Journey to the West: Starting by becoming an apprentice of Emperor Donghua

Upon hearing this, Ji Sheng pondered for a moment and nodded.

Chunyangzi's words make sense. Ten years may seem like a long time, but for him it was just a blink of an eye.

It's worthwhile to exchange ten years for a solid foundation.

Lü Dongbin knew what he was thinking, laughed heartily, and stood up:

"You've come to me, presumably to ask for swordsmanship instruction, right? In that case, I do have a move I'd like to teach you."

Ji Sheng was overjoyed:

"Please enlighten me, Master Chunyang!"

Lü Dongbin said:

"Both of your flying swords were forged from wood-elemental spirits. Although they are extremely compatible with the Azure Dragon Sword Technique, they are not suitable for your fire control skills."

Ji Sheng nodded.

He was well aware of this. Wood-element flying swords and fire-element techniques were not only incompatible, but using them together would even cause them to counteract each other.

Therefore, when facing an enemy, it is not only impossible to achieve a result where one plus one is greater than two, but it is even impossible to achieve a result where one equals two.

This has always been the key issue that has limited his ability to perform.

Lü Dongbin laughed and said:

"Many years ago, I had a chance encounter with a Taoist priest who called himself the Fire Dragon Immortal. He taught me a sword technique, which is based on the element of fire."

Although I cannot teach you this sword technique, I have devised a method that combines the Azure Dragon Sword Technique with fire control. Watch closely!

As he spoke, Lü Dongbin flicked his sleeve, and flames burst forth from it.

Beside a nearby stream, a willow leaf rose in the wind and was swept into the flames.

Flames immediately ignited on the willow leaf, but instead of being burned to ashes, it soared freely in the flames, burning without being destroyed.

"go!"

The willow leaf shot out and struck a boulder not far away. The boulder burst into flames with a loud bang and burned into a pile of lime in the blink of an eye.

Lü Dongbin pinched the willow leaf between his two fingers, and it returned to his hand, still emerald green and clear, without even the slightest trace of burning.

"I have named this technique the 'Burning Leaf Technique.' If you ever face an enemy, you can use this technique to activate your flying sword within a fire. Not only will its power not be diminished in the slightest, but it will also acquire the fire element, allowing you to injure your enemy."

Ji Sheng was overjoyed, naturally understanding how helpful the leaf-burning technique would be to him.

Okay, ten years has been wasted, I'll forgive you for now.

"Thank you, Chunyangzi. I will definitely repay you if I have the opportunity in the future!"

Lü Dongbin laughed and said:

"Don't even mention it, in a few years, I might actually need your help."

In the days that followed, Ji Sheng remained in the mountains, receiving guidance from Lü Dongbin and practicing the Leaf-Burning Technique.

Two weeks later, on this day, after Ji Sheng had lunch, he heard a little demon outside reporting:

"Your Majesty, Daoist Lingxuzi has arrived!"

Ji Sheng went out to greet him, only to find that Ling Xuzi had already arrived at the entrance of the cave.

After obtaining the elixir formula, Ji Sheng hadn't had time to deliver it to Ling Xuzi. He'd also been busy practicing swordsmanship with Lü Dongbin these past few days.

The only option is to send the little demon to Canglang Ridge to ask Ling Xuzi to come and personally hand over the pill formula to him.

After inviting Ling Xuzi into the cave, the two exchanged pleasantries for a while, and then Ji Sheng took out the Five Elements Pill formula.

Ji Sheng has already filled in the missing parts of the Five Elements Pill.

Ling Xuzi quickly took the pill formula, looked at it, frowned deeply, and after a moment slapped his thigh:

"I see! This elixir is truly miraculous. Brother Ji, you've done me a great favor!"

Ling Xuzi was an alchemist who had been refining pills for many years, and he couldn't understand the ingenuity of this pill formula at first.

But after only a moment, he grasped its subtleties and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"I'll go back and start refining the pills right away. I'll send you a portion as soon as they're ready!"

Ling Xuzi was well aware of what this pill formula meant.

If I could gain Laozi's favor with this pill, then I would be set for the rest of my life.

Just as they were about to leave after saying goodbye, Lü Dongbin and Nezha flew towards them from outside the cave.

Upon seeing the two, Ling Xuzi froze. A chilling fear welled up within him.

These two were renowned among demons, their portraits having long been known throughout the entire demon realm. Countless demons had perished under their command.

The legends of Lü Dongbin slaying the Yellow Dragon with his flying sword, battling the centipede demon, and also beheading the giant dragon, the stone lion, and the vicious tiger are widely known.

Nezha is even more of a ruthless character, who dared to kill the Dragon Prince at the age of seven, skinning him, pulling out his tendons, and finally cutting off his flesh and bones.

He is the head of the Five Camps of Divine Generals, specializing in subduing demons and monsters. A great killing god renowned throughout the world.

This is bad! Just how much trouble has Ji Sheng gotten himself into? To warrant these two getting involved together?

Ling Xuzi thought the two men had come to level Jinji Mountain. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The two people who fell from the sky were both quite puzzled by what they saw.

"Ji Sheng, what happened? How did he suddenly collapse in front of your door?"

Lü Dongbin joked:

"Is it because you owed someone money and couldn't pay it back today, and you fainted due to anger and frustration?"

Ji Sheng guessed that Ling Xuzi was frightened by the two of them, and shook his head, saying:

"No, no, I think he was frightened by the two of you."

Upon hearing this, Nezha's childlike spirit was awakened:

"I once learned an acupuncture technique from a divine physician. If someone faints, simply apply acupuncture to the top of their head, and they will wake up immediately. Watch me!"

As he spoke, he summoned the Fire-Tipped Spear and thrust it directly at Ling Xuzi's head.

Ling Xuzi let out a cry, and the Fire-Tipped Spear, which was still half a foot away, immediately snapped to attention. In a flash, he hid behind Ji Sheng.

Lü Dongbin laughed and said:

"The Third Prince's acupuncture skills are truly amazing. The fainting spell was cured before the needle even penetrated the flesh."

Ji Sheng knew the two were just joking, and introduced them to the still-shaken Ling Xuzi:

"These are the Pure Yang Sword Immortal Lü Dongbin and the Third Prince Nezha. Don't be afraid, they are my friends."

Friends? Ling Xuzi glanced at the two of them, then at Ji Sheng.

No, you two are friends?

You've made friends with ancestors like that?

Ji Sheng then introduced Ling Xuzi to the two of them:

"This man is named Ling Xuzi, and he is also a good friend of mine. He is most skilled in alchemy. A few days ago, I obtained an incomplete alchemical formula from him, which was given to me by Laozi."

I had some fortunate opportunity to help him fix the flaws, and today he came to me to retrieve the elixir formula.

Ji Sheng specifically mentioned Lao Jun to show the two that Ling Xuzi was no ordinary demon and that they should not underestimate him.

In his haste, Ling Xuzi tried to kneel down, but a gentle breeze prevented him from doing so.

"Since you are my junior uncle's friend and someone favored by Laozi, there's no need to be so polite."

Lü Dongbin said.

Ji Sheng then said:

"This Lingxuzi is a rare benevolent demon. Like me, he feeds on the essence of heaven and earth and refines rare and precious materials into pills."

"When you two are exorcising demons in the future, please be careful not to kill the wrong person."

Ling Xuzi was deeply grateful upon hearing this.

Ji Sheng's words gave him tremendous face, practically raising his status to the heavens.

He dared not linger there; every minute spent with these two was pure torture. Their oppressive aura made it hard for him to breathe.

He hurriedly took his leave and fled Jinji Mountain in a panic.

"Junior Uncle, we observed the celestial phenomena last night and discovered that a great demon seems to be about to be born thousands of miles to the west. We are preparing to go and take a look, so we need to leave this place for a few days."