The Long Journey to Immortality

"Indeed, opportunities are not so easy to come by."

Outside the magic circle, four storage bags with sealing talismans were lying casually on the ice.

Although Feng Bailu studied many things that ordinary cultivators would consider unorthodox in order to improve his cultivation and strength, he was not proficient in the art of talismans.

"However, judging from the complexity of the talisman, it shouldn't be a very powerful seal."

Just as he was thinking this, the "rotten wood" at the center of the magic circle suddenly changed.

A silver figure flew out from the decaying wood and landed steadily on the edge of the magic array, standing in front of Feng Bailu.

The phantom that appeared in the magic array was dressed as a cultivator. Its face was about 60% similar to the statue in the first stone chamber, and it was only a few years older than Feng Bailu.

However, a cultivator's age cannot be determined by their appearance.

Within the Zhengyi Sect, there are many talented cultivators who are young and promising, achieving Foundation Establishment or even Golden Core at a young age. Even after reaching a hundred years old, they still maintain the appearance of someone in their twenties or thirties.

"Young man, what's your name?"

This time, although the phantom of "Xiaoyaozi" in the magic circle opened its mouth, the rest of the message still came from Feng Bailu's mind.

Feng Bailu bowed respectfully this time before replying, "Junior Feng Bailu."

Xiaoyaozi made no comment on Feng Bailu's name, but simply nodded slightly and continued, "Are you ready to accept the third test?"

Feng Bailu answered truthfully, "Not yet."

“Indeed,” Xiaoyaozi was not surprised by the answer. “When I asked the first two cultivators who came here, they gave the exact same answer as you.”

“But there’s no rush. I’ve been waiting here for so long, a little longer won’t make a difference,” Xiaoyaozi said to Feng Bailu. “If you have any doubts, any questions or comments, just say them.”

"Yes, senior, may I ask a question?"

Feng Bailu bowed again.

He did indeed have many questions lingering in his mind, which puzzled him.

"Hmm." Xiaoyaozi put his hands behind his back, and his phantom floated to the empty throne, where he sat cross-legged.

"What is the senior now...?"

The question was only half-asked, but Xiaoyaozi understood what Feng Bailu wanted to ask.

Xiaoyaozi explained, "A remnant soul, a wisp of a remnant soul that was sent into the Soul-Nourishing Wood."

"Responsible for finding a suitable successor to inherit the lineage, and assisting him as a guide and teacher."

When he said this, Xiaoyaozi spoke very quickly, clearly having practiced these words countless times during his nearly 100-year-long solitary wait.

This answer is similar to the one Feng Bailu guessed.

"Senior Xiaoyaozi, what is the third challenge?"

"You probably already guessed it."

"probably."

"Then tell me first." Xiaoyaozi's words revealed his expectation for Feng Bailu.

"I'm to use the Mysterious Female Pearl that's placed there," Feng Bailu pointed to the box in the center of the formation, "to perform the Mysterious Female Reincarnation and rebuild my foundation, right?"

Xiaoyaozi said with satisfaction, "As expected, it seems that the two trials I set up earlier have indeed brought me a third disciple with the potential for enlightenment."

"However, it seems that the Xuanpin Reincarnation Technique has considerable side effects." Feng Bailu looked at the two senior cultivators who died in their cave many years ago, but whose corpses were left behind due to the extreme cold.

Xiaoyaozi nodded. "That's right. The Xuanpin Reincarnation technique is so powerful that it not only requires the assistance of rare and precious materials like the Xuanpin Pearl to be used, but there is also a considerable probability of failure when it is used."

"However, if successful, one will at least possess a body with a top-grade water elemental root, opening up the path to cultivation. Within a thousand years, there is a great chance of ascending from the human realm to the spirit realm."

"Compared to this, what is a mere 30% failure rate?"

Xiaoyaozi's words laid out all the advantages and disadvantages of using the "Mysterious Female Reincarnation" secret technique to Feng Bailu.

Hearing these words from Xiaoyaozi confirmed his conjecture, which excited Feng Bailu, who was already interested in the matter.

He was presented with an opportunity to solve a major problem that had plagued him for twenty-five years, so how could he possibly miss it?

Seeing a glint in Feng Bailu's eyes, Xiaoyaozi knew that the "loser" before him had made his final decision.

"Have you thought it through? If you have, then let's get started," Xiaoyaozi's remnant soul slowly flew back to the Soul-Nourishing Wood and continued to transmit his voice, "Take out the Mysterious Female Pearl from the box. You should know what to do next."

"Oh, right," Xiaoyaozi added, "the Mysterious Female Pearl is a bit cold, so don't touch it with your hands."

Feng Bailu took a deep breath and stepped into the magic array.

Upon entering the magic array, Feng Bailu finally understood the actual function of this array, which seemed to be helping the Soul Nourishing Wood stabilize Xiaoyaozi's soul.

His teeth were chattering, and his legs were trembling from the cold. "If it weren't for this magic array, the stones that make up the cave would probably have cracked from the cold long ago."

In this environment, Feng Bailu, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, was not much different from an ordinary mortal, except that he was more resistant to the cold.

It is likely that only a few cultivators who are proficient in water-attribute techniques and know how to resist cold or possess cold-resistant magic treasures can live comfortably within this magic array.

Within seconds of entering the magic circle, a layer of white frost had already formed on Feng Bailu's eyebrows, and his already fair skin had turned snow-white.

With trembling legs, he struggled to sit on the Dharma seat.

The Dharma seat, which assists cultivators in gathering spiritual energy from all things in heaven and earth, could at this moment increase Feng Bailu's chances of survival in this "suicide."

Being within ten steps of the box containing the Mysterious Pearl was already unbearably cold for Feng Bailu. Coupled with Xiaoyaozi's previous warning, he naturally unleashed another burst of spiritual power, using his artifact control skills at this moment.

Feng Bailu easily opened the box containing the Mysterious Pearl, and the temperature inside the magic array dropped slightly.

Although her hands and feet were stiff from the cold, Feng Bailu still used her spiritual power to easily take the Xuanpin Pearl out of the box.

Looking at the deep blue bead, which was about the size of an adult's fist.

After comparing it to his own mouth, a thought flashed through Feng Bailu's mind.

"This thing is so big, how can it fit inside?"

The Mysterious Pearl slowly floated to Feng Bailu's front. In this extreme temperature, even using the simplest artifact control technique made him feel like he was about to be overdrawn.

Looking at the Xuanpin Pearl so close to him, Feng Bailu opened his mouth wide, about to put it in his mouth and formally unleash the Xuanpin Reincarnation technique, when Xiaoyaozi spoke again.

"By the way, once the Xuanpin Reincarnation is successful, your body will be transformed into a Xuanyin Body, and your gender will change from Yang to Yin."

Upon hearing this, Feng Bailu suddenly understood why the two cultivators on the Dharma thrones beside him were both women.

"What, do you have concerns?" Xiaoyaozi asked again.

Feng Bailu opened his mouth and answered in his heart, "Many Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators possess some strange secret techniques, some of which can transform a human cultivator's physical body into a demon beast or true spirit in a short period of time, thereby enhancing their power."

“For cultivators, race is not an issue, let alone gender.”

"Besides, compared to the endless benefits of being reborn as a Xuanpin, and to being able to advance further on the path of cultivation, what is the mere transformation of the body into a Xuanyin female body?"

Xiaoyaozi, whose remnant soul resides in the Soul-Nourishing Wood, has no way of knowing what Feng Bailu is thinking.

He only saw Feng Bailu's gaze become incredibly resolute as he decisively swallowed the Xuanpin Pearl.

Looking at Feng Bailu, who was sitting on the throne casting a spell, Xiaoyaozi thought to himself, "This is the last Xuanpin Pearl. If it fails again this time, all my plans will be in vain."

[Author's Note] The last few paragraphs are my opinion on the protagonists of cultivation and transformation novels. If they've already reached the Dao of cultivation, it's really too low to care about gender.

Human Han Daozu can transform into 14 different true spirits. He transforms into a gorilla all day long and fights with humans, and the humans don't even notice.

They don't care about becoming demons or beasts, so how could cultivators be bound by gender?

Two chapters, 6000 words each. Please vote for this book!

Chapter Seven: Destruction and Reconstruction

In the cultivation world, there is no such thing as Fahrenheit or Celsius.

After swallowing the Xuanpin Pearl, Feng Bailu felt a chill in his throat, and then his mouth was frozen so cold that he could no longer feel anything.

As the cultivation technique began to circulate, Feng Bailu did not spare even a fraction of his attention to examine the situation in his mouth. Instead, he tried his best to concentrate fully and circulate the "Mysterious Female Rebirth" technique in his mind under these extreme conditions, based on the feeling he had experienced during previous practice.

This time, with a genuine "Mysterious Pearl" in my mouth as an external aid, the flow of my cultivation technique was much smoother and more natural than when I practiced with frozen steamed buns in the second stone chamber.

The spiritual energy circulated within Feng Bailu's spiritual meridians, following the instructions in the cultivation manual, passing through various acupoints in sequence, and finally coming into contact with the Xuanpin Pearl in his mouth, which was radiating spiritual energy.

The moment the spiritual energy in his body came into contact with the Mysterious Female Pearl, Feng Bailu felt a spiritual energy a hundred times stronger than his own being forcibly poured into his body from the Mysterious Female Pearl.

The spiritual energy in his dantian, which was originally in a gaseous state, instantly condensed and turned into a liquid state after receiving external help.

Normally, if Feng Bailu saw this scene through his inner vision, he would definitely be extremely excited.

It is important to know that the transformation of spiritual energy in the Qi Sea from a gaseous state to a solid state is a symbol of advancing to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

Because of this, Feng Bailu has wasted sixteen years, from age 29 to 45, on this crucial hurdle.

However, upon learning that the spiritual energy within his Qi Sea had transformed into a liquid state, Feng Bailu felt no joy whatsoever.

Based on the cultivation method of "Mysterious Female Reincarnation", he already knew that this would happen when the secret technique was actually in operation.

In addition, he also knew that, because of this secret technique and the Mysterious Pearl in his mouth, even more things that seemed inconceivable to someone with only early Foundation Establishment cultivation would happen to him.

The outer layer of spiritual energy on the surface of the Mysterious Female Pearl was completely removed by the Mysterious Female Reincarnation technique. After merging into Feng Bailu's body, its size changed from a fist to the size of a peach pit.

Feng Bailu guided the spiritual energy of the Xuanpin Pearl through the 311 acupoints in his body with his own spiritual power, and then swallowed the shrunken Xuanpin Pearl with a gulp.

The first step of the "Mysterious Female Reincarnation" secret technique is to infuse the outermost spiritual energy of the Mysterious Female Pearl into the 311 acupoints in the caster's body, allowing the spiritual power within the caster's body to resonate and coexist harmoniously with the Mysterious Female Pearl, so that further physical transformation can be carried out later.

Seeing that the first step was going so smoothly, Xiaoyaozi's remnant soul showed a look of joy.

Comparing the phoenix-white road before him with the two "idiots" lying beside him, Xiaoyaozi couldn't help but praise repeatedly, "Not bad, not bad."

Xiaoyaozi's praise was certainly well-founded.

The "Mysterious Female Reincarnation" technique uses the method of breaking down and then establishing, and this first step is to prepare for the establishment after breaking down.

Only by doing this step well can the body, whose foundation has been destroyed by the cultivation method, be restored.

If not done well, this rebirth technique will become a suicide technique, and Feng Bailu will end up like those two cultivators, a corpse lying there.

The Mysterious Pearl, supported by the spiritual power within Feng Bailu's body, slowly descended from the esophagus into the stomach, finally settling there in a suspended state.

If Feng Bailu still had the energy to introspect at this moment, he would surely sigh involuntarily, "The calm before the storm."

Indeed, the Xuanpin Pearl, which had been recklessly radiating cold air and spewing forth spiritual power, seemed to have entered a dormant period.

Meanwhile, the spiritual power within Feng Bailu's body, which had been completely assimilated by the Xuanpin Pearl, also entered a slower pace, following the Xuanpin Pearl.

However, Feng Bailu, who had fully mastered the secret technique of "Mysterious Female Reincarnation," knew that the Mysterious Female Pearl was accumulating power and showing goodwill to the spiritual energy within Feng Bailu's body, so that Feng Bailu's body would lower its instinctive vigilance towards this foreign object and give the Mysterious Female Pearl enough opportunity to unleash its power later.