Chapter 22: 'Helping the Master Cross the Tribulation' First Plan

Qi Yuan returned to Little Qiong Peak well past midnight, having been drinking. Li Changshou hadn't seen his master so happy in seven or eight years; his master was even humming a tune he'd picked up from somewhere as he walked.

As he passed Li Changshou's door, Qi Yuan called out:"Changshou? Are you cultivating?"

"Yes, Master, I'm resting. I'm calming my mind today, preparing for cultivation tomorrow."

Li Changshou, who had been meditating with his eyes closed on his straw mat, opened his eyes to respond. Just as he was about to get up and open the door, he heard his master chuckle:"Rest, rest. I'm going back into seclusion myself. You did well this time, using your escape technique to save Youqin Xuanya from Potian Peak. This truly brought honor and glory to our Little Qiong Peak. However, don't get complacent because of this. Always prioritize cultivation, and don't go overboard in refining escape techniques. Your own Dao realm is the fundamental!"

"I understand, Master," Li Changshou replied from inside.

The old Daoist Qi Yuan stroked his beard and smiled, then added: "Mm, stabilize your realm well. Don't rush your cultivation. Only by proceeding steadily and meticulously, step by step, can you hope to pass through the major tribulations. You rest now. I'm going into seclusion. Ling'e has been quite worried and haggard because of you these past few days. Remember to comfort her a bit more tomorrow."

"Yes," Li Changshou replied softly.

Qi Yuan chuckled twice, hummed his tune, and walked back to his thatched hut, activating several surrounding formations. After all, seclusion for cultivation required quiet; sound-insulating and warning formations were indispensable.

Li Changshou glanced at the jade boxes in his storage artifact and let out a soft sigh. With a bit more preparation time, once his long-desired alchemy room was built, he could begin refining the Immortal Dissolving Pill. As long as the Immortal Dissolving Pill was successfully refined and he could persuade his master to keep it on hand during his tribulation, his master's chances of survival against the Heavenly Tribulation would reach ninety percent.

For acquired beings seeking immortality, the Heavenly Tribulation for ascension was an unavoidable trial and ordeal. With the descent of heavenly lightning, life and death were decided. Since ancient times, no one who had undergone the tribulation to become immortal dared to claim absolute certainty of surviving it. Moreover, his master's Dao foundation had been damaged by an injury years ago, making his cultivation inherently unstable. His spiritual power was also half that of other ordinary ninth-rank Return to Dao cultivators. Without considering other methods, his master would face certain death against the Heavenly Tribulation. Yet, his master was desperately eager to undergo the tribulation and achieve immortality...

Qi Yuan was not only his and Ling'e's master but also the current Peak Lord of Little Qiong Peak, the only Peak Lord among the Immortal Du Sect's many peaks who had not yet become an immortal. Little Qiong Peak was never even informed of elder and Peak Lord meetings. In comparison, Martial Uncle Jiu, who had joined the sect a few years after his master, was already a True Immortal, leaving his master far behind.

Before becoming an immortal, human Qi Refiners could not exceed three thousand years of lifespan; this was a fixed decree of the Great Dao. Qi Yuan could actually live for at least several hundred, if not a thousand, more years. However, Li Changshou knew that his master didn't want to suppress his realm, nor did he want to wait until his lifespan was nearly exhausted to gamble on becoming an immortal. Li Changshou sometimes even felt that his master harbored the desire to seek death under the Heavenly Tribulation, wanting to gamble on a sliver of hope with a heart resolved to die!

While it sounded passionate, his master's way of thinking, in Li Changshou's view, was both stubborn and foolish. This was why Li Changshou had been secretly preparing for fifteen years... That's also why Li Changshou, for the first time, went against his principles, leaving the sanctuary of the sect's mountain gate to go to North Continent. After discovering the Immortal Dissolving Grass, he risked scheming against the Three-Eyed Azure Python and Yuwen Ling after a brief consideration.

The core of Li Changshou's first plan to 'aid his master in tribulation' was to refine the Immortal Dissolving Grass into the Immortal Dissolving Pill. During his master's tribulation, if he could withstand the first wave of heavenly tribulation and produce the first trace of immortal spiritual energy, he could immediately ingest the Immortal Dissolving Pill. By using the pill to feign death and initiate the 'disintegration of the body,' he could evade subsequent heavenly tribulations.

If an immortal failed their tribulation, after undergoing the 'disintegration of the body,' they could transform into a 'Turbid Immortal.' Although Turbid Immortals' cultivation and divine abilities were far inferior to those of regular Prime Immortals, their lifespans were the same, and they could continue to cultivate upwards. According to ancient records, Turbid Immortals could only cultivate up to the True Immortal realm, hence they were also called Earth Immortals, distinguishing them from Heavenly Immortals.

In this first plan, Li Changshou had even laid out his master's retirement life: as an Earth Immortal, he would accumulate several centuries of cultivation, then join the nascent Heavenly Court, which was in desperate need of personnel, and take on a leisurely post as a local Earth God, Mountain God, or River God. As long as he enjoyed even a little incense offerings, his lifespan would be significantly longer than that of ordinary True Immortals. If his master could achieve more and earn merits from the Heavenly Court, he might even outlive some Heavenly Immortals... Moreover, his master could build connections in the Heavenly Court, so that when he and his junior sister were fully prepared, they could also take on leisurely positions there, gain seniority as elders within the future Three Realms governing body, and then retire peacefully. A perfect plan.

"Refining this pill isn't overly complicated. If I could ask Martial Uncle Jiu, a True Immortal, for help, and prepare a few more sets of ingredients, it could definitely be refined. But..." His master was a typical sect Qi Refiner, someone who would rather suffer than lose face. Convincing him to use this method to save his life would truly be harder than finding the Immortal Dissolving Grass itself.

However, as a disciple, he had to bear this karmic responsibility; it was unavoidable. If all else failed, he would have to resort to coaxing and deception, coating the Immortal Dissolving Pill in sugar and claiming it was a life-saving elixir...

Thinking of this, Li Changshou allowed himself a small smile. Amidst the chirping of insects outside his window, he began to recall his recent outing, reflecting on his shortcomings. His methods for dealing with Prime Immortals were insufficient, and he couldn't handle them quickly enough. The Paper Effigy technique still needed improvement; his clones could never truly pass for genuine. His Five-Element Escape technique was still a bit sluggish during transitions, and he had exposed some fluctuations in the earth when entering the roots of the old cypress tree.

After a period of self-reflection, he knew he would have plenty of time to address these deficiencies, as Li Changshou no longer had any urgent need to venture out and could simply focus on cultivating diligently in the mountains. As for his own Heavenly Tribulation... he wasn't in a hurry. Without 99% certainty, he absolutely would not take that step. That 0.1% was reserved for the possibility of the Heavenly Dao going crazy.

*Thud!*

A pebble struck the wooden wall of the thatched hut. Li Changshou calculated with his fingers and realized it was already past Yin hour without him noticing. Getting up, Li Changshou stepped out of his hut and slowly walked towards his junior sister's dwelling next door.

During the ten years since his junior sister had joined the sect, most of their teaching, tutoring, and life guidance sessions had taken place during the Yin hour. Arriving at the hut, Li Changshou gently knocked on the door. The wooden door opened a crack on its own, and he pushed it open further to enter.

Pink curtains greeted him, and the carpet underfoot had also been replaced with a pink design. Behind the translucent screen, a familiar graceful figure reclined on the bed, facing inwards, her sheer dress revealing hints of beauty. The most exquisite part was the hazy ambiance, subtly teasing the mind without being crude.

However, Li Changshou barely glanced at it. He walked straight to the main seat in the room and said calmly: "Stop pretending to be asleep. Such a demure sleeping posture doesn't suit you when you're actually asleep."

From behind the screen came a sweet, feigned whimper: "Senior brother, I was just learning to prepare the Soft Immortal Powder, and now I'm a bit dizzy, my head feels muddled, I can't do anything, and my body feels soft and weak."

Li Changshou nodded and made to stand up. "Then let's talk tomorrow. It's not a big deal anyway."

"No!" Ling'e instantly dropped her act, her voice shifting to a slightly displeased complaint: "Sit down! I'm coming out now! Hmph, you have to explain clearly today why you came back so late!"

There was a rustling sound, and Lan Ling'e quickly emerged from behind the screen in a long dress. She sat to the left of the table, glaring at Li Changshou with a slightly miffed expression.

Li Changshou smiled helplessly and said, "Indeed, I encountered some unexpected events. Do you know Yuan Qing from Potian Peak?"

"Mm," Ling'e blinked, "He's that disciple from Potian Peak who went to North Continent with you, senior brother. He's ranked second in cultivation among our generation, and they say he's quite gentle."

"Remember, a man's gentleness is always just a facade. This time, he caused some trouble, trying to scheme against Youqin Xuanya, but he ended up being killed by her." Li Changshou shook his head, sifting through the scenes he'd witnessed in those remnant soul memories. "His actions were a prime example of sacrificing much for little. He gave up his identity as an Immortal Du Sect disciple just to chase after worldly royal power, which is as fleeting as smoke and clouds."

Ling'e propped her chin on her hand, leaning against the square table, and quietly asked, "Senior brother, what exactly happened?"

Li Changshou slowly recounted: "That Youqin Xuanya is the sixth princess of a worldly kingdom in South Continent. This Yuan Qing is a son born to a concubine from a powerful noble family in that kingdom, known as the Fourth Young Master. Yuan Qing's mother was likely a concubine of that noble family, but she was quite strong-willed, being the daughter of another powerful noble family herself, and thus had some influence. These people then targeted the sixth princess, who was sent to the Immortal Du Sect to learn cultivation. As long as Yuan Qing could marry the sixth princess, he would become the kingdom's imperial son-in-law, gain more influence within his own family, and even harbor the possibility of usurping the throne. So, they used every means to ensure Yuan Qing also entered our Immortal Du Sect. But Yuan Qing himself was too ineffective; he couldn't win her over even after sixty years. The people behind him were in a precarious situation and finally couldn't wait any longer, deciding to take a desperate risk..."

Li Changshou briefly recounted the events that had transpired to his junior sister. "As a result, now, these people tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice, and both families involved will be implicated. Their king will likely uproot them to appease the Immortal Du Sect's wrath."

Watching Ling'e's thoughtful expression, Li Changshou asked softly: "Little E, what can you learn from this story?"

"Hmm—" Ling'e pondered for a moment, then stated emphatically: "A woman should absolutely never become a concubine! Otherwise, it's so hard to compete for power within the family!"

"Cough!" Li Changshou couldn't help but rub his forehead. "Anything else?"

"This Yuan Qing's planning was too crude, and the branch of that worldly noble family severely underestimated the Immortal Du Sect's power and the value of its disciples." Ling'e analyzed very seriously, "I think the correct approach should have been to suppress Youqin Xuanya, endure for several millennia to cultivate into a Heavenly Immortal, and after emerging from seclusion, secretly become the hidden shadow ruler of that worldly kingdom. He could then plunder the kingdom's wealth to offer tribute to the sect, thereby elevating his status and importance within the sect, achieving prosperity in both the mundane world and the immortal sect! Trying to rise to power by becoming the king's son-in-law is simply too naive. These kings have no shortage of heirs."

Li Changshou: ...

"Never mind. Just consider this story for entertainment. Your family also belongs to worldly nobility, so I originally wanted to remind you as a cautionary tale."

"Hehe," Ling'e pursed her lips and smiled. "Don't worry, senior brother, your Ling'e won't go anywhere without you."

Li Changshou couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle softly. "Bring out your medicine pouch. I'll refill it for you. You must have used some up this time."

Ling'e instantly looked guilty, slowly straightening her posture, pressing her fair, slender legs together, and clasping her hands over her knees. Her eyes subtly darted around, pretending to be... obedient, adorable, and lost in thought. The poisoned powders and pills Senior Brother gave her, she, she didn't waste much of them this time, honest.