Chapter 343: Ascension Receiving Immortal Net

"How's it? Isn't it different from what you imagined?" Xu Xing smiled.

But then his gaze shifted again to something farther away.

"For a long time, I viewed everything—from the things around me to the people—as if I were an outsider."

After all, a transmigrator—even if he never said it aloud—always felt a bit superior inside."

It was laughable: back then, he was barely surviving himself, yet he felt superior because of his 'transmigration.'

"Brother Dao…"

"Only after going through a series of events later did my mindset slowly adjust, and I finally came to understand myself."

I understood what I couldn't do—and what I had to do.

As he brought changes to the world, he himself was being changed by it.

"…" Xiang Yuanjun fell silent.

Pulling his gaze back from afar, Xu Xing looked beside him: "Come to think of it, our first meeting back then was part of those events that shook me."

Xiang Yuanjun paused, recalling the past, and felt a little embarrassed:

"Back then, I was young and reckless—indeed, overly arrogant…"

Behind them, Bie Xuening's gaze stirred slightly.

She remembered their first meeting clearly.

At that time, her master had been traveling with her and her junior brother across the Central Continent, stopping at every human settlement to spar and exchange insights with talented youths of similar age.

Xiang Yuanjun and Seeing Hong Zun's talents, of course, needed no mention…

Coincidentally, Seeing Hong Zun was in seclusion refining his cultivation methods, so the sparring partner naturally became Xiang Yuanjun.

And Xu Xing, back then, had only just begun his cultivation path, with only one sword technique he'd practiced to moderate proficiency.

The result…

After sparring once with her junior brother, Xiang Yuanjun directly copied that sword technique—and in the next sparring match, defeated him again using a refined version of it…

According to her junior brother's later account, he truly doubted his life at that moment.

In truth, her junior brother's talent hadn't been bad—but it depended on who you compared him to.

"After that… did Brother Dao ever hate me?"

"…" After a brief pause, Xu Xing answered honestly: "Somewhat, yes—but more than hatred, it was frustration. But after so much happened later, I realized it didn't matter anymore."

After all, being defeated so easily with your own sword technique…

Back then, it really hurt.

Hearing this, Bie Xuening no longer leaned against the door; she straightened and walked slowly forward, taking only a few steps to reach their side, standing beside Xu Xing on his other side.

"Why suddenly ask about these things?"

She directed this question to Xiang Yuanjun.

"Just curious."

She'd been curious before, but never dared to bring it up—now, after everything that had happened, it was the perfect moment to ask.

"If I'd asked you about this before, would Brother Dao have answered?"

"Of course I would. There's nothing secret about it."

For Xu Xing, aside from his homeland—which he didn't want too many to touch—nothing else was off-limits.

Time passed swiftly.

Many things once too shameful to speak of now seemed, in hindsight, mere minor detours in a long span of years.

"If you wished now, Brother Dao, everything you once dreamed of would be within reach…"

Forget 'holding power in your hands while drunkenly resting your head on a beauty's lap'—even more outrageous desires would be effortless for you now…

"Just consider it a childish phase of youth—empty boasts." Xu Xing paused, then smiled: "Besides, Brother Seeing Hong Zun said something similar."

Hm?

Xiang Yuanjun blinked—had her elder brother said that too?

Inside the room behind them, Yue Ling lay sprawled against the window, eavesdropping carefully.

………

In the following period.

As Xiang Yuanjun and Ling Zu continued refining it, the communication channel built through the Ascension Platform gradually stabilized, and the frequency of exchanges between both sides increased steadily.

Of course, this was limited to communication only—Xu Xing and the others still could not cross the rejection force of Tai Xuan Realm.

Seeing Hong Zun asked Xu Xing to relay some messages back, but he himself never came, instead disguising himself as a Daoist guide and descending to the mortal realm to stir up trouble.

He claimed it was to reminisce about old times…

Gradually, the sky was no longer shrouded in dark clouds, and snowfall became rarer.

As the climate warmed, new buds sprouted on branches; with spring's arrival, the ever-present, ever-living Tai Ping Dan fruits began to wither.

This harsh winter did not bring the same catastrophe as before—no longer did countless people freeze to death in the wilds…

If the taxes were now eased and the people allowed to rest and recover, the Da Tong Dynasty might yet endure.

But the appearance of the Tai Ping Dan fruits during the winter had inflated the Emperor's pride beyond measure—he now believed himself the greatest sage Son of Heaven in history!

He immediately ordered all craftsmen across the land summoned and conscripted hundreds of thousands of laborers to build four imperial gardens, scouring the realm for rare stones, auspicious beasts, rare trees, and exotic flowers to offer to the Tai Ping Deity.

He also bestowed upon himself the title 'Tai Ping Ancestral Qi, Yang, Marvelous First Truth, Ten Thousand Longevity Immortal Lord,' proclaimed Tai Ping Dao the state religion, and appointed himself Grand Master of Tai Ping Dao.

Hmm…

For an Emperor to revere Tai Ping Dao so fervently was truly absurd.

In the quiet chamber of the small house beside the waterfall.

Xu Xing sat suspended in midair, eyes closed, the crimson Moon Shadow resting flat across his knees—on the surface, he showed no sign of anything unusual.

Yue Ling stood before the door of the still chamber, staring blankly inside.

As the Immortal Sword, her status was exceedingly high—even Dongzhen paled in comparison—so in her eyes, the seemingly empty still chamber revealed a completely different sight.

In the void, a vast, unimaginable power, bearing the trait of "Return," brutally repelled and crushed all other concepts.

Past, present, future, fate, cause and effect, the Great Dao, and even existence itself lost all meaning in this moment.

Only countless, uncountable threads of "Anchors," thick and thin, stretched forward, connecting to Xu Xing—but taut as if about to snap.

Yet it was precisely the pulling force of these threads that allowed him to resist the repelling force of "Return," achieving balance. Beyond these, three immensely solid "chains" sank into the abyss, seemingly linked to three awe-inspiring beings, yet being steadily worn away.

Hss~!

Yue Ling shivered, but in another blink, all the strange phenomena vanished from her eyes.

Xu Xing had opened his eyes sometime earlier and was now looking at her.

"Immortal Sword Master," she spoke first.

"What is it?"

Yue Ling blinked: "Nothing, nothing!"

Then she turned and ran off.

"..."

Xu Xing did not dwell on it, but instead quieted his mind and sensed again.

!. Read

"It will still take some time."

Severing one's own past was easy, but the three connections granted by the Tai Xuan Realm were exceedingly difficult to wear away.

Moreover, the timing had to be precise—all three had to be severed together, or the remaining one would be repelled back by the severed past.

"I'll go out for a walk, and meanwhile gather information on this realm's divine path system..."

Xu Xing retracted Yue Ying and descended from the air.

Stepping out of the still chamber, he saw Bie Xuening walking toward him.

"Going out?"

"Yes, for a walk, and to gather information on this realm's divine path system."

"About the 'Ascension Guidance Immortal Net'?"

"Yes."

Previously, Xu Xing had considered borrowing the model of this realm's divine path system for his future Ascension Plan.

So he mentioned it in his reply.

Ning Ruo also found it feasible, and proposed the concept of the 'Ascension Guidance Immortal Net,' suggesting that if they had time, they could gather and study this world's refined divine path system to create a rough framework.

Any unsuitable parts could be improved later.

"Sister, would you like to come along for a walk?"

"Alright."

Bie Xuening naturally would not refuse.

"I'll ask Yuanjun too..."

"She has no time; the connection channel is at a critical stage," Bie Xuening said. "Once this final step is done, Elder You can transmit power over."

So that's how it was.

Chengming Mountain, Yunhai Temple.

In the alchemy chamber.

Heat surged; within the alchemy furnace, emerald flames burned fiercely.

Jiang Lin sat before the furnace, his formerly white hair now fully restored to jet black.

His eyes reflected the firelight, faintly shimmering with spiritual radiance.

Occasionally, wisps of nascent qi curled around him, ethereal and elusive.

He had clearly reached the Nascent Soul realm—"Refining the Body into Qi, Qi Circling the Body's Light!"

As the true master of the Tai Ping Sect in this realm, he knew all the Emperor of Datong had done, and also knew the Emperor had stolen credit for the Tai Ping Dan.

But he had no time to care.

In one winter, besides advancing to the Nascent Soul realm and enslaving more spirits in the Celestial Palace, he had also preliminarily mastered the method of refining Tai Ping Dan.

Now, this was his third furnace opening; the previous two had failed.

"Condense!"

Jiang Lin cried out, casting several seals into the flickering emerald flames of the furnace.

Hu~!

The flames surged, spreading a rich surge of life force!

Jiang Lin rose swiftly and slapped the top of the furnace.

Ding!

Though it was his bare palm, the strike on the furnace rang like metal meeting iron.

Several glistening pills flew out from the emerald flames, caught in his hand.

With a sweep of his wide sleeve, a cool breeze arose, instantly extinguishing the roaring emerald flames.

He sat back down and opened his palm.

In his palm, several translucent pale-green pills, the size of thumbs, spun slowly—each surrounded by a thin mist, forming two characters: Tai Ping.

Yet, the characters formed by the thin mist were extremely faint, nowhere near as clear as the Tai Ping Dan fruits that had grown everywhere before.

"Done."

Jiang Lin's solemn expression vanished, replaced by a faint smile.

"Using the Qi of Yi Wood as flame, refining the spring breeze, aided by one hundred and eight Tai Ping Seals, I have forged this pill!"

Successfully forging this pill means he has finally entered the door.

The 'Tai Ping Dan' certainly does not use only 'Winter Snow' as its main ingredient.

As the saying goes: when one method is understood, all methods become clear.

After entering the art of pill-making, the scenes of spring breeze, summer sun, and autumn rain can all be refined into pills! (End of chapter)