Hibernation Academy, Withered Dragon

"Senior Brother, let us engage in dual cultivation!"

Amidst the vast mountain winds, a crisp female voice rang out, clear and melodious.

Yet, the words spoken were somewhat shocking.

In the broad daylight, under the clear sky, within the pure grounds of the Heaven-Gazing Sect, to speak so bluntly of dual cultivation?

What kind of decorum was this?

But upon hearing this, Lu Xuan's expression remained unruffled; he merely shook his head faintly: "Junior Sister, do not speak nonsense..."

The young girl's expression turned anxious, and she could not help but raise her voice: "Senior Brother, our Qi Gathering failed. You and I no longer belong to the Hibernation Academy. In seven days, all our provisions—the private quarters, the Culinary Hall, the Spirit Stones, and all other benefits—will be revoked..."

"Only by switching to the Golden Armor Jade Body Method and becoming an outer disciple can one receive a Dao Salary and continue to stay at the Jade Court Daoist Grounds."

"But once one switches to the Golden Armor Jade Body Method, offspring become difficult to conceive. Only by uniting yin and yang and leaving behind essence before the transition can one ensure the birth of a Spirit Infant in the future!"

"In terms of appearance, figure, character, and Daoist wisdom... I am among the best of those remaining from this Qi-Refining Grand Rite. To me, Senior Brother is a perfect match. In the future, I will certainly bear a child of excellent aptitude for you. Why is Senior Brother unwilling?"

The girl was bewildered, and at the same time, feeling a bit of doubt, she could not help but raise her head to ask: "Senior Brother, am I not beautiful?"

Lu Xuan raised his eyes, looking at the girl before him—with her delicate nose, cherry lips, snow-white skin, black hair, and features as if carved by a jade knife—and praised: "Junior Sister is in the bloom of youth, bright as the morning glow; naturally, you are extremely beautiful..."

This statement was not Lu Xuan merely offering empty flattery. A girl of this age, with skin like jade and a bone structure like a celestial being, how could she not be beautiful?

If he were to use the parlance of his past life, she would be considered a top-tier beauty.

It was just that... having lived a second life, to remain fixated on the vanity of physical appearance would be too shallow.

Furthermore, the bloom of youth is naturally beautiful, but what if it were not?

Ever since he regained his memories and understood this world, Lu Xuan had already made his plans for this life.

But the girl did not understand; she simply asked in confusion: "Since that is the case, why is Senior Brother unwilling?"

"Because I am unwilling to practice the Golden Armor Jade Body Method..."

Lu Xuan spoke with frank sincerity.

Once these words were out, the girl was stunned, then sighed:

"I know that Senior Brother has high aspirations, but have I not?"

"Three years of studying literature, three years of reading scriptures, three years of cultivation—nine years in the Hibernation Academy. Who does not wish to succeed in Qi Gathering, enter the inner sect, and become a true practitioner?"

"It is just that, just now, Qi Gathering has failed, like a withered dragon losing its... what can be done?"

The girl weighed her words, not wanting to be too blunt.

But Lu Xuan understood her meaning.

The Golden Armor Jade Body Method was the technique that Hibernation Academy disciples switched to after failing their Qi Gathering. This method took a different path, allowing ordinary Embryonic Breath Realm disciples to possess the realm of Qi Refining, and even reach Foundation Establishment; it was considered a force not to be underestimated within the sect.

But one's lifespan was capped at two hundred and sixty years.

No medicine could cure it, no spirit pills were of use, and offspring were difficult to conceive.

It was mockingly referred to by sect disciples as the method of the "Withered Dragon Strongman."

It implied that the Hibernation Academy disciple had failed, the hibernating dragon had withered and died, and this was the technique practiced thereafter.

But that was the polite way of putting it; more crudely, it was simply "a stray dog."

At this moment, the girl saying these words made her meaning quite clear.

Both you and I have failed our Qi Gathering, like stray dogs on the road; what does it matter if you have high aspirations? What else is there to pick and choose?

If you want to stay in the Heaven-Gazing Sect and remain at the Jade Court Daoist Grounds, you have no choice but to switch to the Golden Armor Jade Body Method.

This was also the reason why female disciples had been coming to Lu Xuan's private quarters in an endless stream these past few days.

Unless one had no desire to have children, anyone with the intent to procreate would find a Dao companion during these few days to finalize the matter.

And Lu Xuan's appearance and temperament made him the cream of the crop among this year's Hibernation Academy disciples, and even among all previous cohorts, he was top-tier.

Combined with his intelligence, he was naturally a hot commodity for the junior and senior sisters.

This girl was already the third person to "seek a partner" today.

She was also the one with the best appearance and figure.

The reason she came late was that she had struggled for a long time, but in the end, she accepted reality and decided to preserve the essence first.

As for whether to give birth in the future or not, there was still room for maneuver.

But she had not expected that Lu Xuan would remain completely unmoved.

"Does Senior Brother intend to leave the Heaven-Gazing Sect and seek another path?"

The girl seemed to have realized something, staring at Lu Xuan with astonishment in her eyes.

Lu Xuan remained silent.

The girl took this "silence" as "tacit agreement" and immediately spoke urgently: "Senior Brother, do not lead yourself astray."

"As the saying goes, it is better to be a strongman of a great sect than a true disciple of a small sect."

"Leaving the Heaven-Gazing Sect, you can indeed seek other methods and become a disciple of a small sect, gathering the residual Qi beneath the 'True Qi' to achieve Qi Refining. But in a small sect, there is no Jade Disc, no protection of the Dao Fruit, and one is easily stirred by supernatural powers into greed, anger, and ignorance. Never mind Foundation Establishment, I fear you would not even live out the one hundred and twenty years of the Embryonic Breath Realm before dying inexplicably..."

"This Mount-Supporting Continent is hardly a place of peace..."

"As for the other great sects and major clans, it is even more impossible for them to accept disciples like us from the Hibernation Academy who failed at Qi Gathering."

"After all, once one leaves the Heaven-Gazing Sect, one must sign the Heart Mirror. In the future, if you encounter a Heaven-Gazing Sect disciple, you must retreat three stages. Which major sect would accept a disciple with such a liability?"

The young girl spoke a great deal in one breath, clearly genuinely anxious and unwilling to see Lu Xuan go astray.

Among cultivators, who does not wish to refine Qi, who does not wish to reach Foundation Establishment?

It is just like among the common folk, who does not wish for vast wealth and the highest of official ranks?

But we have all failed at Qi Gathering, and we are not disciples of noble families; is it not time to accept our fate?

Failing to become an inner-sect disciple and settling for the outer sect is still a decent livelihood. Traveling across the continents with some measure of protection, avoiding an inexplicable death—this is already something countless cultivators yearn for but cannot obtain.

After all, this is the Heaven-Gazing Sect, a true great sect of the Immortal Cult.

"Many thanks for your concern, Junior Sister. I am naturally aware of all these consequences."

"There is no need to worry; I have my own sense of measure..."

Hearing this, Lu Xuan merely responded to the girl's concern with a smile.

"Then, Senior Brother, you are willing?"

The girl blinked her bright, beautiful eyes, seemingly sensing that Lu Xuan had relented.

Yet Lu Xuan did not agree; he merely shook his head: "The matter of a Dao companion can be discussed another day. Junior Sister, please return first..."

"Senior Brother!"

The girl stood up, somewhat agitated.

"I understand your intentions, Junior Sister, but please return first..."

Lu Xuan remained unmoved, merely repeating the sentence.

The girl had no choice but to leave, though before departing, she still said: "Time waits for no one. I hope Senior Brother will think it over carefully. Within five days, if you change your mind, you may come to find me. I shall certainly sweep the bed to welcome you!"

On the final four words, "sweep the bed to welcome you," the girl deepened her tone, the implication already extremely obvious.

But Lu Xuan was noncommittal, merely saying: "Please inform the junior sisters waiting outside that I still have important matters to attend to and am not in a position to receive guests. Tell them to disperse..."

Hearing this, the girl's expression brightened slightly, her tone carrying certainty: "Rest assured, Senior Brother, I will certainly chase them away!"

Having said this, the girl bowed gracefully to Lu Xuan, then turned and strode out of the cottage.

Not long after, a crisp voice rang out, filled with confusion and resentment, followed by the sound of jade talismans and the rushing of clouds. Finally, silence returned to the area outside the cottage.

Lu Xuan sat alone on the stone chair in the cottage, closing his eyes to contemplate for a while. He then opened his eyes, looking at the sea-like wisps of cloud and the boundless horizon outside the courtyard, sighing to himself: "Embryonic Breath, Qi Refining..."

Having crossed into this body several days ago and digested its memories, Lu Xuan had gained an understanding of this world.

Yet the shock remained, long undissipated.

This is a world of cultivation, vast and boundless, without limit, known as the Five Realms and Four Seas, the Eight Extremes and Twelve Continents.

The Five Realms are five great regions, each containing the Eight Extremes, and each Extreme holding twelve great continents. Every continent possesses infinite living beings, spirit monsters, and cultivator sects.

The Four Seas are even more vast and shoreless.

The stages of cultivation are further divided into Embryonic Breath, Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Violet Palace, Sitting in Oblivion, Golden Core, Dao Embryo, and various other realms...

As for the Dao Realm beyond that, it is not something ordinary cultivators can fathom.

In such a world, to stop at Qi Refining and turn to cultivating as a mere laborer?

Even if in his previous life he was but a frail, sickly body with a lifespan of at most a few decades and strength not exceeding a hundred pounds, now that he could soar through the heavens and tunnel through the earth with a lifespan of two hundred and sixty years, he was unwilling!

Having returned for another life, he naturally had to seek the Dao and pursue immortality. Even if death were to come like a dream, he would have no regrets!

Otherwise, would he not have come in vain?

However, he was not merely indulging in groundless fantasies.

To seek great romanticism, one must naturally have something to rely upon.

As his mind sank, Lu Xuan's consciousness seemed to enter a hazy space.

This space had no top or bottom, no east or west, just a expanse of white. Only a cyan jade disc, the size of a palm, glowed with a soft luster, illuminating the small space.

On this jade disc, one could vaguely discern an archaic seal character.

If it were the former Lu Xuan, he might not have recognized this character, but this body had cultivated in the Heaven-Gazing Sect for nine years. For the first three years, he learned nothing else but to study characters, and thus he recognized it.

This is an Ancient Huangjie Script, read as "Diligence."

Lu Xuan did not know when this jade disc appeared, but it was not in the memories of his predecessor.

Therefore, he surmised that it might be related to his crossing into this world.

As for more information, there was no way to infer it.

After pondering for several days, Lu Xuan had decided to stop troubling himself and instead focus on figuring out how to use this object.

The object seemed to possess a spirit. As Lu Xuan's mind sank into it, he gained an intuitive understanding, gradually learning how to use it.

What is the use of the character [Diligence]?

Lu Xuan had already made up his mind.

It was precisely because he knew the usage of this item that Lu Xuan resolved not to switch his cultivation to the Golden Armor Jade Body Method.

Of course, he would not leave the Heaven-Gazing Sect to join another sect either.

His junior sister was right; the Heaven-Gazing Sect was a true Immortal Cult, and being able to join such a sect to cultivate was something countless people dreamed of.

Disciples of minor sects could have their greed and hatred stirred by a single divine ability, leading to their death and the dissipation of their dao. In this vast world of cultivation, they were like small boats in the ocean; even with the help of fortuitous encounters, it was hard to avoid being plotted against and dying for no reason.

Only by cultivating within an Immortal Cult could one find a glimmer of survival.

Since he would neither switch to the Golden Armor Jade Body nor join another sect, there was only one way left.

Perform a second Qi Gathering, break through to the Embryonic Breath Realm, and enter the inner sect once more.

However, this path of cultivation was unique and required the Grand Rite.