Immortality: Starting with the Fruit of Taiyin

"Damn it, the Lu family of Xuanfu, don't let me find an opportunity..."

He thought for a long time but still couldn't figure out how to make a powerful family in the Core Formation stage regret their actions.

Gritting his teeth inwardly, Yang Yunzhi decided to go back first and then make a decision.

But as soon as he turned around, he saw a familiar figure from behind.

"Who...it's you! What are you doing here!"

"Wang Xuan, you've come to Baihe Market too?"

"...Huh? It's Brother Yang."

Wang Xuan paused slightly in his departing steps, sighed inwardly, and then turned around.

"It's been many years, Fellow Daoist Yang, how have you been?"

Not long ago, when Wang Xuan discovered Yang Yunzhi's identity, he had already decided to leave.

Yang Yunzhi's affairs had little to do with him; the two had only ever been nodding acquaintances.

However, if they leave in a hurry, they will inevitably appear guilty and it is easy for others to misunderstand.

So now that the other party had seen his figure, he didn't pretend not to recognize him.

After all, although he did not intend to become close friends with this "Brother Yang," he also had no intention of making enemies.

"Wang Xuan...it really is you. So you saw everything just now?"

His face looked rather pale, but Yang Yunzhi forced a smile.

"Hmm? What did you say you saw, Brother Yang?"

Wang Xuan pretended not to know, refusing to admit it.

"...It's nothing."

His expression softened slightly. Although he didn't know whether he really didn't see it or was pretending not to, Yang Yunzhi was finally less embarrassed.

Moreover, now that he has come to his senses, he suddenly remembers that the reason the two of them met in Baihe Market is because the Nanhua Sect has become a thing of the past.

So, just like him now, Wang Xuan has also lost the support of his sect.

He was in such a sorry state because he had a superior spiritual root and the hope of establishing his foundation. That's why he made a special trip here to confront the old servant who had served the main branch of the Lu family for his entire life.

But compared to him, without the identity of a sect disciple, Wang Xuan truly had no connection to Foundation Establishment...

"Alas, I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Brother Wang."

Shaking his head and sighing, Yang Yunzhi's mood improved considerably with the presence of acquaintances around him.

"Back then, we gathered at Xiaoze Mountain and were so carefree. I never expected that the sect would suddenly suffer such a disaster."

"I'm not afraid of being laughed at by Brother Wang, but I was actually working hard on my Foundation Establishment path just now... Now that the sect is gone, we disciples can only rely on ourselves."

"...Brother Yang's steadfast faith is admirable."

Wang Xuan's eyes twitched, and he could only offer his praise.

Indeed, it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature.

Even in this predicament, Yang Yunzhi still couldn't resist showing off a bit.

"Haha... I can't really talk about a Dao heart, I'm just struggling to survive."

Yang Yunzhi shook his head slightly and chuckled twice, but then he remembered his current distress.

"Brother Wang, how about we meet somewhere else?"

"Baihe Market is so big, I really didn't know you were here too."

"Alright."

Wang Xuan nodded in agreement without refusing.

He was also a little curious, since although the two were both in the lower academy, the inner and outer disciples were quite far apart.

No one knows how Yang Yunzhi arrived at Baihe Market, or where the other inner disciples went.

……

Linhe Tower, first floor.

Even as evening approached, the crowds here remained strong.

There are four great joys in life: rain after a long drought, meeting an old friend in a foreign land, the wedding night, and passing the imperial examination.

In Wang Xuan's view, these three things are nothing more than the joy of "surviving a desperate situation", the pleasure of "achieving fame and success", and the delight of having one's "human nature of food and sex" satisfied.

The second reason should be the instinctive human reaction of sticking together in unfamiliar environments, a desire for safety and a rejection of danger.

Tribes, sects, families, dynasties... all arose from this, and all perished because of it.

Regardless of whether this idea is right or wrong, and whether he and Yang Yunzhi can be considered "old acquaintances".

In short, in order to celebrate the "long-awaited reunion" of the two, and incidentally wash away the embarrassment that Wang Xuan might have seen not long ago.

Just like the Han family before, Yang Yunzhi invited him to Linhe Tower.

"...When the sect was in trouble, Core Formation cultivators from various forces came to investigate."

"Although we couldn't find out anything, the masters still brought us inner disciples back."

Sitting in the lobby on the first floor, pointing to the private rooms on the third floor and above, Yang Yunzhi spoke with no small amount of pride.

"I was entertained by Master Lu there. As for my fellow disciples who were taken away by other masters, I don't know their whereabouts."

"...The immortals have prepared a banquet, and the divine dishes are served. What good fortune!"

Wang Xuan casually praised him, which made Yang Yunzhi, who was standing next to him, even happier.

However, he guessed that the Lu family master had probably just casually tossed the 'immortal seedling' he brought back into his own property, had someone receive it, and soothe its emotions or something.

As for him personally, he probably doesn't have time to deal with these juniors.

Even further, the so-called "bringing back" of these disciples was more like them being directly divided up as "harvests" by the various masters who went to investigate the situation.

It's fortunate that Chen Kingdom isn't the territory of the demonic path; otherwise, the "division" would probably have been more direct than it is now.

"Of course."

He downed the strong liquor in one gulp, unaware of what Wang Xuan was thinking.

As if drowning his sorrows in alcohol, Yang Yunzhi couldn't help but sigh.

"A Core Formation True Person, what kind of person is that?"

"The gap between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, and even between Core Formation and Nascent Soul, is not as insurmountable as the gap between Foundation Establishment and Core Formation."

"If it weren't for the fact that most of us inner disciples of the lower academy have excellent spiritual roots, we wouldn't be valued by the True Person."

"It's just a pity...sigh..."

With a sigh, Yang Yunzhi drank another cup of wine.

Sitting opposite him, Wang Xuan nodded slightly and raised his cup to drink with him.

He at least agreed with Yang Yunzhi's first statement.

"Brother Yang is right."

"Legend has it that in ancient times, there was no concept of Foundation Establishment or Core Formation."

"At that time, cultivators only cultivated four realms, and Qi Refining and Foundation Building were combined into one realm, which was called 'Refining Essence into Qi' by people at the time."

"As for the Core Formation and Nascent Soul stage, that is another realm, known as 'Refining Qi into Spirit'."

"In the ancient era, when the path of immortality began to emerge, only 'Qi Refiners' existed in the world."

"Throughout their lives, they only cultivated 'Qi'... I don't know how people back then cultivated immortality and sought longevity."

"Um?"

Slightly taken aback, Yang Yunzhi was somewhat surprised by what he heard.

"I don't recall ever seeing such ancient tales in the sect's library... Where did you hear them, Brother Wang?"

"Uh... well, maybe Brother Yang didn't look carefully."

After hesitating for a moment, he casually brushed it off.

Wang Xuan almost forgot that he had seen this in the jade slip of "Common Sense for High-Level Cultivators" left to him by Chen Yao.

Much of what's in there is less common sense and more like mythology.

So much so that sometimes he didn't take it too seriously, but rather regarded it as something like a biography of a great being.

"Is that so... then perhaps I didn't look carefully enough."

Without giving it much thought, Yang Yunzhi didn't pay much attention to what seemed more like a legend.

He simply raised a glass with Wang Xuan and reminisced about the old days.