Chapter 84: Nisheng Sanzhong

What is an immortal? A man like a mountain!

This remark was naturally a joke, but for Lu Jin at this moment, it was the most fitting description.

Precisely speaking, Lin Yu’s physique had not changed; what changed was his weight, and his sense of presence.

This feeling was hard to describe in words; using physical laws as an analogy, it was as if his mass had suddenly surged, greatly increasing his gravitational pull on all things in the world.

Lu Jin stared blankly at Lin Yu until, at some moment, that sense of presence receded, and the world around him returned—pulling Lu Jin out of that indescribable state.

“Do you understand now?”

Lin Yu said calmly: “I’m not belittling Zuo Ruotong—I’m merely stating a fact…”

Lu Jin snapped back to himself, suppressing his shock, and gazed at Lin Yu with a complex expression.

“Who exactly are you—”

“No, are you even human?!”

Lin Yu said calmly: “That depends on your definition of ‘human.’”

The definition of a human…

If what he had just seen was no illusion, then calling him an immortal was entirely justified!

Lu Jin gazed at Lin Yu with a complex expression, hesitated a moment, but could not bring himself to ask the question.

After a long silence, he changed the subject and said slowly: “Regarding the condition you mentioned just now…”

Lin Yu smiled: “Interested?”

Lu Jin nodded and said gravely: “Please go on.”

“Good!”

Lin Yu laughed and raised one finger: “My first Chouma is the whereabouts of ‘Evil Child’ Li Muxuan.”

“What?!”

Lu Jin, enraged and astonished, blurted: “That old bastard—he’s still alive?!”

Li Muxuan was a contemporary of Lu Jin’s, and one of the culprits behind the destruction of the San Yi Sect; his whereabouts were of utmost importance to Lu Jin, who had spent his entire life seeking vengeance for San Yi.

Seeing Lu Jin’s reaction, Lin Yu smiled faintly and raised a second finger.

“My second Chouma is a question: Can Nisheng Sanzhong truly reach the heavens?”

“… ”

Lu Jin’s pupils contracted, then fell silent.

Lin Yu smiled: “How about these two Chouma ? Sufficiently enticing?”

Lu Jin remained silent for a long while, then asked softly: “How much do you know about what happened back then?”

Lin Yu replied frankly: “What you know, I basically know.”

Lu Jin’s expression grew hesitant, his mind locked in internal struggle.

But in the end, he made his decision: “Fine. I’ll make the deal with you.”

Lin Yu smiled: “Good. To show sincerity, I’ll tell you Li Muxuan’s whereabouts first.”

“Where is he?”

“Nathen Island.”

“So that’s it!”

Lu Jin suddenly understood, then gritted his teeth: “He was the one who killed our master and sparked the great war between San Yi and Quanxing—and after everything happened, he simply vanished, hiding on Nathen Island to live in comfort. What a bastard… he deserves to die!”

Lin Yu smiled: “Nathen Island will soon undergo great upheaval. If you’re serious, you can Dengdao for revenge then.”

Lu Jin took a deep breath, steadied his emotions, and said gravely: “Upon hearing of my enemy, I lost my composure—forgive me for my lapse.”

“Since you’ve kept your word, I, Lu Mou, cannot break my vow. I’ll fetch the Nisheng Sanzhong for you—wait a moment.”

With that, Lu Jin immediately left the parlor. After a long while, he returned carrying a small booklet.

“Is this the Nisheng Sanzhong?”

Lin Yu took the manual, swept his awareness over it, and memorized every word within.

After pondering the three levels of the technique, Lin Yu became even more certain of his earlier suspicions.

Meeting Lu Jin’s solemn gaze, Lin Yu spoke: “Back then, Wu Gensheng and Li Muxuan disguised themselves and infiltrated San Yi Sect, eventually exposed by your master, Zuo Ruotong.”

“Afterward, Zuo Ruotong fought a great battle with Wu Gensheng.”

“You may not have understood the reason for that battle then, but now, you should know, correct?”

“Yes.” Lu Jin’s expression was complex. “Wu Gensheng’s Divine Spirit could destroy all techniques rooted in Qi and return them to their original state—Nisheng Sanzhong’s Qi transformation is no exception.”

“My master fought him back then precisely to use his Divine Spirit to break through to the third level.”

Lin Yu asked: “Do you think he succeeded?”

Of course he succeeded!

Lu Jin wanted to answer so, but if that were all, why would Lin Yu have asked specifically?

After a moment’s silence, Lu Jin asked softly: “Are you saying… my master failed?”

Lin Yu shook his head: “No, he succeeded.”

Lu Jin froze.

Lin Yu continued: “He did indeed break through to the third level of this manual—but it was not the primordial unity described in the general outline. It was merely the Jingjie imagined and deduced by generations of San Yi ancestors!”

As he spoke, he flipped open the booklet and tossed it to Lu Jin.

Lu Jin caught it, stared at the annotations left by past ancestors, and his spirit trembled violently.

“Are you saying… my master… took the wrong path?”

Lu Jin’s lips trembled as he asked.

Lin Yu said calmly: “Not exactly the wrong path—just a shortcut.”

“Wu Gensheng used external force to push Zuo Ruotong to the third level, but also trapped him within its framework—like a cultivator using the Three Carts to force open the Du Meridian. Though he could break the three gates, it pales beside the orthodox method of achieving divine completeness and Qi overflow, naturally incomparable.”

“As for Wu Gensheng’s rejection of Nisheng Sanzhong, while logically sound, it still suffered from cognitive limitations.”

“As the saying goes: Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things.”

“In the Xuanmen tradition, the number three is profoundly mysterious. Wu Gensheng, being a self-taught outsider, believed Nisheng Sanzhong was the end—but he didn’t realize the third level is merely the starting point of the path to immortality!”

The third level is the starting point?

Lu Jin stared blankly at Lin Yu.

Lin Yu continued: “San Yi Sect is orthodox Xuanmen, with a long history. There are clear records of its founding immortal ancestor, and other sects of the same era also describe him—none of it could be entirely fabricated.”

“Therefore, I believe Nisheng Sanzhong is indeed a legitimate Xuanmen method capable of reaching the heavens.”

“As for why Zuo Ruotong failed, besides relying on external force, there were also his own reasons.”

“Before breaking through to the third level, he already doubted Nisheng Sanzhong, clinging to his ancestors’ Dao rather than forging his own—this caused him to stray from the true path and lose his future direction…”

Hearing this, Lu Jin could not help asking: “Then what truly counts as walking the right path?”

“Of course—forge your own Dao!”

Lin Yu said calmly: “Your sect’s immortal ancestor left no words precisely to tell later disciples: after the third level, there is no fixed method—you must find it yourself. This is also reflected in the second level.”

“As the last surviving member of San Yi, you should know well: even among those who reached Nisheng Erzhong, were you and your fellow disciples truly identical?”

Lu Jin stared blankly at Lin Yu, his heart flooded with shock, sudden understanding, excitement, regret—complex emotions swirling within.

Of course—if the second level manifested differently in each person, why must the third level be identical?

All roads lead to Rome, because Rome is the destination.

But if the third level is merely a starting point, then “different paths lead to the same end” no longer applies!

Watching Lu Jin sink into enlightenment, Lin Yu smiled faintly and turned to leave the parlor.

Soon after, Lu Jin awoke, gazing at the empty parlor and the Nisheng Sanzhong resting on the armrest. He took a deep breath and bowed deeply toward the spot where Lin Yu had stood.

“Thank you, Immortal, for your guidance!”

“Your disciple… has learned!”

…

…

Elsewhere, in the Fllien world.

Lin Yu’s true self studied the newly acquired Tongtian Lu and Nisheng Sanzhong with keen interest.

To him, the value of these two techniques was equal to that of the Fenghou Qimen.

Especially Nisheng Sanzhong—its third-level full Qi transformation closely resembled his envisioned Jin Dan Pian, offering immense reference and insight.

As for the Tongtian Lu, it had little direct use—but Lin Yu, through his own ontological status, could redirect the entities it contacted to himself.

Thus, he could replace Heaven and Earth, constructing a power system that communicated directly with himself.

This system need not rely on talismans or magic; if Lin Yu wished, he could even reshape it into the cultists of Cthulhu literature—effortlessly!

At that moment, Lin Yu sensed Fulaimei calling to him.

He stirred his spirit, extending it across his entire domain, and immediately understood what had happened.

"Has this situation already arisen so soon...?"

“Good thing I was prepared.”

Lin Yu smiled faintly, his form flickering—vanished in an instant.

(End of Chapter)