Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chen Yuan’s cave is on the hillside of Yunyin Peak. It is in a remote location and the surroundings are very quiet.

He spread out his spiritual sense, and the formation curtain covering the cave flickered a few times, but it could not block it, and his spiritual sense easily penetrated into it.

Chen Yuan let out a light exclamation. There was no one and nothing in the cave, but it was extremely clean, without a speck of dust.

He pondered for a moment, took out his identity jade token and shook it. The formation guarding the cave gradually dispersed, revealing a passage.

He had been away for more than a hundred years, but this cave had not been occupied by anyone else.

Chen Yuan put away the jade token and stepped in.

……

To the north of Lingyun Sect’s mountain gate, on top of a thousand-foot-high peak.

In the cave on the top of the mountain, a middle-aged cultivator sat on the main seat. With a deep voice, he was explaining the methods of cultivation and imparting the key points of his experience.

There were four monks standing below, three men and one woman, all with focused expressions, listening attentively.

Suddenly, a young monk's expression changed slightly and he looked a little unnatural.

The middle-aged monk noticed the change in his expression and said calmly, "Yuan Chun, why are you distracted?"

Upon hearing this, the other three looked at the middle-aged monk.

He clasped his fists and bowed: "Master, I have set up a formation in Uncle Chen's cave, and it was triggered just now. It seems that someone broke in."

The middle-aged cultivator frowned and said, "Who is so bold? Go back to Yunyin Peak now and drive away the person who broke into Junior Brother Chen's cave, and then come back to listen to my teachings."

"Yes!" the young monk responded and turned to walk out of the cave.

He rode on a beam of light and flew towards Yunyin Peak with a gloomy expression.

Senior Brother Guo had been guarding Senior Uncle Chen's cave for more than ten years, and there had never been any mistakes.

He had just become the master's disciple and was responsible for guarding his uncle's cave. Then someone broke in. How would his master view him?
The young monk moved very quickly and arrived at the mountainside of Yunyin Peak in less than a quarter of an hour.

Seeing that the stone door of Uncle Chen's cave was open, he couldn't help but get angry and shouted, "Who is trespassing here? Come out immediately!"

……

Chen Yuan walked through the stone chamber in the cave, thinking back to the days and nights of hard practice in the past. His mood was slightly changing, but he was interrupted by a loud shout.

He frowned, turned around and walked out of the cave, only to see a young cultivator hanging in the air, with a beam of light falling.

He looked Chen Yuan up and down and asked, "Who are you? Why are you trespassing here?"

Chen Yuan frowned: "Is this your cave?"

The young cultivator was a little impatient: "This is the cave of Uncle Luo. It has long been registered in the Zhenfu Pavilion and is protected by formations. How did you get in?"

Chen Yuan was quite surprised: "Who is your uncle?"

The young monk frowned and said coldly: "Please reveal your identity first!"

Chen Yuan showed his identity jade card: "I am Chen Yuan. This place used to be my cave. I can still enter and exit now. I am not trespassing."

The young monk was startled: "Are you Uncle Chen?"

Chen Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly: "Whose disciple are you from?"

The young monk clasped his fists and bowed: "Disciple Luo Yuanchun, Master Sun Hui Congyao, greets Uncle Master Chen!"

Chen Yuan suddenly realized: "So it's Brother Sun's son. Are you following Brother Sun's order to guard the cave for me?"

"Uncle Master has a keen eye." Luo Yuanchun glanced at the jade identity token in Chen Yuan's hand, "Uncle Master, can you let me check the identity token? It's not that I don't trust you, but you haven't been back for a hundred years..."

Chen Yuan smiled and handed the jade identity card to Luo Yuanchun.

Luo Yuanchun took the jade token, probed inside with his spiritual sense, breathed a sigh of relief, handed the jade token back with both hands, and bowed deeply: "Welcome Uncle Master back to the sect!"

Chen Yuan put away his identity jade card and said, "No need to be polite. Take me to see Senior Brother Sun. Has he already formed a pill?"

Luo Yuanchun said: "That's right, Master had already formed the elixir a hundred years ago and now lives in Tianquan Peak. Uncle Master, please follow me."

With a flash of light, the two of them flew into the sky and headed towards the north of the mountain gate.

Chen Yuan asked, "When did my nephew become Brother Sun's disciple?"

"I laid the foundation seven years ago, and then became Master's disciple." Luo Yuanchun said respectfully.

"For the past seven years, Junior Brother has been training at Yunyin Peak?"

"That's right. Before this disciple, it was Senior Brother Guo who lived on Yunyin Peak."

Chen Yuan sighed softly: "Senior Brother Sun is thoughtful."

Luo Yuanchun didn't know how to respond to this and could only smile along.

The two men's escape speed was not very fast. Under the guidance of Luo Yuanchun, it took them a full quarter of an hour to reach the top of Tianquan Peak and land their escape light.

Luo Yuanchun raised his hand and invited him: "Uncle Master, please come in. It's a coincidence today. Master is giving a sermon in the mansion. Brothers and sisters are all here."

"I just noticed something was wrong with Master Uncle's cave, so I followed Master's order and returned to Yunyin Peak to check."

Chen Yuan nodded, followed Luo Yuanchun and walked into the cave.

The stone door was open, and luminous pearls were embedded on both sides of the passage. A low voice could be faintly heard, revealing a hint of old-fashionedness.

The voice was very familiar, and Chen Yuan quickened his pace.

The two walked into the main hall. The middle-aged cultivator sitting in the main seat looked up and said indifferently: "Yuan Chun, who broke into your uncle Chen's cave..."

When he saw Chen Yuan walking in, he froze in place.

The other three cultivators all looked puzzled when they saw Chen Yuan following Luo Yuanchun.

Luo Yuanchun was about to speak, but Chen Yuan waved his hand, and he quickly shut up and stepped aside.

Chen Yuan walked slowly to the middle-aged cultivator and bowed, "Senior Brother Sun, I'm back."

Sun Congyao woke up as if from a dream. He stood up suddenly, walked around the stone table, and reached out to hold Chen Yuan's arm: "Junior Brother Chen!"

He looked Chen Yuan up and down, his face full of surprise, and his hands were extra strong.

Luo Yuanchun and the other three were extremely surprised. They all knew that their master was a strict and even a bit old-fashioned person, and they had never seen him lose his composure like this.

Chen Yuan stood up and said with a smile: "Congratulations, Senior Brother, on your great progress in cultivation and forming a golden elixir."

Sun Congyao calmed down a little, let go of Chen Yuan's hand, and said with a smile: "A hundred years have passed, and Junior Brother has also formed a pill, right?"

He spread his consciousness, but could not see Chen Yuan's cultivation level. He was surprised and asked, "Junior brother has broken through the bottleneck of the middle stage?"

Chen Yuan smiled but did not answer.

He had just returned to Lingyun Sect and the situation was unclear. Xuanyuanzi was still in seclusion and it was not appropriate for him to show his Nascent Soul cultivation right away.

Seeing this, Sun Congyao shook his head and laughed: "I forgot that Junior Brother is a genius and has made rapid progress. Even I have touched the bottleneck in the middle stage, so Junior Brother must have been one step ahead."

He clearly remembered that it took Chen Yuan only a dozen years to raise his cultivation to the late stage of foundation building. Luo Yuanchun and the other three had also heard Sun Congyao talk about Chen Yuan. After hearing this, they looked at him with awe in their eyes.

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Let's not talk about this for now. I want to thank my senior brother first for letting Junior Brother Luo guard the cave for me so that it is not occupied by others."

Sun Congyao smiled and said, "Junior brother, your life essence lamp has not been extinguished. I believe that one day, you will return to the sect. Please sit down and talk."

The two of them sat down as host and guest. Without Sun Congyao saying anything, Luo Yuanchun walked up to him and poured him spiritual tea.

Chen Yuan glanced at Luo Yuanchun, then looked at the three cultivators: "Are these young talents all disciples of my senior brother?"

Luo Yuanchun is in the early stage of foundation building. Among the other three, two are in the early stage of foundation building and one is in the middle stage of foundation building.

Sun Congyao looked at everyone and said, "Haven't you met Uncle Master yet?"

The four of them clasped their fists and bowed: "Greetings, Uncle Chen!"

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "I don't have anything good, so I'll give some spirit stones to you nephews as a gift. You must practice diligently and show respect to the master."

As he spoke, he took out four hundred medium-grade spirit stones from the mustard seed ring and handed them to the four people.

The four of them were overjoyed and bowed again: "Thank you, Uncle Master, for your generous gift!"

Each of them can get 100 medium-grade spirit stones, which can be used to buy a top-grade spirit weapon.

Sun Congyao shook his head slightly: "Junior brother, giving them so many spiritual stones is not conducive to their cultivation."

Of course, he would not take four hundred mid-grade spirit stones seriously, but he did not want to see his disciples getting spirit stones too easily and losing their ambition.

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "I have no control over how you teach your disciples, but if I give them too little, these nephews will turn around and say that I am too stingy. If this reputation spreads, how will I cope with it?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Yuanchun and the others hurriedly said, "Disciple dare not!"

Sun Congyao smiled and said, "Okay, you guys can leave first. I have something to say to your Uncle Chen."

"Yes." The four of them bowed, unable to hide the smiles on their faces.

Sun Congyao was a strict person and seldom gave spiritual weapons and spiritual stones directly. Chen Yuan's generosity made them very happy.

Before the four of them left, Chen Yuan suddenly said, "Please don't reveal what happened today to anyone yet."

The four of them were a little puzzled when they heard this, but since their uncle had spoken, they could only obey. They agreed and turned around to walk out of the cave.

Sun Congyao was puzzled and asked, "Junior brother, you have successfully completed the formation of the elixir and returned to the sect. You should report to the sect and take up the position of elder. Why do you want to conceal this matter?"

Chen Yuan said: "I haven't been back for a hundred years. I only returned to the sect after the Demon Sect retreated. If this gets out, it will inevitably cause criticism."

Sun Congyao nodded and said, "Junior brother, what you said makes sense. You are already a Jindan cultivator. You can serve as an elder when you return to the sect. This is not a trivial matter. You should first pay your respects to Master and ask Master to make the decision."

"Master, is everything okay?" Chen Yuan asked.

Sun Congyao smiled and said, "Master is in seclusion, honing his true essence, preparing for the formation of a baby."

A hint of joy flashed across Chen Yuan's eyes: "Master has already cultivated to the False Infant realm?"

Sun Congyao shook his head slightly: "After being defeated by the Demon Sect, the sect moved south and has been living under the protection of others. In order to raise training resources for the disciples, the Jindan elders in the sect have no time to retreat."

"Master is one of the few elders in the sect who has reached the late Jindan stage. He traveled a lot and worked hard until 20 years ago, when the Demon Sect suddenly retreated and the sect moved back to Qi. Master was finally able to practice in seclusion and hone his true essence."

"But he has not come out of retreat yet, and he is still a little short of the False Infant realm. However, Junior Brother will return to the sect today, and Master will definitely come out of retreat to meet him."

"If Junior Brother hadn't left behind many spiritual herbs to make elixirs, Master wouldn't have been able to work so hard for the sect and make such rapid progress in cultivation."

"After Junior Brother left, Master often asked if your natal lamp was safe. He must be very happy that you came back today."

Chen Yuan sighed and stood up: "There is no time to lose, I will go to see the master now."

Sun Congyao nodded, and the two of them walked out of the cave, and flew into the sky with a flash of light.

The two of them were not escaping very fast, so Chen Yuan asked, "Senior Sister Shen and Senior Brother Lin...are they okay now?"

Sun Congyao sighed, "Junior Sister Shen failed to form an elixir, her life span was exhausted, and she has passed away. Senior Brother Lin died at the hands of the evil cultivator, and no trace of his body was left."

Chen Yuan's eyes dimmed. He had been prepared for this, but he still felt sad when he heard the news of Shen Danmei's death.

He and Lin Hao were not close friends, but Shen Danmei was extremely caring towards him and had a straightforward and generous personality. Chen Yuan respected this senior sister very much.

However, only one out of a hundred foundation-building cultivators can form a golden elixir.

Lingyun Sect is a medium-sized sect. The foundation-building cultivators have no shortage of inheritance resources, and the chance of forming a pill is much higher, but it is also extremely difficult.

Although Shen Danmei has good talent, in order to form a golden elixir, she needs both opportunity and a heart of Tao, as well as a bit of luck. It is useless to have talent alone.

"Senior Sister Shen's grave..."

"Junior Sister Shen passed away 47 years ago and has never been buried. Later, the sect moved back to Qi State. I sent her remains back to her hometown and chose a place with excellent feng shui for burial."

"Where is Senior Sister Shen's grave?"

"Junior Brother, please accept my condolences. For those of us who practice Taoism, as long as we cannot achieve immortality, this day will come. Junior Sister Shen died on the path of seeking Taoism, and I have no regrets."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly: "I have two good fellow disciples named Mo Jingchun and Song Qingru. Senior brother, do you know whether they have formed the golden elixir?"

Sun Congyao thought for a moment and said, "Among our sect's Jindan elders, there are no such names as these two. They should have passed away by now."

Chen Yuan remained silent, and Sun Congyao said no more, and the atmosphere became a little heavy.

Chen Yuan's mind emerged with the scene of him and Mo Jingchun joining forces to kill Huang Yundao. He also remembered Song Qingru expressing her love to him on the flying boat, as if it happened just yesterday.

Now he has formed his Nascent Soul, but the two of them have already turned into a handful of earth.

The traces they left in the world will disappear little by little until they are forgotten, as if they had never been there.

Everything in the world is impermanent, only longevity is real, everything else is false.

The two men came to the top of a thousand-foot-high mountain and descended into the distance.

The top of the peak is steep and rugged, with dense pine and cypress trees. There is a cave embedded in the mountain wall. In front of the door hang several green vines, twisted and coiled like a coiled dragon. Above the two stone doors is a white jade plaque with the words "Jiangzhen" inscribed on it.

Sun Congyao took out a sound transmission talisman, put it to his lips, said a few words silently, and raised his hand to throw it out.

The sound transmission note turned into a stream of light, passed through the formation curtain, and flew into the cave.

The two waited for a full hour before the formation slowly dissipated and the stone door slowly opened.

"Come in." Jin Luoheng's clear and calm voice came from the cave.

The two walked into the cave, passed through the passage, and came to the slightly narrow stone hall.

There was a white jade bed in the hall, and nothing else. The walls were all made of rough and uneven bluestone.

Jin Luoheng sat upright on the white jade bed, wearing a black and white Taoist robe, with his hair loose and a smile on his lips.

Chen Yuan stepped forward and bowed deeply: "I, the unfilial disciple Chen Yuan, pay my respects to the Master!"

Jin Luoheng's eyes were filled with relief: "It's good that you're back."

He spread his spiritual sense and scanned Chen Yuan, and suddenly frowned: "Your cultivation... why can't I see through it?" (End of this chapter)