Yellow Court Daoist-Chapter 390 - 366: A Flash of 100 Years

As the first batch of military training materials from the Dragon Palace was delivered to Yuan Lake, and with the arrival of forty-eight military training officers.

In the Changshan Islands spanning seven thousand miles of Yuan Lake, a grand military training exercise began.

Among the forty-eight officers, those who were adept at handling water conducted drills with the Water Clan.

The rest trained the mountainous mystical creatures.

Whether it was the Water Clan or mystical creatures, both practiced basic skills of the Life Dao. Once transitioning from the First Realm of Body Refinement to the Second Realm of Soul Refining, solidifying Power Soul and Essence, expanding blood and flesh, and altering one's physique, all these tasks were effortlessly done.

Transforming into human form allowed them to be arrayed for battle.

Like the Min River Navy, they were elite forces that had all reached the Second Realm.

Speaking solely of Combat Power, they could even compare to the close-combat abilities of an Immortal Dao Spirit Void Stage Cultivator. And those with exceptional talent could achieve the Second Realm of the Life Dao after just decades or even a dozen years of cultivation, which was undeniably Divine Speed compared to the centuries required by the Spirit Void Stage of Immortal Dao.

Although they achieved the Second Realm of the Life Dao, they only had a Life Span of a little more than two hundred years.

But first, the methods of the Immortal Dao are closely guarded secrets. For example, in the Min River Dragon Palace, only the Dragon Lord and Ao Le's family of five practice it.

Second, the Immortal Dao has extremely high requirements for talent, and there are countless cultivators stuck in the Fetal Breathing and Postnatal Realms. In contrast, the Life Dao has a much lower barrier. Even those of the poorest aptitude could reach the Ming Jin and Covered Jin stages of Body Refinement through dedication and persistence, matching to some extent Foundation Establishment Qi Introduction and Foundation Establishment Condensed Liquid Cultivators.

Living a lifetime to the fullest.

The Path of Nature is elusive.

The Immortal Dao is arduous.

In the Immortal Qin Realm, it is in fact the cultivators of the Life Dao who are most numerous. Soldiers in the army, mystical creatures in the wilderness, Water Clan in the waters, and demons across the lands, most of them practice the Life Dao.

Of course.

There are many Life Dao Cultivators, with the First Realm and Second Realm being as common as rainclouds.

But only the few outstanding ones can achieve the Third Realm, and its difficulty is only slightly easier by a third compared to forming a Core in Immortal Dao and reaching Unity in the Nature Dao.

Among those Water Clan and mystical creatures of Yuan Lake, not a single one has reached the Third Realm, with the most powerful merely refining six or seven souls in the Second Realm.

When the Yuan Lake Water Lord called for troops, the response was like clouds gathering.

In one day.

Thirty thousand mystical creatures and a hundred thousand from the Water Clan came to join.

Lu Qingfeng accepted all comers, dividing them into forty-eight camps, with each officer training their own.

Time slips away.

In the blink of an eye, a hundred years passed.

...

Min River Dragon Palace.

Minister Turtle presented a petition, "Your Majesty, this is a new petition submitted by the Prince Consort."

"How is it him again!"

The Dragon Lord rubbed his glabella, glanced at the petition in Minister Turtle's hands, and waved his hand, "No need to look at the petition. It's nothing more than another requisition for supplies. Whatever he wants, just order it to be sent over."

"This time the amount is quite substantial; your Majesty should take a look."

Minister Turtle handed the petition to the Min River Dragon Lord.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, the Min River Dragon Lord lightly exclaimed and took the petition to read.

His blue face and red beard trembled immediately—

Slam!

"This scourge!"

Min River Dragon Lord furiously threw the petition onto the desk, resting his hands on the desk as he angrily said to Minister Turtle, "What kind of method is this scourge cultivating? What kind of troops is he training? Does he intend to strip the Min River Dragon Palace bare?!"

The petition spread across the desk—

Two million catties of raw iron.

Five hundred thousand catties of copper.

One hundred thousand catties of gold.

Agates, a hundred Pearl Huts.

Jade, a hundred Pearl Huts.

Pearls, a hundred Pearl Huts.

Thirty thousand sticks of Fire Tong Wood.

A hundred barrels of Demon Blood.

Twenty Demon Cores.

...

A long list with no end in sight.

Min River Dragon Lord, seeing this, felt his anger rise again, and raised his sleeve to crush the petition.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

Minister Turtle quickly grabbed the petition and said, "The Prince Consort is not a man without discretion. Since the petition has been submitted, it must have been after careful consideration. Moreover, the Yuan Lake Road is far, remote, and dangerous. With the young prince also in Yuan Lake, it's a prudent course of action for the Prince Consort to conduct extensive training."

"Discretion?"

"Prudent course of action?!"

Min River Dragon Lord's red beard shook, and he glared to the east and raged, "Let's not mention how many treasures and provisions he has taken from my Min River Dragon Palace over the past hundred years, nor how much he has embezzled for himself. Just consider the position I gave him as the Water Lord of Yuan Lake, ruling over seven thousand miles of water territory and purging ten thousand miles from evil demons and monsters. Have you seen him take even half a step out of Yuan Lake in a hundred years?!"

"Do you know what people outside are saying?"

"Hmph!"

"They all say that I have been catching a son-in-law for three hundred years, only to end up with a greedy, lazy, cowardly old turtle!"

Min River Dragon Lord got increasingly angry as he spoke, truly puffing up his beard and bulging his eyes in rage, his blue face reddening.

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Minister Turtle, holding the petition, heard these words and smiled awkwardly.

A cowardly old turtle?

Wasn't that like 'the pot calling the kettle black'?

Minister Turtle, seeing that the Dragon Lord had realized his mistake, spoke up, "The resources the Prince Consort is requesting may seem substantial in quantity, but they are not of high value. If these resources can help create a Fourth Realm expert, even tenfold the amount wouldn't be too much to part with for your Majesty."

"The Fourth Realm?"

"Even if he achieves the Fourth Realm, I'm afraid it won't change his timid nature."

Mentioning the "Fourth Realm," Min River Dragon Lord's anger subsided somewhat.

Minister Turtle took the opportunity to say with a smile, "The Prince Consort's talent in cultivation is well known to everyone in the Dragon Palace and even within the entire Qi Country.

Previously, he was engrossed in Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Array, and military training, stuck in the Soul Condensation Realm for thirty-eight years, unable to break through the Earth Soul stage. Inside Qi Country, naysayers were everywhere, mocking the Prince Consort and your Majesty abundantly.

That Qi Country's Prime Minister, Zhuge Yan, dashed off the 'Injury to Guang Yuan' in one stroke of his brush in the Golden Throne Hall, and within a day, it spread across the seven regions of Qi Country.

Even within the Dragon Palace, there were numerous memorials resembling snowflakes, criticizing the Prince Consort for exploiting military drills as a pretext to misappropriate provisions and clamoring for his dismissal—ministers were outraged.

But what was the result?

His Majesty stood firmly behind him.

The Prince Consort resolutely abandoned the 'Nature Dao' to cultivate the 'Life Dao'.

In just three short years, he broke through the First Realm of Body Refining and entered the Second Realm of Soul Refining.

After which, every three years, he would condense one soul.

Twenty-one years later, he had refined seven souls.

Another seven years, and he leaped to achieve the Third Realm of the Life Dao—'Refining Core'.

Skeptics were silenced.

"Injury to Guang Yuan" has become the greatest shame in Zhuge Yan's life.

The Prince Consort has been the Yuan Lake Water Lord for nearly a hundred years and has only been in the Dragon Palace for a little over a hundred years, yet he advanced from an ignorant mortal to the Third Realm of the Life Dao—the Refining Core Realm.

Six years ago, he even reached the Second Level of the Refining Core Realm, the 'Holding Pill' stage—melting seven souls and consolidating them into the pill.

Following this trend, in at most a few hundred years, the Dragon Palace will undoubtedly gain another Fourth Realm cultivator.

"It's also good that he has a more stable disposition."

Speaking of Lu Qingfeng.

A wave of emotion surged through Minister Turtle's heart, and his tone was rather impassioned.

The Prince Consort handpicked by His Majesty may be somewhat mild, low-key, and quite fond of wealth, but his talent and courage are truly astonishing—

At the 'ripe' age of sixty-four, he abandoned the 'Nature Dao' to cultivate the 'Life Dao', and in just sixty-two years, he reached the Second Level of the Life Dao Refining Core Realm. Had it not been for distractions like alchemy, artifact refining, military drills, and other external matters, by now, he might have even reached the Third or Fourth Level of the Refining Core Realm.

Such talent.

With "Injury to Guang Yuan" authored by Qi Country's Prime Minister Zhuge Yan, Lu Qingfeng's reputation increased significantly across the Qi Country and also added to Min River Dragon Palace's prestige.

"Humph!"

"If it were not for his diligent cultivation, I would have long demoted him from the position of Yuan Lake Water Lord and sent him rolling back to the Dragon Palace to avoid embarrassing himself any further."

Thinking of Lu Qingfeng's cultivation progress, Min River Dragon Lord finally calmed down.

Minister Turtle smiled silently, understanding well—

Min River Dragon Lord spoke harshly, but when the Prince Consort's cultivation stagnated, he withstood criticism from both inside and outside the Dragon Palace. He turned a blind eye to the Prince Consort's blatant embezzlement and handling of military provisions without demoting him.

It was clear how much he valued and cherished the Prince Consort.

Min River Dragon Lord glanced at the memorial in Minister Turtle's hand and said impatiently, "Send it to him quickly, and tell him, unless he reaches the 'Inner Core True Gang' level and purges more than a hundred thousand li of demons and evil spirits from Yuan Lake, do not bother me again!"

"Shrinking back for a hundred years, if he's not embarrassed, even I'm blushing for him!"

"Understood."

Minister Turtle complied and respectfully took the memorial to leave.

...

Winter had arrived.

Snowflakes drifted from the sky, and the earth was blanketed in three feet of snow.

High in the void.

A Divine Light traveled back and forth.

Centered around the seventy-thousand-li-span of Yuan Lake, across a hundred thousand li of Earth Realm, it was either snowing, sunny, windy, or overcast. The vast Earth Realm was diverse and varied.

Suddenly, a gale howled, and dark clouds gathered.

Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and the sky felt oppressively low and heavy.

The Divine Light halted, revealing the figure within, his Fourth Grade Water God robe dissipated, wearing a simple blue shirt—it was Lu Qingfeng.

A hundred years at Yuan Lake.

A hundred years as a deity.

A hundred years of cultivation.

Transposition of Qi nurtures the spirit; transposition of the body nurtures form.

Over the century, Lu Qingfeng, as the Water Lord of Yuan Lake, had executed his divine duties, governing the rain, thunder, floods, and tides over a hundred thousand li of Yuan Lake; managing the climate, weather changes; and controlling snow, hail, freezing, frost...

As well as cultivating the Nature Dao, Life Dao, and Immortal Dao.

"Utilize the timing of the heavens to nourish the soul, the advantages of the earth to nourish the Qi, and harmony among people to nourish the essence."

Essence Qi and spirit sublimated, significantly different from the mortals.

His entire demeanor was truly extraordinary.

Within the elusive Immortal Dao, he carried a trifecta of regal spirit, a warrior's prowess, and a swordsman's edge.

"A hundred and ten years."

Lu Qingfeng looked up at the sky, saw the brewing thunder, and could not help but reveal a hint of a smile.

He had also been cultivating in the Immortal Qin Realm for one hundred and ten years.

The first ten years were devoted not to the cultivation of the Immortal Dao.

Upon arriving at Yuan Lake, he began his cultivation. With a divine position, the support of destiny, and plentiful resources, Lu Qingfeng's strength rapidly soared. In just a hundred years, he had progressed from nothing to the peak of the Spirit Void Stage.

Today, he faced the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulations above, poised to step into the Core Formation Stage.

Indeed, his cultivation progress had been of divine speed.

Even if he hadn't been delayed by various affairs along the way, he might have shaved another twenty years off the hundred.

Even now.

His progress in the Life and Death Skill was superior to that of Immortal Dao in terms of cultivation speed, with the Third Realm comparable to the Immortal Dao's Core Formation Stage. Yet, to cultivate to the Third Realm in a hundred years was something that only a few top-tier geniuses in the world could achieve.

Apart from the 'Yuan Lake Water Lord', such a figure was yet to be heard of in Qi Country.

"After Core Formation, many miscellaneous matters will become much more convenient."

Lu Qingfeng flashed through a century's worth of thoughts.

Boom!

The Heavenly Tribulation was ready, finally taking shape.

Lu Qingfeng, familiar with the process, soared into the clouds and physically withstood the tribulation.

Outside the heavens.

A sword light pierced the sky and settled outside the tribulation clouds.

The sword light faded, revealing a person.

A middle-aged man, dressed in a white Daoist robe, with brows sharp like a sword exuding a piercing aura. After descending, he stood with hands behind his back, without making a move.

From the west, two more lights flew over. Bringing with them wind and thunder, they howled as they approached.

Boom!

They landed in the air, causing a sound as intense as mountains collapsing and the ground splitting—their Qi and blood were strong enough to reach the skies.

It was Lan Feihu and Yuan Bi.