Chapter 171: Returning to Childhood to Re-cultivate

"Then, True Person Xu, when are you going to Mount Tai?"

"No particular time." Xu Jia stood on Chang Yu's head, looking out from a high vantage point, gazing at Qi to search for objects.

"Eh? I used the Five Elements Sand to dot the acupoint!"

Xu Jia had previously borrowed the Five Elements Cinnabar to dot the acupoint on Yushan, suppressing the Centipede Dragon Vein and transferring the earth energy to Sanqing Mountain, gathering the Five Elements primordial Qi between heaven and earth; this was "borrowing the Five Qi to gather the Three Flowers."

But now, some anomalies had appeared there.

"Head that way."

Chang Yu flicked his tongue: "It is indeed a familiar scent; it is the Ancestor of Shanju Guan, Caiyu Zhenren."

Then, like an arrow shot, he darted over.

Upon landing at the core of the Five Elements Qi-Gathering Array, which was the very Dragon Pearl from the previous Centipede-Holding-Pearl, they saw an eleven or twelve-year-old boy, wearing a Daoist robe much larger than his own frame, sitting cross-legged upon it.

Seeing Xu Jia and the others arrive, he opened his eyes, looked at Chang Yu, and said: "I am about to dissipate my cultivation and return to childhood."

"What?" Xu Jia jumped down from Chang Yu's head.

The place where Caiyu Zhenren sat was already beginning to jade-ify again.

Beside them, Zhang Zhenji and Jingzhu Daoren knelt to the ground: "Shanju Guan fourteenth-generation disciples Zhenjue and Zhenji pay respects to the Ancestor True Person!"

"Are you not my junior disciples?" Caiyu Zhenren ignored these two and only looked at Xu Jia, for Xu Jia had the best bone structure and the most superior temperament; he was a cultivation seed just like himself. Back then, when he went to Lushan to study the Dao, he was evaluated by the master of Lushan Dongtian as a Heavenly Immortal Seed, but unfortunately, his foundation was already set, and to this day, he had only achieved the status of an Earth Immortal.

"Ancestor, this is True Person Xu Jia, also an Earth Immortal True Person."

"You have been deceived by him. He has only cultivated three of the Five Qi in his chest, and they are merely seedlings, not yet a built foundation; how can he be an Earth Immortal True Person?"

He then asked Xu Jia: "Are you willing to take me as your master?"

Xu Jia retorted: "It would be more appropriate for you to take me as your master. In your current state, you are far worse than me; the Five Qi in your chest are constantly leaking, and your Dharma Power is dissipating into your body."

"You do have some discernment." Caiyu spoke with a child's face and voice: "I practiced Yin-Refining-Form with the original intention of reversing stiffness to generate Yang. It required six sixty-year cycles, three hundred and sixty years, to emerge into the world again. Yin reaching its extreme generates Yang, achieving the foundation of a God Immortal."

"Now, I have emerged after only four sixty-year cycles. The reversal of stiffness is only halfway done, and the pure Yang has only produced a tiny seed. Therefore, to preserve this bit of pure Yang seed, I must refine my form and dissipate my cultivation, returning to an infant state. My two hundred and forty years of bitter work in Yin-Refining-Form will only be exchanged for twenty-four years of Yang lifespan."

"If the form-refining had succeeded, I would have broken out of the Stone Coffin with sixty years of carefree time to accumulate external merits, perform Yang Spirit Refining Quality, and then achieve Daytime Ascension..."

"Or, if the refining of quality failed, I could still ascend as a Yang Spirit..."

Xu Jia said: "So, before you turn twenty-four, you must re-cultivate and verify the Earth Immortal status, achieving a state of no-leakage, otherwise you will be struck by the calamity of heaven and earth?"

Caiyu Zhenren nodded, somewhat surprised: "How do you know the key points of this cultivation technique?"

"Ancestor! This True Person Xu Jia improved our Shanju Guan's Daoism!"

"Now that we gather jade and cultivate soil, planting herbs and raising fungi, we no longer have the risk of stiffening into jade when we practice!"

Hearing this, Caiyu Zhenren sighed: "This is exactly what I improved later on, but at the time, I had already chosen Yin-Refining-Form, so I did not create further Cause and Effect and never passed it down."

Caiyu Zhenren was shocked in his heart. He had not taught this method to anyone, yet Xu Jia was able to reverse-engineer it. He now believed that Xu Jia was indeed an Earth Immortal True Person.

"I originally wanted to retrieve that Five Elements Cinnabar and return it to my five internal organs, but this Cinnabar has already dotted the earth acupoint and returned to heaven and earth. If I take it out now, I would be acting against heaven and earth. Truly, it is a matter of time and fate!"

"Yin-Refining-Form is inherently a heaven-defying method of resurrection to become an Immortal."

Xu Jia said: "In order to suppress and kill the evil god of Yushan, I borrowed this item from your disciples to dot the acupoint. As a result, after you emerged, you needed to find this item to settle your five internal organs and Five Qi, using it as an external elixir... It is truly one link after another."

"Indeed. Perhaps it is because I practiced Yin-Refining-Form that I encountered so many demonic tribulations; this is not your fault."

"Even if you blamed me, I wouldn't accept it." Xu Jia laughed: "Why don't you take me as your master? I have some confidence that I can help you achieve the status of an Earth Immortal True Person before you turn twenty-four."

"Gathering the Heavenly Qi to harvest the Earth Essence, in the end, it must still be returned to heaven and earth." Caiyu Zhenren sighed: "I owe this land too much primordial energy. To gather jade, I blasted open mountain ranges and intercepted the essence of the earth..."

"I can teach you a set of innate elixir methods that seek inward, to guard the bit of true Yang you obtained after many years of difficult form-refining."

"If you have a way, I will take you as my master."

"I can also set up a Hidden Armor formation to help you conceal your fate, arrange a grave, and extend your life by one cycle, which is twelve years. That way, you will have much more leeway to achieve the Earth Immortal status before you are thirty-six."

Not to mention that Caiyu Zhenren saw Xu Jia as a Heavenly Immortal Seed and a talent worth molding, wanting to take him under his wing; Xu Jia also saw this Caiyu Zhenren in the same light, feeling he was very suitable to be a True Transmission Disciple.

"I already have one True Transmission eldest disciple under my command. If you join my ranks, you can only count as a True Transmission second disciple."

Caiyu pondered for a while and asked Zhang Zhenji: "Child, have you already dealt with this True Person?" Zhang Zhenji also had a conflicted expression. If the Ancestor took Xu Jia as a disciple, Xu Jia would be a second-generation disciple, and they would have to call him the second-generation Ancestor-Grandfather. If Xu Jia took the Ancestor as a disciple, their seniority would be even lower. They had previously addressed Xu Jia as a fellow Daoist, and now they would have to pay respects to the Ancestor?

"True Person Xu is knowledgeable and well-read, and he possesses great love in his heart. It is said that he achieved the Earth Immortal status in his past life and awakened his Past Life Wisdom in this life, making this his second life."

Xu Jia laughed: "Actually, I have connections in the Underworld. If you are willing to part with this body, I can also introduce you to a business of Jieshi Huanhun."

"Forget it. How could Jieshi Huanhun be as good as one's own original body?" Caiyu looked at Xu Jia. In a daze, his figure shrank again. Previously he looked eleven or twelve, now he only looked eight or nine.

It was very much like the transformation of Tonglao of Tianshan.

"After I turn into an infant, my Primordial Spirit will be sealed and will only slowly begin to awaken after I am sixteen. Therefore, I need to build a Human Immortal foundation before I am sixteen. If you can do that, I am willing to take you as my master."

Xu Jia pouted: "Now you are begging me, not the other way around. After you turn into an infant, you can also be raised by these disciples and grand-disciples of yours."

The Dharma Power on Caiyu's body leaked faster and faster. Before long, he turned into the appearance of a six or seven-year-old boy, and by the time he was three or four, he could no longer speak clearly.

He knew that these disciples and grand-disciples of his were not capable enough. They could raise him, but to build a Human Immortal Dao foundation before sixteen, he feared he would have to repeat the old path of his previous life.

So he stood up and kowtowed to Xu Jia three times: "Disciple Caiyu pays respects to Master!"

Xu Jia immediately laughed: "Get up, get up quickly. You child, really, still being stubborn with me? Don't worry, I will definitely raise you to be plump and healthy. A master is like a father, and a disciple is like a son. My son, when I go back, I will find you a wet nurse to raise you well."

All the Daoists of Shanju Guan looked at each other in dismay, and they saw Caiyu Zhenren shrink another circle, turning into the appearance of a three or four-year-old, looking very cute.

When he spoke again, his voice was very milky, appearing extremely cute.

Xu Jia pinched his face; it was smooth and tender. After another moment, he completely turned into an infant, with the appearance of a pure-Yang innocent child, his innate primordial Qi ready to burst forth. If there were any demons or evil spirits, eating such an infant would be equivalent to eating a "Ginseng Fruit."

Chang Yu was also very shocked: "He just turned small like that?"

Xu Jia said: "Normal. Yin-Refining-Form has such an effect."

He took off the patchwork robe he was wearing and wrapped him up: "Take him back for my mother to raise; treat it as bringing up a grandson for me, so she won't be lonely."

He then said to Zhang Zhenji and the Scripture Master Daoist Zhenjue: "After you go back, remove all the Ancestor tablets and offerings. He can no longer bear your Incense Fire offerings; change them to Long Life Salary Positions."

"Secondly, you need to transport your Ancestor's clothes and the previously dug-up Stone Coffin here. You need to build a Life Foundation here, and use this Five Elements Divine Sand to dot the acupoint to extend his life and longevity."

Zhang Zhenji nodded repeatedly: "These are all understood, but how should we build the tomb here?"

Xu Jia said: "This large stone was originally the pearl of the Centipede-Holding-Pearl. Although its position has been moved, its Qi has not been severed. You shall build the tomb at the original place of the pearl and perform the ritual to plant the Life Foundation."

"Although that centipede has already been killed by me, what was severed was evil Qi, not Dragon Qi, hence the Dragon Qi is rising."

"Centipedes fear water while dragons do not, so you shall plant a Life Foundation in the water; consuming one region of water extends life by one year, and consuming twelve regions extends life by twelve years."

"Once this foundation is planted, you can draw out the Earth Soul and place it within, deceiving Heaven and Earth; your Ancestor has already failed at Taiyin Form Refining and perished, so use this to gain one cycle of twelve years."

"You are not to offer sacrifices in the Zushi Tang, but instead must come here every year to burn graves and burn paper money."

Both Daoists nodded, indicating they had remembered it.

Xu Jia saw that they understood, so he stood upon Chang Yu's head: "Let's go, back to Shanju Guan."

Chang Yu flicked his tongue: "He is the second disciple, so am I a True Transmission Disciple?"

"You are an outer disciple," Xu Jia said. "We'll see how you perform; once I achieve the Earth Immortal realm, I will be the first to bestow a title upon you."

"Ah? I am only an outer disciple?"

"And when will you become an Earth Immortal?"

"It depends on the situation; if fast, three to five years, if slow, perhaps a lifetime."

Chang Yu already felt like tilting his head back and eating them both in one gulp; one Xu Jia and one Cai Yu were both great supplements, and it was possible that if he ate them directly, he wouldn't even need a title bestowed upon him and could transform into a Flood Dragon immediately.

While struggling with these thoughts, Chang Yu delivered Xu Jia back to Shanju Guan.

Hui Zhuo was currently looking at the "Snake God Temple" built by the Daoists of Shanju Guan, setting up its lineage records.

The Snake God Temple was only as tall as a person, enshrining a statue of Chang Yu, a king cobra; at this moment, it had already attracted many spirit snakes from the mountain, all coiled together, dense and thick, and the surrounding trees and waterside were also full of snakes.

He was already paralyzed with fear.

(End of this chapter)