Chapter 158: The Gift

After returning from the capital, Chen Luo visited Cripple Ma’s home once again. Cripple Ma remained unchanged, and his shimei He Min had already married someone. Everyone was pursuing their own lives. Chen Luo didn’t disturb them but secretly left some medicinal pills for them. Having taken care of these matters, he promptly headed to the mountain valley where his master, Longevity Daoist, resided.

“Master, I’m back.”

As soon as Chen Luo entered the valley, he called out loudly.

To his relief, the worst-case scenario he had envisioned did not materialize, easing his worries. However, Zhang Qing’s condition was visibly deteriorating; Chen Luo could sense his decline, with his longevity rapidly nearing its end. Had Chen Luo returned even half a year later, he might not have seen him alive.

“Why have you come back? Did something unexpected happen?” Longevity Daoist emerged from his dwelling, surprise evident on his face at seeing Chen Luo.

He hadn’t anticipated ever meeting this disciple again.

“No matter, let’s talk inside.” Longevity Daoist coughed twice before leading Chen Luo back into the hut. Despite five years passing, the mountain valley, including the hut where Chen Luo used to live, remained unchanged.

After both took their seats, Longevity Daoist coughed again. His vital energy had significantly weakened; his realm had fallen from the third to the first layer of Qi Refinement. Once his spiritual energy was depleted, it would mark the end of his life.

Chen Luo retrieved a Qi Nourishing Pill from his bag of holding and handed it over. “Take this, it can slow down the depletion of your spiritual energy.”

“A medicinal pill?” Curiosity flickered in Longevity Daoist’s eyes as he accepted it. Having spent his entire life within the Great Mausoleum, he had never encountered a genuine medicinal pill before. The substances he previously crafted could only be considered simple remedies.

“It’s a Tier 1 medicinal pill for the Qi Refinement Realm,” Chen Luo explained. “Du De-shixiong and I joined an immortal sect called Divine Lake Immortal Sect, where I learned this pill concocting technique.”

Chen Luo then recounted his experiences in the outside cultivation world to Longevity Daoist, even sharing details about the Divine Lake Immortal Sect’s Foundation Establishment cultivation method. For Chen Luo, Longevity Daoist was like family, who had guided him onto the path of cultivation, leaving little that needed to remain secret.

“So, the outside world is truly like that.” Longevity Daoist appeared relieved.

Although Longevity Daoist hadn’t personally experienced it, through Chen Luo’s description, his understanding expanded significantly. Compared to his two old friends, he felt quite fortunate.

“The attempt to transition to the divine path failed.”

After a moment of silence, Longevity Daoist shared his own developments over these years. As Chen Luo had guessed, their efforts to adopt the divine path were unsuccessful. The isolation within the Great Mausoleum was beyond imagination, rendering their attempts incapable of penetrating its barriers.

“What realm are you currently at?”

Having recounted his five-year journey, Longevity Daoist now focused on Chen Luo. Earlier, he tried assessing him but could not gauge his disciple’s true depth. The spiritual energy fluctuations felt like an immense ocean, boundless and limitless.

“Foundation Establishment.” Chen Luo extended his hand, concentrating spiritual energy in his palm. A force far exceeding that of a Qi Refinement cultivator coalesced, forming an irregularly pulsating small sphere.

“This is Foundation Establishment?” Longevity Daoist studied Chen Luo’s hand, remaining silent for a long while before speaking. He finally witnessed what he had pursued throughout his life—the realm beyond the immortal path, as described in ancient texts.

“So this is the Foundation Establishment stage mentioned in the scriptures.”

Chen Luo dispersed the spiritual energy from his hand, knowing that Longevity Daoist had dedicated his entire life to pursuing higher realms. In search of the path ahead, he had excavated nearly every ancient tomb in the Yue Kingdom; even the Great Mausoleum Chen Luo explored was discovered by Longevity Daoist.

“Go forth and witness the scenery at greater heights on my behalf.”

With a sense of relief, Longevity Daoist rose and walked towards a nearby cabinet, tapping it gently.

After a soft sound, the cabinet door slid open, revealing a hidden passage.

“I originally intended these gifts for you upon your return, but since you’re here now, let me show them to you. Hopefully, they will be of some help.”

As he spoke, Longevity Daoist retrieved a night pearl from beside him and stepped into the passage first.

Chen Luo followed closely behind, having briefly scanned the area with his divine sense and discovering a small formation within, which even his perception could not penetrate.

They walked together for a short while until reaching the end of the passage. It opened up into a square stone chamber, lined with limestone walls on both sides. Directly opposite stood a massive stone gate, over half a meter thick. On the surface of the gate, there was a circular pattern engraved with seven characters in immortal script.

A tomb entrance?

With Chen Luo’s knowledge, he instantly recognized the markings on the stone door. No wonder his divine sense could not penetrate it. The immortal script engraved on the door matched what Longevity Daoist had previously taught him.

“The mountain valley where I reside is built directly above this ancient tomb.”

Longevity Daoist stepped forward and gently touched the seven lines of immortal script. As they shimmered, the stone door slowly rose, revealing the dimly lit preparation chamber within.

Now it made sense.

No wonder Longevity Daoist chose to remain here.

Entering the preparation chamber, Longevity Daoist approached the stone platform ahead and retrieved a box from within.

This must be the gift he intended for Chen Luo.

“Qi Refinement cultivators have a maximum lifespan of one hundred fifty years. Xin Huo, the others, and myself have surpassed that age. Do you know why?” asked Longevity Daoist.

Chen Luo’s heart stirred, instinctively glancing towards the box held by Longevity Daoist.

“Eighty years ago, while searching for a way out of the Great Mausoleum, I discovered this place. Inside this chamber, I found a spirit medicine.” As Longevity Daoist spoke, he handed the box to Chen Luo.

Opening it revealed a small rectangular wooden box. Chen Luo recognized this as a spirit sealing box, similar to the one he had seen before. However, this particular box was meticulously crafted with top-tier materials.

“Xin Huo, Yan Feng, and I consumed that spirit medicine. It is solely due to that medicine that I managed to breakthrough to the third layer of Qi Refinement.”

Spirit medicine?

Chen Luo understood that this spirit medicine must be extraordinary. Not only did it enable Longevity Daoist and his companions to break through their cultivation bases in the Land of Absolute Spirit, but it also extended their lifespans beyond the typical limit for Qi Refinement cultivators, indicating its remarkable potency.

“Open the box and take a look,” Zhang Qing gestured.

Chen Luo slid open the box, revealing a segment of root inside.

“I purposely saved this piece of root. The spirit medicine was truly exceptional. If you ever have the chance, you can try planting it yourself.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Luo swiftly picked up the root to examine it closely.

The nature of this root from some unknown spiritual object was intriguing; even after being preserved for so long, its spiritual essence remained intact. Given the opportunity, he would definitely attempt to cultivate it.

“This is the first gift.”

After signaling Chen Luo to carefully store the root, Longevity Daoist coughed again. Without hesitation, he consumed the Qi Nourishing Pill given by Chen Luo. As the medicinal pill took effect, his complexion noticeably improved; however, this improvement was only temporary, as the true issue lay in his depleted longevity.

His end was near, and death seemed inevitable.

Regaining some strength, Longevity Daoist moved towards another area, which originally held the resting place of the tomb’s owner, marked by a stone coffin.

“This is the second gift,” Longevity Daoist said, tapping on the coffin.

A coffin? Chen Luo’s interest piqued immediately, and he stepped closer, indeed spotting a corpse inside.

“Do you remember when I mentioned the White Immortal Cave before?”

“I do,” Chen Luo nodded.

He vividly recalled that upon entering cultivation, he had been registered as a disciple under the White Immortal Cave. Unfortunately, it remained shrouded in mystery, despite his numerous attempts to gather information from outside sources.

“This person here is a genuine disciple of the White Immortal Cave.”

A disciple of the White Immortal Cave? Chen Luo approached, skillfully donning deer-hide gloves, and placed his hand on the head of the corpse within the coffin.

‘Contact with deceased brainwaves detected, Degradation Rate: 99%. Retrieve memory?’

Retrieve!

A potent surge of energy flowed into Chen Luo’s arm, its intense fluctuations momentarily stunning him. Soon, the corpse’s lingering obsession surfaced with just one phrase:

“If only I could return to the White Immortal Cave, I would undoubtedly form a high-grade Gold Core. How hateful this Land of Absolute Spirit, cutting off my path.”

Gold Core!

This individual was actually a Core Formation cultivator.

Chen Luo hadn’t anticipated obtaining his first Core Formation cultivator’s mind so effortlessly. The Yue Tomb indeed seemed destined to be his fortunate ground.

“Ahem,”

After a long moment, Longevity Daoist interrupted Chen Luo’s actions.

He had heard about his disciple’s peculiar interests before but didn’t expect such impatience. Chen Luo wasted no time getting hands-on, and judging by his adeptness in wearing the gloves, it was clear he had plenty of experience.

“I couldn’t resist,” Chen Luo replied, somewhat sheepishly withdrawing his hand.

“The cultivation methods from the Divine Lake Immortal Sect you mentioned earlier, even the highest tier, can only lead to late-stage Foundation Establishment at most,” Longevity Daoist continued.

“While I’m not fully aware of the differences between modern and ancient techniques, let me assure you that the person lying within this coffin is indeed a Core Formation cultivator.” As Longevity Daoist spoke, he glanced at Chen Luo, noticing that he appeared entirely unsurprised.

“In ancient techniques, Foundation Establishment is divided into four realms: Initial, Mid-stage, Late-stage, and Perfection. Once reaching the Perfection realm, one can condense divine abilities and attempt to form a Gold Core, becoming a legendary Earthly Immortal.”

“Master, do you have an ancient Core Formation method?” Chen Luo’s heart raced at the prospect. Regardless of whether it was modern or ancient, if he could obtain a Core Formation technique, any path would suffice. In the broader cultivation world, the revelation of such a Core Formation method would ignite a fierce war among the three major sects, making every Foundation Establishment cultivator envious.

“No,” Longevity Daoist shook his head. “But this corpse does. I’ll give it to you; study it carefully, and perhaps you may find your own suitable path to Core Formation.”

True to his tomb-raiding roots, even the gift from his master was a corpse.

Chen Luo, speechless, glanced at the body within the coffin before reluctantly storing it away.

Immortal cultivation differed significantly from martial arts; without corresponding techniques, deducing them solely from a corpse would be challenging. However, the corpse wasn’t entirely useless. He now had an opportunity to utilize the ‘Corpse Cultivation Method’ learned from the mummy elder brother.

Refining a corpse using a Core Formation cultivator’s remains—a luxury yet unexplored by anyone in the Seven Nations region.

After presenting the gifts, Longevity Daoist led Chen Luo back to the front room.

There, he bestowed upon Chen Luo all the knowledge of immortal script that he had compiled over the years. This time, it felt like arranging his final affairs. Chen Luo did not refuse but silently accepted and carefully preserved these teachings.

Such is the essence of legacy transmission.

“Go now, do not return here. This Great Mausoleum is treacherous for any cultivator. Your future lies beyond this place; you should not waste away within its confines.”

At the valley entrance, Longevity Daoist spoke to Chen Luo.

His figure appeared slightly hunched.