I only want immortality.

The peaks and ridges are clustered together.

On the mountainside of Yunjian, there is half an acre of fertile land, a spring, and two thatched huts.

"Is this where my grandmaster uncle lives?"

Lin Yang stared at the thatched hut in front of her, incredulous.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xu said softly:

"Your grandmaster grandmaster had a distinguished life and enjoyed all kinds of wealth and honor. With his level of cultivation, he probably no longer cares about these external things."

"Please come in and sit down. I'll go get some water."

The boy casually left the black water buffalo beside the paddy field. The buffalo went off to graze on its own, while he found a water ladle and a gourd and went to the spring to fetch water.

The two hesitated for a moment, then stood outside and waited instead of going inside.

"Uncle-Master, that 'Green Bamboo Jade Flute' is your signature magic weapon, a top-grade treasure. Giving it to that little...Uncle-Master is a bit of a waste."

Lin Yang finally couldn't help but speak up.

Chen Xu glared at him, then glanced at the boy squatting by the spring, slowly drawing water, and shook his head, muttering:

"Although magical artifacts are heavy, they are ultimately external objects. Besides, I have already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, so this treasure will not benefit me much. It would be better to give it to this junior brother as a way of asking for a favor."

Lin Yang nodded in agreement, looked around, and then said, "But I don't know when my grandmaster will return."

Chen Xu said, "Just wait patiently."

Before long, the boy brought two gourds of spring water and handed them to the two men, saying, "Here, have some."

As he spoke, he picked up the water ladle and took a big gulp.

Lin Yang was stunned. What kind of family would serve guests spring water directly? Without even boiling it or adding some tea leaves? This was incredibly stingy!

Chen Xu was also taken aback, but then didn't think much of it, took the gourd and drank a mouthful. Seeing this, Lin Yang had no choice but to take it as well, hesitating whether she should drink or not, when she heard Chen Xu's exclamation:

"Its external aura is inconspicuous, yet it possesses inner spiritual brilliance... This is water from a superior spiritual spring!"

Lin Yang was taken aback and quickly looked down at the gourd in his hand. He couldn't see the mouth of the gourd clearly, and when he shook it and took a sniff, he couldn't smell anything. He picked up the gourd and took a sip. It was refreshing and sweet, and then a warm current surged in his mouth and tongue, heading straight for his lower abdomen.

His dantian immediately circulated, rapidly stirring the water he had drunk, transforming it into wisps of magical power that quickly spread throughout his limbs and bones. The fatigue from the journey vanished instantly, and he even gained some benefits.

"Good water!"

"Is this the water of the sacred spring?"

Lin Yang was overjoyed and quickly put the gourd mouth to his mouth, gulping it down in one go. The hot current immediately surged like a rushing river, flowing along his meridians straight to his dantian.

Perhaps he drank too quickly, and a swelling sensation arose in the meridians he passed through. He immediately sensed something was wrong, but it was too late. The swelling sensation then turned into a tearing pain, like a burning nail piercing his dantian. In an instant, the intense pain surged like a tide, instantly overwhelming his consciousness!

"ah--"

A scream startled Chen Xu, who was savoring the taste of the spiritual spring.

"Lin Yang!"

Chen Xu turned his head and saw Lin Yang lying on the ground, her body hunched over, veins bulging, and face flushed. Beside her was a gourd that was flowing with spring water. He immediately understood what was going on, his expression changed slightly, and with a flick of his finger, he straightened the fallen gourd from a distance.

He stepped forward and helped Lin Yang to sit up and regulate her breathing. He then used his own magic power to invade Lin Yang's body, trying to stabilize her out-of-control magic power.

"Senior brother, what's wrong with my junior nephew?"

The boy exclaimed in surprise.

Chen Xu glanced quickly at the boy's concerned expression, unable to tell whether he was genuinely unaware or feigning ignorance. However, he had no time to think about it and focused his attention on Lin Yang's body.

The two cultivated different techniques, and the magical power they condensed also came from different sources. If they were outside, with his cultivation level, he would be able to easily suppress Lin Yang's magical power. However, he was fighting on foreign soil and had no advantage in terms of terrain. On the contrary, Lin Yang's magical power was within his own body, giving him a significant advantage. Furthermore, the spiritual spring water amplified this advantage. With one decreasing and the other increasing, he was unable to suppress Lin Yang for a short period of time, and the two became locked in a stalemate.

"This is bad!"

Seeing Lin Yang's face turn from red to white, and then to green, Chen Xu's heart sank. He was at a loss for what to do. The spiritual essence of this spring water was far more abundant than he had ever seen in his life. Lin Yang had rashly drunk a large amount of the spring water, and now the spiritual essence within it was endless and inexhaustible.

Just as they were in a state of panic, they suddenly heard an old man's laughter coming from deep within the clouds of the mountains:

"Jin Guang, stop fooling around."

Golden light?

Chen Xu was taken aback, then heard the boy beside him say with a grin:

"I'm playing with him, teacher."

Teacher... is my senior fellow apprentice!

Before Chen Xu could understand what was happening, he suddenly saw the boy approach and gently pat Li Yang's shoulder with his small, jade-like hand.

Chen Xu instinctively exclaimed, "Be careful of his magic... Huh?"

The words were abruptly cut off before they could be finished.

Sensing something in his mind, the moment the boy reached out and patted Lin Yang, a surge of magical power, as powerful as a great river and far surpassing the combined power of the two, roared into Lin Yang's body, vast and unstoppable.

Chen Xu groaned, his mind being jolted out of Lin Yang's body.

Before he could even soothe his pain, he looked at the boy with a shocked expression.

With his delicate features and pigtails, he looked like an ordinary mischievous child. Who would have thought that his magical power and realm were far superior to his!

"I misjudged it!"

"He's actually at the peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining!"

"But... how is this possible?!"

Chen Xu was greatly shocked.

"Your name is Chen Xu? Liu's last disciple?"

A voice suddenly sounded behind me, deep and resonant, yet powerful and resonant, like the hum of a great bell.

Chen Xu was startled and subconsciously turned his head to look.

An elderly man with a straw basket slung over one shoulder, wearing muddy straw sandals and leaning on a cane, had appeared behind him. The man wore a straw hat, had white hair and beard, and a face full of wrinkles, just like an old farmer in the countryside. However, his figure was still tall and straight, with a dignified and imposing presence, showing no signs of old age. On the contrary, his eyes were even sharper.

Although the person's clothes, appearance, and demeanor differed from the person in his memory, Chen Xu recognized him immediately. He was both surprised and delighted, and quickly bowed in greeting.

"Disciple Chen Xu greets Third Martial Uncle!"

Seeing his disciples again after more than twenty years, Li Pinghe showed little joy, only sighing softly and saying wistfully:

"You came looking for me? It seems my junior brother has already left."

Chen Xu fell silent.

The junior brother mentioned by the other party was the previous sect leader of Chun Jun Sect.

Li Pinghe said to himself:

"My junior brother is not yet ninety years old. I have improved his 'Golden Sharp Edict Method,' so although it is not good for health preservation and longevity, living to be a hundred years old is not a problem... He is good at fighting and using it to compete. Among the seven sects and sects in the Song Kingdom, no one of his generation can beat him in a one-on-one fight. However, he is reckless and easily schemed against. Was he lured out of the sect under some pretext and attacked by a group?"

Chen Xu was startled. If he hadn't known that the other party hadn't come down the mountain, he would have almost thought that the other party was already there. He felt a surge of admiration and respectfully replied:

"My senior brother has keen insight; his words are absolutely correct."

Then he solemnly said:

"Last December, for some unknown reason, many cultivators from other places came to the northern Wuling Kingdom and occupied the northernmost 'Thousand Hands Sect' mountain gate and its spiritual cave in our Song Kingdom. This matter caused great uproar in the cultivation world of our Song Kingdom. After the New Year, the old sect master was invited to go north to discuss the restoration of the Thousand Hands Sect, but he was ambushed halfway. Although the old sect master broke through the encirclement and returned, he was ultimately powerless to save the day and passed away that very night..."

Li Pinghe's eyes narrowed slightly, a sharp glint in them:

Which company invited you?

Chen Xu said, "The Yang family of the Northwest."

Li Pinghe's eyes showed a thoughtful expression: "The Yang family...who is in charge now?"

"It is Yang Xingkong."

"Yang Xingkong?"

Li Pinghe showed a hint of doubt.

Chen Xu quickly explained:

"Uncle Master may not know, but this person is a rising star in the last twenty years. He is the grandson of Yang Xuanxiao, the former 'Twin Thunder Dragons'. He is fierce and decisive in his actions, but he is also skilled in Yin Realm techniques. He traveled north in his early years and had some extraordinary encounters, which gave him more knowledge."

"Oh, he's Xiao Yang's grandson... Is Yang Xuanxiao still alive?"

A flicker of reminiscence crossed Li Pinghe's eyes, and he asked again.

Chen Xu became even more respectful: "He passed away ten years ago."

"And what about his younger brother, Yang Xuanye?"

Chen Xu replied, "He passed away thirteen years ago."

"They've left too."

Li Pinghe sighed softly, his expression somewhat desolate.

The cultivation world of Song is a place where spiritual energy is weak, making it difficult to support true cultivators. As a result, there has been no one who has established a foundation for the Dao for many years. Qi-refining cultivators generally do not live past a hundred years. At his current age, his former peers and friends have probably all withered away.

"Uncle-Master, please don't be too sentimental..."

Chen Xu looked at Li Pinghe with concern.

Li Pinghe waved his hand:

"It's alright... Tell me, what did my junior brother ask you to do before he passed away?"

"Is it that the new leader is unable to win over the people, or is it due to external enemies pressing in?"

Chen Xu was startled. Although he had heard of his third senior uncle's wisdom and brilliance, making him the most outstanding among his peers, it was only now that he truly understood his abilities. He became even more respectful, bowed deeply, and replied:

"Before his death, the old sect leader passed the mantle to the eldest of the third-generation disciples, 'Murong Xian.' However, several of his fellow disciples had objections, arguing that although Murong Xian's cultivation was not bad, he rarely got involved in the sect's mundane affairs, and the young sect leader's prestige was indeed insufficient. In addition, the Thousand Hands Sect's foundation was seized before the new year, and there were rumors that a large sect from Wuling Kingdom was heading south. The sect was uneasy and wanted to depose the new leader..."

"Murong?"

Li Pinghe frowned slightly: "Junior Brother, are you treating the Chun Jun Sect as your own?"

Chen Xu was filled with trepidation, bowed deeply, and dared not speak lightly.

The old sect leader was named Murong Xiao, and Murong Xian was his grandson.

Although immortal sects used to have the custom of passing down knowledge among relatives, since the Great Xia Dynasty was besieged and destroyed by various sects thousands of years ago, sect cultivators rarely do so, except for some family cultivators.

No wonder the disciples in the sect were all dissatisfied.

"He still has the nerve to send you to me."

Li Pinghe slowly shook his head.

Chen Xu hurriedly said, "The old sect leader also instructed that if my senior uncle finds him useful, he should keep him; if not, he should discard him."

"Did he know I would definitely come down the mountain? Or was there something else going on?"

Li Pinghe spoke calmly, without any hint of sadness or joy.

Chen Xu gritted his teeth, feeling immense pressure under Li Pinghe's indifferent yet undeniably authoritative gaze, and finally revealed the secret he had been keeping hidden:

"Several years ago, the young sect leader had a fortuitous encounter, stumbling upon the cave dwelling of a previous generation cultivator and obtaining a 'precious pill.' After consuming it, he has already taken one foot into the Foundation Establishment stage, and in a few more years, he will be able to fully establish his Foundation!"

"The foundation of the Dao?"

Li Pinghe raised an eyebrow and immediately understood his junior brother's thoughts.

After a moment's hesitation, he gently shook his head under Chen Xu's expectant gaze:

"Isn't that reason enough? Any other?"