My Longevity Simulation

Chapter 850: External Forces Beyond the World Source

The Restless Heart and Wandering Mind phenomenon is an existence that fundamentally differs from the laws of the Xuanhuang World.[1]

It is suspected to be the remnants of a heavenly force left behind as the Xuanhuang World devoured and merged with other smaller worlds.

"No wonder it can still exert its influence even within the domain of the Longevity Immortal Heavenly Sovereign’s law-defying authority."

"A peculiar power indeed..."

Li Fan recalled that in his 114th lifetime, during the battle against Mysterious Net, the Heaven-Suppressing Society once created a devastating weapon known as the [Heaven-Rending Arrow].

The exact method of its creation remained unknown, but its materials originated from the increasingly frequent occurrences of these peculiar forces.

Mysterious Net had supplanted the heavens, and its power was no different from the current Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang World.

Since the Heaven-Rending Arrow could harm Mysterious Net, it stood to reason that it could also damage the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao!

"From what I see now, although this peculiar force is different from the laws of the Xuanhuang World, it is ultimately something that can be harnessed and utilized—rather than being a completely illogical and unreasonable existence."

Li Fan carefully examined the brilliant orb in his hand.

"I just never expected that the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance had already reached this level of research on the peculiar force. It seems that if they hadn’t been pushed into a corner, we would never have known how many trump cards they were still hiding."

"But this is to be expected."

Li Fan suddenly recalled a time when he was in the Congyun Sea Tianji Hall, meeting Gongsun Qixuan, where he saw a massive map.

That map appeared to mark the locations of various strange occurrences within the Congyun Sea region.

"The Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance has always kept a close watch on these anomalies. It makes sense that they can now use them on a basic level."

The Restless Heart and Wandering Mind forces were terrifying anomalies linked to spiritual power, capable of directly transforming cultivators into inhuman beings.

Once transformed into a Heart-Monkey, one’s spiritual sense would be enhanced.

If turned into a Intent Horse, it would directly nourish the soul!

"Back when I consumed the [Intent Horse], I experienced that surreal and hyper-real illusion. If I died within that hallucination, I would truly perish in reality! Consciousness has the power to alter matter..."

"Judging by how cheaply and widely these brilliant orbs are being distributed, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance must have fully mastered the application of this external force."

Li Fan pondered for a long time but found no means of countering it.

Even the laws of the Xuanhuang Realm were beyond his complete mastery—let alone an external force beyond its realm.

He could fully understand the headache that the Five Elders Association must be experiencing at this moment.

A sage once said:

"Thus, the governance of the sage: he empties their hearts, fills their bellies, weakens their ambitions, and strengthens their bones, ensuring that the people remain without knowledge and without desires."

But now, all the cultivators affected by the Brilliant Orbs saw themselves as "Children of Destiny."

Their potential destructiveness far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators.

Before transmigrating, Li Fan had read numerous online novels.

In those stories, nine times out of ten, the protagonist was a transmigrator.

Why?

Besides enhancing reader immersion, it also fueled their anticipation.

A transmigrator’s fate was fundamentally different from that of the so-called "natives."

Having witnessed another world and recognized their own "extraordinary nature," they could never live as the natives did—adrift and directionless.

They were bound to make a name for themselves.

Regardless of the final outcome, there would always be an attempt.

The orbs released by the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance followed the same principle.

They made the infected cultivators believe they were extraordinary, with ambitions reaching the heavens.

Moreover, the tempering of ninety-nine cycles of reincarnation was, in truth, an immense opportunity for cultivators.

It was more than enough to allow some of them to transform from mere serpents into true dragons!

"It’s as if thousands upon thousands of ‘weakened transmigrators’ have appeared within the territory of the Five Elders Association."

"And they’ve been brainwashed into eternal hostility."

"Tsk tsk..."

"On top of that, the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance may have even implanted valuable cultivation techniques and other useful knowledge from the Xuanhuang Realm within the dazzling orbs’ reincarnation illusions—helping these ‘Children of Destiny’ to quickly rise in power."

A smirk of schadenfreude appeared on Li Fan’s face.

"Let’s see how they deal with this."

"Lin Ling, if the Five Elders Association sends another message inquiring about the matter, just ignore it for now," Li Fan instructed.

Lin Ling nodded, somewhat understanding yet still uncertain.

"Striking back fiercely means inciting internal chaos within the Five Elders Association, leaving them too preoccupied to interfere with the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."

"It seems that the Immortal Alliance truly places great importance on this grand examination."

Li Fan stroked his chin in thought.

Amidst great anticipation, the month-long grand examination finally came to an end.

Cultivators returned from the Tianxuan Mirror one after another, each experiencing their own mix of joy and disappointment.

Haixuan Island.

"Judging by Fellow Daoist He’s expression, you must be brimming with confidence this time?"

Six cultivators from the Congyun Sea Mutual Aid Association, who had registered for the grand examination, gathered together.

Initially, only four cultivators, including He Zhenghao, had planned to take part in the examination. However, after the Immortal Alliance announced the selection process for the Thirty-Three Chosen Immortal, two more cultivators were moved by the opportunity and decided to take their chances.

Though their preparation time was far shorter than that of He Zhenghao and the others, their expressions suggested that their results were quite promising.

"Last-minute cramming actually works!" One of the two newcomers, a cultivator named Wei Qizheng, said excitedly.

"The question bank that Fellow Daoist Ji provided was enormous. Honestly, I couldn’t even go through all of it—I just skimmed through and memorized what I could. But I was incredibly lucky! The majority of the exam questions ended up being the ones I had memorized!"

"As for the questions that weren’t in the bank, I think I performed quite well too." Wei Qizheng eagerly shared his joy with the others.

He Zhenghao stroked his beard and smiled. "Then I suppose we should congratulate you in advance, little brother Wei?"

The others joined in, teasing and congratulating him, their confidence evident.

Just then, Ji Shaoli cleared his throat lightly, interrupting the lively atmosphere.

However, since the Immortal-Mortal Miasma outbreak had not long passed, the cultivators present still held lingering fears about coughing sounds.

Before Ji Shaoli could even speak, everyone’s expressions changed, and they turned to look at him warily.

Seeing their questioning gazes, Ji Shaoli was speechless.

"I’m fine," he waved dismissively before getting to the main point. "Once the examination results are out, you won’t be able to avoid the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance’s scrutiny. If they discover that you had prior knowledge of the exam questions, that would be a serious problem."

Upon hearing this, everyone was startled.

"However…," Ji Shaoli smiled slightly.

"Our Mutual Aid Association possesses a secret technique called [Sky-Shrouding Hand]. I will teach it to you all shortly."

"With this technique, you need not worry!"

He Zhenghao and the others were overjoyed.

Ji Shaoli lightly pointed at their foreheads, and soon, everyone closed their eyes, immersing themselves in comprehension and practice.

Ji Shaoli took the opportunity to observe them in secret.

The first to awaken was none other than Wei Qizheng.

In past lifetimes, when befriending He Zhenghao, Ji Shaoli had occasionally heard about this exceptionally talented junior brother.

However, as Li Fan’s horizons broadened over time and he encountered countless prodigies, he eventually paid little attention to this particular individual.

TL:- The idiom 心猿意馬 (xīnyuán yìmǎ) translates literally to "heart monkey and Intent (wandering) horse." It metaphorically describes a state of mental restlessness and distraction, where the mind jumps from thought to thought (like a monkey) and desires wander uncontrollably (like a horse).