In the forest, heaven and earth fell silent at that moment.
A gentle breeze brushed his face.
Yet the soft wind failed to relax Xiao Huohuo's muscles in the slightest. Instead, they suddenly shuddered.
He stared tensely at his master before him, even able to hear his own heart pounding loudly. His eyes blazed with eager anticipation.
If the so-called Path of Qi Refining could ultimately lead to becoming the legendary Immortal God—
then he had very likely come into contact with something extraordinary today.
This Path of Qi Refining would probably drive the Five Great Dynasties into a frenzy and set the entire Southern Desolate Realm boiling!
After all, this was a never-before-seen, unheard-of Dharma Gate that could reach the heavens and earth!
Such a Dharma Gate might well be enough to pry open the unchanging balance of power that had ruled the Southern Desolate Realm for ten thousand years—the Five Great Dynasties' dominion.
At last, beneath that blazing gaze, the smiling young man gave a slight nod.
"Of course."
"Cultivate immortality, cultivate immortality..."
"If you can't become an immortal in the end, then what the hell are you cultivating immortality for?"
His words were simple and crude, yet they struck like thunder, blasting straight into Xiao Huohuo's mind!
Chu Feng's words were difficult for Xiao Huohuo to accept. He staggered back several steps.
Mouth agape, his face filled with disbelief, he lowered his head and shook it as he muttered:
"Could it be that immortals truly exist in this world?"
"If immortals really do exist..."
"Then they weren't born divine, but became so through cultivation?"
His mind suddenly flashed to the statues of gods enshrined in the temples of Dongli City.
Before this, he had always believed that these immortals were nothing more than inventions of storytellers—or perhaps things imagined by his ancestors.
All they had ever bowed to were the desires in their own hearts, not any specific person.
But now... that belief seemed to have been overturned.
Could it be that aside from the ordinary martial cultivators on the ground, a mysterious and powerful group had always existed?
Could that group stand high above the world, perhaps hiding among the clouds, or living in seclusion in these deep mountains and old forests, looking down upon everything beneath heaven?
Could this group be the immortal cultivators who walked the Great Dao within the Dao Law spoken of by his master?
And now, did he actually have the chance to join them, study the Great Dao, and become one of those whom everyone worshiped and the world praised?
For a moment, Xiao Huohuo felt dizzy and light-headed.
It was as if the illusory fog that had surrounded him for sixteen years had suddenly been pierced.
A real world he had never seen before appeared before his eyes!
Xiao Huohuo looked up once more at his master before him.
The young man standing only ten meters away, his hands clasped behind his back, suddenly seemed unfamiliar.
A faint, hazy veil seemed to settle over the young man, making him appear so mysterious and distant, as though he did not belong to this world.
This master, whom he had known for less than half a day, gave him exactly the same feeling as the lofty Immortal Gods he had worshiped for years!
Could his master also be an Immortal God?
The thought rose from the depths of his heart and, like a surging tide, could no longer be stopped.
Xiao Huohuo looked nervously at Chu Feng again and cautiously asked:
"Then, Master, what realm are you in?"
"Have you also become an immortal?"
Hearing this, Chu Feng chuckled lightly and turned to gaze at the sky, leaving Xiao Huohuo with his back. His voice drifted over faintly:
"Huohuo, the path of cultivation requires you to keep your feet on the ground. You must not reach for what is beyond you."
"As for my realm, no one in this world remembers it anymore."
"Even if I told you, it would do you no good. Instead, it might keep your heart of cultivation from settling."
"As for whether I became an immortal..."
Chu Feng suddenly turned around and smiled mysteriously, but said nothing more.
Although Chu Feng had said nothing in the end, in Xiao Huohuo's eyes, it was as though he had said everything.
That scene struck Xiao Huohuo like a bolt from the blue, sending him stumbling backward several steps.
The young man trembled all over with excitement.
That was it! In the storybooks, only top Peerless Experts spoke halfway, leaving the other half for the listener to comprehend for himself.
Xiao Huohuo muttered under his breath:
"An immortal... Master must have become an immortal!"
"Otherwise, he wouldn't know these things, nor would he possess the Dharma Gate of immortal cultivation!"
His guess had been utterly confirmed at that moment.
That was right. Immortals definitely existed in this world, and his master was definitely one of them!
What was more, his master might even be one of the Immortal Gods he had heard of—or even one of the gods before whom he had knelt and burned incense!
Who would have thought that after gathering his courage and entering this forest, he would encounter such a supreme Peerless Expert, one who existed only in legends!
So the hardships of his first sixteen years had all been paving the way for this day!
Xiao Huohuo nodded and looked at Chu Feng with determination.
"Master, I want to learn the Great Dao of cultivation. I want to learn the Path of Qi Refining!"
As he spoke, even his front teeth were chattering.
His eyes, fixed on Chu Feng, overflowed with extreme reverence and fervor.
According to his master, the Path of Qi Refining could ultimately lead to the realm of immortals. Even if he could not reach the end, merely entering the Path of Qi Refining would grant him two full sixty-year cycles of additional lifespan.
Although he still did not know how powerful it could make him, being able to live two centuries longer than an ordinary person meant its abilities could certainly not be weaker than the Acquired Realm.
As long as he learned it, then even with only half a year left, he would definitely be able to defeat the Young Sect Master of the Misty Sect!
Yet the young man before him merely continued to watch him in silence, offering no response.
Xiao Huohuo suddenly came back to his senses and recalled what the storybooks had recorded.
Top Experts were all extremely particular about etiquette.
Some experts, even when willing to pass on their teachings, would not explain themselves directly. Instead, they would leave behind a riddle or secret phrase for their disciples to decipher.
Legend had it that a Divine Monkey once sought a master to teach him the Dao and was tapped three times on the forehead in front of everyone.
The Divine Monkey immediately understood. He rose at the third watch of the night to seek out the immortal master and ultimately learned the Supreme Immortal Law.
Even if his master's cultivation method was not as supreme as the one in the legend, it certainly could not be far behind.
The etiquette required of him definitely could not be too presumptuous!
Thinking of this, Xiao Huohuo solemnly approached Chu Feng, knelt, and performed three bows and nine kowtows before speaking loudly:
"Master, please pass on the Qi Refining Method to your disciple!"
"So that your disciple can wipe away his former humiliation in the battle half a year from now!"
Seeing Xiao Huohuo suddenly kneel for no apparent reason, Chu Feng froze. He thought to himself:
I didn't respond because I was thinking about how to make up a Qi Refining Method. Just what has this kid imagined?
Immediately afterward, he smiled faintly.
"That works too."
"Xiao Huohuo already trusts me completely and believes me in every way. Whatever I say, he may well do."
"Then even if he fails, he won't possibly suspect me."
After remaining silent for a long while, Chu Feng lightly cleared his throat and said:
"Since you sincerely seek the immortal law..."
"Then your master shall pass on to you the Dharma Gate of the Path of Qi Refining!"
At his words, Xiao Huohuo trembled. Tears glimmered at the corners of his eyes as he pressed his entire body flat against the ground.
"Thank you, Master!"
Before you continue