Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!

"Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?" The old man's hand slipped, dropping his brush in astonishment, completely unaware.

He then realized that it was his most proud disciple who had spoken, the dignified Sect Leader of the Cloud Concealment Sect. How could he make such a low-level mistake?

Cang Rui, unable to contain his excitement, lowered his voice and said, "Disciple was just worried about misjudging, so I came to ask you to take a look in person! That child is waiting in the tea room; should you go have a look?"

"Go, go, go!" The old man casually ruffled his hair and ran swiftly, dragging his slippers.

As he neared the tea room, he suddenly stopped running, tiptoed in through the back door, and bending over, stealthily peered inside through the lattice shelves, holding back his slightly intrusive white long hair with both hands.

Jiang Yuan, who had spent the whole night mapping, had no idea he was being "spied on" in the Cloud Concealment Sect. Sitting in the tea room, holding fragrant tea in hand, he admired the calligraphy and paintings on the wall.

In truth, he hadn't studied art professionally and didn't understand much about it; he just felt the paintings were quite attractive. Adding the system's appraisal details, it was akin to appreciating artwork, fostering a bit of aesthetics in him.

"Extraordinary! Truly extraordinary!" The old man peered for a long time, and indeed, it was completely consistent with what his disciple had said—this was clearly someone who had transcended the Three Realms and was beyond the Five Elements!

The Cloud Concealment Sect specializes in the enigmatic Celestial Secret Technique and has its own understanding of Immortal Ascension.

They believe that from the moment any sentient being is born, everything around them, including past and present lives, parents and family, friends and foes, become threads of karma binding them for life.

Only by meticulously addressing each aspect of karma, and ultimately severing all karma at the peak of the Tribulation Crossing Realm, can one cross the chasm. Without cause, without effect, neither coming nor going, neither birth nor death—only then can one enter the Divine Domain.

The phrase "beyond the Three Realms and Five Elements" does not mean one has already become immortal; rather, it refers to someone currently in a state of no debts, no obligations, no causes, and no effects.

He seemed like someone who did not belong to this world, unchanged by any upheavals that might occur. Coming and going freely, like a fleeting breeze, a passing guest who leaves no trace.

"Master, could he be the reincarnation of an ancestor?" Cang Rui rubbed his hands together in excitement and used Secret Communication to say, "To have severed all karma so completely and cleanly at such a young age, I can't think of anyone else besides the brilliant ancestors of our sect who could achieve this.

Moreover, he is a person! A human! Since he dared to descend into the Mortal World, he must have already fathomed the Celestial Secret and calculated that one day, the Wilderness would sink, allowing the Spiritual Energy Revival of that world."

The concept of reincarnation among cultivators is completely different from the mortal cycle.

Upon death, a mortal soul enters the Underworld, and based on conduct, merits, and other references, the soul may enter the cycle unchanged, though past and present life memories are erased by a bowl of Meng Po Soup;

Cultivators, however, when they die, often experience the total dissolution of their souls, reverting to purer spirituality, making reformation into the same Divine Soul impossible.

But those able to touch their own Dao and are only a step away from Ascension can use their own Dao to attempt transgressing reincarnation.

It's akin to creating a new persona: during the first round, they miss vital Skill Points due to lack of experience, making it impossible to accumulate enough to surpass the chasm; thus, they start anew using their cultivation Dao.

And this reincarnation typically does not involve a mother's body but is more like resurrection, with the original soul using a prepared new body to start again.

The advantage of returning through reincarnation is that one retains previous life's memories, allowing for rapid strengthening and overcoming of past deficiencies to reach the peak again and successfully ascend;

The downside is the enormous unknown risks that are hard to control, and the new body is not an adult, requiring careful location selection as the small body and low Realm can easily lead to death and soul dissolution with any danger.

Records of the Cloud Concealment Sect mention numerous ancestors forced into reincarnation.

Due to the focus on Celestial Secret Techniques and karma, they usually do not choose to reincarnate into their own sect to reduce difficulty and avoid acquiring too much karma that can't be severed uncontrollably.

This, in turn, leaves whether the reincarnated ancestors in other sects succeeded clearly documented, while the Cloud Concealment Sect remains a mystery.

Were they utterly dissolved due to failure to reincarnate, or did they succeed and deliberately isolate to avoid karma, refraining from contacting the sect?

Given that successful reincarnations are exceedingly rare and unheard of during the declining Dharma period, Sect Leader Cang Rui and the old man were particularly excited at the prospect of a suspected reincarnated ancestor from their sect.

"It's hard to say..." The old man stared intently for a while, sighed softly, and replied, "Unprecedented with no experience to reference, reportedly the most successful reincarnated ones retain all memories of their past life and have enough pre-arranged back-up, quickly achieving Immortal Ascension.

But those less successful are the majority.

Some lose most memories after reincarnation, retaining only presently useful information; others forget their identity entirely, needing cultivation to a certain Realm to regain memory—this is the price of transcending reincarnation.

Regardless of whether this child is a reincarnation of our sect's ancestor, his arrival without karmic ties shows he has mastered avoiding karma. Regardless, we should form a Good Karma with him."

Cang Rui nodded, "He came here at Lin Yao's senior behest; the peaches he gifted aren't something good, do you still wish to meet him?"

The old man hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, "Not this time. We don't know his true cultivation Realm, it's better to be more cautious. My Realm is a bit high, meeting rashly might entangle karma and hinder his cultivation."

After speaking, he pulled a Bronze Compass out of his Storage Bag and handed it over, "Gift this Magical Treasure, forgo the peaches. Those dirty things can extend life temporarily, a rare opportunity for other cultivators, but we will not take part."

"Yes, Master." Cang Rui took the Magical Treasure with both hands, unable to suppress his envy.

Though this Compass isn't incredibly valuable, it was the Master's most used Magical Treasure, and after years of nurturing, it's highly spiritual, excellent for divination and perceiving celestial secrets.

He had long coveted the Bronze Compass, yet the Master couldn't bear to part with it. Now, it was being gifted to a distinguished guest from afar, prompting Cang Rui to feel envy, jealousy, and also validation for the Master's wise decision.

If the person truly is a reincarnated ancestor of the sect, regardless of having past life memories, giving the Bronze Compass would undoubtedly assist his cultivation, and future Immortal Ascension would be a blessing for the sect;

If he wasn't connected to the sect in past lives, gifting the Magical Treasure would form a Good Karma, potentially bearing fruit amidst future worldly chaos.

Throughout this, Jiang Yuan, sipping tea and gazing at paintings, had no inkling of the background schemes involved. Thus, when he found out the other party rejected the peaches, declined a meeting, yet gifted a Compass as a courtesy for the younger generation, he was utterly baffled.

[Bronze Compass: One Fate Two Luck Three Feng Shui, fate is set at life's inception; luck fluctuates up and down; geographical environment impacts significantly. A top-grade Magical Treasure refined by an Artifact Refining Master from a meteor, can peer into others' fate, observe luck, assess feng shui; checked daily for one's fortune, bind as a frequent-use tool?]