Immortality: Starting with the Fruit of Taiyin

"Big brother."

After closing the door behind him, Han Changde went into the inner room of the private room.

After passing an antique screen painted with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix, Han Changming, who had just left under some pretext, was drinking alone at a table, staring intently at a metal sphere.

He bowed respectfully, and despite his troubled mind, Han Changde's attention was drawn to the metal sphere.

"Big brother, you haven't given up on researching puppets yet?"

"Yes...Come, Changde, please sit down."

Snapping out of his reverie, Han Changming sighed softly.

He put down the sphere in his hand, looked up at his rather aged cousin, and nodded helplessly:

"Despite years of dedicated study, I made no progress whatsoever."

"Even with the advantage of Foundation Establishment stage divine sense, not understanding is still not understanding."

"The arts of immortals are truly unfathomable... Fortunately, I don't expect to become a true puppet master."

"Learning just a little bit is enough to maintain the puppets with my own skills without relying on outsiders."

"It's just a pity—alas..."

The conversation ended abruptly, for walls have ears.

Linhe Tower doesn't have any formations to isolate spiritual consciousness; it's just an asset owned by a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Lu family.

If there's a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator next door, Han Changming wouldn't be able to detect them at all.

Fortunately, Han Changde, sitting across the table, understood what the other person meant.

So he nodded in empathy, but he didn't know what to say.

In fact, just like Wang Xuan's previous doubts.

Many people in southeastern Chen Kingdom were curious about how the Han family, once a small Qi-refining family, had suddenly become a Foundation Establishment patriarch and even bought a second-tier spiritual vein.

It's important to understand that the former can be attributed to luck, while the latter can only be attributed to real financial resources.

Even in terms of value, a second-tier spiritual vein passed down through generations is far superior to a first-tier alchemy book; it's something that can't be bought with spirit stones.

The Han family themselves didn't say anything, nor did the Nanhua Sect, which they had allied with, and the nearby Foundation Establishment families didn't dare to ask too many questions, since the sect must have given its approval.

However, while others might not know, Han Changde was aware of it.

Everything the Han family has today stems from a certain day ten years ago.

At that time, Han Changming, who was still at the peak of Qi Refining, encountered a second-tier peak puppet master who was ambushed and seriously injured near Wanze Immortal City, and successfully helped him kill the enemy.

However, after the death of his great enemy, the master also did not have long to live.

Thus, Han Changming successfully obtained the master's entrustment and inherited his entire mantle.

No one knows for sure if that's actually the case; even Han Changde isn't certain.

However, once the Han family offered their puppet inheritance to a True Person of the Nanhua Sect in exchange for the endorsement of a second-tier spiritual vein and a true disciple, the matter was considered closed.

It wasn't until a year ago, when the Nanhua Sect suddenly collapsed and the situation in the Chen Kingdom became chaotic again, that this matter became a problem once more.

In order to cope with the changing situation around them, the puppets left behind by the master were undoubtedly the best solution.

"Forget about that, let's get back to the important matter."

Han Changming waved his hand and turned his attention back to his cousin.

During their conversation, the politeness that Wang Xuan had previously noticed had completely disappeared, replaced by composure and decisiveness.

"Changde, did that alchemist surnamed Wang agree to our conditions?"

"no."

Slowly shaking his head, Han Changde recounted the details of the situation.

"...Brother, that's roughly how things went."

"That kid became a formal alchemist in the sect, but he has been hiding his progress in alchemy from us. Now he even has the delusion of breaking through to the next level."

"So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he probably won't join my Han family."

"Is there still any hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage...?"

Slightly startled, Han Changming's fingers unconsciously tapped the table.

"Since that's the case... then you should just agree to his request."

"Big brother, this—"

"Don't rush."

Ignoring Han Changde's urgency, Han Changming simply raised his hand calmly across from him.

"When I said I agreed, I didn't really agree to everything."

"Changde, you're not young anymore. You should know that when looking at things, you should get to the heart of the matter, rather than just looking at the surface."

"If you want to win against an opponent, you need to know what they rely on and what they want. Only then can you follow their lead, find their weaknesses, and prescribe the right medicine."

"Take this case as an example, do you know what this young man wants?"

"Uh... I guess, it's Foundation Establishment?"

He asked tentatively, knowing the answer wouldn't be that simple.

As expected, Han Changming nodded and then shook his head.

"It is indeed Foundation Establishment, but it is not just Foundation Establishment."

"Because if it were simply for the sake of a longer lifespan in the Upper Realm, he could have easily sold himself to a large merchant guild instead of coming here to try his luck."

"So ultimately, what he wants is not just to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, but to become a 'free Foundation Establishment cultivator,' just as he did when he was still in the sect."

"After all, although sects theoretically hold the power of life and death over their disciples, even the most ruthless witchcraft sects have members who possess considerable independence."

"Now, do you understand why he rejected you?"

"...I think I understand."

Han Changde nodded affirmatively, his expression suddenly enlightened.

"Now that you understand, tell me how you plan to solve this problem."

Han Changming asked calmly.

"..."

He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Han Changde was a little embarrassed and could only admit his ignorance with his eyes.

"You... never mind."

Pointing at his cousin, Han Changming wanted to say something, but ultimately gave up.

He shook his head slightly, knowing that a cultivator's aptitude and wisdom were not directly related.

However, sometimes he inevitably has higher expectations for his people.

Now that we've found the reason for the rejection, the next step is to find the 'reason for the reason'.

"That is, to make him have this delusion, that he can become the 'foundation of freedom' based on something, and then break this reliance."

After pouring himself a glass of wine, Han Changming simply stopped asking questions.

Looking at his cousin in front of him, he gave his conclusion directly.

"As for this matter, the problem mainly lies in two aspects."

Firstly, age.

"Being young means lacking experience."

"Furthermore, having just left the sect, their understanding of reality is certainly not deep enough, making them prone to harboring unrealistic fantasies."

Secondly, there is talent.

"Within six or seven years, one can become a formal alchemist from an apprentice. Within the sect, there is a 10-20% chance of becoming a second-tier alchemist after the Foundation Establishment stage."

"A second-tier alchemist is someone even the peak Foundation Establishment cultivators should respect. He is far stronger than the Foundation Establishment cultivators of a small cultivation family like mine."

"The combination of these two factors explains why he had this thought... Do you understand now?"

A smile appeared on his face, but there was no smile in Han Changming's eyes.

Young people... how can you call yourself a young person if you're not spirited?

He probably forgot that this was no longer within the sect.

The world outside the sect... is far more cruel than he imagined.