The Eightieth Birthday

The seventh day of the seventh month, Great Kun Kingdom, Xuan City, Zhong Manor.

Today, Zhong Manor's gates stood wide open. Eight hundred banquet tables had been set up—not only inside the manor and beyond its gates, but even along the street where the gates stood. Every seat was filled. Anyone who came to offer congratulations, whether familiar or a stranger, could take a seat.

Today was an important day. Master Zhong of Zhong Manor was celebrating his eightieth birthday.

Master Zhong was a legendary figure. Starting from nothing, he had spent fifty years building this vast fortune through sheer force and determination. His life was practically a myth in the Great Kun Kingdom.

Even the former emperor of the Great Kun Kingdom had once drunk and chatted merrily with Master Zhong.

Master Zhong had never entered government service in his life. He was a merchant, yet his status in the Great Kun Kingdom was extraordinarily exalted. Over those fifty years, the money he had earned was no longer measured by the pound. There was simply too much of it—so much that even Imperial Yanjing was green with envy, so much that it exceeded the accumulated wealth of those thousand-year Aristocratic Clans.

Even Master Zhong himself had no idea how much money he possessed, because vast sums poured into his name from every direction every day.

Perhaps the Will of Heaven played a cruel joke on him. Master Zhong had no descendants—no sons or daughters. Though he had taken eight wives and concubines, not one of them had been able to bear children. It was as if Heaven had deliberately left an enormous regret amid Master Zhong's glory.

Yet Master Zhong never blamed his wives and concubines. Instead, he adopted a great many foster sons. By now, he had no fewer than a hundred.

Master Zhong taught his foster sons all kinds of knowledge, and they maintained his vast family business. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to every one of them. Each foster son was a martial arts prodigy, as though he had chosen them as sons back then precisely because of their Root Bones.

Those foster sons had children of their own. Thus, although Master Zhong had no children, he had a great many younger descendants.

With so many foster sons, each one held a sliver of hope for Master Zhong's fortune. Like the emperor's descendants, not one of them was a pushover.

From early that morning, a great many guests had arrived to offer their congratulations. Distinguished guests filled every seat, and the entire Zhong Manor brimmed with a powerful festive joy.

In the inner courtyard of Zhong Manor stood a five-story pavilion. It resembled a pagoda and was exceptionally conspicuous.

On the highest floor of the pavilion, an old man was looking out at the guests who had come from every direction to offer their congratulations.

The old man's hair was white as snow, as were his brows and beard. His eyes gleamed with spirit, and his face naturally carried an imposing authority. He was the stabilizing pillar of Zhong Manor—Zhong Shan.

The old man furrowed his brows slightly, as though weighing something in his mind.

At that moment, a middle-aged man with a kindly, honest appearance came up from the floor below. Even with the old man's back turned to him, the middle-aged man still bowed slightly.

"Foster father, the banquet is ready. We're waiting for you to open the feast," the middle-aged man said honestly.

Interrupted by his voice, Master Zhong came back to himself and turned to look at the middle-aged man.

"Zhong Tian, your cultivation has already reached the Late Heaven Eighth Stage, hasn't it?" the old man asked mildly.

"Yes, Foster Father. I'm at the Late Heaven Eighth Stage, but I'm already fifty this year. I have no hope of reaching the Xiantian realm in this life." The middle-aged man sighed.

"Mm." Master Zhong nodded.

Then, guided by Zhong Tian, he walked down the stairs and slowly made his way toward the banquet hall ahead.

The hall was already packed with guests. Half of those seated were Zhong Shan's foster sons, while the other half were important officials of the Great Kun Kingdom. Although Master Zhong had never entered government service, his status in the Great Kun Kingdom was still extremely high. He was not on the level of the Four Great Millennial Aristocratic Clans, but he was not far behind.

On the northern side of the hall hung a gigantic golden character for "longevity." It had been specially bestowed by the current emperor for Master Zhong's birthday.

At this moment, every banquet table in the hall was full. Everyone was engaged in lively discussion, as though chatting about something, yet no one touched the wine or dishes on the tables.

"Master Zhong has arrived~~~" a servant suddenly called out.

The servant's cry instantly silenced the hall. No one outside spoke, either.

Master Zhong, his hair and brows completely white, entered through a side door under the support of Zhong Tian, his eldest foster son.

Although the old master was advanced in years, his spirits remained excellent. When he reached the seat in the very center, a genial smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you all for coming," the old master said to everyone.

"Old Master, what are you saying?"

"It was only right, only right."

"Of course. It was only right."

The guests spoke one after another, exchanging a flurry of modest words. Master Zhong merely nodded.

"Su Xing offers His Majesty's congratulations to Master Zhong, wishing you longevity like the pine and crane, and blessings and good health." A man in purple robes immediately rose and addressed Master Zhong.

Clearly, he was one of the current emperor's princes of the Great Kun Kingdom.

"Zhao Lin, on behalf of the family head, offers Master Zhong his congratulations, wishing you and the sun and moon to shine together, and your spring and autumn to remain ageless."

"Qian San, on behalf of the family head, offers Master Zhong his congratulations, wishing the sun and moon to shine brightly, and the pine and crane to flourish forever."

"Sun Li, on behalf of the family head, offers Master Zhong his congratulations, wishing you smooth sailing in all things and everlasting enjoyment of familial bliss."

"Li Ru, on behalf of the family head, offers Master Zhong his congratulations, wishing you good fortune and endless blessings in your later years."

Four more middle-aged men stepped forward and bowed to Master Zhong in greeting.

"Mm, good, good. My thanks to His Majesty and the Four Great Family Heads. Everyone, please take your seats." Master Zhong smiled faintly.

Everyone sat down, after which Master Zhong's foster sons came forward one after another to offer him birthday congratulations.

The grand banquet lasted three days—three full days.

During that time, Master Zhong showed his face only on the first day. Afterward, he never appeared again.

Over those three days, all of Master Zhong's foster sons returned to celebrate their foster father's birthday. Some immediately rushed back to their various family businesses after offering their birthday wishes, while others were kept behind by Master Zhong.

Three days later, the grand banquet ended. In one of Zhong Manor's council halls, Master Zhong sat alone at the head seat. In his hand, he held a red sphere the size of a Dragon Eye, gently rubbing it as though it were the old master's most precious possession.

After wiping it again and again, the old man finally placed it carefully into a small Cloth Bag after nearly an incense stick's time had passed. He then threaded it with a fine cord and hung it against his chest.

"Let them come in," Master Zhong called softly toward the outside.

"Yes." Zhong Tian's reply came from beyond the door.

Soon, seven more people entered under Zhong Tian's lead. Three of them were about the same age as Zhong Tian, around forty or fifty years old, while the other four were much younger, appearing to be only in their thirties or forties.

"Foster Father." The eight people who had entered bowed to Master Zhong in unison.

"Mm. Sit down," Master Zhong said mildly.

"Yes." The eight men immediately took their seats.

"Zhong Di, Zhong Xuan, Zhong Huang, Zhong Yi, Zhong Liu, Zhong Shiba, Zhong Shijiu—your cultivation has all stabilized at the Late Heaven Tenth Stage now, hasn't it?" Master Zhong asked.

"Yes, Foster Father," everyone replied.

Only one of the slightly younger men spoke in surprise. "Ten days ago, I had just reached the Late Heaven Tenth Stage. I was planning to give Foster Father a surprise. Who would have thought you would know ahead of time?"

"Zhong Shijiu, at thirty-two years old, reaching the Peak Acquired Realm is already a surprise to me." Master Zhong looked at his youngest foster son and smiled faintly. He also doted on this youngest foster son the most.

"Foster Father praises me too highly." Zhong Shijiu immediately spoke as though bashful.

"Mm. Do you know why I called you here today?" Master Zhong asked.

"Your children do not know." Everyone shook their heads at once. They looked at their foster father strangely, unable to understand why he had suddenly summoned them.

"In a few days, it will be the Dragon Gate Meet. You will accompany me to the Dragon Gate Meet," Master Zhong said mildly.

"The Dragon Gate Meet? Foster Father, you know where it will be held? Only the Four Great Aristocratic Clans and the Imperial Family know that." Zhong Shijiu cried out excitedly.

At the same time, the others also looked at Master Zhong with excited expressions.

Zhong Tian, the honest-looking man sitting to the side, remained silent. Although he was somewhat surprised, he did not show much joy.

"That's right. I will take you to the Dragon Gate Meet. At that time, elites from every kingdom will gather there. Most of them will be at the Peak Acquired Realm, and there will even be Xiantian experts. Come with me and strive to be noticed by an Immortal Sect and accepted as disciples. Then you can learn the supreme immortal path and attain eternal life." Master Zhong's voice carried a trace of yearning.

"Yes, Foster Father." Everyone immediately answered excitedly.

Immortals existed in this world. Although some people considered them superstition, a family as powerful as the Zhong family knew that immortals were not some ethereal fantasy—they truly existed. It was just that they had never found the proper path. They possessed the desire, but had nowhere to begin.

"I am taking you to the Dragon Gate Meet for two reasons. First, I hope you can escape the troubles of the mundane world and enter an Immortal Sect from then on. The other is that I hope you can do something for me." Master Zhong's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Foster Father, just say the word. As long as it's something I can do, I definitely will." Zhong Shijiu immediately declared.

Seeing that his youngest foster son had thumped his chest and guaranteed it before even hearing what he wanted, Master Zhong felt a wave of comfort in his heart.

"Mm. It isn't difficult. As long as you enter some Immortal Sect and ask one of the sect's masters or elders for a Restriction Breaking Pill and bring it to me, that will be enough." Master Zhong spoke with some excitement.

"Yes." Everyone nodded one after another.

"Foster Father, what is a Restriction Breaking Pill?" Only Zhong Tian asked in confusion.

"The Restriction Breaking Pill is not considered any particularly precious pill among those Immortal Sects. Its only effect is to help someone break through the limits of the Acquired realm. However, it requires someone above the Golden Core Stage to refine it. Once you enter an Immortal Sect and learn immortal Secret Methods, you will have no need for this thing, which is why it is relatively rare. Back then, I offered all my wealth in exchange for one from a Daoist, but that Daoist simply looked down on it. In the eyes of those people, everything in the mundane world is no different from fleeting clouds." Master Zhong sighed repeatedly.

Hearing what Master Zhong said, everyone was filled with emotion. Indeed, they had been rather interested in wealth before, but in the face of eternal life, what did this fortune amount to? It amounted to nothing.

"Foster Father, you want to use the Restriction Breaking Pill to break through to Xiantian?" Zhong Tian immediately pressed.

"You are all my sons, so I will not hide it from you. Indeed. I began cultivating rather late. Although I spent vast sums of money to buy great quantities of spirit medicines, I could only cultivate to the same level you are at now, with no further progress. I am already eighty years old. I have no possibility of breaking through anymore. The Dragon Gate Meet occurs once every fifty years, and this is my only chance. I hope you will not disappoint me." Master Zhong addressed all his sons.

"Rest assured, Foster Father. If an immortal elder takes a liking to me, then even if I must give up entering an Immortal Sect, I will obtain a pill for you." Zhong Shijiu immediately said.

"Mm." Master Zhong nodded at once, a trace of emotion flashing through his eyes.

"Foster Father, I..." Zhong Tian hesitated. After all, Zhong Tian was only at the Late Heaven Eighth Stage.

As if he had seen the eldest son's difficulty, Zhong Shan smiled and said, "Go make your preparations. We will set out in three days. Zhong Tian, come with me as well. Without your service, I would feel uncomfortable."

"Yes." Everyone immediately answered. Zhong Tian was also filled with excitement. He knew he had no chance of being chosen, but merely witnessing the scene of the Dragon Gate Meet would be an incomparably exciting thing. At the very least, at the very least, he would have no regrets in this life.

Then everyone left the hall one after another, returning to make their excited preparations.

After his foster sons had departed, Master Zhong slowly rose and made his way toward a courtyard at the rear.

No servants were needed to attend to this courtyard. No one was allowed to enter and disturb it—not even his foster sons. Only when the old master summoned someone could they come inside.

Entering the courtyard, Master Zhong gently closed the gate and walked into the bedroom. Sitting beside the bed, he once again removed the red sphere hanging around his neck.

At this moment, the red sphere seemed to radiate a faint red glow. Floating atop that red light were even some Seven-Colored Streamers.

"Fifty-five years. Back then, when I climbed Mount Everest, I picked up this red sphere and was sucked through space by a powerful force, arriving in this place. This is a wondrous world, because immortals exist here. For fifty-five years, I sought out Immortal Sects countless times, but they all said I began cultivating too late, my Root Bone was poor, my meridians were weak, and I was too old. They said I could never reach Xiantian in my entire life. Immortals? Cultivating immortality? Was it because I was already in my twenties and still hadn't begun cultivating?" Master Zhong looked at the red sphere, his brows tightly furrowed.

"These past few decades, haven't I reached the Peak Acquired Realm? Although I can no longer break through, haven't I already succeeded? With just one Restriction Breaking Pill, I can cultivate to Xiantian, then continue cultivating to the highest, the ultimate realm, until I become an immortal. Willpower—who can possess stronger willpower than me? For the sake of cultivation, I went to great lengths to find ten-thousand-year ice and cultivated while sitting atop it. I sat there for twenty years straight. Those people in your sect with outstanding Root Bones—when they were at my cultivation level, would they have dared to do the same?"

"Traveling through space... Heh, I've almost forgotten the novels from Earth. Traveling through space—why didn't traveling through space strengthen my physical body? Why am I still the same as before? Otherwise, I wouldn't have suffered so much over the years. Indeed, this journey through space granted me a special ability. I can separate from my shadow, forming a Space Shadow. This shadow can also transform into my appearance. Although it is separated from me by billions upon billions of miles, I can control it as though I possess another body at the same time. The shadow has no thoughts; only I do. One person controlling two bodies—that is an exceedingly strange ability. This was also one reason my assets grew so quickly over the years. But what use is it? The shadow is bound by my true body. Whatever the highest level I can cultivate to, that is all it can reach. It cannot break through the Acquired shackles either. I only need a starting point—a Xiantian starting point. Once I reach Xiantian, I will certainly do better than everyone else. I will work harder than everyone else."

"After raising so many foster sons, seven of them finally reached the Peak Acquired Realm before the Dragon Gate Meet. It should work. Of the seven, at least one should succeed. As long as they obtain a single Restriction Breaking Pill, that will be enough. For me, it will truly be enough." Master Zhong muttered softly to himself.