Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 292 A Fortuitous Opportunity
Flames exploded, the earth roared, and flying swords shot through the air.

After Li Ji'an chased the Zhao family for a thousand miles, Yao Rui and her three companions were engaged in a fierce battle with the six bandits.

However, in Li Ji'an's eyes, their fight was truly like children playing around.

Although Li Ji'an had not fought many magical battles in his previous life, the False Core Immortal's understanding and application of magic, as well as his decades of accumulated experience, especially his state of mind during magical battles, were naturally incomparable to those of a novice who had no experience.

With just a couple of casual glances, Li Ji'an spotted no fewer than ten flaws in Yao Rui and the other three.

In the world of cultivation, if one has a suppressive advantage in terms of cultivation level and magical power, the details of the application of spells can be ignored.

However, Yao Rui and her three companions were not as skilled as the six thief cultivators. They relied on the orthodox cultivation methods and spells of their sect to fight against them, and they also had the advantage of numbers.

In this situation, the details of spell application and the influence of one's state of mind become crucial.

Advancing could lead to a counterattack, while retreating could result in total annihilation.

"This is real training!" Li Ji'an nodded secretly, sensing that the four of them were giving it their all and facing a great life-or-death crisis.

Unfortunately, he will never be able to truly experience this kind of ordeal in his lifetime.

First of all, he simply couldn't empathize with that sense of crisis.

He glanced at Old Huang, who was hiding behind the oxcart with a simple and honest expression, and then looked up at the sky.

He was certain that there was at least one fake Dan elder secretly protecting him.

"Zhou Zheng, what are you doing?" Just as he was about to make a move, the situation on the field suddenly changed.

Zhou Zheng, who was fighting the four rogue cultivators alongside Hu Zaiyi and Shen Xingchen, suddenly put away his magic weapon. Not only did he stop attacking, but after a moment of stunned silence, he also roared at Hu Zaiyi and Shen Xingchen.

"Shen Xingchen, Hu Zaiyi, what are you doing? How could you kill a disciple of the sect?" Zhou Zheng stood between them, rebuking the two.

"Zhou Zheng, are you crazy?"

"careful!"

Shen Xingchen and Hu Zaiyi stopped their spells in time because of Zhou Zheng's obstruction.

However, the three thieves behind Zhou Zheng attacked ruthlessly. Seeing that Zhou Zheng was about to be hit, Hu Zaiyi flew forward.

"Hu Zaiyi, you're the one who's crazy!" Zhou Zheng shouted angrily, ignoring the thief cultivators attacking from behind, and instead started beating Hu Zaiyi, who had come to his rescue.

Boom~
Hu Zaiyi's attack was blocked by Zhou Zheng.

However, the thief behind him struck Zhou Zheng's protective protective shield without any hindrance.

"You..." Although Zhou Zheng was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, his magic power, cultivated through the orthodox superior techniques of the sect, was comparable to that of a rogue cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining. His protective magic shield was not shattered by the attack, but it was severely shaken.

However, a deep sense of doubt appeared on his face as he turned to look at the rogue cultivator who had attacked him, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Zhou Zheng, wake up! You must have been poisoned by this villain's soul-demon technique!" Shen Xingchen roared.

"Thief cultivator..." Although Shen Xingchen had never cultivated sonic spells, this shout, imbued with magical power, still managed to restore a sliver of clarity to Zhou Zheng's mind.

“You…” Zhou Zheng’s eyes gradually cleared, and he looked at the three thief cultivators in shock.

hum~
Upon seeing this, the three thieves all stiffened, and their eyes once again shone with a hazy, mesmerizing aura.

"Hold fast to your principles!" Hu Zaiyi shouted.

……

"This secret technique is truly miraculous!" Li Ji'an thought to himself upon seeing this.

"Help me!" Just then, Yao Rui, who was fighting two rogue cultivators alone, cried out for help.

With his peak Qi Refining Level 6, he was indeed struggling against the two most powerful cultivators among the bandits, one at Qi Refining Level 9 and the other at Qi Refining Level 8.

However, what she couldn't bear the most was the continuous soul-eroding techniques used by the two during the battle, which gradually caused her to lose her composure.

In an instant, the four Qi Refining stage disciples of the upper sect gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

The six thieves breathed a sigh of relief and stopped focusing on defense.

Seeing that the four were struggling to hold on, Li Ji'an finally made a move.

"Wow~"

In an instant, countless green leaves danced in the air, enveloping the ten combatants.

"Senior Brother Li, save me!" The moment Hu Zaiyi's protective shield was broken, he sensed Li Ji'an's aura and was overjoyed.

"Whoosh~" A green leaf that was falling in front of Hu Zaiyi suddenly caused a spatial tremor and instantly transformed into the appearance of Li Ji'an.

"Pfft~" As Li Ji'an appeared, several vines shot towards the approaching thief cultivator.

"Pop pop pop~" A series of vines struck the thief's protective magic shield.

Unfortunately, the vines possessed powerful magic, but lacked sharpness, and failed to break through the protective magic shield.

"Retract!" Li Ji'an shouted softly, and the vines transformed into a gentle, coiling motion, tightly binding the thief.

Although it is impossible to break through its protective barrier, it is possible to bind it.

"Help me!" In the next moment, Yao Rui, who was far away, lost her composure and was attacked by a blood spear. Her life and death were reversed in an instant, but she was still pierced through the thigh by the blood spear, which brought out a string of blood beads.

With a "whoosh!" Li Ji'an's figure disappeared from in front of Hu Zaiyi, turning into a green leaf. The next moment, he reappeared behind Yao Rui, using the same method to bind the pursuing thief cultivator.

"Senior Brother Li..." Yao Rui witnessed Li Ji'an's methods up close and was filled with shock.

"Keep your mind focused and don't get distracted!" Li Ji'an warned before charging towards the most powerful thief cultivator once again.

"Thank...thank you." Yao Rui murmured as she watched Li Ji'an's figure disappear into the green leaves again.

He then suddenly looked up at the thief who was about to break free of the vines, and vented all his resentment on him.

With Li Ji'an's vines binding her, he was like a live target to her.

With her explosive fire magic, she shattered the thief's protective magic shield in one strike.

Immediately, a barrage of fireballs rained down upon them.

At the same time, Hu Zaiyi and Shen Xingchen joined forces to deal with the previously bound thief cultivator.

The situation changed rapidly.

Before long, Yao Rui, together with Hu Zaiyi and the other two, captured the remaining three thief cultivators alive.

Meanwhile, the duel between Li Ji'an and the bandit leader also came to an end.

The bandit leader, wielding immense magical power, struggled to break free from the vines binding him.

However, Li Ji'an remained unhurried, as one vine broke free only to become entangled by more.

Unbeknownst to them, eighteen vines had already tightly bound the bandit leader's body, making him look like a green cocoon.

"Senior Brother Li, you are truly a divine being!" Hu Zaiyi looked at Li Ji'an's leisurely stroll with great admiration.

"Although the thief cultivator is at the ninth level of Qi Refining, his magical power and strength are superior to Senior Brother Li's. Under normal circumstances, Senior Brother Li's wood-type magic would not be able to break through his protective magic shield."

However, Senior Brother Li's wood-type magic is long-lasting and might be able to exhaust his magic power. At that time, it will be easy to capture him! Shen Xingchen looked at Li Ji'an with a strange respect.

Yao Rui bit her lower lip lightly, her gaze fixed on Li Ji'an.

Admittedly, with Li Ji'an's tactics, if one were to face her, it would be almost impossible to give Li Ji'an the chance to entangle her.

Her fire magic was incredibly powerful, capable of easily burning vines to ashes.

However, she had no way of detecting the agility and mobility of Li Ji'an's illusory leaf clone.

"It's a close call!" she concluded to herself.

"It wasn't entirely due to back channels!"

"Crack~" A moment later, a crack appeared in the bandit leader's protective magic shield.

She had been using her magic to resist Li Ji'an's vine bindings, and at this moment her magic was greatly depleted.

Li Ji'an, however, remained relaxed and at ease.

"Wood-based magic is indeed enduring!" He was even more satisfied with the cultivation method he had chosen for this life.

Sensing that the opponent's protective shield had cracked, Li Ji'an attacked again.

"Bang bang bang!" However, despite the barrage of wooden spikes, the opponent's protective magic shield remained unchanged.

"Its sharpness is indeed lacking. I wonder if it can be improved after the second-tier body cultivation?"

"Senior Brother Li, I'm here to help you!" Seeing that Li Ji'an's fierce attack still failed to break through the cracked protective barrier, Yao Rui shouted and unleashed a powerful strike at the bandit leader. "Crack!" The bandit's protective barrier shattered.

However, upon seeing that the thief's protective protective shield had shattered, Yao Rui immediately stopped and left the thief's leader to Li Ji'an.

"Pfft!" Li Ji'an conjured another wooden splinter, piercing through the opponent's chest before the opponent could activate a protective shield again.

He then flashed and collected a drop of his essence blood into the Formless Mask.

……

"Senior Brother Li is highly skilled and meticulous. Without his extensive network of connections, we would not have been able to find the thief so easily. Without his powerful methods, we might have perished here."

Please accept our bow! The four true disciples bowed to the ground, completely convinced.

Li Ji'an looked at the four people kneeling in front of him and smiled slightly. They weren't hopeless.

“As the chief disciple of the true lineage, I have a duty to protect you. Junior brothers and sisters, there’s no need for this. Please rise.”

"Thank you, Senior Brother Li!" The four bowed again.

Then Li Ji'an looked at Yao Rui again: "The blood spears of the thief cultivators are mostly poisonous. Junior sister, please check them carefully and don't be careless."

Upon hearing this, Yao Rui immediately lowered her head even further.

"Thank you, senior brother, for reminding me."

She felt even more guilty towards her senior brother Li.

"Send a message to the senior disciples of the nearby Enforcement Hall," Li Ji'an instructed Hu Zaiyi.

While waiting for the Enforcement Hall to arrive, Li Ji'an instructed them to be careful and then headed alone towards the Southern Storm Desert region.

"As expected!" Upon arriving near the Storm Desert, Li Ji'an did not sense the terrifying pressure he had faced during his Foundation Establishment stage in his previous life.

However, the occasional sandstorms in the desert still made him feel threatened with death.

"Anyone above the Foundation Establishment stage will be repelled by the desert, which exerts a strong pressure and makes it difficult for them to set foot there!"

Only Qi Refining cultivators are unaffected by the pressure, but the desert storms can easily tear them apart…

By comparing the situation of the three generations facing the Storm Desert, Li Ji'an gained a deeper understanding of the Storm Desert's desolate nature.

"I wonder if the route taken by the Liu family patriarch has changed?" Li Ji'an wondered, gazing into the depths of the desert.

"Young master, we can't go any further in." Just then, Old Huang called out from behind to remind us.

Li Ji'an stopped upon hearing the sound.

"Old Huang, do you know how this Stormy Wasteland was formed?"

"Hehe, young master, that's a very profound question. This old servant is just a stable boy and doesn't know anything about this," Old Huang chuckled sheepishly.

Li Ji'an didn't take it seriously and continued to ask, "Has any fellow Daoist in this era ever gone inside?"

"Yes, there is. This old servant heard that the True Lord of Ten Thousand Laws once went in there."

"Really? When? Why did they go in? What was the result?" Li Ji'an asked with some curiosity.

Old Huang squinted and recalled carefully: "About five hundred years ago, it is said that a prophecy was obtained from the Wuji Secret Realm. It seems that there is a great opportunity to save the world in the forbidden land, or the secret to breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage."

"Prophecy? A chance to save the world? The secret to becoming a god?" Li Ji'an raised an eyebrow.

"How is the result?"

"Hehe, they only lasted an hour before fleeing in panic. It's said their robes were tattered, and they almost perished inside," Old Huang said with a laugh.

"..."

Li Ji'an calmed himself down and looked in the direction of the Immortal Dynasty, his eyes becoming even more resolute.

"When I reach the peak of Qi Refining, it will be time to return to the Immortal Bestowed Dynasty!"

Immediately afterwards, they boarded an oxcart and returned to the Biyun Sect ahead of everyone else.

Six months later, the five true disciples returned to the sect.

Meanwhile, the results of the first trial were released.

Zhou Zheng was demoted to an inner disciple because of his lack of willpower.

As the chief disciple, Li Ping'an not only shouldered the responsibilities of the chief disciple but also demonstrated all-around abilities, truly deserving of the title. He was rewarded with 1,000 sect contribution points.

Yao Rui and the other two performed admirably, but there are still shortcomings. They are awarded 300 contribution points.

A month later, Li Ji'an successfully broke through to the late stage of Qi Refining.

At the age of eighteen, with a cultivation level of the seventh level of Qi Refining, he would rank among the top five in the thousand-year history of Cangyun Prefecture.

Besides innate spiritual talent, willpower, and temperament, the key lies in the cultivation methods practiced and the supply of spiritual resources.

However, the speed of one's initial practice is not entirely proportional to one's final achievement.

Throughout history, there have been many who achieved early success but ultimately ruined their future.

There are also those who achieve great things late in life, accumulating knowledge and experience before making a breakthrough.

For example, the three True Core Elders of the Biyun Sect today did not have particularly fast cultivation speeds when they were young. Xiao Changfeng did not have much of an advantage in cultivation speed compared to Li Ji'an, who was a rogue cultivator in his previous life.

"Be humble and avoid arrogance!" Faced with Guo Wanzhi's congratulations and the praise from his fellow disciples, Li Ji'an remained clear-headed and showed no pride whatsoever.

After seeing off the group of people who came to offer their congratulations, Li Ji'an frowned slightly.

When Guo Wanzhi came to congratulate him just now, she said that Xu Xiaochun had actually gone to the Black Pool Cave, and that the Soul Jade that Xiao Changfeng later gave to him on behalf of Li Ji'an had been broken.

Xiao Changfeng had already rushed over.

"This guy is getting bolder and bolder." Fortunately, the soul lamp that Xu Xiaochun left in the sect has not yet been extinguished.

Li Ji'an sighed and shook his head, feeling utterly helpless.

"Peace! Come to the main hall." Just then, the sect leader sent a message.

Li Ji'an nodded secretly, but then chuckled. Did he really have to wait until Xiao Changfeng was gone?
Since returning to the sect, he had been waiting for the sect leader to speak.

As a result, we waited for a full month.

Before long, Li Ji'an arrived at the main hall.

"Ping An, please sit down." The sect leader said with a kind and approachable expression.

"Li Ping'an greets the Sect Master and Elder Tian." Li Ji'an looked at the two people who were not sitting in high positions but were casually seated in the hall and greeted them accordingly.

Elder Tian, ​​unusually, did not have a stern face and waved with a smile: "Ping An, no need to be so polite, please sit down."

After Li Ji'an sat down, the sect leader and Elder Tian exchanged a glance, and then the sect leader spoke: "Ping'an, we called you here today because we need your help."

"Sect Master, you flatter me. Ping An has been nurtured by the sect and should naturally dedicate himself to the sect." Li Ji'an solemnly cupped his hands in greeting.

The sect leader hurriedly gestured with his hand: "No need for formalities, but I do have a favor to ask of you this time."

"Please speak frankly, Sect Master."

"Alright, then I'll get straight to the point. During this training, I heard you used a strange secret technique. It shouldn't be from the sect's scripture library, right?" The sect leader stared directly at Li Ji'an.

Li Ji'an nodded decisively: "That's right, the technique 'Illusory Leaf Clone' was taught to me by my master, but I don't know its specific origin."

"Illusory Leaf Clone" is just an ancient wood-based spell, but it may be a rudimentary form of spatial magic. If cultivated to a high level, it may truly possess the supernatural ability of spatial teleportation.

However, this ancient spell is not easy to master. He has studied it for two lifetimes and is now only at the early stage of the second level.

Moreover, there are only four levels of the technique, and there is a high probability that there is a lower level.

The reason he displayed this training in public was that, apart from the critical situation at the time and the lack of any other more effective way to deal with the six thief cultivators, he never intended to hide it from the sect.

Regardless of whether this is due to my own accumulation in two lifetimes, the spiritual resources and training grounds provided by the sect are genuine acts of kindness.

Having received kindness from the sect, he felt it was his duty to repay it.

However, it is impossible for him to live and die with the sect, knowing that he is no match, yet still rushing headlong into the fire like a moth.

In times of crisis, he had no choice but to run away, thinking he could always come back later to collect the bodies for his sect.

Therefore, being able to hand over this cultivation technique to the sect can be considered as repaying the sect's kindness in nurturing me, and I can leave this world with a clearer conscience in the future.

(End of this chapter)