The Difference Between Immortals and Mortals: Fangzheng Gets a Water Meter Check

What is the fundamental difference between mortals and immortals?

This is a question worth deep contemplation.

After years of exploration, Chen Yi finally arrived at the definitive answer today.

The reason mortal flesh remains mortal is because it is still bound within the constraints of heaven and earth, subject to the laws of the Great Dao. It relies on absorbing the natural spiritual essence of the external world to sustain itself. However, this very dependence causes the body to develop resistance, gradually diminishing the efficacy of the natural essence until vitality wanes and death follows.

Even someone as formidable as Chen Yi—whose two-star avatar can suppress pseudo-immortals and whose three-star avatar might even challenge a true immortal—still requires replenishment from the world's natural spiritual essence. Though he is young, with his vitality at its peak, his reliance is not yet severe.

True immortals, on the other hand, achieve an internal cyclical world within their bodies. They sustain themselves through an inexhaustible self-generated spiritual essence, independent of the external world. Without dependence, there is no resistance, granting them eternal life.

Thus, the most fundamental distinction between immortals and mortals lies in their interaction with heaven and earth.

To break free from reliance on the world's spiritual essence, the most crucial step is to cultivate an immortal body capable of internal circulation.

And to cultivate such a body, one must possess sufficient immortal-grade spiritual resources!

But here lies the problem: the current Heavenly Tribulation for ascension is absurdly difficult, and the immortal realm remains utterly inaccessible. Where could Chen Yi possibly find enough immortal-grade resources to sustain his needs?

The pseudo-immortal realm could be considered a temporary solution, but unfortunately, its reserves of immortal-grade resources are meager—barely enough to support the cultivation of a single immortal body. Further progress would be impossible.

Moreover, pseudo-immortal realms are rare. Among the 108 realms in the chat group, only An Lan's Western Sea Realm qualifies as one; the others fall short in rank.

Relying solely on this path would only lead to a dead end!

This is why the Multiverse Store within the chat group is of such critical importance!

A steady supply of immortal spirit stones would ensure he never has to worry about scarcity. However, the origins of the chat group are shrouded in mystery, and its products may carry hidden influences. Overuse could erode one's autonomy, turning them into a pawn of some unknown entity.

As the old saying goes, every gift from fate comes with a price. Those who seek unearned gains will inevitably pay a steep cost.

Thus, Chen Yi has no intention of using the Multiverse Store's immortal spirit stones for his true self.

His plan is to cultivate all his avatars into immortal bodies before confronting the Heavenly Tribulation again. If the orthodox trial of ascension remains impassable, he’ll force his way in!

"Eighty-one attempts... eighty-one! And in the end, it was all a lie! Damned Heavenly Tribulation—I’ll conquer you sooner or later!"

Chen Yi's true form burned with determination, his gaze filled with vengeance against the immortal realm.

......

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Life had been exceptionally comfortable for Fang Zheng during this time.

By day, he cultivated the "Great Devouring Heaven Art," refining the heavenly thunder essence left in his body by the group leader. His progress was meteoric!

A glance at the chat group’s combat power rankings confirmed it: three days ago, he was a fledgling with a measly 300,000 combat power. Now, he had soared to 1.3 million!

Admittedly, 700,000 of that came from the heavenly thunder essence forcibly infused by the group leader. But the remaining 300,000? That was purely the result of Fang Zheng’s relentless effort and perseverance!

After daytime cultivation, he switched to the "Soul Dominion Art" at night, tempering his divine soul.

With this dual approach, his progress was both steady and swift!

Each morning, after concluding his soul cultivation, he’d check into the chat group with a refreshed spirit, claiming his daily 2,200 points. Without hesitation, he’d exchange them for 20,000 spirit stones and deposit them into the clan treasury.

Then, he’d wait patiently for the beloved group leader to drop a massive luck-based red packet containing a whopping 220,000 spirit stones.

On a good day, he’d snag over 100,000; on a bad day, he’d still walk away with at least 30,000 or 40,000.

There was simply no way to spend it all!

In the past, the Fang Clan had to toil for an entire month just to distribute a meager 20 source stones per member—and even that wasn’t always guaranteed. Life had been austere.

Now?

Twenty spirit stones per day, per person—more for those with higher cultivation. And these were spirit stones, far superior in energy quality to source stones!

Though the Fang Clan was still just a minor family tucked away in a corner of Yunzhou, their benefits now rivaled—or even surpassed—those of the world’s top-tier clans. Only the supreme Imperial Clans still held a slight edge.

But how many members did those Imperial Clans have? Barely a hundred!

The Fang Clan? Over a thousand!

Per capita, they might lag, but in total distribution, they were nearly on par!

By this measure, the Fang Clan had the makings of an Imperial Clan!

Having never experienced such prosperity, the clan members revered their patriarch with near-religious fervor, hailing him as if he were a sovereign.

Even Fang Fan, the young master with the potential to become a Great Emperor, found himself reevaluating his seemingly unreliable father.

Not only had he secured an absurd amount of cultivation resources, but he’d also somehow befriended a mysterious Great Emperor and obtained two supreme-grade Emperor-level techniques... Was this really the same old man he’d known?

"Old man, the Great Devouring Heaven Art is fantastic, and the Soul Dominion Art is just as good. But I’ve burned through my thousand spirit stones—time to cough up some more!"

Fang Fan didn’t bother probing his father’s secrets. With the outside world currently turbulent, venturing out was risky. So, he simply held out his hand and demanded more.

Fang Zheng: "..."

A thousand spirit stones gone in one night? Even a typical Violet Mansion cultivator couldn’t consume that much!

And this little glutton did it without breaking a sweat?

In the past, such a resource-draining son would’ve been unsustainable for the Fang Clan, forcing him to fend for himself.

But now?

Truly worthy of being his protagonist son—undeniable proof of his Great Emperor potential!

"Here, this storage ring holds 100,000. Go wild—your old man’s got spirit stones to spare!"

The Fang patriarch casually handed over what used to be the clan’s monthly income without batting an eye.

After all, he’d been today’s luckiest red packet winner.

There was simply no end to the abundance!

Being invited into the group by the esteemed leader was the greatest fortune of his life.

Not only had it resolved the Fang Clan’s crises, but it had also paved the way for an infinitely brighter future.

All his gratitude could be distilled into a single phrase:

"Repay the lord’s golden platform favor, drawing the jade dragon’s blade to die in his service!"

The group leader’s kindness was a debt that could never be fully repaid...

After his daily moment of reverence, Fang Zheng finally began preparing for today’s cultivation session.

The chat group had become a den of relentless grinders, each pushing their limits. Especially that "Runner-Up," who, leveraging his prodigious talent, never missed a chance to boast about reclaiming his second-place throne.

Admittedly, his pursuit was fierce—but surpassing Fang Zheng? Impossible!

Yet today, his ambitions of being the top grinder were doomed.

Because...

After three days of silence, the Heavenly Dao had finally mobilized a legion of Forbidden Zone Sovereigns to come knocking!