[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-122":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Eternal Green Immortal Sovereign",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2270130,4432,"Chapter 122: Self-Created Technique: Great Freedom, Great Ease","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-122",122,"\u003Cp>“Insight unlocked!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since hearing of Li Rui’s deeds, Ge Hong’s smile never left his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve long despised those Zhang family bastards—Old Li has finally avenged me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last time, his men all received low ratings due to the Zhang family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It dragged him down too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a Platoon Leader, he earned one minor merit each month if he passed the evaluation, but one requirement was training his subordinates—so he lost one minor merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Losing one minor merit was trivial, but among dozens of Platoon Leaders in the Anning Guard, competition was fierce; starting off at a disadvantage inevitably invited disdain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been holding in that anger for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now Li Rui had avenged him too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui smiled lightly: “Just luck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ge Hong had already heard the full account of the fight from others, and with his years as a martial arts academy head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Li Rui had used clever tactics, it was his genuine skill that mattered—he knew exactly what Zhang Yi was capable of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was nearly certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He himself couldn’t defeat Li Rui, and even the Fleet Master Dao Xiong might not win against him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could someone truly achieve greatness late in life?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ge Hong had never believed it before, but now with Li Rui as living proof, he had no choice but to accept it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others achieved greatness at forty or fifty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui, however, had raised the upper limit to seventy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ge Hong warned: “The Zhang family is powerful, backed by Cao Wei and Feng Yu. Even though we have Jiang Lin on our side, we must still be cautious for now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood this well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he was a stable boy for the Zhu family, the previous stable master often said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leave a little room.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The meaning was simple: if you’ve struck someone but not killed them, you must lay low for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, forcing someone into utter humiliation—rabbits will bite when cornered—and if they fight to the death, you won’t come out ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to keep a low profile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One month passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui mostly moved between the Armory and his quarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Life was quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet his name gradually spread through the Anning Guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no helping it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A seventy-year-old man challenging a martial arts school—this topic was too captivating; his fame surged overnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui found it frustrating: the public’s gossip machine was always terrifyingly efficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Armory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daily duties were handled by Liang He and three soldiers—he was more of a supervisor for grain storage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the time,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui read books in his private room in the Armory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm. No wonder they’re the Annan Army.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anyone held the most ancient texts, it was surely the imperial court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many of the miscellaneous books here were copies, but not just any faction could find them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In terms of depth, only the court could match it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These books might be useless to others, but to Li Rui, they were treasures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gradually realized that studying classics greatly aided martial cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this was mainly because his insight far surpassed ordinary people—if not, every elderly scholar in the Hanlin Academy would have become a true immortal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All things under heaven arise from Qi; thus, Qi resides within man, and man dwells within Qi. When Qi gathers, life is born; when Qi departs, death follows. One who masters Qi cultivates life within and wards off harm without.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui turned the pages of the Daoist scripture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did a seventy-year-old man like him seek in martial arts?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surely not to fight—only to live longer. Who would ever want to die early?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martial techniques were secondary; prolonging life and seeking the Dao were the true goals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was never particularly skilled at fighting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His previous ninth and eighth ranks were merely mundane methods of strengthening the body; only at seventh rank did he truly glimpse the path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True Qi had boundless applications.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just consider this: a seventh-rank martial artist, if free of illness and disaster, could live to one hundred and fifty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life, that was true immortality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But was it enough?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui felt it wasn’t. Only those who had truly experienced aging understood the value of life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When young, one could die heroically—but nearing death, one clings desperately to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ancient texts speak of Peng Zu, said to have lived a thousand years, his skin like a child’s, walking over five hundred li per day, able to fast for a full year—or eat nine times in one day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the ancient record of Peng Zu—“a thousand years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui yearned for it deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dusk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After work, Li Rui ate, then returned to his room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat cross-legged on the mat, True Qi flowing once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Liu Jin stage, strengthening the body was vital, but cultivating and circulating Qi was equally essential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sixth-rank Dragon Gate hinges on cultivating Qi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only when True Qi takes form does one leap through the Dragon Gate—then the sea and sky stretch boundless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His current Dragon and Immortal forms were still mere prototypes; he had a long way to go before true form, and he could not slack off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the Xuanqing Qi completed its ninth cycle—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a cool sensation descended from the crown of his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>=9+book_8\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui felt his mind clearer than ever before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sudden enlightenment!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Another awakening!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He widened his eyes, unable to believe it—he’d entered awakening again while cultivating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time cannot be reclaimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui quickly closed his eyes, mentally refining the White Ape’s Cloak Sword technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a haze,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw an old ape sitting alone beneath a colossal tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ape sat cross-legged like a Daoist priest, absorbing the essence of heaven, earth, sun, and moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Da Chun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two characters surfaced in Li Rui’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In ancient times, there was Da Chun, taking eight thousand years as spring, eight thousand years as autumn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tree the ape leaned against was none other than the legendary divine tree, Da Chun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In ancient myths, the divine tree Da Chun had always symbolized longevity—the ultimate aspiration of countless cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Long life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Evergreen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Da Chun!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui snapped his eyes open, a brilliant light flashing in them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s done!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked again at the panel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Name: Li Rui】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Age: 70】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Talent: Martial Bone, Exceptional Insight, Spirit Eye】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Technique: Da Chun Gong, Nine Mystical Celestial Map】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Achievement: 70\u002F100】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a self-created technique!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui stared at the panel—the White Ape’s Cloak Sword had quietly transformed into Da Chun Gong. He was now certain: during his awakening, he had fully absorbed, completely altered, and forged the technique into his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Da Chun Gong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He whispered it softly, his excitement impossible to suppress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Self-created technique—this was almost exclusively the domain of Grand Masters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he had only reached the seventh rank, and still accomplished such a feat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a cheat system, it would be unbelievable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Changchun Art aims for longevity, absorbing the essence of the white ape’s slashing technique, with emphasis on nurturing qi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui’s lips curled slightly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So this is how one seeks longevity, and attains it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was nearly certain that practicing the Changchun Art would grant him a far longer lifespan than an ordinary martial artist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When mastered to a profound level,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he might even live a thousand years, like Peng Zu—or perhaps achieve true immortality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, as time flows on, I shall remain unmoved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is true ultimate freedom, true ultimate ease!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fantasy ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui shook his head; these thoughts were still too distant for him. Right now, the most important thing was steady, solid progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only with a firm foundation could his martial path proceed smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, he cast aside distractions and resumed circulating his true qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reviewing some readers’ feedback, I’ve changed to posting three chapters at a time; since these are pre-written drafts, this batch is 442 words. Later, I’ll gradually adjust, still aiming for ten thousand words daily, striving to avoid filler—I’m a reader too, and I have some aspirations for this book, so I’ll do my best to write. Thank you all for your support!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1363,"2026-06-19T22:01:09.077Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b494b2f5324ba263adbd6cddad5a1bc5aa5423396d8bf50499a39193c8167a0b","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-123","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-121",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]