Chapter 72

Shen Lian suddenly understood this Senior Brother Chen Jianmei. With an extraordinary cultivation speed, he reached a realm that ordinary cultivators might never achieve in their entire lives, and then stayed at this level for forty years without making any progress.

This sense of disparity brought immense psychological pressure, which was hard for outsiders to imagine if they were not in his shoes.

Forty years was not a short time; it was enough for a person to be born and experience the ways of the world. Sometimes, if a dynasty was short-lived, it might not even last forty years.

For nearly forty years, with no hope of progress and no idea how to break through, cultivation was like a long night, with no sign of dawn.

Just thinking about it was terrifying, let alone Chen Jianmei, who had struggled for forty years.

He was still able to control his temper and did not kill at the slightest provocation, which showed the strength of his Daoist nature.

Shen Lian asked, "Senior Brother, you mentioned earlier that the Reversion Pill stage of cultivation is particularly difficult to reach. Is that correct?"

Qi Sanwen sighed slightly. His right sleeve was empty, and he stood with one arm, appearing even more solitary. He said, "From the 'Nurturing Qi' stage to the 'Entering Transformation' stage, with the right talent and a bit of perseverance, one can eventually reach the Dao.

However, the Reversion Pill stage is different from any previous stage and is also known as the 'Difficulty of Seeking the Dao.' The most powerful can form a pill through nine transformations, and only those who can form a pill through six transformations or more have a chance to become Immortal True Humans.

The path to the Reversion Pill, although varied, can be summarized into three main routes.

The first route is to寄托 one's Yin spirit on a pre-formed 'external pill,' nurturing it into the body, which can extend one's lifespan by three hundred years, just like a Reversion Pill cultivator.

However, entrusting one's Yin spirit to an 'external pill' can only achieve up to three transformations, leaving no hope for further progress. After three hundred years, one will still turn to dust. Moreover, since the two are not of the same origin, the innate spiritual light will gradually be eroded, and if there is a next life, it will be impossible to enter the Dao again.

The second route is to use a 'Spiritual Pill' as a spiritual guide. The number of transformations the pill can achieve depends on the quality of the 'Spiritual Pill.' In the world, a 'Spiritual Pill' that can achieve six transformations or more is rarer than an Immortal True Human. As for a 'pill formed through nine transformations,' it is something not even heard of in legends.

The third route is to embrace the spirit and qi, merging the form and spirit to form a Golden Pill. Once achieved, it can reach at least seven transformations, and even nine transformations, seizing the essence of heaven and earth and the mysteries of the sun and moon. Only those who achieve the Reversion Pill through this path can be called 'Golden Pill' cultivators.

The first two routes have clear paths, but the third route has no trace. Some people take thirty to fifty years, or even a hundred years, to reach the 'Entering Transformation' stage, but achieve the 'Reversion Pill' in a matter of days.

Some people reach the 'Entering Transformation' stage in twenty to thirty years but never achieve the 'Reversion Pill' until their time is up. No matter how many discussions there are on this, no one can summarize how to achieve the 'Reversion Pill.'"

Lu Sheng asked curiously, "The methods of the Immortals are hard to fathom. Is there really no Immortal True Human who can guide how to achieve the 'Reversion Pill'?"

Qi Sanwen thought to himself: If there is, it can only be him.

Thinking of that person, he felt a mix of respect and fear, or perhaps both.

"Even an Immortal True Human cannot tell you how to achieve the 'Reversion Pill.' Besides, with your talent, it will take you thirty to fifty years to reach the 'Entering Transformation' stage. There's no need to worry about this problem until then," Qi Sanwen replied calmly.

Then his expression changed slightly, and he added, "Go out. The Sect Leader wants to see you."

The three of them walked out of the bamboo hut, where Jing Qing, the child transformed into a flying snake, was already waiting.

After yesterday's events, Lu Sheng was not as uncomfortable today.

However, today, Qi Sanwen was going with them.

In the midst of the cloud sea, Jing Qing said lazily, "Little San, this might be the last time you ride on my back. But I've carried your master and your grandmaster, and they're all dead, so it doesn't matter if you're one more."

Lu Sheng was surprised to hear Jing Qing call Qi Sanwen 'Little San' and remembered that Jing Qing called them 'Senior Brothers.' He almost burst out laughing.

What he didn't know was that in Qingxuan, the rules of seniority were not strict. Jing Qing, not being part of the sect, was a guardian beast of the mountain. To prevent Jing Qing from becoming arrogant in the future, the founding ancestor of Qingxuan made him call everyone in the sect 'Senior Brother' and only follow the orders of the Sect Leader.

Snakes are naturally cold and indifferent to such things. However, after spending a long time in Qingxuan, he had developed some human traits, so he felt a bit sentimental as Qi Sanwen's time was running out, and he said a few more words.

Calling others 'Senior Brother' was no different from calling them 'brother.'

Calling Qi Sanwen 'Little San' was a sign of special regard.

The true meaning of this was hard for Shen Lian and Lu Sheng to understand, but Qi Sanwen knew. He had feelings for every blade of grass and every tree on Qingxuan Mountain and was very reluctant to leave this world. Even Jing Qing, an emotionless beast, felt some sentiment for him, which made him even more melancholic.

The flying snake sped through the cloud sea, suddenly stopping. Jing Qing whispered, "Little San, the female demon is coming. I have to run for my life. You take them to the Sect Leader."

Lu Sheng and Shen Lian were startled. When Jing Qing shook, they fell off the snake's back. Jing Qing then shot through the cloud sea like a rainbow, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Falling from such a height, even if they were made of steel, they would have been crushed to pieces.

Fortunately, Qi Sanwen's empty right sleeve suddenly stretched out like a long ribbon, wrapping around the two of them.

They landed on a cloud boat.

A clear voice came from the sky, "That damned little snake, I just wanted to borrow your inner core for a moment. How stingy can you be? If I catch you this time, I'll make you spit out all the Zhu fruits you stole from me."

Shen Lian recognized the voice, but with the wind and the vast cloud sea, he couldn't see the person's face.

As the clear voice faded away, Shen Lian realized: This was the voice of the woman he had encountered by the strange river that day.

With Qi Sanwen's power, the cloud boat seemed less steady with three people on it.

It swayed, but they finally reached the main peak, Taiyi.

Qi Sanwen, who knew the way, entered the main hall.

This time, there was no Jing Qing to open the door, so Qi Sanwen pushed it open himself.

As before, the Sect Leader was sitting on a stone couch.

This time, the Sect Leader looked much younger than when Shen Lian and the others saw him yesterday.

Qi Sanwen was surprised and asked, "Senior Uncle Sect Leader, what happened yesterday?"

He could see that although the Sect Leader looked younger, it was likely a sign of worsening injuries.

The reason was that the Sect Leader had been severely injured a hundred years ago and practiced a secret technique to lock away his vitality, preventing it from leaking out, which caused his appearance to age, unlike the other senior members of the sect.

Now, his appearance had returned to a younger state, not because his injuries had healed, but because the locked-away vitality was leaking out.

PS: Thank you to Futu Liangsheng for the 588 reward, Zheyi Wen for the 588 reward, YangZhiGang for the 588 reward, and Yijie Jiangshan for the reward.

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