Chapter 0001 - Everybody But Me Ascends 

***** 

"Hahaha!!! This little, ordinary tree has also finally achieved a breakthrough after receiving countless rains, suns, and lightnings for thousands of years. Thank you very much for this grace, master, and for the carve you made on him, helping me to jump from a no-sentence tree to a full-fledged immortal. It's time for me to also go and see the immortal realm!!!" 

"This…" 

Li Yu's mouth opened wide, and he gaped at the jade beauty in green, the transformation of a tree, who was slowly disappearing into the sky, and he suddenly couldn't help but tremble. 

"Is that not the ordinary tree that was planted by me near the entrance of the sect a few thousands of years ago, due to its unique and beautiful appearance? It has also broken through to the immortal realm and is now ascending? This…" 

Li Yu shivered with disbelief. 

Although he had seen many things and people that shouldn't have broken through doing just that before his eyes, Li Yu still couldn't believe and accept this sight before him, as he was hundreds of millions of percent certain that the tree could never cultivate. It is in-and-out ordinary with negative hope. 

*** 

Li Yu was a disciple of one of the strongest divine lands in the cultivation world, and his master was one of the most powerful leaders. 

Li Yu is the only disciple of his master, and he was a one-in-a million-year prodigy, breaking through to the 9th level of the Qi Gathering Realm from the zero level in the matter of two days after he was recruited by his master. 

All the other peak masters of his sect had greatly envied his master back then, and many had even tried to poach him, promising him heaven and earth as long as he abandoned his master for them, but instead of him breaking through to the next realm, Li Yu continued breaking through the next levels that were never heard before within the Qi Gathering Realm. 

At first, everybody was amazed, and many great speculations were made, such as him being a greatly favored son of heaven who will likely have the strongest foundation ever known to mankind, but then Li Yu refused to break through the next realm no matter what. 

In the span of ten years, he had broken through the level one thousandth of the Qi Gathering Realm, shocking and confusing the entire world, but even then, some people still had a strong hope in him, believing that he was mostly likely going to shoot directly into the immortal realm and ascend to the upper world the moment he breakthrough, given how he was able to defeat the first level of the Golden Realm even with his Qi Gathering Realm. However, that was merely a wishful fantasy, and reality that was but a dream. 

As though he were cursed, Li Yu continued breaking through within the Qi Gathering realm while others achieved breakthroughs to other major realms, soon leaving him behind to eat the dust. 

Funny enough, Li Yu even lost count of how many people he helped achieve breakthroughs to higher realms, even to the immortal realm. 

And that was how Li Yu watched his master transcend to the immortal realm after a thousand years, his uncles and aunties following a few hundred years, respectively. 

Like play, he also witnessed all his various brothers and sisters from the other peaks transcending after another few thousand years' gap between each other. 

Li Yu also took in a lot of disciples from all the various places he had gone to seek ways to breakthrough, but as expected, they achieved breakthrough after a few thousand years of taking them under his wings. 

Even the ordinary mortal who had swept the sect ground since he was brought in, who was deemed totally useless and had never been able to cultivate, managed to achieve a breakthrough after hearing Li Yu's lonely flute. 

His pet also achieved breakthroughs merely after hearing his lonely poem. 

Every single person of Li Yu's generation achieved breakthrough, and even those of the younger generation achieved it right before his eyes and transcended to the immortal realm, but he, Li Yu, continued breaking through within the same realm till he lost count of the levels he had broken through after ten thousand years of cultivation. But now, even an ordinary tree that was completely useless other than for its beauty has also transcended. 

Li Yu's eyes couldn't help but suddenly redden, and he wanted to tear up, but he controlled himself. 

"Am I really cursed?" 

He mumbled to himself, his mood extremely heavier than it had ever been, even though his mood had always been heavy in the last 9,000 years. 

Li Yu, despite his otherworldly handsome appearance that could make any lady fall helplessly in love with him and his elegance, appeared extremely lonely and pitiful at this moment. 

He remained standing for a long time, with all the disciples and masters of the Lingxiao Sect, who could be seen as his ancestral descendants, gazing pitifully at him while scared of making any sound and offending this little god on earth. 

After a while, Li Yu's eyes suddenly regained light. 

"What stupid curse?!" He growled lowly to himself. "I refuse to believe that I'm cursed. I must have been doing something wrong all these years!!" 

Li Yu abruptly clenched his fists, and instantly, an aura of hope filled him. 

"Members of my Lingxiao Sect, I am going to lock myself off in the ancestral ground in seclusion to reach the next realm. Nobody should disturb me until I come out myself, is that clear?" 

His voice boomed and was filled to the brim with a heavy aura, scaring even the sect master and all the various elders of the sect, whose lowest cultivation level was the Gold Realm to the core. 

"Ye… yes, ancestor." Everybody quickly stuttered and bowed their heads respectfully. 

Li Yu nodded his head, then took a single step forward. In the next moment, he disappeared completely like a flash, and then boom! The entire sect trembled. 

The sect remained silent for a long time until, finally, a deep sigh echoed. 

"Ancestor is really pitiful; I wonder how he hadn't gone crazy after more than 10,000 years of breaking through within the Qi Gathering Realm cultivation." 

The sect leader, an old man with grey hair, sighed heavily to himself, then waved his hands to the various disciples, who had almost been petrified to death due to the aura that was released by Li Yu. 

"Disperse." 

"Yes, Sect Leader." 

The disciples hurriedly bowed their heads and then dispersed as they were ordered while mumbling and gossiping amongst themselves. 

"I heard that the Grand ancestor is one of the strongest entities in the world despite only being a Qi Gathering Realm Cultivator." 

"What just, I heard that Grand Ancestor is already above one millionth level of the Qi Gathering Realm, what only?" 

"This…" 

"Brother Shi, do you think that the Grand Ancestor will still achieve a breakthrough to the next realm?" 

"You brats!!" 

The voice of the sect leader abruptly boomed, scaring the groups of gossiping disciples badly, and then they quickly kept their mouths shut and scurried off. 

"But do you really think that the Ancestor will still achieve a breakthrough to the next realm?" 

One of the elders looked seriously at his fellow elders and then the sect leader. 

"This…" 

 Everybody's mouths were tied, but then a strong belief appeared in the eyes of a beautiful lady. 

"I believe that the Ancestor will really achieve a breakthrough." 

"Are you…" 

(Boom!!!) 

"This…" 

The heart of the entire being in the sect and beyond abruptly shook badly in their chests when they felt this tremor that was stronger than when the tree was breaking through the immortal realm. 

"Is another person breaking through the immortal realm?" 

Everybody thought with disbelief before quickly glancing in the direction of where the boom had originated. 

At the same time, a golden glow that almost blinded everybody flashed to the sky, making everybody's mouth open wide, but they exchanged blank gazes. 

"That's the Ancestor," the group of elders and sect leader mumbled to themselves 

*. 

"So strong!!! How could the breakthrough within the Qi Gathering Realm be this powerful?" 

"Didn't I tell you that I heard that the Grand Ancestor was already beyond the One Millionth Level of the Qi Gathering Realm?" 

The disciples began to murmur in amazement, forgetting the sect leader's warning, but the sect leader and the elders couldn't be bothered with them, as right now, they were gazing blankly at the lady who had just shown her strong belief in Li Yu. 

"Breakthrough is still breakthrough," the lady, embarrassed, couldn't help but grumble before storming away. 

"This…" 

The remaining elders and sect leader sighed with heavy hearts before they also dispersed.