Looking Back, a Hundred Years Have Passed

Taoist priests were not barred from holding official posts.

True Person Ziyang, who had attained the Primordial Spirit, once served a term as a prefectural magistrate.

As long as one did not use evil arts to touch the Dragon Qi of the imperial court or vainly attempt to manipulate the fate of the realm, there would be no backlash.

Yet even single-minded cultivation left one's Lifespan insufficient—where was the time to deal with petty scheming? Thus, very few accomplished true cultivators entered officialdom.

The Heavenly Corpse Sect's entry into government was not voluntary; being an official was far less entertaining than refining corpses. But Zhou Yi's orders could not be defied.

That day.

The heavy snow had just stopped.

Zhou Yi slowly emerged from the ground, leaving not a single trace on the snow.

The Five Elements Spirit Corpses surrounded him, clad in dark robes, like five shadowy figures clinging to his side.

"The Five Elements Cycle is now fully mastered—the world is mine to roam!"

As Zhou Yi spoke, his form transformed into a mass of blue light, streaking across the snow straight toward the former Prince Guangyang's Mansion, now called the Chen Mansion.

He passed directly through walls and entered the courtyard.

The snow on the ground had already been cleared away, and a youth was practicing his sword.

The woman teaching the sword technique had reached the Minor Circulation in her martial arts, placing her among the absolute pinnacle of the world.

Over the past sixty years, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy had grown increasingly thin. In the past, breaking through to Innate Grandmaster was a rare event once in a century; now, the Ren and Du Meridians had become a life-or-death barrier.

The youth was thin, dressed in a brocade jacket. A gust of cold wind made him shiver, showing no trace of a martial artist's bearing.

Zhou Yi stood still for a moment, then spoke: "Are you Zhou Nian?"

The woman suddenly heard the voice. Her brows furrowed, and a streak of sword light shot toward the source of the sound.

It was the Xiahou Sword Art, and from its speed, she had already grasped its essence!

Zhou Yi pinched the blade between two fingers. The sword, sharp enough to cut through iron, could not advance a single inch.

The woman recognized the newcomer and couldn't help but exclaim: "Sword Saint!"

Over sixty years had passed, yet he had not changed in the slightest, as if time had frozen for him.

Zhou Yi studied the woman's face carefully, and a thought stirred his memory: "You are... Chu Hong, the one by Jinyu's side?"

Others believed Zhou Yi had spent sixty years in seclusion, mastering his divine arts, shaking the world, and seizing the position of Grand Tutor.

In truth, it had been little more than a year since Zhou Yi last saw Chu Hong. He never imagined the young maiden had become a middle-aged woman.

"Your sword scripture is good, but you've grown too old. Otherwise, you might have had hope for Grandmaster."

Chu Hong was now a renowned top-tier expert of the martial world, the Deputy Palace Lord of Hundred Flowers Palace. Yet hearing Zhou Yi's praise, she could not suppress her excitement.

"These humble achievements of mine are thanks to the Sword Saint's transmission. The Purple Sun Sword Qi Scripture is truly an unparalleled meridian-breaking supreme art."

"The Purple Sun Sword Qi Scripture is the legacy of the Daoist immortal True Person Ziyang. Cultivate it well, and if you encounter an opportunity to temper your body with spiritual objects, you may yet step into the Innate realm."

After speaking, Zhou Yi turned to the youth Zhou Nian: "Extend your hand."

"Alright..."

Zhou Nian, meeting the man he had idolized for so long, could barely contain himself. His longsword clattered to the ground.

He had grown up in the Chen Mansion, when the Chen Family was already the wealthiest in Jiangnan. Even afflicted with a strange illness, he had never known hardship.

Later, he caught the eye of his grandmother Chen Jinyu and was adopted as her grandson, all but designated as her heir. He was treated like the moon surrounded by stars, with the finest physicians from across the land summoned to treat him.

When with Chen Jinyu, the stories she told most often were of the legendary Guo Bei Sword Saint—every tale repeated dozens or hundreds of times.

In a youth's formative years, external influences leave the deepest marks.

Though Zhou Nian had never met Zhou Yi, he had absorbed these tales until the man seemed like a celestial being.

Thus, despite his frail body, Zhou Nian insisted on practicing the sword, training in the Xiahou Sword Scripture.

But he was too weak to build up his blood and energy; any exertion could cause him to collapse and die.

Zhou Yi had no idea what was going through the boy's mind. He had learned from Li Zhu that Chen Jinyu had adopted a foster grandson, one afflicted with a strange illness.

He felt a deep sense of indebtedness toward Chen Jinyu and fully supported this decision.

When people grow old, they need something to hold onto. Zhou Yi could not provide that, but Zhou Nian could.

"Oh?"

Zhou Yi let out a surprised sound. As his True Essence entered Zhou Nian's body, he discovered a dense mass of Profound Yin Qi.

The boy's body was not weak at all; in fact, his meridians were tougher than an ordinary person's.

Profound Yin Qi differed from ordinary Five Elements Spiritual Energy. Without a method to refine it into True Qi or True Essence, it accumulated in the body, causing an imbalance of yin and yang. Over time, it manifested as a severe illness.

"Could it be a spiritual root... I'll just test it."

Zhou Yi said: "I'll teach you a short oral formula. Listen carefully."

Chu Hong, seeing that he was about to transmit a technique, turned to leave. Even in the martial world, there were distinctions between sects, let alone when an immortal was passing down a method.

"You don't need to leave. It's no secret art—just an ordinary breathing technique. Practice it diligently, and it will purify your Internal Qi and extend your years."

"Chu Hong thanks the Sword Saint for imparting the technique!"

Chu Hong's heart surged with emotion, shock and joy mingling as she knelt directly to the ground.

In her eyes, Zhou Yi was already a being akin to an immortal; the Qi Refining method casually passed down was nothing short of celestial law among mortals.

Since Hundred Flowers Palace backed Chen Jinyu, it had grown rapidly and was now one of the notable sects south of the river. Yet it had never produced an Innate Grandmaster, so it couldn't claim an unbroken lineage. Now, the Sword Saint's transmission was a stroke of fortune.

"Inhale and exhale, expel the stale and draw in the fresh. Lips and teeth lightly meet, breath slow and smooth... Gather the radiance of spirit, reach the celestial mind... The Dantian warms with Qi, Qi travels the belt meridian. Subtle and continuous, use it without haste."

Among the Seven Qi Refining Methods discovered in the imperial archives, this was the most basic one.

A First-Grade Technique, the Daoist Pure Subtle Scripture.

Its strength lay in ease of learning and a solid foundation, making it extremely convenient to switch to other techniques later.

Zhou Nian was born with a formidable memory; a single recitation was enough for him to recite it by heart, and the meaning of the Daoist scripture dawned on him as if by divine inspiration.

The Profound Yin Qi within his body circulated according to the technique, eventually converging in his Dantian and gradually transforming into Profound Yin True Qi.

Zhou Yi's soul enveloped Zhou Nian, so the changes within his body were naturally impossible to hide.

"Indeed a Yin Attribute Spirit Root, and not a low grade at that!"

Zhou Yi then glanced at Chu Xiu beside him, who was still struggling to recite the technique—not only unable to cultivate, but even finding it hard to comprehend.

Martial arts generate Qi from within; Qi Refining draws in spiritual energy, from the outside inward.

Many principles would take an ordinary person years of reciting Daoist scriptures to grasp, unless they were like Zhou Nian, born with innate spiritual insight.

Whether Chu Hong had a Spirit Root was unclear, but her Daoist aptitude alone was several times inferior.

"In the future, cultivating this technique will not only cure your ailments but also strengthen your body. When you've condensed True Essence, you may seek me out again."

With that, Zhou Yi moved his mind, activated an Escape Art, and vanished.

Leaving Chu Hong behind with a face full of awe and reverence, while Zhou Nian showed both envy and determination.

The Daoist Pure Subtle Scripture opened a door for Zhou Nian—the world took on new color, and his thoughts flowed freely.

Many principles became clear on their own, and the Profound Yin Qi circulated along a Profound Dao path, diverging slightly from the Daoist Pure Subtle Scripture.

The Escape Art traveled underground at astonishing speed, reaching the rear residence in an instant.

In his eyes, Zhou Nian was merely a promising junior, worth some guidance—but anything more would depend on future performance.

Chen Jinyu was scolding several shopkeepers, her face stern and imposing.

A change in dwelling nurtures a change in bearing; a change in position nurtures a change in presence.

Having presided over the Immortal Wine House and decided the livelihoods of millions, Chen Jinyu had long cultivated the aura of a great figure.

"Ahem!"

Zhou Yi's voice sounded at the door.

Chen Jinyu's expression froze, and she turned to see the person she had longed for day and night.

Decades had passed, yet he remained as he was back then. She looked at herself—now old and frail, with little time left.

She had thought she would carry regret to her grave, that perhaps he would occasionally think of her and come to pay respects.

Now that she truly saw him, Chen Jinyu instead felt an increasing calm in her heart. She waved away the shopkeepers.

"Long time no see..."

"Mm, long time no see."

Zhou Yi stood with the wind and snow at his back, like an immortal descended.

For a moment, Chen Jinyu was lost in a daze, staring at him.