Chapter 19: Could Lu Ziji and Zi Ji Be the Same Person?!

Ten minutes remained before the auction officially began.

Yun Zhi held her phone and replied in the group chat, “Got it. I’ll message you privately, haha!”

Then she opened the chat window with Lu Ziji, the Immortal Master.

This time, it opened smoothly.

Earth—Yun Zhi: “Hello, big shot! Is there anything I can help you with?”

After sending the message, Yun Zhi suddenly realized that she had unconsciously used the term “big shot” when addressing Lu Ziji in her private chat with Tang Panpan.

Fortunately, the other party showed no airs of superiority and even apologized proactively: “Sorry, having spent four years in the cultivation world, I’m used to calling those with lower cultivation ‘young friend’. Let’s stick to Earth’s customs—if you don’t mind, just call me Brother Lu. And to be bold, like Qin Tianhai, I’ll call you Sister Yun. How’s that?”

Yun Zhi: “Perfect! Brother Lu!”

The title “Brother Lu” further confirmed some of Yun Zhi’s suspicions.

Lu Ziji: “As for my background, I guess you’ve already figured it out, Sister Yun. That’s right—I am Lu Ziji of the Lu family from Haicheng, Flower Country on Earth.”

Sure enough, her guess was confirmed!

Yun Zhi had many questions, but seeing that Lu Ziji wasn’t in a hurry to ask for her help, and didn’t mind chatting first, she decided to take advantage of it.

After all, Lu Ziji had been in the cultivation world for four years; any urgent matters should have some leeway.

Lu Ziji: “You must have lots of questions. Why don’t you ask, and I’ll answer?”

Truly worthy of a cultivator—his insight into people’s minds was spot on.

Yun Zhi thought to herself, “Then I won’t hold back.”

Yun Zhi: “Brother Lu, um, how old is your current body this year? And what cultivation level are you at?”

Earlier, when chatting with Qin Tianhai, she had called him “Brother Qin” many times, only to find out he was now an eighteen-year-old high school student!

That lesson stuck with her.

Based on the cultivation novels she had read, the title “Immortal Master” usually belonged to those at the Golden Core stage, but she wasn’t sure about the cultivation speed in Lu Ziji’s world. What if he was a fourteen-year-old Golden Core cultivator and only eighteen this year?

Of course, it was more likely he was decades or even over a hundred years old.

If so, she would have to be more respectful and cautious in her speech.

No matter how old Lu Ziji’s mental age was, if his body was over a hundred years old, she instinctively regarded him as an elder.

Lu Ziji: “Same as Earth’s body—both are 28 years old, and my cultivation is at the peak of the Golden Core stage.”

What Lu Ziji didn’t say was that his current body had formed the Golden Core at eighteen, and his appearance had remained stable, transitioning from youth to young adulthood.

Only when he advanced to the Nascent Soul stage would his body mature into a figure resembling someone in their twenties.

Obviously, he understood Yun Zhi’s psychological concern about age.

If he appeared too old, she might feel distant; if too young, she might treat him like a little brother.

Which man, proud and ambitious as Chinese men often are, would choose to be seen as a younger brother rather than an elder?

Yun Zhi: “!!!”

Yun Zhi: “Good, good, not as young or as old as I thought!”

After sending this, she realized it might be ambiguous, so she quickly added, “Uh, I didn’t mean to say Brother Lu is young or old!”

Lu Ziji: “It’s okay, I understand.”

In fact, Lu Ziji hadn’t had such relaxed, casual conversations for a long time. Even in the cross-world chat group, he was usually cold and reserved.

…That was more fitting for a high-level cultivator.

Always maintaining an aura of superiority.

But with Yun Zhi, since he needed a favor and would have many opportunities to interact with her in the future, there was no point in pretending.

His secret would be fully revealed to Yun Zhi eventually—what was the point of putting on airs?

Curious, Yun Zhi asked her second question: “I heard Brother Lu was the first to join the group. Was there only you in the group at the beginning? That sounds strange.”

Lu Ziji: …

Lu Ziji: “No, I created the group shortly after crossing into the cultivation world. It happened by accident in an ancient secret realm—I sacrificed a semi-immortal spirit treasure called the ‘Tongtian Mystic Mirror’ that was on the verge of destruction to create it. Right after the group formed, it sensed Qin Tianhai’s soul fluctuations and pulled him in. But we hardly talked.”

Two big-shot guys, no common topics, both cultivation fanatics—nothing much to chat about.

Yun Zhi: …???

Yun Zhi exclaimed: “What? You created the chat group? And all the people there, you pulled them in?”

Lu Ziji: “No, after the group was established, over time, it gradually developed some form of intelligence—that’s the group chat system assistant you sometimes see popping up. After receiving some modern information, it chose its own direction to grow. The members in the group were brought in by it according to certain rules.”

“I’m not the group owner and don’t control the group. I just know a bit more than you.”

“The chat group has no master, but the system favors you and wants to develop you into an administrator. Before that, you need to pass many tasks as trials. This is a way to help you grow. It benefits you and the group spirit, so just let it happen naturally. Of course, if you encounter tasks you really don’t want to do, you can ignore them. The system can’t force you to do anything.”

Yun Zhi: …

She never expected the truth of the cross-world chat group to be like this.

Her feelings were complicated; suddenly, she couldn’t directly confront the system anymore!

No wonder when tasks were first assigned, it even gave two [Accept] options, afraid she might refuse—this system truly had its own consciousness!

Probably annoyed by Lu Ziji revealing too much, a system prompt suddenly appeared in their chat window—

[ Ding! The system sincerely reminds both group members not to keep discussing system-related matters! ]

[ Tasks! Tasks! If you don’t talk about tasks, the baby’s going to get angry! ]

It even included a sticker.

[ Fierce Dragon Roaring.jpg ]

It was taken from Yun Zhi’s phone sticker collection—a chubby little pale green baby dragon.

Not intimidating at all; the cuteness factor maxed out!

But the system was about to lose its temper, desperate to prevent Yun Zhi from learning too much and eager for her to complete tasks.

Yun Zhi nonchalantly shifted the topic: “So, Brother Lu, you’re here to ask me for help, right? It should be related to your Earth body?”

Lu Ziji didn’t mention the system again. “Yes. The original owner of my current body’s soul has entered my Earth body. Because his powerful soul doesn’t match the weak flesh, his soul has been forced into a dormant state. Could you please deliver something to him? Otherwise, in less than a month, my mortal body won’t be able to bear the strong soul and will die suddenly.”

Yun Zhi: …?!

Information overload; her brain was running out of capacity.

Although it was urgent, there was still a month’s deadline, so she needed to ask clearly.

Yun Zhi timidly asked, “Brother Lu, what do you mean by ‘the original owner of your body’… Does that mean the soul inside Lu Ziji’s body now is from the cultivation world, the original Lu Ziji Immortal Master?”

Regarding Lu Ziji, even though he was now a big shot, and still from Earth like her, an ordinary person before, and separated by worlds—she hadn’t felt much reverence towards a “high-level cultivator’s pressure.”

But if Earth had multiple cultivation big shots, what if, once he woke up and regained strength, he casually wiped out anyone offending him?

After all, the cultivation world was a place of survival of the fittest, killing was not a crime.

But Earth was a society ruled by law!

She had to clarify things first, lest she risk a major threat to her homeland for a bit of task points.

Lu Ziji: “Yes, his soul is the Lu Ziji from the cultivation world, but fused with my memories from the past 24 years on Earth. During these four years of dormancy, he has also been able to receive some external information.”

“I know what you’re worried about. Don’t worry, he won’t be a danger to Earth or the country.”

“In the cultivation world, Lu Ziji has a heavenly-grade spiritual root, a born sword bone, and a natural Dao heart. He cultivates the dual Dao: the great path of compassion, yet personally detached.”

“In simple terms, he is a chosen one, destined for calamity. Five hundred years from now, when the cultivation world faces a cataclysm, he must reach the Tribulation Crossing stage and sacrifice himself to save all living beings.”

“He was adopted by the foremost righteous sect, the Wanxuan Sect, from a young age. They ingrained in him the belief to love all living things but restrain his desires and avoid romantic entanglements.”

When burdened with many concerns and attachments, one cannot cultivate purely for the salvation of all and willingly sacrifice oneself.

Outside the VIP lounge,

downstairs on the auction platform, the auction officially began.

The auctioneer was a beautiful lady, graceful and elegant, dressed in a refined cheongsam. She professionally introduced the merits of various treasures, skillfully energizing the crowd, causing interested buyers to bid fiercely.

But Yun Zhi’s mind was far from the auction. Luckily, she wasn’t there to buy but simply to watch the auction process of the items she consigned.

Her full attention was on what Lu Ziji had said.

Tao Qi noticed Yun Zhi was busy on her phone, typing messages from time to time, and wisely didn’t disturb her.

Lu Ziji continued, “Besides, even if he wanted to destroy the world, his strength doesn’t allow it. What I gave you can only wake him up. His physical condition is about the same as an ordinary person, maybe a bit stronger. Earth has no spiritual energy, so cultivation is impossible here. If he forcibly uses his soul power to harm others, it’s possible, but at a huge cost—he would fall into a long coma again and be unable to wake.”

Yun Zhi: ………

Ah, so he’s just a toothless tiger, a featherless phoenix!

Oh, then it’s okay.

Though describing a former Golden Core master like that might be a bit disrespectful, knowing his combat power was no different from an ordinary person, and that using it once would cost him dearly, she instantly felt much more at ease.

Yun Zhi asked, “Brother Lu, you’ve crossed into the cultivation world, so why do you still care so much about the original owner’s affairs? Unless it’s for your family’s sake, whether he wakes up or not shouldn’t concern you. Besides, he’s not you, and your personalities should differ a lot. Over time, your family would notice the differences between you, right?”

Though selfish, having read many transmigration novels, few protagonists still cared so much about the original soul’s fate or tried their best to awaken them.

Moreover, according to Lu Ziji, he had become Lu Ziji and wouldn’t be able to ascend but must follow the sect’s expectations—dying to save the cultivation world five hundred years later.

Though his lifespan was extended, most of it was spent cultivating and slaying demons, suppressing desires without romantic involvement. Such a chosen one might as well not be one.

Romance she could avoid, but being forbidden to have it was bitter indeed.

Yun Zhi asked again, “Also, Brother Lu, do you really want to live the life arranged by others?”

Lu Ziji smiled bitterly: “I don’t want to either. But Lu Ziji is also me. Essentially, we are the same soul reincarnated. Lu Ziji is the eighth generation, and the original Lu Ziji is the ninth.”

“But due to scheming by some higher-ups, the souls of the eighth and ninth generations were swapped.”

“Originally, my modern life was supposed to go through a romantic tribulation. Now, trading places to bear the responsibility of saving the world in the cultivation realm isn’t so bad. After all, through the Tongtian Mystic Mirror, I’ve glimpsed some heavenly secrets. If I succeed in saving the world, cough, when I die and return to my old home above, I’ll get promoted—you know how it is.”

“But the problem is, Lu Ziji must go through the romantic tribulation in the modern world for me! That’s extremely difficult.”

“If he doesn’t cooperate, my current self in the ninth generation won’t have a fulfilled heart and won’t be able to advance through the Tribulation Crossing!”

“By then, don’t talk about getting promoted when returning home. I’ll vanish with the entire cultivation world, my soul dissipating, never to reincarnate.”

Yun Zhi: …

This was a headache.

She thought dealing with Mu Xue and Tao Qi’s tangled relationship—constantly using her as a messenger and exchanging gifts—was troublesome enough.

Now there was something even more complicated!

Did she have to make friends with this cultivation big shot?

Or just let the cultivation world perish.

She wasn’t particularly eager to go to the cultivation world anyway; life in the modern world was quite happy.

If life was shorter, so be it!

For a moment, Yun Zhi wanted to give up, to ignore whatever tasks Lu Ziji gave her.

After all, he said the system couldn’t force her to do unwanted tasks.

But…

Her conscience pricked a little.

After all, she had changed her predicament and helped her parents recover thanks to the chat group.

And the chat group’s creation was directly related to Lu Ziji.

Meaning, indirectly, Lu Ziji had helped her.

She couldn’t just watch him reincarnate nine times, fail his mission, and have his soul dissipate!

Wasn’t there still hope? She would try her best first. If it still didn’t work, she couldn’t be blamed.

As for how to deal with the original Lu Ziji after he woke up in the modern world... that would be another matter.

For now, she’d treat the tasks like a job. Workers are above all!

Be brave, Zhi Zhi, fear no difficulties!

Yun Zhi skillfully comforted herself and asked, “Brother Lu, what exactly do you want me to deliver to Lu Ziji? How can I prove myself trustworthy to your family? Besides delivering the item, do I need to do anything else?”