Immortal Paladin

005 Interrogation

With a flick of my wrist, I retrieved a pair of plush, cushioned chairs from my Item Box, letting them appear as if by magic. Gu Jie’s eyes widened in shock, and I had to admit, her reaction was satisfying.

Who in their right mind would waste storage space on furniture?

Well, I would.

Back in Lost Legends Online, I had planned to sell looted furnishings for quick cash… when the accident suddenly occurred. The game didn’t care if you stripped a dungeon down to its last crate, barrel, or decorative rug. If something wasn’t nailed down? Mine. If an entire throne room could be hauled away? Also mine. Unfortunately, my PC exploded, and now I was stuck in this xianxia world with enough furniture to open a teahouse.

Gu Jie, now properly clothed, lowered herself onto the chair with stiff hesitation, like she wasn’t used to such comfort. I settled into my own seat, exhaling as I leaned back.

Time for answers.

I laced my fingers together, my expression calm and unreadable. "Let’s start with the obvious. Why turn to banditry?"

Gu Jie flinched, fists clenching in her lap. "...I needed resources," she muttered.

"That’s vague." I tapped a finger against the armrest. "What kind of resources?"

"Food. Medicine. Qi-nourishing herbs." Her voice was quiet. "I have no sect. No patrons. No one to rely on. I—" She exhaled sharply, shoulders sagging. "I have nothing."

A rogue cultivator, then. No wonder she was this desperate. Most sect-trained cultivators wouldn’t be this malnourished. That wouldn’t just make sense.

"Fine," I said. "What’s your cultivation level?"

She hesitated, then answered, "Martial Tempering Realm. First Star, Late-Stage."

That meant absolutely nothing to me.

I kept my expression neutral. "And that means…?"

She gave me a flat look. "It means I’m in the first major realm of cultivation."

"Right. And there are how many realms?"

Gu Jie frowned but still answered. "There are eleven major realms in total. But I only know the first four. They’re called the Four Great Attributes."

I nodded for her to continue.

"At the lowest is the Martial Tempering Realm," she explained. "The foundation. The body is strengthened—muscles, bones, stamina, everything. Before one can cultivate the mind, they must first temper the flesh."

"And the next?"

"The Mind Enlightenment Realm," she said. "A cultivator at this stage refines their mental strength and sharpens perception. Their senses, intuition, and ability to manipulate qi improve greatly."

I barely stopped myself from grimacing. The thought of fighting telepaths or warriors with premonition was… troubling.

Gu Jie continued, oblivious to my mild existential crisis.

"Then comes the Will Reinforcement Realm. This is when a cultivator tempers their intent, making their techniques far more powerful. A person with an indomitable will can suppress weaker cultivators just by existing near them."

That sounded like a nightmare to deal with.

"And the last one you know?"

"The Spirit Mystery Realm. This is when a cultivator begins touching upon the deeper mysteries of the Dao. Their qi refines further, and they gain abilities beyond mortal comprehension. Some say this is where true cultivation begins."

I let out a slow breath, mentally digesting everything she had just said.

Apparently, each realm was divided into nine Stars, which were further broken into Early, Mid, and Late stages.

Let me break that down:

Martial Tempering Realm→ Nine Stars → (Each Star has Early, Mid, and Late stages.)Mind Enlightenment Realm→ Nine Stars → (Each Star has Early, Mid, and Late stages.)Will Reinforcement Realm→ Nine Stars → (Each Star has Early, Mid, and Late stages.)Spirit Mystery Realm→ Nine Stars → (Each Star has Early, Mid, and Late stages.)And these were just the first four realms—out of eleven.

My lips twitched.

I barely kept my poker face intact.

How the hell did anyone keep track of this? Higher realms probably had even more ridiculous subdivisions. At this point, why not just create a numbered ranking system instead of playing connect-the-dots with Stars and Stages?

Gu Jie studied me, likely expecting some grand reaction. Instead, I exhaled calmly, keeping my expression a picture of polite understanding.

"Alright," I said evenly. "That makes sense."

(It didn’t. But I wasn’t about to admit that.)

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. "So… let’s say I meet someone who’s three Stars higher than me. How much stronger would they be?"

Gu Jie looked at me as if I had asked whether water was wet.

"That depends," she said carefully. "A three-Star difference within the same realm might be manageable. But if they’re in a higher realm entirely, you’d be like an ant trying to fight a mountain."

I did not like that comparison.

"And let me guess," I sighed. "There are geniuses who can fight people several realms above them."

Gu Jie nodded. "It’s rare, but it happens. Some people are born with heaven-defying talent. Others inherit powerful legacies or possess rare physiques that give them an overwhelming edge. Those people… they don’t follow normal logic."

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Of course, they don’t. Because this was a xianxia world, and nothing could ever be simple.

I leaned back in my chair, processing what I had learned.

Cultivation is absurdly complicated.I have no idea what my own "realm" is.Some people can straight-up ignore this system and break reality anyway.Wonderful. Just wonderful.

I exhaled slowly, then fixed Gu Jie with a measured look.

"Alright," I said. "One last question."

She tensed. "Yes, Senior?"

"Where’s the best place to find information on cultivation?"

Gu Jie hesitated before answering. "...If you seek the best resources, the finest manuals, the most profound knowledge—you’ll need to go to a major sect, an ancient clan, or a powerful city library."

I hummed. "And in this city?"

She bit her lip. "The Golden Sun Pavilion. It’s the grandest library in Yellow Dragon City. But…" She hesitated. "It is not open to just anyone."

Of course, it wasn’t.

I sighed, already feeling a headache forming.

"Figures."

Looks like I had a new destination.

I leaned forward, studying Gu Jie’s expression. “What do I need to do to enter the Golden Sun Pavilion?”

Gu Jie hesitated. “You’d need the City Governor’s permission.”

I resisted the urge to groan. Of course, it wouldn’t be simple.

Going through the City Governor could mean a lot of things—political entanglements, drawing attention to myself, or worse, getting caught up with the powerful sects gathering in the city. I wasn’t sure if that was a risk I was ready to take yet.

For now, I needed to understand my own situation first.

I shifted gears. “Alright. Based on your perception, what cultivation realm do you think I’m at?”

Gu Jie’s lips pressed together. She studied me carefully, as if weighing her words. “Beyond the Fourth Realm, most likely.”

That was… concerning.

I tapped my fingers against the chair’s armrest. “Use your qi sense—if that’s even a thing—to determine my realm.”

Gu Jie frowned. “Senior, why do you ask such strange questions?” She hesitated, then cautiously continued, “It’s as if you’re testing my understanding of cultivation.”

I said nothing, letting her work through her own thoughts.

After a pause, she muttered, “Is this because of your movement technique? That must be it…”

I narrowed my eyes. “Explain.”

Gu Jie swallowed and lowered her head slightly, as if afraid to misspeak. “That… step you took earlier, Senior. That was what broke me. The moment you moved, I knew I had no chance. I… I sincerely have no idea what realm you stand in, only that it is far beyond my reach.” She clenched her fists. “I only wish to be spared.”

So that was why she was so submissive. From her perspective, I was some high-level cultivator with unfathomable strength, toying with her for amusement or hidden intent.

The impression my Flash Step left was so overwhelming that she’d rather strip than risk my wrath.

Had she seen a similar technique before?

I remained silent.

Gu Jie hesitated, then spoke again. “But… your question is strange, Senior. It must be a test.”

I raised a brow. “And why is that?”

“Because only those in the Second Realm gain access to something like Qi Sense.”

I schooled my expression, keeping my thoughts hidden behind a brooding look. That was… unexpected.

The question about qi sense had been a shot in the dark, but now I had confirmation that cultivators had a universal method of gauging power levels. That meant if I met someone more experienced, they’d try to sense my qi—and find nothing.

That alone was bad enough.

But in another extreme, they might find something else.

Ugh.

If they detected my mana instead, what would they think? Would they assume I was some strange anomaly and try to capture me for study? Dissect me? Or worse—consider my mana some unnatural, forbidden force and decide to eliminate me on the spot?

…Yeah. That would be a problem.

Just as this world functioned on the universal constant of qi, the world of Lost Legends operated on mana. If the two weren’t compatible—or worse, if I was seen as something outside the natural order—I’d be in serious trouble.

I resisted the urge to rub my temples. One wrong move, and I’d be labeled an anomaly.

No. I couldn’t let that happen.

For now, I had to act like someone too powerful to be questioned. Let them believe what they wanted.

I leaned back into my chair, mind already moving ahead. If Flash Step was something only high-level cultivators could do, then I could use that as a bluff. It didn’t matter whether I actually had qi—what mattered was that others believed I did.

And more than that, I needed to stay under the radar.

If people started digging into my origins, they might realize something wasn’t right. If someone strong enough actually tested me, they might find nothing—no qi, no cultivation base, just… me.

That was the real worst-case scenario.

Being labeled an aberration and hunted down wasn’t how I planned to end up.

No, I had to be careful. Careful in what I revealed, careful in how I moved. If I played my cards right, I could keep people at arm’s length while still using their assumptions to my advantage.

“Good answer,” I said at last.

Gu Jie exhaled a quiet breath of relief, clearly believing she had passed whatever test she thought I was giving her.

I gazed toward the sky, thoughts swirling.

If I wanted real answers, I had to enter the Golden Sun Pavilion. And for that, I needed to make a choice.

But first, I had to deal with this bandit.

I turned back to Gu Jie, studying her carefully. “Have you ever harmed another person with ill intent?”

Her eyes flickered with surprise.

I activated Divine Sense.

It was one of those skills that felt a little unfair back in LLO. . Originally meant as a scouting ability, it doubled as a lie detector when used correctly. The developers had a twisted sense of humor, punishing players for everything from theft to bad quest decisions. This was one of those skills that could make or break negotiations.

Gu Jie hesitated, then answered. “No.”

Divine Sense confirmed the truth.

I nodded. “Good. You didn’t lie.”

She flinched.

Useful reaction. A little fear would keep her honest.

I leaned forward, tapping my fingers against the chair’s armrest. “Now, tell me your story.”

Gu Jie swallowed hard. She understood this was a trial—a test to decide whether she lived or died.

Her eyes grew misty.

And then, she spilled everything.

She had been an orphan, taken as a child by a demonic cultivator. Raised in a world of shadows, she was forced to cultivate a twisted technique that warped her body and left lasting damage. It was no choice. It was a sentence.

Under cruel guidance, she climbed to the Third Realm—Will Reinforcement.

And then, her master stole her life force.

A bitter smile tugged at her lips as she recounted how her so-called master drained her cultivation, reducing her to the First Realm—crippling her progress, leaving her weaker than before.

She had barely escaped with her life.

She had been running ever since.

No wonder she looked so malnourished. The damage wasn’t just starvation—it was deep-rooted, a wound that went beyond the physical.

Her voice cracked slightly as she finished, “I had no choice… I just needed to survive.”

Silence stretched between us.

I studied her.

Then I sighed, rubbing my temple.

Gu Jie’s story was tragic, but it wasn’t unique. This world was brutal—those with power took what they wanted, and those without suffered. That much was already clear.

In a way, there was a smidgen of truth in tropes.

I tapped my fingers against the armrest of my chair, lost in thought.

I couldn’t ignore her suffering.

And honestly? I hadn’t had many chances to test my more magical abilities. I might as well take advantage of this one.

I leaned forward slightly, exhaling.

Time to test something.

Raising my hand, I pointed a single finger at Gu Jie.

"Divine Word: Life."

The air trembled.

Golden energy coalesced around her, flickering like sacred fire. Vitality surged within her, her body instinctively responding to the spell.

Gu Jie gasped as emerald and golden veins pulsed beneath her skin, raw life energy spreading through her frail frame. Her hollow cheeks gained color, her limbs filled out, and the sickly pallor that clung to her faded into something… whole. Stronger. Alive.

She trembled, staring at her hands in disbelief.

The Divine Word series in Lost Legends Online was one of the most powerful single-target magic abilities in the game. Each word was absolute, dictating a fundamental force that either empowered or crippled.

Divine Word: Life was a buff spell.

In game terms, it granted a second health bar atop the original, alongside a powerful regeneration effect. A spell that could turn the tide of a losing battle—or, in this case, restore a broken person.

Gu Jie’s breath hitched. "W-what… what did you just do to me?” Her voice was weak. Afraid.

I didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, I stood, letting the weight of my actions settle in the air.

With a flick of my wrist, the chairs vanished into my Item Box, as smoothly as they had appeared.

Then, meeting her wide-eyed gaze, I spoke evenly:

"This was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. I pray you’ll live a better life from now on."

Gu Jie looked like she didn’t know whether to cry or kowtow.

Internally?

I was kind of pleased with myself.

Damn, I sound like a fine paladin.