Awakening

Li Yan now fully understood what had happened to him, and he also recalled that when he had regained consciousness later, the old man had told him not to open his eyes. At this moment, he naturally grasped the intent behind that—if he had opened his eyes upon waking, his instinct would have been to immediately sit cross-legged and continue refining the medicinal power. The Fire Poison and medicinal force that had just been suppressed within his body would have erupted once more, and he would have had no luck encountering someone like the Gray-Robed Old Man, who possessed immortal arts and divine abilities, appearing right then. All that awaited him would have been death. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

The old man's voice came again, though it now sounded somewhat ethereal and unsteady. "Alright, having said all this, you must already understand why I saved you, don't you?"

Li Yan looked up at the old man, whose figure had grown illusory, and nodded softly. "Youngster naturally understands. I must be the one with the spiritual root that you've been seeking for the 'Gui Water Immortal Sect.'" Li Yan had guessed this ever since the Gray-Robed Old Man spoke of their five ancient sects searching for people with special physiques and spiritual roots. It wasn't hard for him to figure out—the old man had saved him and then recounted his own origins and purpose; how could he not deduce it?

"Yes, you are the one I have painstakingly sought for hundreds of thousands of years. This wisp of my Divine Thought is about to dissipate. I have already placed my sect's immortal art, the 'Gui Water True Scripture,' into your Sea of Consciousness. Later, you can sense its presence. It is a complete set of immortal arts, spanning from the Qi Condensation Stage all the way to the Great Ascension Stage. However, you can only see the content that matches your current cultivation level. As your cultivation advances, you will unlock the corresponding techniques. For now, you can only see the techniques for the Qi Condensation Stage. If you unfortunately fall, this set of immortal arts will dissipate immediately." Saying this, the old man couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"Youngster, if I had found you under normal circumstances, even with the power of my current Divine Thought, though I couldn't perform great divine abilities, I could have accompanied you for a thousand years without issue. During that time, I could have guided your cultivation carefully, helping you avoid detours. Unfortunately, after clearing your meridians and suppressing the Fire Poison, this is all I can manage now. The path ahead must be walked by you alone. How far you go will depend on your own luck."

Hearing the old man speak this way, Li Yan couldn't help but stammer, "Imm... Immortal Elder, I... I don't want to cultivate immortality. I want to go home and reunite with my father and mother."

The Gray-Robed Old Man was taken aback at this. In his mind, cultivating immortality was something everyone yearned for. Not to mention a legendary Great Being like himself taking on a disciple—even a trashy Qi Condensation Stage cultivator in the mortal world offering to take a disciple would have countless people breaking down doors to beg for the chance. This was unexpected, but he wasn't too concerned. He let out a scoffing laugh. "Hmph, do you think you have a choice? If you don't cultivate immortality, the Fire Poison in your body will fester and grow in a few years. Once it breaks through the suppression, you'll die anyway. Besides, now that you've undergone initial cultivation and I've reorganized your meridians today, guiding the medicinal power, you're already at the first layer of Qi Condensation Stage. Do you think your current teacher will let you leave once he sees you've awakened? He'll drain your Mana sooner or later, and that's another death. If you cultivate the immortal art I've given you, you might still have a chance to fight back. So, you say you don't want to cultivate immortality?"

Li Yan was stunned for a moment, mulling it over. He had been so focused on returning to his parents that he had truly overlooked his current situation. As the old man said, he was now in a position where he couldn't back down—not cultivating meant death, while continuing to cultivate offered a sliver of hope for survival.

Seeing Li Yan silent, the old man gave a cold laugh. "Put aside those childish thoughts. Focus on how to stay alive. With the poison in your body, if you can cultivate the 'Gui Water True Scripture' to the peak of the first layer of Qi Condensation Stage, you should be able to expel it. You'll understand once you see the technique's content later. Mm, you should practice more by this Water Pool—it enhances the spiritual root of our water-based path. Military Advisor Ji didn't choose this valley as his residence randomly; it's the only place nearby with some spiritual energy. That energy comes from deep within this Water Pool. There should be a small spiritual vein or something beneath it, and the energy spreads roughly within this valley. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to cultivate. But this spiritual energy is too scarce, and the vein too small—otherwise, Green Mountain Pass City would have long ceased to exist, likely taken over by some immortal sect.

"One more thing—it's hard to say whether this is a blessing or a curse. The Mana in your body entered through poison. Though I've reorganized it, given my current state, I could only repair your meridians to save your life, exhausting what little power I had left. I cannot change the poisonous nature of your Mana. As it circulates through your body, the toxins hidden within will grow stronger, seeping into your muscles and bones. However, once you switch to cultivating the 'Gui Water True Scripture' and reach the peak of the first layer of Qi Condensation Stage, you can refine away the poison in your Mana. So for now, your concern should be how to master the 'Gui Water True Scripture' and escape. Only after you escape can you plan anything else."

As he spoke, the Gray-Robed Old Man's already ethereal voice took on a note of gravity. He was deeply worried. After searching for over two million years, he had finally found a successor, only for that successor to die at the hands of a mere Qi Condensation Stage trash cultivator—it would be an utterly humiliating end. In the past, a being like that could be obliterated with a single thought, but now he couldn't even manage that, leaving him profoundly frustrated. His true body was nowhere to be found, and this wisp of Divine Thought was on the verge of dissipating. If he hadn't helped Li Yan repair his body, with his remaining Divine Thought power, he could have killed a third-layer Qi Condensation cultivator upon waking normally and then held on for a few more years. But when he first awoke, Li Yan's life hung by a thread—there was no time to kill Military Advisor Ji first. After saving Li Yan, his own Mana was nearly spent.

Li Yan furrowed his brow tightly. Indeed, as the old man said, the main issue now was how to escape alive from his teacher's grasp.

The old man's voice drifted into Li Yan's ears again. "You should have about a year. By then, whether you've reached the peak of the first layer of Qi Condensation Stage or not, Military Advisor Ji will make his move. He can only suppress the poison in his body for about a year. But if you can diligently cultivate the 'Gui Water True Scripture' to the peak of the first layer within that year, there might be a chance to turn things around. Who knows, there might even be some surprises, heh heh."

At this point, the old man's ethereal voice carried a hint of malicious amusement, but he didn't elaborate. Instead, he shifted the topic. "Mm, if you want to escape this place, you might be able to use Marshal Hong in the city. He's extremely eager to get his hands on Military Advisor Ji's so-called 'martial arts.' I also sense that in the Marshal's Residence, besides Hong Linying, there's another martial arts expert on par with him. Though the two of them together couldn't possibly defeat Military Advisor Ji, they could hold him off for a short while.

"Also, for now, you don't need to worry about your parents' safety. If you can escape, they'll only be a burden. Military Advisor Ji won't lose the chance to use them as bait.

"Oh, and one more reminder—Military Advisor Ji has already mastered some basic immortal arts, like the Wood Spike Technique, Fireball Technique, and Wind Blade Technique. You'll need to deal with them carefully. These may be trivial beginner arts, but immortal arts are still immortal arts—not something mortals or a rookie like you can withstand." The old man said this, emphasizing the words "martial arts" with a heavier tone, but his voice had grown extremely faint.

Li Yan was puzzled by the first half of the old man's words, wondering why the Gray-Robed Old Man had suddenly let out that malicious laugh. But it clearly wasn't directed at him. Before he could dwell on it, he heard the old man mention Marshal Hong's intentions, and his eyes lit up. He recalled the incident at the Military Training Grounds that day. At the time, he hadn't understood Marshal Hong's motives—the man had even sent inner energy coursing through his body. So it turned out he was coveting Military Advisor Ji's techniques. This might be an opportunity to exploit. But how to deal with Military Advisor Ji's immortal arts was a complete mystery to him. Those were immortal arts, after all.

"Alright, youngster. I'd like to say more, but it's impossible. I hope my true body can meet you someday. But at the very least, you should call me 'Sect Leader.' Remember, this old man is called 'Reversed Water Venerable,' Dong Fuyi." With these words, the old man's voice faded to near silence, and his figure began to dissolve into specks of watery mist, dispersing slowly.

Li Yan stared at the mist forming in the air and called out urgently, "Old man, old man! You haven't told me how to get out!" But no sound came from the mist. He thought to himself, 'Sect Leader'? He didn't even explain things clearly. And now I've somehow joined an immortal sect—a rootless one at that. The sect probably only has me in it now. So where's the immortal art? And how do I get out of this mental space? As he pondered, the mist before him dissipated completely. With its disappearance, Li Yan felt a blur before his eyes, then a dizzying haze, and everything went pitch black.

Li Yan felt a chill all over his body. He snapped his eyes open and was met with a blinding white sunlight that forced him to shut them again. A familiar voice came through. "Disciple, you're finally awake. How do you feel? A bit better?"

Hearing this voice, Li Yan's body stiffened. After a pause, he slowly opened his eyes again. The first thing he saw was a Black-Robed Man, slightly bent over to block the sunlight, his gaunt, kindly face looking at him with concern. It was his master, Military Advisor Ji. Li Yan forced a faint smile. He glanced around and realized he was lying on the ground, soaked through. He pushed himself up with his hands and found he was still by the Water Pool. The sunlight in the sky was still slightly eastward, as if it were still morning. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Mas... Master, what happened to me?"

Seeing Li Yan awake, Military Advisor Ji let out a relieved breath. He straightened up and said gently, "You deviated from your meridians while drawing Qi into your body during cultivation and fell into the Water Pool. I just pulled you out. It's been about half an incense stick's time, and you've been unconscious the whole while. I've been channeling energy to heal you. Now you're out of danger, and I—huh?" As he spoke, he habitually swept his Divine Sense over Li Yan and was startled. With Li Yan's awakening, the aura on his body was constantly changing and strengthening, and his face, which had been somewhat swollen and distorted, was slowly recovering. In that casual sweep, he discovered that Li Yan had already reached the initial stage of the first layer of Qi Condensation Stage. He shook his head in a daze. When he had first fished Li Yan out of the water and sent Mana into him, Li Yan had shown a faint reaction. After a few more strands of Mana, there was no response, but his breathing was normal. When he had scanned Li Yan's body with his Divine Sense earlier, it had been quite injured, and his cultivation was still at the Qi-drawing stage—he hadn't broken through to Qi Condensation first layer.

This had been a great disappointment. But as long as the boy was alive, there was still hope for another breakthrough. So he had continued channeling Mana into him, hoping to alleviate the Fire Poison. But Li Yan had remained motionless, showing no signs of waking. He had simply stood by, thinking and observing. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Li Yan had woken up on his own. In that habitual Divine Sense sweep just now, how had he suddenly reached Qi Condensation first layer? Was he hallucinating? He sent out his Divine Sense again to scan Li Yan—he didn't think anyone here would know what Divine Sense was. After a moment, even with his composure, his face lit up with joy. It was indeed Qi Condensation first layer, no doubt. He also noticed that Li Yan's eyes were even more distinct, black and white, several times clearer than before. But then suspicion crept in. He had scanned Li Yan several times earlier and was certain he hadn't reached Qi Condensation first layer. How to explain this now?

After a moment, he set aside his doubts. Li Yan had been cultivating under his watchful eye for the past forty-nine days—what could go wrong? Perhaps the strands of Mana he had sent into the boy had taken effect, or maybe the kid had a special constitution, and he was just being overly suspicious. As for why he hadn't noticed the breakthrough earlier, it might have been because Li Yan's aura was unstable while unconscious, and since he had just broken through to Qi Condensation first layer, the aura was too weak. Now that Li Yan was awake, it was naturally revealing itself.

Li Yan watched his teacher speak, then pause with a surprised exclamation. Suddenly, he felt an invisible force envelop him, as if someone were peering into his entire being, leaving no secrets exposed. "Divine Sense!" The word flashed through his mind involuntarily. Confirming this thought, he felt even more clearly that there was an eye-like presence scanning him from head to toe, inside and out. The sensation was both illusory and undeniably real, making him deeply uncomfortable. At the same time, he was startled to find that his five senses had become extraordinarily sharp. Without turning his head, he could hear the fish swimming in the Water Pool and the faint chirping of autumn insects in the valley. Glancing to the side, he was amazed to see dewdrops on the grass dozens of yards away as clearly as if they were right before his eyes—so vivid, so dazzling in the light. Ants crawling among the grass blades and dewdrops were busily carrying things under the sun, and he could even make out their constantly twitching antennae. Turning his gaze to the Water Pool, he saw wisps of thread-like energy interweaving, twisting, and spreading. He guessed this was the spiritual energy emanating from the Water Pool that Dong Fuyi had mentioned. Everything seemed utterly incredible to Li Yan.

Moreover, from what his teacher said, he had only been unconscious for about half an incense stick's time. Yet in that space, he had spoken with Dong Fuyi for a long while—at least an hour, if his estimate was right. How could that be explained?