I Have A Cultivation World Chapter 4 - 4 Return to City_1

“How am I supposed to explain this when I call for help? That I was transported by a turtle shell? Kidnapped? Or just lost?”

Chen Mobai had anxiously contacted the Immortal Enforcement Department, only for something terrifying to happen.

His phone displayed no signal!

The call failed to connect.

Even in the deepest trenches of the Terrestrial Planet’s oceans, coverage from the Stars of Immortality was supposed to be available.

Chen Mobai recalled a Rank-5 Array Master bragging on a television program that even during the world-opening war two millennia ago, a cultivator falling into the abyss could still receive a signal from the Terrestrial Planet, maintaining communication across the entire Cultivation world.

Exactly where was he?

Chen Mobai was completely stunned.

He searched his memories for answers and physically examined every inch of the Water Mansion, even tapping on the floor bricks to find a way out.

Ultimately, Chen Mobai was forced to sit on the main hall floor in despair.

No exit strategy could be found.

Just as he was about to give up and begin his meditation and Cultivation practice, a silver glow suddenly lit up his phone screen, startling him.

“What is this?”

He saw an unfamiliar app icon on his screen that he had never downloaded.

The icon depicted a small, dark-green turtle.

The text beneath the icon read:

[Turtle Treasure]!

What on earth was going on?

Chen Mobai instinctively tried to delete the app, as he disliked having unknown software on his device.

However, a red notification popped up on the screen: [Cannot Uninstall].

What was happening?

It felt as though his phone had developed its own consciousness.

Furious, Chen Mobai was ready to restart the device when a sudden realization struck him.

Could this Turtle Treasure be... the turtle shell?

He quickly tapped the app to open it.

It launched without any lag or errors.

The interface was basic, featuring only three primary buttons: [Teleportation], [Return Home], and [Agency].

Chen Mobai felt a mix of shock and excitement, though he remained wary. After checking for instructions and finding none, he hesitantly pressed [Return Home].

[This process requires an 8-second channeling period. You must not be interrupted. Please ensure you are in a quiet location.].

This warning appeared the moment he touched the button.

Before Chen Mobai could even consider what might count as a disturbance, a burst of silver light erupted. It wrapped around him in a spiral, piercing through the void and whisking him away from the Water Mansion.

“I’m back?”

As the silver radiance dimmed, Chen Mobai realized he was back in his bedroom, his hand still touching the turtle shell.

Whoosh!

He yanked his hand back and scrambled onto his bed, grabbing a sword from the wall. It was a gift his father had bought from the Cave Heaven Scenic Area when he was a child.

The blade was shiny, but it was just a thirty-centimeter toy model for kids.

Silence filled the room for several minutes.

Chen Mobai stared warily at the turtle shell. While he was debating what to do with it, the sound of the front door opening echoed from downstairs.

His mother had returned.

He recognized the specific sound of the door immediately.

Because he had hung a “Cultivating” sign on his door, his mother didn't come up to bother him, though he could hear her grumbling to herself.

“That boy... I told him to do his breathing exercises in the cultivation room near the spirit vein, but he insists on staying in his bedroom...”

Chen Mobai thought about going down but decided against it.

He carefully put away his Child Model Demon Subduing Sword and, using a lightness technique, crept back to inspect the turtle shell once more.

...

The following morning.

Exhausted, Chen Mobai dragged himself downstairs. He ate the breakfast his mother had lovingly prepared while listening to her lectures, then rushed to catch the bus with his bag.

Once morning study ended, a plain-looking elderly man entered the room on schedule.

“Good morning, Mr. Ding!”

The students stood to greet him. Old man Ding nodded and said calmly,

“Today, we will continue our work on reinforcing defensive structures in spellcraft...”

The Immortal Curriculum categorizes everything a student must learn into four primary fields.

These are [Technique, Pill, Instrument, Array]!

These subjects are further divided into many specialized branches. High school seniors must choose one as their major, which effectively shapes their entire career path.

This system is much like the choice between arts and sciences in the old schools of the Terrestrial Planet before the rise of the Immortal Civilization.

The main difference is that in the world of Immortal Cultivation, there are four paths to choose from.

To get into the top-tier Daoist Academies, one needs more than just high exam scores and a strong cultivation realm; passing the academy’s specific entrance test is vital.

Chen Mobai and his peers had all selected [Techniques Law] as their major.

While he wasn't sure about the others, Chen Mobai chose Techniques Law because it was the cheapest option.

Studying the Pill, Instrument, or Array paths requires significant resources and Good Deed Points to practice.

In contrast, Techniques Law is simple.

Success comes down to one thing: Practice!

Furthermore, studying Techniques Law opens the door to becoming a Talisman Master, which is one of the most lucrative professions among the Hundred Arts of Cultivation.

Chen Mobai’s goal was to become a talisman master.

He had a natural advantage, as his mother worked in a factory that produced talisman paper. Growing up in that environment gave him insights that would save him time in his studies, allowing him to focus more on his cultivation.

Their teacher, Ding Jinglue, was a well-known figure in Red Sandstone City.

In his youth, he had decent talent, possessing a three-attribute True Spirit Root, which was slightly superior to Chen Mobai’s own.

His initial exam scores were average, only getting him into the local Cinnabarite Institute. However, through twenty years of grueling effort, he passed the elite entrance exam for the top ten academies.

Unfortunately, his progress was too slow.

Even though he studied at the Pure Yang Academy and reached the peak of Qi Cultivation before the age of sixty, he failed his Foundation Establishment attempt despite having access to secret techniques.

After losing his chance at the academy, Ding Jinglue spent another twenty years working his way back to the peak of Qi Cultivation to try again.

Tragically, he failed a second time.

With his potential spent after two failed attempts, Ding Jinglue returned to Red Sandstone City to teach.

Before his failed attempts at Foundation Establishment, he had been obsessed with his own growth. Only after returning home did he have the time to master the Hundred Arts of Cultivation.

He became highly skilled in the Path of Spellcraft since it cost nothing to practice. However, as a teacher, he was quite dull, often leaving his students sleepy.

Usually, Chen Mobai wouldn't pay much attention, but today was different.