My Longevity Simulation Chapter 1188: The Immortal Ark Splits in Two

“Zhao Xian!” Zhao Wuji bellowed, his face twisting in a cold snort upon the sight of him.

Zhao Xian was shaken back to reality in an instant.

Narrowing his eyes, Zhao Wuji demanded, “Tell me. What does your mission have to do with the feud between the Severed Immortal Tower and the Celestial Pivot Court?”

“Master is simply showing goodwill and clarifying your stance. Since taking over Sin Suppression Valley, this is the Severed Immortal Tower’s first time collecting relics. Every eye is on them. They want to see if the tower’s methods hold up against the ancient traditions of the Celestial Pivot Court. Disposing of useless relics for recycling... it would have been a trivial matter. Yet, you had us go ourselves. It acts as a clear signal of your allegiance to the Severed Immortal Tower, while simultaneously making a move on the board for the external forces currently watching us...”

Zhao Xian articulated his thoughts with a listless, detached tone.

Zhao Wuji nodded rhythmically as he soaked in the analysis, clearly pleased with his pupil’s sharp insight.

However, the sight of Zhao Xian’s indifferent expression reignited his ire.

As he moved to reprimand him, Zhao Xian cut in proactively: “Master, I truly fail to see the point. The Immortal Ark is already in such a dire state. Why must we exhaust ourselves tearing each other apart instead of finding a way to unite?”

Zhao Wuji’s complexion shifted abruptly. He flicked his wrist, casting a barrier to ensure no sound could escape his disciple’s mouth.

“You foolhardy child...”

“Is there anything incorrect in my words?” Zhao Xian replied, lifting his chin without a hint of fear.

In a fit of sudden anger, Zhao Wuji summoned a disciplinary ruler, brandishing it over Zhao Xian’s head.

Ultimately, he refrained from delivering the blow.

“Xian’er, you are simply too inexperienced to understand.”

“The Immortal Ark relies on a single helmsman; it can tolerate no other arrangement. The catastrophe from long ago is a testament to the fatal price of a divided high command,” Zhao Wuji sighed heavily.

Hearing these grim words, Zhao Xian’s demeanor darkened, and he opted to remain silent.

“You are all dismissed,” Zhao Wuji muttered, clearly exhausted by the conversation.

“Stay within the academy and do not wander off. Focus solely on your cultivation. Since I have already picked a side, we need only wait for the final outcome. Even if the Severed Immortal Tower falls, the Celestial Pivot Court would never dare purge the Academy of Dao Attainment. At worst, they will only trim our resource supplies.”

The three disciples retreated to their respective living quarters.

Despite its grandiose name, the Academy of Dao Attainment offered rather humble lodgings.

Zhao Xian’s room was sparse, resembling a simple hut rather than a residence for someone on the path of cultivation.

The only saving grace was the thin layer of Qi, which was significantly denser here than in the rest of the Immortal Ark.

It was barely enough to sustain the cultivation needs of anyone below the Golden Core stage.

Once the door was sealed securely with protective restrictions, a spark of fervor ignited in Zhao Xian’s eyes. He fished a book-shaped artifact from beneath the bed.

Before he could activate it, a heavy blow rendered him unconscious.

Li Fan’s clone gradually materialized, lifting the artifact from his grasp.

“Hmm... It functions much like the Tianxuan Mirror, tapping into the Immortal Ark’s network. One can exchange contributions for resources, though it remains restricted to the Academy of Dao Attainment without access to the wider network.”

Li Fan cast the 'Myriad Inquiries Record' aside with a scoff.

He then dissolved into a wisp of emerald smoke, drifting into Zhao Xian’s mind.

A mere youth at the Qi Condensation stage stood no chance against Li Fan’s intrusion.

Within minutes, the entirety of Zhao Xian’s life—every memory since birth—lay exposed before him.

It turned out that while Zhao Xian and Zhao Wuji shared a surname, they possessed no familial ties. Zhao Wuji’s preference for his student was based solely on his potential.

In just a single year, he had ascended to the late stage of Qi Condensation at the Academy of Dao Attainment.

While such speed would be unremarkable in the Xuanhuang Realm, it was heralded as exceptional within the confines of the Immortal Ark.

Resources here were incredibly scarce. Even the frugally managed academy prioritized only the most gifted disciples.

Every three years, an assessment would weed out the least successful pupils.

The laggards were ejected—forced to either drift as independent cultivators or serve the Celestial Pivot Court in the most dangerous corners of the Ark.

This brutal cycle was the only reason the academy remained efficient.

Even teachers like the Nascent Soul expert Zhao Wuji were not exempt from these pressures; lackluster student performance reflected poorly on his own standing, risking his expulsion from his teaching post.

Consequently, the academy existed under a heavy, suffocating cloud.

Everyone lived in constant fear of the day they would be cast out.

Zhao Xian, however, remained a strange outlier.

He lacked any deep attachment to the place and showed little interest in the rigors of cultivation.

Onlookers assumed his rapid progress was due to endless, brutal training. In reality, he achieved this status with almost zero effort.

His true passion was scouring the Myriad Inquiries Record for legends and historical curiosities. He was obsessed with the origin of the Immortal Ark and the vast mysteries of the Star Sea.

Li Fan meticulously sifted through the boy’s memories, including data harvested from the Record and the answers he had extracted from pestering his elders.

“In the ancient past, the Immortal Ark was a unified whole. Internal strife and the extinction-level catastrophe of the Star Sea eventually tore it apart into two sections.”

“Named the Xuan Immortal Ark and its counterpart...”

Li Fan continued his mental examination.

“After the fragmentation, the Ark drifted through the Star Sea in a chaotic, rudderless state for an eternity.”

“The population suffered catastrophic losses during that period, with nine out of ten dying.”

“Only when the Ark finally stabilized within the Sea of Relics did the chaos end.”

“It has been effectively shackled there ever since... capable of minor shifts but utterly unable to break free from the gravitational pull of the surrounding relics.”

Li Fan paused, pondering the name the local cultivators gave to this phenomenon.

“The Echoing Star Force?”

“What exactly is meant by ‘echoing’ in this context?”

Zhao Xian was just an insignificant Qi Condensation cultivator; his knowledge was already far beyond his rank simply because of his constant badgering of the elders. He knew nothing of the phenomenon’s root cause.

Li Fan banked the mystery for later and shifted his thoughts to his next maneuver.

His current clone was far too weak. Only by integrating his Holy Embryo would he attain the necessary strength. The sole obstacle remained the lingering influence of the True Immortal Seal Script. His mind drifted to the talisman he had seen the Severed Immortal Tower utilize just moments ago.”