Born with immortal seed

Chapter 206 Five Years of Seclusion
"Master, I have mastered the Thirteen Forms of Flowing Clouds that you taught me... When can you teach me some more refined sword techniques?"

A young man of medium build, with a round face and slightly chubby appearance, looked at his master with a fawning smile.

"You know it by heart? Then demonstrate it for me."

The man in the blue robe held a cup of spiritual tea, with a round-headed bear-like beast lying at his feet.

"okay!"

The round-faced youth perked up, took out his ink bamboo sword, assumed a fighting stance, and unleashed a fierce strike aimed directly at a granite rock ten feet away.

When he felt his master's gaze, which seemed almost tangible, fixed on his waist, he realized that his single-minded pursuit of sword speed had left him with a huge opening.

He quickly withdrew his sword and slashed back in front of him to stop the enemy who only existed in his imagination.

The man in the blue robe raised his gaze, his eyes falling once again on the weak and winding part of the sword's light.

The round-faced youth panicked and made a mistake in his haste, his sword moves becoming disjointed.

The Thirteen Styles of Flowing Clouds emphasizes relentless advance, aiming to strike the opponent with the fastest and most direct means.

Once hesitation or indecision is made, the weakness of this sword technique—its lack of versatility—is exposed.

The round-faced youth sensed his master looking in all four directions, each one a direction he had considered for his sword strike.

Holding the sword, he was at a loss, unsure of how to strike.

"Go back and practice hard. Don't be too ambitious... Improve your cultivation first. It would be embarrassing if my disciple, Bai Zichen, couldn't even reach the Foundation Establishment stage."

Bai Zichen put down his teacup. The Nine Yang Divine Fire Mirror reflects the condition of his body every few years, and his disciple's foundation is quite solid, without going astray.

He has now reached the seventh level of Qi Refining, making him one of the best among the inner disciples.

There is a high chance this year that I will pass the trials and become a true disciple.

"I will follow Master's teachings..."

Tong Huan was dejected, having thought his swordsmanship was already quite good.

He sparred with several fellow disciples and won more often than he lost.

Unexpectedly, his master's mere glances caused him to make numerous mistakes, preventing him from even performing the complete sword technique.

“Uncle Lu sent a letter the day before yesterday. He has returned from traveling through several nearby counties and has been assigned to a position in the Law Enforcement Hall... He wrote this letter to thank Master for his care.”

Tong Huan composed himself and said with his hands clasped.

He was taught by Lu Song for most of his growth, and the two had a deep friendship, so he was naturally very happy for the other to achieve his foundation.

From the outside perspective, Lu Song only managed to establish his foundation at the age of sixty by sheer luck, having long exhausted his potential and having no future to speak of.

However, Bai Zichen knew that Lu Song possessed the Seven Luminaries Spirit Body and could not be judged by his apparent age.

"Having only been at the Foundation Establishment stage for two years, you're already preparing to assume a position...?"

Bai Zichen pondered for a moment and said, "You write back to him for me. I will speak to Senior Brother Liang. Tell him to do his job well. The Enforcement Hall is different from other places; he must uphold integrity and not disgrace Bai Yulou."

All the spiritual fields under his name were returned to the sect, so he naturally no longer needed to support so many spiritual plant masters.

However, over the years, his reputation for being good at teaching and mentoring younger generations has also spread.

Many of these disciples, after receiving his guidance, experienced a sudden enlightenment and successfully broke through to higher realms.

This caused many elders to visit him every now and then, asking Bai Zichen to take a look at their relatives and descendants on their behalf.

This will help dispel the fog on the path of spiritual practice, allowing for rapid progress from then on.

However, aside from a few elders with whom he had a good relationship and for whom he owed favors in the past, he basically ignored requests from others.

But the more this was the case, the more bizarre the rumors became within the sect.

No matter how dull or stupid someone is, with Elder Bai's guidance and instruction, even a stubborn rock can be transformed into a beautiful gem, and they can be brought back to life.

Several senior brothers have hinted that he might be interested in taking on a few more disciples.

Bai Zichen just laughed it off, pretending not to understand the meaning.

Every disciple carries a responsibility and is subject to cause and effect.

The reason they accepted Tong Huan was because Old Man Tong offered them Dragon Tooth Rice Seeds, which solved their problem of spirit stones in cultivation. That was a special exception.

If it weren't for the harvest from farming and selling spirit rice over the past twenty years, how could he possibly support his massive expenses on pills with just the salary issued by the sect?

And various extravagant expenses.

He would never easily accept a disciple unless he truly encountered one whose aptitude and temperament were both of the highest quality.

"You lazy bum, you've gotten fatter and fatter these past few years..."

Bai Zichen felt a furry touch beside his leg and gently kicked it.

"After all these years, you've only barely become a peak first-tier spirit beast. You're really letting down the bloodline within you."

The tumbler was enjoying rolling around on his feet; it had only spent a short time with its master, who had been in seclusion for a long time.

It made a gurgling sound, showing absolutely no sign of the ferocity of a Tai Chi bear.

Bai Zichen picked up Gun Gun by the neck and brought it to his side, reaching out to stroke its ruffled fur.

"The Blood God True Man fought against the Nine Harmony Daoist and the Supreme Elder of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect single-handedly without being at a disadvantage... With such strength, he should have reached the end of the Core Formation stage and could trigger a Heavenly Tribulation at any time to break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

Bai Zichen did not leave Feiyue Lake for two years, but he received timely news of major and minor changes within the sect and important information about the entire cultivation world of Liang Kingdom.

Some of them were arranged by him, with people deliberately collecting them.

More often, it was those forces that wanted to curry favor with him who offered it up.

Three months ago, after emerging from seclusion, Blood God Master took the initiative to seek out Daoist Jiuhe of the Righteous Alliance.

Despite both being at the peak of Core Formation, Daoist Jiuhe was completely suppressed from beginning to end by True Person Blood God, whose body had transformed into a sea of ​​blood.

If the Supreme Elder of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect hadn't arrived in time, Daoist Jiuhe might have been in an extremely dangerous situation.

Although Fang Tiansheng, the Supreme Elder of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, only had the cultivation level of the late Core Formation stage, he possessed a third-tier superior-grade Gold-Devouring Earth Dragon Beast as his natal spirit beast.

With the assistance of the Spirit Control Scripture, Fang Tiansheng is the most powerful cultivator below the Nascent Soul stage in the Liang Kingdom's cultivation world. Even a Core Formation cultivator might not be his match.

Even with Fang Tiansheng joining the battle, the fight only managed a draw.

Although the Blood God True Man's skills are profound, he is most adept at fighting against multiple opponents.

However, the outcome of this battle still shocked the entire cultivation world of Liang Kingdom.

The demonic cultivators were arrogant and domineering, all claiming the title of the second most powerful cultivator in Liang Kingdom as that of the Blood God True Man.

As for the first, it is naturally the Nine Lotus True Monarch of the Holy Lotus Sect.

After this battle, the Blood God Master went into seclusion again, and rumors circulated that he had gained something new and was trying to comprehend the opportunity of Nascent Soul Transformation.

There was also news from the Righteous Alliance that Blood God True Man was seriously injured by the combined forces of Nine Harmony Daoist and Fang Tiansheng, and had to immediately go into seclusion to heal.

The sheer volume of information is overwhelming, but one thing is certain: the Blood Demon Sect's trend toward unifying the demonic path is unstoppable.

The four sects—Ghost Spirit Sect, Joyful Union Sect, Corpse Driving Sect, and Fragrance Scent Sect—all revered the Blood God True Man. They mobilized their disciples, and the allied forces occupied a prefecture belonging to the Righteous Alliance.

The entire process was swift and decisive; the Righteous Alliance offered little resistance and withdrew from a large portion of the territory.

"This time, the target is Ci'en Temple. This sect also has a Core Formation Realm expert in charge... But the five sects joined forces, sending a total of eight Core Formation Realm experts to sweep across the area with overwhelming force. How can Ci'en Temple withstand this? If they are slow to run, I'm afraid the entire temple will perish along with the temple."

Seeing what had happened to Ci'en Temple, Bai Zichen thought of his own sect.

Ci'en Temple and Qingfeng Sect faced a similar situation a few years ago. Qingfeng Sect had the advantage of unity among its members, a Core Formation cultivator willing to sacrifice his Golden Core to continue the sect's lineage, support from brother sects who shared the same fate, and Ge Cang, a cultivator whose strength was comparable to that of a Core Formation Perfection cultivator.

This is the difference between the loss of Ci'en Temple's homeland and the displacement of its entire staff, while Qingfengmen's mountain gate remained intact and its prestige was not diminished.

"But at this point, the war is completely dominated by the Blood Demon Sect. If the allied forces are truly directed towards Black Mountain, it would be extremely dangerous..."

Fortunately, before a decisive battle is decided with the Righteous Alliance, the main attack direction of the Demonic Alliance should not be changed to Black Mountain.

Time is definitely on Bai Zichen's side. The longer it drags on, the more likely he is to improve his strength to a level that can change the course of the sect war.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to instruct Tong Huan, Bai Zichen relaxed his tense nerves, stopped all cultivation, and strolled around Jade Moon Lake for two days.

To be honest, after moving here, he spent most of his time in seclusion and meditation. Apart from the area around his own Baiyulou and the small island in the lake, he didn't really explore other places.

He casually asked someone to find him a small boat, got on it, and picked a large lotus leaf to cover his face.

Without anyone rowing, it leisurely drifted on the lake for a whole day.

It wasn't until sunset that he suddenly jumped up, having the idea of ​​visiting his fellow disciples' caves.

Upon arriving at the small island in the middle of the lake, Zhou Suqing had just finished refining a drop of Icefire Dragon Blood Wine.

Although her cultivation level was higher, her speed in refining the spirit wine was actually slower than Bai Zichen's.

The two chatted for a few minutes, mainly about the things needed to prepare for Core Formation.

Zhou Suqing is already in the late stage of Foundation Establishment. If she doesn't plan to learn from Ge Cang Zhenren and Wei Dao, but instead wants to pursue perfect Core Formation by writing alchemy treatises, she is actually not far from the completion of Foundation Establishment.

Speaking of this, Zhou Suqing gave a bitter smile. Her wealth was among the poorest of all the late-stage Foundation Establishment elders.

Because of their lack of combat skills, they rarely leave the sect and therefore have little chance of experiencing adventures or gaining anything from their travels.

All the spirit stones came from the elders' stipends.

This is why she was so excited when the Earthly Fiend Yin Vein was discovered that day.

Even a single wisp of Xuan Shuang Gang Sha (a type of internal energy) would be a considerable income for her.

Old Master Yang regarded her as the successor of the art of array formations, and left Zhou Suqing mainly with classic texts on array formations, as well as several sets of array flags and array plates.

Although these items are valuable, we can't just sell them to exchange for the resources needed to form a core.

Not to mention comparing it to Wei Dao's preparations for Core Formation, she doesn't even have enough sect contribution points for that drop of Pure Spirit Jade Marrow in the secret vault.

"Fortunately, I have already mastered the Desolate God Stealing the Sun Technique. When I burn my lifespan, I can increase the probability by 10%, which is equivalent to consuming a Core Formation spiritual item... With my own accumulation, I may still have a chance to successfully form a Core."

Zhou Suqing quickly composed herself and returned to her composed and serene demeanor as an elder of the Transmission Hall.

After leaving the island in the middle of the lake, Bai Zichen went to visit Su Li again, but the disciple guarding the gate reported that Elder Su had left Feiyue Lake to travel two and a half years ago and had not yet returned.

Bai Zichen returned home satisfied, having swept away the anxiety and loneliness that had arisen during his seclusion.

Time flies, and another three years have passed.

On this day, the White Jade Pavilion attracted spiritual energy from within a radius of several miles, which swirled and eventually poured into the pavilion like birds returning to their nests.

(End of this chapter)