Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

An hour later, Liu Xing woke up. Having spent countless spirit stones, his mana had returned to peak levels. The feeling of strength filling him gave him a strong sense of security. He stood up and saw Jiao Jiao, now fully recovered, sitting across from him, resting. She was staring at him curiously, a look that left him baffled.

Suddenly, Jiao Jiao prostrated herself on the ground, lying at Liu Xing's feet, lowering her head, and said in a voice transmission to express her submission:

"Jiao Jiao sincerely serves my benefactor as my master. From now on, I will obey his orders and be with him through thick and thin. Please accept me as your little demon."

"Ah, this..." Liu Xing was stunned by the sudden change.

Liu Xing had read about cases of demonic beasts recognizing masters in books on the market, but these were generally only experienced by senior masters. Usually, the owner's cultivation level was far superior to the pet's, and through coercion and inducement, the pet was forced to submit and passively recognize its master. He had never heard of a pet actively recognizing its master. Previously, he thought Jiao Jiao was stupid, then he thought she was a bit clueless, but now he realized that Jiao Jiao was actually mentally retarded. How could one be so foolish as to recognize a master and put his fate in the hands of someone else? Why would he do that?

Liu Xing was no longer a fresh-faced young man. Having lived two lives, he had learned the hard way that there was no such thing as a free lunch. He knew there was always a culprit behind any unusual circumstances, and he wouldn't hesitate to act without understanding the underlying dynamics. Everyone knew how much a gifted pet like Jiao Jiao would aid him in his future path to immortality. He dreamed of acquiring such a powerful pet. Furthermore, Jiao Jiao's proactive recognition of her master would make the ceremony go smoothly, and later on, the master and servant would connect with each other, their cooperation would be even more seamless, and their combined power would be many times greater than a forced relationship. But why?

"Um, Jiao Jiao, may I ask why you want to recognize me as your master?" Liu Xing was initially shocked, but now he calmed down and decided to ask clearly.

"Because I feel a familiar aura from you, and I feel a sense of closeness and security in my heart." Jiao Jiao conveyed the message sincerely.

"Ah, is this illusory feeling going to make you sell yourself into slavery?" Liu Xing didn't believe it at all.

"Yes, and you are very powerful. Although you are still weak now, I believe that you will achieve great things in the future. I will be able to grow very quickly by following you." Jiao Jiao said confidently.

"Ah, there are so many variables in the future. Why do you believe that I will become stronger and can also make you stronger?" Liu Xing looked at Jiao Jiao as if he were a fool.

"I think you are a good person. You are willing to help me break the ban and did not bully me when I was sleeping. You saved my life several times when fighting with the horned python. In the end, you gave me the horned python's most precious demon pill without hesitation." Jiao Jiao said again.

Hearing Jiao Jiao's words, he fell silent. Over the past two days, he'd gone from being wary of Jiao Jiao at first to growing trust in her. From initially simply wanting to cooperate, he'd become conscious of protecting her. His feelings wouldn't lie to him. While he'd certainly considered using Jiao Jiao to rescue him from the secret realm, deep down, he'd already considered her one of his own. He'd never expected Jiao Jiao, despite appearing a bit goofy on the surface, to possess a remarkable keen sense of perception.

"That's because I'm using you so that you can take me out of the secret realm." Liu Xing was silent for a while, but still said this sentence heavily, staring at Jiao Jiao's eyes to see any reaction.

"Taking you out is a piece of cake. You already regard me as your own. You can't deceive me about this feeling." Jiao Jiao replied confidently with clear eyes.

"If you have anything else that you are hiding from me, please tell me everything. Otherwise, I will not agree to take you in. I would rather think of another way to escape from the secret realm." Liu Xing decided not to agree easily, so he refused very decisively.

Jiao Jiao was silent for a moment, then reluctantly recounted her dream. Liu Xing was stunned after hearing her recounting the dream. He finally understood why Jiao Jiao had said she had a familiar aura and a sense of closeness, and he also understood the real reason why Jiao Jiao had traveled so far to come here.

"So, you think I am the reincarnation of the flute fairy, and I am your master in your previous life?" Liu Xing asked.

"Yes, the dream guided me to the East. Before I met you, I would have that dream every time I slept, but after I met you, I no longer had that dream. So I concluded that you are the person I am looking for in my dream." Jiao Jiao replied confidently.

Liu Xing fell into deep thought. Could he truly be the reincarnation of the Flute Immortal? He indeed possessed a bamboo flute, a treasure that had traveled with him from Earth. It was incredibly mysterious and possessed the miraculous power of purifying spiritual energy, a truly astonishing and rare treasure. His understanding of reincarnation was still too superficial, and he clearly couldn't grasp it. He had no further information to help him understand. If he truly was the reincarnation of the Flute Immortal, then over time, the veil would gradually be lifted, and his memories would gradually be unlocked. If he had merely inherited the Flute Immortal's bamboo flute, then he would still be an independent individual, at most a disciple of the Flute Immortal. Regardless, this wouldn't affect him in the short term. I was still myself, a different person. After two lifetimes, he had developed his own unique way of thinking and values, becoming a unique soul. Understanding this, and judging Jiao Jiao's sincere devotion to her, he stopped dwelling on it.

"Jiao Jiao, I believe all the facts you said. However, after such a long period of survival and practice, I have developed my own thinking system and am an individual with an independent personality. Even if I am really the reincarnation of the Flute Fairy, I am no longer the Flute Fairy of the past." Liu Xing reminded sincerely.

"That's absolutely no problem. I have my own independent personality and am no longer the dragon in the dream." Jiao Jiao was very satisfied with Liu Xing's sincerity and became more determined in her decision.

"Okay then, I'll accept you. And I swear: in the future I will love and care for you like my own family, and I will not drive you against your will." Liu Xing finally agreed and solemnly made a vow.

Jiao Jiao was deeply moved, feeling that her decision was the right one. She released her soul, allowing Liu Xing to implant a soul mark, establishing a master-servant relationship. From then on, Jiao Jiao's every thought and emotion came under Liu Xing's control. As the master, Liu Xing could detonate the soul mark at will, annihilating Jiao Jiao's soul. As the servant, Jiao Jiao was at the mercy of her master. From then on, Liu Xing and Jiao Jiao, master and servant, depended on each other for survival, leaving a glorious legacy on the path of immortal cultivation.