Mountain and Wild New Life Method

Hand over Shangqing Palace's Blessed Land, which it had possessed all along, to Emperor Wu of Zhou as his cultivation grounds!

How could anyone say something so outrageous?

Even Li Jiusheng, with his detached temperament, flew into a rage and felt utterly humiliated.

What mattered was that Emperor Wu of Zhou's disciple had first slain Shangqing Palace's Sect Master and humiliated the palace's honor, then made such an excessive demand. No wonder those Hidden Elders wanted Li Qingshan to take over as Sect Master.

With old grudges and new hatred piled together, Shangqing Palace had to strike back hard. And within Shangqing Palace, the only one capable of doing so was Li Qingshan.

That was why Li Qingshan had to accept the position of Sect Master.

"Emperor Wu of Zhou from the Luochuan Sect has barely shown himself over the past century. Why is his disciple so arrogant?" Li Jiusheng asked after calming down.

Li Qingshan said, "A century ago, Emperor Wu of Zhou took in a disciple named Zhang Wudao. His talent is the same as his master's, and he follows Emperor Wu of Zhou's Hegemonic Path. Since making his name, he has made countless enemies, yet every one of them has been killed. Some say he will remain invincible in the Cultivation world for thirty years and inherit Emperor Wu of Zhou's prestige. This time, Shangqing Palace is the target he chose."

"In a month, he will come to Shangqing Palace to take over the Blessed Land. Anyone who has not moved out by then will automatically become his slave. Those were his exact words!" Anger filled Li Qingshan's face, and sword intent flowed between his brows. Shangqing Palace had raised him with its own hands; to him, it was home. Naturally, he would not allow anyone to humiliate it like this.

Though Li Qingshan did not say it aloud, Li Jiusheng understood.

In one month, Li Qingshan would fight Zhang Wudao.

"Are you confident?" Li Jiusheng asked worriedly. It was not that he did not trust Li Qingshan, but Zhang Wudao possessed talent equal to Emperor Wu of Zhou's and had never suffered a defeat throughout his journey. That alone showed how powerful he was.

Li Qingshan was Shangqing Palace's hidden peerless genius, but Shangqing Palace's resources could not compare to those of the Luochuan Sect. A teacher at the Ancestor Realm alone completely eclipsed Shangqing Palace's educational resources.

Li Jiusheng looked at Li Qingshan with concern.

Li Qingshan smiled softly, his gaze firm. "Senior Brother, there is no need to worry. I will protect Shangqing Palace."

Li Jiusheng fell silent. His fingers rubbed the teacup, producing a faint sound. As he looked at Li Qingshan, he suddenly realized in a daze that the little boy who used to follow behind him with a runny nose had grown into a man who could hold up the heavens and protect all of Shangqing Palace.

"Junior Brother, do you know Li Tianxian?" Li Jiusheng suddenly asked.

Li Qingshan froze, then said, "Of course. He was an ancestor of Shangqing Palace, a Peerless Sword Immortal. Had he not fallen, he would certainly have reached the Ancestor Realm, and Shangqing Palace would not have to endure such humiliation."

Li Jiusheng continued, "Did you know that Li Tianxian created a peerless sword technique during his lifetime?"

Li Qingshan nodded and said regretfully, "Of course. Even after three hundred years, the might of the Grass and Wood Sword Technique still astonishes the world. Though I have never seen it, just a few lines in the books paint the overwhelming might of that peerless Sword Immortal."

There was only one sentence describing the Grass and Wood Sword Technique in the books.

The arrogant Emperor Wu of Zhou had his Ancestor Realm foundation severed by the Grass and Wood Sword Technique and entered seclusion for three hundred years without emerging.

"It is such a pity that this sword technique was not passed down!" Li Qingshan sighed. He deeply regretted never seeing that peerless sword technique capable of harming an Ancestor.

Li Jiusheng's lips curled upward. "Do you want to see it?"

"What?" Li Qingshan looked up, staring at Li Jiusheng in astonishment, thinking he had misheard.

Li Jiusheng raised his hand and formed a sword with two fingers. Without saying anything, he simply pointed forward.

His finger touched Li Qingshan's brow.

Li Qingshan did not move. The gap between his cultivation and Li Jiusheng's was vast; he could have easily dodged it. But he trusted his senior brother completely and allowed that finger to touch his brow.

Buzz!!!

Li Qingshan's consciousness seemed to sink into an abyss. Endless black mist surged toward him from every direction, thick and heavy, leaving him dazed. Within it, he saw immortal pavilions, Nether Hell, and countless shadowy figures rolling toward him as though separated by thousands of years.

Clang!!!

The next moment, amid the black mist, a weed rose against the current and let out a sword hum. With unstoppable aura, it split the black mist, dispersed the haze, cleaved apart the immortal pavilions, and suppressed Nether Hell.

The world became clear.

The next moment, Li Qingshan saw a new world.

He also saw a special person.

Li Tianxian!

The most outstanding Sword Immortal of Shangqing Palace three hundred years ago appeared before Li Qingshan.

In the tea room.

Li Jiusheng passed on the Grass and Wood Sword Technique, which he had comprehended, to Li Qingshan without holding anything back. The immense amount of information immersed Li Qingshan so deeply that he could not pull himself free.

Li Jiusheng stood and left the tea room, allowing Li Qingshan to quietly comprehend the Grass and Wood Sword Technique.

"In a month, give Zhang Wudao a taste of his own medicine!" Li Jiusheng sneered. He could not do it now, but his junior brother combined with the Grass and Wood Sword Technique definitely could.

When he stepped outside, Li Jiusheng discovered that it had begun to rain.

In the mountains and wilderness, wind swept the rain toward him. Bursts of chill accompanied it, making Li Jiusheng realize that autumn had arrived.

As the saying went, every autumn rain brought another chill.

Outside the Scripture Repository Pavilion, the drizzling rain pattered against the eaves and tiles with crisp sounds. The rainwater slid down like pearls large and small falling upon a jade plate, raising a curtain of rain before Li Jiusheng's eyes.

At that moment, the world seemed to have been washed clean.

In autumn, the mountains and wilderness appeared even more lush with green, red, and yellow. Rain soaked the moss, streams babbled as they converged from every direction, and finally turned into rushing waterfalls that crashed into bottomless abysses.

Under the eaves, Li Jiusheng stood with his hands behind his back and watched silently.

As he watched, he slipped into a state of enlightenment.

Wind and rain mingled with the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, and at that moment, Li Jiusheng's body absorbed it.

It was an unconscious absorption born of instinct, the Innate Sword Body absorbing on its own.

As Li Jiusheng entered enlightenment, his thoughts expanded without limit. It was as though he had ascended to the heavens and looked down upon the world.

He saw the light rain grow heavier as it fell from the sky, landing in the mountains and wilderness, on the grass and trees, upon shattered tiles, and within the waterfalls.

The mountains and rivers were purified, heaven and earth were cleansed, and all things radiated vigorous life.

The autumn rain was slightly cold, but to the plants and living things, it was the finest water of life.

Li Jiusheng saw green grass break through the soil, breathe in its first wisp of air, and grow strong. Drooping flowers absorbed the rainwater, straightened their stems, and displayed life's wildness amid the wind and rain.

Before Li Jiusheng's eyes, all of it came vividly alive.

In that instant, it felt as though something had broken open within his heart. His thoughts erupted, inspiration gathered, and formed a line of words.

[After an autumn rain, you watched the rain and comprehended the Dao. You saw the grass and trees flourishing, the earth brimming with life, and the mountains, rivers, and all things bursting forth. You comprehended the Mountain and Wild New Life Method.]

At the same time, a profound cultivation method appeared in Li Jiusheng's mind.

The Mountain and Wild New Life Method was about learning from the unceasing renewal of mountains and wilderness. A human life lasted but a lifetime, grass and trees but an autumn. After this autumn passed, the mountains and wilderness would still be there and would welcome new grass and trees. Cultivators should do the same—continuously renew themselves and, upon the foundation of their former selves, transform into better versions of themselves.

Until, in the end, they shed mortality and become immortals.