Chapter 1648: Chapter 1648: Saving Face at the Cost of Suffering
“Cheers!”
Evan Foster raised his glass and clinked it with Carson Flores’, then downed the contents in one go.
“Hey, this Thousand Leaf Spiritual Wine tastes pretty good!”
Carson Flores couldn’t help but chuckle, “They selected it especially for you; it’s low in alcohol and suitable for newcomers. How can it taste bad?”
Evan Foster laughed, “As long as I can drink, it’s fine. After all, you’ll end up feeling uncomfortable anyway.”
Carson Flores teased, “What are you up to now, desperately saving face while suffering?”
Evan Foster dismissed it, “It’s all about having fun. Shouldn’t you drink when you’re happy, right?”
Carson Flores smiled, “When life is at its best, enjoy it to the fullest; don’t let the golden cup face the moon in vain.”
Evan Foster blinked, “Nice! I haven’t heard these lines before, but they’re very fitting. Did you make them up?”
Carson Flores shook his head, “I’m just a rough guy; how could I make up poetry? It was written by a great poet from my hometown.”
Evan Foster nodded, “Right on, suits my taste. By the way, Brother Lin, isn’t there something you should tell me?”
Carson Flores smiled, “About myself?”
Evan Foster nodded, “Right, though you haven’t said anything, I have a hunch that you’re not simple. How to put it? You have a different aura compared to other cultivators I’ve met, but I can’t quite put my finger on it…”
Carson Flores thought for a moment and said, “I’m not from Skyland Continent; I come from the Lower Realm.”
Evan Foster was momentarily stunned, “Is the place you come from very different from here?”
Carson Flores nodded, “I’m a mortal. That means where I come from, there are no cultivators, only martial artists, which roughly corresponds to the Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment Stage in terms of realm.”
“My father was a cultivator from the Barbaric Wilderness Realm. He traveled to the Mortal Realm, where he met my mother and had me, but due to some misfortunes, they both returned to the Barbaric Wilderness Realm, and I grew up in the Mortal Realm, raised by my first master.”
“Our world is very different from the cultivator’s world. It’s made up of ordinary people, with no demonic beasts. Although there are wars and wealth gaps, most people live peacefully without fearing sudden death.”
“After reaching the peak strength of the Mortal Realm, I luckily obtained the qualification to go to the Barbaric Wilderness, and after an adventure, I joined the cultivator sect of Nutwood Mountain, where the sect master is at the Hollow Void Peak.”
“Through cultivation and adventures, I gained opportunities and obtained the Emperor Seal, eventually being recognized and becoming the Human Emperor of the Barbaric Wilderness. My father was possessed by the Heart of the Demon Emperor during an adventure and eventually became the Demon Emperor.”
“For millennia, no one in the Barbaric Wilderness had become an immortal, mainly because Maggie Fitzgerald from the Northern Mystic Sect sent someone to destroy the Ascension Passage to suppress the Domain Master’s daughter, Alfred Weaver. Later, Cristopher Hopkins Immortal resurrected, returned to the Immortal Domains, and stationed the White Crane Immortal Sect at the Realm Gate. They restored the Ascension Passage, allowing the human and demon races to ascend and become immortals again.”
“After my ascension, I temporarily stayed at the White Crane Immortal Sect, and by chance, I obtained the inheritance of Heavenly Sword Bank Austin, becoming his disciple and later joined the White Crane Immortal Sect, becoming the Heavenly Sword Peak’s Master.”
“Apart from that, in recent years, I studied under a Pill King and achieved some success. Not long ago, I won the Skyland Continent’s Pill King Competition, becoming the new Pill King.”
Carson Flores paused in his story, looking at the wide-eyed Evan Foster, “That’s basically my story…”
Evan Foster held his glass suspended in mid-air, having forgotten to drink or put it down, so entranced was he by the tale. Hearing Carson Flores finish, he couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Lin, how old are you now?”
Carson Flores replied, “Over forty.”
Evan Foster nodded, then raised his head and downed his wine, letting out a long sigh, “Over forty, spanning three worlds, from the Mortal Realm with no Spiritual Energy to the Spiritual Energy-deprived Barbaric Wilderness. You managed to become the supreme of two realms and ascended to the Immortal Realm in less than ten years, rising from the Human Immortal to Earth Immortal, and even became a Pill King. You make me feel like my years have been wasted!”
Carson Flores laughed, “Though it’s hard to gauge a cultivator’s age by appearance, I think you aren’t that old either.”
Evan Foster nodded, “True, I’m not much older than you, but our starting environments are different. You were born in a world without Spiritual Energy, making cultivation much harder. Meanwhile, in my environment, I lacked nothing in resources, just advancing straightforwardly. You had nothing, relying all on yourself. You’re certainly more incredible than I am, and I admire you for that!”
It wasn’t just Evan Foster who felt this way. Even the maidens attending them, including June Weiss and Mona Briggs, were listening in shock.
When they joined Carson Flores, they only knew he was a disciple of the White Crane Immortal Sect and nothing else. As they traveled, Carson Flores had never deliberately revealed his backstory or specifics. Listening now, they were greatly amazed.
What does it mean to defy the heavens?
What does it mean to be a genius?
From childhood to now, having access to all cultivation resources, solely focusing on cultivation, with many methods to ensure breakthroughs, and advancing to become an immortal at a young age—is that called genius?
Bah!
Compared to the young master, they are nothing!