A Multiverse Story: In Little Garden, Becoming a God with Once Proven, Forever Proven

Qin Qi spoke.

"Pfft!"

Lu Jin had just taken a sip, only to spit it out. "Wait, you're just going to come right out and say it?"

"Yes. There's no need to beat around the bush with a shrewd old man like you. Besides, my request isn't excessive, is it?"

Qin Qi spoke.

"It really isn't excessive, but you know the Three-One Sect's situation, don't you? Are you sure you want to join our sect?"

Lu Jin composed himself, then spoke calmly.

"I won't take a master. I only want to learn the technique."

Qin Qi spoke.

"Brat! You've gone too far! You want to learn the foundation of our Three-One Sect without taking a master? Why don't you just rob us?"

"Even if our Three-One Sect has declined, you can't provoke us like this!"

Lu Jin was so angry that he started slapping the table. Learning the technique without taking a master was like dating without intending to marry: it was playing the scoundrel.

"I'm not provoking you. I really do want to learn, but if I take a master, I won't be able to learn techniques from other sects."

"That's why I came to make a deal with you."

"I'll tell you where Li Muxuan is, and you can consider my request."

Qin Qi still wore a polite, amiable smile, unchanged by Lu Jin's actions.

"You're threatening me!"

Lu Jin sprang to his feet and rushed up to Qin Qi. His towering frame loomed over Qin Qi, radiating an invisible pressure.

"People say that I, Lu Jin, have lived an unblemished life, but they also say I'm like a stone in a latrine, stinking and hard."

"I can't break my sect's rules. We don't even know if your information is true, but even if it is, I couldn't possibly agree."

Lu Jin's gaze turned hostile. If it had been anything else, he wouldn't have been so angry, but not when it concerned the Three-One Sect!

"Don't be angry. I'll tell you what I know first."

"According to the information I have, Li Muxuan should be hiding on Nathan Island now."

Qin Qi looked at Lu Jin, who was right in front of him. His gaze remained calm, like a pool of stagnant water without a single ripple.

"Good lad!"

Seeing how calm Qin Qi was, Lu Jin was a little surprised that the boy could remain so composed under his pressure.

Leaving aside his status as head of the Lu family and one of the Ten Elders, the pressure from his strength alone was enough to strike fear into ordinary Outcasts.

Yet the boy before him seemed unable to feel it at all!

After his surprise passed, Lu Jin began to seriously consider Qin Qi's words.

"Nathan Island, Nathan Island!"

"So that's where it was. No wonder, no wonder I couldn't find him after all these years. He was hiding there!"

Lu Jin muttered to himself. Over the years, he had searched everywhere, at home and abroad, but hadn't found the slightest trace.

At times, he had even thought the two of them had died long ago, but he had been unwilling to give up just like that. After all these years of waiting, he finally had a result.

"Nathan Island is an island of Outcasts. Its location is unknown, and it governs itself independently. The people there abandon their original identities and never leave again."

"Most of them are criminals from various countries. That place is perfect for that wicked child!"

Lu Jin's teeth ground together as he thought of Li Muxuan. A moment later, he sat back down.

"Brat... I believe you, but I still can't agree. I can't break my sect's rules."

Lu Jin looked at Qin Qi and hesitated for a long time before speaking. That was just the kind of man he was: a stone in a latrine, stinking and hard.

"All right, then. I'll be going."

Qin Qi stood up, ready to leave.

"Brat, you... you're leaving just like that? Aren't you going to make another request?"

Lu Jin watched Qin Qi push the door open and prepare to leave. Somewhat incredulous, he hurriedly spoke up to stop him.

"No more requests. This information means nothing to me, and it means nothing to most people either."

"Whether or not you teach me Threefold Reversal, I was going to tell you. After all, I said from the start that I'd give you the information and you'd consider my proposal."

"You've considered it now and decided not to accept. That's fine too. I haven't lost anything."

Qin Qi had learned where Li Muxuan was from his memories, so he had essentially come empty-handed and was leaving empty-handed.

No, he should say he had gained a connection. That counted as a profit.

"Brat, you... aren't you putting me in a difficult position?"

A conflicted expression appeared on Lu Jin's face. He was hard when it came to principles, but soft when it came to personal feelings.

If Qin Qi insisted on threatening him, he would certainly refuse. The demand wouldn't be justified, so he couldn't possibly agree.

But with Qin Qi leaving just like that, his conscience wouldn't let him rest, especially when he saw Qin Qi's smile and his eyes.

He could fully feel Qin Qi's sincerity. He wasn't letting him go in order to reel him in; he truly thought it was fine.

"The rules can't be broken. If you want to learn Threefold Reversal, you must join the Three-One Sect under a master. But if you want to learn other techniques, I won't stop you."

"I can even help guide you and introduce you to old friends. After all, quite a few people in our Three-One Sect came to study under us after already having a master."

"This is the most sincere offer I can make. If you agree, take a master now. If you don't, there's nothing I can do."

Lu Jin sighed and put forward one final proposal. Taking a master was mandatory, but he wouldn't stop Qin Qi from learning other skills.

"Deal. Let's do that."

Qin Qi immediately agreed.

"You agreed so quickly that I can't shake the feeling I've been taken in."

Lu Jin sighed. Had he been taken in? He had learned where Li Muxuan was, and the Three-One Sect had gained a disciple.

It didn't seem like he had been, but Qin Qi had agreed too quickly. It felt like he had planned it all out.

"Old Master Lu, am I taking you as my master, or paying my respects to a spirit tablet?"

Qin Qi asked.

"You'll take my master. I'm accepting a disciple on his behalf, so I'll be your senior brother."

Lu Jin spoke. He would take Lu Jin's master, Zuo Ruotong, as his own. Back then, all the disciples had been Zuo Ruotong's.

Zuo Ruotong had taught each of them hand in hand, and that was what had given rise to the deep affection among the sect members.

That was why, when Zuo Ruotong died, everyone had been so heartbroken and hated Wu Gensheng and Li Muxuan so much.

"Brat... no, junior brother, I'll ask you one more time. Why do you want to learn Threefold Reversal?"

Lu Jin asked.

"Because out of all the techniques in the world, Threefold Reversal is the best for staying alive. I value my life, so I want to learn it."

Qin Qi's goal was simple. Once Threefold Reversal Second Stage reached perfection, a person could recover even if all three dantians were shattered. Who could match that survivability?

The three dantians were the head, the heart, and the lower dantian in the abdomen. Once he mastered it, he would have no vital points.

You can't kill me unless you empty my mana bar, but unfortunately for you, I don't cultivate qi. I cultivate Magnetic Field Rotation.

I can restore health and mana just by breathing in. A health tank, a pure health tank with no fatal weak points!

Chapter 44: The Three-One Sect's Grave, Threefold Reversal Activated!

"You... that's the reason, brat?!"

Lu Jin looked at Qin Qi, momentarily at a loss for words. Was the boy praising their Three-One Sect or insulting it?

"Yeah."

Qin Qi spread his hands as if to say, "What else?"

"Sigh... I'm having some regrets. Was accepting you into the sect a good thing or a bad thing?"

Lu Jin shook his head. It was too late for regrets now. He had already said it, so he could only accept Qin Qi. Besides, Qin Qi wasn't wrong.

If the question was which technique in the world was best for staying alive, it was certainly Threefold Reversal. After all, with other techniques, losing an arm or a leg would cripple someone.

For the Three-One Sect, as long as one's cultivation was sufficient, that was no problem. At a high enough level, even having one's head blown apart didn't matter.

It was just that... the Three-One Sect had one enormous weakness.

[You successfully joined the Three-One Sect, and Lu Jin prepared to teach you Threefold Reversal. But before formally beginning,]

[Lu Jin first took you to see Lu Linglong and explained the matter, putting her mind at ease.]

[Afterward, he prepared to take you somewhere outside for a visit.]

"Great-grandpa... you're not really taking Qin Qi outside to kill him and silence him, are you?"

Lu Linglong eyed her great-grandfather suspiciously. Something was wrong, very wrong. Why did Great-grandpa look so uncomfortable, yet unable to say what was bothering him?

It was as if he were constipated. He didn't quite look angry, but he didn't look happy either. In short, it was strange.

"You wretched girl, how can you talk about your great-grandfather like that? Go on, get out of here. Stay home and wait for me to come back."

Lu Jin bad-temperedly scolded Lu Linglong, then took Qin Qi out of the Lu residence.

[You followed Lu Jin to an uninhabited mountain, where there was a cave. Lu Jin bowed to the cave three times.]

[Lu Jin told you that this was the Three-One Sect's grave. His master, Zuo Ruotong, was buried here, as were the senior and junior brothers who had nowhere else to go.]

"Back then, the Three-One Sect accepted disciples without regard for their backgrounds, looking only at their character and aptitude. So many of them had no parents and no home."

"When those brothers died, those who had somewhere to return to were sent back. Those who didn't stayed here to keep Master company."

"I... probably won't be qualified to be buried here in the future, but the legacy here must not be broken. It has to be passed down from generation to generation."

Lu Jin looked at the cave, lacking the courage to enter. Even now, he felt that it had been his responsibility, that he had caused the destruction of the Three-One Sect.

If he hadn't gathered his senior and junior brothers to attack Wu Gensheng back then, perhaps... the Three-One Sect wouldn't have been reduced to him alone.

"I understand. Since I've taken a master, I'll naturally shoulder my share of the responsibility here."

Qin Qi nodded. He had learned their skills and benefited from their connections, so he should shoulder an equal share of the responsibility. That was fair.

"Good. That's all I need to hear."

"Brat, here before Master and our brothers, I'll teach you the Threefold Reversal First Stage. But before I do, there are things I need to make clear."

Lu Jin's expression turned serious as he spoke.

"First, Threefold Reversal really is formidable, but cultivating it also carries risks. If something goes wrong while you're building the Reversal state, you could suffer irreversible damage!"

"That's no problem."

Qin Qi nodded. Damage was fine; what others couldn't heal, he could recover from himself. Cellular reconstruction was no joke.

At most, it would take a little longer, but internal injuries wouldn't be beyond treatment. The greatest advantage of combining Magnetic Field Rotation and Hamon was their powerful recovery ability!

"Second, Threefold Reversal really is powerful and can repair any injury, but that applies to injuries sustained while the Reversal state is active."

"If you're injured outside the Reversal state, you won't be able to heal so quickly. I need to make that clear to you."

"That's no problem either."

Qin Qi had no problem with that either. Once Proven, Forever Proven was no joke. Once he learned it, he could maintain it indefinitely.

What was more, judging by how Hamon had gradually changed from breathing to the cells vibrating on their own, if he maintained Threefold Reversal long enough,

He might even be able to return the three stages to one, achieving the perfect Threefold Reversal state in which the Great Dao truly transformed into innate primordial qi.

"Good. You've thought it all through, so I'll begin formally teaching you."