Absolute Destiny Game.

Chapter 627 The Road to Heaven
Xiao Jie stayed at the celebration banquet at Xiaoyue Palace until evening before leaving satisfied.

This feast featuring the specialties of Canglin Prefecture was a real treat for him. As the saying goes, even immortals can eat a thousand sheep a day and still not be full, so he thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

"Speaking of which, what does it feel like to become an immortal?" An Ran, walking side by side with An Ran on the streets paved with huge stone slabs in Giant Wood City, suddenly turned her head and asked softly.

At this moment, the noisy banquet was left behind, and the two strolled alone in this city full of wild and mysterious atmosphere, surrounded by a constant stream of demons, human merchants and a few players who had not yet logged off.

The atmosphere was peaceful, and in the dim light, their figures walking side by side really resembled those of a couple taking a stroll after dinner in an ordinary world.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jie slowed his pace slightly, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon dyed golden red by the setting sun, as if he were seriously pondering the question.

After a moment, he slowly spoke, his voice carrying a peaceful and distant quality: "It's wonderful, a kind of... unprecedented relief and freedom." He paused, as if organizing his thoughts to describe an experience that was difficult for ordinary people to understand.

"When I was still a mortal—or rather, an ordinary player, someone driven by hatred and fate—my world was always filled with all sorts of pressures. The trivialities of life, the urgency of revenge, the resentment and helplessness over the loss of friends, and the various disappointments in reality... These invisible shackles entangled me at all times, making me anxious and worried."

"The moment I truly ascended to the celestial realm, all these heavy burdens seemed to vanish in an instant..." He raised his hand, palm up, as if feeling the wind blowing through his fingers.

"It's not just about possessing power that surpasses that of ordinary beings; more importantly, I feel that I have finally broken free from all constraints—whether those tangible rules and boundaries, or those intangible inner demons and obsessions. Now, I can do anything I want and go anywhere I want. The Three Realms and Nine Provinces, the Four Seas and Eight Desolations, the myriad worlds... as long as I want, I can roam freely without any hindrance."

"Just like throughout history, humankind has always longed to break free from the earth and fly freely like birds. And what one gains upon becoming an immortal is this... absolute freedom. It is the sublimation of life form and the transcendence of the essence of the soul."

Listening to Xiao Jie's description, filled with emotion and satisfaction, An Ran couldn't help but feel a surge of longing. "It sounds... really good," she said softly.

"You have a chance too." Xiao Jie smiled and glanced at her. "As long as you follow the path I've planned for you steadily and surely, refine demons and transform them into spirits, ascend to the Golden Core realm, and you should be able to become an immortal sooner or later. By the way, how's your cultivation progressing?"

“My ancient Qi cultivation technique has broken through to the fifth level,” An Ran replied with a touch of pride.

"Not bad, you're making fast progress." Xiao Jie nodded approvingly, his gaze sweeping over An Ran's professional level above her head.

(Ancient Qi Cultivator) Level 25, plus the Demon Sorcerer class she unlocked at level 10, she should be able to unlock the Demon Refiner class at level 30... Among all her teammates, Xiao Jie felt that An Ran's path to immortality was the most likely to succeed.

The two chatted and laughed, temporarily setting aside heavy topics such as the demon star, the apocalyptic calamity, and immortal cultivation, enjoying this rare moment of relaxation and tranquility.

Giantwood City, as the main city of Canglin Prefecture, has a style quite different from human cities. The streets are lined with shops, a dazzling array of strange and wonderful businesses. Back when he was just an ordinary player, Xiao Jie only focused on places that could directly improve his strength—weapon shops, armor shops, pharmacies, auction houses, and so on. As for shops with no practical function, he couldn't be bothered to even glance at them.

Take, for example, this clothing shop called "Yunzhifang." While the various garments sold there are ornately designed, they are all plain cloth garments without any attribute bonuses—classified as fashion items—and quite expensive. In the past, Xiao Jie would have definitely scoffed at them.

There's also the "Lingxi Pavilion" jewelry shop next door. Apart from a few high-level accessories with a few extra attribute points that are worth players' attention, the ordinary jewelry that's just for aesthetics is worthless in the eyes of players who pursue efficiency.

However, this time, one of them was playing the game in "holographic mode," while the other had even transmigrated and made this world their home, so their mindsets were naturally different.

The two went inside and spent a lot of time picking out and trying on clothes. When they came out of the store a short while later, they had changed into completely new looks.

An Ran changed into a fashionable outfit in the style of Canglin Prefecture. She wore a short, tanned leather jacket adorned with several brightly colored raptor feathers on the shoulders, and matching leather trousers edged with rough bone and fang patterns. Her long hair was neatly braided into several braids, and a wolf-tooth leather cord was tied around her forehead. This fur and feather ensemble accentuated her heroic spirit, exuding an untamed, wild beauty.

Xiao Jie, on the other hand, bought a set of "Floating Cloud Gentleman Set". Dressed in white, it added a touch of ethereal beauty to his elegant demeanor.

"What, don't you like dresses?" Xiao Jie teased with a smile, looking at An Ran's wild-style outfit.

"I think I'll pass on the dress," An Ran waved her hand casually. "It doesn't really suit my current style. Besides, if I were to get into a real emergency and need to fight, I always feel insecure and restricted in a dress." She seemed quite satisfied with her new look and struck a pose unconsciously.

Xiao Jie looked her over carefully for a few moments and had to admit that An Ran was quite suited to this kind of ancient costume look, with the air of a female knight-errant from a martial arts film when he was a child.

The two chatted and laughed as they wandered aimlessly along the street. Suddenly, a clear voice, tinged with a hint of suspense, called out from the side.

"Young master, please wait! I see that you possess extraordinary bearing. The spiritual light above your head is concentrated and does not dissipate, and the Daoist aura around you is faintly visible and flowing. This is something I have never seen before in my life! Would you like to come forward and have your fortune told to glimpse the secrets of heaven and destiny?"

Xiao Jie looked in the direction of the sound and was immediately stunned. At this moment, the two of them had unknowingly arrived at a wide open square in the center of Giantwood City. The square was bustling with people, with vendors selling their wares, entertainers performing acrobatics, and many players gathering there to exchange information or trade.

Not far away, under an ancient tree, stood a simple fortune-telling stall, with a Taoist priest standing behind it.

The Taoist priest, his blue robe faded from washing, wore a crescent-shaped crown, and had a gaunt face with three long wisps of beard. He was smiling at him. Beside him was a bamboo pole, from which hung a slightly worn cloth banner. The banner fluttered in the wind, on which were written two lines of poetry in vigorous calligraphy: "Heavenly secrets are revealed and concealed, profound words are imparted; when the time is right, divine communication will naturally occur."

He was clearly a Taoist fortune teller.

However, what truly surprised Xiao Jie was not the Taoist priest himself—he had seen many different kinds of Taoist priests in the game.

Instead, above the Taoist's head floated an enormous golden exclamation mark.

Xiao Jie was very familiar with this symbol. In most traditional online games, it usually means that the NPC has a quest to accept!
However, in the game "Old Lands," which pursues a high degree of realism and immersion, the quest system has always been based on hiding and exploration, requiring players to passively discover quests by talking to NPCs, exploring the environment, and triggering specific conditions.

This was the first time Xiao Jie had ever encountered a situation where the quest symbol was so blatantly marked above the NPC's head!
Moreover, Xiao Jie looked around and noticed that there were many players coming and going, but no one seemed to show any interest in the Taoist with the golden exclamation mark above his head, or even glance at him. This thing… could it be that only I can see it? This thought immediately popped into his mind.

A thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly realized what was going on!
When I downloaded the 'Great Thousand Worlds' expansion pack, the system notification did mention that after downloading the pack, players could go to the main cities of various prefectures to accept the tutorial quest 'The Road to Heaven'... Could it be that this Taoist priest in front of me is the NPC who gives me this quest?

Thinking of this, Xiao Jie took An Ran's hand and walked over.

"Master, are you going to tell my fortune?"

“That’s right!” The Taoist stroked his beard and smiled. “I, Liu Feng, have never cultivated magical powers or practiced supernatural abilities. I have only devoted myself to studying the He Luo Numerology, Zi Wei Dou Shu, and Plum Blossom Numerology, deducing the changes of heavenly secrets, all in preparation for the arrival of the true ‘Chosen One’ to fulfill the will of Heaven, guide the lost, and enlighten those destined for enlightenment.” He looked Xiao Jie up and down: “When you walked over from over there just now, oh my, it was quite something! There was a purple aura stretching three hundred miles eastward, and starlight protecting your body, illuminating the universe! If I were to deduce from my life’s learning, you are indeed the legendary ‘Chosen One’ who was born in response to the times and bears a heavy responsibility!”

Xiao Jie, however, was not buying it. Now that he knew this guy was sent by the system to issue the mission, he could take all the lines he said as standard procedure.

I doubt that everyone who receives a task uses the same set of words.

He thought to himself that he wanted to see how this task would unfold, so he cooperated and said, "Oh? In that case, it wouldn't hurt to do a divination. I wonder how you want to do it? Is it character analysis, physiognomy, or..."

"No, no!" Daoist Liu Feng waved his hands repeatedly, his expression becoming serious. "How can ordinary calculations possibly predict destiny? Naturally, we must use the odd numbers of Taiyi to divine the workings of heaven and earth!"

As he spoke, he solemnly took out nine old and mottled copper coins from his pocket and handed them to Xiao Jie. The coins felt slightly heavy in his hand and had a strange coolness to them.

"Please hold your breath and concentrate, put aside all distracting thoughts, and then toss these nine copper coins into this jade plate. You must toss the coins three times before I can make a divination based on the hexagram."

Xiao Jie took the copper coin and did as instructed. He calmed his mind, placed the coin in his palm, and gently tossed it into a white jade plate in front of the Taoist priest. A crisp metallic sound rang out as the coin bounced and spun in the jade plate before finally coming to a stop. He repeated this three times.

The Taoist Liu Feng stared intently at the results of each coin's turn, quickly recording each hexagram on a wooden board with a cinnabar pen. After finishing, he took out a tattered Taoist book with frayed edges, and, referring to the diagrams and annotations, muttered incantations while constantly calculating with his fingers, appearing extremely focused.

The divination technique used by this Taoist priest seems somewhat similar to the six-line coin divination method in the real world's "I Ching," but there are many differences in the details. There are nine coins instead of six, and the calculation method is also more complicated.

After a long period of busy work, Daoist Liu Feng finally stopped his divination. He suddenly raised his head and looked at Xiao Jie, his face filled with disbelief and shock, his voice trembling slightly with excitement:
"Oh my goodness! This is incredible! This is incredible! Young master, this divination... this divination is a once-in-a-millennium, a 'Heavenly Divination'!"

The Tongtian Gua... that's really straightforward.

However, seeing how hard the old Taoist was performing, Xiao Jie could only cooperate, "Oh, what is the Tongtian Gua? Please explain in detail, Taoist Master."

Master Liu Feng took a deep breath, trying to calm his excited emotions, and pointed to the hexagram symbols on the wooden board, saying, "The Tongtian hexagram, as the name suggests! This hexagram is Qian above and Xun below. Qian represents heaven, and Xun represents wind. The wind travels in the sky, which is called 'Xiaochu'. However, the lines change. The ninth line in the fifth position moves and transforms into Li, which represents fire and brightness. This is a sudden change from the image of 'dense clouds but no rain, from my western suburbs' to the auspicious omen of 'a flying dragon in the sky, it is advantageous to see a great man'!"

This signifies that the young master's destiny is not confined to this realm, but rather predetermined by fate, destined to leave this world, ride the wind and soar to the heavens, and step into a far wider universe!

He became more and more excited as he spoke: "The divination shows that the young master's life palace is in motion with the Ziwei star and surrounded by assistants, indicating that he is destined to shoulder the great responsibility of saving the world and helping people! However, the middle line has the hidden Kan water, which represents danger and trap. This indicates that the young master may be hesitant for some reason or that the time is not yet right, and his steps may be somewhat halted."

The celestial oracle warns that if action is not taken promptly, the floodwaters may overflow, drowning out the opportune moment. Not only will all previous efforts be in vain, but it could also lead to utter ruin! This is the first time I've seen such a divination in all my years of practice! Young master, it seems you are no ordinary person!

Almost as soon as Liu Feng finished speaking, a system notification sounded in Xiao Jie's mind:
[System notification: The hidden tutorial quest "The Road to Heaven" has been triggered. This quest is exclusive to 'Ascended Ones', and you have automatically accepted it.]

[Mission Description: You unexpectedly encountered a mysterious fortune teller named Liu Feng in Giantwood City and received an astonishing divination result called the 'Heavenly Divination'. You subconsciously realized that you might be burdened with a mission to travel to the outer worlds. However, you know nothing about how to leave this realm and reach other worlds. Perhaps other knowledgeable immortals will know some clues about the 'Heavenly Divination' and the outer worlds.]

[Task objective: Seek out other immortals to inquire about the [Heavenly Divination] and learn more about the outer world.]

[Task Reward: ? ? ? ? ? ]

After Liu Feng finished his long and mysterious explanation, he seemed to have exhausted all his strength. He let out a long sigh, shook his head at Xiao Jie, and showed a hint of apology on his face, as if he was "powerless".

"The secrets of heaven are vast and boundless, and my knowledge is limited. This is the limit of my understanding. As for the deeper mysteries and the specific location of the 'Path to Heaven,' I urge you, young master, to seek out a more learned person and explore it on your own."

After saying that, he closed his eyes, as if he were in deep meditation, no longer paying attention to Xiao Jie, as if his passionate interpretation had never happened.

Xiao Jie glanced at the Taoist priest thoughtfully, then pulled An Ran away from the stall.

On the way back to Xiaoyue Palace, An Ran couldn't help but ask again, "Was that fortune teller sent by the system? Xiao Jie, are you really... going to that 'Great Thousand World'?"

Xiao Jie glanced at An Ran, noticing her worry, and smiled, "Don't worry, I don't have that idea yet. Even if I do go in the future, I will definitely make thorough preparations."

"I'll at least wait for a few more ascendants to appear before we team up. Anyway, this mission isn't mandatory, and there's no time limit. If it's too dangerous over there, and I see no hope of success, I'll just not go. I'm already an immortal, living a carefree life in this world, why should I risk my life in an unknown place?"

An Ran sighed: "You're quite open-minded, but I feel this matter is probably not that simple. Since the divination says you should act as soon as possible, and that stagnation may lead to disaster, I think it's mostly the system urging you. If you linger for too long, you might trigger system punishment."

Xiao Jie laughed and said, "What's there to be afraid of? I am a true immortal, beyond the Three Realms and no longer invisible. Even the system can't do anything to me."

"Okay, okay, you're so great, but I still think it's better to be careful. I'm counting on you to protect me."

The two chatted and laughed, and before they knew it, they had returned to Xiaoyue Palace. Without disturbing anyone, they went straight to the rooftop at the highest point of the palace.

By this time, the sun had mostly sunk below the distant horizon, painting the sky with magnificent crimson and golden-red hues. The massive ruins of the Demon Star Tower were reduced to a blurry silhouette in the twilight, as if recounting the earth-shattering battle of the day. A gentle evening breeze carried the fresh scent unique to the distant forest.

Xiao Jie and An Ran sat down side by side on the edge of the rooftop, snuggling together to admire the rare and beautiful scenery.

Feeling the peace and tranquility around him, and gazing at the magnificent sunset in the distance, Xiao Jie couldn't help but recall the divination he had read earlier.

Having transcended the Three Realms and been outside the Five Elements... can a true immortal like myself truly be free from the manipulation of this system?

As he pondered this, Xiao Jie couldn't help but frown.

(End of this chapter)