Chapter 630: The Main Reason for the Reincarnation of the Spirit Pearl

Such is life.

At Xiaoqiong Peak, outside the alchemy lab.

Li Changshou lay on his exclusive rocking chair, gazing at the starry sea with a serene smile on his lips.

His Daoist robe was tattered, and his body was scorched black and peeling. His long hair, wind-blown, had a wild, fluffy look reminiscent of an unconventional style from his previous life's hometown. Only his extraordinary handsomeness, blessed by the heavens, remained unaffected by the celestial tribulation that had struck his face.

Tsk, it seems the script was written this way after all.

His junior sister's celestial tribulation had unleashed its full power upon him. The Nine-Revolving Golden Elixir in his mouth went unused; after all, it was merely the heavenly wrath from a longevity tribulation, and his body could just about handle the ordeal.

Ling'e...

Having just passed her tribulation, she had too many insights and naturally went into secluded cultivation. Judging by her smug expression earlier, she likely intended to tease him, her senior brother, but her profound insights proved overwhelming, pulling her directly into an enlightenment state. Currently, Ling'e was in a hidden underground chamber, comprehending her own Great Dao. Her occasional quiet chuckles made Li Changshou worry that his 'chastity' might soon be compromised.

At this moment, the public opinion in the Great Desolation...

It was simply unbearable to witness! The Dao Ancestor had personally manifested, escorting Taibai Jinxing's attentive junior sister through her longevity tribulation, and even personally declared Taibai Jinxing to be his grandson-in-law! This preposterous and severely distorted news had already spread throughout heaven and earth. If Li Changshou hadn't deliberately feigned severe injury, bowing to his surroundings before returning to Xiaoqiong Peak with Ling'e and activating the layers of formations around Taibai Palace, his residence would now be bustling with visitors, a veritable sea of people.

As per usual, the injuries weren't severe, but the pain was very real. It was as if the Grandmaster had smeared chili oil on each bolt of lightning!

The rumors in the Three Realms could only be allowed to spread. This time, Li Changshou dared not do much. After all, with the Dao Ancestor personally involved in the calculations, any additional action on his part would only lead to more mistakes. It was enough to be a 'silent party' and a 'cold observer'.

Which layer was the Dao Ancestor on? Just as the Dao Ancestor's current location – Zixiao Palace beyond the heavens – was truly the stratosphere of the Great Desolation!

Later, he would take Ling'e to see the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk. According to what Lady Houtu had said earlier, conservatively estimated, his master's soul should have awakened by now and would likely be very happy to see Ling'e achieve longevity. Furthermore, his master's soul had been mending within the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk for so long that it must have gained considerable benefits.

"Jiang Ziya..."

Li Changshou raised a hand to shield his forehead, allowing his thoughts to settle. The scorched skin on his body lifted off, turning into ash and dissipating, revealing new skin beneath.

Golden Immortal, longevity. His attitude towards Ling'e would also have to change from now on. Thus, Li Changshou shed all memories of her first few years in the mountain, intending to re-acquaint himself with his junior sister later. If she wanted a romantic relationship with him, it should be more formal. He would create more memories that transcended the senior and junior brother-sister dynamic.

Afterward, Li Changshou planned to rest for a few days before continuing with his previous tasks. He would invite the Jade Emperor to accompany him on an inspection of the current state of living beings in the Three Realms. He always had to perform some of his official duties as Taibai Jinxing.

However, whether it was fated for the Jade Emperor to wait longer, or if various matters were simply converging, Li Changshou had just adjusted his state and was about to get up when he suddenly felt a premonition. Someone was calling for his paper effigy to appear!

Li Changshou performed a quick calculation and swiftly located an old version of his paper effigy, which had been left near True Immortal Yuding. His consciousness immediately transferred to it. Before his immortal consciousness could fully expand, Li Changshou sensed several familiar auras.

True Immortal Yuding, True Immortal Taiyi, Yang Jian, and True Immortal Huang Long.(This ranking has no bearing on individual strength; any similarities are purely coincidental.)

"What was happening?"

Li Changshou first created a slight stir. The paper effigy flew out from True Immortal Yuding's sleeve, transforming into the likeness of Zhao Gongming after his beard had been trimmed. This particular paper effigy was a false identity deliberately designed years ago to arrange for Yang Jian.

"Chang Geng!" True Immortal Huang Long's eyes lit up. He immediately took two steps forward, exclaiming: "Come quickly and see! Something happened today!"

Li Changshou's brow furrowed in confusion. True Immortal Yuding sighed, then turned to glare at True Immortal Taiyi, clearly inflamed with anger.

True Immortal Taiyi, clad in his customary red robe and known for his irreverent banter, was now bowing his head in a long sigh, his eyes showing a hint of loss, and a touch of wistfulness in their depths. He mumbled: "Retribution, this is retribution."

If True Immortal Huang Long had just arrived and witnessed this scene, he would have likely been utterly speechless. But, Li Changshou had already gathered enough information to deduce the sequence of events.

The truth, there was only one!

"Is it because Nephew Lingzhu was feeling a bit down due to my junior sister's longevity tribulation, came back to Mount Qianyuan to seek some guidance from Senior Brother Taiyi, but Senior Brother Taiyi said the wrong thing and hit a raw nerve for Nephew Lingzhu?"

True Immortal Yuding and Yang Jian nodded honestly, while True Immortal Huang Long's eyes were filled with shock.

"Aren't the heavenly secrets currently obscured? Chang Geng, how did you know?"

True Immortal Taiyi raised a hand and lightly slapped his own mouth twice. "Oh, my mouth!"

Li Changshou glanced at the cave dwelling enveloped by formations and frowned, asking: "Senior Brother, what did you say?"

"Actually, I didn't say much," True Immortal Taiyi said with a wry smile. "It was just..."

Two hours earlier, on Mount Qianyuan.

"Oh, my dear disciple, what brings you back?" True Immortal Taiyi walked out of his cave dwelling with a smile, looking at Lingzhu, who was standing dazed at the entrance, and teased, "Tired of playing with your good friends? Or did you miss your master and specifically come back to see me?"

Lingzhu sighed, stood up, and performed a Daoist bow to True Immortal Taiyi, showing a disciple's respect, then dejectedly sat back down on a green stone by the cliff edge.

"What's wrong?" True Immortal Taiyi asked, puzzled, "Feeling down? Could it be that little Jade Rabbit found other good friends?"

"Master... how am I supposed to overcome this bottleneck? I'm just one step away from facing the Golden Immortal tribulation. Even if I were to be utterly destroyed in the Golden Immortal tribulation, it would be better than being stuck in this limbo..."

"Ah! What nonsense are you talking about!" True Immortal Taiyi laughed, "How can cultivation be judged by speed? Examples of accumulating strength and achieving greatness later in life are common in the Great Desolation. You're only one step away from longevity; how can you abandon all your efforts now? Besides, even if you can't achieve longevity, your master will try his best to extend your lifespan. Don't you still have your Senior Uncle Chang Geng? Peaches of Immortality and the like can replenish your lifespan every few centuries; isn't that the same as longevity?"

"It's not like that, Master. Your disciple fears not a short life, but mediocrity!"

"Silly disciple," True Immortal Taiyi chuckled, "Sometimes, don't compare yourself to others. Just live freely and comfortably. Such is the life of an immortal. Each immortal has different encounters, different opportunities, and is different themselves, so their achievements also vary. Sometimes, if you don't strive, you won't know the gap between yourself and others. If you don't push forward, you won't understand where you might fail. Now you can completely use the excuse of a bottleneck to comfortably avoid effort, playing with your good friends every day. Isn't that carefree... Hey, where are you going? Why are you crying now? Your master was trying to cheer you up; maybe the bottleneck would break... Don't cry, my dear disciple! Your master said the wrong thing!"

"That's all I said."

Mount Qianyuan, outside the cave dwelling.

After True Immortal Taiyi finished speaking, Li Changshou beside him wore a helpless expression, True Immortal Yuding sighed deeply, and True Immortal Huang Long was in tears.

True Immortal Huang Long sighed, "Junior Brother, you are right, absolutely right! If I hadn't strived back then and just comfortably swam around in the pond, I would definitely be more at ease than I am now!"

Li Changshou hastily said, "Senior Brother Huang Long, this matter cannot be generalized!"

True Immortal Yuding cursed with a dark expression, "Is this how you teach a disciple? If you don't strive, you won't know the gap! You! You! Ah!"

Yang Jian whispered from the side, "Senior Brother Lingzhu already had a knot in his heart."

"Exactly," True Immortal Taiyi spread his hands, "I originally intended to use this method to help him resolve that knot!"

Li Changshou raised a hand to rub his temples. So, Lingzhu was so distraught by this that he decided to reincarnate and cultivate anew? This, surprisingly, made Li Changshou secretly breathe a sigh of relief. He had expected Lingzhu to face some great tribulation, so he was finally able to offer some help.

Why did Lingzhu reincarnate as Nezha? Li Changshou had been pondering this question for a long time, and all the possibilities he considered inevitably revolved around the Heavenly Dao. Given the Heavenly Dao's modus operandi, it was highly probable that it would arrange a perilous situation for Lingzhu, damaging his Dao foundation and harming his primordial spirit, after which True Immortal Taiyi would be forced to send him to reincarnate and cultivate anew, becoming a 'little hero'. Therefore, for a long time, Li Changshou had not dared to send Lingzhu out. Even if such a thing did happen, it would be the Heavenly Dao's deliberate arrangement, but Li Changshou didn't want Lingzhu's suffering to be attributed to him. After all, he was a nephew whom he rather admired, and they had spent a considerable amount of time together.

On the other hand... Somewhat contradictorily, Nezha was also a necessary part of Li Changshou's plans, yet he couldn't prevent Lingzhu from encountering his tribulation. Now, if it could be confirmed that Lingzhu truly chose to reincarnate as a human and cultivate once more due to his own bottleneck, compounded by True Immortal Taiyi's provocation, then Li Changshou wouldn't have to overthink things and could simply offer his full assistance.

True Immortal Yuding suddenly spoke: "Lingzhu's Dao heart is withering. If this delay continues for too long, his cultivation will surely diminish, and his mental state will suffer."

Yang Jian asked from the side, "Is there no remedy now?"

Li Changshou murmured a few words, then raised a hand and made a grabbing motion towards the cave room where Lingzhu was. The immortals immediately heard Lingzhu's faint murmurs.

"Master is right... I've worked so hard for so long, simply refusing to admit the gap between myself and them. I'm just a pearl, a pearl without much spiritual essence..."

"This!" True Immortal Taiyi couldn't help but pace anxiously. "My mouth, oh my mouth! What am I to do! Chang Geng! Chang Geng, you have many solutions; quickly save this child!"

Li Changshou frowned, "Senior Brother, I know you dote on Lingzhu, but there should be a limit. What you said struck right at his Dao heart."

"How about wiping away some memories?" True Immortal Yuding cautiously offered this suggestion.

"That's improper," True Immortal Huang Long sighed. "And even if memories are wiped, Nephew Lingzhu's mental knot won't be erased. Aren't we gathered here today precisely to find a way to help Nephew Lingzhu break through his bottleneck and regain his confidence?"

"Let's think together." Li Changshou said softly, then began to pace back and forth. The other immortals also couldn't stand still or sit still, and began pacing alongside him.

Soon, Li Changshou said, "When mortals seek medical advice, they first inquire about the cause of the illness. If we just brainstorm like this, we might easily go astray. It would be better to first determine exactly where Lingzhu's cultivation went wrong."

"Well..." True Immortal Taiyi seemed hesitant to speak but immediately nodded in agreement. "It's good if everyone looks together; perhaps we'll discover something new."

Li Changshou said, "Nephew Yang Jian, first go and ambush Lingzhu. Knock him unconscious and seal him away so he doesn't know we're helping to diagnose him, otherwise, he'll feel even worse."

"Understood!" Yang Jian instinctively clasped his hands in a bow, then transformed into a butterfly, fluttering and darting into True Immortal Taiyi's cave dwelling, blending into the formation within...

A short while later.

"Ow, ah!"

"Let's go," Li Changshou gestured, and the immortals quickly entered, surrounding the unconscious Lingzhu for a thorough examination. The entire examination lasted half an hour, thoroughly dissecting Lingzhu's problem.

Innate deficiencies, a flawed Dao foundation. This wasn't due to injury or taking a wrong path in cultivation; simply put, as a living being, Lingzhu inherently possessed flaws in his Dao foundation. His true form was a spirit pearl, and during his transformation, he had been tainted by post-celestial aura, thus no longer a pure pre-celestial being. While his innate foundation wasn't low, it wasn't particularly high either. Compared to the Heaven-Mending Stone by the East Sea, which carried the merit of mending the heavens and was personally refined by Lady Nuwa, he was indeed far inferior. The reason Lingzhu was stuck at the bottleneck was also due to these innate deficiencies, preventing him from achieving perfection, and thus unable to trigger a celestial tribulation to achieve the Dao Fruit of longevity.

"Alas," Li Changshou sighed, and the others all sighed in unison. Having found the root cause, they could now prescribe the right remedy. They exchanged glances, seeing unspoken understanding in each other's eyes.

Li Changshou said, "It seems all you senior brothers and Nephew Yang Jian have solutions."

True Immortal Huang Long, on a whim, suggested, "How about we all state our solutions simultaneously to see if they align?"

The five, old and young, nodded simultaneously, exchanged glances, and at a gesture from Li Changshou, all spoke at once!

Li Changshou: "A pre-celestial Dao body."True Immortal Taiyi: "Dual cultivation with a Dao companion!"True Immortal Huang Long: "Lectures from Master!"Yang Jian: "Breakthrough amidst life-and-death struggle!"True Immortal Yuding: "Reincarnation with memories intact!"

A moment of awkward silence fell among the five immortals, then they each offered a sheepish smile and began explaining their ideas.

Li Changshou's idea coincided with True Immortal Yuding's. The idea of a pre-celestial Dao body meant allowing Lingzhu to transform into a human, thus benefiting from the advantages of a human's pre-celestial Dao body. The method was as True Immortal Yuding had suggested: reincarnating with memories intact.

They debated for a while and quickly settled on a course of action, with True Immortal Taiyi making the final decision. They would use every possible method to allow Lingzhu to reshape his innate foundation without compromising his current self!

The unconscious Lingzhu shivered a few times, then mumbled a few words before continuing his slumber. "Master, am I really not suited for cultivation?"

Compared to Yang Jian, Lingzhu was actually closer to Li Changshou, and Li Changshou naturally wouldn't treat Lingzhu unfairly. After careful consideration, Li Changshou had a complete plan in mind. Through a series of subtle hints, he guided True Immortal Taiyi to formulate a general strategy.

For Lingzhu to reincarnate and cultivate anew, it wasn't as simple as killing him and sending his primordial spirit to the underworld for rebirth. That would be too violent, and the reincarnated Lingzhu would no longer be the Lingzhu they knew. To help Lingzhu achieve the Dao Fruit was, naturally, a delicate task.

First, Lingzhu's primordial spirit had to be separated from his true form. The primordial spirit would be fashioned into a 'fetus spirit,' similar to the Seven Emotions Incarnation from years past. His true form would be traced back to its origin, refined into a spirit pearl, and would carry his current magical power, Dao realm, and spiritual essence. This process would require considerable assistance from Li Changshou. Li Changshou would need to take Lingzhu's primordial spirit to the Reincarnation Tower and use a 'backdoor' to have Ksitigarbha intervene, transforming Lingzhu's primordial spirit into a fetus spirit state, ready for imminent reincarnation. He would also need to take Lingzhu to Three Immortals Island and borrow the Hunyuan Golden Dou to strip away Lingzhu's magical power and Dao realm.

Of course, several immortals from the Chan Sect would accompany them throughout the entire process. Having True Immortal Taiyi incur a debt of gratitude to Three Immortals Island, encouraging him to be more lenient with his words during the coming great tribulation, could also be considered a natural arrangement by Li Changshou.

After these several procedures, a 'fetus spirit' ready for birth would be perfectly created.

Yang Jian asked, "Then how should Lingzhu's parents be chosen?"

"This humble Daoist will find a female immortal to be his Dao companion!" True Immortal Taiyi immediately stood up, his eyes filled with profound affection and guilt. "Disciple, my own disciple, what difference does it make?"

Yang Jian mumbled softly, "With all the karma accumulated from your words over the years, aren't you truly afraid you won't be able to give birth... Just saying, just saying."

True Immortal Yuding advised, "Senior Brother, please don't cause any more trouble. Chang Geng has everything under control; just let him arrange it."

True Immortal Taiyi immediately felt a pang of regret, then looked at Li Changshou with a solemn expression. "Chang Geng, if this can be accomplished, your Senior Brother will owe you a colossal debt of gratitude!"

"No need for such courtesy, Senior Brother." Li Changshou smiled, "This is what I propose. Transforming Lingzhu's primordial spirit into a fetus spirit and refining his true form to carry his magical power are not tasks that can be completed in a single day. The human reincarnation part isn't difficult. I'll take a trip to the underworld and select a couple among humans with the best aptitude. This way, Lingzhu will gain even more assistance in his cultivation. However, there's still one crucial issue."

The immortals immediately leaned in, their eyes filled with concern.

"All these plans were decided by us..." Li Changshou slowly exhaled, then said seriously: "We can provide methods and assistance, but ultimately, Lingzhu must make this decision himself. We should try our best not to interfere. Giving juniors the freedom to choose their own path is the greatest respect we can show them."

The immortals each nodded. True Immortal Taiyi gazed at the young man inside the cave with a complex expression.

True Immortal Taiyi said, "Actually, it's fine even if he's ordinary. This humble Daoist doesn't need a disciple to uphold his reputation."

Li Changshou chuckled softly, though he couldn't help but grumble a few words inwardly. The Heavenly Dao truly is cunning. Lingzhu's affliction wasn't as simple as innate deficiencies; that slight imperfection in his Dao foundation, which he currently lacked, was present when Li Changshou previously took Lingzhu to the Heavenly Court... It had clearly been there. The Heavenly Dao, ever the manipulator.