Or perhaps… deliberate.
After a long silence, Lin Feng chuckled lightly.
"Either you're beyond my current understanding," he said calmly, "or you never intended to be found."
He chose not to pursue the matter further for now.
Whatever lay behind his origin would reveal itself when the time was right.
After all, eternity was on his side.
Unseen by Lin Feng, far beyond space, time, and multiverses, a presence stirred ever so slightly.
And for the first time since his ascension…
It acknowledged him.
But it did not act.
"Hmmm… Earth should fall within one of my territories," Lin Feng muttered softly.
With a thought, his perception expanded across layers of space and causality.
Countless worlds flashed past his consciousness like drifting stars.
After only three breaths, his gaze settled upon a familiar blue planet.
Earth.
"Ah… still so beautiful," he said quietly.
Oceans shimmered beneath swirling clouds, continents slowly turned, and the fragile rhythm of mortal civilization continued on, completely unaware that a being who had once belonged to it now stood above all realities.
For a brief moment, Lin Feng simply observed, memories surfacing unbidden… crowded streets, sleepless nights, and a lonely childhood spent relying only on himself.
Yet the emotions that accompanied those memories were faint, distant, like echoes from another lifetime.
He felt no strong pull to return.
Back on Earth, he had been an orphan.
There was no family waiting for him, no home that truly belonged to him.
The bonds he had formed were real, but they were few, and time had already worn them thin.
This cultivation world, however, was different.
Here, he still has many things he wanted to experience. It would be a fresh start for him here.
"Perhaps I'll return someday," Lin Feng mused. "If I grow bored of cultivation, a short vacation on Earth might be amusing."
A faint smile touched his lips.
With a single glance, his will descended.
Invisible threads of causality shifted as he quietly bestowed blessings upon the friends who had once helped him during his weakest days.
Fortune bent in their favor, disasters were diverted, and paths of stability and prosperity unfolded before them.
They would live safely, comfortably, and without fear of sudden ruin for as long as fate allowed.
Having done that, Lin Feng felt no further attachments.
His gaze withdrew from Earth, and the planet resumed its lonely rotation through space, unaware that it had just been acknowledged by a supreme existence.
The next moment, Lin Feng's figure blurred.
Space folded without disturbance, and he reappeared within his secluded courtyard at Spirit Spring Academy.
The familiar scent of spiritual herbs filled the air, and the gentle bubbling of the spirit spring echoed softly around him.
He took a step forward, his expression calm and unfathomable.
The past had been acknowledged.
The present belonged to him.
And the future… countless futures awaited his will.
He returned to his room and closed the door behind him.
Only then did Lin Feng relax completely and sit down, leaning back as he began to seriously plot what he would do next.
"I now have all the power in the world," he muttered, tapping his fingers against the armrest, "yet what I really want is something far more difficult…"
His lips twitched.
"I want a woman. No… women. I've been single for far too long. It's time to finally get rid of my single-dog status. Maybe… I could even create an immortal harem."
The moment the thought formed, vivid images flooded his mind.
Peerless fairies with flowing robes, cold and aloof goddesses, seductive demonesses, and noble saintesses… each more stunning than the last… crowding around him, arguing softly for his attention.
Lin Feng burst out laughing.
"Hahaha… that wouldn't be bad at all."
But as the laughter faded, a trace of seriousness crept into his expression.
"Wait a moment," he said, straightening slightly.
"I'm already the strongest existence in this multiverse. I can see through cause and effect, understand fate, and grasp almost every law there is."
His brows furrowed.
"If I simply reach out and take goddesses left and right, wouldn't that just be… cheating?" he muttered.
"There'd be no challenge, no anticipation, no thrill. What kind of meaning would that have?"
The room fell silent as Lin Feng sank into thought.
As an immortal, time no longer pressed upon him, and he allowed his mind to wander freely.
Power was abundant, eternity was guaranteed but fulfillment was another matter entirely.
After a long while, he let out a breath and laughed softly.
"Ah… I'm overthinking it."
He shook his head, his earlier confidence returning.
"I'm already the strongest anyway. And now I'm immortal as well. I can live for as long as I want… thousands, millions, even billions of years if I so choose."
A confident smile spread across his face.
"With my strength, my looks, and my status, I refuse to believe I won't find true love eventually. Whether it's one woman or many… fate will sort itself out."
Excitement flickered in his eyes as he imagined the unknown paths ahead.
At the same time, Lin Feng deliberately suppressed the urge to divine the future.
With his current cultivation, he could easily peer into his own destiny and see every encounter, every romance, every ending.
But that would be unbearably dull.
"Knowing everything in advance takes the fun out of life," he said with a chuckle.
He rose to his feet, his mood noticeably lighter.
"I'll take things one step at a time."
After all, eternity stretched endlessly before him and for the first time, Lin Feng felt genuinely curious about what surprises it might hold.
With a relaxed smile, Lin Feng let out a sharp whistle and rolled up his sleeves, preparing to cook.
His hand flashed like lightning as he tore off a generous slab of meat from an ancient beast in a different universe, its flesh still brimming with dense spiritual essence.
A wave of immortal flames bloomed beneath his fingers, controlled with exquisite precision as he set the meat upon the grill.
Sizzle.
Almost instantly, rich juices dripped and evaporated into mist, carrying with them a sweet and mouth-watering fragrance that spread throughout the courtyard.
The aroma was so intoxicating that even the surrounding spirit plants seemed to sway gently, as if drawn by the scent.
Although Lin Feng had now stepped into the True Immortal realm and no longer needed food to sustain himself, he would never abandon such simple pleasures.
After all, what was the point of eternal life if one could no longer enjoy the feeling of biting into something delicious?
Cultivation was important, but living was just as vital.
He flipped the meat lazily, watching golden fat crackle and glisten under the immortal fire.
"I suppose I should find myself a goddess who knows how to cook," Lin Feng muttered with a soft chuckle. "Hehehe… I'll have to take care of that sooner or later."
Nodding to himself, he focused back on the grill, already imagining the taste as the heavenly fragrance continued to thicken in the air.