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

After three cups of wine and five dishes,

The birthday banquet atmosphere grew increasingly lively.

The monkey got tipsy and, in his excitement, jumped and sang the song Changshou had taught him:

"The big elephant can dance, the little monkey can climb trees, the fox can do somersaults, the wild boar, the lynx, the goat..."

The round-faced fat chicken and two raccoon spirits, who were also quite drunk, followed the monkey head, shaking their heads and swaying to the rhythm, imitating him as they circled the table.

Chang Shou covered his forehead with one hand, too ashamed to look.

The others, however, burst into laughter.

After they had finished enjoying themselves, they went their separate ways.

As the monkey stepped out of the library, the drunkenness on his face vanished instantly, and his bright eyes, clear as flowing water, reflected the moon in the sky.

Turning his head, Sun Wukong took a deep look at the scripture tower behind him, and a gentle look appeared deep in his eyes, dispelling the cold moonlight in his gaze.

Then he turned around and skipped away along the cobblestone path.

The moonlight shone on my body.

His shadow was cast on the road behind him.

The monkeys' shadows were more agile and lively than ever before.

After seeing the guests off.

Chang Shou lightly flicked his sleeve.

A stream of water flew out of the sleeve.

Like a water dragon, it swam around the cups and plates.

A moment later, with a flick of Chang Shou's wrist, the sewage dragon flew out of the house and into the soil of the nearby mountains and forests.

Put the cups and plates back in their place.

Looking at the three furry balls fast asleep, Changshou shook his head helplessly, then went to the bed, sat cross-legged on the futon, and began to refine the energy in his body.

We have consumed enough spiritual food today.

After refining it, it should save me a lot of hard work.

Guide the energy, cleanse the limbs and bones along the meridians, circle after circle, cycle after cycle.

Ultimately, the energy returns to the lower dantian.

Three years of spiritual practice, three years of listening to the teachings, and three years of perseverance.

The three-inch dantian had long since expanded to six inches, and nine inches was a sign that one was qualified to attempt to become a human immortal.

The lower dantian forms its own space.

There is a mysterious quality to it, like Mount Sumeru containing a mustard seed.

One inch is actually equivalent to one foot.

Three inches is three feet.

Six inches is equivalent to six feet.

Within a radius of six feet, there was a magical power that resembled a pond. Two wisps of energy swam within this six-foot space, moving like two dragons through the magical power pond.

They are in the same place, yet clearly distinct.

As energy was injected, one of the smaller gas clusters grew—slightly.

This progress is visible to the naked eye; the yang energy in the lower dantian increases, and even the mana pool rises.

The larger air mass seemed to be stirred up by the stimulus, becoming restless and seemingly wanting to charge at another air mass, attempting to bully the smaller one and take advantage of its strength.

But as the pool of magic rippled, the turbulent energy was calmed, and the two energy clusters returned to peace.

I saw this scene through internal vision.

Chang Shou couldn't help but smile.

The larger air mass is naturally the yin spirit energy, symbolizing the results of his cultivation in the ghost path, as well as the results of his cultivation in sexual energy.

The smaller air mass is Yang spiritual energy, the result of his three years of replenishing Yang, and also the result of his cultivation of life force.

Water and fire are incompatible.

Exclude the process of mutual generation where yin supplements yang.

Most of the time, the two energy clusters are like needles clashing against wheat awns, but they are currently at peace because they were inspired by the teachings of Patriarch Bodhi. They used the "supreme goodness" of water, which encompasses all things, to first give the magical power refined by the Qi-eating method the dual characteristics of water, and then use it to encompass the two energy clusters, achieving the goal of seeking common ground while reserving differences and coexisting harmoniously.

Changshou consulted three immortals and the patriarch, and also consulted numerous classic texts for corroboration.

The dantian expands to nine inches at this moment.

When the two air masses are about the same size.

The mana pool is about to overflow.

That is the time for me to strive for the status of a Human Immortal.

---

The next day, the sky was bright.

Changshou finished his practice, got up and went out.

Beneath the ancient Bodhi tree, he moved slowly, crossing his hands and lifting them upwards, applying gentle pressure and maintaining the stretch, before squatting into a horse stance...

He was practicing the Eight Pieces of Brocade.

This health-preserving exercise should have originated in the Song Dynasty.

But since Changshou's previous life was in China, the country that promoted it so much, he was fortunate enough to learn the simplified version. Later, he thought it was good, so he spent money to learn the upgraded version.

When his physical condition recovered to the age of sixty, Chang Shou picked up this exercise again and immersed himself in the Daoist canon, collecting other people's immortal exercises, learning from their strengths and making up for their weaknesses, checking for omissions and filling in gaps, refining the Eight Pieces of Brocade, and constantly innovating.

Later, he also consulted three immortals.

Under their guidance, the Eight Pieces of Brocade has been transformed into a rather excellent method of cultivating life force.

It has the effect of strengthening the internal organs, muscles and bones, and boosting qi and blood; it also has the ability to guide innate qi and tap potential.

He meditates to cultivate stillness and movement.

He cultivates stillness through movement during his training.

The balance of movement and stillness strengthens the body.

Supporting the sky with both hands regulates the three jiaos; drawing the bow left and right is like shooting an eagle; to regulate the spleen and stomach, one must lift one arm; to relieve the five strains and seven injuries, look backward; shaking the head and wagging the tail removes heart fire; grasping the feet with both hands strengthens the kidneys and waist; clenching fists and glaring increases strength; seven back shakes eliminate a hundred diseases.

After completing one round of the Eight Pieces of Brocade, Changshou rested briefly before resuming his exercise.

This time he brandished his cane, raising it, shaking it, swinging it, probing it, swung it, and returning it...

Now that his physical condition has improved, it's natural that he needs to start practicing martial arts.

After all, in the world of Journey to the West, cultivation level only represents the extent of one's path to immortality. The true strength of a cultivator depends on their comprehensive qualities: cultivation level, martial arts, supernatural powers, magical treasures, secret techniques, and magical power...

Many factors influence strength.

The staff technique he practiced was called "Sea-Treading Staff Technique," which consisted of nine forms: Still Water, Rising Waves Without Wind, Trickling Stream, Flying Waterfall, Flowing Water for Thousands of Miles, Nine-Bend Linked Rings, Hundreds of Rivers Converging, Rushing into the Sea, and Clear River and Calm Sea.

This staff technique fully embodies the dual characteristics of water: movement and stillness, hardness and softness, curves and straight lines, width and narrowness, slowness and speed...

The final three moves are even more sublime.

Chang Shou's martial arts talent was not high, far inferior to that of the monkey. He could only practice diligently and hope that hard work would pay off.

The dynamic exercise practice has ended.

Changshou went to the small kitchen and began to cook breakfast.

He left behind a lot of spiritual food yesterday, so he can have another meal.

It wasn't until five days later, after digesting the spiritual food's energy, that Changshou resumed his usual cultivation rhythm.

Gathering the purple aura of dawn.

Gathering northern water spirits at dusk.

At midnight, I gaze at the water and try to salvage the moon's reflection.

Drink a cup of spirit wine every day, and occasionally add some spirit fish to improve your diet.

---

Ding!

It was early autumn.

I brushed against the window to hear the leaves falling, and circled the well to watch the fireflies drifting by.

The familiar chimes rang out.

They understood that the patriarch was about to ascend the platform and give a great lecture.

Chang Shou dared not delay. He stopped teasing the round-faced fat chicken and the two fox spirits, washed his hands, and set off immediately.

Longevity will come.

Immortals gathered, and disciples flocked together.

After exchanging brief greetings with the familiar immortals, Changshou sat cross-legged on the futon, still next to Sun Wukong.

Soon, Patriarch Bodhi ascended the Jade Terrace.

After the immortals and disciples paid their respects, the young Taoist boy struck the jade chime. Wherever the sound waves passed, those who heard them calmed their minds and focused their attention.

The patriarch exhaled and spoke, expounding the Daoist teachings.

As before, the patriarch preached as he pleased, sometimes discussing Taoism, sometimes Zen, sometimes literature, expounding on Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, and discussing the views of various schools of thought...

Flowers rained down from the sky, and golden lotuses sprang from the ground.

Chang Shou listened attentively while refining the golden lotus.

These extraordinary phenomena are all crystallizations of spiritual energy condensed from the interaction of heaven and earth. His magical power increased more than tenfold in just three years, filling the six-foot-deep pool of magical power in his lower dantian. These crystallizations played an indispensable role in this.

Chang Shou was completely captivated by what he heard.

I was suddenly woken up by a noise.

He frowned instinctively and looked in the direction of the sound.