Duosheng Danyuan

"Sect Leader?" Mu Yun wiped her eyes in disbelief and tentatively asked the nineteen-year-old boy in front of her.

"Oh, it's Mu Yun! Long time no see!" The boy, addressed by his title, looked in the direction of the voice and greeted Mu Yun with a hearty laugh.

"You...you've successfully completed your seclusion!?" Mu Yun's lips trembled violently in disbelief. After a long while, she finally stammered as she asked.

"Success? That depends on how you look at it. Anyway, in terms of the outcome, I'd say I'm at the Immortal Transcending stage now, right?" The young man smiled at Mu Yun, his eyes narrowed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the skeleton lying on the ground beside Jian Shan. Looking at the bones of his former disciple, the young man pursed his lips, casually summoned a pot of spring water, and in a moment, the bones on the ground turned into ashes, slowly flowing upwards into the pot of spring water in the young man's hand.

"Shi'an was a spirit rooted in the Heavenly Water. After his death, his ashes were buried in the spring water of his hometown, which can be considered a peaceful burial... Well, should I say a peaceful burial in the water?" The boy pondered to himself, momentarily lost in thought. And the water jug ​​floating in his hand slowly drifted into the air during this brief moment of distress.

"Sect Leader, aren't you angry?" With a twitching mouth, Chishong carefully put the Immortal Sword · Baiyun, which he had casually tossed on the ground, back into his sleeve and asked curiously.

"Angry? Ah... angry? What does it feel like to be angry?" The boy murmured, looking up as he watched the kettle containing Shih-an's ashes gradually disappear from his sight.

Seeing their once-serious sect leader's current expression, everyone had the same thought: "Sect Leader... has he already gotten high?"

"Is this the Immortal Transcending Stage? Sigh..." In the center of the crowd, Elder Yue Hu's expression was solemn, and his eyes were filled with resentment and envy.

Even though both have a lifespan of four thousand years, there is a fundamental difference between Mahayana and Immortal cultivation. Moreover, the gap between them is like an insurmountable chasm.

The four thousand years of lifespan during the Mahayana stage is merely a theoretical lifespan. Just as the lifespan of ordinary people is generally considered to be one hundred years, the lifespan of those in the Mahayana stage is generally believed to be four thousand years.

However, just as few mortals live to be a hundred years old, few immortals at the Mahayana stage can live for four thousand years. Even if they do, most are useless beings, like candles flickering in the wind, living a life worse than death.

In the cruel world of cultivation, although there are no instructions, cultivators who survive here are forced to understand one truth: compared to slow and invisible aging, instantaneous and senseless violence is more likely to take a cultivator's life.

In addition, diseases, illnesses, injuries, pain, damage, disability, decline, and poisons endlessly wear down people. In reality, the so-called lifespan that everyone currently lives is just a concept.

However, the Transcendent Immortal stage is completely different. Immortal Venerables who have achieved the Transcendent Immortal stage have transcended the concept of lifespan. Instead, their lifespan has entered a completely new concept—lifespan.

The words "lifespan" and "lifespan" differ by only one character, but they represent two completely opposite meanings.

Before reaching the Immortal Realm, cultivators are merely cultivators. Faced with the vast and elusive Heavenly Dao, all they can do is endure. But once a cultivator reaches the Immortal Realm, they are no longer just a cultivator. Faced with the unpredictable Heavenly Dao, powerful beings at the Immortal Realm can, to a certain extent, interact with it, cooperate with it, and even be equal to it.

This equality allows powerful beings at the Immortal Transcending stage to receive, impartially and unrestrictedly from the Heavenly Dao, their rightful lifespan—a lifespan of four thousand years.

However, as a price, cultivators at the Immortal Transcending stage also lose all means to prolong their lives. Their physical bodies are integrated with the Heavenly Dao, and they will die on the day they turn four thousand years old.

Furthermore, for cultivators at this level, all the treasures they once cherished are nothing but castles in the air, useless except for playing with. Therefore, cultivators fortunate enough to reach the Immortal Transcending stage will spend the rest of their lives doing only one thing—exploring the Dao of Heaven.

The Way of Heaven is like an elephant. Some people touch its leg, mistake it for a pillar, and then die with resentment. Others touch its leg, and even if they can't tell whether it's an elephant's leg or not, they can recognize that it is a leg. Thus, they successfully ascend to heaven.

Now, the third-generation head of the Shengdan Academy, aged 3,500, has successfully reached the Immortal Transcending stage. While the elders are filled with boundless longing for the future of the Shengdan Academy, deep down, they also feel a sense of resentment. He was the oldest, yet now, he is also the youngest among them.

The allure of youth is something you only truly understand when you get old...

"Is this the peerless genius who possesses the pure spiritual root of heaven and earth?"

"Yes... Sect Leader, Su Wanqing does indeed possess a dual spiritual root of Heaven and Earth, but we are not yet confident in making a decision regarding the character 'Qing'..." Mu Yun said with some difficulty.

"It is indeed a pure spiritual root; Jian Chen is not making this up." With a gentle flick of his right index finger, a somewhat worn-looking ancient book was slowly opened inside the chest of the gilded blue robe.

"Sect Leader, after you came out of seclusion, did you go to the Ancient Pill Scripture Pavilion?" Yue Hu asked.

"Um."

"I see..."

"..." Silence for a moment.

"Congratulations, Sect Leader, on advancing to the Immortal Realm." After a long while, Yue Hu finally spoke.

"...Congratulations to the Sect Leader on advancing to the Immortal Realm!" After a brief moment of astonishment, everyone in the Old Profound Hall began to respond enthusiastically, as if it were a matter of course to cheer and applaud.

"Oh dear, no, it's just that the luck has come." The sect leader shook his head with a smile, his gaze finally landing on Su Wanqing, who was being protected by Jian Feng. "Golden Light Spell? No, it's a White Light Barrier, isn't it? It's truly remarkable, Jian Feng. After all these years, you've cultivated your protective arts to such a high level. Isolating Su Wanqing's five senses in front of so many old fogies is no easy feat."

"You flatter me, Sect Leader." Upon hearing the Sect Leader mention him, Jian Shan quickly bowed respectfully, performing a standard salute.

"No flattery, no flattery, you are indeed quite good... Ah, Huai Zhen truly has the heart of a child. All these years, have you never thought of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage?"

"I am dull-witted and dare not even think about it." Facing the sect leader, Huai Zhen's reaction was much calmer, but like Jian Shan, he was extremely respectful in his manners.

"Wow... Qingfeng and Qingyue, you two are quite disciplined and have grown into capable immortals who can stand on their own."

"Thank you for the praise, Sect Leader. We still need to continue to work hard." In unison, Qingfeng and Qingyue bowed to the Sect Leader.

"Haha, you two are still so compatible. Jianshan, Jianshan... how are you?"

"...Heh." Ever since the sect leader appeared, Jian Shan had been staring straight at him. Now that the sect leader had called him out on the last occasion, Jian Shan just gave a cold snort and made no response.

"...Take the Gu worms back, they're really unsightly." The sect leader pursed his lips, pinched his nose, and said with disdain.

Although he didn't verbally acknowledge the sect leader, Jian Shan still released the spiritual power that had been activating the Gu worms and recast the Immortal Technique: Illusionary Pill Exquisite. A short while later, Elder Jian Shan, familiar to everyone, reappeared before them.

"Alright, the reminiscing is over. There's only one thing left to do." After the sect leader finished speaking, he gently raised his right index finger, and the white light barrier surrounding Su Wanqing behind Jianfeng shattered with a crash.

In the blink of an eye, the sect leader appeared in front of Su Wanqing from the entrance of the old Xuan Hall.

"You must be Su Wanqing? What an adorable child." Looking at the innocent and naive girl in front of him, the sect leader's gentleness was almost nauseating.

"...Yes, yes!" Su Wanqing said, pouting and puffing out her chest as she stood up straight.

"Haha, don't be so reserved. I am the current head of the Shengdan Academy." With that, the head of the academy patted Su Wanqing's head.

"Greetings, Sect Leader." With her head held straight and her body tense, Su Wanqing greeted the Sect Leader.

"I told you, don't be so reserved. It's alright, you've just arrived at the Life Pill Academy, it's normal for a child your age to be shy. So, what do you think about all these elders vying to have you as their disciple?"

"..."

"You won't say anything then? How about becoming my disciple?"

"..."

"Sect Leader, in this matter, I'm afraid we should respect Su Wanqing's own wishes." Jian Shan's voice came again from behind the Sect Leader.

This time, not only the elders who accompanied Jianshan, but also the three Supreme Elders Yuehu, Chisong, and Muyun frowned and their pupils trembled violently.

Is he not afraid of death? Or has he already decided to die?

The same question lingers in everyone's mind.

"Heh... Respect? Of course I respect it. The sect leader is never just the sect leader's direct disciple. It's not uncommon for the direct disciples of elders in various sects to become the sect leader after they have distinguished themselves. Therefore, I admit that every elder present is qualified to take Su Wanqing as their disciple. Alright, let's get to the point and compete fairly. As for you... are you also interested?"

As the sect leader finished speaking, his gaze swept over the elders, his nonchalant tone revealing his true feelings.

"I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave now," Jianfeng said first.

"I should go to class now," Qingfeng said.

"It seems like two new children have arrived at Mingling Residence. I'll go take a look," Qingyue said.

"I'm sleepy." Jian Chen was the most relaxed and seemed to be telling the truth. He yawned and said lazily.

"..." Of the five elders, only Huai Zhen remained silent, simply watching the sect leader who had already attained immortality.

"Alright, then you can go ahead and get busy. I won't keep you for dinner." With a wave of his hand, the sect leader removed the barrier he had set up at the gate of the Old Xuan Hall and smiled.

In an instant, the wind, the breeze, and the moon all vanished without a trace.

Seeing that Chen was clearly a step behind, and seeing that everyone around him had left, he also quickly left the scene using the Qi Step.

—Let's go back to the present—

"..."

After listening to Elder Qingyue's description of everything that happened in the Old Xuan Hall, Zeng Yixi and I remained silent, each lost in our own thoughts.

"That's roughly how it happened. I don't know the details after that. Don't look at me like that. I'm also very curious about whose true disciple Su Wanqing ultimately chose to become. I'm planning to ask Elder Huaizhen about this when I get back to Wuyin Pavilion tonight."

"...Will Su Wanqing return to Jingxi Lodge tonight?" I asked after a long silence.

"It's hard to say. If she chooses Jian Shan or... uh... Huai Zhen as her master, she'll probably come back today. After all, Jingxi Lodge and Wuyin Pavilion, where our elders reside, aren't far apart, and they can see each other regularly. But if she chooses one of those three Supreme Elders or the Sect Leader, she'll probably live in the Old Xuan Hall where the Supreme Elders are in seclusion or the Zheng Xuan Hall where the Sect Leader handles sect affairs."

"I see..." I said, trying to keep my face expressionless as the cold night wind blew in.

"Who will she choose?" Zeng Yixi murmured.

"I'm even more curious about this than you are," Elder Qingyue said with a playful smile, resting her chin on her right hand. "Our sect leader has already reached the Immortal Realm, and he can roam freely throughout the Immortal World. If our sect leader wants to compete, Su Wanqing can only ever be his disciple."

However, similarly, if he truly wanted to take Su Wanqing as his disciple, he wouldn't give anyone else a chance. Therefore, I think the sect leader's mindset has been elevated along with his advancement in cultivation level; now, he truly doesn't care whether Su Wanqing is his disciple or not.

Elder Yuehu was clearly the one who most wanted to take Su Wanqing as his disciple. Although he had taught countless disciples throughout his life, he had never accepted a true disciple. Now that Su Wanqing, a sapling destined to grow into a towering tree, was placed before him, he would not let her go no matter what.

As for the two Supreme Elders, Chisong and Muyun... well, they're probably just there for show. Muyun is skilled in mechanisms, while Chisong is a swordsman. As masters, they are both highly specialized but lack broad knowledge. Even if they accept Su Wanqing as a disciple, they won't be able to gain the respect of the masses. At least, I don't believe the sect leader can confidently entrust the Heavenly Pure Spirit Root to them.

Therefore, in my opinion, Master Su Wanqing's priority should be the Sect Leader > Teacher Yue Hu > Jian Shan. Hmm... Jian Shan, after all, has served as the Transmission Elder for hundreds of years, and is the elder directly responsible for your Qi Refining Class One. Being in a position of close proximity, I think Su Wanqing will choose him.

"Where is Huaizhen?" Zeng Yixi asked again.

"Huai Zhen? Ah, yes, Huai Zhen... Haha... Hey, we're here."

Before we knew it, we had finally returned to the Tranquil Abode.

Elder Qingyue waved and smiled as she dropped us off at the entrance of the Tranquil Abode, saying, "See you next time. Get some rest."

"Okay, goodbye Elder Qingyue." Zeng Yixi and I waved in unison, watching Elder Qingyue leave.

Standing before the lintel inscribed with the three large characters "Jingxi Lu" (Quiet Rest Abode), Zeng Yixi and I exchanged a glance and walked together toward our thatched hut.