Chapter 11: Parting Ways

Once revered as paragons of their generation in the Celestial Gift Dynasty, admired and honored by all, the four finally bowed their heads before the pursuit of immortality. Only a month ago, they had looked down upon such ambitions; now, they had already compromised, even going so far as to actively seek a chance for themselves.

To this, Li Ji’an offered his sincere blessings.

“May we all have a splendid future!”

Yet, he still declined their invitation.

“Brother Li, you’re being foolish! At the peak of martial cultivation, we live at most a century; yet once you step into the path of Qi Refinement, you are guaranteed a hundred years. Advance to the mid stage, and you live for a hundred and twenty; reach the late stage, and a hundred and fifty years isn’t impossible. Should you be lucky enough to build your foundation... three hundred years, Brother Li! Three centuries—just imagine it!” Zhang Tiezhu exclaimed, his emotions surging.

Zhu Linxian looked at Li Ji’an, as if wanting to speak, but in the end held her peace.

Dong Jiangling’s gaze shifted with a sigh. “Brother Li, I understand your thoughts. By now, we know all too well how arduous the path of cultivation truly is! I cannot say whether we’ll regret today’s decision. The future seems bleak; hope is faint.”

Zhao Shuyao was incredulous. “Brother Li, all these decades cultivating in the Celestial Gift Dynasty, we’ve relied on more than just talent. To become a peerless prodigy of the era, your temperament, willpower, diligence, and insight must all be unmatched.

If you could achieve so much in martial arts, why not in cultivation?

Now, you won’t even try. Of all of us, you and I are the oldest—what time do we have left to squander? If we don’t begin now, it truly will be too late!”

Li Ji’an nodded.

Indeed, had it not been for his “Return to Youth,” how could he afford to wait with such calmness and leisure? But with it, he possessed endless time.

Now that he had entered the cultivation world, having glimpsed the hope of transcending mortality and attaining longevity equal to the heavens, he could not afford to take risks.

Over the past month, their understanding of this world had deepened; not only had the words of Chen Zhaohu been confirmed, but they had also come to comprehend the ever-changing tides of fate and the fierce competition that defined this realm.

They now knew too just how intense the rivalry was.

For those who had already missed the optimal age and possessed poor spiritual roots, it was nearly impossible to catch up with others without risking everything.

Nonetheless, Li Ji’an did not expect to turn his fate around in this lifetime.

He only wished to blend into this world, do his utmost to ensure his safety in the next life, and accumulate a little in the way of resources; that would be success enough.

After all, he estimated he had only about thirty years left in this life.

Without further explanation, Li Ji’an insisted on staying for now, waiting for the right moment before making any further plans.

In the end, the five of them had a farewell meal at the Hundred Fragrances Pavilion, the same place where they had celebrated their arrival in this world. Li Ji’an divided the remaining spiritual sand among them as travel funds.

“Brother Li, take care. If I’m fortunate enough to embark on the path of cultivation, I’ll come back to find you. You all do the same—once you’ve settled, write to Brother Li, and he can keep us all connected. In a foreign land, we must help one another,” Zhang Tiezhu said, clasping his fist to the group before striding southward to seek out one of the pioneering families.

“Take care! We’ll meet again in ten years,” called Zhao Shuyao and the other two, who were headed to a joint market a hundred miles away to seek their immortal fate.

Having said all they needed to say, they no longer tried to persuade Li Ji’an, offering only their heartfelt farewells.

No matter what, they agreed to gather again in ten years.

“Ten years!” Watching his old friends depart, Li Ji’an smiled with ease.

“Come on, perhaps you’ll see them again before ten years have passed.” Chen Zhaohu patted his shoulder.

“Brother Chen, what do you think will become of them in ten years?” Li Ji’an asked with a smile.

Chen Zhaohu laughed heartily. “I’m no god’s chosen prophet who can see the future—how could I know what ten years will bring? But with the fortune you all possess, who knows? Perhaps one of you will stumble upon a great opportunity and soar to the skies.”

“See the future? God’s chosen?” Li Ji’an was hearing this for the first time.

“Oh, a god’s chosen is, as the name suggests, someone favored by the deities—born in harmony with the Great Dao, innately gifted with some mysterious power. There was once a god’s chosen who could foresee a century into the future,” Chen Zhaohu said casually.

Li Ji’an stopped in his tracks, unable to keep Ning Sujin’s image from appearing in his mind.

He felt that Ning Sujin’s ability to avoid disaster and seize fortune fit perfectly with Chen Zhaohu’s description.

“Born in harmony with the Dao... isn’t that... the Chosen One?”

Seeing Li Ji’an’s astonishment, Chen Zhaohu shook his head with a laugh. “Not quite. From what those high-ranking figures say, god’s chosen are simply those who have fused with fragments of the Dao’s laws, thus gaining a corresponding ability. Some of these laws benefit cultivation, others are even detrimental. And it’s not just people—some objects can also be imbued with fragments of the Dao, gaining mysterious powers.”

“Fragments of the Dao’s laws...” Li Ji’an grew even more bewildered.

This was not something someone of Chen Zhaohu’s level should know.

“That’s right, fragments of the Dao’s laws. They say the heavenly way of this world is incomplete because many of its laws have crumbled.”

“The heavenly way here is incomplete?”

“If it weren’t, we’d all have a chance to transcend and ascend!” Chen Zhaohu suddenly grew animated.

“Brother Li, you don’t know—once, a powerful cultivator discovered an ancient ruin revealed by the earth’s veins. The records showed that in those times, cultivation was not just about absorbing spiritual energy and refining magical power as we do now. The highest methods involved directly sensing the heavenly way and comprehending its laws. Some would meditate for a hundred years and suddenly attain enlightenment; others were Dao-born, entering the Way at birth.

And even those who took the path of refining spirit energy could build their foundation in a hundred days—it was commonplace.

That era... it was truly a golden age of cultivation!”

“So what happened?” Li Ji’an asked solemnly.

“Who knows? Maybe someday those great figures will find a clue in some ancient ruin. But for now, these things are far from us. Let’s just listen and leave it at that. Come, let me teach you the body-tempering technique of this world,” Chen Zhaohu sighed, his excitement fading.

“Alright!” Compared to the great forces and history of this realm, Li Ji’an had all the time in the world to explore. For now, what mattered most was the body-tempering art Chen Zhaohu promised to teach him.

Over the past month, he had come to realize that the so-called martial arts of the Celestial Gift Dynasty were nothing but a dime-a-dozen introductory body-tempering method in this world, called the “Dragon Elephant Tempering Body Technique.”

And it wasn’t even complete—only the first half of a first-tier technique, lacking any offensive applications, and only capable of training someone to the early stage of the first tier.

As for the martial art he had once prided himself on—a technique born of four lifetimes’ insight and the blood and sweat of countless predecessors in the dynasty—it turned out to be nothing more than a common supplementary method here.

That night, Li Ji’an agreed to join Chen Zhaohu’s team as something of a good luck charm for a year, in exchange for a body-tempering technique Chen Zhaohu had once acquired by chance: “Hundred Refine Golden Body Scripture.”

Chen Zhaohu assured him that this technique could at least be cultivated to the second tier.

At the second tier, a body cultivator could break through the defensive barriers of foundation-building cultivators at close range—no trivial feat.

“Brother, though the odds of us reaching the second tier under these conditions are slim, even at my current stage—mid first tier—I can live safely here.

Don’t lose heart. Focus on tempering your body and hunting. When the time comes, I’ll help you find a Dao companion with decent spiritual roots—who knows, maybe you’ll have a child with good roots, and your dream of cultivation will be fulfilled through them.”