Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 460 The Talent of a Golden Immortal, Master Cheng

This time, Cheng Xinzhan's attainment of Dao was too sudden, and the process was too fast. Not to mention other forces, even the Eastern Daoist sect didn't react for a long time. So after Xiang Long's congratulatory shout, the world was quiet for a long time.

If it weren't for the tremors and echoes across the land that made it seem familiar, and if the bird-headed, human-bodied form wasn't so unique, who would think that it was Master Guangfa in harmony with the Dao?

Why is he in Hedao?

Wasn't he just born from divine inspiration?
The all-encompassing Dao Realm of Heaven and Earth was truly dazzling, and the Mirror Wheel of Precious Image, which made even Heaven and Earth pale in comparison, was truly mesmerizing.

After several years, the Dao Domain was established, and the Three Calamities were completely averted.

Then, a fierce demon descended from the sky, a flying dragon appeared on the river, two green-robed figures arrived, the Yunnan script changed dramatically, and then the green-robed figures fled.

One thing after another, it's truly dazzling and overwhelming.

After a long while, the first to react was the Chiyou Cave in Miao territory. Deep in the misty mountains of western Guizhou, a brilliant light suddenly shone forth, and an old man in Miao clothing stood in mid-air, bowing and shouting towards the direction of Redwood Ridge.

"Chiyou Cave congratulates Master Cheng on attaining enlightenment. We are delighted to see a true person unite with the Dao in our Miao land, bringing blessings to this region. We wish to venerate 'Master Qingjie Guangjing,' who should rightfully be our Miao people's teacher for all eternity and a guiding light for all households!"

No sooner had Miao Han finished speaking than the clouds and mountains stretching for thousands of miles in the heart of Miao territory vanished in an instant, revealing a towering peak like a sword piercing the sky. An old Taoist priest in white robes stood amidst the clouds, bowing and shouting towards Redwood Ridge.

"Fairy Cave congratulates Mr. Guangjing on obtaining the true Miao lineage; he should be a teacher for all ages!"

"Azure Dragon Cave..."

"Fuxia Lake congratulates Mr. Guangjing on the successful union with the Miao people! The Miao people all follow suit!"

You Gaomin's voice from Qinglong Cave had barely begun when it was interrupted by Hong Changbao's loud voice. It was clear that he was already overjoyed and weeping uncontrollably!

Helpless, You Gaomin didn't want to argue with Hong Changbao, so he could only wait for Hong Changbao to finish speaking before offering his congratulations again.
"Qinglong Cave congratulates Mr. Guangjing on the successful union of his sons with his adopted son! We will certainly follow in his footsteps!"

At this moment, the Elephant King, who was kneeling in Redwood Ridge awaiting execution, suddenly had a sudden inspiration and repeated his congratulatory message.
"Shenxiangjing congratulates Mr. Guangjing on obtaining the true Miao lineage! We will certainly follow in his footsteps!"

After the great sect of Miao Jiang finished shouting, the other factions seemed to wake from a dream and quickly showed up to offer their congratulations. Thus, congratulatory shouts rose and fell throughout the land, with Guangjing, Guanghong, and Guangfa calling out incessantly.

As for the conflict between the Green Robe Ancestor of Yunnan and the Haha Ancestor, no one cares about it anymore.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The news of Dianwen spread the next day.

Haha Ancestor, who wanted to take advantage of the situation to seize Ma Xiong Mountain and Nanpan River, was beaten bloody by Green Robe Ancestor, who rushed over upon hearing the news. Both of his arms were dislocated and entered Green Robe Ancestor's stomach. The severed arms were burned by dragon flames, completely destroying his meridians and acupoints, making regeneration impossible.

In other words, Haha Ancestor, who lost his lower body during the Ascension Tribulation, has now become a human pig.

Green Robe was also injured. As the previous patriarch of the Southern School, Haha Ancestor was naturally very skilled. He had mastered the "Twelve Capital Heavenly Gods and Demons" technique, which could be both real and illusory, and was extremely powerful. It struck Green Robe on the forehead, freezing him for several breaths before he could recover.

Furthermore, this old ancestor Haha was born in the Year of the Dog. He had no demeanor whatsoever and even tried to bite the green-robed man when he got close. He even bit the green-robed man's face, tearing a piece of flesh off his left cheek. He could be considered to have tasted the dragon's flavor.

In the end, Green Robe, relying on the terrain, severely injured Haha Ancestor at the cost of minor injuries, drove him away, and expelled him all the way to Savage Mountain.

The Savage Mountain has seventy-two interconnected caves, forming a complex network, with countless hidden underground caves of unfathomable depth. Haha Ancestor hid underground, and even the Green Robe couldn't harm him.

Enraged, Green Robe set fire to Savage Mountain, burning down most of it and claiming the lives of countless demon disciples gathered there. Then he swaggered back to Nanpan River and even made a trip to Wumeng Mountain, presumably to appease the demon ancestor.

This battle also made the world take notice of the Green Robe's fighting prowess.

Because on the last two occasions, Mr. Guangfa achieved his enlightenment and attained Dao by stepping on the face of the Green Robe Ancestor in the Southern School territory, and this demonic dragon failed to gain any advantage on its two appearances, it inevitably aroused people's contempt.

But after this battle, everyone understood that it was not that the Green Robe was old and weak, but that Mr. Guangfa was so strong that he was unreasonable and could not be judged by common sense.

That old ancestor, Haha, is a Loose Immortal!

Such a figure, however, had his arms devoured by the green-robed figure and was forced to hide underground, too ashamed to show his face. This personal test once again proved the common understanding among humans that a true dragon of the Fifth Realm could defeat an immortal.

As a result of this news, the redwood temple where Mr. Guangfa was located became even more crowded.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Several tables were set up for a private banquet on Hongmuling Cliff.

The banquet was set up yesterday afternoon, and because people kept coming to offer their congratulations, it remained in place for a while. The feast was simple, consisting of seasonal fruits, some grain wine, and mountain tea; guests were free to help themselves. Because Cheng Xinzhan had said there would be no grand banquet or celebration, even more people arrived one after another, with each friendly sect sending one or two people with gifts. However, these people were all very considerate; they would have a couple of drinks or tea, catch up, and then leave, not wanting to occupy a table for too long.

There was only one exception: Hong Changbao was so drunk that he forgot himself. Even when he was dizzy, he didn't stop drinking. He toasted everyone he met and smiled at everyone he met. He had been drinking since last night.

This was Hong Changbao's first return to Hongmuling since breaking into the sect, and also the first time he had openly left the sect since the establishment of Fuxia Lake.

Around noon, the innocent boy led Ji Kaiming to the meeting.

Hong Changbao was now acting as the greeter. When he saw the innocent child coming from afar, he quickly went forward, invited him to sit down, and bowed respectfully, his gratitude overflowing.

Tianzhen knew that Hong Changbao was thanking her for the protection he had given her during her pregnancy. In fact, the two were both Miao people, born on the same day, and neighbors, but this was their first time actually meeting. Tianzhen had a good impression of Hong Changbao, knowing how difficult his life had been over the years, and they hit it off immediately. Tongzi, being a man of genuine feelings, had come to congratulate Cheng Xinzhan, but before even meeting the person in charge, he was already drinking heartily with Hong Changbao.

Bai Long and Zhao Li arrived long ago and are now acting as waiters, refilling the guests' wine.

Ji Kaiming and Bai Long looked at each other and smiled. Then Ji Kaiming joined the ranks of the waiters, treating himself as one of them.

At this time, Cheng Xinzhan himself was not on Tiangou Cliff. Because the Cheng Chu Zhenren of Juqu Mountain was too polite and actually came to offer his congratulations in his true form from afar, Cheng Xinzhan personally saw him off after chatting for a while.

The conversation between the two had reassured Master Chengchu, and now she seemed extremely happy. She smiled and said...
"I think you have the charm of my beloved Yuanjun!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan shook his head repeatedly and said,
"How dare I compare myself to the Yuanjun? I am far inferior to her and feel ashamed of my own inadequacy."

“Sir, your abilities are evident to all of us, so there is no need for you to belittle yourself.”

Master Chengchu said with a smile, and then said,

"Please don't send any more. Sir must be busy these days. Please go back."

Having said that, the real person transformed into a rainbow and disappeared.

Cheng Xinzhan then returned to Tiangou Cliff.

When the innocent boy saw Cheng Xinzhan return with the person, his face immediately lit up with joy, and he shouted loudly,

"Master Cheng is back! Congratulations on your return!"

Cheng Xinzhan arrived at the table, sat down next to Tianzhen, took the wine pot from Bailong's hand, poured wine for Tianzhen, and said with a smile,
"Master Wen, please don't flatter me. There's no need for such formalities between us. Just call me by my given name."

The innocent child shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum, and said...

"How is this flattery? One who receives the title of 'Third Master' is a 'Great Master,' which is a tradition of our Taoist sect. How long has it been since our sect has produced a Great Master? Now that we have one, shouldn't people be allowed to call him 'Great Master' and shout about him?" The innocent boy smiled.

His words were indeed true. There is an old custom within Taoism that the title of a person can be preceded by the character "大" (Great) to signify reverence and authority. An example is Lu Xiujing, also known as Master Lu, from the late Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties period. Master Lu was well-versed in the Taoist canon, authored numerous books, and was successively honored with the title of "Master" by the Shangqing School, Lingbao School, and Tianshi School, hence the title "Master Lu."

Cheng Xinzhan chuckled to himself. He hadn't expected the various sects of Miao Jiang to pull such a stunt, as they hadn't informed him beforehand.

"You actually really fit in with the earth's energy, especially the energy of the Miao region."

The innocent child sighed.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled upon hearing this.

"Isn't this influenced by Master Wen's teachings?"

"Um?!"

Hong Changbao, who was drinking alone, suddenly heard this news and sobered up considerably. He immediately perked up his ears to listen.

Wen Tianzhen was startled; her hand trembled, spilling the wine in her glass. She quickly put a finger to her lips and whispered, "Shh!"

"Good heavens, sir! Please spare me! When did I ever teach you this?! Don't talk nonsense! If your parents find out that your earthly energy was influenced by me, I'll be dead!"

Cheng Xinzhan smiled and said,
"You flatter me, Master."

"Don't take it too seriously!"

"Tianzhen exclaimed, then looked at Hong Changbao,"
"Fellow Daoist Hong, he's talking nonsense. Don't take it seriously, and definitely don't spread it around!"

Hong Changbao listened and nodded repeatedly, his gaze towards Wen Tianzhen becoming increasingly different, filled with admiration.

Seeing that Wen Tianzhen was truly anxious, Cheng Xinzhan stopped joking with him and said,
"What a wonderful place Miao territory is! I comprehended Yang Fire here, cultivated my Heart Palace and obtained a flying sword here, and the first purification of my Golden Core was also in this area. Miao territory is a treasure land and a blessed land for me! It is only natural that I would merge with the Dao here."

Hearing him say this, Wen Tianzhen finally breathed a sigh of relief and said,
"Anyway, no matter what, your merging with the earth's energy in Miao territory has shocked a large number of people. The demonic sects and heretics are uneasy, while the Taoist sects are both happy and worried. Since the Later Tang Dynasty, the only one who has merged with the earth's energy with the talent of a Golden Immortal is the Blissful Immortal of Qingcheng Mountain in Xixuan. You are the second. Moreover, the Blissful Immortal did not have your achievements when he was seventy years old."

Cheng Xinzhan laughed when he heard this.

"The potential of a Golden Immortal? Who spread this rumor? Isn't that an exaggeration?"

The innocent child shook his head, his expression quite serious, and explained to Cheng Xinzhan,
"I didn't make this up, nor did anyone spread it around; it's just that there is indeed such a saying in the cultivation world."

"Oh?"

Cheng Xinzhan looked over curiously and poured Tianzhen another cup.

The boy said,
"Since the Later Tang Dynasty, the Golden Immortals have gone into seclusion, and the path to immortality has become blocked. No matter whether they are Heavenly Immortals, Earthly Immortals, or Immortals who have achieved Corpse Liberation, no one has ever been able to break through this barrier, which has troubled generation after generation. But every generation has been looking for a way to break it, and no one has ever given up."

"As you know, realms are static, but people are dynamic. Sometimes, even within the same realm, the actual difference between people can exceed the mere name of the realm. You should be able to sense that. When you were in the Golden Core realm, you were able to reverse the Five Poisons and enlighten the Red-Haired Ancestor, a corpse cultivator in the fourth realm. You were practically unmatched in your realm. When you reached the Nascent Soul realm, you single-handedly suppressed a fifth-realm master from the Blood God Sect. Now, you've only reached the fifth realm, yet even Green Robe can't do anything to you face-to-face."

At this moment, Hong Changbao and several younger members of the family, who had been listening intently, felt a tremor in their hearts and their eyes widened upon hearing this.

Four Realms Towns and Five Realms, when did this happen?! How come I've never heard of this before?!
Cheng Xinzhan nodded silently after hearing Wen Tianzhen's words; he naturally understood. Cultivation was indeed an extremely simple matter. In his view, only "Master Guangfa" was a title that could be considered truly fitting; "Master Guanghong" was an honor bestowed by the Dragon Palace; and "Master Guangjing" was a title given by the Miao people in gratitude for his kindness. He couldn't compare to Master Lu, who had compiled the Daoist canon and written books—that was truly remarkable, far more difficult than cultivation.

To be honest, I've been known mostly for my martial arts skills throughout my cultivation journey, but my achievements in civil administration are still too few. After the demonic influence is eradicated, I must work hard on civil administration and leave behind a legacy of writings so that my life on earth will not have been in vain.

Naïve continued speaking,

"Therefore, some people are born different. Every stage of their lives is different from ordinary people, and this is also true when they reach the Immortal Realm. So the cultivation world places high hopes on these people and places the hope of continuing the dead-end path of the Golden Immortal on them. This is how the so-called 'Golden Immortal potential' came about."

"There are two generally accepted standards for the qualifications of a Golden Immortal: speed and strength. 'Speed' is easy to understand; it means cultivation must be fast, and breakthroughs must be quick. Only in this way can one demonstrate their cultivation aptitude and still have sufficient lifespan to explore the mysteries of the Golden Immortal realm after reaching the Immortal Realm. There is a standard here called 'Three Jiazi to Unite with the Dao.' This refers to completing the union with the Dao within three Jiazi after beginning cultivation, thus laying the foundation for immortality. This alone excludes me, and also excludes ninety-nine percent of people in the world."

"The Blissful Immortal Li Jingxu I just mentioned is a third-class Dao-merging expert. And you are a first-class expert."

With a naive smile, she looked at Cheng Xinzhan and asked,

Do you know who the last person to achieve the highest rank in the Dao was?

Cheng Xinzhan smiled, having guessed the answer.

"Is it the Venerable Zhang Sanfeng?"

The innocent child laughed loudly, then clapped his hands and nodded.
"It is indeed my master!"

“I heard that Master Zhang Sanfeng only formally began cultivating Taoism when he was sixty years old, and he established his own religion when he was one hundred years old. In total, it only took him a little over forty years. Compared with him, I am still far behind.”

Cheng Xinzhan said.

He truly admired Zhang Sanfeng, who spent forty years cultivating the Tao, sixty years vanquishing demons, and was invincible in the world for a full hundred years. He also proved his Tao through martial arts, leaving behind a lineage called "Wudang," which was truly fitting.

It is truly shameful that I am inferior to Master Lu in both civil affairs and martial arts in both martial arts.

However, comparing himself to Lu Xun and Zhang Fei in both literary and military matters was just something he thought to himself; if he actually said it, it would be quite shocking.

Upon hearing his words, Tianzhen burst into laughter and said,
"Xinzhan, you've gone too far. You already have the title of Master, and if you're going to be faster than my master in cultivation, that would be too discouraging."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled and nodded. Indeed, this land of China is full of legends. How could he possibly compare to them all?
Naïve continued speaking,

"The second word is 'strong.' This is easy to understand. Cultivation not only requires speed, but also the ability to do what others cannot. You must accomplish things that transcend the conventional understanding of this realm. Otherwise, how can you be expected to break free from the shackles of the Immortal Realm?"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded slowly. That made a lot of sense. So he asked,
"Then what does it mean for a capable person to do something that others cannot?"

Naive answer,
"Defeating enemies beyond the realm, creating new techniques beyond the realm, refining the Golden Core ten times, having two Nascent Souls, having a Dharma form exceeding one hundred feet, undergoing the Three Calamities and Nine Transformations, and other inconceivable and unconventional things all count."

As she spoke, Tianzhen looked at Cheng Xinzhan and smiled.
"I don't know about other mystical feats, but I know you've already defeated enemies beyond your realm, created techniques beyond your realm, and your Dharma form has exceeded a hundred feet in length. Therefore, you truly meet these two conditions, so it's only natural to call you 'the potential of a Golden Immortal.' I also look forward to the day you break through the bottleneck of the Immortal Realm."

The innocent eyes shone brightly.

Cheng Xinzhan did not reply, but simply raised his glass in a toast.

After taking a sip of the fine wine, Cheng Xinzhan, filled with curiosity, asked...

"Who are the individuals with the 'golden immortal' qualities throughout history?"

Naive answer,
"Lü Dongbin, Du Guangting, Tan Tiandu, Chen Xiyi, Zhang Boduan, Zhang Keda, Bai Yuchan, Sa Shoujian, Wang Chongyang, Shao Taiyuan, Zhang Sanfeng, Ren Changmei, Li Jingxu, and Cheng Xinzhan."

One by one, names that would shake the ages and shine through the ages were uttered from the innocent child's mouth, their voices deafening.

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(End of this chapter)