[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-125":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},2270133,4432,"Chapter 125: Painting the Dragon","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-125",125,"\u003Cp>\"Only by obtaining the Qi of Longevity can one become a Longevity Person; the cosmos enters one’s body, and the Dao unfolds naturally.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is that very unfamiliar?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never heard it before?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good that you haven’t heard it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Li Rui made it up himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He created the Long Chun Art himself; though derived from the White Ape’s Slash, every subsequent step must be taken alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the benefits are immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It perfectly aligns with one’s own body, leaving almost no stagnation; though progress slows, each step forward becomes profoundly solid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Only by laying a firm foundation can one go further.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Qin mentioned it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some prodigies of Huaqing Sect deliberately suppress their realm, refining their bodies to the extreme in each stage before advancing to the next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every stage is like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s a perfect example right beside you—Jiang Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the only daughter of Jiang Linxian, she lacks nothing in terms of arts or elixirs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An eighth-rank at fifteen or sixteen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impressive, but don’t compare her to the world’s young dragon-children; even within Huaqing Sect, there are many who reach eighth-rank at that age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is Jiang Yan’s talent too poor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or is she not working hard?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Linxian deliberately did this; his expectations for Jiang Yan aren’t just seventh-rank or sixth-rank—they’re higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To climb higher,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>one must forge an unshakable foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s the same principle as building a skyscraper in Li Rui’s past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Self-realized art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xuanqing Qi within his body gradually changed as the art circulated, faint but perceptible to Li Rui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most direct manifestation:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the dragon coiled around the chaotic pearl in his dantian had become more vivid, as if ready to ride the wind and fly away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Look closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’ll also notice two black dots on the dragon’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Painting the dragon’s pupils.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In ancient times, master painters would never paint the pupils of dragons, saying: 'Paint the dragon’s pupils—the divine dragon awakens!'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon’s eyes are the source of life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most vital part.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui eagerly awaited what miraculous transformation the Qi nurtured by the Long Chun Art would bring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps no one in this world could know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is the drawback of self-created arts—no peers to verify or reflect upon them; perhaps only when the Long Chun Art is passed down through generations will it be understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing cultivation,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the sky had just begun to lighten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui opened his door early, washed his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a crackling sound of firecrackers echoed from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, then smiled slightly: \"The New Year is coming.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu State also has legends of the Nian Beast, so people set off firecrackers to scare it away; since the New Year was still some time off, this was clearly some mischievous child lighting them early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the New Year, in a few more months, he would be seventy-two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he was growing farther from the end of his lifespan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A typical seventh-rank lives to one hundred fifty; he cultivates the Long Chun Art, so his lifespan is likely longer—perhaps one hundred seventy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So by that count, I’m still a forty-year-old youngster?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui smiled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sixty, he disliked celebrating the New Year, because each passing year brought him closer to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he no longer afraid of death?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was just temporarily not dying—still afraid, just not yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Old Li, come eat dumplings!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yong spotted Li Rui stepping out and cheerfully called out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui blinked. Yang Yong and Wang Zhao looked like they’d been injected with energy—they’d risen unusually early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they’d developed the habit of rising early at the Zhu household, they’d never risen this early before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While slurping a scallion noodle bowl with three thick slices of meat,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yong mumbled: \"New Year isn’t casual—it affects your whole year’s fortune.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This year’s New Year’s celebration? Don’t worry—I and Xiao Zhao will handle it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d fled from the north and only became a guard for the Zhu household after arriving in Qinghe, so he’d kept the habit of eating dumplings for the New Year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu State calls the New Year “Yuandan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu State’s calendar was established by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It used neither solar nor lunar alone, but a lunisolar calendar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is, twelve months in a common year: six large months of thirty days, six small months of twenty-nine days, totaling 354 days, with the first day of the year being Yuandan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>=9+shu_ba\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Yuandan is how this world refers to the Spring Festival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, “celebrating the New Year” is also commonly used among the people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yong was ten years younger than Li Rui, but still not young; elders place great importance on the New Year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at the Zhu household,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he often invited Li Rui to sneakily use their saved money to improve meals, saying: \"New Year, New Year—you must get a good omen, or else after the holiday you’re still poor and ragged; even the God of Wealth would scorn you and deny you fortune.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he’d already bought all the New Year goods and been busy for days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui smiled faintly: \"Do as you please.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing the noodles,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui headed straight for the Weapon Storage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he stepped inside, he saw Liang He had already cleaned the place thoroughly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Chief, good morning!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He greeted Li Rui with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui glanced over Liang He: \"About to break through?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He was startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d planned to break through quietly and surprise Li Rui, but had been seen through at a glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt discouraged: \"Yes, Chief.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he’d joined the Weapon Storage and become an Anning Guard soldier, he still called Li Rui “Chief,” and Li Rui never corrected him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui chuckled: \"Since you’re about to break through, take this Peigu Pill.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he pulled a small jade vial from his robe and tossed it to Liang He.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He froze, hastily caught it, and felt warmth in his chest: \"Thank you, Chief.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Peigu Pill is a genuine eighth-rank elixir, worth five hundred taels of silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a great favor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Liang He deeply moved, Li Rui scolded with a smile: \"Get a grip. You’ve called me Chief for so long—I can’t let you call me for nothing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will never betray your expectations, Chief!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He was about to express his gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui waved his hand: \"Don’t thank me yet—friendship is friendship, but the Peigu Pill still must be repaid.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He’s face turned red, and finally he blurted: \"Chief, I’ll pay you back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Li Rui stroll calmly into the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why not just give Liang He the Peigu Pill outright? Couldn’t he afford it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Li Rui’s current wealth, giving away an eighth-rank spirit pill is truly nothing much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But freely giving often only harms a person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When something is obtained too easily, one fails to cherish it; later, when one becomes impoverished again, one inevitably becomes anxious over gains and losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Excessive attachment to external things shakes one’s will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, many great clans establish strict rules to prevent their members from gaining things too easily and losing their drive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you want something, you must earn it yourself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lianghe is still young and needs much cultivation of his mind; he cannot keep thinking of living off others’ efforts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This sort of matter suits this old man just fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui’s lips curled slightly upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was about to open the unfinished “Donghua Dao Jie” from yesterday, a familiar voice sounded outside:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior Li, junior Han Qin pays a visit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1280,"2026-06-19T22:01:09.077Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3a57602dddb00cf674803982a3c9b0e044ef0f97b424c1db2550162ffb2e7ce1","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-126","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-124",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]