A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Ma Liuyun's ability to frankly tell Zhou Ping the truth made him feel somewhat favorably toward this long-faced old man.

Although Zhou Ping knew that it was because he had become a formal disciple and had gotten close to the Jin Clan that he had gained their approval.

Regardless, the other party is a magnanimous person.

Zhou Ping felt waves of throbbing pain coming from his meridians. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stopped the Great Circulation of the Qingyuan Technique.

Once the internal energy was stable and the meridians were unharmed, he slowly withdrew from the meditation state.

Zhou Ping opened his legs from the cross-legged position and raised his hand to rub his slightly numb calves. The long hours of meditation had made the blood circulation in his lower body somewhat sluggish.

He had become so engrossed in his cultivation that he unknowingly reached the limit his body could withstand. Fortunately, he stopped in time, otherwise he would have suffered from the pain of his meridians swelling again.

"I wonder what's so special about this Azure Origin Technique that makes the Golden Clan value it so much..."

Thinking about his various experiences after mastering the Qingyuan Gong, Zhou Ping couldn't help but develop a strong interest in the technique that he had initially thought was somewhat useless.

......

The next morning, Zhou Ping dressed early in the gorgeous clothes that had been delivered the day before, as he was going to pay his respects to some important figures of the Jin clan.

These clothes were prepared for this purpose, and fortunately, apart from feeling a little uncomfortable, they fit very well.

Soon after, Kim Yeon personally led him to a spacious hall.

Inside, besides a middle-aged man in the center, there were four elderly men with white hair sitting on either side.

After they entered the main hall, the group stopped talking and turned their attention to Zhou Ping behind Jin Yan.

Zhou Ping kept his lips tightly closed. Having experienced the Heavenly Bamboo Palace before, he was not as nervous as before when he saw these important figures again.

"Wow! Truly, heroes emerge from among the young!"

After the group took turns sensing the unique true energy within Zhou Ping's body, the middle-aged man at the head nodded in satisfaction.

The four white-haired old men also raised their hands to stroke their beards, their eyes full of joy.

Of everyone present, only Zhou Ping felt uneasy, unsure of what would happen next.

Now that his identity has been verified, what are the clan leader and the four elders' plans for Zhou's future?

Jin Yan stepped forward and bowed gracefully to the group, a faint expression of respect on her face.

Jin Jingtian, the patriarch of the Jin clan, glanced at the four elders, hesitated slightly, and then spoke.

"Logically speaking, after becoming a formal disciple of my Green Bamboo Sect, one can choose a master to follow..."

"However, young friend Zhou Ping's situation is rather special. After mastering the Qingyuan Gong, he can no longer practice other martial arts techniques. And the Qingyuan Gong no longer has a lineage. Therefore, the matter of taking a master can be omitted."

Seeing that everyone acquiesced, Jin Jingtian continued,

"In that case, young friend Zhou Ping will temporarily become my disciple. I have some of my great-uncle's cultivation insights from before his passing, which should be of great use to him."

"That's excellent. Our great-uncle's legacy has finally been passed on, and the efforts of generations of our Jin clan have not been in vain."

One of the elderly men, who appeared to be the oldest, looked at Zhou Ping with eyes full of satisfaction. His aged face was deeply lined with wrinkles, and now it looked like a wrung-out rag, making him feel uncomfortable.

The other three elders, their eyes gleaming, seemed to tacitly approve of Jin Jingtian's suggestion, and remained seated on their pearwood carved chairs without uttering a word.

At Jin Yan's prompting, Zhou Ping followed her out of the main hall.

During this time, he did not utter a word, and his future cultivation life was arranged. Although he could no longer cultivate other powerful martial arts, Zhou Ping felt slightly disappointed.

But now that he was a formal disciple, the thought of being able to send a considerable amount of money home quickly dispelled any sense of disappointment he felt.

As his official disciple, barring any unforeseen circumstances, his family's future will only get better and better!

"If Zhao San finds out, he definitely won't dare to make things difficult for Father anymore!"

......

In the main hall, after Zhou Ping and his companion left, the silence lasted only a moment before being broken by a hoarse voice.

"Jing Tian, ​​we have the 'Spirit Seed,' when will the clan's long-planned seed-borrowing scheme begin?"

This man's name is Jin Hong. He is Jin Jingtian's cousin and one of the five elders of the Jin clan.

"Uncle Hong, this matter needs further consideration. Now that we have the most crucial 'spiritual seed,' we need to be even more patient in cultivating it."

Jin Jingtian put down his teacup, seemingly having anticipated the question, and answered calmly.

"Hmph! To plan ahead? In my opinion, it would only benefit your Yan girl, allowing her to take advantage of her proximity!"

Jin Hong slammed his hand on the table, angrily questioning the other three elders, who remained silent as if tacitly agreeing.

Jin Jingtian's face darkened slightly, and he cursed inwardly, "Old fox!"

Although the Jin clan is powerful, it is not a monolithic entity; it consists of three main branches and several sub-branches.

Jin Yunfeng, the sect leader of the Green Bamboo Sect, comes from one of its branches. To outsiders, he seems to have immense power, but within the Jin clan, he has little say and is merely a puppet placed in the Green Bamboo Sect by the Jin clan.

The three main branches are the actual controllers of the Jin Clan and even the entire Qingzhu Sect. There is no distinction of rank or status among the three, so the power struggle within the Jin Clan is particularly fierce.

The person who caused this situation was Jin Wanxuan, the fourth ancestor of the Jin clan.

In its early years, the Jin clan was not as powerful as it is today; at best, it could only be considered a wealthy family.

Back then, Jin Wanxuan, the youngest of the four sons in the Jin family, by chance joined a cultivation sect and became a cultivator among one in ten thousand.

From then on, the Jin family rose like a fish leaping over the dragon gate. Under the protection of the fourth son, Jin Wanxuan, the family's power grew stronger day by day. In just a few decades, it became a powerful family that was well-known in Tianyan Prefecture.

Jin Wanxuan, the fourth son, was so engrossed in his cultivation of immortality that he had no interest in interfering in family affairs. As a result, his other three elder brothers became powerful figures in their own right.

After nearly a century of development, the Jin family transformed from a wealthy but humble household into a powerful martial arts clan that dominated Tianyan Prefecture, attracting numerous distant relatives and branches to join them. Their prestige was unparalleled for a time.

Just as the Jin Clan was at its zenith, Jin Wanxuan, the fourth son, sought an opportunity to establish his foundation. Together with several fellow disciples, he participated in trials between several sects. During one such trial, while protecting his fellow disciples, he was unfortunately severely injured, damaging his foundation and rendering him incapable of establishing a foundation again.

Disheartened, Jin Wanxuan bid farewell to his sect and, carrying the sect's rewards, returned to the Jin clan in despair.

At this time, the Jin clan was thriving. Although Jin Wanxuan's three elder brothers had passed away many years ago, they had many descendants, and the old generation had long since replaced the new.

The Jin clan's nephews and nieces, who were in power, felt a vague unease upon seeing their fourth uncle, the pillar of the clan, return in such a dejected state. They all gathered around him, awaiting his instructions.

Soon after, the Jin clan began to consolidate its power and gradually withdrew from worldly struggles.

With their cultivation as immortals, the four sons of the Jin family searched for a period of time and found a secluded and quiet place for the Jin clan. They used this place as their base and personally established the Qingzhu Sect.

He knew that he had no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. If he did not make plans soon, the Jin Clan, having lost the protection of cultivators, would inevitably be devoured by other forces after his lifespan was exhausted.

For now, they can only lie low and wait until a cultivator is born in the family again before the Jin Clan can reappear in the world.

Those who cultivate immortality must possess spiritual roots, and the descendants of cultivators have a chance of having spiritual roots dozens of times higher than ordinary people.

Unfortunately, Jin Wanxuan was focused on cultivating immortality in his youth and had no offspring. Now he is well past the age to have children.

In his regret, he sealed away the rewards he had brought back from the sect using a secret method, leaving only his own cultivation method. He hoped that among the descendants of his elder brothers, someone with spiritual roots would be born, and after achieving success in cultivation, inherit his mantle.

This cultivation technique is now known as the Qingyuan Technique.