I'm already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how come you're only Martial Saints?

On that day, Ning Chen finished instructing Ge Xuan.

Ge Xuan followed his instructions, closed his eyes, and sat quietly. At first, his breathing was still rapid, and his face was deeply wrinkled, like the gnarled roots of an old tree.

However, in less than half an hour, his brows gradually relaxed, and his breathing changed from turbid to clear, and from rapid to slow.

As dawn broke, faint rays of sunlight shone through the window of the quiet room, casting a pale golden glow on the plants and trees throughout the courtyard.

Ning Chen sat cross-legged in the pavilion in the courtyard, sensing the rising atmosphere in the room, like rivers thawing and spring tides surging, and unconsciously nodded slightly.

He secretly praised it in his heart.

This Ge Xuan is truly a genius.

When he was taken as a disciple in Mangshan, he was just a young boy. Now, after decades of cultivation, he has managed to hone his Dao foundation to such a solid level in such a spiritually sparse place as the mortal realm.

What he lacked was merely a thin layer of paper, which remained unexplained for decades, thus preventing him from making any further progress towards immortality.

Now that his mind is clear, the magical power that had been accumulated for many years surged out like a flood breaking through a dam.

He truly deserves to be one of the Four Celestial Masters in the future.

While protecting the Dharma, Ning Chen did not forget his main task. He followed the aura of the restriction and circled around to the herb garden behind the temple.

Ning Chen sensed it carefully and saw a tender sprout that had just broken through the soil, its tender green color tinged with pale white, barely an inch tall, trembling slightly in the wind.

That aura belonged to Yang Tianyou's reincarnation.

Ning Chen squatted down, looked at it carefully for a long time, stretched out his finger, but then stopped in mid-air.

These tender shoots have not yet established their roots or solidified their essence. If one rashly uses magic to force their growth or tries to pull them out and transplant them, it will only harm their lives.

Ning Chen withdrew his hand, found a few pebbles, loosely surrounded the tender shoots, and then drew a stream of mountain spring water to gently wet the soil.

Finally, Ning Chen straightened up and said in a low voice.

"Brother Yang, you must be patient here. Once you've grown up, I'll find a way to come and get you!"

From then on, strange phenomena frequently appeared in the sky above Lingbao Temple.

Sometimes a purple glow appears in the morning light and lingers for a long time; sometimes white cranes fly over the clouds at dusk, circling three times before leaving.

The wild animals and birds in the mountains seem to sense something, often gathering around the observation area to watch, but without disturbing it.

When he was young, he found the method quite intriguing and would come back to report to me every now and then.

"Grandmaster, Grandmaster! Many important figures have arrived outside, some in red robes, some in purple robes, followed by dozens of people, all kneeling outside the door!"

Ning Chen didn't even look up, only saying calmly.

"I will not see them at all."

The young Taoist scratched his head.

"But they are all prominent figures in Luoyang, including some important people from Xuchang..."

"Even if the emperor of the Jin Dynasty came, he wouldn't be seen..."

Ning Chen spoke in a flat tone, but his words were filled with an unquestionable air.

When the young Taoist saw that his master had spoken, he could only stick out his tongue and run out to deliver the message.

Two days passed, and the crowd gathered outside the mountain gate not only did not disperse, but instead grew larger and larger.

On this day, a magnificent carriage suddenly stopped at the foot of the mountain, and an official stepped out. He was dressed in a purple python robe, with a gold fish pouch hanging from his waist. He had an imposing presence and was a high-ranking official who was very popular in the court.

He disdained to kneel with those scholars, and instead led two attendants, striding up the mountain path and knocking directly on the temple gate.

The boy couldn't stop him and hurriedly came to report to Ning Chen.

Ning Chen was squatting behind the house looking at the tender sprout. Hearing the report, he didn't turn around, casually picked a blade of grass, and blew on it gently.

The blades of grass fluttered and flew towards the mountain gate, transforming into a verdant screen upon landing. The official stepped onto it and felt the world spinning before his eyes. When he looked again, he found himself standing at the foot of the mountain.

His clothes were still neat, but his feet were covered in mud.

He looked up and saw that the Taoist temple was still deep in the clouds and mist, with the sound of children's laughter coming from afar.

"My lord, my master said that your health is not good and you should not climb mountains. Please turn back!"

The official's face turned pale and then red. He looked down and found that the goldfish-shaped pouch at his waist was gone.

Just as he was about to lash out, he noticed that the goldfish pouch had somehow ended up hanging on a withered branch by the mountain path, swaying gently.

He reached out to take it, but the withered branch had grown three feet taller out of thin air, just out of his reach.

The official was so angry that he stomped his feet, but there was nothing he could do, so he had to slink down the mountain in disgrace.

This story spread like wildfire, becoming a legendary tale in the martial arts world.

Some say the immortal master of Lingbao Temple has the ability to turn beans into soldiers, while others say he can move mountains and fill seas with a single thought.

Those who came to see him became even more respectful, kneeling outside the door and not daring to raise their heads.

However, Ge Xuan went into seclusion, and Ning Chen never emerged. No matter how much these people clamored, they were unable to catch a glimpse of the true immortal.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

That evening, the setting sun, like blood, stained the green tiles of Lingbao Temple with a dark red hue.

The wooden door to the quiet room creaked open, and Ge Xuan slowly stepped out.

He was thinner than he had been seven days ago, with prominent cheekbones. His blue robe hung loosely on his body, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, like the moon reflected in a deep pool, clear and unobstructed.

He walked to the courtyard, straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply to Ning Chen, who was sitting cross-legged in the pavilion.

Ning Chen didn't look up at him, but simply said indifferently.

"how?"

Ge Xuan smiled wryly.

"This disciple is dull-witted. Although I received guidance from my master over the past seven days and glimpsed a ray of light on the Great Dao, that light vanished in an instant. Although my magical power has increased, my primordial spirit has not yet been able to detach itself from its shell. Tonight at midnight will be the day of my death. This disciple has come to bid farewell to my master. To have heard the Great Dao in this life is already an immense blessing, and I dare not ask for more."

He spoke calmly, but his eyes held a hint of suppressed regret.

The evening breeze rustled through the old locust tree in the courtyard, its leaves seeming to sigh at the impending demise of a celestial master.

Ning Chen looked at him, but a strange feeling arose in his heart.

That can't be right. According to what he knew from his previous life, Ge Xuan should have ascended to immortality and become one of the Four Celestial Masters. How could he have stopped here?

He frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and his gaze involuntarily pierced through the darkening sky, falling towards the direction of the Tushita Palace in the Thirty-Third Heaven.

Deep within the clouds and mist, a gaze seemed to be looking down from afar, its meaning quite profound.

Ning Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood.

It turned out that Laozi had foreseen that Ge Xuan's lifespan was coming to an end and did not want this nominal disciple to die and disappear. Therefore, he secretly manipulated the secrets of heaven and used the matter of finding Yang Tianyou's reincarnation to lead him here.

Laozi's meaning is crystal clear.

Look at the successor you found for me. He's cultivated for a lifetime, but he can't even cross the threshold to become an immortal. You've taught him a good disciple, but you've really taken responsibility for him to the end!

Ning Chen couldn't help but smile bitterly when he thought of this.

This Laozi truly had a plan that left no stone unturned.

The purpose of bringing him here is threefold: first, to find the reincarnation of Yang Tianyou; second, to save Ge Xuan's life; and third, to have him fulfill his duty of passing on knowledge and teachings.

As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor.

If Ge Xuan, as a successor of Laozi's alchemy, fails to become an immortal, and this becomes known to the two Heavenly Venerables, they will inevitably ridicule him.

Ning Chen lowered his head and pondered, when he suddenly remembered the meaningful smile that Laozi had given him when he passed on the Taiqing Neidan Jing to him. His heart suddenly lit up.

Yes!

Laozi wanted him to save Ge Xuan, but not to use tricks.

If Laozi wanted Ge Xuan to become an immortal, he could simply bestow upon him peaches of immortality and golden pills, which would immediately help Ge Xuan ascend to immortality.

But the Dao attained in that way is ultimately a castle in the air, not something Ge Xuan built himself.

Laozi's intention was probably to guide Ge Xuan to open his own furnace using the methods of alchemy, so that he could break through the final barrier with the power of the elixir.