Good Fortune Immortal Road

Chapter 1: Seed of Good Fortune

Looking at this gloomy grand hall, Shen Lang couldn't help but swallow his saliva. Sitting on the throne in the center of the hall was a person dressed in red, surrounded by black mist, making it impossible to see their true appearance. Standing behind them were more than ten subordinates dressed in black.

Seeing the thousands of crying children in the hall, the person in red impatiently waved their hand. One of the fierce-looking men in black immediately shouted, "Anyone else who dares to cry will be devoured by evil spirits."

After speaking, the man in black spat out a black smoke, which faintly condensed into a humanoid figure. The two green ghostly flames in its eye sockets stared at the young boy below, as if it would immediately charge forward upon receiving an order.

Seeing this fierce man release an evil spirit, the young boys below immediately lowered their heads and covered their mouths. Some were still sobbing, while others were so scared that they wet their pants.

Shen Lang was greatly surprised, not only by the fear of seeing the evil spirit, but also by a hint of perverse excitement.

Originally, Shen Lang was not a person from this world, but a soul that had transmigrated. In his previous world, technology was advanced and freedom was advocated. Those gods and monsters were nothing more than myths and legends.

Unexpectedly, after an accidental death, he transmigrated into the body of a ten-year-old beggar in this world. In just a few days, he was captured and brought to this place, where he saw the legendary ghosts and monsters.

Could it be that one could also cultivate immortality in this world, traveling to the North Sea in the morning and the Cangwu Mountains in the evening, riding on clouds and mist, flying with a sword to become an immortal?

His heart couldn't help but feel excited. Seeing this evil spirit, he couldn't help but become curious, even tiptoeing to get a closer look at its appearance.

The person in red looked at the other young boys who were either sobbing or bowing their heads after being frightened by their subordinates. Unexpectedly, someone dared to take the initiative to sneak a peek. They couldn't help but become interested and made a sound of approval before instructing their subordinates, "Let's begin. Let me see if there's anyone among these little ghosts who can be cultivated."

The fierce man respectfully nodded and replied, "I obey the orders of the Elder Ancestor."

Turning around, he shouted at the group of children, "Listen, you little ghosts down there. This is the selection hall of the Netherworld Sect. You have all been chosen by the Holy Sect."

Shen Lang couldn't help but complain in his heart: How can you call this being chosen? Clearly, we were forcefully abducted!

The wicked man also didn't know what Shen Lang was thinking in his heart, and continued, "However, coming here does not mean becoming a disciple of the Netherworld Sect. You still have to go through several rounds of tests. Only those who pass the tests will become disciples of the sect. The rest will become miscellaneous disciples. Only when their cultivation reaches a certain level can they become formal disciples. However, there are at least eighty thousand miscellaneous disciples in the sect, while only ten people can become formal disciples each year. So now is your best opportunity."

After the wicked man finished speaking, the young children below began to whisper again. Shen Lang's heart sank. He didn't expect that cultivation would be so difficult. Only ten out of tens of thousands of miscellaneous disciples could become formal disciples each year.

The wicked man shouted again, "Silence, please welcome the Patriarch's guidance."

After speaking, he turned around and stood behind the person in the red robe.

The person in the red robe calmly said, "To enter the Netherworld Sect, one must have exceptional talent, perseverance, and courage. Cultivation is a difficult path. Today, you are fortunate to have the opportunity to be selected by the sect, but to become formal disciples, you still have to go through a small test."

"The current test is to assess your aptitude. Each of you has a box under your seat. Open the box and take out the jade slip inside. Concentrate and read the contents, then follow the instructions. You have two hours. Whether you can seize the opportunity depends on yourselves."

After the person in the red robe finished speaking, without looking at the young people below, they sat in a chair and closed their eyes to cultivate their spirit.

Everyone quickly found their own box and took out the jade slip as instructed by the person in the red robe. They concentrated and started reading, but most of the children couldn't finish reading in half a day and became anxious, crying.

Shen Lang looked at the jade slip in his hand. The texture was delicate and the craftsmanship was exquisite. If it were in his previous life, it would definitely fetch a good price. He couldn't help but marvel at the magical techniques used to make the jade slip.

Without wasting any time, he tightly held the jade slip and concentrated. Instantly, he felt a piece of text entering his mind. It should be the content of the jade slip.

After careful consideration for a moment, Shen Lang discovered that although he didn't know what language the jade slip was written in, the reader could fully understand its meaning.

The jade slip contained a spell called the "Spirit Soothing Mantra." According to the introduction in the jade slip, this spell existed in various sects and schools, only with different names. However, its purpose was the same.

Practicing this "Spirit Soothing Mantra" had only one effect, which was to condense a seed of good fortune in the sea of consciousness. After the seed absorbed enough spiritual energy, it would transform into different forms of the Spirit of Good Fortune based on each person's individuality.

Some people might form a tree, while others might become a stone or an animal. Each person's Spirit of Good Fortune had different abilities. Some were good at guarding the sea of consciousness to prevent external demons from invading, some were good at absorbing spiritual energy, making their Qi Refining meditation more effective, and some could enhance their physical bodies and possess various extraordinary abilities.

According to the introduction in the jade slip, this "Spirit Soothing Mantra" was created by ancient powerful beings, imitating the innate Divine Abilities of various races. Those who cultivate the Spirit of Good Fortune through this mantra are all exceptionally talented, effectively narrowing the gap between ordinary humans and the extraordinary races.

Therefore, all major sects now use the "Spirit Soothing Mantra" as the first step in selecting disciples. Only those who can cultivate it have the qualifications for further training and possess superior innate abilities compared to others. They are eligible to become formal disciples of a sect.

Cultivating this "Spirit Soothing Mantra" itself is not difficult, but it requires a very precious item called the Essence of Good Fortune. This Essence of Good Fortune needs to be extracted from the void by a cultivator with extraordinary cultivation and condensed into form.

Something that can generate the innate Divine Abilities of Good Fortune is undoubtedly a first-class treasure in the world. Not every sect has the ability to refine the Essence of Good Fortune. Only the most apex-level sects possess such astonishing accumulation and capability.

Other sects can only offer various treasures to these apex-level sects in exchange for a certain amount of Essence of Good Fortune. From this, we can see that the Netherworld Sect can produce thousands of Essence of Good Fortune at once, demonstrating their profound heritage and strength, which is rare in the world.

Shen Lang took out a piece of Essence of Good Fortune from the interlayer of the box and gazed at the magical treasure in his hand. It was the size of a fingernail, neither gold nor jade, emitting a faint light, appearing extremely mysterious.

The other children around were still trying to read the jade slip, and no one noticed what Shen Lang had in his hand. It was strange indeed. Shen Lang only needed to concentrate slightly to be able to read the contents of the jade slip, while the other children did not find it so easy.

And this Essence of Good Fortune was hidden in the box. Without reading the contents of the jade slip, it couldn't be taken out either. It was truly peculiar.

Of course, this was also a test. If one couldn't even read the jade slip, there was no need to waste this extremely precious Essence of Good Fortune.

Following the instructions in the jade slip, Shen Lang placed the Essence of Good Fortune in his mouth and silently recited the incantation of the "Spirit Soothing Mantra" in his mind. After completing a full recitation, the Essence of Good Fortune unexpectedly transformed into a stream of energy that surged straight into Shen Lang's brain, like eating mustard, intensely stimulating his brain.

Shen Lang gritted his teeth and persisted. This was the crucial moment. If he couldn't withstand the impact of the Essence of Good Fortune, the energy contained within it would flow out of his body. While enduring the stimulation of the energy, he continued to silently recite the incantation, guiding this energy.

The energy of the Essence of Good Fortune was not only powerful but also highly spiritual. It was extremely difficult to guide, constantly lingering in the brain without entering the sea of consciousness. Only by guiding it into the sea of consciousness could one control this energy and form the Seed of Good Fortune.

The continuous impact was becoming too much for Shen Lang to bear. He gritted his teeth fiercely, his whole body drenched in sweat, and his palms were pierced by his own fingernails.

He had to give it his all! Whether he would soar to the heavens or fall into the abyss, Shen Lang forcefully pushed the Qi of Good Fortune to the edge of his sea of consciousness.

Now was the time. Shen Lang exerted his last bit of strength and finally, the Qi of Good Fortune entered his sea of consciousness. Feeling that his mission was accomplished, the Qi of Good Fortune stopped its chaotic collision and slowly settled in the center of his sea of consciousness.

Immediately, Shen Lang felt as if he had been drained of all his energy, but it wasn't over yet. When the Qi of Good Fortune condensed, its effect was weakest when naturally condensed into a seed. With the assistance of the Spirit Soothing Mantra, reciting it thirty-six times would achieve a minor success, seventy-two times for a major success, and one hundred and eight times for perfection.

Shen Lang could only endure mentally and began reciting the mantra over and over again. Each time, he was on the verge of collapse. By the thirtieth repetition, Shen Lang felt that he couldn't hold on any longer.

Just then, a force inexplicably restored most of Shen Lang's mental strength, giving him the motivation to continue his breakthrough.

Thirty-five times, thirty-six times. Sixty-eight times, sixty-nine times. The exhaustion this time was even more severe than before. Once again, a force almost completely restored Shen Lang's energy, allowing him to continue his breakthrough. Ninety-nine times, one hundred times.

At this point, Shen Lang still had a lot of energy left. Besides reciting the mantra, his mind began to wander and recall mythical figures from his past life. From Pangu Opening Heaven, Nüwa Mending the Sky, Kuafu Chasing the Sun, Houyi Shooting the Sun, and various other mythical stories and characters that emerged from the Conferred Divinity List, Journey to the West, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, and The Legend of the White Snake.

Countless memories from his past lives appeared, along with all the information he had seen and heard in his past life. Shen Lang's hopes and determination also emerged and flowed into the yet-to-be-formed Seed of Good Fortune.

Due to the emergence of various memories, the number of mantra repetitions had long exceeded one hundred and eight. It reached a full three hundred and sixty-five times, but Shen Lang didn't pay attention to that.

Instead, he looked at the Seed of Good Fortune forming in his sea of consciousness. Its radiance illuminated the entire sea, an endless brilliance that seemed to have no end. Shen Lang carefully admired his masterpiece.

Words cannot describe the vividness of this seed. Although the radiance was intense, it wasn't dazzling; instead, it was gentle. Upon closer observation, one could see different patterns constantly circulating on the seed, full of vitality and the aura of Good Fortune, incredibly profound.

Savoring his own Seed of Good Fortune, Shen Lang couldn't help but reveal a proud smile. Its perfect form was his ticket to soaring to the sky.

At the moment Shen Lang condensed the Seed of Good Fortune, the person in the red robe noticed. Looking at Shen Lang's smile, the person in the red robe opened their eyes and observed Shen Lang. Their lips curled up slightly as they praised, "Not bad. I didn't expect someone among this group of disciples to be able to condense the Seed of Good Fortune so quickly. I wonder what level it is."

(End of this chapter)