Dongting Immortal Clan

"The Long River..."

Chen Baiye opened his mouth, but he didn't expect Chen Changhe to tell him so frankly. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond. He was both excited and apprehensive.

Chen Changhe smiled and waved his hand, saying:

"Uncle Baiye, there's no need for that."

"Yu Peng and Yu Long are also my brothers. Let them learn some martial arts from me first to temper their character and strengthen their bodies."

"If the two of them are truly destined for each other and possess the aptitude for cultivation, I will inform my father and consider passing on the methods of cultivation."

Upon hearing this, Chen Baiye could no longer contain himself; his knees buckled, and he was about to kneel down and kowtow.

"Thank you, Erlang!"

"Many thanks to Master Chen for his great kindness!"

Chen Changhe flicked his sleeve slightly, and a gentle force lifted him up from a distance. He shook his head and smiled.

"Uncle Baiye, you're too kind. How can an uncle kneel before his nephew?"

"Two characters, Chen, cannot be written in one stroke."

"Your ability to take good care of these few acres of sacred fields for Father is the best way to repay my family."

Chen Baiye was steadily lifted up by that invisible force, his heart even more shocked. He nodded heavily, his voice trembling:

"I understand!"

"Rest assured, Erlang, unless I, Chen Baiye, am dead, these spirit grains will be absolutely safe and sound!"

After that, Chen Baiye's two sons, eighteen-year-old Chen Yupeng and seventeen-year-old Chen Yulong, officially began to learn from Chen Changhe.

The two brothers were sturdy and honest.

Chen Yupeng was tall and thin, quick-witted, and extremely fast at accounting. Chen Changhe intended to cultivate him, so he personally taught him to read and write and to manage accounts.

Chen Yulong, on the other hand, is robust and sturdy, making him a good candidate for martial arts training. He will surely have a place in the village's militia in the future.

In his spare time, Chen Changhe also used his spiritual sense to examine the two brothers' physical attributes.

The result was exactly as he expected.

Both of them had blocked spiritual apertures and were of dull aptitude, making it almost impossible for them to cultivate.

But in this world, is anything absolute?

He sometimes thought that of his three brothers, only Hu'er was a natural talent for cultivation.

My brother and I were able to embark on this path mostly by chance.

The source of it all is that small bronze cauldron that my father has now locked up.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

As for this little cauldron, ever since Chen Xiaohu was reborn and went to the Taixu Sect, it has never manifested any supernatural phenomena again.

Chen Changhe often took it out from a secret compartment in his study and placed it on his desk to observe it quietly.

The cauldron felt cold and heavy to the touch, unlike the warm and light feeling when Hu'er held it in her hands; it was like a lump of iron.

This change reminded him of the scene when he first fished out the small cauldron.

The small cauldron that he, his elder brother, and his father had to work together to retrieve could be easily lifted by Hu'er by himself.

Chen Changhe understood immediately; this thing had probably already chosen its master and recognized Chen Xiaohu as its owner.

He was not surprised by this.

After all, the first manual they practiced at home, the "Taiyin Lianxing Ganying Pian," was obtained by Hu'er.

Now that I have shed my wooden body and gained consciousness, I feel differently about the small cauldron than before.

The ancient inscriptions on the inner wall of the cauldron, which were originally as thin as mosquito legs and difficult to decipher, can now be barely discerned.

However, the text of this "Taiyin Lianxing Ganying Pian" is several times more difficult and obscure than the "Shuiyuan Xuanfa Lingzang Miaolun" bestowed by Zhou Yan.

Many mnemonic rhymes are mostly symbolic, and their meanings require repeated contemplation and even guesswork to grasp even a fraction of their significance.

"Having shed the wooden shell, the next step is to open up 'Jade Spring'..."

"Yuquan is the wheel of life's origin and the root of magical power."

Chen Changhe sat cross-legged in a quiet room he had set aside in his home, meditating and silently reciting incantations.

This study was ostensibly for the clan's children to study in, but in reality, it was a training ground secretly set up by the Chen family.

The small cauldron is now locked in a specially made wooden box in this room, with him and his father each holding a key.

Chen Changhe meditated in the quiet room facing the small cauldron all night, until the first light of dawn appeared outside the window. He then awoke from his meditation and pondered:

"It has been more than three months since I was reborn, and my magical power has reached forty."

"The luminous light within my dantian is growing ever stronger... but I wonder when I will truly be able to open the Jade Spring."

Counting the time, it has been four years since he embarked on the path of cultivation.

"Hu'er has been a disciple of the immortals for three years now, and there has been no news of her since..."

Thinking of his younger brother, Chen Changhe couldn't help but feel some concern and worry.

"When Shen Congyun comes next time, I must ask him to inquire whether there is any way to deliver the letter from home into the immortal sect."

After a night of quiet meditation, I felt not tired at all, but rather refreshed and invigorated.

For those who practice spiritual cultivation, it is common to replace sleep with meditation and breath regulation.

Chen Changhe quietly got up and went back to his bedroom.

Zhang Xiulan was still sleeping peacefully, her breathing even and deep.

Chen Changhe quietly approached the bedside, gently pressed his hand on her pulse, and a wisp of warm and peaceful magic power slowly flowed in, traveling slowly along her meridians to regulate her blood and qi, nourish her tendons and fascia, and have the effect of stabilizing the pregnancy.

Zhang Xiulan was born with blocked spiritual senses, and although he wanted to teach her cultivation, he was helpless.

She is now eight or nine months pregnant and is about to give birth.

Chen Changhe could sense the child's vibrant life force.

"This child, still in the womb, has been nurtured daily by my magical power, giving it a great chance to develop spiritual awareness, and it should grow much larger..."

He gently stroked his wife's swollen belly with his fingers, lost in thought.

"My son, Xuanze."

"I wonder what kind of person he'll grow up to be."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On Zilu Mountain, the ancient stone hall still stands.

Beside the stone house behind the palace, a small bamboo building had been erected at some point. In the early morning light, the bamboo building was bathed in a golden glow.

This is Chen Xiaohu's residence.

The original stone house was too cramped, so he had an idea. After obtaining the approval of his master Li Ziyan, he asked his senior brother Li Kaihe, whom he knew well, to find some laborers from the foot of the mountain. It took more than a month to build this elegant bamboo house.

Inside the bamboo house.

Chen Xiaohu was dressed in a light green feathered robe. He had grown much taller, and his face had lost its childishness, revealing the handsome features of a young man.

During his three years in the mountains, he spent his days either studying Taoist scriptures and alchemical texts, practicing breathing exercises, or tending to the spiritual plants in his master's herb garden. He even developed a certain ethereal and otherworldly simplicity.

"Although this 'Minor Mysterious Origin Method' is also a legitimate method, it is ultimately inferior to the 'Taiyin Refining and Response Chapter'..."

He put down the jade slip containing the cultivation technique and pondered in his heart:

"I have been on the mountain for three years, practicing according to the ancient method I obtained from the cauldron. So far, I have only undergone three transformations, which is quite slow."

"However, the depth of his internal magical power is already comparable to that of his fellow disciples who have cultivated to the fourth realm, the 'Golden Marrow Realm,' using ordinary methods..."

A thoughtful look flashed in his eyes, and he murmured:

"If I can complete six transformations using this method... wouldn't my magical power then be comparable to that of a fifth-realm cultivator using ordinary methods?"

Such magical power is truly astonishing.

"The method taught by this small cauldron is probably of a high grade, at least a third-grade orthodox method."

There are nine grades of cultivation methods, with the ninth grade being the lowest and the first grade being the best.

The Third Grade Orthodox Method is a superior cultivation technique, often a core inheritance in a region, and can even lead to the establishment of a family.

Thinking of this, Chen Xiaohu couldn't help but sigh again:

"The method is good, but it's too arduous. I have a master in the immortal sect to take care of me, and I don't lack elixirs and spiritual materials, yet my cultivation is still so difficult."

"With the eldest and second eldest brothers at home, they have no one to rely on, and I'm afraid they will have an even harder time."

"Fortunately, my Uncle-Master Zhou Yan bestowed upon me that scroll of 'The Profound and Mysterious Treatise on the Water Element's Spiritual Treasury'."

"If Second Brother switches to this method, although his magical power will be weaker, his progress should be much faster and it will be easier to learn."

He comforted himself inwardly, but his gaze involuntarily drifted south.

That's the direction of Dongting Lake.

"Three years have passed... I wonder how things are at home now? Is Father in good health? Are my eldest and second eldest brothers safe and sound?"

Before one has mastered the Qi cultivation, disciples are not allowed to leave the mountain without permission.

These are the rules of the immortal sect, and even Li Ziyan cannot change them.

Over the past three years, Chen Xiaohu has secretly accumulated some pills and spirit stones, intending to have them delivered to his home.

Unfortunately, cultivators were scarce on Zilu Mountain. He usually lived a secluded life and had no social interactions. The only person he could be considered familiar with and trust was Li Kaihe.

However, Li Kaihe's cultivation level was only at the fifth realm. Apart from returning to the "Tianyong Li Clan" with Li Ziyan every year, he spent the rest of his time cultivating diligently on the mountain.

"Junior Brother Chen!"

Just as I was pondering this, a clear voice suddenly called out from outside the bamboo house.

Chen Xiaohu perked up, pushed open the door and went out. He saw a tall and handsome young cultivator standing next to the herb garden. Who else could it be but Li Kaihe?