Chapter 76

When Chen Ji, the former True Person, ascended to the True Person realm, it caused quite a stir. The reason was that at the time, Chen Ji was nearly 140 years old.

According to the lifespan of high-level martial artists, which is about 200 years, after surpassing 120 years, the peak period of cultivation improvement is considered to have passed. If one does not cross the threshold of the martial artist realm before 120 years, and achieve the True Person realm to extend their lifespan, then the next 80 years are essentially spent in a comfortable retirement.

In fact, in the cultivation world, it is extremely rare for a cultivator to advance to the True Person realm even after 100 years, let alone 120 years. 120 years is merely the maximum estimated value.

In reality, before Chen Ji ascended to the True Person realm, although he was an inner disciple of the Heaven-Shaking Sect, he had already surpassed 120 years of age and lost the potential to advance to the True Person realm. Therefore, he was sent to Bai Que Mountain to serve as the head of the mountain guards, which was essentially an arrangement by the Heaven-Shaking Sect for him to spend his retirement.

However, Chen Ji never gave up on his efforts to advance to the True Person realm. He firmly believed in a concept that others considered absurd: that when the physical body is continuously strengthened, the age limit for a cultivator to advance to the True Person realm can be postponed.

Just as everyone almost forgot about this old man obsessed with advancing to the True Person realm, Chen Ji made a stunning breakthrough at nearly 140 years old, finally transforming his essence into a powerful force and breaking through the barrier of the True Person realm.

After Chen Ji, a wave of physical body cultivation swept through the cultivation world of Yu County, especially among those whose lifespans were gradually extending and who had originally lost hope of advancing. They were rekindled with the hope of improving their cultivation.

However, in the previous life, Yang Junshan had never heard of anyone successfully advancing to the True Person realm after 120 years of age. There were, however, many martial artists who had successfully transformed their essence into a powerful force and achieved the True Person realm after 100 years.

Some people claimed that Chen Ji possessed a high-quality body-strengthening secret technique. The key to this secret technique was not the effect of strengthening the physical body, but its ability to extend a cultivator's lifespan. It could extend the lifespan of a high-level martial artist by at least 50 years, making their original 200-year lifespan reach 250 years. In this way, although Chen Ji was 140 years old, his lifespan, when converted to that of a normal martial artist, was less than 120 years, thus giving him the hope of advancing to the True Person realm.

Yang Junshan did not know whether this speculation was true in his previous life, but now he had the opportunity to find out.

Since Yang Junshan recognized that Chen Ji might be the former County Magistrate Chen, and on that day at Bai Que Mountain, Chen Ji had mentioned that Yang Junshan could come to him for guidance on body-strengthening, after the land dispute in Qianshui, Yang Junshan went to Bai Que Mountain alone to seek Chen Ji's advice on the secrets of physical body cultivation.

Chen Ji was indeed very familiar with the process of physical body strengthening. In their exchanges, Yang Junshan discovered that Chen Ji had studied at least seven lower-grade body-strengthening techniques and directly mastered more than three of them. He was also familiar with at least three to four middle-grade body-strengthening techniques and practiced two of them.

During the process of Yang Junshan's inquiries, despite his over a hundred years of experience and knowledge from his previous life, when Chen Ji casually pointed out a series of flaws and errors in Yang Junshan's practice of the Wild Ox Fist, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of this lower-grade fist technique, Yang Junshan was so startled that he broke out in a cold sweat. He not only reined in his original intention to test Chen Ji but began to sincerely seek his guidance.

What Yang Junshan did not know was that Chen Ji was also surprised by Yang Junshan's talent in body-strengthening. He had never seen a 13-14-year-old boy whose physical body was already as strong as that of a peak-level ordinary cultivator, even though his body had not fully developed.

What also delighted Chen Ji was that during their exchanges, this young boy not only had a high level of comprehension, understanding things at a glance, but could also extrapolate and come up with novel ideas, giving Chen Ji a fresh perspective and a sense of enlightenment.

Chen Ji originally only intended to give Yang Junshan some casual guidance so that his talent in body-strengthening would not be wasted. However, after several visits from Yang Junshan and continuous exchanges, Chen Ji became increasingly fond of him and began to teach him more deeply and earnestly, treating him as if he were his own disciple.

Yang Junshan, who originally came with a purpose, was gradually convinced by the old man's expertise in body-strengthening and began to sincerely seek his guidance and treat him with the respect due to a teacher.

Over the past year, although Yang Junshan's own cultivation progressed slowly, his progress in physical body strengthening was rapid. The seven-stone iron bow that Yang Tian had once used now felt soft in his hands. What delighted him even more was that although he had kept the Mountain Lord Map a secret, after a year of accumulation and improvement, he found himself getting closer to the cultivation of the Tiger Leap technique in the map.

After Yang Junshan's last visit to the old man at Bai Que Mountain, Chen Ji informed him that he was preparing to leave Bai Que Mountain to enter seclusion for cultivation, and that he could find him directly in the county town next time.

Yang Junshan, following his memory of the county town from his previous life and the address Chen Ji had given him, easily found Chen Ji's location. It was a small courtyard in a narrow alley, and no one would have thought that a high-level inner disciple of the Heaven-Shaking Sect lived there.

"Senior, greetings!" Yang Junshan bowed respectfully, his respect for the old man now genuine.

Chen Ji, still dressed in his usual green robe, with white hair and a vigorous spirit, looked Yang Junshan up and down and said, "Are you going on a long journey?"

Yang Junshan nodded and said, "Yes, my cultivation is about to reach the perfect stage of opening the spirit acupoint. My father instructed me to return to the old residence of the Yang family in Qing Shi Town to select a life-bound spell for advancing to the fourth level. I came to visit you today to also bid farewell, as I may not be able to seek your guidance for a year or two."

Yang Junshan's identity could not be hidden from Chen Ji. The Yang family of Qing Shi Town was a respected family in the town. Yang Junshan's grandfather, known as "Fierce Tiger," was quite famous in Chen Yu County. Chen Ji had heard of his reputation and had sighed when he heard that he had failed to advance to the True Person realm. There was no need for Yang Junshan to hide this.

Chen Ji nodded and said, "I am also about to enter seclusion for cultivation, which is crucial for me. You may not see me for at least a year or up to three years."

Yang Junshan, recalling his previous life, deduced that Chen Ji's seclusion was likely his final attempt to advance to the True Person realm. He said, "I hope this seclusion will be successful for you, and you will achieve your goal!"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "I was somewhat anxious at first, but over the past year, while teaching you body-strengthening techniques, I have also gained a lot. Your novel ideas, though often lacking in evidence, have provided some insightful points, adding to my confidence."

Yang Junshan felt a bit embarrassed. The views and ideas he had shared with Chen Ji were mostly mainstream views from the future, after the great changes in the cultivation world and the integration of various schools. These views were not originally his, and Chen Ji, limited by the secrecy of his sect, could not see the full picture.

Yang Junshan thought for a moment and said, "Without being able to seek your guidance for a long time, my cultivation progress will certainly slow down. Is there anything else you would like to instruct me?"

Chen Ji nodded thoughtfully and said, "The Yang family of Qing Shi Town's cultivation techniques are mostly inherited from the Heaven-Shaking Sect. In fact, the cultivation techniques of most families and sects in Yu County are closely related to the Heaven-Shaking Sect. I heard that your family specializes in earth-element techniques. Among earth-element techniques, there is a very common but rarely practiced technique called the 'Earth Absorption Technique.' You might consider practicing it."

"Earth Absorption Technique?" Yang Junshan knew this technique, but it was rarely practiced, so he asked, "What is the use of practicing this technique?"

The Earth Absorption Technique involves the practitioner absorbing all the earth and stones around them, ultimately covering their entire body with a thick layer of earth, turning them into a clumsy earth figure.

It is said that the initial creator of this technique did so to facilitate the transportation of spirit soil during the creation of spirit fields. Later, it was discovered that the Earth Absorption Technique could also be used as a defensive technique, as the body covered in earth and stones provided some protection.

However, this technique was considered too weak. For convenience in field creation, one could simply use carts to transport spirit soil, rather than covering oneself in dirt. For defense, covering one's head and face made it difficult to defend against attacks, and the layer of earth and stones on the body did not significantly increase defensive capabilities.

Because no one paid attention to this technique, no one kept it secret, and it became widely known in the cultivation world, but few were willing to practice it.

"Do you know the 'Earth Penetration Spirit Technique'?" Chen Ji asked.

"Of course!" Yang Junshan replied, "The Earth Penetration Spirit Technique is the ultimate survival technique for earth-element cultivators and one of the hardest to master in the cultivation world."

Yang Junshan paused, seeing Chen Ji's nodding smile, and asked in surprise, "Do you mean there is a connection between the 'Earth Absorption Technique' and the 'Earth Penetration Spirit Technique'?"

Chen Ji nodded and said, "Yes, I was fortunate to learn from a True Person of the Heaven-Shaking Sect who had mastered the 'Earth Penetration Spirit Technique' that the 'Earth Absorption Technique' is derived from it. If you master the 'Earth Absorption Technique,' you will have a significant advantage if you have the opportunity to practice the 'Earth Penetration Spirit Technique' in the future."

Yang Junshan was overjoyed and quickly thanked him, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior!"

Chen Ji nodded and hesitated for a moment before saying, "There are some matters that are the internal affairs of the Yang family of Qing Shi Town, and I do not wish to interfere. However, since you have gained my favor, I will say a few more words. I know a little about why your father came to Meng Yu County. Although you are a direct descendant of the Yang family, the current head of the family is your grandmother, who has powerful backing. Since you are only returning to the old residence to select a spell, complete your task and return. There is no need to stay there and draw attention."

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