Immortal Druid

I stood atop the surface of the ocean while the tides rolled beneath my feet. Ripples spread outward every time I shifted my weight, yet I never sank. One of the few useful things Mab drilled into me during her absurdly intense training was how to properly apply Nature’s Stride over unstable terrain. Water, mud, collapsing branches, drifting leaves? It no longer mattered. As long as there was something natural beneath me, I could stand upon it as though the world itself refused to let me fall.

It probably had something to do with unlocking the Circle of Aqua. Before that, trying to walk on water had ended with me being swallowed by half of the sea.

Unfortunately, some things simply refused to work for me.

Cultivators possessed a natural flight ability that allowed them to move through the heavens as though gravity had politely excused itself from existence. Their instant movement was even more ridiculous. One moment they stood before you, the next they appeared behind you like some badly balanced game mechanic. Mab spent decades trying to teach me both.

Nothing worked.

I had qi. I understood the theory. I could even imitate parts of the circulation process. Yet every attempt ended in failure so spectacular that Mab once dropped into the ocean laughing after I launched myself face-first into a mountain.

The lack of a core probably had something to do with it.

“My lord,” Mab said respectfully from behind me, “are you prepared?”

“I’m ready.”

Over a century had passed since Mab decided to personally teach me everything she knew regarding combat, cultivation theory, spells, survival, and warfare. A hundred years sounded unbelievable even inside my own head, yet immortality distorted the meaning of time into something soft and difficult to measure. Days blurred into decades. Decades vanished into routine.

And throughout all of it, the dark sun of misfortune inside me had continued to grow larger, denser, and hungrier.

I hid it from Mab.

The guilt of that sat heavily in my chest sometimes. She taught me sincerely. She trusted me sincerely. Yet every piece of knowledge she shared only accelerated the thing she feared most within me. Apparently, Mab could not actually see the dark sun. She merely knew of its existence because of whatever memories and regression nonsense she carried from a different timeline.

That realization alone terrified me.

Because if even Mab feared what lay beyond that black sun, then whatever bloomed from it had to be catastrophic.

Still, fear only motivated me harder.

If disaster truly awaited me someday, then I refused to remain weak when it arrived.

I occasionally found myself wondering what kind of relationship we once shared in whatever past timeline she remembered. The woman flirted with me far too naturally for us to have been strangers. Considering how attached she acted, I doubted we had merely been allies.

Mab smiled slowly.

“I must admit,” she purred, “I have been greatly anticipating this moment. I wish to see precisely how big your stuff has become after all my teaching.”

I stared at her.

“There are at least three different ways to interpret that sentence.”

“All of them intentional.”

Of course they were.

Despite appearances, Mab rarely spoke about our past together. Whenever conversations drifted too close toward that subject, she gently redirected them elsewhere. I respected her enough not to pry. Whatever memories she carried clearly weighed heavily upon her.

Mab extended one graceful hand toward me.

“You may now begin the demonstration, my lord.”

I raised my staff.

“Winter Sonata.”

The bottom of the staff struck the ocean with a heavy thump.

Frost exploded outward instantly.

The sea froze with terrifying speed as the Circle of Aqua stirred violently within me. Layers of crystalline ice expanded across the horizon while cold mist swallowed the air. The sound that followed resembled a distant sonata echoing across the ocean itself, soft and melancholic.

An enormous island of frost formed beneath me.

I lifted the staff again.

“Spring of Life.”

The Circle of Life and Circle of Forest surged together.

The frozen island trembled.

Then countless roots erupted upward from beneath the ice like awakening serpents. Verdant life burst forth violently as massive trees, flowering vines, and emerald vegetation consumed the frozen landscape. Thick roots wrapped around the island and elevated it several meters above the ocean surface.

Life bloomed in impossible abundance.

I exhaled slowly before casting again.

“Summer Bloom.”

Heat detonated outward.

The Circle of Sun and Circle of Flame roared within me as fiery flowers blossomed across the island. Petals made of living flame scattered into the air like drifting embers while unbearable heat melted enormous portions of the frost landscape. Steam exploded skyward in massive clouds.

Fire and life intertwined beautifully and destructively.

I landed atop one of the massive roots.

Then I spoke the final spell.

“Autumn Fall.”

The atmosphere changed instantly.

The Circle of Metal and Circle of Stone moved mercilessly through the surrounding life. Rust spread across the roots. Trees withered rapidly. Crimson decay crawled over the vegetation while cracks spread through the earth itself. Leaves blackened and fell apart into ash before they even touched the ground.

Everything aged, declined, and died.

These were the four strongest spells Mab taught me.

The Four Seasonal Cataclysms.

I descended slowly back toward the ocean surface while the ruined island collapsed behind me into steam, ash, and shattered frost.

Once my feet touched the water again, I looked toward Mab.

“What did you think?”

Mab clapped lightly.

“Very impressive, my lord. Especially the part where you waved the staff around.”

I deadpanned at her.

“Thank you.”

“I must say,” she continued shamelessly, “I have grown extremely fond of your staff over the years.”

I sighed.

“Please don’t make it weird.”

“That ship sailed a century ago.”

Fair point.

Mab walked toward me across the ocean before suddenly embracing me from behind. Her arms wrapped around my waist gently while her chin rested atop my shoulder.

This time, her voice lost its teasing tone.

“I am proud of you,” she said quietly. “Do you understand how long it took me to fully master those spells? Over a thousand years. Yet you learned them in merely one century.”

Her grip tightened slightly.

“Your talent is monstrous.”

I shook my head.

“It’s not talent. Most of this happened because of my stats and the powers I already possessed. I had advantages normal people don’t.”

Mab immediately pinched my cheek.

“You truly must stop speaking as though reality is still some sort of game.”

“Ow.”

“This world is real now,” she said softly. “People bleed. They suffer. They die. There are no convenient systems explaining existence through numbers. I know that you know this. I know that you try your best to overcome this kind of thinking, and I am proud of you for it. But, you must try harder.”

I rubbed my cheek while staring toward the distant horizon.

Mab’s training had genuinely been enjoyable despite how brutal it was. There were moments she pushed me so hard I thought she was actively trying to murder me. Occasionally, she actually admitted that she was. Still, somewhere along the way, those harsh years became strangely peaceful.

I glanced sideways toward her.

“Just how much do you actually know about me?”

Mab smiled faintly.

“Not enough.”

There was something unusually vulnerable in her eyes when she said that.

“If I had my way,” she murmured, “I would gladly learn far more about you.”

She rested her head lightly against my back.

“So tell me, my lord.”

The ocean breeze passed quietly around us.

“Could you share more of yourself with me?”

“I’d rather tell Old Black,” I admitted.

Mab blinked.

I scratched my cheek awkwardly before continuing, “I asked him a long time ago to listen to my stories and remember them for me. I think… he actually enjoys doing it. Or at least takes it seriously.”

Old Black had become something strangely important to me over the years. More than a spirit beast. More than some ancient snake lurking around the forest. He was effectively my living biography. Every memory I feared losing from Earth, every fading detail from my old life, every fragment of a world that no longer existed here? I entrusted them to him.

I appreciated the old snake for agreeing to something so personal.

The last thing I wanted was to betray that trust.

Mab puffed her cheeks slightly.

“No offense,” I told her carefully, “but there’s a first come, first serve basis happening here.”

“That is deeply unfair,” Mab complained.

“You’re immortal. Deal with it.”

She narrowed her eyes at me before suddenly brightening.

“I have an idea.”

That sentence immediately filled me with concern.

Mab pointed at herself proudly. “I also possess memory problems.”

“That isn’t something you should sound proud about.”

“Details.” She waved dismissively. “Since Old Black remembers things on your behalf, I shall also have him remember things on mine.”

I stared at her.

Mab continued confidently, “Therefore, every time you visit Old Black to tell him your stories, you must bring me along. Then I may hear your stories as well, and in exchange, you may hear mine.”

“That sounds incredibly burdensome for Old Black.”

Mab gasped dramatically. “You wound me. I am a delightful guest.”

“You once tried feeding him sea snakes while forgetting he’s a snake. Do you remember that visit? I mean disturbing a spirit beast immersed in cultivating like that is really low… I fell bad for Old Black…”

“He appreciated the thought.”

“He stared at you for three hours.”

“That was affection. Don’t be a crybaby.”

I rubbed my forehead.

Mab suddenly snapped her fingers.

“Then how about a journal?”

“A journal?”

“A shared diary,” she declared proudly. “You write your memories. I write mine. Then neither of us forget.”

I frowned thoughtfully.

“Diaries are supposed to be for new memories.”

Mab crossed her arms triumphantly. “Then we shall simply make new memories together and write those down too.”

I turned toward her fully then.

The ocean breeze carried strands of emerald hair across her face while her verdant eyes remained fixed on me. Her arms still wrapped firmly around my waist, warm despite the cold sea air surrounding us.

Mab tilted her head slightly.

“Is there a problem?”

I looked at her quietly for a moment.

“There’s a lot,” I admitted honestly. “But I try to focus on the bright side.”

Mab froze.

Her eyes widened slightly.

For some incomprehensible reason, her entire face turned violently red.

“B-Bright side? Y-you didn’t mean.., me, right?”

“Um, no?”

“DUMMY!”

The next instant, she released me, transformed into her Winter Season form with flashing blue hair, and immediately dove beneath the ocean like a fleeing fish.

I stared at the bubbling water.

“…What did I do?”

No answer came.

Women were terrifying.

After waiting a few minutes and receiving no sign of her resurfacing, I decided to leave her alone. Mab would eventually find me herself once she recovered from whatever emotional catastrophe I apparently triggered.

I returned toward the forest.

The familiar greenery welcomed me almost immediately as Nature’s Stride carried me effortlessly through roots, branches, and moss-covered terrain. The ancient woods had changed little throughout the centuries. Trees towered impossibly high while spiritual energy drifted lazily through the air like invisible mist.

Eventually, I arrived at a familiar treehouse nestled between several colossal trunks.

A certain dragon mother and son lived there.

The window creaked open.

Tao Wolong peeked out suspiciously before leaping from the treehouse and landing in front of me with surprising grace.

The boy stared at me.

“What do you want?”

I immediately grinned.

“Tao Wolong, it’s been ten years since I last saw you and you still barely reach above my waist.”

The boy’s face twisted in outrage instantly.

“I am a late bloomer!” he snapped furiously. “Dragons mature differently from humans!”

“That sounds like short person propaganda.”

“I am not short!”

“You’re aggressively compact.”

“I WILL GROW!”

I nodded solemnly. “Of course you will.”

“That tone makes me want to bite you.”

“Your mother already threatened that centuries ago. You’ll need fresher material.”

Tao Wolong glared at me with murderous frustration.

Another head peeked from the treehouse.

Zhen Ai smiled warmly upon spotting me.

“Sage Wo Li,” she greeted, “how goes your seclusion?”

“Perfectly,” I replied cheerfully. “Just finished the entire course. Now I finally have more free time for myself.”

Zhen Ai’s eyes widened slightly.

“You completed Lady Mab’s teachings?”

“Survived is probably the more accurate word.”

“That bad?”

“She once dropped a mountain on me because I failed a theory question.”

Tao Wolong crossed his arms smugly. “That sounds deserved.”

“Traitor.”

Zhen Ai laughed softly before speaking again.

“The letters have piled up somewhat. Two more arrived since your last visit.”

“Really?”

I immediately leaped upward toward the treehouse while Tao Wolong grumbled something beneath his breath about showing off. Inside, the familiar scent of tea and wood greeted me. Zhen Ai retrieved several letters carefully tied together before also handing me three jade containers.

“The Willow Order delivered these as promised,” she explained.

I opened one container curiously.

Water-attribute pills.

All three this time.

Without hesitation, I swallowed them one after another.

A cool sensation spread throughout my body immediately. The Circle of Aqua within me stirred gently as refreshing spiritual energy flowed through my body. Compared to Mab’s training, consuming pills felt almost relaxing.

I exhaled softly before turning toward the letters.

I decided to read Li Ming’s first.

The moment I opened the letter, her energetic personality practically exploded from the paper.

“Honored Sage Wo Li!

I hope this letter finds you alive and not buried beneath another mountain Lady Mab dropped on top of you during training. I still maintain that your survival instincts are terrifying.

My alchemy studies continue progressing wonderfully! Master says I finally stopped producing pills capable of poisoning entire villages, which I consider tremendous improvement. Last month, I successfully refined a fourth-grade spirit pill without causing an explosion. Everyone celebrated so enthusiastically that you would think I had ascended to immortality.

My cultivation has also increased greatly. I recently reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment! Unfortunately, I have become somewhat stuck afterward. Advancement feels frustratingly slow now. I spend most days either studying herbs, cultivating, or staring dramatically out windows while contemplating existence.

It is unbelievably boring.

Please visit me occasionally so something interesting can happen again.

Oh! Willow sent a letter this time as well. She specifically requested that I include it together with mine. The owl sounded extremely important while asking, so naturally I became curious. Sadly, she refused to reveal anything.

I suspect she believes herself mysterious.

She absolutely does not succeed.

Please take care of yourself, Sage. Despite your alarming tendency to attract disasters, many people still worry about you.

Respectfully,

Li Ming.”

Huh?

I opened Willow’s letter next.

The parchment smelled faintly of leaves and rainwater for some reason. Considering the sender, that honestly tracked.

“Wo Li!

I DID IT!

I FINALLY REACHED NASCENT SOUL!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

OLD BLACK CAN SUCK ON A ROCK!

I TOLD THAT STUPID SNAKE I WOULD NOT FALL BEHIND HIM FOREVER! HE KEPT GIVING ME THAT ANNOYING ‘WISE ELDER’ LOOK EVERY TIME I FAILED A BREAKTHROUGH! WELL LOOK WHO’S LAUGHING NOW!

ME!

IT’S ME!

…Though admittedly, I nearly exploded twice.

And apparently my bloodline reacted strangely during the breakthrough. The Willow Order elders said I need proper seclusion to stabilize my cultivation and contemplate my inherited lineage memories. Honestly, I barely understood half the things they explained because I was too busy celebrating.

Apparently, I’ll be hibernating for quite some time.

HIBERNATING!

I SOUND SO COOL!

The others keep saying Nascent Soul is a major turning point for spirit beasts and demon cultivators. Some strange instincts already started appearing. I suddenly understand weather patterns better, and I bit someone for touching my feathers.

Not my fault.

Anyway, once I emerge from seclusion, I fully intend to challenge Old Black to a duel just so I can watch his smug face crack.

Please tell him that.

Actually no, don’t.

I want it to be dramatic.

Also, congratulations on surviving Lady Mab for another decade. Frankly, your continued existence is inspirational.

Your greatest and most talented feathered companion,

Willow.”

I burst out laughing halfway through the letter, surprised at how energetic she sounded. I almost thought it was Roo who was talking to me with how much screaming I felt on the piece of paper.

“She really hates losing to Old Black,” I muttered.

Zhen Ai smiled faintly while preparing tea nearby.

“She speaks about him constantly.”

“That poor snake.”

I folded the letter carefully before opening Xing Ning’s next.

Compared to Willow’s chaotic excitement, the handwriting here looked far sharper and cleaner.

“Sage Wo Li,

The Willow Order continues assigning guards to watch me.

At this point, I have begun treating it as a personal game.

Yesterday, I escaped surveillance for six hours by disguising myself as a corpse and hiding inside a funeral procession. The disciples searching for me apologized to the grieving family three separate times before realizing I was not actually dead.

I consider that a victory.

Honestly, the sect elders grow more ridiculous every year. Half of them look at me like I am some priceless treasure, while the other half seem terrified I might suddenly explode and summon ghosts again.

To be fair, that only happened twice.

My life still feels absurd sometimes.

A century ago, I was merely trying to survive. Now I possess resources, status, cultivation manuals, personal guards, and elders arguing over my future. I remain uncertain whether I should feel grateful or deeply alarmed.

Perhaps both.

Still, I am mostly fine.

Though I wish you visited more often.

The sect remains painfully dull without someone around who understands how ridiculous everything has become.

On a more positive note, I created a new swordsmanship style recently.

I based it around my ghost constitution.

The style focuses on deceptive trajectories, unstable killing intent, spiritual afterimages, and delayed manifestations of sword qi. Even several elders admitted they struggled reading my attacks properly. 

One old man called it ‘psychologically infuriating.’

I took that as praise.

I think I can beat mother, soon. Don’t tell her that.

When next we meet, I shall demonstrate my new swordsmanship personally.

Your friend,

Xing Ning.”

I smiled quietly after finishing.

“I’m glad he’s doing fine.”

There was genuine relief in that statement.

Out of everyone, Xing Ning had suffered some of the cruelest twists of fate early on. Seeing him gradually build confidence instead of drowning beneath fear and paranoia felt… nice.

I reached for Guo Yimu’s letter.

The moment I unfolded it, I nearly went blind from the sheer aggression of the handwriting.

“SAGE WO LI!!!!

HELP ME!!!!

I AM ABOUT TO BE MARRIED!!!!

I DO NOT WISH TO BE MARRIED!!!!

I WOULD RATHER BECOME A MONK!!!!

PLEASE SAVE ME FROM THIS TRAGIC DESTINY!!!!

THERE ARE TOO MANY RULES!!!!

TOO MANY CEREMONIES!!!!

EVERYONE KEEPS SMILING AT ME LIKE I AM SOME SORT OF SACRIFICIAL PIG!!!!

I CANNOT EVEN ESCAPE BECAUSE MY FATHER POSTED GUARDS OUTSIDE MY ROOM!!!!

THIS IS TYRANNY!!!!

I WOULD MUCH RATHER—”

The next section had been aggressively smeared over with thick black ink.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

“Oh no.”

With a flick of my fingers, hydrokinesis carefully pulled apart the wet remnants of ink without damaging the parchment beneath.

The hidden words slowly resurfaced.

“I WOULD MUCH RATHER REMAIN SINGLE SO I COULD CONTINUE FOOLING AROUND WITH BEAUTIFUL WOMEN WITHOUT RESPONSIBILITY—”

I snorted loudly.

“Hah~! Same old, same old.”

Further below, the normal writing resumed.

“THE WORST PART IS THAT THE WOMAN I AM MARRYING IS APPARENTLY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS OF ANOTHER KINGDOM!!!!

DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW STRESSFUL THIS IS?!

SHE IS SO PRETTY THAT HALF THE YOUNG MASTERS IN THE REGION WANTED HER HAND IN MARRIAGE!

AND FOR SOME REASON SHE IS COMPLETELY INFATUATED WITH ME!

ME!!!!

I DO NOT EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT I DID!

NOW EVERY OTHER SUITOR LOOKS AT ME LIKE THEY WANT TO STAB ME IN A DARK ALLEY FOR STEALING THEIR DREAM WOMAN THROUGH MY DEVASTATING CHARMS!

I FEAR FOR MY LIFE, WO LI!!!!

IF I DIE, KNOW THAT IT WAS BECAUSE I WAS TOO HANDSOME!!!!

YOUR TRAGIC FRIEND,

GUO YIMU!!!!”

I stared at the letter in silence.

Then at the enclosed portrait.

“…Damn.”

The princess really was beautiful. She have long dark hair, elegant eyes, and regal posture. It was the kind of beauty that could genuinely start wars in cultivation stories. I immediately understood Guo Yimu’s panic.

“That idiot’s going to get assassinated,” I muttered.

Tao Wolong peeked over my shoulder.

“She looks terrifying.”

“She looks expensive.”

“That too.”

I reached toward the remaining pile before pausing abruptly.

“…Wait.”

I blinked.

There was another letter.

My eyes widened slightly upon recognizing the sender.

“Roo?”

I looked toward Zhen Ai in confusion.

“What’s this about?”

Zhen Ai covered her mouth politely, clearly trying not to laugh.

“Roo recently learned how to write properly,” she explained. “As practice, he wished to send you a letter.”

I suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of danger.

Slowly, I opened it.

The handwriting looked enormous and violently uneven.

“WO LI!!!!

I CHALLENGE YOU TO A MOST PASSIONATE EXCHANGE OF MANLINESS!!!!

OUR BATTLE SHALL SHAKE THE HEAVENS AND SPLIT THE EARTH!!!!

TO MAKE THINGS MORE INTERESTING, WE MUST WAGER SOMETHING IMPORTANT!!!!

I WAGER MY FIRSTBORN SON!!!!

THAT IS HOW MUCH I BELIEVE IN MYSELF!!!!

IF YOU LOSE, YOU MUST ALSO GIVE ME YOUR FIRSTBORN SON!!!!

THAT IS TRUE MANLINESS!!!!

PREPARE YOURSELF!!!!

ROO!!!!”

I stared at the letter, reread it, and read it again hoping I hallucinated.

“What the hell, you damn kangaroo?”

Tao Wolong nearly collapsed laughing. Even Zhen Ai lost composure and started wheezing quietly into her sleeve. I rubbed my forehead with one hand before finally reaching toward the last letter. The seal belonged to the Willow Order.

Unlike the others, this one felt considerably heavier.

I opened it carefully.

“To Sage Wo Li,

I hope this letter finds you well.

After extensive investigation and several successful intelligence operations, the Willow Order has uncovered new information regarding the leadership structure of the Dark Order.

More importantly, an opportunity to strike them directly has recently presented itself.

One of their high-ranking operatives is expected to attend a covert gathering within the southern territories approximately six months from now. Our spies believe this meeting may involve multiple core members connected to their command hierarchy.

This is the closest we have come in decades toward identifying the true upper leadership of the organization.

The sect masters and elders are currently discussing mobilization.

Given your previous involvement and experience concerning the Dark Order, we respectfully request your presence for this operation.

Additional details shall be provided upon your arrival.

Respectfully,

Li Qing,

Archon of the Willow Order.”

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