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

In the desolate mountains, both of them had [Jia Ma Talisman] affixed to their legs. Chen Chuan lightly touched the ground with his toes and floated forward.

Xiao Jin tried to imitate him, but because it was his first time encountering immortal techniques, his steps were unsteady and he fell behind.

He awkwardly adjusted his steps, and although he was somewhat clumsy and embarrassed, he couldn't help but secretly marvel at it.

He had always thought that immortal arts were all cold and brutal techniques, but he never expected that they contained such profound and mysterious supernatural powers.

He secretly memorized the secret to using the talisman and tried his best to keep up with Chen Chuan's pace.

Finally, just after 7 PM, the two arrived outside Songjian Temple.

"Come in with me."

Chen Chuan lightly flicked his whisk and pushed open the door to enter.

Xiao Jin followed closely behind and stepped into the temple. He saw that the courtyard was quiet and secluded, with ancient pines reflecting the moon, creating an elegant and otherworldly atmosphere.

There was a slight noise in the courtyard, and the wooden door of the east wing creaked open.

Shu'er rubbed her sleepy eyes, her little face still showing signs of drowsiness, and slowly walked out.

Upon seeing her master standing under the moonlight and the unfamiliar young man beside him, the sleepiness in her eyes vanished instantly. She quickly stepped forward, circled Xiao Jin twice like a bird, her brows slightly furrowed, and said in a clear, crisp voice:

"Master, didn't you say you were going to take on disciples? Why did you bring back a little beggar?"

Xiao Jin was already uneasy upon seeing Shu'er, and now, being mocked so bluntly, his ears instantly turned bright red. He clenched his fists and retorted in a low voice, "I...I'm not a beggar!"

Seeing their expressions, Chen Chuan couldn't help but smile. He took out a bundle of sweet cakes and a few toys wrapped in oil paper from his sleeve, handed them to Shu'er, and said gently:

"Stop talking nonsense. This is your junior brother Xiao Jin. From now on, he will live with us in the temple. Take him to the west wing, get a clean Taoist robe, and lead him to bathe and change."

Shu'er took the sweet cake and stopped teasing Xiao Jin. She just tilted her head and glanced at him before replying, "Alright, Master! Junior Brother, come with me!"

Xiao Jin lowered his head and followed Shu'er towards the side room.

.....

The next day, before dawn, Chen Chuan was disturbed from his sleep by knocking on the door.

"Master! Master, get up quickly!" Shu'er called from outside the door.

Helpless, Chen Chuan had no choice but to get out of bed, push open the door, and see two children standing outside. They were his eldest disciple, Chen Shu'er, and his second disciple, Xiao Jin.

"Master, Junior Brother Xiao told me yesterday that you were going to teach him immortal techniques!"

"Why can Junior Brother Xiao learn immortal techniques right away, while I haven't been able to for so long!? Master is being unfair!"

Shu'er pointed angrily at Chen Chuan, tears clearly welling up in her eyes.

Seeing Shu'er's aggrieved yet stubborn appearance, Chen Chuan's heart softened a little.

He sighed softly and reached out to pull the sulking little girl into the room.

The candlelight flickered in the room. Chen Chuan pulled her to sit down on the edge of the couch, his tone softening: "Shu'er, when has your master ever mistreated you?"

Shu'er turned her face away, her nose twitching, and she grumbled, "It's so unfair! Junior Brother Xiao just arrived, and you're already teaching him immortal techniques. I've been following Master for so long, and I haven't even heard a single introductory formula!"

Chen Chuan shook his head helplessly and said in a deep voice, "Do you think immortal techniques are like street vendor's sweet cakes, something you can eat whenever you want? Shu'er, do you even know the difference between immortals and mortals?"

He paused, and seeing the unconvinced look in Shu'er's eyes as she looked up, he continued:

"There is a difference between immortals and mortals. If you want to cultivate, you must have innate spiritual roots. But Shu'er, from the day I found you, I scanned you with my divine sense. You are a mortal and have no spiritual roots..."

"Even so, I have always treated you as my own daughter. In the past few years, apart from having you start fires and cook, how have I ever mistreated you? If you feel wronged, when you come of age, I will find you a good family to marry into."

"Moreover, the path of cultivation is extremely arduous and not necessarily more enjoyable than the life of an ordinary person."

Chen Chuan spoke earnestly, recounting in detail the hardships of the path to immortality and the separation between immortals and mortals.

But Shu'er was only a seven-year-old child, and she was in a fit of anger, so how could she listen to anything?

She felt that her master was making excuses, and her round face was full of stubbornness: "Master is just biased, he just doesn't want to teach me!"

As she spoke, tears finally streamed down her face, landing on her clothes.

Looking at her red, swollen eyes, Chen Chuan sighed inwardly, knowing that further words would be useless.

This girl is stubborn and won't turn back until she hits a wall. Only by letting her try it herself will she know what it's like.

Helplessly, he raised his hand to wipe away Shu'er's tears and relented, "Fine, fine. Since you insist on learning, then you can cultivate with Xiao Jin."

Upon hearing this, Shu'er's tears stopped instantly, and she nodded hurriedly, "Okay! Master keeps his word!"

Looking at her excited appearance, Chen Chuan thought to himself: Let her try. Once she experiences the tedium and bitterness of cultivation, she will naturally give up and will no longer complain that I am biased.

Thinking this, he pushed open the door and said to Xiao Jin, who was standing outside the courtyard, "Xiao Jin, from today onwards, you and Shu'er will cultivate together in the temple. I will teach you the method of guiding Qi into the body."

Xiao Jin bowed and replied, "Yes, Master."

Shu'er proudly raised her chin, quickly walked to Xiao Jin's side, and whispered, "Hmph, I can learn immortal techniques too, I'm no worse than you!"

Chen Chuan led the two to the main hall, where they knelt before the statue of the patriarch, offered incense, and then sat in the main seat, teaching them the method of fetal breathing and chakra cultivation.

"The path of cultivating immortality begins with embryonic breathing, which consists of six cycles. One must absorb a kind of spiritual energy from heaven and earth into the dantian and circulate it twelve times to complete one cycle."

"I will impart to you the Qingyuan Nourishing Wheel Scripture. This scripture was created by the patriarch of the Qingyuan Sect and is used to obtain the Qi of autumn's departure and spring's arrival, when all things revive."

The two apprentices sat upright, listening attentively.

"The Azure Qi emerges from the east, conceived in the primordial beginning. Therefore, to achieve embryonic breathing, one must first await the Azure Yang. When the Spring Equinox arrives and the Grain Rain has not yet ceased, when plants sprout and hibernating insects begin to stir, choose a quiet and peaceful place, empty your stomach and cleanse your body, sit on a mat of grass, straighten your spine like a pine tree, lower your eyes slightly, and clasp your thumbs together. This is called the 'Azure Primordial Seal.' Press your tongue against the upper palate, breathe gently through your nose, and draw in the Azure Qi flowing eastward. Let it enter through your nose, pass through your throat, penetrate the chest, and finally gather three inches below the navel..."

Inside the main hall, the air was filled with the gentle fragrance of sandalwood.

Chen Chuan uttered the last word and handed the two volumes of "Qingyuan Yanglun Jing" to his two disciples.

"The Spring Equinox is in three days. You must memorize and thoroughly understand its contents before then, otherwise you risk going into qi deviation. If you have any questions, feel free to come to your master for clarification!"

The two men accepted the scriptures and nodded solemnly.

For the next three days, the two practically wore out Chen Chuan's doorstep. Seeing his disciples' diligence, Chen Chuan was happy to answer their questions.

Three days passed by in the blink of an eye.

Three days later, the Spring Equinox will arrive.

As dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight appeared, it was exactly as described in the scriptures: "The azure energy emerged from the east, conceived in the beginning of time."

The two disciples, each carrying a prayer mat, came to the ancient pine tree and each found a piece of blue stone to sit cross-legged, forming hand seals.

Following the incantation, Xiao Jin straightened his spine like a sturdy pine tree, and lightly clasped his hands together to form the Azure Origin Seal.

Hold your breath, clear your mind, and begin practicing the breathing technique.

At first, the only sound was the rustling of pine needles in the wind.

But as his breathing became longer and more even, Xiao Jin sensed it.

It was a faint breeze, carrying the fragrance of earth and the sweetness of flowers and grass.

It was formless and intangible, yet at this moment, it keenly sensed his call.

With a deep breath, the clear, spring-like Qi slid down through the nasal cavity into the throat, then flowed down and warmly merged into the Dantian, three inches below the navel.

"So heartwarming!"

Deep within the dantian, like the first melting of spring snow, a wisp of warmth quietly arises.

Xiao Jin's heart skipped a beat. He dared not disturb it, and simply let the green qi nourish him, guiding it to flow slowly according to the path of the "Qingyuan Yanglun Jing".

Meanwhile, Shu'er, who was standing to the side, was undergoing a completely different kind of "cultivation".

She also sat cross-legged, her small hands forming a mudra.

I also tried to close my eyes and tell myself to calm down.

"Spiritual energy, oh spiritual energy, come into my belly quickly!" she cried out in her heart.

However, the abundant, vigorous, and upward-flowing green energy in the world seemed to ignore her as if separated by an invisible barrier.

She tried to inhale, inhale, and inhale again.

However, what they inhaled was just ordinary air, without any special characteristics whatsoever.

Several incense sticks have burned.

Shu'er's back and waist were already sore and numb, her face was flushed red, and her lower abdomen was still ice cold.

She secretly opened her eyes and looked at Xiao Jin beside her.

Xiao Jin's breath was long and deep, and a faint blue halo surrounded his body. Although it was not obvious, one could feel the quiet and restrained power.

He succeeded!

Shu'er's nose tingled, and tears were about to fall, but she remembered what her master had said to her a few days ago.

She didn't want to be looked down upon by her master and junior brothers.

"I'm just a little slow, not that I can't learn! If one day isn't enough, I'll try two; if two days aren't enough, I'll try three! I'm going to show my master that you can cultivate immortality even without spiritual roots!"