Qiu Zu: From an apprentice in a medicine shop to an immortal ancestor.

Chapter 198 Immortal and Martial Arts Are Different

“The Myriad Immortals Assembly will begin in three days.”

Qiu Zhen's mind returned, holding the [Miro Palace] jade token, his consciousness sinking into it.

Sure enough, Yu Chanzi had notified him a month ago, asking if he wanted to participate in the “Myriad Immortals Assembly,” sending several divine sense transmissions.

However, he was immersed in cultivation and did not pay attention at all.

“Fellow Daoist Yu Chanzi, I have just emerged from seclusion. I wonder if the invitation period for the [Myriad Immortals Assembly] has passed? Is there a way to remedy this?”

Divine sense transmission sank into the [Miro Palace], and after a short while, a resentful voice came faintly from the jade talisman.

“Senior Brother Qingwei, you have finally replied.”

“If it were someone else, they would have certainly missed it. With only three days left, the assembly is about to begin, and the alliance will no longer issue invitations. However, you are one of our own from the Myriad Immortals Alliance, with a clear understanding of your background. I will vouch for you, and a special invitation to join the assembly will not be a problem.”

“That would be great.”

Qiu Zhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Only now did he remember that he was a member of the Scattered Immortals Hall of Changle Prefecture, directly under “Yu Chanzi,” and could be considered half a member of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

“Daoist Qingwei, I wonder if Heart Ancestor is willing to attend the assembly, preach, and expound the Dharma? If he is willing to go, just let us know, and an invitation will not even be needed.”

“I have inquired, but my master is enthusiastic about secluded cultivation and has little interest in external affairs.”

“As expected.”

Yu Chanzi was not surprised:

“In that case, Senior Brother Qingwei, tomorrow we will meet with Immortal Yun Rou and the monk.”

“Okay!”

Qiu Zhen conveniently put away the [Miro Palace] jade talisman, didn't think much about it, and left the valley directly.

After half a year, he left the valley for the first time.

As soon as he returned to the Qiu residence, it immediately alarmed the entire Qiu family.

Inside and outside the valley, although it was only a mountain apart, it seemed like they were separated by thousands of mountains and rivers.

Clearly, he was right at the doorstep, but his appearance caused his elder brother, Qiu Qing, to exclaim, and then he ran around to inform his parents, Qiu's father and Qiu's mother.

The scene was as if he were a traveler returning home.

This is the “gap” between a monk and a mortal.

Currently, Qiu Zhen is only at the “Refining Qi Transformation” level. Any random seclusion would last for a year and a half.

When he becomes a Nascent Soul old monster in the future, breaking through realms will often involve several years of seclusion.

Even seclusion for ten or eight years is common.

Cultivators have long lifespans, and ten or eight years pass by in a flash, but for mortals, how many decades do they have?

The difference between immortals and mortals is nothing more than this.

Qiu Zhen knew in his heart that time was merciless, and the days he spent with his family would become fewer and fewer, so he cherished them even more.

That day at noon, the Qiu family set up an extremely sumptuous banquet, and the family reunited.

During the banquet, Qiu Zhen thought of something and casually looked at his elder brother and Liang Yin.

Perhaps because of the [Bone Tempering Pill], as well as precious medicinal pills and fierce beast meat, his elder brother Qiu Qing's martial arts progress was gratifying. He is now a Second Level Martial Master, with thick Qi and blood, and is probably not far from becoming a Third Level Martial Master.

However, on the contrary, his sister-in-law Liang Yin's martial arts progress was obviously not right.

She was originally a Third Level Martial Master. Half a year has passed, and although she has broken through to become a Fourth Level Martial Master, her Qi and blood are not strong, but rather have a tendency to weaken, which is very abnormal.

Qiu Zhen was puzzled in his heart, and glanced over with his insightful eyes. He pinched his fingers and calculated, and a divine announcement came to his ears.

“Great joy! Great joy!”

Immediately, a look of joy appeared on Qiu Zhen's face:

“Father, mother, elder brother, congratulations, congratulations!”

Qiu's father, Qiu's mother, and Qiu Qing were all stunned upon hearing this:

“Xiao Zhen, where does the joy come from?”

“Sister-in-law is pregnant.”

“Ah!”

Qiu's father, Qiu's mother, and Qiu Qing were all stunned, and then overjoyed, all looking at Liang Yin:

“Is she really pregnant?”

“I'm afraid so.”

Liang Yin smiled shyly:

“I wasn't sure, and I was afraid of getting my hopes up, so I didn't say anything. Now that Erlang has said it, then it probably is.”

“Hahahaha!”

His elder brother Qiu Qing laughed loudly, jumping three feet high, like a child, and immediately wanted to pick up Liang Yin to celebrate, causing Liang Yin to scold him repeatedly.

Qiu's father even rewarded the clumsy Qiu Qing with a flick on the forehead.

“If you make Yin'er stumble, I'll beat you to death.”

“Hehehe!”

For a time, the room was filled with laughter.

Qiu Zhen's emergence from seclusion not only caused a sensation in the Qiu family, but also the Qiu clan leader and a group of elders came upon hearing the news, making it very lively.

Speaking of which, Qiu Family Village has truly gotten on the right track in the past two years.

In addition to Qiu Qing, two more Qiu family youths have become Acquired Martial Masters, with extremely strong momentum.

The originally conservative clansmen of each family have become more and more radical, tightening their belts to cultivate their children in martial arts, and the martial spirit of the entire village has risen unprecedentedly.

This made Qiu Zhen quite gratified, and he personally instructed them.

Until evening.

Qiu Zhen then moved to the An residence in Qingmu City to pay his respects to his master and mistress and ask for advice on cultivation matters.

Tong Yuncong, Yu Lanyin, and An Huayu came happily upon hearing that their junior brother Qiu Zhen had emerged from seclusion.

After dinner, everyone gathered in the courtyard.

They talked about cultivation and life, and had a very pleasant conversation.

During the banquet, Tong Yuncong repeatedly looked at Qiu Zhen, very surprised:

“Junior brother, your Innate True Astral is complete?”

Qiu Zhen nodded, acknowledging his second senior brother's guess.

He possessed the Nascent Soul Dharma Body, commanding himself and controlling it at will. At this moment, he was showing himself as an Innate True Astral Realm cultivator, and there was no concealment.

“This…”

Second Senior Brother Tong Yuncong was stunned.

He encountered a small bottleneck, and his cultivation progress was slow, with a considerable distance from the late “Innate True Astral Realm.”

He didn't expect that his junior brother would complete his cultivation one step ahead of him.

“Second senior brother, I won. I said you would let junior brother catch up in less than two years. I was right. It hasn't even been two years, and you've been left far behind in just one year.”

An Huayu was lighthearted, laughing and looking at his second senior brother with a teasing expression.

Tong Yuncong smiled bitterly, very helpless.

“Yuncong, don't think too much.”

The usually strict An Jishi looked calm, not at all surprised by Qiu Zhen's rapid progress in cultivation:

“Your junior brother possesses great luck and cannot be measured by common sense. You should walk your own path and not compare yourself to your junior brother.”

Tong Yuncong nodded slightly: “Master, I understand.”

“Very good.”

An Jishi nodded slightly, then looked at his little disciple with a gentle expression, his gaze becoming more and more gentle:

“Xiao Zhen, your nature is stable, and you have steadily cultivated in seclusion for half a year. Now your skill is thick and without any sense of floating. You are completely different from half a year ago.”

Qiu Zhen smiled.

In fact, he had raised his cultivation to the Great Perfection of “Refining Qi Transformation” in one breath, and his cultivation was still somewhat floating, but at this moment he suppressed his cultivation, which gave people the illusion of being thick and solid.

“It's still because you, Master, taught me well. Now I am not only at the Perfection of the Innate True Astral Realm, but also faintly sensing the inner scene spiritual light.”

“Inner scene spiritual light?”

An Jishi became interested:

“How many kinds have you sensed?”

Qiu Zhen pondered for a while and took a conservative number:

“About ten or so!”

“What!”

The always silent Shimu Nan Zhiyi couldn't sit still any longer:

"I've cultivated bitterly for over ten years, and I only have five or six types of Inner Scenery."

"Hahahaha ~"

An Jishi laughed loudly:

"Xiao Zhen, you haven't even officially entered the Inner Scenery realm, yet your body is already filled with myriad phenomena. You are indeed a good seedling for cultivating [Multiple Inner Scenery]."

Qiu Zhen had come to his master to ask about cultivation matters. Hearing this, he asked:

"Master, how does one cultivate [Single Inner Scenery]? How does one cultivate [Multiple Inner Scenery]? What are the differences?"

"The two are vastly different."

An Jishi smiled:

"You have read widely, so you must have some understanding. However, what the outside world says is often erroneous. They don't know what the true [Multiple Inner Scenery] is."

Qiu Zhen became interested:

"Please enlighten me, Master!"

"People think that [Single Inner Scenery] only cultivates one type of Inner Scenery, and that cultivating several types of Inner Scenery is [Multiple Inner Scenery]. But that's not the case. Take the famous [Sun and Moon in the Sky], for example. It's composed of the two gods of the left and right kidneys, which are two types of Inner Scenery. People call it [Multiple Inner Scenery], but in essence, it's still [Single Inner Scenery]."

"What [Golden Lotus Blooming in Fire], [Dead Wood Meeting Spring], [Five Elements Returning to One] are all [Single Inner Scenery]."

An Jishi spoke eloquently:

"All Inner Scenery derived from the independent evolution of [Gods Within the Body] are actually [Single Inner Scenery]. The true [Multiple Inner Scenery] is to fuse one's own divine sense with the various gods within the body, to govern the gods within the body, and to evolve an Inner Scenery that belongs solely to oneself. It could be a sword, a Dharma seal treasure bottle, a golden body of a Buddha Bodhisattva, or a true form of a divine beast. There are endless possibilities. The more gods within the body are fused, the stronger the Inner Scenery becomes."

"The ancient saints all attained Dao in this way!"

So that's how it is!

Qiu Zhen was greatly enlightened. Soon, he made inferences and asked:

"Master, this has the same miraculous effect as the Primordial Spirit Dao. The Primordial Spirit is the monarch, also governing the various gods within the body."

"You are indeed intelligent, understanding at a single point."

An Jishi secretly praised "This child is teachable," but shook his head on his face:

"It's just that Immortal and Martial are different."

"Cultivators of the Dao condense Inner Scenery in order to awaken the Primordial Spirit and promote the Primordial Spirit to ascend the throne and become emperor. Therefore, the strong who 'Refine Qi into Spirit' are called Primordial Spirit Old Monsters. But martial artists are the opposite. Condensing their own Inner Scenery is to divide and occupy a territory, calling themselves kings."

Qiu Zhen was shocked. It was indeed as he expected.

The [Refining Qi into Spirit] realm became a watershed.

From then on, Immortal and Martial further parted ways.

Martial Dao uses Yin to suppress Yang, cultivating the physical body and divine soul. It is a barbarically growing "warlord," with boundless momentum for a time, unstoppable. But without a foundation, it doesn't last long.

Immortal Dao uses Yang to control Yin, cultivating the Primordial Spirit, taking the divine soul as the key, cultivating a body of pure Yang, achieving immortality.

"Master, Martial Dao originated from Immortal Dao. Could it be that Immortal and Martial have completely parted ways from here on out?"

"That's right!"

An Jishi spoke eloquently:

"When cultivators of the Dao cultivate to the [Inner Scenery Realm], the focus of the method lies in the two words 'Refining Spirit'."

"Master..."

The two asked and answered, both eloquent and eloquent.

For a time, only the voices of the two were in the main room.

Nan Zhiyi, Tong Yuncong, Yu Lanyin, and An Huayu left one after another.

"Senior Brother Tong, Senior Sister Yu, the city is very lively tonight. Would you like to go for a stroll together?"

"No, I'm going to cultivate."

Without saying a word, Tong Yuncong held his treasured saber and walked towards his courtyard.

He was not a jealous person, but he had extremely high demands on himself. The breakthrough of his junior brother greatly stimulated him.

"I'm going to cultivate too."

Yu Lanyin also left quickly.

She and her junior brother broke through to the Innate Realm together, but he had been far ahead, while she was stagnating in place. Anxiousness filled her heart, how dare she have fun.

Seeing his senior brothers and sisters leave in a hurry, An Huayu was immediately dumbfounded.

Immediately, he thought of something and looked at his old mother:

"Mom, are you going?"

Nan Zhiyi: "Mom is also going to cultivate."

An Huayu: "(°ー°〃)"

— —

As the lanterns lit up, thousands of homes in Qingmu City were filled with fireworks, lively and extraordinary.

A golden radiance rose from the Demon Suppression Division of the Changle Prefecture, piercing the night sky.

I don't know how long it took.

The golden light flew into the deep mountains, coming to a remote and uninhabited place.

"Shoo!"

The golden light landed, and Wei Tanzhi revealed his figure. His tiger eyes swept around, and he cupped his hands:

"I am ordered to arrive at the agreed place. Please, senior, show yourself!"

The dense forest in the mountains was silent.

Wei Tanzhi frowned slightly, intending to call out a second time.

Just then, an old voice came from the forest.

"You're still honest, not followed by a group of martial arts grandmasters behind you."

As soon as the voice fell, a black light flashed in the dense forest.

Immediately, an old man in a yellow Bagua Taoist robe revealed his figure, quietly looking at Wei Tanzhi:

"You are the commander of the Demon Suppression Division of Changle Prefecture? Can you make decisions for the imperial court? Why didn't Xu Guangmou come in person."

"General Xu feared that Senior Danyuanzi would misunderstand, so he specially ordered me to represent the imperial court to handle this matter fully."

Seeing that Danyuanzi was suspicious, Wei Tanzhi explained:

"This junior is a direct descendant of the Wei family in the capital."

"So you're a junior from the Wei family in the capital."

Danyuanzi's expression eased slightly:

"Has the memorial been presented?"

"That's natural!"

Wei Tanzhi nodded slightly. After pondering for a moment, his expression became solemn:

"Senior Danyuanzi, is what you said true?"

"Hmph!"

Danyuanzi sneered:

"This old man is not afraid of the imperial court, nor is he afraid of being besieged by fellow practitioners in the cultivation world. The world is vast, and with this old Taoist's supernatural powers, if I intend to hide, no one can catch me!"

"Senior is right. This junior has seen your abilities in the past six months, and I am helpless."

Wei Tanzhi quickly flattered and said:

"Senior Danyuanzi, the official said that as long as you are willing to refine pills, the imperial court will give you whatever you want!"

"The official is straightforward."

Danyuanzi nodded in satisfaction.

With his supernatural powers, he was really not afraid of the outside world causing him trouble. No matter what, he had a way to protect himself.

Of course, it was easy to save his life, but running around was not conducive to refining immortal pills.

Especially the immortal pills in the Dragon Lord Pill Book, which required too much, and he alone could not collect them.

Without a place to settle down, without a continuous supply of natural treasures, he would be useless even if he obtained the [Dragon Lord Pill Book].

This was the real reason why he chose to cooperate with the tiger after thinking again and again.

Of course, Danyuanzi did not easily agree. After pondering for a moment, he said:

"It's not impossible for this old Taoist to help the imperial court refine pills, it depends on whether the imperial court has sincerity!"

"Sincerity is natural."

Wei Tanzhi was overjoyed and cupped his hands:

"I don't know what your needs are, Senior Danyuanzi, please feel free to say so!"

The immortal vine spirit root that he had cultivated for many years could not help but appear in Danyuanzi's mind, and he gritted his teeth and said word by word:

"I have no other needs. This old Taoist wants to destroy the Myriad Immortals Alliance. I don't know if the imperial court has this ability."