I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals 286

## Chapter 283: Divination

Seven days later.

Yun Lai Peak, within the alchemy room of the subworld.

The furnace lid opened, releasing a surge of brilliant light. Three spirit pills, shimmering with dark purple hues, floated out and landed in Lu Chang An’s palm.

“Third-order spirit pills, Wu Long Dan.”

Lu Chang An examined the quality of the pills. Each had seven markings, a crystal-clear color, and was perfectly round.

Wu Long Dan, capable of neutralizing most poisons in the world, was the kind of third-order pill that Li Huo Shang Ren excelled in refining.

“Something that was unobtainable for a hundred years, now within the grasp of a third-order alchemist.”

Lu Chang An laughed lightly, his heart filled with joy.

In this lifetime, he had tried to cultivate alchemy as well. However, his talent was lacking, and for a hundred years, he had only managed to achieve the lower level of second-order, never advancing to the middle level.

In the past few decades, he had almost given up on alchemy altogether, only refining the necessary pills for daily use.

Now, becoming a third-order alchemist was a wish fulfilled.

Compared to alchemy, divination and artifact refinement were more beneficial to Lu Chang An.

Divination, predicting good fortune and misfortune, helped with stable management.

Artifact refinement was the skill Li Huo Shang Ren had the highest mastery of in his previous life, becoming a high-quality third-order artifact refiner.

Now, all of these were his.

In the future, he wouldn’t need to rely on others for his own natal artifact.

Furthermore, artifact refinement would help with puppet crafting.

The weapons and armor of puppets could be refined by himself, reaching true artifact level, instead of the current “castrated” version, with just material strength and properties.

“The investment I made in the Seven Kingdoms Alliance was truly worthwhile!”

Lu Chang An put the pills away, his heart still buzzing with excitement.

The ability of the Jiu Yin Bei to transform into a second life was different from simply acquiring the lifelong memories of a Nascent Soul elder.

If it were the latter, each skill would still have to be learned from scratch, only with more experience, and fewer detours.

Like the internet in Lu Chang An’s previous world, with massive amounts of knowledge openly available.

However, to achieve mastery in any field, even with a lifetime of effort, an ordinary person might not succeed.

Li Huo Shang Ren was in the fourth position on the Jiu Yin Bei, after Lu Chang An’s third life.

Compared to the reincarnation of the previous life, it was easier to understand if described as the reincarnation of the fourth life.

In the past few days, Lu Chang An reviewed the experiences of his fourth life and realized that the first few hundred years of Li Huo Shang Ren’s life were incredibly smooth!

With a heaven-grade spiritual root, he progressed unimpeded from Qi Refinement to Jie Dan, almost without any bottlenecks.

He lacked setbacks and challenges.

This led to his insufficient potential and lack of momentum after becoming a Nascent Soul.

Of course, this might not be the main reason.

The environment of the Great Green Eastern Domain was also a significant influencing factor.

After becoming a Nascent Soul, Li Huo Shang Ren held onto his power base, lacking ambition and exploration.

Bound to the Li Huo Palace of the Liang Kingdom, he limited his future path.

This reasoning, Li Huo Shang Ren surely understood.

However, from his youth, he had grown within the Li Huo Palace, dedicating several hundred years of his blood and sweat, his disciples, his Dao companions, and his children were all intertwined with this place.

He didn’t venture outside.

First, there was risk, and it was difficult to leave his comfort zone.

Second, if he left, the Li Huo Palace would inevitably decline, perhaps even perish.

…

“Fortunately, I don’t get married or have children in this life. I am not completely bound to any cultivation force, and I don’t have those concerns.”

Lu Chang An realized that the things Li Huo Shang Ren lacked were precisely the advantages he possessed.

However, Li Huo Shang Ren’s top-grade talent and cultivation speed were what Lu Chang An lacked.

In the cultivation world, there were few things perfect.

Even a Nascent Soul Zhen Jun had their own limitations, possibly inferior to ordinary cultivators in certain aspects.

Standing on the shoulders of giants in the fourth life, Lu Chang An had a clearer plan for his future cultivation path:

Before Nascent Soul, he could still make a living in the Great Green Eastern Domain.

After Nascent Soul, if he desired a higher level, he needed to go to a broader stage.

This was especially true for cultivators like Lu Chang An who came from a scattered cultivation background.

The four-level spirit veins, the Heavenly Dao, all restricted this cultivation region, making it difficult for cultivators to reach their limits.

In the memories of the fourth life, Lu Chang An had a clearer understanding of the territories of the Tian Heng Continent.

The Great Kun where he was previously was called Kunzhou.

The Great Green he was currently in was called Qingzhou.

Similar rumors Lu Chang An had heard in his previous life.

Kunzhou and Qingzhou, these two territories, were considered mid-level regions on the Tian Heng Continent.

In these regions, a Nascent Soul stage was impossible to achieve because there were no five-level spirit veins.

For those with great fortune, it was possible to reach the late Nascent Soul stage.

The map of the Tian Heng Continent that he obtained in the fourth life was rather general, lacking detail, only marking the locations of some long-standing major states.

The legendary Middle State was located in the central region of the Tian Heng Continent.

The Feng Hua State where the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty was located was in the eastern center of the continent.

Qingzhou was also in the east of the Tian Heng Continent, separated from Feng Hua State by two major states.

On the map, it seemed like a relatively short distance, but the actual journey was incredibly long.

The location of the Great Kun in his previous life was not marked.

But Lu Chang An believed that once he reached the Nascent Soul stage in the future, finding the location of his previous life wouldn’t be difficult.

There was much more useful information from the memories of his fourth life.

For example, the Feng Yuan Kingdom.

Lu Chang An learned that before the Golden Sun Northward Migration War, Li Huo Shang Ren sent some of his bloodline descendants to the Feng Yuan Kingdom.

Why choose the Feng Yuan Kingdom?

In Li Huo Shang Ren’s understanding, the environment of the Feng Yuan Kingdom was harsh, unsuitable for cultivation and development, but in the face of the Demon Dao invasion, it was a safe haven for survival.

The Feng Yuan Kingdom not only had natural barriers, but its land was poor and barren, something that the Demon Dao Six Sects wouldn’t be interested in.

Leaving some descendants there ensured the continuation of his bloodline.

Of course, Li Huo Shang Ren also had some outstanding descendants and disciples who followed the Li Huo Palace to the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.

The Seven Kingdoms Alliance was more prosperous and had a brighter future than the several kingdoms of the Righteous Path Alliance.

Both for advancement and survival, Li Huo Shang Ren had made appropriate arrangements.

Moreover, Li Huo Shang Ren had also set up hidden resources for his descendants.

Lu Chang An had no desire to be greedy.

After all, he had essentially experienced Li Huo Shang Ren’s entire life.

Although under the influence of the Jiu Yin Bei, his core nature remained unchanged, he simply gained the experience and insights of another life, but there was a certain level of attachment.

If the Jiu Yin Bei didn’t have this ability, after experiencing several reincarnations, Lu Chang An would have developed multiple personalities, how could he maintain his original intentions unchanged?

“If the Demon Dao Six Sects threaten the Liang Kingdom, the Feng Yuan Kingdom can serve as a good place to lay low.”

Lu Chang An planned to also arrange his escape route in the Feng Yuan Kingdom.

After all, the Nascent Soul elder in the fourth life had sent his bloodline descendants there for safety.

As for the harsh environment and meager resources of the Feng Yuan Kingdom, Lu Chang An didn’t care.

Over the years, he had accumulated a substantial fortune, enough to support his cultivation for many years.

…

Two days later, Lu Chang An was trying his hand at artifact refinement.

Suddenly, he had a thought and took out the Elder’s Token from his storage pouch.

The token glowed with a white light, transmitting a message.

“Tian Feng Zhen Ren, returning with serious injuries?”

Lu Chang An pondered, stopping what he was doing.

In the Demon Dao invasion war, Zhang Tie Shan made a significant contribution to the Golden Cloud Valley.

Over the past decade, he had killed two Demon Dao cultivators at the initial True Core stage, eliminated six or seven Fake Core Zhen Rens, and slain a comparable number of demon beasts.

This didn’t include the Demon Dao Zhen Rens he had repelled or driven back during the war.

Compared to some biographies, he didn’t have records of defeating opponents at a higher level. He primarily killed those at the same level, which didn’t sound extraordinary.

However, Demon Dao cultivators at the same level were generally stronger than those from the Righteous Path Alliance.

Therefore, being able to kill a True Core Zhen Ren of the same level in the Demon Dao invasion battlefield was considered a remarkable achievement.

The greater Zhang Tie Shan’s contribution, the less pressure on the Golden Cloud Valley, allowing them to send relatively fewer new recruits to the front lines every year.

This was a rule within the Righteous Path Alliance to increase the motivation of high-level cultivators from various forces to kill the enemy.

Moreover, achievements in battle could be exchanged for many scarce resources within the Righteous Path Alliance.

Half an hour later.

A group of injured Golden Cloud Valley cultivators returned to the mountain gate.

Zhang Tie Shan was their leader.

In the Sect Master’s Hall.

Lu Chang An saw the injured Zhang Tie Shan immediately.

Zhang Tie Shan’s face was pale, his breath weak, his leg broken, held together and nourished by spirit-infused vines.

“Elder Lu, how is Elder Tian Feng’s injury?”

The Golden Cloud Sect Master was present, watching with concern.

Although Zhang Tie Shan was only at the initial True Core stage, his battle prowess was comparable to that of a mid-level True Core cultivator.

“The injury is quite serious, needing prompt treatment to avoid damage to his foundation.”

After taking his pulse, Lu Chang An felt something strange.

It wasn’t Zhang Tie Shan’s injury.

The injury was severe, with over a dozen broken bones, damaged organs, and several lingering hidden injuries affecting his Dantian.

Lu Chang An’s strangeness stemmed from a subtle and peculiar artifact aura within Zhang Tie Shan.

In the past, Lu Chang An wouldn’t have noticed.

But now, with the perception and knowledge of a Nascent Soul elder, and having taken his pulse personally, he noticed the anomaly.

As a high-quality third-order artifact refiner, Lu Chang An felt that the artifact aura was unique, containing a level of spirituality beyond ordinary artifacts.

Even his own Ding Tou Jian, or even Li Huo Shang Ren’s top-grade artifact, couldn’t compare.

“Could it be a replica of a Spiritual Treasure, or a fragment of a Spiritual Treasure?”

Lu Chang An now had some speculation.

If it were a true Spiritual Treasure, deliberately concealed, with Lu Chang An’s current perceptual state, it would be difficult to detect.

“Elder Lu, can you please treat Zhang’s injury as soon as possible, so that there are no lasting consequences. Besides the Sect contributions, there will be additional rewards after the fact.”

Zhang Tie Shan’s voice was hoarse, as he bowed respectfully.

Lu Chang An was a skilled physician, adept at nurturing.

The Golden Cloud Valley had proposed that they give Lu Chang An a certain amount of Sect contributions for treating high-level individuals who returned from the battlefield.

Only those high-level individuals with severe injuries would be treated by Lu Chang An, and he wouldn’t consume his lifespan.

The contributions he received could be exchanged for the resources he needed, or he could issue Sect missions, allowing Golden Cloud Valley cultivators to run errands for him.

“At least three months. Every seven days, Lu will go to Elder Zhang’s residence for treatment. Additionally, the following medicinal herbs are needed…”

Lu Chang An pondered for a moment before giving the treatment plan.

Actually, he could do it in less than half that time.

Three months was a reasonable range for a third-order physician.

“Then I’ll trouble Elder Lu. After the treatment, Zhang will refine a treasure for Lu Zhen Ren for free.”

Zhang Tie Shan’s face showed a smile.

Back then, when he refined the Ding Tou Jian for Lu Chang An, he had done his best, but he hadn’t put his all into using the Spiritual Treasure fragment.

Over the years, Zhang Tie Shan’s artifact refinement skills had improved. Refining it again could upgrade the Ding Tou Jian to a high-grade artifact.

“No need, Lu is struggling to control a mid-grade artifact. We’ll talk about artifact refinement later.”

Lu Chang An refused with a smile.

“If Daoist Zhang is uneasy, you can compensate with third-order materials at that time.”

“Then I’ll follow Lu Daoist’s wishes.”

Zhang Tie Shan nodded in agreement, but he felt something strange in his heart.

Based on Lu Chang An’s nature, he would be eager to upgrade his natal artifact to the highest level, increasing his protective abilities.

…

An agreement was reached.

Lu Chang An went to Zhang Tie Shan’s subworld that day to treat him once.

After the treatment, Lu Chang An would receive a substantial amount of Sect contributions, as well as compensation from Zhang Tie Shan in the form of third-order treasure materials.

After Lu Chang An left, Zhang Tie Shan looked hesitant.

“Senior Spirit, will Lu Chang An see your presence when he treats me?”

“Don’t worry, if he’s Yan Dong Lai reincarnated, and is so familiar with you, having been in close proximity for so many years, he would have already noticed.”

The Spirit’s voice, although sounding old and wise, was still childishly high-pitched.

“Based on this Spirit’s observation and analysis, this person’s actions and style are quite different from Yan Dong Lai. If he were simply a genius cultivating the Evergreen Art, he wouldn’t have this level of perception and insight.”

“That’s good. Let him see my cultivation progress, and my near-third-order body refinement, it’s no big deal.”

Zhang Tie Shan relaxed and stopped worrying.

The reason he sought Lu Chang An’s treatment was because his injuries were truly serious and he was worried about affecting his foundation.

His cultivation was over half way through the initial True Core stage, a prime stage for gaining achievements and vying for valuable resources.

Once he reached the mid-level True Core stage, Zhang Tie Shan’s self-preservation ability on the battlefield would increase significantly, and without a Nascent Soul, few cultivators could threaten his life.

Due to his outstanding performance on the battlefield, Zhang Tie Shan had been targeted by high-level cultivators from the Beast King Valley in recent years.

This time, he was injured because he was targeted by a third-order late-stage flying beast, his speed couldn’t match, and he almost lost his life.

Thankfully, the Great Elder arrived in time to rescue him.

Otherwise, he would have had to expose the Spiritual Treasure fragment on the battlefield to survive.

Yun Lai Peak subworld.

“Zhang Tie Shan’s fortune is truly incredible. This cultivation progress, he must have formed a top-tier True Core, for a low-grade spiritual root, it’s rare to see once in a few hundred years.”

Thanks to the perception of a Nascent Soul Zhen Jun, during the treatment, Lu Chang An learned much about Zhang Tie Shan.

Lu Chang An speculated that Zhang Tie Shan could reach the mid-level True Core stage within twenty years.

For a low-grade spiritual root, it was indeed a disadvantage in Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment.

Before the initial stage of Foundation Establishment.

Zhang Tie Shan’s cultivation speed was clearly inferior to Zhao Si Yao’s, but he began to surpass her in the later stages of Foundation Establishment.

However, at the True Core level, the impact of the spiritual root diminished, and the quality of the Core was also a crucial factor.

If the Core quality was too poor, like Fu Xue Mei, even with an Earth-grade spiritual root, she would become mediocre in the True Core stage.

Zhang Tie Shan formed his True Core about eighteen years earlier than Lu Chang An, and he wasn’t restricted by the age limit of the Evergreen Art.

With his fortune, and his powerful battle abilities, he might progress more smoothly in the True Core stage than he did in Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment.

…

Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Tie Shan, having recovered from his injuries, returned to the front lines two years ago.

The Zhao clan, teacher and disciple, returned to the Golden Cloud Valley together.

On this day, Lu Chang An, 195 years old, completed his routine cultivation and nurturing.

Over the past three years, the image of the purple-robed Daoist from the fourth life of the Jiu Yin Bei had illuminated a few sections.

Lu Chang An estimated that it would take a total of twenty years to illuminate the Nascent Soul Zhen Jun from the fourth life.

Before nurturing a fourth-order Treasure Charm, this would be Lu Chang An’s strongest trump card.

“Uncle Lu! We’re here again.”

After noon, Zhao Tan Er’s clear and pleasant voice came from outside Yun Lai Peak.

“Come in.”

A slight smile touched Lu Chang An’s lips as he stood up and walked out of the subworld.

Outside the subworld, there was an artificial pond.

The three Zhen Rens, Lu Chang An, Zhao Si Yao, and Zhao Tan Er, sat in a pavilion beside the pond.

During the war, it was rare for the Zhao clan, teacher and disciple, to be at the Golden Cloud Valley mountain gate at the same time.

Zhao Tan Er knew that Lu Chang An often had free time in the afternoon, and she had come to visit occasionally in the past two months.

On the top of Yun Lai Peak, the three of them would sometimes drink tea, play chess, and sing songs together.

If they were lucky, Lu Chang An could even hear Zhao Si Yao playing the qin and Zhao Tan Er dancing gracefully, the two female Zhen Rens performing a musical duet.

Fake Core cultivators had a lifespan of three hundred years, and Zhao Si Yao, having free time, developed a fondness for playing the seven-string qin.

Over the decades, Zhao Si Yao’s qin skills had reached a high level, her qin music becoming increasingly ethereal and tranquil.

Whenever he listened to Zhao Si Yao’s qin music, Lu Chang An felt her heart subtly.

There wasn’t much joy, nor much regret or sorrow.

Whenever she played for Lu Chang An, amidst the ethereal qin music, there were occasional flashes of lightheartedness, or a kind of tranquil warmth, like the sound of a mountain stream.

Lu Chang An enjoyed this leisurely life.

Zhao Si Yao’s grace and elegance, her understanding as a confidante, and Zhao Tan Er’s playful spirit, occasionally indulging in mischief.

Being with the Zhao clan, teacher and disciple, Lu Chang An felt carefree, and at times, he felt like a family of three.

Their eyes would meet, and there might be a knowing smile, but there was no genuine romantic ambiguity.

Without needing to break that boundary, Lu Chang An and Zhao Si Yao’s relationship was naturally comfortable and harmonious.

Even though Zhao Si Yao was now in her mid-thirties, she no longer had the youthful beauty of her younger years.

She didn’t need to be like Mu Xiu Yun, who, filled with sadness and heartache, ultimately couldn’t bear to face the man who remained eternally youthful.

By not crossing that line, it was the perfect relationship.

Lu Chang An had a lot of wives and concubines in his previous life, and he understood the meaning of “If only life could be like the first time we met.”

If he and Zhao Si Yao had broken that boundary, they might not have the same level of harmony and joy in their current relationship.

“Uncle Lu, were you even listening?”

Zhao Tan Er wrinkled her nose and lightly tapped her teacup.

“This is Tan Er’s insights from defeating a True Core Demon Dao cultivator on the battlefield. You don’t have experience fighting at the same level, so you need to understand it carefully.”

“I’ve heard it several times, your Uncle Lu has grasped the essence.”

Lu Chang An and Zhao Si Yao exchanged a smile.

After years of training, Zhao Tan Er had been injured and killed enemies on the battlefield, her battle abilities were already impressive.

Perhaps it was because of her pure heart, Zhao Tan Er’s comprehension was excellent, and she was growing quickly.

As for the True Core Demon Dao cultivator she said she defeated.

The opponent had underestimated her, and she used a trick, combined with her near-third-order puppet, to severely wound him and force him to flee.

“Tan Er, you’ll have the right to teach Uncle Lu when you can defeat him head-on.”

Zhao Si Yao knew Lu Chang An better than anyone else, and she knew that his true strength was not as simple as it appeared.

“Ugh! Tan Er would be exhausted to death, but she still wouldn’t be able to break through that turtle shell.”

Hearing this, Zhao Tan Er’s face fell.

Whenever she was full of confidence, her spells and techniques had improved, and she sought out Lu Chang An for a sparring session, she was unable to defeat him.

If it continued for long, she would definitely be overwhelmed.

Thanks to Zhao Tan Er’s promotion, the title of “Turtle Zhen Ren” had been recognized in the Golden Cloud Valley.

Lu Chang An never refused sparring, it was to hone her.

“Chang An, I recently heard that you’ve been put on a bounty by the black market.”

Zhao Si Yao asked with concern.

Lu Chang An replied nonchalantly, “A lot of noise, but little rain. As long as I don’t leave the Golden Cloud Valley easily, the Xie clan of the Chen Kingdom can’t do anything to me.”

It turned out that the Xie clan of the Chen Kingdom’s bounty within their own country had no effect, so they increased their efforts and issued a bounty on the black market of the various cultivation realms.

Zhao Si Yao had been preoccupied with the battlefield, so she was delayed in getting the news.

“Uncle Lu, I heard that Second Qing Uncle is nearing the end, his lifespan is approaching its limit. Tan Er wants to go visit him.”

Zhao Tan Er suggested.

“Li Cong Ren mentioned in his letter that Li Er Qing didn’t allow his descendants to compete for second-order lifespan-extending pills, to avoid wasting resources and creating enemies.”

Lu Chang An sighed.

In the twenty years since his return to the Liang Kingdom, he rarely went out, only going to the翡月湖 twice.

On the contrary, Li Er Qing, with his white hair and wrinkled face, had visited him several times in the Golden Cloud Valley.

In recent years, Li Er Qing’s health had worsened, and he hadn’t come again.

Thinking about it, Lu Chang An started to calculate with his fingers.

“Uncle Lu, you can do divination?”

Zhao Tan Er’s eyes sparkled, she seemed interested.

After a few breaths.

Lu Chang An finished his calculations and said solemnly, “Li Er Qing has about a year left, and he is bedridden now.”

(End of chapter)

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