Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul.

Li Chang'an examined the sword in his hand from all angles.

He wasn't very good at recognizing quality; flicking the sword with his fingertips just now was no different from patting a watermelon twice when buying it—it didn't have any special meaning.

However, when he channeled his Qi into the sword, the Qi flowed smoothly and without any obstruction. This indicates that the sword is no ordinary weapon and should be considered a magical artifact.

"It's alright."

Lu Jin waved his hand: "After a while, Grandfather will go to Tiangong Hall and ask them to make you a sword pouch. Then you can put the sword in it and no one will be able to stop you."

In the world of supernatural beings, there are spatial techniques, and naturally, there are also spatial equipment.

The size of these spatial devices is often determined by the skill of the weapon refiner.

Ma Benzai of the Tiangong Hall, one of the Thirty-Six Thieves, was able to refine Devouring Bags even before he obtained the Eight Extraordinary Techniques, Divine Machine Hundred Refinements. Moreover, his Devouring Bags had a very large space, capable of holding several tons of stones.

“The Heavenly Crafts Hall can’t produce many of these Devouring Pouches in a year. It’s said that the orders are booked up for decades to come. Chang’an, hurry up and thank your grandfather,” Li Shaoyun said hastily.

"Thank you very much, sir. You are very kind," Li Chang'an said, clasping his hands in thanks.

Lu Jin waved his hand and said, "It's all unnecessary to say these things. We don't need these empty formalities between us. Come on, let's try this sword and see if it works well."

Li Chang'an nodded, assumed the starting stance of the "Yuyang Sword Manual," with the tip of his sword pointing diagonally to the ground and his body slightly lowered.

He took a step forward, his sword moves starting from the Tiger Gate, retreating from the Dragon Gate, and advancing from the Snake Gate.

His sword tip began to flicker and drift erratically, and he moved around the courtyard like a serpent.

The sword sliced ​​through the air, the wind howling fiercely; each move was three times faster than usual.

After finishing a sword practice session, Li Chang'an suddenly thrust forward.

With a "whoosh," the sword tip stopped in mid-air, motionless.

Li Chang'an sheathed his sword and stood still, feeling utterly exhilarated.

"This sword is two ounces lighter than the one I used before, but the center of gravity is further back, making it more agile when thrusting, especially with the serpentine gate's swallowing and spitting motion, the direction of the sword tip is much more accurate than before."

Li Chang'an turned to Lu Jin, clasped his hands, and said, "Thank you for bestowing the sword upon me, sir."

Lu Jin smiled and nodded: "Your swordsmanship is quite good. How's your training going?"

"The foundation has already been laid."

"You've already completed the Foundation Establishment stage in just over twenty days?"

Lu Jin gasped in shock.

The speed at which one establishes their foundation can, to some extent, reflect a cultivator's aptitude.

Li Chang'an is more than four times faster than ordinary people. His work in one year is equivalent to that of others in four years. If he can maintain this speed, his ten years will be equivalent to that of others in forty years.

That's really outrageous!

"Grandpa, you said that if I could complete the Foundation Establishment stage within a hundred days, I would have passed the test. Shouldn't that count as passing?"

"Of course it's considered passed."

Lu Jin grinned, inwardly exclaiming that he had struck gold.

"When does Grandpa plan to pass on the techniques of my great-grandfather?"

"Chang'an, don't you know the rules? You have to become a disciple before you can learn any skills!" Li Shaoyun scolded softly.

“That’s true. You have to become an apprentice. In my whole life, I, Lu Jin, have never properly taken on a disciple.” Lu Jin laughed loudly.

Although he taught Lu Lin the methods, Lu Lin was, after all, his great-grandson.

The Lu family has an ancestral rule that they must not pass on their methods to their descendants.

Although his actions were understandable, they violated ancestral precepts, so he never made it public.

Apart from the Lu family, no one else knew about this.

Therefore, if he were to accept Li Chang'an as his disciple, Li Chang'an would be considered his eldest disciple in the eyes of the martial arts world.

"Uncle Lu taking on a disciple is a big deal, so we must make proper arrangements," Li Shaoyun said with great joy.

Be a teacher for one day, and be a father for life.

In the world of supernatural beings, accepting a disciple is a very serious matter. It requires the witnessing of three masters, the presence of distinguished guests, and the following: a letter of apprenticeship, a letter of reply to the disciple, a tea ceremony to change the address, and a token of inheritance.

Lu Jin smiled and said, "I, Lu Jin, am almost a hundred years old and have never properly accepted a disciple. If I were to accept a disciple, it would definitely be a grand affair. But these are turbulent times in the martial world, so let's not join in the excitement and keep things simple. We can hold the apprenticeship ceremony again in a few years when things are more stable."

"Uncle Lu is very thoughtful," Li Shaoyun said.

That's true. Right now, everyone's attention is focused on Zhang Huaiyi. Who has time to care about who takes on disciples? Rather than having a quiet ceremony, it's better to put it aside for now.

Lu Jin thought for a moment, then looked at Li Chang'an:

"If you want to become an apprentice, go to your family's ancestral hall. In front of your great-grandfather and your great-great-grandmaster—no, I should say your master—just kowtow a few times and offer a cup of tea."

Chapter 23 The Foundation of the Trinity Sect

Li Chang'an nodded: "Yes, sir."

"Why call me 'Grandpa'? Call me 'Master' instead."

Li Shaoyun reminded him from the side.

Lu Jin glanced at him sideways and waved her hand, saying:

"The master-disciple relationship doesn't prevent you from calling me 'Grandpa.' Let's continue calling you 'Grandpa' from now on; it sounds more familiar to me."

Li Chang'an calls him Master and also Grandpa Li Shaoyun, so isn't he two generations younger than him for no reason?

Moreover, he dotes on his grandsons the most, so calling them "Grandpa" does sound very affectionate.

Afterwards, the three arrived at the Li Family Ancestral Hall.

With a solemn expression, Lu Jin bowed deeply to the memorial tablets of his master and junior brother, and lit three incense sticks for each.

“Lu Jin, a disciple of the Sanyi School, today, before the spirit tablets of his master Zuo Ruotong and his junior brother Li Cheng, accepted Li Chang’an as his disciple and passed on the Sanyi School.”

He turned around, looked at Li Chang'an, and said calmly and solemnly:

"Li Chang'an, are you willing to join my Sanyi Sect and inherit my Sanyi legacy?"

"This disciple is willing."

Li Chang'an knelt on the prayer mat, his hands on the ground, forehead touching the ground, and bowed three times. Then, he held a cup of tea in both hands, facing Lu Jin, and raised it above his eyebrows.

"Master, please have some tea."

Lu Jin took the teacup, lifted the lid, and took a sip. The warm tea soup went down her throat, and the aroma of tea filled the air.

Lu Jin placed the teacup beside the offering table, reached out to help Li Chang'an up, a smile on her face, but her eyes were a little red.

"Good, good. From this moment on, you are my disciple, Lu Jin's disciple, and a disciple of my Sanyi Sect."

I wiped the corner of my eye.

This is truly tears of joy.

Li Chang'an stood up, walked to the offering table, took out three incense sticks from the incense holder, and lit them over the candle flame.

As the smoke rose, he raised the incense sticks above his eyebrows, bowed three times to Zuo Ruotong's memorial tablet, and inserted them into the incense burner. He then took out three more incense sticks, bowed three times to Li Cheng's memorial tablet, and inserted them into the incense burner.

The incense flickered, and wisps of smoke, carrying a faint sandalwood scent, filled the ancestral hall.

Lu Jin stood behind Li Chang'an, looking at the two memorial tablets on the offering table, and remained silent for a long time.

Master! Junior Brother! I am officially accepting disciples today!

The incense of the Sanyi Sect will never be extinguished!

……

……

That afternoon, Lu Jin planned to teach Li Chang'an the art of defying death.

He held a cup of tea, sat on the armchair in the main room, and looked at Li Chang'an sitting next to him.

The young man, who had just completed his foundation building, had clear eyes. He was neither excited nor restless; he simply sat there quietly.

Lu Jin put down his teacup and asked, "Chang'an, are you aware that you have a great talent for cultivation?"

"I know!"

Li Chang'an said it quite naturally.

What are your thoughts?

After a moment's thought, Li Chang'an said, "This is the ultimate enjoyment in life."

The ultimate enjoyment… Lu Jin frowned.

His first reaction upon hearing this statement was arrogance.

He has met many geniuses in his life.

When the Sanyi Sect was at its peak, it never lacked exceptionally talented disciples.

But none of those people dared to use the word "enjoyment" to describe their spiritual practice.

Cultivation is a difficult task, a monotonous practice of circulating qi day after day, and a dangerous path where the slightest mistake can lead to demonic possession.

Even he himself, who had practiced cultivation his whole life, never felt that cultivation was a kind of enjoyment.

He only felt it was a responsibility, an obsession, something he couldn't let go of.

Enjoy the two words.

In his view, it was too frivolous and arrogant.

Lu Jin's expression darkened slightly, and he prepared to give his disciple a warning.

Before embarking on spiritual practice, one should first adjust one's attitude.

Otherwise, no matter how talented you are, if your mindset isn't right, you won't go far in the end.

He was about to speak.

Then Li Chang'an explained:

"The kind of enjoyment I'm talking about is actually the enjoyment of the innate purity that comes from spiritual practice."

If this question had been asked to Li Chang'an in the past...

He might say that the purpose of cultivation is to become stronger, to gain fame and fortune, to show off in front of others, or even to become an immortal, or to reach the heavens...

But after understanding himself, he felt that these goals were too vague.

Let's set aside whether these ideas are true or not.

Even if it were true, it would be easily distorted.

Even thoughts that originate from one's own heart need external feedback to grow stronger; this is how one cultivates truth through falsehood and transforms knowledge into wisdom.

If no feedback is received.

This thought is just a single thought.

Therefore, Li Chang'an's demands were not great.

What he seeks now is the peace and joy that comes from the manifestation of his true nature.

Lu Jin was taken aback by Li Chang'an's answer, and swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

He never expected Li Chang'an to say such a thing.

These don't sound like the words of a child; they sound like the words of a wise person who has seen the world.

After a moment of silence, Lu Jin asked:

"If your spiritual practice is for the purpose of achieving so-called inner peace, will you still have the drive to progress in your Trinity practice?"

Although he wasn't omniscient about the truth of the Three Ones Sect back then, he knew that the Reverse Life Triple Rebirth technique itself was problematic.

He hoped that a person with ambition and drive would emerge in the sect.

Li Chang'an thought for a moment and said, "Cultivation is a necessary skill. Having a stick will make walking easier. If we encounter any obstacles on the road, we can use the stick to whip them."

"How do you put it in professional terms? Protective techniques. So please rest assured, sir, I will practice diligently and will not let you down."

Li Chang'an made his promise with a serious expression.