Years had passed. Over time, Xie Qing became increasingly stronger in mind and body.


    After so many grueling training sessions and meditations, in the third year, his body became as hard as a boulder, and he could easily break rocks with his hands and lift weights of almost a ton with just one arm.


    In the fifth year, he finally felt Qi and no longer had problems detecting it. Ten yearster, on his 60th birthday...


    "I-I..."


    With a stammering, hoarse voice, Xie Qing looked at his body, which was brightly glowing with Qi. He clenched his hand and heard the air cry out. This feeling of power was intoxicating!


    "First stage of Enlightenment... Heavens... I... did it!"


    Xie Qing clenched his teeth and was ready to cry with joy. The grueling ten years had made his soul suffer. Every day was like Groundhog Day - practice, training, meditation, reading.


    This vicious circle did not end, even when his body could already withstand the powerful monsters that he used to fear. Only when he felt Qi in his veins, that''s when it be a reason for pride!


    "So many years of my efforts have not been in vain... I did it! I did it!" he cried out excitedly, clenching his fists and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes: "How tired I am! Every day, every damn day..."


    Fuuuh!


    Xie Qing took a deep breath and exhaled. The air around him swirled, emitting a terrifying roar. The Qi in his veins surged!


    "First stage of Enlightenment... this is just the beginning of the cultivator''s path!" After his moment of joy, the man hastened to lower himself to the ground. He clenched his fists: "My path has not truly begun, and I am already rejoicing. An uneptable luxury!"


    The cold reality hit him in the face. Xie Qing remembered the unspoken rule of the cultivation world - do not allow mortals to obtain cultivation techniques!


    And who was he? That''s right, a mortal!


    A mortal is different from a cultivator''s offspring in that they have what they call a "Soul Embryo." In a mortal, it is more impure, more chaotic.


    And those born in a cultivator''s family - are pure! Because of this, most mortals do not even get a chance to be cultivators.


    Xie Qing clenched his teeth. Before him, the past opened up, but the past closed. He was a stranger among his own!


    "No one will ept a mortal among them. It''s too dangerous..." Xie Qing thought, recalling the harsh rules of sects and organizations: "To them, I am the worst gue. That''s why I can''t avoid the fate of loneliness!"


    How ironic. Even the cultivation technique he obtained screamed of his future - the Lonely Executioner Technique.


    ***


    Years had passed. Xie Qing had sessfully broken through to the second stage of Enlightenment. He was already over seventy years old.


    However, his appearance was preserved at around fifty years old. This was because cultivators always have the opportunity to preserve their appearance, provided that their lifespan is long and their life energy is whole.


    He could regain his youthful appearance when he reached the Foundation Building stage, but that was a distant goal for him.


    During this period, Xie Qing lived in a small vige. There were no cultivators here, and even monsters did not visit this ce for many years.


    The reason was simple - the vige was half-ruined. Only about twenty people were living here, of whom only five were representatives of the younger generation and had strength.


    Mostly, the elderly worked to the maximum in the fields. Xie Qing often saw how someone older, and even younger than him, died right before his eyes.


    "Hang in there, brother Xie... she was a good woman. The Heavens will definitely allow her to be reborn as a happy person!"


    The rain was pouring. Xie Qing stood with a grim expression in front of the fresh grave. The inscription on it read: "Elizabeth - a beautifuldy, a kind person, and a good wife."


    "Even you have left me..."


    Xie Qing clenched his teeth, his emotions exploding inside him. This girl was very young when they met - she was about forty years old. A widoweddy, helpless, but so bright.


    She attracted his attention and turned his head. In the end, a me of love appeared between them.


    Unfortunately, they had no children - they were no longer young. If Xie Qing, as a cultivator, had the strength for it, then hisdy clearly did not. Childbirth would onlyplicate her health, so the man did not insist.


    "Heavens, my path is covered in loneliness. Even if I can live for another hundred years, my end is still near..." Xie Qing thought and sighed, stroking the grave: "After death, I dream of touching you again, falling asleep in your arms, and never parting."


    Ffffh...


    And the rain kept pouring. Xie Qing did not move from the spot for a week. The vigers came to visit him.


    "Eh? Where is he?!"


    One day, the man disappeared. All that remained of his traces was a book. The boy who came to check on Uncle Xie Qing picked up the book, and his eyes sparkled.


    "This is ''The Mortal Who Fell in Love with the Immortal''! In my childhood, my Uncle often told me this story..."


    ***


    Vshuuuh!


    A cold wind blew, ruffling Xie Qing''s long hair, which was tied in a ponytail. He was no longer young. Even the long life of a cultivator had its limits, and his hair had long since turned gray.


    He sat on a rock and meditated. His eyes were closed.


    The bad weather did not bother him at all. Despite the snowstorm, he simply cultivated, not paying attention to anything. His head, shoulders, and knees were covered with a thickyer of snow.


    He was in a remote mountainous area. Here, his soul found peace. Although it was winter all year round, snowstorms and the weather were not suitable for the life of an ordinary person, as a cultivator with his endurance, he could easily live here for the rest of his life.


    Now he was 125 years old. His death was slowly but surely approaching. The result of his diligent cultivation was the sixth stage of Enlightenment.


    This was not a bad result, considering that he was just a mortal. However, age was taking its toll.


    Cultivation should begin at a young age to avoid death from old age. However, he started his path when he was in his forties. It was toote.


    However, Xie Qing was not worried about this. After the death of his wife, he set out on a journey and decided to live out the rest of his life in the mountains. Here, the Qi was even better than on the surface.


    A week had passed. Xie Qing opened his eyes. The snow around him instantly melted, and he, dressed in a white hanfu, stood up from his spot.


    Although he looked like an old man, his body was muscr, and his back was broad and powerful. His hands had not lost their strength, and he could easily kill an ordinary demonic monster with just his bare hands.


    "This time, cultivation took a month... ugh, old age is not a joy. I''m losing track of time" Xie Qing shook his head and thought.


    He jumped off the rock and then headed towards his home. It was maximally ordinary, nothing remarkable. However, it was the mostfortable ce for him.


    As soon as he crossed the threshold, a wave of warm air hit his face. A fire was burning in the firece, crackling.


    "I don''t even feel like eating... my appetite is gone," Xie Qing thought and sighed.


    He was aging. Now, even the food that used to seem delicious to him could not satisfy him. For cultivators, mortal food is just a way to satisfy their receptors, but in terms of usefulness - it''s zero.


    Spiritual Food was impossible for him to obtain. They were sold exclusively to cultivators, and such ces were usually equipped with strict checks. Xie Qing did not have a token that would help him confirm his identity.


    That''s why he had to live in the mountains. It was hard at first, but he got used to it. It even becamefortable.


    However...


    "Is this the life... that I aspired to?" he thought.


    These thoughts visited him more and more often. Especially when he was approaching his end. Was everything he did - meaningless?


    ***


    Xie Qing had sessfully be a cultivator in the sixth stage of Enlightenment. However, there was little joy in this.


    "Kha... kha!"


    Half-lying in his bed, the old man coughed. With a bitter smile, he wiped his hand and noticed traces of blood.


    "My time hase. What a pitiful life. I understood nothing from my life, I have no children - I left no trace in history. This is my fate... the fate of a mortal..."


    He sighed. His life was not easy, but he neverined. There was no point; it wouldn''t make life any better.


    However, in thest moments of his life, he felt a slight resentment. The memories of his youth had faded, even the face of his wife had disappeared from his memories.


    "To live without glory, to die without glory..."


    A sigh.


    Xie Qing turned his gaze to the window. It was still snowing outside. He would die here, in the high mountains. No one would notice his corpse, no one would know about him. He would disappear into time, and vanish from memories.


    "We are all just guests in this life. Wee and we go..."


    The wind howled. Xie Qing smiled bitterly and closed his eyes. A moment before death, he saw a girl whose hair shone gold.


    Ah, my endless world, grant me peace...


    ***


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    The Illusionary King of Deities indifferently looked at Xie Qing''s body, which was lying on the ground.


    "What a pity. You remained in the Illusions of the Heart. Although that girl managed to break free from the illusion, it seems that her illusion was simpler" the king muttered, and his eyes sparkled: "But... interesting... why does this mortal have such a long illusion?"


    The King of Deities fell silent. For the first time, he had encountered a mortal who had resisted the illusions for so long."