The Immortal Path After Transmigrating into a Book

The moment Lou Xingyao opened his eyes, he discovered he had transmigrated into a cultivation world. Before he could even make his mark, he realized this seemed to be the setting of a classic old-school cultivation novel about a male protagonist, one he'd read on a certain web-fiction site. Since it was an old classic, there were bound to be heroines everywhere and cannon fodder as common as dogs. Unfortunately, he seemed to be one of those countless cannon fodder characters, and the kind whose sole purpose was to deliver a golden finger to the male lead. Looking at the golden finger still in his hand, then thinking of the cannon fodder's gruesome fate in the original plot, Lou Xingyao immediately declared: Goodbye, male lead. I'm taking your golden finger and sailing off into the distance! * Wen Hanshan was born into wealth and blessed with exceptional talent. From childhood, he was hailed as "the greatest genius on the continent." He thought his life would be smooth sailing from then on, but one injury changed everything overnight. His once kind, close-knit family became hateful and unrecognizable, while the brothers who had once been as close as his own flesh and blood looked at him with nothing but contempt. Even his childhood fiancee would rather find someone to take her place than go through with the wedding. Wen Hanshan thought that people were simply ugly-hearted by nature, until he saw the clear, innocent eyes of the person his fiancee had seized to take her place at the wedding. A glint passed through his eyes: This person... seems rather interesting? Reading guide: 1. A mortal-to-immortal cultivation story. This is a long, slow-burn progression novel. 2. A marriage-first, love-later story with a substitute bride. The author admits to being a sucker for this trope. 3. Cultivation ranks in this story: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Deity Transformation, Out-of-Body, Body Integration, Great Ascension, and Tribulation Transcendence. 4. The love interest is called Zhou Hanshan at first, then changes his name to Wen Hanshan later. So the surname Zhou in the first few chapters is intentional, not a typo! 5. For the best reading experience, leave your brain with the author before you start. Theme: Never surrender to a fate already written for you.