Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 97 - 93: True Qi Realm

An Immortal Worship Formula.

The core of it lies in the Immortal Worship Incense, then it’s supplemented by mysterious items: the Immortal Music Spring, Golden Bull Horn, Xiang Girl Shell, as well as two other unknown oddities. Using these to construct an array, one may worship the immortals.

The most intricate part of it all is the construction of this array.

But no matter how complex, as long as there’s a pattern to follow, it can be figured out. Thus, by now, the real challenge is no longer the array, but those two unknown materials.

The Immortal Worship Formula obtained from the jade scroll didn’t just lack two mysterious items—it was missing four. It was only through the searching and continual testing of later generations that two of them were finally identified.

According to the records, their method of verification was to try different items and identify the ones that showed the greatest reaction as the correct answers.

Those seeking immortality would sense a mysterious resonance at the climax of their ritual.

Therefore, there is no mistake.

That evening, upon returning to the Lu Mansion, Li Nangua attended to Lu Chang’sheng’s washing and grooming, then held him and recounted the affair regarding Zhao Xinghua earlier that day.

"Has this Zhao Xinghua gone crazy?" Lu Chang’sheng’s brows drew together, a hint of murderous intent surfacing in his heart. "Let’s wait and see for a few days. If she’s still up to this, I’ll deal with it myself."

Li Nangua nodded.

Lu Chang’sheng informed her that he would be traveling in half a year. Li Nangua only urged him to be careful; the Great Yuan was unstable, with rebel forces and prefecture soldiers each winning and losing battles. Still, it seemed the prefecture soldiers held the upper hand for now.

A few days later, an invitation arrived from Chen Mansion to the Lu Mansion, written by Zhao Qing—Mr. Chen had grown so old that even lifting a brush was difficult for him.

Zhao Qing had clearly taken full control of the entire Chen Mansion. In the letter, she stated that Zhao Xinghua would soon marry a child scholar as a concubine.

The letter described this child scholar as merely being well-off. It wasn’t that he was at the level of someone from the Xun Mansion, and even the now declining Chen Family couldn’t compare to him. Clearly, under multiple pressures, Zhao Xinghua was forced to compromise and choose her new place.

Li Nangua dispatched a servant to Chen Mansion, sending several silver coins as a wedding gift, then paid the matter no further heed.

Moreover, these coins were handed directly to Zhao Qing.

"Thank you, madam, for making the trip. Please tell your mistress that Zhao Qing has received the gift!" Zhao Qing was briefly stunned when she received the silver, then quickly had someone bring back the coin—a whole tael of silver, no less.

The delivery servant broke into a slight smile, accepting the coin.

The lord and lady of the house had said this kind of token could be accepted freely, as long as it didn’t harm the household’s interests.

"Don’t worry, ma’am!"

Once Lu Mansion’s servant had left, Zhao Qing’s expression grew complicated.

Technically, these coins were intended as a congratulatory gift for Zhao Xinghua and should have been sent directly to her new family, the Huang Family. But now they had been handed to Zhao Qing instead. Clearly, the Lu Mansion’s master wished to cut off all ties to Zhao Xinghua.

Otherwise, even sending a mere servant could have ensured a life of luxury for Zhao Xinghua in the Huang Family, perhaps even bringing blessings upon them.

"Heh. I must have been blind back then, bringing a turncoat like her here to Black Mountain Prefecture!"

Zhao Qing sneered at herself. Thinking of Zhao Hu and Lu Chang’sheng and the others, her heart twisted with grief, and she lashed herself once again for her poor judgment.

"Madam, everything is ready!" a servant walked over to report.

Now that Zhao Xinghua was being married off, Zhao Qing had originally planned to put on a show of support, but now, she’d lost all desire for that.

"Call it off. From now on, Zhao Xinghua has nothing to do with Chen Mansion. If she ever comes back causing trouble—" Zhao Qing’s gaze turned chilly, "have people beat her away with sticks!"

The maid felt a chill, but then couldn’t help but gloat a little.

Zhao Xinghua had spent ten years as if she were a young lady of the mansion, bullying them often. Now, hearing such words from Zhao Qing, how could she not feel delighted?

······

In a blink, more than five months had passed.

Lu Mansion’s rear garden.

A faint aura surged inside his body. Lu Chang’sheng’s face slowly flushed red; a congested energy coursed from his lower abdomen to his chest, then rushed out his throat in a gust of white breath.

With a sharp sound, the spear set to the side seemed to leap into his grasp. The shaft shimmered slightly, sending out a ripple of clear wind. A wisp of qi force snapped along the spear—a thunderclap on a clear day.

Hearing the sound, Li Nangua arrived, her face revealing a trace of shock. Her little mouth was left ajar.

"Chang’sheng, did you just break through to the True Qi Realm?"

Lu Chang’sheng nodded, then said, "The True Qi Realm is marked by the birth of qi force within the body. I could pluck a leaf or make a flower fly, throw a needle as swift as lightning!"

Coincidentally, there was an ornamental leaf on the ground. Lu Chang’sheng stepped down; the leaf rode the wind into his palm. He flicked it casually, and the tossed leaf shot out straight as a shard of iron, flying seven or eight meters before landing in the pond.

"But I’ve just entered the True Qi Realm and my inner qi is ordinary. For techniques like this, I can’t maintain it for long."

Once qi force leaves the body, it’s like a rootless duckweed, dispersing easily. Only when circulating inside can it greatly reduce consumption and make inner qi last longer.

After hearing Lu Chang’sheng’s explanation, Li Nangua nodded again and again.

From then on, Lu Chang’sheng devoted himself to cultivation.

Attaining True Qi for the first time, his control over this power was still unstable.

Several days later, he stood in the courtyard, frowning.

Given his peerless talent in martial arts, mastering True Qi should not have been daunting. Even an average martial artist at this level would only need a month or two, yet as for him, his True Qi still felt hard to fully support.

"This must be the flaw from having practiced Five Treasures True Skill through the Flood Control Stance before!"

Lu Chang’sheng quickly recalled this, left home for Jixia Academy, and went to the archives to request a Divine Power Stance manual from Guan Fu. He sat down to study in peace.

Seeing that he did not enter the cultivation chamber but flipped through pages on a bench outside, Guan Fu considered reminding him. But recalling that Lu Chang’sheng had long since mastered all pile skills, he figured Lu Chang’sheng was merely curious and said nothing.

Anyhow, if Lu Chang’sheng felt it was too noisy, he’d take the manual to a quiet chamber himself.

Soon, evening fell.

Lu Chang’sheng closed the manual.

With his current reading talent, he could scan ten lines at a glance.

"The boost True Qi Realm gives to the five senses is even more staggering than the perfected Archer’s Art. No wonder they say the gap before and after True Qi Realm is truly immense."

Pile skills can be mastered with time and patience, but True Qi Realm—now that’s difficult, truly difficult.

Thus, at this point, memorizing the Divine Power Stance is far easier for him than before.

"Guan Fu!"

Lu Chang’sheng called out. Moments later, Guan Fu walked in looking amazed, a faint grievance in his eyes about being summoned.

"Did something happen outside?" Lu Chang’sheng asked in confusion.

"Yes, something quite rare. Come with me and see!" Guan Fu hastily tossed the Divine Power Stance back onto the shelf, then tugged Lu Chang’sheng out with him.

A moment later, the two appeared by the drill field. Upon it stood a young woman dressed in red, Xu Zhuqing, bearing a faint surge of True Qi around her.

"No wonder she’s said to have the finest talent in decades. Lady Zhuqing reached True Qi Realm in less than seven years after mastering the pile skills—it’s truly rare!"

Guan Fu sighed in admiration.

Lu Chang’sheng glanced and understood Xu Zhuqing’s intent—she wished to spar to speed up her mastery of True Qi.

He had to admit, it was a sound strategy. Lu Chang’sheng himself considered it before, but refrained, fearing his own rapid progress would attract too much attention.

All around, Academy students looked on in wonder; Lu Chang’sheng spotted Zhou Yu and Xun Zimo as well.

Judging by their envious faces, it was clear they still had a long road to reach the True Qi Realm.

Guan Fu watched with rapt interest. For those who had not yet crossed into the True Qi Realm, this was no small opportunity.

Just as he was about to share a thought with Lu Chang’sheng, he noticed Lu Chang’sheng had already slipped away.

"Sigh~ This boy has no heart for cultivation at all. I wonder what Dean Hong Yuan even sees in him?"

Could it really be as the rumors say—this boy is Dean Hong Yuan’s illegitimate son?