Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 321 True Monarch Hanchuan: Don't you experience any bottlenecks in your cultivation?
Inside the main hall of the Tiangang Sect's formation, True Lord Hanchuan paced anxiously back and forth.

He frequently looked up at the communication stone in front of him, but the pre-arranged signal that signified that everything was alright never came.

"Why haven't we heard anything yet? Could something have happened?"

Han Chuan Zhenjun was anxious, but he couldn't show it too obviously.

After all, he was surrounded by juniors from the sect, who were unable to listen to or share his worries.

He should have remained relatively calm in their presence.

So he could only keep all his anxiety to himself.

"Om~!"

A bright light suddenly flashed in the center of the formation, indicating that someone had triggered the mountain-protecting formation.

Before Han Chuan Zhenjun could react.

A deafening roar of celebration erupted from the outside world.

"Welcome back in triumph, True Lord!"

"Congratulations, True Lord! Congratulations, True Lord!"

"Senior Brother Zhang, look! That giant sea fish has finally been killed!"

Upon hearing this, True Lord Hanchuan first breathed a sigh of relief, and then a strong sense of curiosity arose in his heart.

Logically speaking, returning safely is a victory, so how did it become a triumphant return?

His spiritual sense reached out of the palace gate before his physical steps.

Immediately, they saw in mid-air that True Lord Gangyuan was dragging the Nascent Soul Sea Fish, which was a thousand feet long, and using his true essence to condense into long spears, pinning it directly in mid-air.

He deliberately slowed down his movements to ensure that even lower-ranking disciples could see clearly.

This is undoubtedly a form of showing off and display, indirectly announcing to the sect disciples that they have won a great victory.

However, unlike his disciples who were overjoyed.

At a glance, True Lord Hanchuan noticed a slightly familiar-looking young man standing next to True Lord Gangyuan.

With his powerful memory, two words immediately popped into his mind—Xiao Chen.

It turned out to be him!

The moment he recognized the other person, True Lord Hanchuan immediately guessed some of the details of the matter.

Is there really a turning point?
He himself was somewhat surprised that they had actually witnessed the long-awaited change.

It's not easy; he's been injured for almost two years.

He had been thinking about it day and night, and finally this day came.

With the addition of a new Nascent Soul True Monarch to the war against the Sea Clan, the original predicament may finally see a breakthrough.

At least for now, with the killing of a fourth-tier demon, the balance of power between the two sides has shifted, allowing the Tiangang Sect to postpone their large-scale retreat and continue to hold their ground here.

If it weren't for a last resort, who would be willing to abandon their sect's foundation?

"Just be quiet first!"

After hanging up the sea fish, Gangyuan Zhenjun took a half step back and let Xiao Chen stand in front of him: "I have good news to announce today. My Compassionate Sea has gained another human Zhenjun."

"It is indeed Fellow Daoist Xiao standing before me."

"We were able to slay this great sea monster today thanks to Fellow Daoist Xiao's great help."

Thousands of disciples had already gathered below.

Upon hearing this, regardless of their cultivation, they all clasped their hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, True Lord Xiao!"

The movements were standard, and the sounds were loud and uniform, clearly indicating prior training.

"In the next few days, Fellow Daoist Xiao will also stay at my Qingcang Peak as a guest and temporarily reside at Bizhu Peak."

Gangyuan Zhenjun's tone turned solemn: "From now on, no one is allowed to set foot on Bizhu Peak without authorization."

"Fighting or gathering around is also prohibited; otherwise, it will be dealt with according to the sect rules."

"Did you all understand?"

The disciples below responded again: "We will obey the True Lord's decree!"

Seeing this, True Monarch Gangyuan nodded in satisfaction, and then warmly led Xiao Chen to the back hall of the sect.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, please take a seat. Fine wine and food will be served shortly."

"Today is the happiest day I've had in the past two years. We must have a good drink together."

This is at least a honest opinion.

For him, aside from the day True Monarch Rift Sky successfully broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, today was truly the day he felt happiest.

"Fellow Daoist Gang Yuan is too kind."

Xiao Chen echoed, then looked at the True Monarch Hanchuan beside him: "Forgive my poor eyesight, may I ask if this gentleman is Fellow Daoist Hanchuan?"

Aside from the Eight Directions Arena, he hadn't really seen many other True Lords before.

Even this Dharma name was something I learned from Master Hongying beforehand.

Gangyuan Zhenjun immediately gave a brief introduction to both parties.

Furthermore, it emphasized that Xiao Chen had achieved merit with his flying lock in the previous battle.

"Such a strange thing has happened?"

Han Chuan Zhenjun's expression changed slightly. Although he had guessed the general process, he still felt that the phrase "providing strong support" was just a polite remark.

After all, normally speaking, he's only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, so being able to exert a restraining effect would already be quite impressive.

It was truly unexpected that True Lord Gangyuan would still speak so tactfully in front of his disciples.

At that moment, I felt both amazed and puzzled.

After all, he had never heard of any other lineage possessing a method with similar effects.

But precisely because of this, he became even more convinced of Xiao Chen's rumored identity as the successor of a reclusive Daoist lineage.

Since they can master such special methods, it must be genuine.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao is truly a promising young man."

Han Chuan Zhenjun sighed and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, I see that Fellow Daoist Xiao has a youthful spirit, like the rising sun."

"He looks even younger than that Fellow Daoist Die Lang, seemingly still in his early twenties?"

"It looks like we're about to set a new record for the fastest breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage in our Compassionate Sea."

To be honest, this is something that every Nascent Soul True Monarch would pay attention to upon seeing Xiao Chen.

After all, he looks far too young.

"Fellow Daoist Hanchuan is joking. I am already twenty-nine years old. How can I be considered a young man?"

Xiao Chen explained, "Although the breakthrough was not slow, there was not much luck involved along the way; it was all due to the passage of time."

He didn't seem to care much about the timing of this breakthrough.

After all, he is now a rogue cultivator, and there are no sect rewards to receive for breaking through ahead of schedule.

However, upon hearing this, both Gangyuan Zhenjun and Hanchuan Zhenjun widened their eyes and froze on the spot.

How many?

Twenty-nine?
Don't joke with me like that, a Nascent Soul True Monarch who's not even thirty years old?

For them, this was no longer surprise, but horror.

To be honest, even if someone started cultivating from the womb, being able to form a core in this short time would already make them a prodigy.

It should be noted that True Monarch Die Lang broke the fastest cultivation record in the Compassionate Sea for two thousand years and was known as a super genius who appears only once in a thousand years.

But he was already fifty-eight years old when he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage.

That's exactly twice as much as Xiao Chen's!
It's simply unbelievable that the two of them could have such a large time difference.

The way Han Chuan Zhenjun looked at Xiao Chen changed: Did you not encounter any bottlenecks in your cultivation?
Or do you mean that breaking through your bottleneck doesn't take time?
Even if you can break through once you have enough true essence, refining true essence is a slow and painstaking process that should take time to accumulate.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, is this really true?"

Gangyuan Zhenjun couldn't help but ask, "It's not that I don't believe you, fellow Daoist, but this matter is just too unbelievable."

Prior to this, the fastest recorded breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage in the entire Compassionate Ocean, with verifiable historical records, was at the age of forty-two.

Even the most extraordinary genius who created the Taiqing Huaying Glazed Pearl in ancient times, according to legend, only broke through to the Nascent Soul stage at the age of thirty.

Even so, many cultivators still thought it was outrageous.

More than one Nascent Soul True Monarch has criticized the rumors, saying that many of them are untrue and should not be believed entirely.

But if Xiao Chen is only twenty-nine years old, that would be living proof.

This proves that it is still possible to have a baby before the age of thirty.

This also proves that he will set a new record for the fastest breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage in a million years.

A new record that is unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated.

"Fellow Daoist Gang Yuan, you flatter me. Just as I said, it was simply a matter of good fortune."

Xiao Chen humbly admitted, "But there's no need to fake this kind of thing. I haven't actually cared about it."

This is indeed true.

After gathering all the materials needed for the breakthrough, he didn't rush to break through; instead, he deliberately delayed the breakthrough, prioritizing the path of magic cultivation.

It just so happened that there were many Golden Core Sea Fish around, which helped accelerate the process of accumulating true essence.

Hmm, thinking about it this way, it's not just the sea creatures who are the biggest beneficiaries of the spiritual energy tide.

Xiao Chen was actually one of the extra beneficiaries of the spiritual energy surge.

Not only did they enjoy the spiritual energy itself, they also obtained additional demon core resources.

He started thinking about the spiritual tide here.

Silence fell over the inner hall.

The main reason was that the news was so shocking that neither Gangyuan Zhenjun nor Hanchuan Zhenjun knew what to say.

They need some time to process this.

After a while.

Only then did True Lord Hanchuan speak, saying, "It is indeed presumptuous of me to ask this question."

"Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Xiao, I swear on my Dao heart and my sect that I will never reveal this matter to anyone. If I break this oath, may heaven and earth forsake me and may I be expelled from the sect."

Gangyuan Zhenjun nodded in agreement: "Me too."

The news that he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage at the age of twenty-nine is extremely important.

If this news reaches the ears of the sea race or even some human cultivators, it could bring about unpredictable changes.

"Why are you two so serious? Since I dared to speak up, I have nothing to worry about."

Xiao Chen smiled easily: "Forget about that, let's talk about something else."

Now that he has a new cultivation world to avoid trouble and his ability to protect himself has greatly increased, he really doesn't care about this.

Suddenly, the palace door creaked open.

True Lord Liekong pushed open the door and entered, followed by dozens of maids.

Each person either held a plate of delicious food or a bottle of elixir on a tray, which were placed alternately on the round table.

Of course, he personally placed the most crucial bottle of spirit wine in the very center.

This bottle of spirit wine is no ordinary wine.

The front is vertically engraved with the three large characters "醉山川" (Drunken Mountains and Rivers), and below it is a red seal the size of a grain of rice.

If you look closely enough, you can tell that the seal says "Three Mountains Grotto Heaven". The bottle is a single piece, clearly taken from a single piece of jade.

Xiao Chen immediately recognized the material.

You should know that he doesn't know many fourth-tier spiritual materials.

Well, it's not exactly a good thing.

"Fellow Daoist Gang Yuan, this seems to be the Three Lights Nourishing Soul Jade?"

Xiao Chen finally recognized it; wasn't this one of the important spiritual materials that could help him break through to the Nascent Soul stage?
You guys actually used this as a wine bottle?
Isn't that a bit too extravagant?
To be honest, if we had this for our disciples, we might be able to produce another Nascent Soul True Monarch, which would be much better than this.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao has excellent eyesight!"

Gangyuan Zhenjun noticed Xiao Chen's surprise and even felt a bit proud. He smiled and explained, "That's right, this is a fourth-grade spiritual wine preserved by the Three Lights Nourishing Soul Jade."

"This is a superior spiritual wine that I obtained from the Three Mountains Grotto Heaven in my early years."

"Now it will be exactly three hundred years from now, just two more years away."

"However, since Fellow Daoist Xiao has graced us with his presence, we should naturally bring out our drinks to share."

With that, he waved his hand and used his true energy to remove the cork from the bottle, drawing out four streams of amber-colored nectar that landed in the wine glasses that had been prepared in front of the four people.

In an instant, the rich aroma of wine spread like a tide, filling the entire rear hall.

The palace doors were naturally already tightly closed, so Xiao Chen actually felt that the concentration of spiritual energy around him had increased significantly.

At the same time, a peculiar fruity aroma emanated from the spirit wine that fell into the glass.

Its flavor is mellow and rich; any more would be too strong, and any less would be too weak—it is just right.

Just smelling it makes one feel that the circulation of true energy within the body is faster.

Xiao Chen was secretly amazed and took a sip of his drink.

It is smooth and mellow on the palate, not greasy at all. As soon as it is swallowed, it transforms into spiritual energy and dissolves into the meridians.

Only a small wisp of pure energy remained, rushing straight into the dantian and surrounding the nascent soul, subtly nourishing it.

Xiao Chen took a big gulp and immediately confirmed that this stuff did indeed have the effect of nourishing the Nascent Soul, making it a kind of supplement.

However, compared to this...

He was actually more concerned about what exactly the 'Three Mountains and Caves' was.
It doesn't sound like a place for brewing wine.

Moreover, Xiao Chen noticed that when Gang Yuan Zhenjun introduced this place name, there was a hint of pride in his tone.

It seemed to be a fairly famous place, and the other party seemed to assume that he should know about it, without offering any further explanation.

The problem is, he had never actually heard of it.

But that doesn't matter; he'll know as soon as the next deal is finalized.

Of course, since we're already here, there's no need to rush.

"It's really a good wine!"

Xiao Chen made a compliment, and then they continued eating and talking, exchanging compliments once again.

After several rounds of drinks, everyone had almost finished celebrating.

He cleared his throat and prepared to get down to business: "To be honest, the reason I've come to visit you fellow Daoists is actually to make a deal."

"Choose two Yellow-rank spells from your sect."

"Read some ancient and rare books, or travelogues and biographies."

"To be frank, I hope to visit your sect's library in the next few days."

"Of course, I won't just look for nothing. Whether it's spirit stones or fourth-tier spirit items, we can discuss it."

Actually, this request is a bit presumptuous, after all, it is the most private place in a sect.

It is even more important than the sect's warehouse.

Xiao Chen's initial plan was to use the pressure from the sea tribe to persuade them with kind words, and then exchange them for great benefits.

But things are different now. When we were drinking, the other person seemed easy to talk to, so he spoke his mind freely.

As expected, True Lord Gangyuan did not show the slightest anger upon hearing this.

Instead, he took the initiative to say, "The Scripture Pavilion is a very important place. If someone else had said that, there would be no point in even discussing it. But if Fellow Daoist Xiao wants to go, then that's a different story."

He immediately took out a token and handed it directly to Xiao Chen.

"This is the array token of the Scripture Pavilion. Fellow Daoist Xiao, please take it."

"Read whatever you want, pick whichever book you want."

"Also, Fellow Daoist Xiao, please don't mention spirit stones to me. It would be too formal. These things won't break if I just look at them. How could I possibly accept your spirit stones?"

"If word gets out, people will say that our Tiangang Sect is petty."

As he spoke, True Lord Gangyuan took out another small flag: "This is the array flag of the secret chamber on the top floor of the Scripture Pavilion, protecting the Heaven-level and Earth-level inheritances."

"Not to mention Yellow-level spells, even Heaven-level spells are available for Fellow Daoist Xiao to choose freely."

The reason he was so generous was because he had heard that Xiao Chen had broken through to the Nascent Soul stage at the age of twenty-nine and wanted to befriend him.

This is also because the Tiangang Sect's Scripture Pavilion is actually divided into three floors.

The core heritage of this sect is not placed on the first two floors.

Of course, the second floor does indeed contain important texts, including fourth-order celestial-level inheritances.

However, those were collected from various external channels over the years, and even if they were all leaked, it would not lead to the leakage of the core techniques of our sect.

"Then I thank you for your kindness, fellow Daoist, but there's no need for Heaven-level spells."

Xiao Chen simply accepted the token and gave a mysterious smile: "Having a Xuan-level or Huang-level token is enough, you know what I mean."

As soon as he said that...

This completely baffled True Lord Gangyuan.

Should I understand?
Considering Xiao Chen's identity as the successor of a reclusive Daoist lineage, could there be some other explanation behind this?

But under what circumstances would someone not care about the grade of their cultivation techniques, and simultaneously want to browse ancient books and personal biographies?

A flash of inspiration struck Gang Yuan Zhenjun.

Oh, I get it!
It must be that the reclusive sects want to collect and supplement information from the outside world.

So he nodded and smiled in agreement with Xiao Chen's words.

He finally understood, but the True Lord Rift Sky standing next to him was completely dumbfounded.

Is he drunk? Why can't he understand what I'm saying?

Rift Sky True Monarch instinctively wanted to ask a question.

But on second thought, is it inappropriate to ask now?

Therefore, he decided to ask his senior brother privately later to find out what the explanation was.

Having finalized the deal, Xiao Chen didn't linger any longer.

Everyone had already eaten and drunk their fill, so after chatting briefly, Gangyuan Zhenjun took the initiative to leave his seat to inspect the formation.

He then went directly to the library.

To be honest, Xiao Chen had been thinking about this for quite a while.

It's just that the timing wasn't right before, so I didn't think much about it.

Since arriving in the Eastern Region, he has seemed to have only a superficial understanding of many things.

Many of the local spirits are unrecognizable, their distribution of power is unclear, and they are completely unaware of some of the unique customs and traditions.

During the storm, Xiao Chen could still rely on some books he had read in the Southern Region as a reference.

However, after being forced to come to the Sea of ​​Compassion, it can be said that intelligence was completely cut off.

In terms of information channels, they are not even as good as ordinary Golden Core cultivators.

This is also the main reason why Xiao Chen liked to frequently purchase information after arriving at the Compassionate Sea, and would often visit the Lingtong Pavilion.

He needs to supplement the information in this way.

Nevertheless, there are still many things he doesn't understand or comprehend.

Fortunately, starting today, this situation is finally going to change.

He was finally able to supplement his knowledge of the common sense that a cultivator should have, as well as local information from the Sea of ​​Compassion.

Additionally, you can acquire more fourth-tier yellow-level spells to replace your original third-tier spells.

Since True Lord Gangyuan said "see whatever you want," Xiao Chen naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony with him.

After entering the library, he went straight to the top floor.

This place is piled with a large number of fourth-order Xuan-level and Huang-level cultivation techniques, as well as some special books that only Golden Core Great Perfection cultivators and Nascent Soul True Monarchs need to read.

Xiao Chen quickly skimmed through all the books on this floor.

First, defensive spells were selected.

"They all look pretty much the same?"

Xiao Chen soon discovered that many of the spells here were products of failed attempts to improve upon certain Heavenly or Earthly level spells.

There are even many unfinished products that are far from perfect.

Among them, there are eight Yellow-level spells based on the "Six-Patterned Harmonious Spirit Shield," but there are also four unfinished works that have failed to be improved.

From the numerous annotations, Xiao Chen also discovered something.

Given the long lifespan of Nascent Soul True Monarchs, and the fact that they are often the most important and largest forces within their sects while they are alive.

Many True Lords not only cultivate alchemy, artifact crafting, talisman arrays, and so on, but also try to delve into the cultivation techniques themselves.

During the breaks in tedious cultivation, or during long periods of seclusion that often last for several years, they study the spells they use to cultivate.

Try to understand, master, and even take action to improve its shortcomings.

This will not only increase the sect's reserve of spells, but also help oneself to better comprehend the techniques at hand.

Some True Lords would even guide their disciples to practice these modified versions of the techniques, thereby verifying some of their ideas or thoughts.

However, this situation is more common when one is just beginning to learn and improve the techniques.

Once you reach the top level, the fourth-tier cultivation technique requires a Nascent Soul True Monarch to cultivate, so you either have to try it yourself or leave it idle.

Is this reliable?

Standing amidst a huge pile of cultivation techniques, Xiao Chen found himself in a difficult position: "Should I choose this one, or that one?"

"Forget it, let's play it safe and choose a spell that has already been tested."

After carefully reading through the annotations, he chose the "Four Symbols Mountain Suppressing Cover," a technique that had been perfected by two senior cultivators of the Tiangang Sect.

This spell doesn't have any obvious features; it's simply a matter of using mental techniques to create a spiritual energy shield.

Furthermore, the four auspicious symbols of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, corresponding to wood, metal, fire, and water respectively, are used to enhance the defensive capabilities of the corresponding five elements.

Both its advantages and disadvantages are very obvious.

The advantage is that there is no sequential relationship between the four elemental runes, allowing you to freely choose which one to cultivate.

At the same time, the defensive capability increases with each additional layer.

If you can collect all four layers, it will be enough to deal with most situations and you won't be countered by the enemy.

However, this is also a drawback.

Essentially, it combines four different spells into one. Although they share the same foundation, it requires at least twice the time and effort to cultivate them.

However, for Xiao Chen, the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages.

He made rapid progress in cultivating Yellow-level spells and placed greater emphasis on the versatility of spells.

(End of this chapter)