Chapter 1193: Kirin Child

After relaxing from mastering the "Sword Opening Heavenly Gate" technique, Lu Yang continued to delve into cultivation methods. The development of these methods was crucial for his future cultivation path, and even with his Senior Sister's assistance in revising them as a safeguard, Lu Yang dared not show the slightest bit of complacency.

Several months passed in a flash. Lu Yang remained in the Scripture Pavilion throughout this period, never even leaving the top floor.

He had memorized all the cultivation methods on the top floor, meticulously analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each.

He noted that Guan Shanhai's "Mountain Sea Immortal Art" could evolve heaven and earth, and Si Ming's "Deity Sealing Art" could become a source of faith. He realized that regardless of whether they were immortal-grade or Tribulation Transcending-level cultivation methods, they all inherently possessed a unique effect.

"The only effect of the 'Enlightening Heart and Seeing Nature Art' is to persevere in oneself and recognize one's true heart," he mused. "Fairy, could the condition for condensing an immortal dao fruit simply be to persevere in oneself and recognize one's true heart?"

Recalling the behavior of both Mengmeng and the Fairy, Lu Yang easily identified a commonality between them.

"Is this why you've always said I could condense an immortal dao fruit?" he asked.

The Immortal Fairy, floating around Lu Yang, giggled at his question. "Indeed, it's one of the reasons," she replied.

"The most fundamental condition for an immortal dao fruit is for one's heart to remain immortal," she explained. "It must not undergo drastic changes in temperament or deviate from its original aspirations due to the passage of time."

"Are there many such people?" Lu Yang asked, as he couldn't recall anyone fitting that description.

The Immortal Fairy yawned and continued, "Oh, plenty. It's just that you cultivate too quickly, so you haven't had the chance to encounter them. In ancient times, I witnessed many individuals who, as they lived longer and longer, solely pursued power and became less and less human."

"If you cultivate the 'Enlightening Heart and Seeing Nature Art,' you won't have to worry about such things," she added.

Lu Yang suddenly understood. He now realized his Senior Sister's painstaking efforts; she must have had this in mind when she initially instructed him to cultivate the "Enlightening Heart and Seeing Nature Art."

Having understood the true meaning of the "Enlightening Heart and Seeing Nature Art," Lu Yang gained new insights for continuing the Tribulation Transcending chapter.

"Senior Sister, this is the cultivation method I've just written," Lu Yang announced.

He took out the cultivation method, its ink still wet. Months of accumulated knowledge and insights were all concentrated within its pages.

Recalling his past experiences of showing his Senior Sister cultivation methods, Lu Yang felt uneasy. He couldn't sit still or stand comfortably, fearing his Senior Sister would once again say no.

His heart fluttered when he noticed a faint smile appear on his Senior Sister's face.

"Well written," she remarked.

"Senior Sister, my cultivation method passed?" Lu Yang asked, surprised.

Yun Zhi did not directly answer the question. Instead, she returned the cultivation method to Lu Yang, explaining, "Since you reached the Tribulation Transcending stage, everything you do could become an opportunity for you to condense the embryo of your dao fruit. Cultivation methods, in particular, are paramount for the dao fruit embryo."

"If I were to intervene too much, it would harm you. After the Tribulation Transcending stage, cultivation ultimately relies on yourself."

Hearing his Senior Sister say this, Lu Yang wasn't particularly happy. Instead, he felt a sense of melancholy and loss.

The path his Senior Sister had laid out for him ended here. While he could now grow beyond her protective wing, this also meant that she would no longer provide help for his future cultivation.

A sudden rumble of thunder interrupted Lu Yang's melancholic thoughts.

"Is someone about to transcend a tribulation and break through?" he wondered.

Lu Yang looked in the direction of the tribulation thunder and found it was coming from Old Meng's location.

"That's right, Old Meng should be breaking through now," Lu Yang murmured.

With the lifting of the Sun Seal, and the power of the Sun and Lunar returning to ancient levels, Meng Jingzhou's opportunities had come one after another, making his life hellish due to the relentless cultivation.

Before Lu Yang entered the Scripture Pavilion, he had heard that Old Meng had gone off to unknown places to gain worldly experience.

Since he had drawn the thunder tribulation, it seemed his experience had been very successful.

Streaks of thunder tribulation, showcasing heavenly might, appeared one after another. Meng Jingzhou's body seemed as tiny as an ant before the thunder; he was struck repeatedly, his skin split and flesh torn, yet he stubbornly endured.

"Strange," Lu Yang wondered, "why are Old Meng's thunder tribulations only eighty-one bolts?"

Lu Yang expected to face one hundred and sixty-two bolts of thunder tribulation himself, so Old Meng should have drawn at least one hundred and sixty.

"Is Immortal Ying Tian truly targeting me?" he mused.

Meng Jingzhou's tribulation also drew widespread attention, with the people of Wendao Sect continuing to watch him intently from the mountain peak.

After the two rounds of heavenly tribulation—the thunder tribulation and the heart tribulation—concluded, sweet dew descended from the heavens, nourishing Meng Jingzhou's body.

Meng Jingzhou lightly clenched his fists, feeling the explosive power within his body, and let out an excited roar.

He had also reached the Tribulation Transcending stage.

As long as he condensed the embryo of his dao fruit and then completed it to become an immortal, he would be free!

Becoming an immortal was within reach; how could he not be excited?

"Hahaha, excellent, excellent! My Meng family has a successor!" Before anyone could celebrate, Meng Junzi surprisingly appeared at Wendao Sect.

As the most outstanding rising star of the Meng family, for something as important as Meng Jingzhou's tribulation, how could Meng Junzi not come?

Lu Yang noticed his Senior Sister's calm expression and wasn't surprised by Meng Junzi's appearance. He thought to himself that Senior Meng Junzi must have informed his Senior Sister in advance about his visit to Wendao Sect.

"Old Ancestor," Meng Jingzhou greeted him, only bowing after putting on his clothes. After eighty-one bolts of thunder tribulation, clothes of any material would have been reduced to ash.

"Truly worthy of being the Qilin son of my Meng family!" Meng Junzi exclaimed. He had never been so happy.

No, he recalled, he had been just as happy when he defeated Jiang Ping'an before the founding of the nation.

"Old Ancestor, calling me 'Qilin son' might be a bit too much—" Meng Jingzhou said cautiously. Although "Qilin son" sounded like a compliment, it seemed there was only one Qilin in heaven and earth: the Qilin Immortal.

Wouldn't that make him the Qilin Immortal's son?

"That makes sense," Meng Junzi conceded. "Never mind, it's not important. Your Old Ancestor will take you to meet some old friends."

Without further ado, Meng Junzi dragged Meng Jingzhou along and headed straight for the Imperial City.

Recently, exhilarating news spread within the Great Xia Imperial Family: Old Ancestor Jiang Ping'an, who had been living in seclusion, had reappeared.

He had returned to instruct the imperial princes and princesses in cultivation.

Emperor Xia was quite decisive in "selling" his children, believing that such a good opportunity, with the Old Ancestor personally guiding their cultivation, should be enjoyed by the younger generation.

The imperial princes and princesses were sweating profusely and living in utter misery.

Jiang Ping'an, carrying a hoe, meticulously pointed out each of their irregular movements, being extremely strict.

Meng Junzi brought Meng Jingzhou and forcefully entered the imperial palace. "Oh, Old Jiang," he declared, "you can't teach them like this."

"Look at Jingzhou here," he boasted, "I barely supervised him, and he accidentally reached the Tribulation Transcending stage."

Meng Junzi patted Meng Jingzhou's back. "Come on, say 'Grandpa'," he prompted.

"Hello, Grandpa Jiang," Meng Jingzhou obediently said, looking like a polite child from another family.

Jiang Ping'an's eye twitched, and he wished he could grab the hoe and charge over.

"Old Jiang," Meng Junzi continued, "the child called you Grandpa. Wouldn't it be rude if you didn't give him a welcoming gift? I won't ask for much, just any immortal artifact will do."

"I think your Grand Supreme Sword is quite good," he added.

"Get lost!" Jiang Ping'an roared.

Meng Junzi left the imperial palace feeling satisfied and continued taking Meng Jingzhou to meet more old friends.

The grandfather and grandson visited three of the five great immortal sects, with only Wendao Sect and Moon Laurel Immortal Palace remaining unvisited. It was then that Meng Jingzhou realized that the five Half-Immortals who had founded the five great immortal sects were all still alive.

The mere thought of his old friends' envious and jealous gazes made Meng Junzi feel as refreshed as if he had drunk a bucket of iced sour plum soup on a hot summer day.

"Jingzhou, do you have any wishes? Just name them," Meng Junzi declared. "Your Old Ancestor will fulfill them all!"

Meng Jingzhou was overjoyed to hear this. "Old Ancestor," he began, "my good brother Lu Yang has his Senior Sister's backing, and he acts with more confidence than I do when going out to do things. Can you become stronger than Senior Sister, so I can also have more confidence?"

"What did you just say?" Meng Junzi asked.

"Can you become stronger than Senior Sister?" Meng Jingzhou repeated.

"The sentence before that," Meng Junzi clarified.

"My good brother Lu Yang has his Senior Sister's backing."

"The sentence before *that*," Meng Junzi insisted.

"Old Ancestor."

"I am not your Old Ancestor," Meng Junzi declared with a strained smile. "From today onwards, you are the Qilin son."