Romance of Cultivation in Another World

"Bro, can you hurry up?" A man dressed in bizarre clothing grumbled at the man behind him. The man in the rear smiled faintly upon hearing the complaint. "What's the rush? The scenery on the 山 mid-slope of Mount Huangshan is stunning. Why force yourself to climb to the top right away?" "Fuck! It's still pitch-black. You can't see shit!" the oddly dressed man shot back. "Bro, this isn't how you pretend to be cool! If we don't hurry, we'll miss the sunrise!" Flushing with embarrassment, the man scratched the back of his head. He shot a glare at his companion but began climbing the steep trail. Soon, they reached the designated Sunrise Viewing Platform. As it wasn't an ideal day for sunrise-watching, the platform was nearly empty. Still, the two were giddy with excitement—this was their first time witnessing a mountain sunrise. As time ticked by, the first streak of dawn appeared on the horizon. Strangely, it wasn't the usual red hue but a golden light tinged with purple. "Hey, Chen Peng—is sunrise supposed to be this color? It looks nothing like the books," said the man, whose name was Lu Chen. Chen Peng's frown deepened. "Big Bro Lu, you're called the 'Moving google' at school! If you don't know, how would I? Let's just wait and see. Maybe it'll make sense later." He turned back to the anomalous glow. Lu Chen could only sigh and focus on the horizon. As the sun rose, the purple tint grew more intense. Suddenly, a shadowy figure shimmered within the purple light! Lu Chen's eyes bulged. "How can there be a figure in the sun? That's impossible!" he muttered. "What? A figure in the sunrise?" Chen Peng stared, then pressed a hand to Lu Chen's forehead. "No fever... Are you hallucinating from too many novels?" Lu Chen rolled his eyes. "Fuck off! See for yourself!" He pointed to the horizon. "Still talking nonsense... Wait, where's the figure?" Chen Peng squinted. "Did it disappear?" "I... Maybe I did imagine it," Lu Chen admitted, rubbing his eyes. "Must be from lack of sleep. I'll crash after this." By then, the sun had risen halfway, blazing red. Lu Chen, distracted by the earlier oddity, lost interest in the scenery. He bid farewell to Chen Peng, took the cable car down, and collapsed into bed. When he woke, stars dotted the sky. Glancing at Chen Peng's snoring form, Lu Chen sighed and wandered to the hotel's outdoor platform. The night air hummed with cricket chirps, a wild symphony under the stars. As the breeze tousled his hair, Lu Chen wandered aimlessly—until he realized he'd stumbled back to the dawn-watching summit. How did I climb this dangerous trail in the dark? he wondered. His glow-in-the-dark watch read 2 AM—the witching hour, when Taoists believed yin energy peaked. The eerie silence made his skin prickle. "There's no such thing as ghosts..." he muttered, voice trembling. Then, the eastern horizon ignited again with purple light—brighter than before. Silhouettes materialized within the glow. "Not again... Am I still dreaming?" Lu Chen gasped. He pinched himself hard—painful, real—but the figures remained, moving closer. Panicked, he tried to flee, but his legs felt rooted. The purple aura approached rapidly, and he squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the worst. The figures grew clear, but Lu Chen remained blind to them. One knelt before him, eyes blazing with excitement, and seized his hands. "You've finally come!" a voice boomed. Before Lu Chen could react, a searing pain split his skull, and everything went dark...