"I want to help you." Qin said to Liu which shocked him even more.

"Why do you want to do that?" Liu asked Qin who smiled at him.

"We were betrayed after the war." Qin began. "I'd like to have my revenge on those selfish gods." The way he spoke about the gods was shocking to him. Liu looked at him like someone who would be his enemy due to the story he told him but he turned out to be an ally instead.

"And how do you suppose you can help?" Liu asked Qin again.

"As you know, the gods and their disciples are immortal." Qin said.

"They are?" Liu got up from where he sat because of the shock he received from what he had just heard. "I know about the gods' immortality but I know nothing about their disciples being immortal."

Qin smiled and looked from Liu to Jian. "I was once a disciple, hence why I have lived for a long time."

It all began to make sense. Why would a normal human be alive for this long? So he was once a disciple of the gods. But why was he here? What did he want?

"I know their immortality is going to be a big problem but there has to be some way to bypass it. Or isn't there?" Liu asked with all seriousness.

"We can make you immortal." Qin said. It shocked Liu to the core.

"Make me immortal?" Liu asked. He and Jian were clearly perplexed at what Qin said.

"Lord Qin!" Jian began screaming at the top of his voice. "You don't mean that do you?"

"Yes. I mean that." Qin reiterated his point.

"But we can't give that to him! It won't bode well for us," Jian said to Qin. "Moreover, he won't be able to access it."

"What are you guys talking about?" Liu asked, turning his head from Jian to Qin.

Qin stood from where he sat and said to Liu and Jian. "Follow me."

They both got up and followed Qin through the village and went deeper into the mountains. They went through a thick forest and emerged at a temple.

"Welcome to the City Of Scholars." Qin said as he gestured towards the temple. There were a lot of monks walking through the temple and going about their daily lives.

"First we have to meet with Master Zhang." Qin said and led the two of them to what seemed like a giant library. Scrolls were arranged on numerous shelves that might number to over a thousand. A man was seated there reading one of the scrolls.

"Master Zhang?" Qin said and the man raised his head up to look at the person who called his name.

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"Qin! It's been a long time, hasn't it, my friend." Zhang said to him as he got up to hug Qin. Both of them hugged each other for a long time showing their continued affection for each other.

"Jian." Zhang offered his hand to Jian and they shook hands.

"Who's this?" Zhang asked, looking at Liu.

"He's someone who needs our help. His name is Liu Xhikang." Qin said. Liu knew that Zhang had clearly heard the name before from his reaction.

"Xhikang huh?" Zhang said as he offered his hand to Liu. They both shook hands and Qin went down to business.

"Liu here is on the same journey as that man 1000 years ago," Qin said to Zhang. "I want you to tell him everything he needs to know and also let him take the trial for the Apple Of Immortality."

"If he is then I shall help him with everything that I can." Zhang said as he shifted his gaze towards Liu. "You can leave him with me. I'll take care of him."

Jian and Qin bid their farewells and left Liu in the care of Master Zhang. Liu gets down to business immediately as he asks Zhang a very important question.

"Master Zhang, what do you know about my family?"

"From what I've read and from what I've heard," Zhang began. "There are people chosen every millennia to rival the gods but none have been able to succeed. And your family is not the only one."

"There are others?" Liu asked.

"Yes there are. Their descendants are scattered all over the world." Zhang said. "And some of them reside in other realms."

"Realms?" Liu asked. His grandfather had told him about the realms before and how they make up the universe.

"Yes, the realms. According to the scrolls left by our ancestors, the foundation of the universe is made up of an infinite number of realms. Each of them with their own unique laws, magic and existence. The realms are layered infinitely with each layer transcending the previous one in complexity and power." Zhang said.

His detailed explanation made Liu believe that there were others who are stronger than him and he would do well to recruit them as allies.

"And that's not all," Zhang said as he picked up one of the scrolls that he had been reading. "As shown here, each realm contains countless dimensions, each with their own sub-realities. And then there is the Nexus where the realms intersect which allows travel between them."

"I see." Liu said he understood what Zhang explained. "Do the gods have any weaknesses?"

"The gods have no known weakness." Zhang said. "But I believe you can achieve the impossible."

"I had met your grandfather once before." Zhang said which shocked Liu.

"You have?" Liu asked, his eyes widened in excitement.

"Yes I have. We were good friends back then but now we rarely see each other due to our positions." Zhang said to Liu. "But if I can help his grandson fulfill his destiny then I shall do so to the best of my abilities."

Liu smiled at Zhang's words. He had found someone who had good information and was also an ally.

"Come. It is time for you to take the trial." Zhang said and Liu followed behind him. Zhang led him to what seemed like a sanctuary beneath the city. "This is where I leave you. It's up to the guardian to decide your fate from here on out."

Zhang left him. He walked deeper into the sanctuary and felt a chill around his body.

"What is it you desire?" A voice said to him. The voice echoed within the sanctuary causing it to tremble.

"I desire the Apple Of Immortality." Liu replied with confidence.

"What for?" The guardian asked.

"I have to complete my journey and defeat the gods." Liu said to the guardian.

"If you defeat the gods now, what next?" The guardian asked him.

He had never thought about what would happen after he defeated the gods. What would happen to the world?

"If you defeat the gods now, the universe will fall apart. What will you do if that happens?" The guardian asked.

"I will create a world where everyone can live in peace. The gods have abilities like creation and destruction, and defeating them means I have to be on the same scale as them." Liu replied.

"You don't seem so sure." The guardian said to him again.

"I am sure of my capabilities. If the world falls apart after the defeat of the gods, then I shall stabilize it even if it means at the cost of my own life." Liu said with emphasis and confidence.

"You have passed the trial." The guardian said. At that moment, Liu saw a golden apple floating in the air. He picked it and took a bite from it and he ended up eating it all. Liu walked out from the sanctuary and saw that night had come. He went to the library and saw that Zhang was still awake.

"How was it?" Zhang asked.

"I passed and I ate the apple. But I don't feel different." Liu said to him.

"Just go to bed. You might have to leave tomorrow right?" Zhang asked him.

"Yeah. I am." Liu said and went to the back of the library and saw a bed there and just slept off the moment he laid down.

Liu woke up the next day feeling refreshed. He got up and walked out of the library with his bag and was prepared to leave. He saw Jian, Qin and Zhang standing outside waiting for him.

"You're awake." Qin said. "I see you're prepared to leave."

"Yes I am." Liu replied as he shook all of them. "I have to go on with my journey and recruit allies."

"Take this." Zhang said as he passed a large piece of paper to him.

"What's this?" Liu said as he opened up the folded up paper.

"A map." Jian said to him. He and Jian weren't close but the young warrior wasn't hostile towards him.

"The map leads to a sanctuary where one of the other descendants reside." Zhang said to him.

"Take this as well." Jian said as he passed a protective charm to Liu.

"Thank you all." Liu said to them as he waved them goodbye. His journey had been made easier by the people he had met and now he had gained immortality.

How would his story unfold from here?