A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

In an abandoned Taoist temple, the Taoist Master Tongxin sat quietly on a futon, as if waiting for something.

Not long after, he slowly opened his eyes, his lips moving slightly.

"Junior brother, now that you're here, stop being so suspicious."

"Hehe, I wonder what brings the Abbot of Tongxin Temple to this humble old man?"

Outside the Taoist temple, an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face slowly walked in, his expression showing some impatience.

"It's been over ten years since you and your fellow disciples last saw each other. I tell you I miss you terribly, do you believe me?"

Tong Xin didn't even look at the person who came in, and said in a low voice with his back to him.

"Stop! Stop! I am just a rogue cultivator, I cannot accept such high praise from you, Abbot of the Bronze Sheep Temple."

The white-haired old man didn't seem to buy it, shaking his head and reminding him.

"Wu Xin, the Tongyang Temple is now a mere shell of its former self. What do past grudges matter anymore?"

Tongxin Daoren spoke in a low voice, then stood up and looked at Wuxin Sanren behind him.

Back then, he and his two fellow disciples had all advanced to the late stage of Qi Refining, a truly glorious period.

For a weak sect like Tongyang Temple to have three disciples at the late stage of Qi Refining is already quite an amazing thing.

It should be noted that some weak cultivation families or sects may only have one late-stage Qi Refining cultivator in charge, but even so, they are still genuine cultivation forces.

Although they are at the very bottom of the cultivation world, they are undoubtedly much stronger than those solitary cultivators.

The three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators of Tongyang Temple were none other than the three fellow disciples Mingxin, Tongxin, and Wuxin from back then.

Of the three, Mingxin had the highest cultivation level, Wuxin had the best talent, and Tongxin was only slightly mediocre, falling between the two, neither good nor bad.

However, before the old abbot passed away, he passed on the position of abbot to the Taoist Master Tongxin.

This caused a rift between the three disciples. Mingxin, the eldest disciple, became disheartened and left Tongyang Temple to embark on a solitary path of cultivation.

The third junior brother, Wuxin, was even more unruly by nature. He directly betrayed the Tongyang Temple and, from then on, used the Taoist name Wuxin Sanren to mingle in the cultivation world.

The two men were already arrogant and never really took Tongxin Daoren seriously. However, they never expected that Tongxin Daoren would become the new abbot of Tongyang Temple, which made them even more resentful.

Perhaps due to youthful impetuosity, when Tongxin Daoren succeeded to the position of abbot, he was enraged by the behavior of the two and expelled them from Tongyang Temple. The three of them had no further connection and never spoke to each other again.

It's no wonder the two reacted so strongly. There were actually other hidden stories behind what happened back then, but only Tong Xin knew the truth.

It turns out that before the old abbot passed away, only Tongxin was by his side. The other two were tied up with some cultivation matters and could not get away for the time being.

Therefore, the old abbot arranged the succession to Tongxin. His meaning was very clear: he wanted to pass the position of abbot to his third junior brother, Wuxin, and have him and his eldest senior brother, Mingxin, assist him in developing and expanding Tongyang Temple.

Under the old abbot's years of teaching and observation, only the third disciple, Wuxin, with the best talent, had a slight chance of glimpsing the secrets of Foundation Establishment. The other two, having reached the late stage of Qi Refining, were already at their limit and had no chance of Foundation Establishment at all.

In the old abbot's vision, if his third disciple were to be fortunate enough to establish a foundation for the Dao, then the future of his Bronze Sheep Temple would become better and better.

Even sects with Foundation Establishment cultivators are still far inferior to those behemoths.

However, their own strength is undoubtedly several levels higher. As long as they are not blinded by greed and do something suicidal, they can ensure that the sect can develop and grow steadily for more than a hundred years.

In the world of cultivation, countless powerful sects all grew up in this way.

Although the old abbot's vision was good, he underestimated the greed and selfishness of people's hearts.

When Tongxin Daoren found out, he was naturally dissatisfied. Compared with his two fellow disciples, he was somewhat mediocre, but he was deep in thought and never revealed his thoughts to others.

At that time, before the old abbot of Tongyang Temple passed away, he still had some resources for cultivation, unlike Tongxin Daoren today, who is now completely destitute.

After his death, Tongxin Daoren swallowed all his belongings and then directly inherited the position of abbot.

Not long after, Mingxin and Wuxin returned, and Tongxin told them the old abbot's last words, saying that they had not been able to fulfill their filial duties to their master, which was why he had become the new abbot of Tongyang Temple.

Upon hearing this, the two were naturally dissatisfied and left the Bronze Sheep Temple in a fit of anger.

........

"Dead in name only? How could Tongyang Temple be dead in name only under your management, Abbot?"

Wuxin Sanren curled his lip and said with a hint of sarcasm.

The Taoist Master Tongxin sighed, offering no rebuttal, and said softly,

"My disciple suddenly disappeared without a trace a few days ago. I searched for him for a long time but to no avail. Now it seems that he has met with misfortune."

"In my Copper Sheep Temple, only the three of us brothers remain now. We are all old and frail. Only you, who have reached the ninth level, still have a sliver of hope for Foundation Establishment."

"I would like to share a great opportunity with you, junior brother. If it comes to fruition, your chances of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage will increase by at least 10%. I wonder if you are interested?"

After saying all this, Tongxin Daoist seemed to have aged considerably. The matter of his disciple Liu Feng had dealt him a heavy blow; otherwise, he would never have contacted his two fellow disciples, with whom he had severed ties for decades.

The three brothers, who were once fellow disciples, all advanced to the late stage of Qi Refining. Now, decades have passed.

He was the only one still stuck at the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage, the bottleneck of breaking through to the eighth level was like a mountain, completely extinguishing his faith and spirit, leaving him with no hope of advancement.

Over the years, he had placed all his hopes on his apprentice Liu Feng, and this unexpected turn of events has undoubtedly utterly devastated him.

Looking at his aged fellow disciple, Wuxin Sanren wanted to utter another sarcastic remark, but in the end, he swallowed back the words he was about to say. After a moment of silence, he spoke softly.

"I never expected my senior brother to think so highly of me. I don't even dare to dream of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Your disciple is dead, so be it. You can only blame his lack of skill. If you had really handed the Bronze Sheep Temple over to him, wouldn't it have ended in the same destruction?"

Wu Xin San Ren was straightforward and outspoken, speaking without regard for the presence of Tong Xin Dao Ren beside him. After a pause, he continued...

"We can discuss the matter of opportunity later. What interests me most right now is why you didn't go to that old man Mingxin, but instead chose to come directly to me?"

Inside the dilapidated Taoist temple, Wuxin Sanren looked at Tongxin Daoren with curiosity. He knew that his senior brother was very thoughtful and there must be a reason for his actions.

The Taoist Master Tongxin suddenly turned his gaze to the blue sky outside the window and said in a leisurely tone,

"Having cultivated immortality for decades, although my talent is inferior to yours, I still have some merit in recognizing people and discerning situations."

"Junior brother, although you act eccentrically and are naturally unruly, I can still see through you to some extent."

"But that old fellow Mingxin, I still can't see through him..."