In the Sand Village, the clones are everywhere, and the Arkham game begins

Chapter 451 Lu Jin Wants to Cultivate Immortality

Li Muxuan never actually intended to successfully collect the favor. His actions were simply to pay off some debts for the Sanyi Sect before his death and to pass on the tradition of "Reversing the Eight Directions".

He could sever his karmic ties with Quanxing, but he couldn't let go of his bond with Wugensheng.

In his eyes, Wugensheng was a mentor just like Wang Yaozu and Zuo Ruotong.

Wang Yaozu passed on his skills, Zuo Ruotong shaped his character, and Wugensheng also enlightened and guided him.

However, neither Zuo Ruotong nor Wugensheng succeeded; instead, they were severely harmed by him. If the "Reversing Eight Directions" technique failed to be passed down, then Wang Yaozu would also have been let down.

"Brother Huang, I have taken pictures of the contents of this 'Reversed Eight Directions' document. I will give you the original."

Shimizu handed the original, which had been turned upside down, to Huang Ning'er, glanced at a bird soaring in the sky, and then walked toward Lu Jin.

"Old Master Lu, congratulations! Your great revenge has been achieved and your profound skills have greatly improved. If the Great Ying Immortal and the seniors of the Sanyi Sect could see you today, they would surely be gratified."

Shimizu bowed respectfully to Lu Jin.

"This revenge can only be considered half complete. Wu Gensheng is still alive, and as for the expectations of our master and fellow disciples..."

The handsome white-haired old man exited the rejuvenating state, shook his head, and showed no joy on his face.

"I am incompetent, yet I have still taken this step. Let alone the current reconstruction of the Three Pills, even if this profound skill breaks through three levels, it will not reach the heavens, nor can it resolve my master's inner conflict. How can I then talk about not living up to my master's expectations?"

"If the third level can't reach the heavens, what about the fourth level?"

A slight smile appeared on Qing Shui's face.

"No, three levels is the limit; there's nowhere left to go."

Lu Jin shook his head again, his face full of regret.

The Reverse Rebirth has three levels. The first level can transform the skin and flesh with Qi, ignoring ordinary injuries and strengthening the body. The second level can transform the internal organs and bones with Qi, enabling rapid self-healing and restoring severed limbs. At the peak of the second level, it can even reconstruct the three dantian, repairing even if the heart, dantian, and brain, which represent the core of essence, Qi, and spirit, are destroyed. And at the third level, the whole body is transformed with Qi, allowing one to transform oneself into an energy body.

This already encompasses the entirety of a person's body; without the ability to transform Qi into primordial Qi, this is the limit that this path can reach.

"But what if there really is a way to reverse Qi into primordial Qi? Then could this path of reversal truly lead to heaven?"

Qingshui said to Lu Jin.

"Do you have any idea?"

Lu Jin questioned.

"I've recently made some progress in my research. If I could combine it with the Reverse Life Triple, it might not be impossible."

Lu Jin remained silent for two seconds, knowing that Shimizu wouldn't make things up.

Moreover, their research skills have been empirically proven, so they might actually come up with something.

Lu Jin's spirits lifted, and he said:
"If it can really be done, I will naturally be willing to discuss the Triple Rebirth with you, Professor Zhuo. If there really is a path to heaven through rebirth that can resolve the unresolved issues between my teacher and me, then I will rebuild the Sanyi Sect."

"Senior Lu, you can come with me to my research institute later."

"Okay! Let's go now!"

Lu Jin's expression turned excited at this moment, a stark contrast to her listless demeanor after killing Li Muxuan.

"Master!"

"Senior Lu!"

"Master Lu!"

At this moment, the others also gathered around, offering either congratulations or words of comfort to Lu Jin.

However, Lu Jin didn't care about any of that at the moment. He just wanted to follow Qing Shui and see where the so-called fourth level of the path was.

Only Huang Ning'er summoned a car with a coffin, and accompanied by Ding Shian and Ru Hu, she collected Li Muxuan's body.

……

……

The following day, Ma Xianhong left the Dark Fortress and joined the Mo Clan.

That afternoon, in a biological laboratory at Peking University in Beijing.

"Senior Lu, what do you think? Is this natural energy truly real?"

Qingshui put away the small bottle containing the remaining volatile substances and said to Lu Jin, who was sitting cross-legged on the futon in front of him.

Even though Lu Jin has already passed on the Reverse Life Triple Technique to Qing Shui, he has only been learning it for a short time and hasn't even mastered the first level yet. He certainly can't use it directly. If he really wants to study it, he still has to rely on Lu Jin.

"Yes, I have indeed sensed it. This breathing technique can indeed absorb the so-called natural energy of heaven and earth into the body, but it cannot be retained for long. I have only just learned the basics, but I can deduce that even if one practices this technique day and night, it can only passively strengthen the body. Perhaps one can become stronger than an ordinary superhuman, but ultimately it does not cultivate life force or enter the Great Dao. No wonder I have never heard of it before."

Lu Jin stroked his long beard and said.

"Yes, so the problem now is how to make us, like an unborn fetus whose consciousness has not yet developed, absorb natural energy, merge it with Qi, and transform it into primordial Qi."

Qingshui sat opposite Lu Jin and said.

Lu Jin stroked his long white beard and said:

"So you want to use the method of Reverse Rebirth Triple, because the essence of Reverse Rebirth Triple is the concept of Internal Alchemy. It's just that other people's method is to cultivate a nascent soul in the body and keep it in the Xuan Guan acupoint on weekdays. This simulates the process of manifesting the innate Qi during the birth of life, so as to achieve the state of immortality when one is divine."

As for the Threefold Reversal of Life in my Sanyi Sect, it simply transforms the entire body's Qi from the inside out. If the threefold stage is achieved, the entire person becomes a Nascent Soul. If the physical body also possesses the ability to gather the natural energy of heaven and earth, like an infant embryo, and to evolve innate Qi, then this is the fourth stage after the threefold stage. This path leads to the heavens.

“That’s right,” Qingshui said to Lu Jin.

"In that case, I shall give it a try."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Jin's hair and beard stood on end, his eyes lit up with blue light, his body turned white, and he emitted the white mist that was born during the transformation of Qi, clearly indicating that he had entered a state of reverse rebirth.

Then, the handsome old man suddenly opened his mouth and inhaled a large amount of air.

"Senior Lu, how is it?"

Lu Jin nodded, then shook her head.

What does it mean?
"You mean the method is feasible, but you can't do it right now? Is it because you only have the peak of the second level of the Reverse Rebirth Triple Stage, instead of the complete third level?"

"Do not."

Lu Jin said:
"Even if it's only the first level of Reverse Life, it's fine. Reaching the third level only means the upper limit is higher. The real trouble is this."

Lu Jin raised a hand that was emitting white mist, and barbs quickly grew on it, looking like the body tissue of some kind of animal.

Shimizu's eyes narrowed.

This phenomenon...

It seems to be the kind of mutated state that appears in Sage Mode and Cursed Seal Transformation.

"I can sense that in the reverse life state, the pure Qi that the body transforms into can combine with natural energy. The ratio is hard to say, but two to one is the most comfortable. Otherwise, I'm afraid some accidents might happen."

Furthermore, this natural energy is not pure. I speculate that since the primordial energy is the source that sustains life development and guides its growth, it is not only useful to humans, but also to all living beings in the world.

This aligns with the ancient Chinese saying that all things possess Qi, and that the development of all things originates from Qi and follows certain principles.

What we need to do next is find that so-called principle, find a way to purify natural energy, or some other method, in short, transform it into the innate Qi suitable for humanity. In this way, we will have successfully traversed this fourth level!

As Lu Jin spoke, Qing Shui, through the effects of those volatile substances and her own powerful senses, could perceive that Lu Jin was forcing the abnormal innate Qi within her body to that arm.

The mutation of that arm became increasingly obvious until Lu Jin chopped off the mutated arm with a single chop.

As the white energy dissipated, Lu Jin's arm returned to normal, while the mutated arm on the ground continued to struggle.

"Oh? It didn't dissipate even after losing the support of Qi."

Lu Jin squatted down and looked at the arm that was withdrawing from the Qi transformation state, examining it closely.

"Perhaps it is the role played by the innate Qi. If the innate Qi and the nutrients absorbed from the outside world are sufficient, this thing may be able to become a new life form like a fetus. In that case, congratulations to you, Master Lu, for being over a hundred years old and having another son."

Shimizu looked at the arm on the ground, one side covered with sharp barbs and the other with snake-like scales, writhing wildly, and teased Lu Jin.

"Let's hurry up and destroy this thing."

Lu Jin immediately showed disgust.

"Row."

The clear water shot a beam of energy at the severed arm on the ground, burning it to a charred state.

"By the way, Professor Zhuo, there are some things I need to explain in more detail, lest you be careless in the future and suffer the consequences. The dangers of natural energy are not limited to this."

Lu Jin pointed to the charcoal on the ground and said to Qing Shuidao:
"Firstly, this natural energy, if not processed, is unsuitable for humans and will cause mutations. It may cause human mutations as you said, or it may be possible to use some means to expel those mutated innate primordial energies, thus eliminating the natural energy. However, this may not be so easy to do."

This is the second hidden danger I want to talk about. Perhaps it is still because this natural energy has not been processed. It is extremely violent and can even affect your own Qi. Once the Qi moves, your life will also change. The change in life is reflected in the physical body, which is the kind of change you just saw. The change in sex can affect a person's consciousness.

"If it weren't for my nearly century-long cultivation, practicing the orthodox Taoist Three-in-One Wonderful Method of Reversing Life Threefold, and having some foundation in spiritual cultivation, and having been suppressed by Zhang Zhiwei's purifying heart mantra, and now having killed Li Muxuan, thus sealing half of my inner demons, I might have been affected by this natural energy and gone mad again. And since you are so close to me, your life would certainly be in danger."

Lu Jin solemnly instructed Qing Shui.

When he went berserk, he almost killed the Celestial Master... well, not almost, but he still broke two of the Celestial Master's ribs!
This is already a record he can brag about for a while.

Not to mention that Lu Jin is now able to reconstruct the three cores, break through the third level of Reverse Life to the peak of the second level, and his strength has broken through again. He can already be considered a top-level peerless master!
Although Lu Jin knew that Qing Shui was very powerful and had strength that was beyond his age, he thought that no matter how powerful he was, he couldn't possibly be more powerful than the Old Master, right?
Back when we were at Longhu Mountain, it took the Old Celestial Master two broken ribs to subdue him when he hadn't yet broken through to the peak of the second level. If it were him now, what would happen?
However, Lu Jin was unaware that the opponent, Shimizu, also possessed top-tier combat power. In fact, after equipping himself with armor, his strength surpassed that of Lu Jin, an old man who had just crossed the threshold of top-tier combat power.

"Oh yes, please continue, is there anything else worth noting?"

"Yes, the third point is that we must precisely control the ratio of Qi to natural energy. I was in the state of reverse rebirth just now, so those adverse effects did not appear, but I still felt uncomfortable. If we cannot control the ratio of Qi to natural energy to two to one, we will not be able to control this newly born innate Qi."

Lu Jin held up one finger, her expression still serious.

Shimizu nodded repeatedly as he listened.

It seems we're on the right track.

He remembered that in the Naruto world, the Sage Mode training methods of the three great holy lands did indeed have similar problems. For example, to condense Sage Chakra, one must allocate spiritual energy, physical energy, and natural energy in a 1:1:1 ratio. Otherwise, once the balance is lost, the natural energy will become uncontrollable and violent, causing the body to be eroded by the natural energy and turn into a petrified frog.

These points perfectly matched what Lu Jin had said.

Clearly, the so-called Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku is just the cultivation method of those toads, at most modifying and improving the part about physical and spiritual energy based on the later chakra system, and making a fusion with it.

Whether it's the traces of frogification that appear more or less on successful cultivators, or the petrified frogs that fail, or the increased lifespan of the toads, it's enough to show that it belongs to the innate Qi of the toads.

Ryuchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest are probably the same; one is suitable for snakes, and the other for slugs.

However, the three holy lands have a systematic approach to the application of natural energy. Although humans cannot synthesize the innate Qi suitable for humans to extend their lifespan through cultivation, it can still be used as a means to enhance combat power.

The most human-friendly place is probably Mount Myōboku. As long as the body can adapt to the erosion of natural energy, the amount of chakra is large enough to withstand a certain degree of mutation, there is a certain margin for error, and the energy is properly distributed with qualified chakra control, then under the above conditions, one can use the toad oil of Mount Myōboku to sense and absorb natural energy. When the natural energy in the user's body goes out of control, the natural energy can be expelled by whipping with the Sage Art Whip.

In this way, even if someone is less talented in this area, they can still barely master it like Jiraiya, while those with better talent can achieve the so-called "Perfect Sage Mode" like Naruto.

(End of this chapter)