The Art of Longevity

The lecture scene in the Sea of Consciousness was no different from the ones he had seen before.

Perhaps because he had not seen this sight for so long, he always felt as though he were truly there.

When he had listened to Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's lectures before, it had felt somewhat like watching television in his previous life.

Though he could see the scene clearly, it had been difficult to feel immersed in it.

But this time, as he listened, he felt as though he too were beneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree.

The opening content was still the same as before.

First came an explanation of the Earth Immortal path and an introduction to Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands.

Next was the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique that Liu Yuanchen had already learned.

Even though he had heard it before, Liu Yuanchen still listened attentively.

Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's lecture was not merely reciting the cultivation technique. It also contained his understanding of it and touched upon related matters.

Though the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique had merely been created by him on a whim, it was still profound and extensive.

When Liu Yuanchen had first obtained the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique, his understanding of it had been rather shallow.

Later, whenever he entered meditation, he carefully listened to Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's explanations and gained greatly each time.

This time was no exception. After hearing it again, he gained several more insights.

Once the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique had been fully explained, Liu Yuanchen heard the third section once more.

According to Grand Immortal Zhenyuan, the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique was merely a foundational cultivation method on the path of cultivation.

Only after mastering the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique could one continue cultivating the later techniques.

The third section was a cultivation method meant to follow the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique, called the Withered Wood Longevity Art.

The Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique was very similar to the Qi Refinement Path techniques of the Origin Spirit Realm, both absorbing and refining the spiritual qi of heaven and earth from the outside world.

But the Withered Wood Longevity Art had no direct connection to spiritual qi or spiritual power.

The technique recorded that all living beings were born with Innate Qi.

There were many names for Innate Qi, such as Innate Origin and Innate Primordial Qi.

A living being's eating, drinking, excretion, birth, aging, illness, and death all depended on the circulation of Innate Qi within the body.

Yet as Innate Qi circulated, it continuously dissipated.

Once Innate Qi became insufficient, the body's instincts would lower its consumption as much as possible.

At that point, living beings would gradually age, and all their abilities would decline.

However, a living being's instincts could not completely prevent Innate Qi from dissipating.

Once Innate Qi had been depleted to the point where it could no longer sustain circulation, the living being would die.

The Withered Wood Longevity Art extended one's lifespan by reducing the dissipation of Innate Qi.

The so-called withered wood was not a tree that had truly died, but rather a tree that had shed its leaves.

During cold seasons, trees shed their leaves in order to preserve their vitality as much as possible.

The Withered Wood Longevity Art imitated the way trees shed their leaves, reducing the loss of Innate Qi as much as possible.

The entire Withered Wood Longevity Art was divided into four levels: Leaf-Falling, Withered Wood, Rotten Wood, and Rejuvenation.

The energy within an ordinary person's body dissipated at every moment.

The Leaf-Falling level reduced this dissipation. Upon reaching this level, one could reduce the body's energy loss by thirty percent.

This energy encompassed an extremely broad range, including essence, qi, and spirit. Even a person's scent, spiritual power, and all kinds of fluctuations would weaken, and Innate Qi was naturally included.

The lifespan limit of a Qi-Nourishing Realm cultivator was one hundred and twenty years. In other words, barring severe injuries, their Innate Qi could sustain one hundred and twenty years of loss.

Cultivating the Withered Wood Longevity Art to the Leaf-Falling level reduced the rate at which Innate Qi dissipated by thirty percent, leaving only seventy percent.

In that case, one's lifespan would exceed one hundred and seventy years.

A Sea of Qi Realm cultivator had a lifespan of two hundred and forty years. With Innate Qi dissipating at only seventy percent of its normal rate, their lifespan would exceed three hundred and forty years.

The Withered Wood level was not fundamentally different from the Leaf-Falling level. It simply took the effect a step further.

A tree remained alive after shedding its leaves, while withered wood further concealed its vitality, making the tree seem like an inanimate object.

At the Withered Wood level, the dissipation rate of all energy in the body, including Innate Qi, decreased by sixty percent, leaving only forty percent.

At this level, Qi-Nourishing Realm cultivators could live three hundred years, while Sea of Qi Realm cultivators could live six hundred years.

Once one cultivated to the Rotten Wood level, a fundamental change would occur.

Like decaying wood, one would merge with the soil, no longer possessing a clear boundary between oneself and heaven and earth.

If my body is a part of heaven and earth, where can its energy dissipate to?

Innate Qi would no longer dissipate, and one could naturally live forever without aging.

Trees did not shed their leaves in order to die and eventually become rotten wood.

They did so to preserve their vitality, waiting until spring returned and flowers bloomed before growing new leaves and beginning a new life.

The Withered Wood Longevity Art imitated trees, so it naturally worked the same way.

The first three levels restrained Innate Qi, all to lay the foundation for the Rejuvenation level.

At the Rejuvenation level, the body could absorb energy from heaven and earth and condense it into new Innate Qi.

At that point, Innate Qi would become inexhaustible, and there would be no need to worry about lifespan at all.

All kinds of life-burning forbidden arts could be thrown around freely.

Unfortunately, Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's third lecture section only explained the cultivation methods for the first three levels of the Withered Wood Longevity Art.

It did not mention the final Rejuvenation level.

Still, the mere possibility of cultivating the first three levels to achieve immortality and freedom from death already filled Liu Yuanchen with wild joy.

The Withered Wood Longevity Art retained within the body the energy that should have dissipated, so the body's energy would naturally increase as well.

The intercepted Innate Qi would naturally continue sustaining the body's functions.

As for intercepted energies such as qi, blood, and spiritual power, they would be converted into new energy and gather separately within the Kidney Meridian and Heart Meridian.

As for what these energies would ultimately do and how they should be used, the first three levels of the Withered Wood Longevity Art did not mention it.

After listening to this section of the lecture, Liu Yuanchen was ecstatic.

This Withered Wood Longevity Art was far more advanced than the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique. The Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique merely laid the foundation, but this was a method of longevity.

For more than half a year, the lecture scene had not appeared, but now he understood why.

The Dharma could not be casually passed on, much less a method of longevity.

Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's lecture was not yet over, so he suppressed the turmoil in his heart and listened quietly.

Though he could not understand the content at all, he still listened carefully.

Once the lecture ended, the scene transformed into emerald streams of light once more and merged into the Immortal Seed.

Afterward, Liu Yuanchen began comprehending the first two levels of the Withered Wood Longevity Art.

Following its instructions, he slowly altered the state of his body's circulation.

Reducing the rate at which all kinds of bodily energy dissipated was certainly not something that could be achieved simply by circulating a cultivation technique.

The Withered Wood Longevity Art required patient, gradual work. It slowly transformed the body's state of circulation to reduce the rate at which Innate Qi dissipated.

Liu Yuanchen pictured bleak autumn winds, with grass and trees turning yellow as dead leaves fell one after another.

At the same time, he continuously imagined the vitality within trees gradually drawing inward as they shed their leaves.

After trying for a long time, he still could not get started.

"It seems that to grasp the essence of the Withered Wood Longevity Art, I can't rely on empty imagination alone. I need to find an opportunity to observe trees shedding their leaves up close."

When he stopped circulating the technique, there was not the slightest hint of frustration on his face. Instead, he was all smiles.

Though he had failed to cultivate the Withered Wood Longevity Art, the technique was right here. So long as he pondered it slowly, there would eventually come a day when he succeeded.

Moreover, the Withered Wood Longevity Art and the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique complemented each other.

Without cultivating the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique, even someone with peerless talent could not enter the door.

But after cultivating the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique to a profound level, cultivating the Withered Wood Longevity Art would become much easier.

Even if he could not succeed now, he would surely succeed once the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique improved further.

During this meditation session, Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's lecture scene had appeared in the Sea of Consciousness again, and he had obtained a method of longevity.

Compared to that, the mental effort expended building the temple and offering worship before was not worth mentioning.

Afterward, he offered Grand Immortal Zhenyuan three sticks of incense and bowed repeatedly in thanks.

The construction of the Earth Immortal Ancestral Temple had taken several days.

The pits of the Azurewater Spirit Peach and the Toxic Thorn Vine he had planted earlier had already sprouted.

Like the spirit plants he had previously cultivated with the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art, Liu Yuanchen could use them as his eyes and ears to observe the surrounding area.

He sensed the circulation of qi and blood within his body. At this time, the qi and blood in the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian were at their most vigorous.

According to the Midnight-Noon Circulation, it was now the Tiger Hour, between three and five in the morning. Dawn would arrive soon.

After packing up his things, he hurriedly left the Spirit Realm.

Inside the cave outside the Spirit Realm, he sensed the Azurewater Spirit Peach sapling and the Toxic Thorn Vine and could still see the conditions around them.

"It seems the Spirit Realm cannot block my connection with spirit plants."

With that, he left Bluestone Mountain and headed toward Yujin Mountain.

The eastern sky was beginning to redden, and the Black Mist over Blackcloud Ridge slowly started to disperse.

By then, Liu Yuanchen had also arrived at Yujin Mountain.

According to the mission requirements, he had to patrol the area within fifty li of Yujin Mountain.

At the same time, he could search for trees that shed leaves in autumn and winter to cultivate the Withered Wood Longevity Art.

Unfortunately, Blackcloud Ridge possessed a Great Spirit Vein. Even places without a Spirit Nexus, such as Yujin Mountain, still contained some spiritual qi.

Even ordinary vegetation, after absorbing spiritual qi for a long time, could completely ignore autumn frost and winter snow. There was no need for it to shed leaves at all.

Only places far from Blackcloud Ridge, where spiritual qi was thin but water was available, had large trees that shed leaves.

For example, the Liu Family's Salt Marsh was at the end of the Qingshui River and had sparse spiritual qi.

Liu Yuanchen had lived there for more than ten years and knew it quite well.

Every autumn and winter, the trees near the Salt Marsh would shed their leaves.

Many places downstream along the Qingshui River also had trees that shed leaves.

Once he finished up here, he still needed to make a trip there.

After completing his patrol, he returned to Yujin Mountain to rest.

He had not rested for long when he suddenly sensed someone approaching his direction.

Liu Yuanchen hurriedly put on the Black Cloud Robe, used Wood-Shadow Evasion, and concealed himself.

Before long, a furtive figure arrived beside the spirit field on Yujin Mountain.

This person looked rather young, just over twenty.

He was of average height and build, with an utterly ordinary face. Mixed into a crowd, no one would notice him.

He wore the standard Daoist robe of the Demoncloud Sect. He was clearly an evil cultivator sent by the Demoncloud Sect to scout ahead.

His cultivation was not particularly high, only at the Ninth Qi-Nourishing Layer, not yet at the Qi-Nourishing Peak.

Liu Yuanchen found this strange. "The scouts sent before were all cannon-fodder rogue cultivators. Why is the Demoncloud Sect willing to send one of its own disciples to scout this time? Still, I've already killed several evil cultivators at the Ninth Qi-Nourishing Layer. Killing one more is no big deal."

With that thought, he quietly approached.

Once he reached the scout's back, he swung the Wind-Thunder Staff fiercely toward the back of his head.

Suddenly, the scene before Liu Yuanchen's eyes twisted.

The Wind-Thunder Staff came down but struck nothing.

The young evil cultivator had already dodged more than thirty feet away.

Liu Yuanchen instantly realized that he had encountered a formidable opponent this time. He immediately used Wood-Shadow Evasion, vanishing without a trace.

The young evil cultivator sneered. "Wind-Thunder Staff, Mountain-Splitting Staff Art, Azure Ape Astral Force. So you're Zhao Hong's disciple, Liu Yuanchen. The people of the Eight Desolations Pavilion still haven't improved. They all like to strike from behind."

Liu Yuanchen was shaken. "This fellow's methods are extraordinary, and so is his knowledge. He knows about the Eight Desolations Pavilion and even knows my inheritance. What's more, he clearly holds the Eight Desolations Pavilion in contempt. The force behind him must be on the same level as the Eight Desolations Pavilion. Master once said that the Demoncloud Sect was supported by a major force from beyond the Red Wasteland. This young evil cultivator likely comes from that force behind the Demoncloud Sect. Even Master is wary of that force, so its disciples must be formidable. And in that flash of lightning, he dodged the Wind-Thunder Staff's strike. I couldn't see through his method at all."

"His cultivation is above mine, and his methods are strange. I cannot fight him head-on."

With that thought, Liu Yuanchen used Wood-Shadow Evasion at full strength and fled toward Jintong Mountain.

Several Sea of Qi Realm cultivators were stationed at the Jintong Mountain mine. No matter how strong this young evil cultivator was, he would not dare pursue him there.

Seeing Liu Yuanchen flee, the young evil cultivator smiled and chased after him.

His steps were not fast, as though he were merely taking a stroll.

Yet his speed was terrifying, completely no slower than Liu Yuanchen's.

No matter how Liu Yuanchen employed his movement technique, the distance between them remained around fifty feet.

"Wood-Shadow Evasion is merely an inheritance of the Azure Elixir Sect. This trash technique may have some use against native cultivators of the Red Wasteland. But before me, it is nothing more than a joke. You needn't fear me. The Eight Desolations Pavilion is famous for protecting its own. You must have a life-saving means on you. With my abilities, I cannot take you down."

Liu Yuanchen changed directions repeatedly, yet the man always followed closely behind.

Once he confirmed that Wood-Shadow Evasion's concealment effect was useless, Liu Yuanchen simply revealed himself.

"Since you know that, why are you following me? Aren't you afraid I'll use my life-saving trump card and kill you here?"

The young evil cultivator chuckled. "Since I dared to pursue you, naturally I am not afraid of you."

"I came to investigate the situation. I never expected to run into you—enemies really do cross paths."

"I am a successor of the Soaring Immortal Sect. We have been old rivals with your Eight Desolations Pavilion for tens of thousands of years."

Liu Yuanchen was somewhat taken aback upon hearing this. His master had never mentioned the Soaring Immortal Sect.

"My master never mentioned the Soaring Immortal Sect to me. He only said that the Demoncloud Sect was backed by a major force from beyond this realm, one that was also at odds with our Eight Desolations Pavilion.

"So the major force behind the Demoncloud Sect is the Soaring Immortal Sect?"

The young evil cultivator's face filled with fury. "Zhao Hong truly is arrogant, to hold our Soaring Immortal Sect in such contempt."

Seeing how much resentment he held toward his master, Liu Yuanchen probed, "Some time ago, my master went to exchange blows with an old rival.

"What is your relationship with my master's old rival?"

The young evil cultivator snorted coldly. "Your master's old rival is my master.

"Our Soaring Immortal Sect and your Eight Desolations Pavilion have been enemies for generation after generation."