Immortal Druid

I woke up feeling oddly refreshed, my body separating itself from the massive willow tree as bark peeled away from my skin like brittle flakes of old wood. My consciousness had been submerged so deeply into the surrounding forest that, for a brief moment, I almost forgot where my own body ended and nature began.

Leaves rustled softly around me as I stepped free from the trunk, stretching my arms overhead until my joints popped. It had become easier lately. The principle behind it was simple enough. I was essentially using Wild Shape to become a tree, then allowing myself to merge into the greater rhythm of nature itself.

The moment I started mixing mana with qi, however, everything changed. The two energies together allowed far more intimate control over my abilities than before. My senses spread wider. My transformations became smoother. Even spells that should have been rigid felt almost instinctive now.

Of course, I probably should not have been recklessly experimenting with combining two entirely different energy systems. Every cultivation story I had ever read practically screamed that mixing incompatible powers was how people exploded into puddles of gore or suffered eternal qi deviation. Unfortunately, the druid in me found the possibilities too tempting to ignore. Mana and qi reacted to one another in fascinating ways, almost as though they were trying to complete something unfinished. It would have been an unforgivable waste not to study it.

Still, I needed caution. I just did not exactly have any brilliant ideas on how to safely experiment without accidentally destroying half a mountain range or mutating myself into some eldritch tree horror.

“That’s a good nap,” I yawned while rolling my shoulders. “Damn, I needed that.”

It simply felt good stretching your body after being immobile for so long. More importantly, Roo was nowhere nearby screaming his ridiculous Blow Jabs at the top of his lungs. The silence alone made the morning heavenly.

“Oh, Willow, what’s up?”

A familiar owl perched atop one of the branches above me. Willow blinked her large golden eyes before fluffing her feathers lazily.

“Morning, Master,” she hooted casually. “You slept for a while. Also, you got visitors coming this way. Three old humans. Strong ones. Li Qing’s been harping about wanting to meet you, so…”

“Yeah, I noticed.”

Even without Willow mentioning it, I had already sensed three approaching presences roughly around Nascent Soul cultivation. None of them carried hostility. Their qi signatures were calm and restrained, familiar enough that I simply let them approach without concern.

I cast Cleanse Spirits over myself. A soft green glow washed over my body, clearing away dirt, bark dust, and the faint scent of damp earth that clung to me after literally being part of a tree for who knew how long. By the time the figures crossed through the edge of the clearing, I at least looked somewhat presentable.

Li Qing walked at the front with her cane in hand, her aged face carrying the same composed dignity as always. Beside her was Guo Yupin, his robes swaying gently as he stroked his beard. Following slightly behind them was the Sect Leader of the Serenity Cliff Sect himself, Ding Yahui.

The three of them stopped several paces away before cupping their fists and bowing.

Li Qing spoke first. “This old woman greets Benefactor Wo Li.”

Guo Yupin followed with a respectful nod. “This old man pays his respects to Fellow Daoist Wo.”

Ding Yahui lowered himself deepest among the three. “Junior Ding Yahui greets Senior Wo Li.”

“You all make it sound like I’m such a big deal,” I laughed lightly, shortly realizing I’m indeed a big deal. “Relax a little.”

The atmosphere eased somewhat after that. I motioned for them to stand properly before looking toward Li Qing.

“How’s your granddaughter doing?”

A trace of warmth entered the old woman’s tired eyes. “That child has been cultivating diligently day and night. After everything that happened to the sects, she said she never wishes to experience such helplessness again.”

“That’s good,” I nodded, and turned toward Guo Yupin. “And Guo Yimu?”

The old man chuckled softly. “That boy adjusted surprisingly well. He trains constantly now. Sometimes too constantly. This old man worries he may exhaust himself before reaching greatness.”

“Young people being motivated isn’t a bad thing.”

As I said it, I suddenly found myself thinking about Xing Ning. These days, I regularly receive letters from him through the crows, while I have Zhen Ai read them for me. I knew a few easy characters, but Xing Ning sure was pulling the most flowery words on his letters, and sometimes it was getting so annoying I just have Zhen Ai read them for me. Half the time, they contained updates about his cultivation or complaints about sect politics. I really should visit him sometime instead of just replying through letters. He was probably drowning in responsibilities over at his sect.

My thoughts were interrupted when Ding Yahui hesitated before speaking carefully.

“Senior… does Senior perhaps still remember this one?”

I blinked before giving him a small smile. “Of course, I remember you. We just didn’t interact much after… the entire fiasco.”

The old man immediately looked awkward at the mention of it.

“How are your sect and disciples holding up?”

Ding Yahui let out a slow breath, a wry smile forming on his face. “To be truthful, it has been the worst period the Serenity Cliff Sect has faced in many years. Many disciples lost confidence after the calamities that occurred. Resources have become strained, and rebuilding morale has proven more difficult than rebuilding structures.”

“Still standing though.”

“Yes,” he answered quietly. “Still standing.”

As though steeling himself, Ding Yahui reached into his storage ring and retrieved a jade box with both hands. Even before he opened it, I could feel dense medicinal qi leaking from within.

The moment the lid lifted, a translucent blue pill rested inside like a tiny moon carved from crystal water. Merely looking at it made the surrounding spiritual energy stir.

Ding Yahui spoke solemnly. “Senior, this is the highest-grade medicinal pill produced by the Serenity Cliff Sect. Traditionally, only the Sect Leader is permitted to consume it. It can raise one’s cultivation and assist in preparing the path toward Soul Transformation. It also purifies lingering taint within the meridians, extends lifespan, calms the mind, and wards against qi deviation.” He paused briefly before continuing, “Even Immortals would find value in its tranquil properties.”

Lifespan enhancement sounded impressive and all, but I was already canonically ageless. Honestly, the entire immortality thing still felt weird to think about sometimes.

Still, the pill itself fascinated me.

I had accumulated quite a few cultivation pills over time from defeated cultivators, yet I rarely consumed any of them. In fact, I’d end up selling them. Part of it was caution. Another part was uncertainty regarding how druidic mana and cultivation medicines would react together.

My Druidic Insight remained completely calm this time, though. So, that was one good news.

In fact, the instinctive feeling I received was overwhelmingly positive.

This thing was genuinely beneficial to me.

I looked back up toward Ding Yahui. “Thank you. I’ll accept it gratefully.”

The old sect leader visibly relaxed.

“Do you mind if I consume it now?” I asked.

“Of course not,” he answered immediately. “Senior may do as he pleases.”

“Well, here goes nothing.”

I picked up the translucent blue pill between my fingers and swallowed it.

The moment the pill dissolved inside me, I felt an indescribably cool sensation spread throughout my body. It did not feel invasive like qi forcing its way through my meridians. Instead, it was utterly peaceful.

For the briefest instant, my consciousness drifted elsewhere.

I saw a vast lake stretching endlessly beneath a pale blue sky. The water was perfectly still, not even a ripple disturbing its surface. Mountains reflected across the tranquil waters with such clarity that I could no longer tell where the world ended and the reflection began. There was no voice. No hidden expert revealing enlightenment. Only silence.

Slowly, I breathed.

The lake breathed with me.

My eyes opened again.

Immediately, I sensed the qi within my body swelling.

Cultivators naturally absorbed qi from the world with every breath. Even I could do it after interacting with this world so much. However, there was always a limit to how much the body could contain before requiring refinement or breakthrough, something that I was incapable to do because of a lack of cultivation and spiritual roots. Despite that, just now, my limit had expanded noticeably.

But strangely enough, that was not the most surprising part.

“No way…” I muttered.

Something else had changed.

Or perhaps unlocked was a better word.

Through Druidic Insight, I could feel new knowledge settling into my mind naturally, like a seed finally sprouting after remaining dormant for years. It felt incredibly familiar.

I had experienced this before, but just through a different spectrum.

Back in Legacy World Online.

The game possessed countless classes, canonically referred to by NPCs as Legacies. Paladins, Warriors, Wizards, Warlocks, Druids? Each one possessed entirely unique mechanics and progression systems. Even among the same class, two players could end up wildly different depending on their chosen path.

Druids especially were like that.

Their class system revolved around specialization through Circles.

I slowly pieced the realization together.

Circle of Life at Level 100.

Circle of Beasts at Level 300.

Circle of Forest at Level 500.

Circle of Sun at Level 99.

Those four specializations together had created my absurd Level 999 Druid build.

But now?

Now, through the influence of this world and the medicinal pill, I believed I had unlocked something entirely new.

Circle of Aqua.

My heart started racing slightly.

The implications behind that were enormous.

Ever since arriving in this world, the numerical level system itself had vanished. I could no longer pull up stat windows or watch experience bars fill. Yet the underlying mechanics of the game clearly remained woven into my existence. Wild Shape still functioned. My spells still existed. My druidic affinities still evolved.

Which meant…

Had I already unknowingly advanced some of my existing Circles?

Was I still technically growing stronger?

Had the level cap itself broken after coming here?

Honestly, that last possibility sounded absurdly optimistic, but the evidence was beginning to pile up in front of me whether I liked it or not.

Experimentally, I raised my hand.

“Water Ball.”

Qi and mana intertwined instinctively.

A floating sphere of water condensed above my palm, rotating slowly while emitting faint ripples of spiritual energy. The liquid moved unnaturally smoothly, almost alive beneath my control. I instinctively understood the spell the moment I cast it. It was a crowd-control spell that continuously damaged and restrained targets over time.

And I absolutely did not know this spell before arriving in this world.

That confirmed it.

I slowly closed my hand, causing the water sphere to collapse into harmless mist.

“Very interesting.”

I probably needed some equivalent of experience points to further raise Circle of Aqua. The question was what exactly counted as experience now. Understanding water? Using water-aligned techniques? Meditating near lakes? Drinking suspicious magical soup?

With how weird this world operated, it could have been all of the above.

“I like the gift,” I finally said while looking toward Ding Yahui. “But if the three of you came here wanting something from me, it better be for a good reason.”

None of them looked offended. If anything, they looked even more nervous now.

I sat down at the base of the willow tree and leaned back comfortably against the trunk. Leaves swayed overhead as sunlight filtered through the branches. The three old cultivators exchanged subtle glances with one another, their expressions shifting carefully. They were obviously using sound transmission to communicate privately.

I simply waited patiently.

The Willow Order and Serenity Cliff Sect were allies in my eyes. Regardless of gifts or favors, I would still hear them out.

Eventually, Guo Yupin stepped forward, representing both organizations.

The old man cupped his fists deeply.

“Fellow Daoist Wo,” he began respectfully, “this old man wishes to ask… would you consider establishing a sect?”

“Excuse me?” I stared at Guo Yupin in complete bafflement. “You’re gonna have to explain that better than that.”

The old man immediately straightened himself.

“The Serenity Cliff Sect has unfortunately lost much of its standing after the recent disasters,” Guo Yupin explained carefully. “Its position among the Ten Great Sects of the Earthly Heart Continent has become unstable. Meanwhile, the Willow Order has long since faded into obscurity. In contemporary times, our influence has dwindled to little more than whispers among the older generations. Thus, we require someone capable of taking the lead and—”

I raised a hand.

“Okay, stop. Explain it to me like I’m five.”

The three elderly cultivators froze.

Above us, Willow suddenly faked a cough from her branch.

“Please,” she said dryly, “allow me to do the explanation.”

The three old cultivators actually nodded in agreement as though relieved someone else would do the explaining.

Rude much?

Willow fluttered down from the branch and landed beside me casually.

“There are sixty-seven domains inside the Earthly Heart Continent,” she explained patiently. “Every domain contains sects, clans, cities, kingdoms, spirit territories, and other powers fighting for influence. The strongest organizations sit at the top of the food chain.”

She lifted one wing.

“Those strongest powers are divided into two groups. The Four Sovereign Flags and the Ten Great Sects.”

I blinked. “That sounds incredibly political.”

“It is,” Willow answered immediately.

Fair enough.

“The Serenity Cliff Sect used to be one of the Ten Great Sects,” she continued. “That position gives prestige, influence, protection, trade privileges, and authority. But after the recent tragedy, plus the arrival of foreign troublemakers, their position became unstable. Other factions are starting to smell weakness.”

I already hated it.

Ding Yahui stepped forward with visible reluctance on his face. “To speak truthfully, the primary reason the Serenity Cliff Sect managed to maintain its standing for so long was because the Willow Order quietly supported us from behind the scenes. However…” His expression darkened slightly. “Even the Willow Order no longer possesses enough influence or resources to preserve our place among the Ten Great Sects.”

Li Qing sighed softly before adding, “This matter is more important than it may first appear, Benefactor Wo. A seat among the Ten Great Sects grants political voice across the continent. In these uncertain times, when foreign cultivators invade our lands and endanger countless innocents, retaining influence is one of the few ways we can secure protection for our people.”

I remained silent.

I understood what they wanted.

They wanted stability, protection, influence, and a powerful figurehead.

These people were ultimately acting for the sake of their own organizations. There was nothing wrong with that, but I was not eager to become entangled in continent-wide cultivator politics. I could already imagine sect meetings giving me headaches.

So instead, I looked toward the one creature here whose opinion I trusted most.

“Willow,” I asked, “advice?”

The owl tilted her head thoughtfully.

“It has great benefits.”

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “Like what?”

“Unlimited border pass.”

I immediately sat up straighter.

“…Continue.”

I technically had no problem sneaking between domains already. Between Wild Shape, spirit magic, and various druid nonsense, crossing borders illegally was honestly not that difficult for me.

But legally walking wherever I wanted without harassment?

That was extremely tempting.

Li Qing noticed my expression change and immediately pressed the advantage.

“The Willow Order would forever remain indebted to you,” she said solemnly. “We do not seek to burden you endlessly. We merely require shade to retreat beneath during our lowest point.” Her aged eyes met mine seriously. “And truthfully, Benefactor Wo, the greatest deterrent against these troublemakers may very well be your growing reputation.”

That caught my attention immediately.

I frowned.

“…What reputation?”

The three elderly cultivators exchanged looks again.

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