Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation

As for the specifics of that great calamity, opinions varied widely.

Some said it was the wrath of an immortal, causing blood to flow like rivers.

With a mere wave of a hand, seventy percent of the experts in the martial arts world vanished!

Others claimed that several grandmasters launched a sneak attack, catching the immortal master off guard and even injuring him, but in the end, the immortal master used a treasure resembling yellow paper to wipe out many martial arts experts.

Still others said that if not for the imperial guards, the immortal master might have fallen.

...

Even Chen Xiaosheng and Su Jishi's accounts along the way differed greatly, so Li Ji'an couldn't be sure of the truth.

However, the final result was consistent: nearly half of the world's martial artists were gone.

Including the disciples, families, relatives… entire clans were exterminated, with brutal methods. Besides the main culprits being cast in molten iron and made into statues to eternally apologize at the immortal master's feet, the rest were subjected to slow slicing, dismemberment by five horses, boiling, branding… all kinds of tortures.

From then on, everyone in the world accepted that the only way to enter the immortal realm was to become an immortal seedling.

While paying respects to the immortal master, Li Ji'an also mourned the many martial arts predecessors in his heart.

He should thank them; if not for their exploration, Li Ji'an would have spent several lifetimes exploring and searching for other possible paths.

And each additional lifetime would have posed a significant risk to him.

After registering, Li Ji'an had no desire to wander around the imperial city; he went straight back to his residence.

His third-place ranking in Chong'an Prefecture was almost at the bottom in the Immortal Palace.

Moreover, this place encompassed talents from all over the world. Besides reserve immortal seedlings like him who came during the Immortal Selection Ceremony, there were many seedlings cultivated from a young age, and martial arts geniuses gathered from all over like a flood of fish. The imperial city was incredibly expensive, so the厢舍 (xiāng shè, side-houses) he was assigned were shared by four people in a small courtyard, which was smaller than his single courtyard in Chong'an Prefecture.

His assigned厢舍 (xiāng shè, side-houses) was located in a corner of the Immortal Palace's accommodation area. The other three were not from this year's reserve immortal seedlings. Fortunately, the four rooms in the small courtyard were independent of each other, only sharing a small courtyard, so it wouldn't be too disruptive.

After settling in, he focused on cultivating without distractions.

It had to be said that the Immortal Palace was truly generous with its resources. The precious beast meat that required connections to obtain in Chong'an Prefecture was supplied almost without limit.

Even some immortal pills and miraculous medicines that were rare in Chong'an Prefecture were awarded as incentives to the best.

He even saw the "Marrow Cleansing Pill" that he had dreamed of in his next life.

This greatly increased Li Ji'an's motivation.

Two months later, all the immortal seedlings gathered, and he saw Ning Yutan and her sister again.

He also learned a big piece of news: two immortal seedlings had died in this realm, one being the prodigy of the Wang family, a family of grandmasters, and the other being the talented son of the governor of Qiong Prefecture.

The Wang family was ambushed by two unknown grandmasters, the Wang family's ancestor was held back, and the immortal seedling was assassinated.

As for the governor of Qiong Prefecture's group, including the escorting Immortal Palace members and the accompanying reserve immortal seedlings, none survived!

The emperor was furious and issued three edicts to inform the world, denouncing the thieves on behalf of the immortals, vowing to capture the ringleaders, punish them with extreme cruelty, and ordering the Court of Judicial Review to jointly command the three armies with the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Shadow Guard, even if they had to dig three feet into the ground to catch the thieves.

This news made Li Ji'an feel a chill down his spine. If the other party's estimation had been more accurate, the Duke of Dingguo's group would have likely met with misfortune.

He made up his mind that in the next life, he would start from the imperial city as much as possible, or even directly from the Immortal Palace.

Besides worrying about being intercepted halfway after finally becoming an immortal seedling in the next life, it was also because of another piece of news: the Yun Prince's group did not encounter any interception!

With such an open plot, regardless of Yun Prince's intentions, Yun Prince, the most powerful among the feudal lords, and the current emperor would definitely become hostile and opposed to each other. The final result would be either you die or I die.

Turmoil in the world was already apparent. The only ones likely to be unaffected were the immortals, whom both sides wanted to please, and the Immortal Seeking Palace built for them.

"Does class struggle eventually turn into internal strife?" Li Ji'an shook his head slightly, not very interested in the affairs of this mortal world.

As one of the remaining eight immortal seedlings about to meet the immortal master and follow him to the immortal realm, Ning Yutan had an extremely high status in the Immortal Palace.

Even the chief steward of the Immortal Seeking Palace, the renowned Grandmaster ranked third, Eunuch Mo, treated Ning Yutan with great respect.

Moreover, because of her captivating beauty and lively, generous, and highly intelligent personality, she was quite popular among the other five male immortal seedlings.

It was even rumored that the seventeen-year-old prodigy, considered the most talented of this year's batch, had declared that he would become a Daoist partner with Ning Yutan after going to the immortal realm.

"Brother Li, they are really annoying. I just want to be with you quietly for a while now, without anyone disturbing us," Ning Yutan complained first, then glanced at Ning Sujin in the room and said with a slightly coquettish tone.

"Absolutely not!" Li Ji'an immediately refused.

The three of them were from the same hometown of Chong'an Prefecture, so it was understandable for them to gather together.

However, if only the two of them were in the same room, it was hard to guarantee that it wouldn't cause unnecessary trouble.

Especially that young prodigy, who was proud and arrogant at a young age and not mature enough. If someone with ulterior motives incited him with a few words, using his soon-to-ascend reputation, status, and privileges to target him, it wouldn't be worth it.

At this moment, two of the ten immortal seedlings promised by the immortal had been lost, so naturally, two more needed to be supplemented from the remaining reserve immortal seedlings.

Looking at the world, no one dared to attack the reserve immortal seedlings who had already entered the Immortal Palace, except for the eight immortal seedlings.

Therefore, at this moment, these reserve immortal seedlings were almost secretly exerting their efforts, competing with each other. There must be some who hoped that only he and one other reserve immortal seedling would remain, so he had to be careful.

"Why?" Ning Yutan saw that Ning Sujin had not yet retorted, but Li Ji'an actually opposed her so decisively, and her eyes instantly turned slightly red, looking quite aggrieved.

"You idiot, do you want to kill Ji'an?" Before Li Ji'an could speak, Ning Sujin scolded first.

Ning Yutan rolled her eyes, suddenly understood, sniffed, and said aggrievedly, "Brother Li, I'm sorry, I was too reluctant to be alone with you and didn't think it through."

It was indeed easy to deal with smart people, and it saved Li Ji'an from having to find excuses.

"Brother Li, don't worry, I will definitely wait for you after I go to the immortal realm. I believe that we can definitely reunite in ten years," Then Ning Yutan didn't care about Ning Sujin, or perhaps it was to act for Ning Sujin's sake, and frequently made sentimental remarks.

On the contrary, Ning Sujin remained silent, not saying a word, and did not interrupt.

It wasn't until Ning Yutan said that she had asked her father and that the Duke of Dingguo's mansion would greatly support Li Ji'an that Ning Sujin finally couldn't help but say, "Idiot, the Duke's mansion is in danger now, and the future is still unknown. How can it have the energy to support us?"

"You're talking nonsense. I'm about to go to the immortal realm, and His Majesty values my father so much. The Duke's mansion will definitely prosper!" Ning Yutan did not agree with what Ning Sujin said.

"Hmph! A short-sighted idiot. His Majesty appointed your father as the imperial envoy to investigate Yun Prince's mansion. Do you think His Majesty just doesn't trust Yun Prince's mansion?"

"Don't forget that among the four foreign immortal seedlings in this batch, only Yun Prince's mansion and yours are safe and sound," Ning Sujin sneered.

"This… you mean His Majesty also suspects our Duke's mansion… no, we were also assassinated, unlike Yun Prince's mansion," Ning Yutan was relatively naive on this point.

Ning Sujin looked at Ning Yutan as if she were looking at an idiot: "Some things don't need to look at the process, just the result!"

"You…"

"Dong! Dong! Dong…" Just as Ning Yutan was about to retort again, a magnificent bell rang out from outside, deafening!

"Nine rings of the golden bell?"

"An immortal descends!"