Chapter 767: Bless You in This Life, Help You in the Next

"This is the Aberrant Immortal!" A sharp glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes.

The jade slip didn't contain much content, but every word was a gem, concisely outlining the system of the Aberrant Immortal lineage! Although the specific methods weren't detailed in the jade slip, Xu Qing, with his understanding of cultivation techniques, could infer a fair amount from the summarized descriptions.

This method shared similarities with the Soul Fusion lineage, but one involved 'Soul Preservation' while the other involved 'Soul Fusion'. The former, 'Soul Preservation,' maintained a complete human body, delineating divine entities within the Sea of Consciousness, with the goal of breaking through to become an Aberrant Immortal using this method. The latter, 'Soul Fusion,' gradually abandoned the human body, replacing it with a divine physique to ultimately purify and become a true deity, a 'Human-God.'

"This approach is indeed astonishing. No wonder Chen Yun said that the Aberrant Immortal lineage was once the Imperial Academy's foremost school of thought!" As Xu Qing pondered, he noticed the emptiness around him and realized that this method must have a fatal flaw, one that led to the Aberrant Immortal lineage's decline! "The cultivation requirements must be incredibly demanding. Furthermore, refining one's soul into silken threads to delineate gods or divine beings based on existing deities inherently carries immense risks, and the cultivation speed likely wouldn't be fast either!" "That's why Chen Yun stated that this lineage's philosophy is simply unrealistic!" "Perhaps no one has ever succeeded with this method."

After his mental analysis, Xu Qing looked at the lineage master, who was still rummaging through things, and posed his question. "Who said no one succeeded?" The Aberrant Immortal lineage master huffed with dissatisfaction.

"Eight thousand years ago, Li Xuanfeng of our Aberrant Immortal lineage successfully wove a 'Di Zi' within his mind and soul, manifesting it externally to grant an astonishing boost in combat power!" As he spoke, the Aberrant Immortal lineage master's tone was filled with pride. But no sooner had he finished than one of the three lazy disciples sitting by the doorway spoke up languidly.

"Because Ancestor Li Xuanfeng cultivated for a full millennium, almost running out of lifespan, before he managed to weave a 'Di Zi'—a divine being at the Spirit Repository realm, which was indeed impressive!" The Aberrant Immortal lineage master's eyes widened in a glare! "Even if it was a bit slow, he *did* succeed! After Ancestor Li Xuanfeng succeeded, his combat power was formidable thanks to the Soul Preservation technique in his Sea of Consciousness!" "Right, right, right, and then he was killed by a five-hundred-year-old Spirit Repository realm alien!" another of the three disciples sighed.

The lineage master's eyes widened even further, revealing his displeasure! "And didn't Ancestor Chen Daoze of our lineage also succeed five thousand years ago? With a single thought, he manifested a divine being from his mind and soul, covering his entire body, shaking heaven and earth!" "Yes, yes, yes, and then Ancestor Chen Daoze couldn't change back. His specimen is still displayed under the White Pagoda. Master, the Soul Fusion lineage wants to buy it; why don't we sell it?" The middle disciple sighed and advised.

"Don't even mention the Soul Fusion lineage to me. What kind of philosophy is that? Do monkeys become human just by wearing human clothes?" The Aberrant Immortal lineage master flicked his sleeve, his words conveying intense disdain for the Soul Fusion lineage.

The three disciples each sighed, and one of them looked at Xu Qing and spoke with emotion. "Student, I advise you to leave quickly. The three of us can't escape. Back then, we were foolish enough to think that a declining place must hold treasures, hoping to find a hidden gem. Instead, this old man tricked us by saying only core disciples could learn, so we signed lifetime contracts." "We can't leave; we're stuck here." "You're probably not from the imperial capital, so you don't know the full story. I advise you not to come back!"

Upon hearing this, the Aberrant Immortal lineage master's masked face perhaps showed some change, though it was hard to tell. In any case, he habitually huffed, then squatted down to continue searching for items among the pile of jade slips. The White Pagoda fell silent for a moment.

Xu Qing hesitated, looked at the three disciples, then at the Aberrant Immortal lineage master, and bid farewell, departing. He walked a hundred paces away before turning to look back at the Aberrant Immortal White Pagoda. Though it was clearly within the Imperial Academy, an extraordinary place, and positioned in the prosperous eastern sector, it must have been bustling with numerous students in its heyday. Now, however, it was deserted. Its past glory was merely a memory, and few people visited it anymore. Judging by their demeanor, the three disciples' words were true; they had indeed been tricked into coming and held deep resentment. As for the lineage master, he was likely troubled, which was why he could only habitually huff, perhaps to maintain his own composure and the last vestiges of dignity for the Aberrant Immortal lineage.

"I wonder what state those two successful predecessors he mentioned were in when they wove divine projections in their Sea of Consciousness and manifested them externally," Xu Qing mused, then walked into the crowd and disappeared from view.

Time flew by, and another half month passed. Xu Qing had by then generally surveyed all the lineages within the Imperial Academy, and his knowledge accumulated daily. However, due to the broad scope and limited time and energy, he couldn't delve deeply into every single lineage, ultimately choosing not to join any specific one.

What primarily influenced his choices was his continuous contemplation of the 'Xia Immortal'. Those two words seemed to possess a peculiar power that lingered in his mind. Xu Qing knew the root cause stemmed from the sentence his master had spoken to him after refining the Vajra Sect Ancestor.

"“I forged this item using the Xia Immortal method recorded in ancient texts, which is why I call it an immortal artifact!”" At that moment, with the moon bright and stars sparse, Xu Qing sat cross-legged in the courtyard of Ning Yan's residence, gazing at the clear moon in the sky. Scenes of his encounters with his master, from their first meeting until now, replayed in his mind.

"“Back then, when Master spoke of the ‘Xia Immortal,’ I didn’t understand; I thought it was merely a theory for forging artifacts!”" "“But after arriving in the imperial capital, my conversation with the Third Princess gave me an initial understanding, which deepened through a month of experiences at the Imperial Academy, especially the incident with the Aberrant Immortal lineage.”"

Moonlight fell upon Xu Qing, seemingly draping him in a thin veil within the night. He radiated a luminous glow from head to toe, though this light turned purple when it diffused about a zhang (approximately 3 meters) outwards.

"“Why did Master know the Xia Immortal method, and how could he master it so skillfully?!”" "“Looking back, his words at that time seem like he planted a seed of thought in me, allowing it to gradually sprout here in the imperial capital as I gained more understanding!”"

Xu Qing lowered his head, took out his iron stick, and gazed at it intently. Time passed slowly, and half an hour later, footsteps accompanied by a cheerful tune approached from outside the residence.

The Captain's swaying figure returned. He was clearly in high spirits and had been drinking. Stepping through the courtyard under the moonlight, he saw Xu Qing and grinned.

"“Little Ah Qing, how's your study at the Imperial Academy lately? I feel like I haven't seen you in days!”" "“Let me tell you, I recently found a great place – the Worldly Dust Pavilion, you know it, right?!” The Captain, reeking of alcohol, walked up to Xu Qing and forcefully patted his shoulder. "“The Worldly Dust Pavilion is pretty good!”"

Xu Qing looked up at the Captain. "“I've been there. It's where I left just before that assassination attempt I told you about!”" The Captain blinked, then chuckled and said,

"“Exactly! I was there investigating your assassination attempt!”" With that, the Captain took out a flask of wine and offered it to Xu Qing. To avoid disturbing his senior brother's leisure, Xu Qing hadn't told him about the Mud Fox's presence there.

Taking the wine, Xu Qing tasted it and felt a faint dizziness. This was the Worldly Dust Pavilion's 'Immortal's Drunkenness'.

"“Something on your mind?”" The Captain took a few sips from his own flask, then looked at Xu Qing and asked curiously. Xu Qing thought for a moment, then softly asked, "“Senior Brother, what exactly is Master's origin?”"

At Xu Qing's words, the Captain's hand, holding the wine flask, paused before he set it down and looked into Xu Qing's eyes. Their eyes met, and sensing the earnestness in Xu Qing's expression, the Captain chuckled. "“That old man's origins are quite mysterious. Just look at the disciples he's taken!”"

"“I am the number one Heavenly Talent of the Wanggu Continent.”" Xu Qing blinked and nodded in agreement. The Captain continued, pleased with himself.

"“You are the second Heavenly Talent of the Wanggu Continent.”" "“And the second oldest, hehe, her destiny for marriage is extraordinary. You must have guessed it, right? I had some doubts before, but I specifically verified it during my last return to Fenghai County!”"

"“Then there's the third oldest, that scoundrel. Let me tell you, even though he has a low presence now, he's full of schemes and has many secrets. I suspect he's connected to the Ghost Emperor.”"

"“No one knows the Ghost Emperor's race or origins, yet his weapon bears the mark of the Divine Realm, and he has killed cultivators from the Divine Realm!”" "“Tell me, how could such a grand master from back then have no discernible origin? Yet, that's precisely the case. So, I have a bold guess: he might be from…”"

As the Captain spoke, he raised a finger and pointed towards the sky. Xu Qing's pupils contracted. Beyond the gods, there were other things in the distant sky. "“The Holy Land!”"

The Captain burped and chuckled. "“That's just my guess. Also, let me tell you a secret about Master!”"

"“In one of my past lives, I once met someone who felt very familiar to the old man – not in appearance, but in an indescribable way.”" Xu Qing's gaze sharpened upon hearing this.

"“Furthermore, when I first became his disciple in one of my lives, I recalled having seen him more than once, but my memories have since been lost.”"

The Captain shook his head, stood up, and stretched. "“Little Ah Qing, don't think so much. Just learn to be happy like me. If you can be happy every day, that's the highest realm of living!”"

After speaking, the Captain swayed as he walked towards his dwelling. After walking seven or eight steps, he paused under the moonlight, his back to Xu Qing, and spoke softly, "“Little Ah Qing, do you remember what I said to you when you were becoming a disciple at the Seven Blood Eyes back then?!”"

"“One bow to the Ancient Emperor, three bows to Heaven and Earth, nine bows to your Master!”" "“The Profound Nether Emperor established a great legacy, thus requiring one bow! Heaven and Earth, profound and vast, sustain myriad beings, thus requiring three bows!”" "“But the Ancient Emperor, high above, has never graced you with benevolence! Heaven and Earth, with their sea of suffering, have never delivered you!" "Only your Master, traversing heaven and earth, bestows grace upon your current life, delivers you in the next, and does everything possible to walk the Grand Dao with you, thus you must bow nine times!”"

In the moonlit courtyard, the Captain's voice, imbued with the sense of ages, echoed throughout the present moment! "“In this life, not only do we walk together, but our sect also walks with us.”"