Chapter 72

Hearing the old man in black say this, Lishui couldn't help but frown and said, "Hmm? Please forgive my rudeness, but I really can't remember ever meeting you!"

"I have seen you, but you haven't seen me! If everyone could see me like that brat, wouldn't they all be monsters?" The old man in black looked around the room, his words making no sense, leaving Lishui utterly confused.

"Has the guy in the room not told you about meeting me?" the old man in black asked.

"No!" Lishui shook his head.

"Hmm? He still has some sense!" the old man in black said, "Otherwise, I would have to give him a few slaps on the bottom."

"Uh?" Lishui smiled bitterly.

"Waste of talent! Waste of talent!" The old man in black muttered, then looked Lishui up and down, his eyes changing, "If you are a waste of talent, then there is no one in the entire Beihan Sect who isn't a waste of talent."

The old man in black looked at Lishui with a teasing expression and then glanced around the room, adding, "Except for that little devil!"

"Senior, cultivators take their immortal roots as the foundation. I don't even have an immortal root, how can I dare to say such things?" Although Lishui said this, his heart was already far from calm.

"Heh heh! You say you don't have an immortal root, truly the biggest joke in the world!" The old man in black snorted, "I didn't expect the Beihan Sect to have declined so much that there isn't even a person with discerning eyes!"

"Hmm?" Lishui's heart tightened at these words, his voice trembling, "I have... an immortal root! What do you mean, Senior? I hope you will enlighten me!"

"Don't get excited! I'll ask you, how many grades are there for immortal roots, and how long does it usually take to cultivate one? Which one is the best?" The old man in black smiled and looked at Lishui.

"There are nine grades of immortal roots! It usually takes two to three years to cultivate one! The ninth grade is the best!" These basic cultivation knowledge were naturally not difficult for Lishui, who often read the Beihan classics.

"Hmm!" The old man in black nodded, "What you said is correct! However, do you know that there are at least three immortal roots in the world that are not included in these grades!"

"What? Three immortal roots? Not included in these grades?" These were things Lishui had never heard of. Hearing the old man in black say this, his heart was stirred. Could he be one of the three immortal roots?

"Please enlighten me, Senior! My thirteen-year-old wish is to shed the label of being a waste of talent!" Lishui couldn't hide his excitement and bowed deeply to the old man in black again.

"It seems the Beihan Sect is truly blessed. It has actually formed a bond with two once-in-a-millennium talents, heh heh!" The old man in black suddenly took a sip of wine, "Lishui, do you know that you possess a tenth-grade supreme immortal root, which has accumulated tremendous power over the past thirteen years! It just needs an external force to activate it."

"A tenth-grade supreme immortal root? Needs an external force to activate it?" At this point, how could Lishui not understand?

With a "thud," Lishui knelt down and kowtowed, his voice trembling, "I hope Senior will use great power to activate it. Lishui will never forget your kindness for all eternity!"

Seeing Lishui like this, the old man in black's expression turned serious, "I indeed deserve your bow! I came here tonight to help you. However, you must agree to one condition for me to assist you!"

"What condition, Senior, please speak!" Lishui raised his head and said.

"A tenth-grade supreme immortal root can lead to immortality! I want you to, after achieving cultivation, no matter where you are, protect the Beihan Sect's legacy. Are you willing?" The old man in black looked at Lishui, showing a rare seriousness.

"Protect the Beihan Sect's legacy?" Lishui didn't expect the old man in black to make such a request.

This was not a request for Lishui. He immediately said loudly, "Senior, rest assured. I, Lishui, am a Beihan disciple. I feel ashamed for not achieving cultivation and failing the Beihan Sect. Protecting the Beihan Sect is my duty. Heaven above, I, Lishui, swear by my Dao soul that if I achieve cultivation, I will protect the Beihan Sect's legacy!"

"Good! Good!" Seeing Lishui's sincerity, the old man in black said two "good" words, then looked into the void of the Beihan formation and muttered, "In this way, I, this sinner, can face the ancestors of the Beihan Sect! The ancient holy lotus, which can protect the Beihan Sect, far surpasses the past! Far surpasses the past!"

Although Lishui heard the old man in black's muttering, he was not thinking about anything else at this moment, his mind was entirely on his immortal root.

The old man in black retracted his gaze and hung the black gourd back on his waist.

"Lishui! You have endured humiliation and cultivated for thirteen years, with a heart as strong as steel! You have worked hard for ten years to clean this room, which has a connection with me! Now I will help you resolve your karmic ties with the Beihan Sect. Tonight, I will bestow upon you a great transformation! Soon, the world will change, and you, a hidden dragon, should emerge to stabilize it!"

At this moment, Lishui's mind was somewhat dazed. Was he a hidden dragon?

But there was no time for Lishui to think. The old man in black, after saying this, formed a strange seal with his withered hands, and then a seven-colored light shone brightly, illuminating the entire courtyard, creating a dazzling and boundless power that surged through the world.

The power seemed to come from the heavens, penetrating the soul. It was hard to imagine that this ghostly old man could summon such power.

What kind of power? So vast!

Lishui felt that everything in the world seemed to be mobilized by the old man in black. This power was even stronger than the fluctuations caused by Han Qianli's spell, surpassing it by many times!

Could it be soul power? Lishui boldly guessed. Soul Realm cultivators were legendary beings!

Then, the old man in black drew a single hand in the air, and eighty-one strange symbols appeared in the void, emitting golden light.

"Seals!" Lishui was greatly shocked in his heart but couldn't shout it out. Could these be the legendary seals? These seals were somewhat similar to the patterns A Mu once drew on the coffin.

The eighty-one seals glowed, and the entire courtyard was enveloped by them. These seals seemed to bind space and influence the great trends of the world.

The old man in black's expression was solemn, and suddenly a black light shot out from his somewhat blurry body. The black light carried the sound of the great Dao, echoing through the world, and at the same time, Lishui felt a resonance deep in his soul.

At the same time, Lishui felt something in his dantian gradually awakening.

Lishui's body involuntarily floated in the air.

At the same time, all the seals transformed into an unnamed force, converging with the black light.

The old man in black's eyes glowed brightly, and he roared, "Borrow the power of heaven and earth, summon the soul with the soul. Ancient holy lotus, awaken!"

At this moment, Lishui was suspended in the air by the surging power of heaven and earth, with only his consciousness under his control. Everything seemed so unreal. The light formed by the seals and the black light directly rushed into Lishui's dantian.

At this moment, Lishui's dantian was like a dormant volcano for ten thousand years, activated by an external force, rumbling. A very strong aura emerged from the depths of the dantian, like a sleeping dragon awakening after ten thousand years.

Seven-colored light, mysterious and enchanting, now illuminated Lishui's dantian, making it seem like a fairyland. The dantian was turbulent, with waves surging, and a snow-white immortal lotus split through the waves, slowly rising from the depths of the sea.

Its stem was emerald green, its petals like white jade, holy and pure, with a radiant light. Layer upon layer of lotus petals surrounded a bud about to bloom, like stars surrounding the moon.

Is this the immortal root? Not like a ginseng root, but an unopened lotus. Lishui's consciousness clearly reflected all the changes in the dantian.

Is this the ancient holy lotus that the old man in black spoke of? My immortal root? At this moment, two clear tears rolled down Lishui's eyes.

Have you ever had a hope that you waited for thirteen years? Have you ever had a pain that you endured for thirteen years? Have you ever had a humiliation that you carried for thirteen years?

Thirteen years of accumulation and sedimentation, thirteen years of enduring pain and humiliation, thirteen years of struggling and waiting!

At this moment, Lishui was about to break free from his cocoon, turning bitter into sweet, and transforming into a flying dragon.