Chapter 257: Where to Seek Immortality

On the cloud-shrouded mountain peak, the pine forest swayed gently with the wind, the sound of the pine waves like the music of the heavens.

A stone staircase wound its way upward, flanked by endless, lush green bamboo. As one ascended the steps, the clouds and mist grew increasingly dense.

At the summit, a vast expanse of ancient, simple architecture appeared half-hidden in the mist, entwined with old trees and vines. Wisps of blue smoke rose from the various Daoist temples, weaving together with the mountain clouds to create a scene like a fairyland.

This was the Daluo Sect, one of the three great Daoist sects, and the universally acknowledged ancestral home of the Daoist lineage—the Daoist ancestral grounds!

There are no thousand-year empires in this world, but there are thousand-year clans, and there are thousand-year sects.

For instance, the Buddhist holy site Pudu Temple is a thousand-year treasure temple, and the Daluo Sect, as the Daoist ancestral grounds, has also existed for over eight hundred years!

Ai Liangshan walked out of a Daoist temple and strode toward the edge of the cliff.

The mountain wind brushed against his face, making his Daoist robes flutter loudly.

More than a dozen iron pillars were driven into the edge of the cliff, with iron chains as thick as a wrist locked onto them.

The other ends of the iron chains extended beyond the cliff, hidden within the clouds and mist.

The Daluo Sect's grounds on Daluo Mountain encompassed over a dozen peaks, each connected by such iron chains.

If one wanted to travel from one peak to another, the fastest way was to cross directly via these chains.

When Ai Liangshan reached the cliff's edge, disciples wearing Daluo Sect robes were constantly leaping off the chains and landing steadily on the ground.

They had all just come from the peak opposite.

This was one of the daily lessons for Daluo Sect disciples!

The shortest iron chain between peaks was over two hundred meters long, while the longest was over five hundred meters.

Moreover, the mountains were filled with swirling clouds and mist, and the mountain winds were fierce. The chains themselves would sway incessantly, and the fog obscured vision, allowing one to see only a few meters ahead, which greatly increased the difficulty of walking on the chains.

A moment of carelessness, a fall from the chain, and below was a bottomless abyss; even if you were a powerhouse at the Dao Foundation stage, you would be left with no bones remaining!

The Daluo Sect required all disciples who had entered the Body-Breaking stage to perform this "crossing" at least twice every day.

Every year, the Daluo Sect lost disciples to this very lesson!

This was the difference in educational philosophy between the great Jianghu sects and the twelve universities.

In the twelve universities, it would be impossible to allow such a lesson to exist.

The vast majority of students who could enter these universities were children of the powerful and wealthy—this one was the daughter of a certain Inspector General, that one was the son of a certain Chief Secretary...

People sent their children to university to succeed, to "gild" themselves; would you dare let these students "walk a tightrope"?

Who would be responsible if something went wrong?

However, the Daluo Sect did not set such a lesson purely to torture its disciples.

Through this method of training, Daluo Sect disciples could first develop excellent footwork and control over their body's balance.

This was very helpful for practicing martial arts.

More importantly, it tempered their courage and forged a powerful psychological foundation!

For a martial artist, this was something even more precious.

Advancing from the Body-Breaking stage to the Qi-Transformation stage required tempering one's state of mind and possessing a sufficiently powerful strength of will; not everyone could pass this hurdle.

As for the Daluo Sect disciples, as long as they didn't die in the end, over seventy percent could successfully break through to the Qi-Transformation stage.

Such a "success rate" far exceeded that of the twelve universities!

This was the point raised by that Cabinet Minister who had questioned them back then, and it was also the reason why the current Chief Secretary had made up his mind to change the education method of the universities' Stop-Conflict Department.

Ai Liangshan chose an "outbound" iron chain, leaped onto it in one step, and then walked quickly along the chain.

Soon, he disappeared into the clouds and mist.

The mountain wind blew past, and the iron chain beneath his feet swayed constantly, but Ai Liangshan's expression remained as usual, walking on the chain as if it were flat ground.

The section of chain from Luoxia Peak to Daluo Peak was actually relatively easy to walk; he still remembered the first time he walked the chain between Daluo Peak and Feiyun Peak.

The mountain wind there roared like a tiger, blowing the surrounding clouds and mist like sea tides that attacked from all directions again and again!

That scene was truly terrifying, and Ai Liangshan still remembered it vividly to this day.

Soon, Ai Liangshan successfully crossed the chain and arrived at the Daluo Sect's main peak, Daluo Peak.

Most of the Daluo Sect's important figures were on this peak.

Ai Liangshan continued to ascend along a stone staircase and soon reached the summit of Daluo Peak, walking into a huge plaza paved with marble.

The plaza was also filled with clouds and mist, and dozens of disciples in Daoist robes were practicing sword techniques.

Ai Liangshan crossed the plaza and arrived before a secluded pool.

He stood by the pool water and bowed respectfully.

Within this secluded pool lived the Daluo Sect's guardian divine beast—the Azure Water Heavenly Cloud Beast.

Unlike the one Lu Wenzheng had prepared for Xu Jing, the Daluo Sect's Azure Water Heavenly Cloud Beast was a seventh-rank superior exotic beast, possessing the divine ability to control water, with combat power far exceeding an ordinary Master Wuji Grandmaster, approaching that of a Great Grandmaster!

This exotic beast had been subdued by the Daluo Sect's fifth-generation Sect Master and had served as the guardian divine beast for over three hundred years.

Every Daluo Sect disciple, when passing by this secluded pool, would stop and bow to the water to express their respect for this guardian divine beast, as well as their reverence for that Daluo Sect Sect Master from years past.

"Over three hundred years... truly impressive."

Every time Ai Liangshan bowed by the pool, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

The average human lifespan was about seventy years, and incorporating five types of implants could extend life to one hundred and twenty years. After that, every time one broke through a major realm, one could extend their life by sixty years.

Therefore, the theoretical maximum lifespan for a human Martial Saint who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts was three hundred years.

Three hundred years was the extreme limit of human life; even a Martial Saint could not break through this barrier.

However, many exotic beasts, whose strength was inferior to a Martial Saint or even a Great Grandmaster, could easily exceed three hundred years in lifespan, reaching four hundred, five hundred, or even, according to legend, exotic beasts that had lived for over a thousand years!

The Daluo Sect's Azure Water Heavenly Cloud Beast had already lived for over a hundred years when it was subdued by the fifth-generation Sect Master, and it had stayed in the Daluo Sect for over three hundred years since.

By now, its lifespan had already exceeded five hundred years!

Buddhism seeks the afterlife; Daoism seeks immortality.

As a disciple of the Daoist school, Ai Liangshan is naturally very concerned about longevity, so every time he passes by this deep pool, he cannot help but sigh with emotion over the lifespan of the Azure Water Heaven Cloud Beast.

He was very envious.

Passing the secluded pool and crossing several great halls, Ai Liangshan arrived outside the gate of a Daoist temple.

He stood outside the gate, bowed respectfully toward the inside, and said in a clear voice:

"Disciple Ai Liangshan, by the order of Master Qingxia True Person, has come to collect the elixir!"

In the Daluo Sect, only those who had reached the Dao Foundation stage in martial arts cultivation, or those who had become Great Mages at the Possession stage in magic cultivation, could possess their own Daoist title and an independent Daoist temple.

The Daoist temple before Ai Liangshan belonged to Qingding True Person.

One who had refined a life-bound magic treasure, allowed the treasure to possess a true spirit, and stepped into the True Spirit Realm could be called a True Person.

Qingding True Person's life-bound magic treasure was a medicine cauldron, and he was the world's top alchemist!

Daoism seeks immortality, not only through cultivation methods and magic techniques that can preserve youth and prolong life, but also through various elixir formulas that can extend life.

Elixirs involving lifespan were the most top-tier and the most difficult to refine; in the entire Daluo Sect, only Qingding True Person had the ability to refine them.

Every August, Qingding True Person would refine a batch of "Pine-Cloud Crane-Year Elixirs" that could prolong life.

This elixir was not for his own consumption, nor for the rest of the Daluo Sect, but to be sent into the Imperial Palace for the current Emperor to consume!

Daoism was valued by the Imperial Court, and the Daluo Sect received various rewards and titles every year, which had no small connection to these "Pine-Cloud Crane-Year Elixirs."

Luoxia Peak had always been responsible for liaising with the Imperial Court and handling many of the Daluo Sect's external affairs, so every year, the "Pine-Cloud Crane-Year Elixirs" were collected by disciples of Luoxia Peak, who were then responsible for handing them over to the Imperial Court's people.

This was Ai Liangshan's first time receiving this errand, and his first time coming to Qingding True Person's temple, so he was somewhat curious.

"Come in."

A steady voice came from within the temple.

"Yes."

Ai Liangshan walked into the temple, crossed the courtyard, walked into a main hall, and stood there waiting.

He curiously looked around; the furnishings in the main hall were nothing out of the ordinary, except for a central scroll hanging directly in front, on which were written several powerful, vigorous characters:

Where to Seek Immortality

Seeing these words, Ai Liangshan couldn't help but be stunned, and then a look of confusion appeared on his face.

Indeed, where to seek immortality?

The limit of martial arts cultivation was at most three hundred years, and as for magic cultivation, many mages' bodies were not even as good as ordinary people's, and they couldn't even live to seventy; many died young.

Although Daoism had "Immortality Techniques" that could use spiritual power to nourish the physical body, the longest-lived True Lord in the Daluo Sect's history had only lived for over two hundred years.

Even the Supreme Ruler who held the greatest power in the world could only rely on consuming elixirs like the "Pine-Cloud Crane-Year Elixir" every year to extend their life.

But apart from the founding Emperor of the Great Lan Dynasty who had reached the Martial Saint cultivation level, not a single Emperor since had lived past one hundred years.

Martial Saints, True Lords, the Son of Heaven... none of these great figures at the pinnacle of the human world could truly attain immortality.

"This fellow disciple."

A voice interrupted Ai Liangshan's thoughts.

He came back to his senses, looked up, and saw a very young, delicate-featured little Daoist priest walking over, holding a wooden box in his hands.

"This must be a newly accepted disciple of Qingding True Person, right?"

Ai Liangshan didn't recognize the other person and thought to himself.

"May I ask how to address you, Junior Brother?"

"This is this year's elixir."

This little Daoist priest didn't answer Ai Liangshan's question, but simply handed over the wooden box in his hands.

Ai Liangshan was stunned, smiled, and took the wooden box:

"Alright."

Then he held the wooden box with both hands and left the Daoist temple.

"Young people these days, truly impolite."

After walking out of the temple, Ai Liangshan shook his head and sighed in his heart.

He looked at the wooden box in his hands; although he was very curious about what the elixir inside actually looked like, he didn't have the guts to open the wooden box to check.

After all, this was something for the Emperor.

When he rounded a great hall, the sound of a strong wind suddenly came from behind him.

"Hm?"

Out of a martial artist's alertness, Ai Liangshan immediately dodged to the left, activating his protective internal energy while turning around.

Just running an errand to collect something, Luoxia Peak wouldn't send a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse.

Even in the Daluo Sect, a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse was an important figure.

However, since he was collecting something for His Majesty the Emperor, the person sent wouldn't be too bad either.

Ai Liangshan was at the peak of the Qi-Transformation stage and had already stepped into the "Unity" cultivation, with hopes of becoming a Dao Foundation stage powerhouse in the future.

His reaction and response in that instant were flawless, but the strength of the person who came far exceeded his imagination!

When he turned around, a golden palm force crashed toward him like a mountain!

Ai Liangshan subconsciously turned sideways, protecting the wooden box in his hands, while simultaneously channeling his internal energy to form a cloud of mist.

This was the Daluo Sect's defensive martial art—Cloud Sea Mountain-Guarding Gate.

Boom—

A loud noise.

The cloud sea was shattered by the mountain.

Ai Liangshan's body flew out like a cannonball, and more than a dozen of his bones broke instantly!

He smashed heavily onto the ground, shattering the bluestone slabs, and the wooden box he was holding in his arms also flew out of his grasp.

Ai Liangshan spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Even at this moment, he was subconsciously concerned about the box of elixir, turning his head to look at the first opportunity.

The wooden box fell to the ground, and the lid opened.

Ai Liangshan's eyes widened.

The wooden box was empty.

August 16th, more than a month had passed since the "academic exchange" between Hongyi University and Wu'an University.

Over this past month, the entire Jianghu of Feng Province had been discussing one person—the Green-Faced Ghost King!

It wasn't just Feng Province; in the Imperial Capital, Lanling City, and the other twenty-two provinces, many people had also heard the name of the Green-Faced Ghost King.

He had leaped onto the overall Wind and Cloud Ranking, and within a few days, the whole world knew of him.

This was a true figure of the Wind and Cloud!

However, this figure of the Wind and Cloud had disappeared without a trace over the past month and had not appeared in public again.

Although the Green-Faced Ghost King had not appeared, the Green-Faced Villa, the Qingyuan City Management Company, and the Zhang family had been making frequent moves, constantly swallowing the industries and forces left behind by the deceased "Blade King," "Poison King," "Cannon King," and "Queen."

Of the former "Seven Kings" of Datong Prefecture, only one "Shadow King" and one "Gambling King" remained.

And these two had been extremely low-key during this period, showing no intention of jumping out to "grab meat" from the Green-Faced Ghost King.

Not only within Datong Prefecture, but the forces outside Datong Prefecture that had been restless had also silently retracted their claws.

Especially that Boss Luo, Luo Yifu, in the provincial capital.

After the death of the "Beast King" Yu Longqing, he had been preparing to swallow the exotic beast food market in Datong Prefecture.

But after that "academic exchange," Luo Yifu had completely abandoned the Datong Prefecture market.

For over a month, although the Green-Faced Ghost King had not shown his face, the entire Datong Prefecture was manifesting his will everywhere!

"Green-Faced Ghost King, Unifying the Jianghu"—this phrase had now begun to circulate within Datong Prefecture.

At Wu'an University, on the small mountain where Shi Caiming lived.

Li Fei had just finished today's cultivation.

"You are to lead a team to the Daluo Sect in two days."

Shi Caiming lit a cigarette and said to Li Fei.

"Go to the Daluo Sect? I lead the team?"

Li Fei looked at the other person with a blank expression.

"Last year, the three great Daoist sects and the twelve universities held a martial arts exchange competition; do you know about it?"

Shi Caiming asked.

Li Fei was stunned and nodded.

He had heard this news on the radio at the time, and he remembered that Shi Caiming had gone to the Daluo Sect in person to finalize the matter with the Daluo Sect's Sect Master, True Lord Qingxu. (See Chapter 12, Volume 1 for details)

"This year's martial arts exchange competition is still to be held, but the location and specific details have not been decided. You go to the Daluo Sect in my place to discuss this matter."

Shi Caiming said nonchalantly.

A year ago, Li Fei could only learn about this major event through the radio.

A year later, he was already able to participate in person, and as the team leader for Wu'an University!

PS: A new volume, let me organize my thoughts; only one chapter today~

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 258 =====