Transcending Dreams

Chapter 3: Getting Started

William had almost forgotten that he was floating in the air until he was moved into a standing position and set on his feet.

“Good, good, good!” The old man was full of smiles as he observed him, “It looks like there aren’t any negative side-effects.”

The old man might be happy to talk to William as if everything was normal, but that couldn’t be said to be the same for him. In fact, it was more than a little horrifying.

William hadn’t focused on the surroundings since he had been staring up at the ceiling most of the time. With him being able to stand with his own power, the sight of the happy old man surrounded by bodies of dead children and a headless woman was seared into his mind.

“Hm?” The old man noticed the hollow look in William’s eyes and quickly understood the reason. With a casual wave of his hand, the hellish room changed into a paradise.

In place of the dead bodies and blood-stained walls, William saw a pristine beach with fine white sand as far as his eyes could see. The sun was setting on the horizon, casting a golden glow on the sand as waves gently lapped against the shore.

It was like a balm on his soul and a much-needed respite after hearing the desperate screams of the children for hours on end.

“Is this real?” William asked with his eyes closed, enjoying the fresh air with relish. His question wasn’t just about the beach paradise. He wanted to know if everything was real. As unlikely as it seemed, did he somehow get placed in a world that should only exist in novels?

The old man stared at William with pity. While he didn’t know the exact circumstances needed to be able to learn his master’s cultivation manual, he knew enough to know that Wei Liang was more than he seemed.

The cultivators that practiced the soul-absorbing art were hunted down centuries ago after an agreement between the top sects in the world. He had occasionally lent a hand when a reclusive hermit was discovered, and others couldn’t handle them. Ultimately, the true masters of the soul-absorbing art were destroyed, with a few low-level disciples escaping.

However, the survivors had the intelligence to act discreetly, so they were able to exist in the present day. They abandoned the thought of using the cultivators from this plane as targets and instead chose an odd new method.

They would kidnap scores of mortal children and summon a spirit from outside their world to occupy their bodies. A truly ingenious way to get similar benefits. However, it still had limits due to the quality of the sacrifices. It would lead to the soul-absorbing art having a ceiling of a Nascent Soul cultivator. A far cry from their glory days when Spirit Severing cultivators were common, with one even having reached Dao Seeking, the level the old man was currently at.

“When an illusion becomes indistinguishable from reality, does that question matter?” The old man asked casually.

“So I might still be able to….” William couldn’t help but still hope for the possibility that he might wake up on the elevator floor.

“No,” The old man shut it down, “My master often spoke of a peaceful world with no cultivation and where the rule of law ruled the land. Her dream was to turn this world into what she had in her memories.”

William was staring at him intently. “Did she succeed?”

“Somewhat,” The old man replied, “When she was present, none could challenge her position in the world. But it has been millennia since those days. The problem with being too strong is that you will be forced to leave this plane and ascend after becoming an immortal.”

William felt his heart move. Wasn’t the journey of becoming immortal what he dreamt about while binging those novels?

“That gained your interest,” The old man smiled, “Good. You will need that to get the full potential out of master’s cultivation method.”

“Thank you,” William paused, realizing he didn’t know his savior’s name. He clasped his hands and bowed deeply, figuring this was the best way to show respect, and asked, “May I know the name of the one that saved me?”

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The old man moved his pointing finger up slightly to straighten William from his bow. “There is no need for that, little Wei Liang. You may call me Daoist Chen.”

“Daoist Chen,” William repeated, “Thank you for everything you’ve done today.”

“Like I said, it was on a whim. But if you want to repay me, use my master’s cultivation method and become strong. I’ll stay on this plane for ten more years before ascending. Become a Nascent Soul cultivator before then, and I’ll give you a parting gift.”

[Side Quest added: Daoist Chen has challenged you to become a Nascent Soul cultivator within ten years]

William blinked at the interruption by the system. However, shouldn’t there be a prompt asking him if he wanted to accept or decline? It had been a while since he had played an RPG, but he was sure that was a standard option.

[The option to accept or reject a quest is available when there are penalties for failure]

William was surprised to see that he actually got an answer from the system. He mentally asked if an AI was attached, excited by the possibilities that could open, but was disappointed when no new text appeared.

Daoist Chen chuckled, “This brings back memories. My master often got lost in her thoughts in her earlier days.”

“Ah,” William felt sheepish, “Sorry.”

“You’re too quick to apologize, little Wei Liang,” Daoist Chen shook his head, “You will be taken advantage of if it becomes a habit. Explore the cultivation method carefully. I am not aware of all the details, but my master had once told me that it will give the practitioner a chance to cultivate to perfection if done correctly.”

William thought that Daoist Chen almost looked envious and soon found that he was.

“If only the requirements weren’t so strict.”

William thoughtfully ignored that comment since it seemed like Daoist Chen was speaking to himself. Plus, he was aware that this was a man that could squash him like a bug by accident.

Even though he was surrounded by paradise, William hadn’t forgotten how unaffected Daoist Chen seemed to be by the numerous bodies surrounding them a few minutes ago. He had been able to laugh like they didn’t exist.

Daoist Chen might be benevolent when considering he was a cultivator. However, he was still terrifying to someone like William, who came from a mostly peaceful country.

“I wish it was possible to help you gain a foundation, but with your cultivation method, any external help will only stagnate you.”

“Daoist Chen already did more than enough,” William bowed again to hide his disappointment.

“Good!” Daoist Chen laughed, “You are already learning to know when to hide your true feelings. My master never did that, even after becoming a half-step Immortal.”

William’s face flushed with embarrassment at being seen through.

“Find me when you reach the Nascent Soul stage, little Wei Liang. I would be disappointed if I couldn’t see your progress before I ascend.”

In the next instant, William found himself standing on a dirt road with endless grassy plains on either side. Daoist Chen had disappeared, and thankfully, he had taken him out of the place where he was moments away from dying.

By this point, William was convinced that this wasn’t a dream. But even if he was wrong, Daoist Chen was right. If this was a dream, it was indistinguishable from reality, so why did it matter?

[+25 XP]

William frowned at the unexpected notification. He didn’t think he did anything to earn those experience points.

More text appeared with detailed information, like a response to his confusion.

[Accept your place in this world: +25 XP]

William stared at the blue text before scratching his head in confusion. Maybe this was one of those easy points for a simple task at the beginning of an RPG, like kicking ten chickens or something similar.

Name: Wei Liang (William Davis)

Age: 13

Level: 1

Experience: 25/100

Cultivation: N/A

Health: 10/10

Strength: 1

Stamina: 1

Agility: 1

Luck: 1

Points: 0

Traits:

Soul Damage (Major) - Will reduce all base stats to 1 randomly

Main Quest(s):

Restore your Soul! (Reach Level 10 to enable the system to restore your soul back to its complete state)

Side Quest(s):

Daoist Chen has challenged you to become a Nascent Soul cultivator within ten years.

It had been a while since William had delved into an RPG. Still, he was reasonably confident that Stamina and Strength were the most important to spend points on early on… he hoped so, at least. However, there was a glaring issue with the trait he currently possessed.

It could become a disaster if William went about leveling up and spent his precious stat points like normal. Getting his hard-earned points erased randomly was almost game-breaking. Even more so when his future growth depended on it. Rather than game-breaking, it would be life-ending.

The most obvious choice here would be to bank all the points he would earn, but it was unlikely he could get to level ten with his base stats all at one.

“Hey, brat! Move out of the way!”