Remembering the Wudang Mountain Mist and Returning to the Jianghu with White Hair, Wanting to Turn the Heavens and Earth and Board a Flat Skiff

After his strength broke through to the Qi Refining First Layer, Chen Dengming did not immediately leave the mountain crevice area to return to the gathering place, but instead intended to continue consolidating for a few days.

Compared to the crowded and chaotic gathering place, at least the mountain crevice was secluded enough.

Moreover, he had lived here for several months already, making it relatively familiar and safe.

Midway through, there were a few times when he encountered some dangers, and even once encountered a Demon Beast suspected to be a mountain-forest spider. That spiritual might made his heart palpitate, but in the end, with the snake Gu's advance warning, he got through it without any mishaps.

By now, he had also officially become a cultivator, his self-preservation ability was much stronger, his lifespan had once again increased quite a bit, and the panel looked somewhat fuller as well.

Qi Refining First Layer Cultivator [Chen Dengming]
Lifespan: 100/170
Spiritual Roots: Metal, Wood (Intermediate 5/100)
Martial Arts: Chen Family Martial Arts General Outline (Consummate 76/100)
Daoist Magic: Gu Refining Chapter (Proficient 1/100), Three Yuan Spirit Gathering Technique (First Layer 0/100), Life-Damaging Seedling Pulling Technique (Novice 90/100), Great Fireball Technique (Novice 1/100)

After breaking through from a Xiantian mortal to a cultivator, his lifespan directly increased by as much as fifteen years. Coupled with the breakthrough of the Three Yuan Spirit Gathering Technique, which also extended his life by three years, his Lifespan Limit had already reached a high of one hundred and seventy years, which could be considered living out a second spring.

Comparatively speaking, the operation of consuming eight years of lifespan midway to boost spiritual qi affinity could not be called squandering or prodigal.

After all, the Life-Damaging Seedling Pulling Technique only needed to be practiced one more time to advance to the first layer, at which point his Lifespan Limit would continue to increase.

The only pity was that a first-tier, first-grade Daoist magic like the Great Fireball Technique did not increase his Lifespan Limit after he learned it.

Chen Dengming guessed that this kind of Daoist magic should be about on par with the Three Yuan Spirit Gathering Technique in terms of grade.

Therefore, his lifespan was not extended after he learned it, which could also prove the utter mediocrity of the Three Yuan Spirit Gathering Technique.

Although he possessed a panel where practicing techniques could increase his lifespan, and as long as he practiced diligently and had enough techniques, long life could be expected in the future, even for techniques of the same grade, no matter if he learned ten or a hundred books, only the first one or the one with the highest tier would extend his lifespan upon learning and with each breakthrough.

This also prompted him to continuously pursue deeper and more profound techniques back when he practiced martial arts.

Now it seemed immortal cultivation still had to follow the old path, pursuing realms that descended deeper into the cliffs.

Chen Dengming knew deeply that if an artisan wants to do good work, he must first sharpen his tools.

For cultivators, spiritual roots were the sharp tools of cultivation.

Ordinary people did not dare to rashly damage their lifespan to improve spiritual root quality.

Yet he dared to grind; as long as his life was long, he would directly burn his lifespan.

That night.

The myriad stars were arrayed, and a full moon was luminous without being polished.

Chen Dengming sat beneath the moonlight, regulating his breath, and a few strands of white hair even whiter than the moonlight grew once more at his temples.

This could be called: Remembering the Wudang Mountain Mist and returning to the Jianghu with white hair, wanting to turn the heavens and earth and board a flat skiff.

This was also: Myriad stars arrayed deep in the bright moon, hanging in the azure sky is the Dao heart.

He once again consumed two years of lifespan, raising his spiritual qi affinity to the level of intermediate 6 points, and his cultivation speed improved somewhat.

As for the Life-Damaging Seedling Pulling Technique, it had finally broken through from the novice state to the first layer, and his Lifespan Limit had accordingly increased by three years, reaching the level of 173 years.

In theory, he still had seventy-one years left to live.

After the Life-Damaging Seedling Pulling Technique officially entered the first layer, it marched toward the efficacy of the second layer, requiring at least one hundred and eighty years of lifespan to master, at which time his spiritual qi affinity would be enhanced by fifty to one hundred and twenty percent.

Time flew, six days later.

At noon on this day.

A blazing fireball the size of a human head suddenly flew out from the mountain crevice. After flying eight zhang, it abruptly and bizarrely took a turn, smashing heavily into the ground with a boom.

Instantly, sparks flew in all directions across the ground.

Some weeds were directly burned to ashes, and a scorched earth pit the size of a basin appeared on the spot, emitting curling wisps of blue smoke.

The Great Fireball Technique, this can be considered as having entered the threshold. I can barely control the fireball to make simple turns, so it won't be too rigid in combat.

Chen Dengming was in tattered clothes and unkempt, walking out of the mountain crevice with his hands behind his back. Faint, restrained spiritual might emanated from his body, and his expression carried a hint of emotion.

His appearance remained unchanged, with a broad forehead and bright, warm eyes. Ignoring the beard covering his face, he could also be considered handsome and heroic, except for the white hair at his temples which was rather jarring, yet lent him a few parts of a mature man's wicked charm.

This white hair seemed to be the sequela after practicing the Life-Damaging Seedling Pulling Technique.

Even though his Lifespan Limit was continuously increasing, it could not make the white hair disappear.

However, he considered himself a person of bitter cultivation, and did not care about these slight flaws in appearance.

As for this bitter cultivation in the wilderness lasting more than three months, today he prepared to temporarily bring it to a close.

Facts proved that wanting to practice the Great Fireball Technique a hundred times was still relatively easy, but practicing it ten thousand times was no simple matter.

It was mainly because spiritual qi recovered very slowly.

Executing the Great Fireball Technique once would consume ten percent of the spiritual qi within his body.

At his peak state, Chen Dengming could only execute it ten times at most.

And after ten times, with the spiritual qi in his body hollowed out, he needed to practice the Three Yuan Spirit Gathering Technique six times to fully recover, which took up almost half a day's time.

With twelve double-hours in a day, Chen Dengming needed to spend six double-hours just practicing the Three Yuan Spirit Gathering Technique twelve times.

And practicing the Three Yuan Spirit Gathering Technique twelve times was only enough to recover spiritual qi twice, supporting him in practicing the Great Fireball Technique twenty times in a single day.

Wanting to advance the Great Fireball Technique from the novice state to the entry-level state, he had to unremittingly persist in practicing for five days.

Now, he had already practiced the Great Fireball Technique to the entry level, initially mastering a piece of Daoist magic.

The Three Yuan Spirit Gathering Technique had also improved somewhat during these six days of unremitting practice.

Yet distance-wise, breaking through to the cultivation of the Qi Refining Second Layer required at least three more months of unremitting, bitter cultivation.

A person was like a bow, and also required proper tension and relaxation.

He had already intended to improve his cultivation environment, first returning to the rogue cultivator gathering place to scout out the situation.

When he left, he was still a mortal.

Now returning, he had already become an immortal cultivator.

The huge transformation of identity between these two was, in this immortal cultivation world, the difference between immortals and mortals, a leap in class.

Even though Qian Yuan's wanted order for him was still active, the wanted investigation was also for mortals.

No one dared to rashly investigate a cultivator, nor was there any such necessity.

Because after becoming a cultivator, even the Golden Character Workshop would re-evaluate Chen Dengming's value and would not treat this meritorious person unfairly.

But if it were a mortal whose life was cheaper than grass, that might not be the case.

He executed movement techniques, leaving swiftly.

When mortal martial arts movement techniques were unleashed with spiritual qi, they were naturally even swifter, as fast as a squall. In an instant, they could cross a dozen zhang of distance—in the mortal Jianghu, that was a speed absolutely unimaginable, but the consumption of spiritual qi was naturally also fast.

Chen Dengming tried his best to coordinate his body muscles with his stride force to save spiritual qi, groping in practice for a faster, more efficient, and more spiritual-qi-saving method of rapid movement.

By now, he also considered it clear why when he previously witnessed cultivators fighting magic, almost all of them were stationary output.

Even if there were some snake-like dodging maneuvers, they were truly clumsy.

Among this, while there was certainly the reason that the local cultivators here were not proficient in martial arts, more of it was likely due to having to consider the consumption of spiritual qi.

Back then at the Ascension Convention, among the three pieces of Daoist magic the female cultivator gifted me, one was the Great Fireball Technique, one was the Wood Escape Technique, and one was the Gold Touch Technique.

Among them, the Wood Escape Technique is a first-tier, second-grade Daoist magic, while the Gold Touch Technique is a first-tier, fourth-grade Daoist magic. Both require higher strength to cultivate again. It seems I must go purchase some other useful Daoist magic...

While Chen Dengming was pondering, his vital energy suddenly triggered, and his ears had already caught the sound of the wind. His expression changed slightly, and he immediately altered his movement technique, leaping backward into the woods on the left.

Almost just as he finished holding his breath and hiding his figure.

A figure had already galloped past his original position, feet not touching the ground, with a speed that was fierce and peerless.

Chen Dengming did not look, but merely hearing the sound of the wind with his ears, he could also make a judgment, and could not help frowning.

Divine Speed Technique?!

He did not plan to invite trouble; acting in the Jianghu, mind your own business as little as possible. Right and wrong only stem from opening the mouth too much, and troubles all arise from sticking your neck out.

Immediately, he quietly rolled his cloak onto his face as a veil.

Just as he was about to avoid it from the other side of the woods, he heard two more sounds of the wind galloping over one after another, cursed inwardly, and stopped in his tracks once again.

However, as if this slight movement of his caused his vital energy to leak outside, no sooner had the two sounds of the wind rushed past than they actually turned around a bend once more, and a cold voice with hidden laughter drifted in from outside the woods.

"Hey! Jiang Qiang, you brat, you've got it in you, actually hiding in the woods and almost shaking us off, come out!"

Chen Dengming: *".~~~?~"*

He continued to hold his breath and remain motionless.

From outside the woods came another cold female voice, immediately followed by intense spiritual qi fluctuations, and the air was also heating up.

"Surname Jiang! If you're a man, come out! Still want to hide at a time like this? Are you a turtle?"

Chen Dengming felt depressed.

What kind of damn trouble was this.

He had deliberately avoided it, not wanting to invite trouble, yet they actually wanted to drag him out. He wasn't the protagonist; could they let him go?

Thanks to readers like Ai Zhuang Nan Qiang, Yang Mou Ren Yi Ge Mian Zi, Shi Luo Xing Yu, Xin Yu Jian, Shu Jian Hua San Jue, Ye An Shi, Shen Lan Hai Yang, Jiang Shi Ju Ti, and others for their tips; more will not be listed one by one. Currently, this book's performance is quite good and also very stable. I earnestly implore old irons to cultivate the habit of following updates and read along more, thank you. As for updates, it is still 6k every day. Quite a lot are updated, haha, tomorrow as well.