Chapter 73

In the small courtyard, the colors were dazzling, like a fairyland. The old man in black robes activated his supreme magic, awakening the ten-grade immortal root of the Lishui River—the ancient holy lotus.

Everything happened so suddenly that for Lishui, it all seemed like a dream.

"Ten-grade immortal root, must ascend to the path of immortality! This 'Northern Cold Holy Soul Technique,' I will also pass on to you. Guard the Northern Cold, and take care of yourself!" At this moment, Lishui could not control himself, his body floating in the air. The old man's faint voice echoed in his ears, and at the same time, a scripture composed of white characters was infused into Lishui's mind.

The Northern Cold Holy Soul Technique—the highest secret of the Northern Cold Sect. Named Holy Soul, it can connect to the realm of souls. However, it had been lost for seven thousand years, and even many people had forgotten that the Northern Cold Sect had such a world-renowned immortal scripture.

"One drink, one peck, all predestined! I leave the Northern Cold Sect!" The old man in black robes laughed to the sky, holding a black gourd, taking a big drink, and stepping into the void.

"The sea is like wine, all things are guests, carefully sipping the Big Dipper for a thousand years! Love me, hate me, vast cold mountains, all karma and retribution. When the sun, moon, and stars have undergone many illusions, the ancient holy lotus, only you remain!" A mournful and heroic tune reached Lishui's ears, and the old man in black robes vanished directly into the vast black mist to the north of the Northern Cold.

In a daze, the seven thousand years of the old man in black robes and Lishui's thirteen years were like a great dream!

Dreams have no length, only sleep and awakening, but people often cannot distinguish which is the dream!

Lishui still remembered that snowy night. His parents had long died, and he had no relatives. Lishui was like a stray dog. At five years old, he was alone, weak, and lived by begging. At the foot of the Northern Cold Mountain, he had not eaten for several days and was almost frozen to death. Fortunately, he was saved by a passing senior disciple.

Although he was just a small apprentice, being able to cultivate on the mountain gave him a sense of belonging. Lishui was once full of ambition, dreaming of riding the clouds and soaring through the void.

During the three-year root-nurturing period, Lishui practiced harder than anyone else. Besides the necessary chores, he devoted all his time to cultivation, practicing day and night without any slack.

But fate did not favor him. Lishui still remembered the first time his root-nurturing failed, the sneers of his fellow disciples, the disappointment of his teachers, and his own unwillingness and pain. That day's memory was deeply etched in his bones, often surfacing in his mind at midnight, unforgettable.

Why did his efforts and sacrifices bring no reward? Isn't it said that heaven rewards diligence? Isn't it said that heaven does not forsake those who work hard?

But over the past thirteen years, day and night, the struggles of gathering herbs, picking fruits, fetching water, and chopping wood became the main part of Lishui's life. Indifference, cold looks, ridicule, and beatings were his daily existence.

"Lishui, help me chop this wood!"

"Lishui, what herbs did you pick? Can they be used? Useless!"

"Lishui, go down the mountain! Without an immortal root, what use are you in the Northern Cold?"

"Lishui, let's spar! Ha ha, why did you run..."

No one knew that in thirteen years, Lishui had failed nine times in root-nurturing. What kind of pain and torment was that? It was a suffering deeply etched in his soul, impossible to forget.

Failure after failure, unwillingness after unwillingness. Useless? Useless! This almost became Lishui's nickname.

But Lishui silently endured all of this, and all of this would end on this magical night! The name of useless would never belong to Lishui again.

Thirteen years, truly like a great dream! Today, I will awaken and see how I will dominate!

At this moment, the cultivation energy in Lishui's dantian surged, and the white lotus emitted a faint glow, swaying through the ages! Layer upon layer of lotus petals, shining brightly, and each lotus leaf, flowing with green light. The bud in the center, containing countless heavenly principles and laws, emitted a pattern of light, with green waves rippling.

Lishui almost couldn't believe that this was his own ten-grade immortal root—the ancient holy lotus.

At this moment, deep within Lishui's dantian, a vast force continued to surge, seemingly endless.

The mercury-like bright cultivation energy flowed through Lishui's meridians and veins. This was the first time his cultivation energy was refining his body.

"First stage of initial cultivation complete?" Not only did he nurture an immortal root, but he also directly entered the first stage of initial cultivation, fully complete. Lishui was somewhat surprised.

The ancient holy lotus was indeed so miraculous!

The first stage of initial cultivation, refining the body, Lishui's constitution began to change. However, this process seemed much faster than Lishui had expected, almost instantaneous, rather than the several hours it took for ordinary apprentices. There was no appearance of black stains all over the body, but only a faint, slightly foul-smelling black gas emitted from each pore, then dissipated in the wind.

Lishui actually didn't know that many processes had already been completed during his thirteen years of cultivation. Root-nurturing complete, first stage of initial cultivation fully complete, he was truly a cultivator in every sense.

"I am a cultivator!" Lishui really wanted to shout, but his body still wouldn't obey.

Because the milky white spirit energy in Lishui's dantian continued to surge, and his cultivation energy was still rising.

"Second stage of initial cultivation?" Lishui was somewhat shocked. Although he had heard some Northern Cold anecdotes, there were people in the cultivation world who, to gain momentum, suppressed their cultivation and then broke through two or three stages in succession.

Not to mention others, he had heard that over twenty years ago, in the Northern Cold Sect's Purple Snow Cave lineage, there was a prodigy who broke through the seventh and eighth stages of initial cultivation in one night. But Lishui never expected that such a thing would happen to him.

But the second stage of initial cultivation didn't last long. As the cultivation energy flowed through his body, Lishui felt his second stage of initial cultivation stabilize and become complete.

Everything didn't stop there; the advancement in cultivation continued, and Lishui's shock was beyond measure.

"Third stage of initial cultivation! Fourth stage! Fifth stage!" Lishui's cultivation level kept rising, ascending crazily. Almost each stage was passed with a few flows of cultivation energy.

This was almost impossible, breaking Lishui's understanding of cultivation. A person could not break through so many stages in such a short time. Apart from Amu, Lishui had never found such a record in the Northern Cold Sect's scriptures.

The spirit energy in the dantian, like the sea, and the bones like jade, Lishui felt his entire body's tendons and bones shimmering with a faint light. Even the many techniques in his mind began to be deduced. As long as Lishui could move, he could use them all without any hindrance. It was a wonderful feeling.

However, everything was far from enough. The surge of cultivation energy was just the beginning.

"Sixth stage of initial cultivation, seventh stage, eighth stage, ninth stage!"

At this moment, Lishui's consciousness almost stopped. He was no longer shocked, as no amount of shock could describe his inner feelings.

What others needed tens of years, even decades, to achieve, Lishui reached in an instant. All the bottlenecks, all the obstacles, were like bamboo breaking through, layer by layer, unable to stop him.

The ancient holy lotus in the dantian, each time it swayed, emitted a faint milky white spirit energy.

" Ninth stage of initial cultivation, fully complete! The peak of initial cultivation!"

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