The story begins with the bride marrying off her daughter, and the woman, at the age of one hundred,

The Jinglou is a three-story round building.

Carved beams and painted rafters, flying eaves and brackets, hanging bronze bells, exuding an aura of time's passage.

In front of the building stands an ancient Bodhi tree, its trunk gnarled and twisted, its branches and leaves lush and verdant, its crown like a canopy, like a wise man who has seen the world, standing quietly before the building, observing the changing seasons.

Regardless of the winds and clouds, and the changing times, he remained steadfast.

Keep moving forward, and the distance will shrink again.

Changshou saw the plaque above the scripture building, which read "Wan Juan Lou" (Ten Thousand Scrolls Pavilion).

According to Zhen Li, this is also a piece of calligraphy by Confucius, free and unrestrained, yet containing profound wisdom.

As you push open the door, a rich aroma of books wafts towards you.

As far as the eye can see, the bookshelves are densely packed like rain, and the books are as vast as the sea, stretching into the distance. The scale is obviously much larger than it appears from the outside.

Seeing Chang Shou's surprise, Zhen Li explained:

"This Wan Juan Lou may not look big from the outside, but it is actually a hidden world. Each floor is as big as Mount Sumeru and as big as a mustard seed, and it is three miles wide."

The first floor contains Taoist classics.

The second floor contains Buddhist scriptures.

The third floor contained classic texts from various schools of thought.

He gave a few instructions.

Zhenli took her leave.

Chang Shou remained alone in the Wan Juan Lou, strolling among the bookshelves with his cane in hand. His fingers traced the scrolls, bamboo slips, animal hides, and other written objects, and he was overjoyed, his face beaming with delight.

Although he did not become a disciple of Patriarch Bodhi, he still successfully entered the Cave of the Crescent Moon and Three Stars.

Moreover, the position of guard of the library is quite prestigious, and many big shots like to hide themselves under this identity.

There are many examples of this kind of big shot.

The most famous is Laozi (太上老君).

When this great figure who pioneered the Journey to the West transformed into Lao Tzu in the human world, he served as the librarian of the Zhou royal family.

Rounding down, I am roughly equal to Laozi.

He may not become a big shot, but with the vast resources of the Myriad Books in the Slanting Moon Three Star Cave, he might be able to become a minor figure.

Thinking of this, Changshou's eyes lit up, and his face was filled with longing.

---

The years that followed.

Changshou always resides in the Sutra Repository.

Besides sweeping the courtyard, tending flowers and pruning trees, organizing books, and recording comings and goings, he also learned etiquette and literature with Sun Wukong, and studied incense and medicine.

Although they know some words and etiquette, it is far from enough compared to what is needed for spiritual practice, and they need further study.

In addition to these tasks, Sun Wukong also needed to sweep the floor, hoe the garden, gather firewood, and fetch water. He had everything he needed.

Chang Shou understood.

Besides being part of the new disciples' daily lessons, it was also related to the patriarch continuing to temper Sun Wukong's temperament.

Fortunately, after his teachings, the monkey became much more composed. It guessed the intention behind the actions and worked hard without complaint.

In their spare time, they like to get together.

Chang Shou perused ancient texts to understand the world and fill the gaps in his cultivation, such as "True Explanation of the Ghost Path," "Chronicles of Human Immortals," "Illustrated Records of the Four Continents," and "Thirty-Six Techniques of Water Control."

The monkeys often practiced stick fighting in the yard.

This was something Sun Wukong learned when he first heard the Bodhi Patriarch give a short lecture; it was a staff technique he developed on his own.

It's not particularly profound, but it resonates with him exceptionally well.

A monkey and a human, one in motion and one still, have become a common sight in the library.

Occasionally, Changshou would look up and temporarily shift his attention from the classic texts to Sun Wukong. Watching the monkey move nimbly, act nimbly, and wield the staff as if it were his own arm, Changshou couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

The stick technique is naturally suited to monkeys.

Even at first glance, its extraordinary qualities were evident.

Even with only a rudimentary understanding of martial arts, the monkey's skills were already comparable to those of generals in mortal dynasties.

of course.

Chang Shou doesn't always stay at home in the library and never go out.

Occasionally, when the disciples in the cave hold small meetings, he will attend, once every ten days, to discuss scriptures and doctrines, exchange information, exchange supplies, or reminisce and chat.

Changshou was first guided by Zhenli.

The threshold for these celestial gatherings is becoming an immortal. Most of the attendees are minor immortals who stood on either side of the patriarch when he first met him. These are mainly ghost immortals, and each gathering is presided over by a human immortal.

Changshou participated three times and got to know the other two immortals besides Zhenli.

One of them was a man of few words, aloof and handsome, dressed in a plain white Taoist robe, keeping people at arm's length. His name was Ruchang, and he was the senior disciple of the Ru generation.

One of them was said to be a human immortal, but in reality he had cultivated to the level of Vajra. He dressed as a wandering ascetic, often wearing a gray monk's robe and barefoot. His name was Xingwu.

According to Zhenli, the standard for disciples in the cave to graduate is to become a human immortal.

Only a few disciples with the potential to become Earth Immortals will be kept by the patriarch for instruction. It is best to become an Earth Immortal within 60 years. If not, they can still receive guidance, accumulate more resources, and avoid some detours.

---

Flowers bloom and fade, autumn goes and winter comes.

Chang Shou has been living in Xieyue Sanxing Cave for more than two months. He has gradually adapted to life in the cave, read some ancient books, and learned a lot of information.

I have gained a deeper understanding of my current spiritual practice.

Those who cultivate to become Ghost Immortals can live for two Jiazi (60 years).

Before death, one can abandon the physical body at any time, and the spirit will go to the underworld or seek a pure yin treasure land to settle down and cultivate in seclusion, living for a hundred years as a pure and spiritual ghost.

Of course, this is the lowest level of ghost immortal.

It is said that ghost immortals have a further path of cultivation, and their lifespan can reach up to seven hundred years. If placed in the human world, they can become a ghost king; if placed in the underworld, they can be a high-ranking deity.

Now, Changshou has just become a ghost immortal.

He had two paths before him.

One option is to abandon one's life and cultivate one's nature, focusing on the cultivation of ghost immortals. This involves using one's yang body to nourish one's yin spirit, accumulating resources for future ghost immortal cultivation. Many of the older ghost immortals in the cave choose this path.

Secondly, one should ascend to the higher realms, using yin to regulate yang, persisting in cultivating both nature and life, strengthening the five internal organs, and building a powerful Dao body. Then, through the cultivation methods of the Human Immortals, one can refine essence into qi and attain the Dao fruit of the Human Immortals.

Yes, the fruit of the path!

By consulting classic texts such as "The Five Immortals' Chronicle" and "A Brief History of Longevity," and by seeking guidance from immortals like Zhenli, Changshou gained a deeper understanding of the Five Immortals of Taoism, learned about the existence of cultivation realms, and clarified the differences between the five realms.

The four stages of cultivation, from lowest to highest, are:

Refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, refining spirit to return to emptiness, and returning to emptiness to unite with the Dao.

Different realms of understanding lead to different lifespans.

Refining essence into qi can extend lifespan by three hundred years.

Refining one's Qi and transforming it into spirit can extend one's lifespan by six hundred years.

Refining the spirit and returning to emptiness can extend lifespan by 1,500 years.

Returning to emptiness and merging with the Dao, one can extend one's lifespan by three thousand years.

Only by cultivating themselves step by step and transcending the cycle of birth can living beings achieve immortality.

Perhaps beings that transcend this state are too rare, few and far between, numbering only a handful.

It was through the long years of exploration and evolution by our pioneers that the Five Immortals came into being, and based on the realm of cultivation, they developed five paths to immortality.

The Five Immortals' Dao Fruits are the starting points of different paths to immortality.

Ghost immortals have their own path to immortality.

There is a path to immortality for human immortals.

The Four Realms emphasize the cultivation of both body and mind.

Even the threshold for the first realm is extraordinary.

Some cultivators who were blocked outside the four borders started with the meager Taoist techniques they had mastered, forging their own paths and taking unconventional routes to explore the way to immortality.

Ghostly immortals thus came into being.

It belongs to the lowest level of the path.

This method emphasizes sexual techniques.

There is also a special path called Martial Immortal.

In stark contrast to ghost immortals, they actively cultivate their powers and focus on physical training, which is why many of the powerful figures in the Heavenly Palace and certain immortal caves are of this caliber.

Whether they are ghost immortals or martial immortals, one gathers yin energy and the other gathers yang energy, both lay the foundation for refining essence into qi to a certain extent.

Refining essence into qi corresponds to becoming a human immortal.

The initial age is three hundred years, and the maximum age is nine hundred years.

It is said that the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of ancient times were all immortals who lived for nine hundred years. Later, they were rewarded for their merits and were given the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir by Laozi, which enabled them to live forever.

May he live as long as heaven and earth, and be as old as the sun and moon.

The longest-lived immortal was Peng Zu, who lived to be eight hundred years old. By chance, he became a ghost immortal and continued his life through incense offerings, serving as the King of the Underworld for a thousand years.

After achieving his goal and retiring, he was reincarnated and embarked on the path of immortality again. Relying on the accumulation of his previous life, he cultivated into an earth immortal, achieving longevity and enjoying a lifespan of ten thousand years.

The practice of refining qi and transforming it into spirit corresponds to the Earth Immortal.

Initially, they are still 1,500 years old, but the upper limit is extremely high. It is common for senior earth immortals to live for tens of thousands of years. It is rumored that there is a great power who can live as long as heaven and earth.

Refining the spirit and returning to emptiness corresponds to becoming an immortal.

Returning to Emptiness and Uniting with the Dao corresponds to becoming a Celestial Immortal.

The records in the books that Changshou consulted were not detailed. He guessed that the Bodhi Patriarch had omitted some information because he was afraid that his disciples would be too ambitious.

In addition, some information was not recorded in the classics and belonged to the secret history. It was obtained by the disciples in the cave from inquiring with the Bodhi Patriarch.

For example, the later events of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and Peng Zu.

Some of the questions were from new disciples.

Some of these were compiled by senior disciples.

Some of these were acquired by disciples through connections with fellow disciples or other people who had graduated from the same school.