To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

Standing to the side, Lin Chen watched as Gu Fan casually accomplished what he had longed for, and his yearning for the path of immortality grew even stronger.

A moment later, another streak of light flew in from the horizon; it was Juezhen.

Once Juezhen landed in the valley, all the spiritual materials needed to set up the formation were gathered.

Gu Fan neatly gathered the papers he had written on and handed them to Lin Chen, saying calmly, "I will not go back on my promise to you. These papers contain some runes. I will be away for a few days. Study them carefully and try to understand as much as you can."

"But... before that, you should go get some sleep."

Gu Fan raised his finger and pointed to Lin Chen's dark circles, his expression carrying a hint of gentleness.

Lin Chen smiled gratefully, took the paper with both hands, and carefully put it away.

Gu Fan was still a little worried, so he summoned a gourd from his spirit beast pouch and earnestly instructed, "You stay here and watch over him. Don't let him get hurt."

As he spoke, he placed the palm-sized gourd on Lin Chen's shoulder.

Hulu rubbed his sleepy eyes, and after waking up, he looked Lin Chen over a few times before slowly nodding.

Lin Chen felt the weight on his shoulders and immediately stiffened, not daring to move.

Juezhen and Yun Shuwan had strange expressions, their eyes darting between Gu Fan, Lin Chen, and Hulu, showing both shock and curiosity.

They all realized that the gourd was actually a third-tier spirit beast.

The two were both shocked by Gu Fan's strength and curious that he would send out a third-tier spirit beast to protect a mortal.

"Could it be that this young man possesses extraordinary talent, and I overlooked something during my previous instruction?"

Yun Shuwan thought to herself, but then she realized it was impossible.

Lin Chen came from Duyou City, the headquarters of the Rebirth Sect. The people in the city all yearn for the path of immortality, so it is impossible for someone with outstanding spiritual roots to be overlooked.

Gu Fan noticed their confusion, smiled slightly, and explained softly, "He has served me very well these past few days. I had previously promised to grant him a chance at immortality, and I hope you will be accommodating."

These words were spoken to Yun Shuwan.

Upon hearing this, Yun Shuwan showed a knowing expression, assuming that Gu Fan was simply being kind-hearted, and nodded gently: "Fellow Daoist, please feel free to do as you please."

After saying this, Gu Fan gave Lin Chen a few more instructions, and then together with Juezhen and Yun Shuwan, they set off on their escape light towards Black Stone Mountain.

After Gu Fan left, Hulu jumped off Lin Chen's shoulder and floated in mid-air, its round eyes curiously looking at him.

Lin Chen felt uncomfortable under their gaze. He pulled a wild fruit from his pocket, a restrained smile on his face, and tentatively asked, "Would you... like to try this?"

Hulu's eyes lit up, and he grinned with satisfaction.

......

On the other side, Gu Fan and his two companions flew towards Black Stone Mountain on the light of their escape.

Gu Fan recalled Lin Chen's mention of the actions of the Chen Kingdom cultivators, and his gaze inadvertently drifted towards Jue Zhen.

Juezhen turned his head sharply and looked at him with a puzzled expression, "Is something on your mind, Benefactor Gu?"

Gu Fan hesitated for a moment, worried about implicating the mortals in the valley, and said vaguely, "I have heard that the cultivators of Chen Kingdom are most skilled at manipulating cause and effect and stirring up emotions. It is clear that Master is kind and benevolent, which does not match what I have heard. Therefore, I feel that the rumors may not be true."

Juezhen seemed to be thinking, and slowly shook his head: "What Benefactor Gu said is correct, but not entirely correct. At least not all the cultivators of Chen Kingdom are like that."

"Oh?" A hint of curiosity flashed in Gu Fan's eyes. "Please enlighten me, Master."

Juezhen lowered his head and pondered for a moment before slowly speaking: "In terms of influencing cause and effect and stirring up emotions, among the three sects of Chen Kingdom, Tianji Pavilion is the most skilled, followed by Longya Academy. My Jianglong Temple has never been involved in this matter."

The author, a dreamy fat goose, personally recommends: I hope you enjoy the story of "Understanding All Laws and Achieving Immortality".

"Although the three sects of Chen State all belong to the lineage of the [Wanyuan Fazu], their methods and true meanings are different. For example, the method of my Jianglong Temple uses incense to temper the golden body. The more devout the believer, the purer the incense offered. Therefore, the monks in the temple will never harm the believers, but will take good care of them instead."

"Some of the secret techniques of Longya Academy require the absorption of literary talent, hence the strong academic atmosphere under its jurisdiction. However, once a person's literary talent is taken away, they may go from being a brilliant writer to someone who has run out of ideas, which has a huge impact. But even without literary talent, as long as one has a superior mind, one can still protect the country and ensure its safety, at least it will not endanger one's life."

"Among the three sects, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion has the most diverse cultivation methods and gathers the most types of Qi. What you have heard about is mostly the work of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion cultivators."

As it concerned the reputation of their sects, Juezhen explained in great detail, and then added: "In fact, the cultivators of the three sects are acting out of necessity. Nowadays, spiritual energy is declining, spiritual lands are hard to find, and the ancestral qi of the Xuanpin required for core formation is almost extinct in Chen Kingdom. The main reason why the cultivators of the three sects use secret methods to gather qi is to replace the ancestral qi of the Xuanpin."

After speaking, Juezhen looked at Yun Shuwan, his tone tinged with emotion: "If the Wanyuan lineage had secret methods like the Rebirth Sect, there would be no need to act this way. Cultivators are inherently transcendent, so who would want to struggle bitterly in the mortal world?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan nodded noncommittally.

Whether it's using secret methods to absorb qi in place of the primordial qi of the Xuanpin (mysterious female) or simply practicing secret techniques, the actions of the Chen Kingdom cultivators are undeniable facts. He chose to reserve his opinion on Juezhen's expressed helplessness, but he was quite surprised that the primordial qi of the Xuanpin could be replaced.

He turned to look at Yun Shuwan and asked, "Just now, the master said that the Rebirth Sect has a secret technique. Could it be that it can form a core without needing the ancestral energy of the Xuanpin?"

Yun Shuwan raised her head slightly and smiled faintly, "Master Juezhen is right. This technique is unique to my Samsara lineage."

"When a cultivator forms his core, he must harmonize Yin and Yang and gather the dragon and tiger. However, the process of forming the core is too short. He must use the ancestral energy of the Mysterious Female to harmonize it, otherwise the core will be destroyed and the cultivator will die."

"My Samsara lineage has taken a different approach, using the technique of feigning death to form the Golden Core. By simply burying the cultivator in a coffin and putting the body into a state of feigned death, the process of forming the Golden Core can be slowed down, allowing the Golden Core to be slowly refined over a long period of time."

"However, this technique also has limitations: firstly, it must not be disturbed during the process; secondly, lifespan will still be consumed normally during the state of feigned death. Each feigned death lasts for at least ten years, and for several decades or even a hundred years. Some cultivators have not been able to successfully form their core even when their lifespan has run out."

Gu Fan's eyes were truly opened; he had never imagined that the Reincarnation Lineage possessed such a secret technique. He then curiously inquired, "I wonder how many years it took you to form your Core?"

Yun Shuwan raised the corners of her lips slightly, with a hint of composure: "My aptitude is quite good, and it took me six years to successfully form my core."

Gu Fan raised an eyebrow, his mind suddenly clearing.

No wonder Yun Shuwan, despite not being a top-tier cultivator, held such a prominent position in the Rebirth Sect; she was indeed a person of extraordinary talent.

As they talked, Black Stone Mountain came into view in the distance.

The three stopped outside the black mist, and then each took out the spiritual materials for setting up the array: there were colorful spirit irons, piles of spirit stones, and even more jade plates that shimmered with spiritual light.

"Fellow Daoist, do you need my assistance?" Yun Shuwan asked softly.

"Fellow Daoists, please observe from the sidelines."

Gu Fan responded softly, and with a wave of his sleeve, all the spiritual materials flew up and floated in the air, forming a ring around him.

A ball of spiritual fire swirled around his fingertips as he used them as a brush to swiftly carve array patterns onto the jade plate.

Juezhen and Yun Shuwan, being Golden Core cultivators, were not entirely ignorant of the Dao of Battle, but they still couldn't hide their shock at Gu Fan's relaxed and carefree expression.

But then they thought again, if Gu Fan didn't have such a high level of array formation skills, they wouldn't have bothered to come and ask for his help.