Chapter 304 : Choice of Immortal Law

Chapter 304: Choice of Immortal Law

“I’m not underestimating myself. I just think your understanding of me still isn’t clear enough,” Chen Beiwu corrected.

“In any case, if you have the time, you’d better not miss this class.”

“We definitely won’t miss it.”

Xu Ziqing and Xu Lingling exchanged a glance and nodded without hesitation.

A Core Formation method capable of helping Chen Beiwu forge the Yuanshi Golden Core—one derived from the Yuqing Nine Revolutions Yuanshi Pill Canon—was absolutely extraordinary. Even among the Thirteen Immortal Sects, it would be considered a top-tier Supreme Core Formation Method.

However, lecture seats were ultimately limited, and the Yuqing Immortal Sect could not possibly allow such a supreme method to spread freely.

Once news of Chen Beiwu Opening the Hall to Teach the Law spread, countless prodigies of the Yuqing Immortal Sect would likely be willing to pay an enormous price just to secure a seat and become the next Yuanshi Golden Core cultivator.

For them to obtain seats in advance could hardly be described as anything less than a fortuitous opportunity.

“After all, we’re not disciples of the Yuqing Immortal Sect. Will attending the lecture affect you in any way?” Xu Ziqing asked with a slight frown.

Xu Lingling also looked at Chen Beiwu with concern.

“You’re overthinking it. How could it affect me?” Chen Beiwu shook his head.

The difficulty of cultivating the Taiyi Five Directions Nine Revolutions Core-Stabilizing Marvelous Method was by no means low.

Moreover, he was not some selfless saint. He would never teach the Taiyi Five Directions Nine Revolutions Core-Stabilizing Marvelous Method without reservation.

The so-called Opening the Hall to Teach the Law was merely to solidify his image as an unparalleled prodigy and cast out bait to attract other gifted disciples.

“I have something to take care of. We’ll talk next time.”

Spotting a towering immortal mountain in the distance, Chen Beiwu ended the call and descended in a streak of light at its foot.

“Disciple Lin Muyi greets Martial Uncle Chen.”

The graceful and beautiful female cultivator bowed slightly, her tone respectful.

Lin Muyi was the fourth disciple under True Monarch Jiang Chuan and one of the stationed disciples of Qingming Peak. By her master’s command, she had been waiting here for Chen Beiwu.

“Please follow me, Martial Uncle.”

Chen Beiwu nodded faintly and followed Lin Muyi into Qingming Peak.

As a renowned Fifth-Tier Spirit Peak within the Yuqing Immortal Sect, Qingming Peak was suffused everywhere with dense Heavenly Mechanism Spiritual Energy. From time to time, white deer and jade sheep could be seen playing in the forest.

“Up ahead is Qingming Grotto-Heaven. Due to my duties, I can only escort you this far. Please forgive me, Martial Uncle.”

When they reached an inverted waterfall, Lin Muyi stopped and bowed slightly.

“Thank you for your trouble.”

Chen Beiwu nodded and stepped through the Heavenly River curtain. Instantly, he saw floating mountains suspended in midair, while within the spiritual mist, jade pavilions and jeweled towers appeared and vanished intermittently.

“Na!”

The Five Qi Vine could not help poking its head out.

Seeing the rare flowers and exotic herbs growing everywhere, its eyes gleamed, and the tip of its vine trembled slightly.

Yuheng Flower, Jade-Ointment Ganoderma, True Flame Jujube, Vermilion-Heart Vine…!

Faced with such incomparably rare precious and mystic herbs, the Five Qi Vine’s old thief instincts stirred restlessly.

‘Be careful. Causing trouble in a grotto-heaven will get you chopped into minced paste,’ the Golden Egg reminded through divine sense.

Hearing this, the Five Qi Vine took a deep breath. The five-colored flower atop its head closed shut, adopting an out-of-sight, out-of-mind stance.

“You are Chen Beiwu?”

Not far away, a jade-carved branch suddenly spoke.

An ordinary cultivator might have been startled, but Chen Beiwu had already seen, through the Nine-Breath Chaos Divine Ability, a mass of indescribable purple qi—neither cloud nor rosy glow. Naturally, he did not panic.

“Junior greets Senior. I am Chen Beiwu.”

His expression unchanged, Chen Beiwu bowed slightly and calmly watched as the jade branch expanded at a visible speed.

In the blink of an eye, a gigantic beast appeared before him.

It resembled a flood dragon without horns, its body ninety-nine zhang long. Its entire body was covered in jade-like scales. On its back were nine clusters resembling coral depictions of withering and flourishing. Its four claws were like those of a great eagle, its dragon tail divided into nine segments. The aura surrounding it lacked the domineering force of dragonkind; instead, it carried a gentle vitality that nourished all things.

Chen Beiwu’s eyes flickered as he immediately recognized the beast—it was the Qingming Flood Dragon.

The All Laws Converge, Heaven Book of the Divine Tree recorded: In the eastern abyss of Qingming, a flood dragon emerged bearing diagrams upon its back. Its scales embodied withering and flourishing; its breath transformed into sweet rain.

This dragon was conceived from the mutual resonance of innate Wood and Water essences. It possessed both the pliant adaptability of water and the vitality of wood. It fed on thousand-year water essences and wood spirits, ranking thirty-ninth on the Fortune-Origin Beast list.

The Golden Egg and the Five Qi Vine possessed bloodlines nearly comparable to Fifth-Tier Fortune-Origin Beasts, lacking only battle achievements to enter the top ten of the Heavenly-Gang rankings and earn a unique Heavenly-Gang title.

But compared to a high-ranking Fortune-Origin Beast like the Qingming Flood Dragon, they were not in the same league.

Thus, the moment the Qingming Flood Dragon appeared, the Five Qi Vine decisively played dead.

The Golden Egg, however, curiously examined the dragon. Not only was there no fear in its heart, a trace of eager battle intent even stirred within it.

“Good eyes,” the Qingming Flood Dragon said approvingly, glancing at the Golden Egg.

It disliked conflict and usually suppressed its aura to the extreme, but that did not prevent it from appreciating bold juniors like the Golden Egg.

“Wait a moment. True Venerable requires a quarter of an hour to conclude his cultivation.”

With a thought, the Qingming Flood Dragon plucked a two-inch piece of coral from its back and asked gently, “Would you like some tea?”

Chen Beiwu’s heart stirred.

The jade-marrow coral on the dragon’s back was no ordinary object. It contained innate Water-and-Wood creation qi.

Refined with a True Monarch’s true flame and brewed into tea, it could cleanse the meridians and Dantian Sea of Qi, expel impurities, heal hidden injuries of the primordial spirit, and extend one’s lifespan by five hundred years.

This was no exaggeration—such tea was so precious that even a Nascent Soul True Monarch might not be fortunate enough to enjoy it.

For Senior Qingming Flood Dragon to gift such a generous present upon their first meeting was truly magnanimous.

Chen Beiwu inhaled deeply and did not refuse, cupping his hands.

“Since Senior offers tea, how could this junior dare decline?”

Ordinary cultivators might fear being unable to repay such a karmic bond, but he did not.

It was merely a Divine Transformation True Venerable.

Sooner or later, he would reach that realm and repay this karmic bond.

“This tea is extraordinary. It must be drunk in three sips.”

As the words fell, the Qingming Flood Dragon exhaled a thread of Qingming True Flame.

The Beast Sovereign’s true flame was neither scorching nor searing. It effortlessly refined the two-inch coral into a pool of emerald tea, which then settled into a jade cup that appeared out of thin air.

“Please.”

With a tap of its claw, the jade cup floated before Chen Beiwu, releasing a faint yet elegant fragrance.

With just a light inhale, Chen Beiwu felt his soul tremble, sensing an incomparably pure vitality. He immediately tilted his head back and drank it in three mouthfuls.

“Boom!”

As the tea entered his throat, dense vitality surged like a warm current through his limbs and bones.

At that moment, the Golden Core chapter of the All Laws Converge, Heaven Book of the Divine Tree—Water and Wood in Harmony, All Laws Initially Merge—gradually surfaced in his mind.

“Supreme goodness is like water, benefiting all things without contention; life thrives like wood, bearing Heaven’s virtue and flourishing eternally.

Water nourishes wood; wood absorbs water’s brilliance. When the two qi embrace and return to the origin, all laws initially merge…”

Yet as he entered enlightenment, Chen Beiwu did not circulate his method according to the scripture’s true intent.

Instead, combining the Yuanshi Pill Canon with the Taiyi Pill Forging Method, he instinctively altered “the two qi embrace and return to the origin” into:

“The five viscera transform into Five Qi; the Five Qi condense into the Primordial Beginning. Borrow neither external wood nor Heavenly River; seek not the dual qi outside. Contemplate oneself as Yuanshi, from whom myriad phenomena and laws arise!”

In an instant, his inner landscape became a world unto itself. He forged a Myriad Laws Green Wood Body aligned with the Heaven Book’s true intent—yet opened another path, walking a supreme great Dao directly proving Yuanshi.

‘What’s going on? Does Withering-Vitality Tea have enlightenment effects?’

Seeing Chen Beiwu close his eyes and fall into enlightenment, the Qingming Flood Dragon was slightly startled.

It knew exactly what its own tea did.

Eliminating all other factors, there was only one answer—

Chen Beiwu’s comprehension was too extraordinary. Even drinking tea to extend lifespan became an opportunity for him to comprehend the dragon’s Dao of withering and flourishing.

“Hu…”

After a long time, Chen Beiwu exhaled turbid air and opened his eyes.

This enlightenment had benefited him immensely. His foundational method, the All Laws Converge, Heaven Book of the Divine Tree—which had lagged behind his Yuanshi Golden Core—directly advanced to the Late Golden Core Stage. His divine sense range expanded from five thousand zhang to ten thousand zhang.

As for lifespan, judging by his own vitality, he now possessed a maximum lifespan of at least two thousand five hundred years—nearly equal to a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

“Thank you, Senior, for the tea.”

Chen Beiwu bowed solemnly.

“No need for courtesy. The time is about right. Proceed straight ahead to pay your respects to True Venerable.”

The Qingming Flood Dragon’s eyes flickered. Its figure vanished instantly, as if its appearance had merely been to grant Chen Beiwu a stroke of fortune and form a good connection.

Watching the flood dragon depart, Chen Beiwu activated Wave-Stepping Through the Tide and advanced to the plaza before the hall.

The hall doors opened silently, emitting an indescribable Dao rhythm.

“Enter.”

As a warm, jade-like voice sounded, Chen Beiwu swept his divine sense over himself to ensure his attire was proper before stepping inside.

The interior seemed to employ Heaven-and-Earth Transposition. It was boundless and vast, unlike architecture of the Immortal Alliance. Rather, it resembled a sacred immortal mountain, with ancient pines and peculiar stones, and a clear pool linked to dragon veins.

At the center of the pool sat a figure with his back turned.

He wore a simple azure robe. His black hair cascaded to his waist. No mana fluctuations emanated from him, yet each breath subtly harmonized with Heaven and Earth, as though he were one with them.

Without exaggeration, merely sitting there without any phenomenon manifesting, the figure gave Chen Beiwu the illusion of facing the entire grotto-heaven world.

“Disciple Chen Beiwu greets Master.”

“Rise.”

True Venerable Changqing of Dongming slowly turned around, his voice still gentle.

Chen Beiwu’s heart tightened.

Ancient texts stated: “If one glimpses the true form, qi disperses; a Divine Transformation True Venerable has no fixed appearance.”

Though his master had clearly turned around, Chen Beiwu’s mind retained no impression of his face, as if an invisible hand erased the memory the moment it formed.

In terms of presence and status, the pressure his master exerted surpassed even that of the Sect Master of Yuqing.

“I am currently at a crucial juncture in cultivation and must enter seclusion often. I cannot be considered a qualified master.

“The Sect Master of Yuqing is highly accomplished in the Great Dao of the Yuanshi Golden Core and the path of the Pure Yang Nascent Soul.

“If you feel Qingming Peak is not suitable for your cultivation, I can recommend you to study under Yuqing Peak instead, so as not to delay a fine talent.

“After all, we have not yet performed the formal apprenticeship ceremony. Transferring to the Sect Master’s lineage would still conform to the rules.”

He paused slightly.

“Of course, you may also choose to remain under Qingming Peak. It is only that I will have limited time to instruct you, and it may delay your cultivation. You must think carefully, lest you regret it.”

Hearing this, Chen Beiwu was surprised but bowed without hesitation.

“One day as Master, a lifetime as father. To enter Master’s lineage is this disciple’s honor.”

He was someone who repaid kindness. Without his master’s recognition, bestowal of immortal law, and gifted pills, he could never have forged the Yuanshi Golden Core. How could he betray his master and transfer lineages?

Moreover, for him, having a Divine Transformation master with little time to instruct was actually advantageous.

If constantly supervised, he would have many concerns and would not dare freely activate the Gate of Ten Directions to travel to the Southern Wastes. The current peace suited him better, improving his cultivation efficiency.

“Very well. From this day onward, you are my fifth true disciple and the next master of Qingming Peak.”

True Venerable Changqing of Dongming nodded calmly, as though he had long anticipated Chen Beiwu’s choice.

Hearing this, Chen Beiwu immediately performed the formal rites of apprenticeship according to Immortal Alliance regulations.

“There is no need for excessive courtesy between master and disciple.”

With a thought, Changqing True Venerable straightened him.

“The All Laws Converge, Heaven Book of the Divine Tree is one of the very few Heavenly-Grade foundational methods of the Bixiao Immortal Sect capable of reaching Void Refinement. Its power is extraordinary—but it still cannot compare to the foundational immortal laws of the Yuqing Immortal Sect.”

As he spoke, two jade slips of cultivation methods appeared in Chen Beiwu’s hands.

“Dao Venerable Yuanshi once beheld the Heaven-Reaching Divine Tree supporting the firmament and the Primordial Nether covering the earth beyond the Great Luo Heaven. He gathered the pure essence of the Nine Heavens and the profound brilliance of the Nine Abysses, integrated them, and derived a Supreme Immortal Law—its name is the Yuanshi Dongzhen Azure Splendor Commanding Myriad Tribulations and Myriad Spirits Immortal Law.”

“This method uses water to traverse the Nine Abysses and command their spirits; it uses wood to reach Heaven and unify the essence of the Eight Wastelands.

“Spirit beasts that enter its domain become spiritual roots. Vegetation enlightened by it becomes immortal spirits.

“With each additional beast, a tribulation forms. When cultivated to great completion, one may condense the Myriad Tribulations and Myriad Spirits Dao Body and prove the Dao of Void Refinement.”

“However, this method is extremely difficult to learn and master—far more so than the Yuqing Nine Revolutions Yuanshi Pill Canon. Within the Yuqing Immortal Sect, only a handful can even enter its threshold. Even I have failed to comprehend it.”

He looked at Chen Beiwu.

“Yet this Yuanshi Dongzhen Azure Splendor Commanding Myriad Tribulations and Myriad Spirits Immortal Law ranks third among the Thirty-Six Primordial Immortal Laws of Yuqing. Its might is unfathomable. Even within the Five Great Grotto-Heavens, it is considered supreme.

“If cultivated successfully, slaying a Nascent Soul True Monarch in the Golden Core realm would not be impossible.”

“But if you choose this method, I will not be able to guide you. You may remain trapped in the Golden Core realm for many years.”

Hearing this, Chen Beiwu hesitated slightly and looked at the other jade slip.

Changqing True Venerable smiled faintly.

“Eternal green of Yimu, untouched by myriad laws.

“The other immortal law is named the Primordial Evergreen Spirit-Commanding Immortal Scripture. I obtained it at the end of the Returning Ruins.

“It is not among the Thirty-Six Primordial Immortal Laws of Yuqing. Its might is less than one-tenth that of the Yuanshi Dongzhen Azure Splendor Commanding Myriad Tribulations and Myriad Spirits Immortal Law.

“But it excels in steady progress and directly points toward longevity. Its drawback is that breaking through realms requires a long time.”

“With your aptitude, if you choose this as your foundational method and receive my guidance, I can ensure you safely advance to Nascent Soul True Monarch within three thousand years and attain the position of Divine Transformation True Venerable.”

“Remember—methods have no superiority or inferiority; people have ranks and stations. These two foundational immortal laws each conceal their mysteries. As for their pros and cons, you may decide for yourself,” Changqing True Venerable said meaningfully.

New Elements and Characters:

Lin Muyi (林沐雨) — Female

Qingming Flood Dragon (青溟虬龙) — Male (Beast)

True Venerable Changqing of Dongming (洞溟长青真尊) — Male

Yuanshi Dongzhen Azure Splendor Commanding Myriad Tribulations and Myriad Spirits Immortal Law (《元始洞真青华御万劫万灵仙法》) — Cultivation Method

Primordial Evergreen Spirit-Commanding Immortal Scripture (《混元长青御灵仙经》) — Cultivation Method