranged for everyone to be reincarnated and become disciples.

Gu Feiyu was stunned, his face filled with amazement and disbelief: "Holy crap! Are immortals this powerful? Reviving people sounds so 'simple'? Does that mean I'm not afraid of dying in games anymore? I can just ask you, Brother Jie, to help me get back from the underworld if I die?" Xiao Jie was speechless and gave him a light slap: "You wish! Don't even think about such a suicidal idea! If you die, you're really dead! Your consciousness will be completely trapped in the game world, unable to return. Even if you can be resurrected, you'll only live in the game forever. Everything in reality—your body, your family and friends, cola and fried chicken, movies and games… you'll never be able to touch any of them again. It's like your soul is trapped in that world forever, becoming a thinking 'NPC'. Can you really accept that?"

Startled, Gu Feiyu shrank back and thought about it carefully for a while before awkwardly saying, "Okay... now that you mention it, it's definitely more comfortable to live in reality. There's cola and fried chicken, Wi-Fi and air conditioning, and I can watch anime and TV series. But..." He changed his tone and became optimistic again, "At least there's a final 'safety net,' right? This gives me more confidence in what I want to do in the game, it's like an ultimate guarantee."

“By the way,” Xiao Jie remembered something and asked, “Why don’t you also go and register with those three immortals as a follower? Anyway, it’s the same whether you’re herding one sheep or two, so one more shouldn’t be a problem. Haven’t you been looking for immortal opportunities to advance to the 'Immortal Sorcerer' level? This is a ready-made opportunity.”

Unexpectedly, after pondering for a long time, Gu Feiyu shook his head with unusual firmness.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Brother Jie! But I really can't just jump on this bandwagon like that."

"Oh? Why?" Xiao Jie asked curiously.

“Because according to my research,” Gu Feiyu pushed up his glasses and said seriously, “'Cause and effect' is so important to immortals because it can influence or even bind their destiny to some extent. Once they are entangled in major cause and effect, it is difficult to get rid of them. And the so-called ‘immortal affinity’ is actually essentially forming a cause and effect relationship with an immortal.”

He spoke eloquently: "Back then, when you crossed the River of Oblivion and met those two immortals playing chess, why did those two immortals help you later? Wasn't it because you invited them to drink and share food, thus forming a good karmic connection? In other words, I have no karmic connection with those three immortals now."

Han Ge and the others are different. They have a karmic connection with those three immortals, and the key to this karmic connection lies with you, Jie Ge—you agreed to join the Heaven-Mending Alliance and help them save the world, so those three owe you a karmic debt. Naturally, they have to find a way to repay it, and teaching disciples for you is one way to do so. And when you fought the Mortal Taoist, you also owed Han Ge and the others a karmic debt for fighting to the death for you. This back-and-forth, this shift in karma, ultimately falls on them, which is why they were able to successfully become disciples.”

He concluded, "But I didn't participate in the battle against the Red Dust Taoist! Even if I had gone, it wouldn't have changed the outcome. If I were to join in now, it would be forcing things, a result without cause. Even if I succeeded, my foundation would be unstable, not what I wanted, like a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water—visible but unattainable."

If I wish to attain immortality, I must seek it out and strive for it myself, forging my own karmic connections! Only what is obtained in this way can be considered a true destiny to immortality, a solid opportunity for me to achieve immortality in the future!

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jie couldn't help but show a look of surprise. He hadn't expected Gu Feiyu to have such a deep and thorough understanding of the underlying rules of this game world. Thinking about it carefully, although his words were from a player's analytical perspective, they did seem to make some sense and vaguely aligned with a certain operating logic of this world.

He couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. His own ascension to immortality seemed to have been rather haphazard, a series of unexpected events and fortuitous encounters. His eventual ascension was truly the result of luck, hard work, and numerous external factors working together. His understanding of fundamental concepts like "cause and effect" and "destiny for immortality" was surprisingly less clear and profound than that of Gu Feiyu, a mere mortal player.

"Your idea is excellent and makes a lot of sense," Xiao Jie said sincerely, patting Gu Feiyu on the shoulder. "Then stick to your own path and work hard. I believe you can find your own destiny in the immortal realm."

"Hehe, absolutely!" Gu Feiyu's confidence grew even stronger after receiving affirmation.

As Xiao Jie spoke, he got up and rummaged through the storage room next to him to find a spare old monitor, then reconnected the cables and installed it.

Gu Feiyu looked at him curiously: "Brother Jie, what are you doing?"

"To receive the award," Xiao Jie replied, skillfully turning on his computer and opening the official website of "Old Land".

He clearly remembered that after completing the "Farewell to Immortals and Mortals" achievement, there was still a special reward promised by the system that he hadn't claimed.

(End of this chapter)