A sage master under the pine tree imparted the Dao and taught longevity.

Dahuang Mountain, Tingsong Valley.

There is a shallow stream at the bottom of the valley.

On a gentler stretch of the stream, there grows a vigorous ancient pine tree, beneath which sits a small Taoist temple.

The plaque above the Taoist temple bears three large characters: Songjian Temple.

Inside the temple, a little girl with pigtails and wearing a clean Taoist robe was squatting in front of the earthen stove in the kitchen, fanning the fire inside the stove.

The little girl was young, but she worked very diligently. Perhaps the firewood was damp, because her little hands were numb from fanning, and the fire in the stove still flickered.

Just as the little girl was feeling down, a deep male voice suddenly came from behind her.

"Shu'er, let your teacher do it."

The little girl turned around with delight, only to see an old Taoist priest with white hair and a youthful face standing behind her.

This old Taoist priest was from Songjian Temple. His surname was Chen, and his given name was Chuan.

Upon seeing the person who arrived, the little girl's gloom vanished, and she grinned.

"Master!"

Chen Chuan reached two fingers into his sleeve and pulled out a yellow talisman from his wide robe. He muttered a few incantations and then tossed the talisman into the stove.

With a muffled "poof," the smoldering fire in the stove suddenly roared to life, as if summoned by some unseen force.

Seeing the fire finally ignite in the stove, the little girl's brow immediately relaxed, and she clapped her hands happily: "Master is so amazing! When I grow up, I want to learn magic too!"

Chen Chuan smiled and patted the little girl's head gently, saying, "Focus on cooking. We can talk about the immortal techniques another day."

After saying that, he went out of the courtyard, turned to the ancient pine tree, touched the ground with his toes, and leaped up. With his clothes fluttering, he had climbed to the top of the pine tree in a few leaps.

He sat down on a branch, watched the sunset, and let out a long sigh.

All told, he has been in this world for over eighty years. A Qi Refining cultivator's lifespan is one hundred and twenty years, and now he has less than forty years left.

In his previous life, he was a schoolteacher in the mountainous areas of his homeland. Perhaps it was a blessing from heaven that he came to this world after his death.

In this life, he was born into a wealthy family and possessed spiritual roots. With the full support of his clan, he was finally able to enter the embryonic breathing stage and join the immortal sect.

Who would have thought that the path to immortality is long and arduous, and that the word "talent" carries immense weight?

For forty years, he studied tirelessly day and night, never daring to slack off, and only barely managed to break through the embryonic breathing stage and enter the Qi refining stage…

Among his peers, he was already at the bottom, and the path to immortality was even more unattainable.

Knowing that he had no hope of becoming an immortal, he bid farewell to his master and came to this mountain wilderness to build a temple and live there, calling himself "Qisong Daoren" (the Taoist of Qisong), living a seemingly carefree life, detached from worldly affairs.

But once you embark on this path to immortality, it's hard to let go.

Moreover, having lived two lives, is he really willing to stop here?

Countless times in the dead of night, he longed for the day when he could finally achieve his goal...

He longed for a significantly longer lifespan after successfully establishing his foundation.

They yearn for the legendary freedom of flying through the sky and living as long as the heavens.

He even longed to break free from the shackles of this physical body and witness firsthand the profound mysteries of the laws of heaven and earth, instead of only being able to perform trivial magic tricks to amuse children...

Can...

Human strength has its limits...

Watching the sun sink behind the distant mountains, Chen Chuan sighed and said self-deprecatingly, "Chen Chuan, oh Chen Chuan, your heart is ultimately unstable. A cultivator should be pure of heart and free from desires; it's no wonder you can't break through!"

Thinking of this, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and strange sensations arose in his internal organs!

He was immediately alarmed, wondering if his recent wild thoughts had disturbed his Dao heart, causing his cultivation to become unstable!

He quickly activated his divine sense and looked inward at himself.

Upon seeing this, he couldn't help but let out a soft "Eh."

Within his sea of ​​consciousness floated a yellowed scroll, titled—"The Book of Preaching."

Curious, he manipulated his divine sense to open the book.

The first part of the scroll contained the following passage.

This scroll is profound and mysterious, emphasizing the transmission of the Way rather than personal cultivation.

All who enter his gates become the torchbearers of the Daoist lineage. Whenever a disciple makes a breakthrough, his cultivation is like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, each drop flowing into the Master's body.

If a virtuous disciple is found, a [Master-Disciple Contract] will be formed. Once the disciple accepts this contract, if they disobey the master's teachings or fall into evil ways, the contract will backfire and cripple their cultivation.

Chen Chuan continued flipping through the pages, only to find that the following pages were completely blank.

So he simply withdrew his consciousness, sat upright on a pine branch, closed his eyes and pondered, letting the cool breeze flutter his Taoist robe.

"I do not value my own cultivation, but rather the transmission of the Way... As long as I take on disciples and spread the Way, their cultivation will improve, and I will improve in tandem..."

He murmured softly, his voice carrying a hint of the ecstatic joy of someone experiencing spring again in their twilight years.

His lifespan is coming to an end, and the road ahead is uncertain.

He thought his path to immortality was over and that he could only spend the rest of his life in this desolate mountain.

But the cycle of fate has brought about such an extraordinary opportunity!

He slowly opened his eyes.

The sun has set, and dusk is falling.

"My lifespan is short, and time waits for no one. I shall descend the mountain tomorrow to take on disciples!"

He rose, his robes fluttering, and drifted down from the pine branch, returning to the temple.

Inside the temple, Shu'er was carrying a bowl of freshly cooked porridge. Seeing her master return, she smiled and said, "Master, the porridge is ready."

Chen Chuan looked at her youthful face and felt a slight stirring in his heart.

Shu'er was the first disciple he took in this world. Although she had no spiritual roots and could not inherit the Dao, she was clever and quick-witted, and he regarded her as his own daughter.

He said gently, "Shu'er, I need to go down the mountain tomorrow."

"Going down the mountain?" Shu'er blinked. "Is Master going to buy things? Will he bring Shu'er some sweet cakes?"

Chen Chuan said with a smile, "Shu'er has grown up. She can't just think about eating. With me away, you'll have to put in a lot more effort in managing all the affairs of the temple."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "When I go down the mountain this time, I might bring you back a junior brother or sister."

"real!?"

Shu'er clapped her hands happily. She thought for a moment and counted on her fingers, saying, "Then Junior Brother has to be good and not take Shu'er's sweet cakes! Junior Sister has to be fragrant, so Shu'er can braid her hair like Master does for Shu'er!"

Chen Chuan smiled and stroked his beard: "Alright, alright, whatever you say!"

……

The next morning, Chen Chuan changed into a clean Taoist robe, picked up his whisk, and left the Taoist temple.

Turning to look at the little head peeking out from behind the Taoist temple gate, he said loudly, "Shu'er, stay and guard the temple until your master returns!"

Then, he set up an array outside the temple, pasted two [Jia Ma Talismans] on his legs, and recited a spell.

After finishing the incantation, he lightly touched the ground with his toes, his body suddenly becoming as nimble as a swallow, and he descended the mountain along the path by the stream.

……

At the foot of the Great Wilderness Mountain lies a densely populated settlement of ordinary people called Qingxi Town.

Chen Chuan rode the gentle breeze and arrived here in less than half an hour.

After dispelling his magic, he slowly walked into the town. He first found a shop and bought two bags of sweet cakes, and then picked out a few exquisite toys from the street vendors.

These are gifts for Shu'er, and also for the future disciples.

After paying the copper coins, he stopped an old farmer passing by, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked, "Old man, may I ask where the village head's residence is?"

Seeing that he was dressed in a Taoist robe and had an otherworldly air about him, the old farmer dared not be negligent and quickly pointed to the east end of the town: "Taoist priest, the village head's house is under that big locust tree at the east end, with a vermilion gate."

Thank you.

Chen Chuan thanked the old farmer and headed straight for the east of the town.

Upon reaching the large locust tree, we indeed saw an impressive mansion.

Instead of knocking on the door rashly, he took out a talisman from his sleeve, which was the [Transmission Talisman].

He gathered his energy at his fingertips, whispered a few words to the talisman, and then flicked his finger.

"call out!"

The talisman transformed into a beam of white light and flew straight into the high wall.

In a short while, the vermilion gate creaked open, and a middle-aged man with a prosperous face strode out, followed by two servants. The man was none other than Wang Huai'an, the head of Qingxi Town.

Wang Huai'an was drinking tea in the courtyard when he suddenly heard a Taoist voice in his ear, saying that an immortal was waiting outside. He felt that he had a predestined connection with the immortals and was both surprised and happy. He quickly went out to greet them.

At a glance, I spotted the old Taoist priest standing under the locust tree.

The Taoist priest was dressed in a plain-colored robe, holding a whisk in his hand. He stood tall and straight like a pine tree, and his whole body exuded an ethereal and otherworldly aura, which was far beyond that of ordinary wild Taoists.

Wang Huai'an's heart skipped a beat. He quickly straightened his clothes, stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "I was unaware of your presence at my humble abode, Immortal Master. Please forgive my failure to greet you properly!"

Chen Chuan nodded slightly: "I am Qisong Daoren. I have come here for no other reason than to spread my teachings and take on disciples. I would like to ask the village chief to gather the children aged six to twelve in the town for me to choose from."

"Preaching and taking on disciples?!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Huai'an almost prostrated himself in admiration.

Cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao is an opportunity that mortals dream of! Countless people spend their entire lives seeking immortality without success, but now a true immortal is taking the initiative to descend the mountain to accept disciples. This is simply an immense blessing!

"Immortal Master, have mercy! Immortal Master, have mercy!" Wang Huai'an trembled with excitement. "I'll do it right away! I'll do it right away!"

He dared not delay and immediately ordered the servants behind him, "Quickly! Gather all children in the town who are six years old or older but under twelve years old, and assemble them at the threshing ground! There must be no mistakes!"

"yes!"

The two servants obeyed and ran off.

Before long, the sound of gongs echoed throughout Qingxi Town.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the town.

The once peaceful town of Qingxi instantly erupted into chaos.