Why is my Hundred Lifetimes Book different?

Earth-based Escape Technique, a ninth-grade Daoist technique, can be mastered at the first level of Qi Refining, achieving minor mastery in one year and major mastery in three years.

If one possesses the corresponding spiritual root and spiritual energy, progress will be extremely rapid, and completion can be achieved within a month or ten days.

Price: 100 spirits.

Ren Qingshan used his divine sense to select from the Immortal Sect's Daoist Arts Pavilion and saw the cultivation requirements for the Earth Element Escape Technique.

The price isn't expensive.

However, this training period has been rather long.

Taoist arts and spiritual roots and spiritual energy are all connected. Earth-based Taoist methods can be cultivated quickly if one has earth-based spiritual roots and earth-based spiritual energy.

When I chose to cultivate the Dao, I sought a high ceiling and strong staying power, so I ascended to the righteous path and abandoned the paths of warrior cultivation and professional cultivation.

In retrospect, that choice was still the right one.

However, every advantage has its disadvantage; practicing ordinary Taoist arts requires more time.

Without family connections, mentors, or the help of benefactors to plan, this is often the case.

You have to make your own choices, accumulate your own experience, and endure the passage of time on your own.

"The cultivation of Taoist arts is not too difficult; it's just a matter of patience and time."

"The key to advancing from the third level of Qi Refining to the fourth level, the only visualization method, requires finding a Celestial Sect."

"Or, use the Book of a Hundred Deaths to find a suitable target."

Two paths lay before us.

One approach: Continue your unbridled growth, relying on the Book of a Hundred Deaths, the Limitless Spiritual Root, and the Myriad Worldly Qi to obtain the resources needed for cultivation, while concealing the secrets of heaven and developing in a lowly manner.

Article Two: Join the Immortal Sect.

In the past, I might have resisted the second option, simply because of my youthful spirit and relentless self-improvement. Now, having experienced the trials of life, my mind is at peace, and I am indifferent to everything.

Anyway, once I reach the fourth level of Qi Refining, I will eventually have to enter the Heavenly Ruins.

"These two paths might not be impossible to take together."

"The Immortal Sect's official system is complex. Just taking the route that connects with the Great Qi Dynasty as an example, there are four levels: Guardian Immortal Master, Traveler of the Ten Directions, True Disciple Protector, and National Preceptor."

"The guardian immortals are confined to one place, which is mostly a place with barren spiritual energy, and they cannot leave. If they could travel to all directions, it would be much more convenient."

"However, the competition is extremely fierce; it requires a battle of wits."

The competition for the position of guardian immortal master in a spiritually barren land is not too difficult, and many cultivators look down on it. There are still many opportunities for rogue cultivators to pick up the scraps, such as Liu Yunsong and Fang Shouyi, the sword cultivator from Baiyang County.

However, the Ten Directions Traveler position has the responsibility of supervising the guardian immortal masters in various places, and the rewards are considerable, so it is difficult for independent cultivators to obtain this position; most of them are scions of aristocratic families.

"Zhuge Sheng, from a mere rogue cultivator, has cultivated all the way to the Foundation Establishment stage, turning misfortune into good fortune. He is truly a prodigy!"

"However, his foundation was still shallow, and even though he became the Grand Preceptor of the State, he was still harmed by his colleagues."

Ren Qingshan thought of this man again, wondering if he was still alive.

After a slight sigh, Ren Qingshan devised three strategies: superior, middle, and inferior.

The best strategy is to compete for a position in the Ten Directions Path, seek guidance from the Immortal Sect on the method of visualization, then select a suitable target, use the Book of a Hundred Deaths to seize their Daoist techniques, save your own cultivation time, and advance to the fourth level as soon as possible to go to the Heavenly Ruins.

The middle strategy: If you can't get the Ten Directions Travel skill from the Immortal Sect, and you can't get the visualization method from the Immortal Sect, then go to Zhenbei City and the Immortal Prison Arena to seek another opportunity.

The worst option: Endure. Endure to gain the opportunity for visualization, and at the same time, hone your Taoist skills, taking the safest route.

All roads lead to Rome, though each one is fraught with peril and requires mental and physical endurance. But no matter how difficult, it is still more difficult than the mundane world.

Ren Qingshan was calm and a smile played on his lips.

……

"Brother Ren, it's been ten years. You have indeed made great progress in your cultivation, which is truly admirable."

The next day.

In the main hall of the Ren family, three Qi Refining cultivators from Shanyang County, led by the Guardian Immortal Master Liu Yunsong, accompanied by Zhong Qingyun and Lu Jiyue, arrived with gifts.

Upon hearing the words "fellow Daoist," Ren Qingshan secretly chuckled. Liu Yunsong was of the same generation as his grandfather, but cultivators did not ask about age, only about cultivation level.

Since my cultivation level is now higher than his, I am truly worthy of being called "Brother Dao".

"Please sit down, no need for formalities."

Yesterday, I chatted with my father and learned that after I left ten years ago, Liu Yunsong took good care of the Ren family. Their businesses in the city—restaurants, pawnshops, and rice shops—all brought in considerable income. Over the past ten years, the amount of money they have earned is incalculable.

Back then, I fought Yang Wanli for those 20,000 taels of silver and ended up in prison, all for the sake of a Qi-refining talisman from him, but I didn't get it from him... At that time, I was naturally dissatisfied, as if I hadn't received the spoils. But as time passed, I stopped caring about it.

The greatest selfishness a person can have is believing that others are not selfish.

"Qingyun greets Senior Ren."

Zhong Qingyun smiled broadly, cupped his hands in greeting, and blinked his eyes, looking rather carefree.

He and Ren Qingshan were not close friends, just old acquaintances. As for calling him "senior," it was somewhat sarcastic.

Three levels of Qi Refining!

That's amazing, three levels of Qi Refining!

It's unimaginable how well Ren Qingshan has lived these years, traveling freely in the outside world!

"Ha, how dare you! Making fun of your senior!"

"Senior has bestowed upon you a flying sword; do you like it?"

Ren Qingshan, with his vast worldly energy, was able to see through the three people's thoughts perfectly, and he cheerfully retorted with a laugh.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jiyue, who had been reserved since entering the room, relaxed slightly and smiled.

It seems that the past relationship has not changed much, and Ren Qingshan did not show any respect for his status or display the majesty of a third-level Qi Refining cultivator.

After all, with such a massive overhaul, he could kill the three of them with a mere flick of his wrist!

Even if he isn't killed, he came from a mountain village and didn't have a comfortable life in the Immortal Master's Mansion. He was even imprisoned. Now that he's returned home in glory, he might want to use his methods to vent his anger from back then.

No, that's naturally the best.

"No need for the flying sword. If you wish to take me as a disciple, I will immediately kowtow and pay my respects to my master!"

Zhong Qingyun jokingly got up and immediately made a gesture to bow, but he didn't actually bow down, waiting for Ren Qingshan to stop him.

However, Ren Qingshan did not stop him.

He scratched his head helplessly and gave an awkward smile: "You really accept it!"

"Sure, I'll accept you if you want to become my disciple. I'll even accept you as my godfather."

All three of them couldn't help but laugh, and a cheerful atmosphere filled the main hall.

We chatted about what had happened over the years.

The three tried to subtly inquire about Ren Qingshan's experiences, but received no answers. Ren Qingshan only said that his journey had been full of hardships, but he had fortunately achieved some success.

From the three of them, Ren Qingshan learned about the changes in Shanyang County over the years, as well as the situation of the people he used to know.

Fang Qianyi, the grandson of the registrar, was suppressed during the selection of immortal talents that year. So he left Shanyang and went to other places, and was never heard from again. The Fang family, however, remained in the local area and was still a prominent family.

Li Xuanming of the Shuangfeng Li family is now Liu Yunsong's steward, responsible for managing spiritual plants. He no longer has a chance, so he married and had children, waiting for the next generation to have their turn.

Zhang Qian of the Tianshui Zhang family, thanks to the return of a cultivator from his family who was away, finally obtained a Qi Refining Talisman, and was then taken away, and his whereabouts are now unknown.

Liu Yunsong's niece, Liu Fuqing, also returned to her parents' place. This uncle was unreliable, and the Immortal Seed quota was not given to family members.

As for now, in the Immortal Master's Mansion, there are still the next generation of young people, patiently waiting for a spot in the Qi Refining Talisman selection for immortal seedlings a few years from now, with all parties working together to secure it.

Among them were three of the most intelligent and naturally vigorous children from the Ren family.

Ten years is like the passing of a generation.

It seems to have changed, but at the same time, it seems like nothing has changed.

The only newly emerging family in the area over the past decade is the Ren family.

The rest of the masses mostly live the same life, day after day, year after year.

"Does Master Liu seem to have something on his mind?"

Ren Qingshan keenly noticed that Liu Yunsong seemed worried, so he asked.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yunsong sighed deeply and gave a bitter smile.

"I have been guarding Shanyang for twenty years. The Immortal Sect undergoes a major test every twenty years. At the end of this year, I must return to the sect to report on my duties and undergo the major test."

"Unfortunately, these twenty years have been wasted. Although I have not made any mistakes, I have not achieved anything significant either, and my cultivation has not progressed much. If I go back this time, I probably won't have much of a chance."

Ren Qingshan felt that he was being addressed with a slang term, trying to get him to help him out, so he asked calmly, "What do you mean by 'no chance'? What will happen if you fail the big exam?"

"There aren't any serious consequences; we'll just have to fend for ourselves and live out the rest of our lives."

"But... I'm not reconciled!"

"The once-in-sixty-years spiritual tide will arrive in five years. I was born at the wrong time, wasting twenty years, and in the end, I'll make room for someone else!"

Liu Yunsong clenched her fists tightly, gritted her teeth, and her eyes were already slightly red.

A once-in-sixty-years spiritual tide?

Ren Qingshan's eyes widened slightly. He had never heard of this before, but it was something that happened sixty years ago, so it was normal not to know. But when he heard what Liu Yunsong said, he immediately understood.

In the universe, every sixty years, or a cycle of sixty years, there will be a spiritual tide.

In places where spiritual energy is scarce, will spiritual energy be rekindled?

This matter is naturally the duty of the guardian immortals in various regions, and can be described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Liu Yunsong's situation is truly tragic. He worked hard for twenty years, but when it came time to eat, he wasn't even given a share.

……

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