The Extraordinary Ten Thousand Souls Banner

"In this pile of useless crystals, you even managed to dig out the Demon Refining Pot, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, the Immortal Binding Rope, the Heavenly Dragon Blade, and a bunch of other immortal artifacts you brought along."

"They don't seem to be unusual."

"You tried them out a couple of times, and they still have all their functions, but it feels like their powers aren't as strong as they were in the Void Realm."

"There's one small problem."

"The artifact spirits are gone!"

"'I didn't expect that after ascending, I'd end up all alone...'"

"On this journey, you often used to chat with this pile of immortal artifacts."

"Sometimes, you even set up a game at the beacon tower, played some cards, and relaxed a bit."

"Now, this overwhelming feeling of 'only me left' washes over you."

"'Holy crap! Buddy! Is this the Real Realm? It looks no different from our Void Realm!'"

"The Ten Thousand Soul Banner fluttered up, and the voice of its artifact spirit came from within."

"Hearing the Ten Thousand Soul Banner's voice, you actually felt a little moved."

"But also a little puzzled."

"'Old Wan, the other immortal artifacts' spirits are all gone—how come you're still here? Is it because you're a super-immortal artifact?'"

"The Ten Thousand Soul Banner didn't know either. After confirming that the Demon Refining Pot's spirit was truly gone, he puffed up his chest and laughed uproariously."

"'Hahaha! That eunuch steward! Useless, isn't he? Only when the tide goes out do you see who's swimming naked, hahaha!'"

"The Ten Thousand Soul Banner's laughter was just his armor."

"You and the Ten Thousand Soul Banner were both thinking the same thing: Did the artifact spirits vanish temporarily, or were they erased by the power of the Real Realm?"

"You figure it wouldn't hurt to ask those who know more about the Real Realm."

"You pulled Yi Chengsheng out again."

"'I didn't expect you'd actually make it to the Real Realm...'"

"'How do you know this is the Real Realm? The surroundings don't look any different.'"

"'No difference? Then why can't you extend your spiritual sense? Why can't you fly freely anymore? And aren't those crystals of yours just a pile of broken rocks now? The Real Realm has higher-level, more complete, and sturdier world rules! Someone at the mere Qi Transformation stage thinking they can have 'spiritual sense' or 'flight'? Keep dreaming! Not to mention those things—in the Void Realm, you could easily shatter space. Here? Delusional! A martial god from the mortal realm, once in the Real Realm, would at best be able to split a small mountain peak with sheer force. As for shattering space, you've still got a long way to go!'"

"A lot of the ancient reliquary people came to the Real Realm."

"It's impossible for every one of them to have made a name for themselves upon arrival."

"But with a big enough pool, some of them did achieve remarkable accomplishments and found ways to send information about the Real Realm back."

"That's how Yi Chengsheng came to know this intelligence about the Real Realm."

"You more or less understand now."

"In short, whether it's cultivators or immortal artifacts, they themselves haven't actually changed—but the environment around them has gotten stronger, making them seem weaker than in the Void Realm."

"Of course, you, as a Qi Transformation stage cultivator, can't fly, and the Qi Transformation stage cultivators in the Real Realm can't fly either. The laws of heaven and earth treat everyone the same."

"'Will my lifespan shorten because the world's rules have changed?'"

"This is the question you care about most—it determines how many traits you can draw."

"'Why the hell should I tell you so much? You're my enemy!'"

"'If you hadn't said that, I would've forgotten.'"

"You raised your materialistic iron fist and beat Yi Chengsheng until he doubted his existence."

"'Stop hitting me! Even in the Real Realm, reaching the Qi Transformation stage isn't easy! From the Qi Transformation stage onward, lifespan increases—it's the same for every race!'"

"'That's good to hear. So, after training to the Martial God level, which is the seventh turn of Qi Transformation, you can still have a thousand years of lifespan, right?'"

"'Yes! But a thousand years' lifespan is still a threshold in the Real Realm. If you want to go further, just raising your realm alone won't cut it!'"

"'Then what needs to be done?'"

"'Do you think I know everything? I don't know much more than you. Since you're here, explore it yourself! Stop asking me!'"

"You let Yi Chengsheng off the hook."

"What he said made sense."

"Since you're already here, it's better to uncover all this information on your own."

"This first simulation in the Real Realm is all about the experience—feeling your way across the stones to cross the river, laying a foundation for future simulations, and gathering enough intelligence."

"You pulled up your panel and noticed that your stage description had changed."

"Before, it was 'Mid Stage of Martial Saint.' Now it's 'Sixth Turn of Qi Transformation.'"

"It wasn't just the panel info."

"You browsed through some traits and found that the descriptions had changed too."

"Words like 'martial artist' had been replaced by 'cultivator.'"

"The Nine Martial Realms had also been swapped out with a new set of stage names."

"The effects of all traits remained unchanged—only some terminology had shifted."

"'The trait system has adapted to the environment on its own.'"

"Your storage ring was also ruined."

"In the Void Realm, it could contain a whole space, but here in the Real Realm, it had turned into an ordinary spiritual tool—wait, the Real Realm doesn't call them spiritual tools. From some trait descriptions, you saw they should be called 'magical artifacts.'"

"This magical artifact was incapable of opening up a separate space."

"Thinking about it, with the higher-dimensional spatial rules of the Real Realm pressing down, opening up space would certainly be extremely difficult."

"'Not having a storage ring is really inconvenient...'"

"The crystals were useless, so no need to bring them."

"But aside from the crystals, you still had to carry living supplies, cultivation resources, and a pile of magical artifacts."

"There was no way to carry it all."

"You could use the Immortal Binding Rope to tie them all together and sling them on your back, but wouldn't that be way too conspicuous?"

"And it would be inconvenient to do anything."

"'I've got to make some choices. First, bury what I can't carry somewhere. Later, after I get a Real Realm storage tool, I'll come back for them.'"

"You ditched all the food and water. From now on, you'll rely on 'Infinite White Congee,' which covers both water and food."

"Wearing the Hunyuan Armor, wielding the Heavenly Dragon Blade, stepping into the Thunder-Chasing Lightning-Boots, hooking on the Immortal Binding Rope, with the Ten Thousand Soul Banner stuck behind your back, and the Demon Refining Pot dangling from the banner's pole—"

"You looked like a peddler heading to a market fair. With every move, you clanked and banged all over."

"'I wonder what the people of the Real Realm look like. I'm sort of getting excited...'"

"With a nervous heart, you took your first step in the Real Realm."

"The vast earth stretched out endlessly."

"Sunrise and sunset—on the surface, it looked no different from the mortal realm."

"But here, there were two moons."

"'Why can't I cultivate?'"

"After nightfall, you wanted to substitute cultivation for rest, just like in the mortal realm."

"But you found that when you tried to run your breathing technique, the Blazing Heart Immortality Technique, you couldn't sense any ambient essence of heaven and earth."

"Without external spiritual energy, you couldn't increase your cultivation power out of thin air on your own."

"You pulled Yi Chengsheng out, gave him a beating, and asked him if he knew the reason."

"Unfortunately, he didn't know either."

"He only said that the Real Realm doesn't have essence of heaven and earth—only immortal energy. The cultivators' breathing techniques in the Real Realm worked by absorbing this immortal energy and converting it into their own true qi for cultivation."

"'Is it a problem with the technique?'"

"I have no idea if your technique has issues or not, but as far as I know, the Qi Refining arts from the Void Realm can be practiced normally in the Material Realm. It's no different—you just go from absorbing the essence of heaven and earth to absorbing immortal energy."

You furrow your brow in thought, suspecting that this place might not have any immortal energy.

"Still, I need to find a local to ask."