"Xiao Yang, you've reached the Refining Void stage!"
Old Daoist Qi Yuan sounded puzzled, but he was actually certain. At the same time, he was overjoyed.
"Yes, Master. This disciple has reached the first level of Refining Void."
Li Yang confirmed Old Daoist Qi Yuan's question and released his aura. It was unmistakably that of someone at the first level of Refining Void, and it was even exceptionally stable.
"Excellent, excellent, excellent!"
After repeating "excellent" three times, Old Daoist Qi Yuan burst into laughter. "Ten years to go from a mortal to the first level of Refining Void. You truly are a peerless immortal seed! I never imagined this poor Daoist would take in such a talented disciple. Heaven must be watching over me!"
His second disciple had reached the first level of Refining Void in just ten years. If he could keep up this pace, perhaps he really could transcend the tribulation and become an immortal in a century or two.
By then, Lesser Qiong Peak would have an immortal in residence.
At the thought, when he looked at Li Changshou again, nothing about him seemed right—not his nose, not his eyes.
"Changshou, just look at you. You're the Senior Disciple Brother, and you've been cultivating for over a hundred years, yet you're still only at the first level of Refining Void..."
Old Daoist Qi Yuan sensed the aura Li Changshou was giving off. His reproachful words caught in his throat, and he turned uncertain.
"The third level of Refining Void?"
"Yes, Master. I gained a lot of insight during the Northern Juru Continent Expedition, and I'd already accumulated enough. That's why I reached the third level of Refining Void over the past six months."
Li Changshou was perfectly serious, though there was a hint of pride in his voice. He looked all the more like a young disciple in front of his master.
"Hahahaha! Excellent, excellent, excellent!"
Old Daoist Qi Yuan was so happy he didn't know what to say. He could only laugh heartily and keep praising them. He hadn't expected his eldest disciple to finally come around, too.
It seemed that traveling and gaining experience really did help one's cultivation. Perhaps he should arrange more outings for Changshou, Li Yang, and Ling'e in the future.
For some reason, all three of them suddenly shivered. Lan Ling'e in particular even rubbed her arms, making it all the more obvious.
"Ling'e, it doesn't look like your cultivation has improved!"
"Huh?"
Lan Ling'e hadn't had time to adjust at all. Who could have guessed that her two senior brothers would be such sly foxes? So, when her master spoke, she hurried over and clung to him, acting spoiled.
"Master, look at my cultivation. It's very stable, too, and I'm about to break through!"
Lan Ling'e's aura was calm and profound. It was clear she'd made steady progress and wasn't lying.
"It's fine. Your master isn't blaming you.
"Besides, my Ling'e has always been a genius. After ten years in the sect, she reached the second level of Deification, and now she's steadily advancing toward the third. She may not be as good as your Second Senior Brother, but she's still much better than your Senior Disciple Brother..."
Those words praised Lan Ling'e to the heavens and disparaged Li Changshou into the ground, while Li Yang could only grin on the sidelines.
Only Lesser Qiong Peak had such a warm atmosphere.
At the thought, a cold glint flashed through Li Yang's eyes.
This was his master, and the head of Lesser Qiong Peak's family. He didn't want his master to meet the same fate as in the Original Novel.
Perhaps I'll have to fight Him, too.
Li Changshou seemed to sense something and turned to glance at Li Yang, but he noticed nothing. Still, he didn't want to be nagged like this any longer.
"Master, Junior Brother just came out of seclusion. He says he sensed an opportunity waiting for him to the southeast, so he hopes I'll go with him. Would that be all right...?"
At this, Old Daoist Qi Yuan immediately grew serious.
"Yang'er sensed an opportunity?
"If Heaven bestows it, you mustn't turn it down.
"In that case, Changshou, as the Senior Disciple Brother, go with your junior brother.
"Opportunities always come with a certain amount of danger. You two can look out for each other and stay safer."
Li Yang and Li Changshou bowed together. "Yes, Master!"
A hundred thousand li from the Immortal Crossing Sect, Li Yang and Li Changshou rode on clouds. They were a hundred li apart, but that didn't stop them from communicating by voice transmission.
"Senior Brother, I still have to thank you for coming to meet me this time!"
"We may be senior and junior brothers in name, but we're as close as real brothers. Why thank me for meeting you?"
Even when the two of them communicated by voice, they still had to exchange a few humble pleasantries. Better to be overly courteous than not courteous enough. Only after a good while did Li Changshou begin to ask questions.
"Junior Brother, are you really confident you can refine the pill this time?"
"Of course. I think you are, too, Senior Brother!"
Since Qi Practitioners who failed to transcend their tribulation took the Melting Immortal Pill, Qi Practitioners who hadn't yet become immortals could naturally refine it as well. They simply needed sufficient skill, or the chances of success would be low.
So, both Li Yang and Li Changshou could refine this pill at Lesser Qiong Peak.
But compared to Li Changshou, Li Yang was the better fit.
There were two main reasons. First, Li Yang was an Origin Immortal. Second, he was skilled at refining pills: Golden Pills came first, Poison Pills second.
In those two respects, Li Changshou couldn't hope to catch up.
"I can do it, but refining an immortal-grade pill will cause quite a disturbance. I only have two Immortal Tribulation Grasses, so we can't afford to fail.
"Junior Brother, you've already transcended the Immortal Ascension Tribulation, so you should understand that before becoming immortals, human Qi Practitioners can't live beyond three thousand years. That's a fixed law of the Great Dao.
"For Acquired Beings who want eternal life, the Immortal Ascension Tribulation is an unavoidable ordeal and trial.
"But when Heavenly Thunder falls, life and death are decided.
"Since ancient times, who among those who transcended the tribulation and became immortals could claim to be absolutely certain they'd survive the Heavenly Tribulation?
"And what about our Master?
"He was injured once in his early years, damaging his Dao Foundation. His Divine Soul is half as strong as that of an ordinary cultivator at the Return to Dao Ninth Stage, and even his cultivation is unstable.
"You should know that Martial Uncle Jiu Jiu, who joined the sect several years after Master, is already a True Immortal. Yet Master is still stuck at the Return to Dao Ninth Stage. It's no small thing that he hasn't suffered a collapse of faith from such a disparity.
"But our master isn't just our master. He's also the current peak master of Lesser Qiong Peak, and the only peak master in the Immortal Crossing Sect who hasn't become an immortal. The Elder Peak Masters' meetings aren't even announced to Lesser Qiong Peak..."
Li Changshou's voice grew pained as he spoke. He couldn't fully understand the pressure his master had to endure, yet even he felt the weight of it. One could only imagine what Old Daoist Qi Yuan was going through.
Li Yang also fell silent. He understood.
After a long while, Li Changshou finally calmed down and continued, "Do you know, Junior Brother? Master doesn't want to suppress his cultivation, and he doesn't want to wait until his lifespan is nearly up before risking everything for a chance to become an immortal.
"Master..."
Li Changshou choked up. "Master has already thought of seeking death beneath the Heavenly Tribulation, staking everything on that sliver of hope with no expectation of survival.
"So unless we find another way, Master will have no chance of surviving the Heavenly Tribulation.
"But with the Melting Immortal Pill, his chances of surviving the Heavenly Tribulation will reach ninety percent."
Having said that, Li Changshou fell silent and turned to face Li Yang, a hundred li away.
Even from that distance, Li Yang could sense his senior brother's seriousness.
"That's why I'm telling you all this, Junior Brother. Do you understand? We can't afford to lose!"
A hundred li away, Li Yang replied just as earnestly, "Senior Brother, I understand. That's why... I chose to become an immortal!"
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