Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 68 Is there such a thing as immortality in this world?
The words following the realms jumped faster and faster, so much so that it took only a few breaths to go from the seventh level of Qi Refining to the ninth level. Finally, a long-brewing bolt of heavenly lightning fell from the clouds and struck Chang Ping'an hard...

...In the courtyard enclosed by the bamboo fence, on that unseen "barrier".

With a loud bang, lightning exploded above the "barrier," flashing purple for a moment before going silent.

Zhang Chengdao was startled at first, then glanced at the durability of the bamboo fence...

Two-thirds are left?
This "lightning tribulation" doesn't seem so bad after all!

Relieved, Zhang Chengdao raised his head with interest, staring at the dark, oppressive clouds of calamity.

The clouds continued to roll, seemingly unwilling to give up. After a while, another bolt of lightning struck down, but this one was much weaker than the previous one, not even half the durability of the [Bamboo Fence] that had been destroyed.

After the lightning bolt struck, the entire cloud of calamity seemed unable to hold on any longer and dissipated with a whoosh.

After Chang Ping'an's cultivation level, a few new words appeared: Foundation Establishment Level 1.

Zhang Chengdao was finding it hard to bear.

Even if you are the chosen one of destiny and the darling of heaven, you can't jump eight levels in one go, right?
Is this right?
"Master Zhang, just now..."

Seeing that the series of strange events had subsided, the Martial Arts Envoys, who had been huddled to the side trembling with fear, gradually calmed down. Mu Feng braced himself and asked, "What about those black clouds and purple lightning just now? Were they also your doing?"

Zhang Chengdao smiled slightly, feigning ease, and replied, "Oh, no, I just made a cut on the mountain path. These mountains are still useful to my sect, so it's not good to cut them down. I could only do some tricks on the ground. As for just now... that was my disciple's tribulation as he broke through his cultivation level. There's no need to worry, it won't affect anyone else. I'm just sorry for making you laugh, Martial Arts Envoy."

Mu Feng subconsciously followed Zhang Chengdao's gaze and saw that the bottomless crack in the distance looked like a ferocious giant mouth.

With my own skill, I simply couldn't do that, not even as a grandmaster...

Mu Feng was lost in memories; he had witnessed a Grandmaster take action when he was young.

Decades ago, the armies of the Xiao and Chu states faced off south of the Great River. The two Grandmasters fought fiercely for seven days, each fighting their own battle.

At that moment, the powerful gusts of wind generated by the two people releasing their inner energy nearly caused half of the two mountains to collapse, and countless trees were destroyed...

But even back then, such a large gash had not been carved into the earth!
It seems that when the White Stone Immortal Sect was reported a while ago, it was also about a kid named Chang Ping'an who cleaved the ground with a sword, right?

These two, master and apprentice, are exactly the same; they always seem to be putting all their energy into the ground!

And what did Zhang Xianren just say he could have done? Carved mountains?

Mu Feng took a deep breath and said sincerely, "Immortal Zhang, you flatter me! How could I dare to address you as an 'elder' in your presence!"

Isn't this shortening one's lifespan?

Zhang Chengdao casually replied politely, "Mr. Mu Wuzhi, you're too kind. I just wonder if this sword strike is still effective?"

"Yes! Yes! Of course it's possible!"

Mu Feng nodded vigorously, then waved to the clerk behind him, who was covered in yellow dust, and said, "Record this as a first-rank official. I will report to His Majesty when I return to the capital, and His Majesty will make the final decision!"

After saying that, he turned to Zhang Chengdao and asked, "Immortal Zhang, I've heard that your White Stone Immortal Sect cultivates not martial arts, but immortality. I wonder what the difference is?"

"Um……"

Zhang Chengdao pondered for a moment before replying, "Martial arts involves tempering one's true qi and cultivating it step by step to break through barriers. The path of immortality is different; it involves absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, refining this energy to temper one's physical body, cultivating spiritual power, and then establishing a foundation and rooting one's spiritual roots. Afterwards, one cultivates an inner core, which is called 'forming the core.' Then, one nourishes the soul, which is called 'the nascent soul.' Only when the soul is strong enough can the soul and body separate, which is called 'leaving the body'..."

Zhang Chengdao gave a brief explanation of the cultivation system, which Mu Feng found fascinating. He couldn't help but ask, "I've also heard that cultivators can achieve immortality. Is that true?"

Zhang Chengdao shook his head and said, "Nothing in heaven or on earth is eternal. As for immortality, that is even more of a fantasy."

"The so-called immortality of cultivators is nothing more than having a longer lifespan than ordinary people. People die, martial artists die, and cultivators die. Even the earth beneath our feet will one day 'die,' so why pursue things that do not exist in this world?"

Although the lifespan of a star is almost eternal compared to the lifespan of humans and even human civilization, it is not.

While cultivation of immortality is not based on science, both the Qi Refining books and the Foundation Establishment books he later consulted mentioned the lifespan of cultivators at different realms, but never said that cultivators could live forever.

Perhaps becoming an immortal is possible, but it's clearly impossible to prove at the moment.

Mu Feng was somewhat stunned after hearing Zhang Chengdao's words.

He couldn't tell whether he was disappointed or relieved.

Before his departure, the Emperor mentioned more than once that if this Zhang Chengdao, the "Immortal Zhang," was truly an immortal who could live forever, he would do everything in his power to invite him to the capital, or send an urgent message back to the capital, as the Emperor intended to go in person.

At that time, the entire court and the public will likely be shaken, and even the court itself will undergo immeasurable changes.

Emperor Chongxi had only been on the throne for four years and was in the prime of his life. He was tightening his grip on the martial arts world and even added a martial arts subject to the Imperial Academy to encourage talented individuals from the common people to take the martial arts exam...

If a celestial being truly possessed the secret to immortality were to appear in the world, and this celestial being were to be in Baishi Mountain, a place bordering the Zhou Kingdom and not far from the Chu Kingdom…

For a moment, Mu Feng didn't even dare to think about it.

"Master Zhang is right!"

A hundred thoughts raced through Mu Feng's mind, but he showed no sign of them on his face.

He specially took out a mountain deed from his bosom—not the deed for Baishi Mountain, but the deed for more than a dozen mountains in front of and behind Baishi Mountain!
"I have heard that Immortal Zhang intends to recruit disciples and open the gates of immortality. This mountain contract is a gift from His Majesty. Please do not refuse, Immortal."

After handing the deed to Zhang Chengdao, Mu Feng finally revealed his true intentions, saying, "I wonder what kind of disciples Immortal Zhang intends to recruit? There are quite a few talented students at the Imperial Academy and the National Academy in the capital. Perhaps they can catch Immortal Zhang's eye?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengdao immediately felt that the land deed in his hand was burning hot.

He handed the mountain deed to Mu Feng and shook his head, saying, "The White Stone Immortal Sect is a place for cultivating immortality. Besides talent, one must also consider one's character. If you are confident, Mu Wuzhi can certainly send those students over to try. However, whether or not to accept them remains to be seen."

Mu Feng was relieved to receive Zhang Chengdao's words—neither he nor the Emperor had ever imagined that they could actually force a terrestrial immortal to become a professor at the Imperial Academy. They were already content with just a "you can give it a try" response.

"That's right, that's right, everything depends on what you think, Immortal Zhang!"

Having finished discussing this matter, Mu Feng considered his "official business" complete and then took his leave: "It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now."

"and many more!"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Chengdao stopped Mu Feng and asked, "Do you know the sixth princess of Xiao Kingdom?"

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(End of this chapter)