For three days straight, Li Jiusheng did nothing but cultivate.
He was exceptionally diligent, cherishing the final opportunity life had given him.
The following day.
Dawn broke. Distant mountains overlapped, dew dampened the forests, and mist curled through the air. The waterfall continued to crash down, spraying vast clouds of water vapor around the Scripture Repository Pavilion, making the place seem like an immortal realm.
Li Jiusheng wore a purple Daoist robe, his white hair tied behind his back, soft and flowing. Sitting cross-legged in a corner of the Scripture Repository Pavilion, he continuously absorbed spiritual energy and circulated the Grass and Wood Sword Technique, sending it through his entire body to nourish his flesh, bones, and marrow.
Spiritual energy entered his body, passed through his extraordinary meridians and eight vessels, flowed through his limbs and bones, nourished Li Jiusheng's aged body, and helped him complete his cultivation of the Houtian Realm.
Over these three days, Li Jiusheng did only one thing.
Muscle Tempering, Bone Tempering, Marrow Tempering.
Li Jiusheng had spent decades traversing the three stages of the Houtian Realm. He was familiar with them beyond measure and knew exactly how to hone, temper, and strengthen himself.
At last, the energy gathered in his dantian, completing a Heavenly Cycle and becoming Li Jiusheng's own power.
Over the past three days, his realm had returned to the peak of the Houtian Realm. Moreover, he was more vigorous than ever before, infinitely close to the Innate Realm.
Li Jiusheng opened his eyes and watched the dawn break. The first ray of sunlight pierced through countless mountains and valleys, while layers of white mist intertwined around the dark green peaks. Just as he had cast off his old appearance and welcomed new life.
Then he exhaled a breath of turbid air, which transformed directly into a strand of sword energy. With a sharp clang, it shot forward, traveling thirty feet before slowly dissipating.
"My body has already escaped decay and old age. At this rate, immortality may yet be within reach." Li Jiusheng felt the vitality within his body and was deeply satisfied.
The wrinkles on his face had faded, and his bearing was like an evergreen pine that had endured through the ages. Compared to three days ago, he seemed reborn.
Over the past three days, Li Jiusheng had not read a single book. He had not hurried to comprehend the techniques and Dao contained within the texts. Instead, he had settled down and steadily refined his body, laying a firm foundation for cultivation.
Only with a solid foundation could one travel farther.
"The Grass and Wood Sword Technique and Innate Sword Body truly are formidable. Three days of cultivation have caught me up to the results of several decades, and I have even gone a step further. The Innate Realm is no longer far away." Li Jiusheng rose to his full height and stood at one corner of the Scripture Repository Pavilion's octagonal tower, gazing into the mountains and rivers with deep emotion.
"Congratulations, Martial Uncle! Congratulations! Withered wood meeting spring will surely grow another hundred feet!"
At that moment, a clear cheer came from the entrance of the Scripture Repository Pavilion, drawing Li Jiusheng's attention. He turned and saw an upright young man in a long white robe, his face still youthful. The boy raised both hands in celebration, and a smile appeared on Li Jiusheng's face.
The young man was his martial nephew, Yu Chaoyang. He had spent several years by Li Jiusheng's side as a child, but as he grew older, Li Jiusheng had little left to teach him, so he had returned to cultivate under his Master.
Thud, thud, thud.
Yu Chaoyang hurried into the Scripture Repository Pavilion. Upon seeing Li Jiusheng, he bowed with a beaming smile. "Martial Uncle, we have not seen each other in years, yet you have regained your youth and your cultivation has improved as well. This is wonderful!"
Li Jiusheng looked at his only junior and smiled. "What brings you here? Your Master was willing to let you out?"
Yu Chaoyang's Master was Li Jiusheng's junior brother, a renowned cultivation genius of Shangqing Palace. He had entered the sect rather late, when the old Daoist's health was already failing. Thus, Li Jiusheng had also raised him personally during his childhood. He deeply respected Li Jiusheng, and when he later took on a disciple of his own, he followed his Master's example and entrusted the boy to Li Jiusheng for several years.
Unlike Li Jiusheng, Yu Chaoyang's Master, Li Qingshan, possessed extraordinary talent. He broke through the Houtian Realm in three months, reached the Innate Realm in eight months, and entered the Grandmaster Realm in three years, rivaling Li Tianxian of old.
However, the higher-ups of Shangqing Palace had learned their lesson this time. They no longer publicized him widely, instead protecting Li Qingshan with great care and regarding him as Shangqing Palace's hope for revival.
Yu Chaoyang affectionately helped Li Jiusheng into the tea room, then smoothly brewed and poured tea. Only after serving the first cup to Li Jiusheng did he grin and say, "Martial Uncle, I have already broken through to the Grandmaster Realm. Master has permitted me to descend the mountain for experience. I came to bid you farewell."
Looking at Yu Chaoyang, who was only seventeen, Li Jiusheng asked in surprise, "You broke through to the Grandmaster Realm so quickly?"
Houtian, Innate, Grandmaster.
For ordinary people, climbing through the first three realms of cultivation could take an entire lifetime, yet Yu Chaoyang had reached them at seventeen.
"I still did not break Li Tianxian's record. She reached the Grandmaster Realm at sixteen. I missed it by only a few months." Yu Chaoyang sighed regretfully.
Li Jiusheng advised him, "Cultivation is not a short-term competition. What matters is who lives longer and travels farther. Be more careful when you go out this time."
Yu Chaoyang declared proudly, "Martial Uncle, rest assured. This time, I will surely make a great name for myself. When I return, I'll bring you a niece-in-law!"
Li Jiusheng smiled. "Fine. If you have the ability, bring back the Saintess of that Thousand Year Holy Land. I will preside over your wedding then."
Yu Chaoyang said firmly, "All right, Martial Uncle, just wait and see. I'll be leaving now. Take good care of yourself."
Li Jiusheng rose to see Yu Chaoyang off. The young man was eager to leave, darting and shifting through the mountain forest before swiftly vanishing from sight.
Li Jiusheng watched until he could no longer see him, then turned back toward the Scripture Repository Pavilion.
Yet when he turned around, he saw a Daoist in black robes. His face was as refined as jade, and his aura was ethereal. Though he stood right before Li Jiusheng, Li Jiusheng felt as if he were an immortal among the clouds, not someone of this mortal world.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother, on comprehending the essence of the Evergreen Technique. Withered wood meeting spring, blooming once more." The black-robed Daoist wore a faint smile.
The black-robed Daoist was Li Jiusheng's junior brother, Li Qingshan. He had been an orphan, raised on the charity of many households, and had not even possessed a name when he entered the sect. Li Jiusheng had given him the name Li Qingshan, hoping he would be as steadfast and long-lived as green mountains.
He believed Li Jiusheng's renewed vitality came from comprehending the essence of the Evergreen Technique. Li Jiusheng did not explain and merely said, "You have been in seclusion for five years this time, haven't you? Have you emerged because you could not bear to part with your disciple?"
"Yu Chaoyang has grown up. He has his own path, and I cannot stop him, so I let him go. I mainly emerged from seclusion this time to see you, Senior Brother," Li Qingshan said.
"Come inside and talk." Li Jiusheng invited Li Qingshan indoors, poured him a cup of the tea Yu Chaoyang had brewed, and handed it to him.
Li Qingshan sat directly on the bed, took a light sip of tea, and nodded. "The outside world is full of chaos and countless trivial matters that vex the heart and mind. Your place is still more peaceful, Senior Brother."
Li Jiusheng noticed the frustration between Li Qingshan's brows and asked, "What happened?"
Li Qingshan set down his teacup. "Senior Brother, I am going to succeed as Sect Master of Shangqing Palace."
Li Jiusheng frowned. His first reaction was not joy, but confusion. "The Sect Master represents the sect and must frequently show himself in public and handle all sorts of trivial affairs. It greatly delays cultivation. The elders should not have chosen you."
This would delay Li Qingshan's cultivation. In the past, the elders of Shangqing Palace had never interfered with Li Qingshan precisely because they did not wish to hinder his cultivation. Why had they done so this time?
Li Qingshan's face darkened. "A disciple of Emperor Wu of Zhou from the Luochuan Sect killed Shangqing Palace's Sect Master several days ago. He declared that Shangqing Palace had no one worthy of its name and should not occupy this Blessed Land. He has given us one month to move out and surrender this place to Emperor Wu of Zhou as his cultivation grounds."
Fury flashed across Li Jiusheng's face as he shouted, "They have gone too far!"
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