Chapter 832
I, Jiang Ning, have today reached the realm of a Yuan Shen Immortal!
Shangyang Inner Landscape.
When Jiang Ning opened his eyes, the familiar and unchanging scenery before him remained the same.
Ten suns hung high overhead, continuously radiating warmth.
Behind me stretched a vast, surging sea of clouds.
Ahead stood towering stone pillars and a gate, with the words "Shangyang" inscribed on the gate.
He paused in place for a moment, waiting, but the red dress that had appeared earlier did not show up.
"Sure enough, I haven't been here for a long time, and I've missed my senior sister Shen Yueru as well," he thought to himself.
Then he looked up and stepped forward. As he walked forward, a scene of distorted time and space appeared before him once again.
The area in front and all around is sometimes shrouded in mist, a solemn and peaceful immortal sect.
At other times, it transforms into a scene of ruined buildings, collapsed stone pillars, and terrifying cracks covering the earth, as if two different times have overlapped here.
As a true disciple of the Shangyang Immortal Sect who had been here several times, he was already familiar with the route and continued along the path he had taken before.
Soon, he arrived at Yangchi.
The pool water was golden, as if the sun had been scattered and merged into it.
There was still no one here.
He immediately entered the Yangchi Pool and waited quietly for a moment.
A moment later, he stepped out of the Yangchi Pool, shaking his head inwardly.
Compared to the changes before, he can now feel that Yangchi has almost no effect on him, or its effect is very weak and insignificant. Continuing to stay in Yangchi is completely meaningless.
He then walked along the familiar path to the pulpit.
Every time he came to the inner landscape of Shangyang Immortal Sect, every time he came to the preaching platform, he could activate the imprint left on this place, allowing the scene of this place to reappear before his eyes, and allowing him to feel the preaching of those great beings.
"I hope this time will be fruitful too!" he thought to himself.
Then find the spot where you sat before, sit cross-legged, and clear your mind.
"Junior brother, wake up! Wake up!" A clear, melodious voice rang in Jiang Ning's ears.
Upon hearing the sound, Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes and saw the beautiful woman sitting next to him.
"Junior brother is quite carefree. Elder Ouyang will be here later to explain the principles of pharmacology. How can you fall asleep during his class?" The pretty woman teased Jiang Ning.
Looking at that face, he felt a sense of familiarity, and then it suddenly dawned on him that the woman sitting next to him was the one who had sat next to him last time.
"Junior brother, which academy are you from? We haven't seen each other since we parted ways last time." The woman was slightly taken aback when she saw Jiang Ning, and then asked.
Seeing the woman's eyes full of confusion, Jiang Ning didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Although he was a true disciple of the Shangyang Immortal Sect, he knew nothing about the sect.
He had never even heard of which academies the Shangyang Immortal Sect was divided into.
"Elder Ouyang is here. Junior Brother, we'll talk after this!" The woman suddenly shut her mouth and gave Jiang Ning a look to signal him to be quiet.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning looked towards the stage and saw a figure slowly walking towards it.
The newcomer was dressed in a blue robe, with white hair and a youthful face. He held a jade ruler in his hand and was surrounded by a faint fragrance of grass and trees. Just by standing quietly on the platform, he made all the disciples in the hall feel a sense of awe and sit up straight in solemn silence.
Then a medicinal fragrance spread out.
Jiang Ning's mind went blank for a moment, and he looked up.
Elder Ouyang slowly sat down cross-legged, without speaking immediately.
His gaze swept across the audience almost imperceptibly, finally pausing briefly on him before his fingers twitched slightly, a barely perceptible hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Today, we will discuss the principles of flourishing and decay."
Elder Ouyang's voice was gentle yet clear, like a spring tapping on a stone, directly entering the hearts of all the disciples.
He raised his hand, and the jade ruler lightly touched the air.
In an instant, two seedlings sprouted out of thin air on either side of the lectern.
A plant sprouts branches and leaves at a speed visible to the naked eye, blooms profusely, and then withers and turns to ashes in an instant.
The other plant, however, remained in a state of half-withered and half-flourishing, with its branches and leaves half-yellow and half-green, where life and death intertwined and flowed, creating a strange balance.
"All things in the universe are born, grow old, get sick, and die; this is the natural order. However, what we cultivators seek is precisely to transcend this order."
Elder Ouyang's tone was calm, yet it seemed to contain some profound truth of the universe.
"Withering is not utter annihilation. Flourishing is not complete prosperity. The two are mutually generative and restraining, and can also transform into each other. If one understands this principle, even in dire straits, one can find a glimmer of hope in desolation, and glimpse the signs of decline in the height of prosperity."
Listening to Elder Ouyang's explanation on the stage, Jiang Ning suddenly understood.
This aligns perfectly with his recent understanding of the cycle of rise and fall, and is even more profound and insightful.
Just by listening, he gained a lot of insights and feelings.
Consequently, I also gained many insights into the changing seasons.
The cycle of the four seasons is a recurring cycle of withering and flourishing.
Jiang Ning was completely absorbed in listening to Elder Ouyang's explanation on the stage.
The energy of life and death within him was now flowing slightly and unconsciously, creating a mysterious resonance with the two plants on either side of the lectern that were exhibiting the phenomena of life and death.
The woman sitting next to him seemed to sense something and glanced at him in surprise. She saw that Jiang Ning's eyes were slightly closed, and his aura seemed to be quietly in harmony with the Daoist energy of the lecture platform. Although he was sitting in the same place, he seemed to be in another dimension, gradually moving away from everyone in the hall.
Elder Ouyang's surprise deepened, and he pointed the jade ruler in his hand at the empty space in front of him once more.
This time, what appeared in the void was not a plant, but a hazy image.
A Taoist priest in blue robes sat cross-legged atop a desolate mountain peak, his body shrouded in deathly aura, his flesh withered and dry as rotten wood. However, just as his life force was about to be completely extinguished, a faint light shone deep within his dantian, spreading like wildfire. The deathly aura reversed, the withered wood was reborn, and a surge of immense life force erupted, nourishing and replenishing his almost skeletal body, making it even stronger than before!
"Destruction leads to creation, and death leads to life." Elder Ouyang said slowly, "This is the Rebirth Technique, which is a secret of our sect. However, to practice this technique, one must have a profound understanding of the mechanism of life and death, and one must also have abundant vitality as a guide, otherwise one will be courting death."
At this moment, Jiang Ning was already immersed in Elder Ouyang's narration.
Every word and phrase seemed to transform into a gentle stream, flowing into his understanding of the cycle of life and death.
The directions I had never thought of before now seem to have opened up a whole new world, and many things that were unclear before are now suddenly clear.
Many of the instinctive applications of the past now have a clear framework and legal basis.
After an unknown amount of time, the preaching gradually ceased.
Elder Ouyang slowly stood up, and the two saplings on either side disappeared as well.
The disciples in the hall gradually woke up, some lost in thought, others shaking their heads and sighing, and one after another got up and left.
The woman sitting next to Jiang Ning gently nudged him: "Junior Brother? Elder Ouyang has already left."
Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes, a fleeting glimpse of life and death flashing in his gaze.
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister," he said.
"Junior brother, don't you find it strange? It was clearly said before that Elder Ouyang would be expounding on the principles of medicine, but just now he changed his mind and started expounding on the principles of decay and prosperity! The principles of decay and prosperity contain the profound truths of life and death. How can they be so easy to comprehend?" the woman said, then tilted her head to look at Jiang Ning.
Then he continued, "However, I noticed that you seemed to have gained some insight just now. May I ask which academy you studied under?"
Jiang Ning smiled slightly, avoiding the question, and instead asked, "Does Senior Sister know where the complete lineage of the Rebirth Technique is located within the sect?"
The woman paused for a moment, then shook her head: "This is a secret teaching, which can only be obtained by true disciples or those who have made great contributions. But this is only the qualification. You also need enough sect contribution points to learn it, or you need to be ranked among the top ten true disciples. Only those ranked among the top ten true disciples can learn this secret teaching unconditionally. If you are interested, you can go to the third floor of the library and ask the elder on duty."
Jiang Ning sighed inwardly at the sight of the "three-story library." The buildings along the way were dilapidated, the stone pillars were collapsed, and there was also the library.
He felt a pang of helplessness, then composed himself and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister."
The woman waved her hand, as if she wanted to ask another question.
The next moment, the scene before my eyes vanished.
Jiang Ning's gaze sharpened; everything that had just happened seemed like a dream shattered.
If what he had just realized did not actually exist, he would have even doubted whether it was an illusion rather than a real event he had experienced.
"The Way of Withering and Flourishing," he murmured to himself as he remained seated on the ground.
Everything around was empty; there wasn't a soul in sight.
But the magnificent scene just now made him feel momentarily dazed.
The beautiful woman he had just seen did not seem like an illusion, but rather a real person, someone he had been conversing with. "The Inner Realm is truly mysterious!" he sighed inwardly once more.
Then the rebirth technique described by Elder Ouyang began to play.
He was indeed envious of that secret technique.
That is an extremely powerful life-saving technique.
After mastering the Rebirth Technique, one can condense a seed of life within their body, allowing them to remain alive no matter how exhausted they become.
Simply by stimulating the withered and flourishing seeds, they can instantly reverse their vitality and return to their peak.
Just like the scene Elder Ouyang just demonstrated.
Once you master the Rebirth Technique and condense a Seed of Withering and Flourishing, it's equivalent to having an extra life.
Gathering ten of them is equivalent to having ten extra lives.
How could he not be envious of such a mysterious life-saving technique?
However, according to what the woman just said, this secret technique is stored on the third floor of the library.
He was a true disciple, meeting the initial qualifications for learning, and could have inquired with the elder on duty what conditions he was still lacking.
But the former scripture pavilion, along with the ruins of the Shangyang Immortal Sect, has long been buried among the broken walls and rubble. The so-called elders who guarded it have also perished with the demise of the Shangyang Immortal Sect, long since lost to the torrent of time.
Then, he composed himself, slowly got up, and headed in the direction of the "ladder to heaven" he remembered.
His main purpose in coming to Shangyang Inner Landscape was to test the strength of his soul and the level of his spiritual realm.
Whether one has reached the realm of a primordial spirit immortal.
Before long, the towering white jade staircase came into view again.
Amidst swirling clouds and mist, the long staircase winds its way upwards, disappearing into the vast, boundless depths of the clouds and mist.
"Last time, I stopped at the 188th step. Although I had some strength left, I had almost reached my limit."
Jiang Ning looked up, his eyes shining brightly.
"My spiritual strength is now vastly different from what it used to be. I'll see how far I can go this time."
He took a step forward and landed steadily on the first jade step.
The familiar pressure arrived as expected, but it was much milder than I remembered, like a gentle breeze.
Without pausing, he climbed the steps with unhurried steps.
Tenth level, thirtieth level, fiftieth level...
The pressure gradually increased, but it couldn't slow him down at all.
The soul is like refined gold that has been tempered a thousand times, indestructible.
After passing the ninety-ninth floor, through the waterfall gate where clouds gather, and climbing the one hundredth step, a new world awaits.
Ahead, starting from the 101st step, the steps continue to extend into the clouds and disappear into them.
Without hesitation, he climbed the 101st step again.
The immense mental pressure he faced had no effect on him whatsoever.
He climbed upwards with steady steps, his body as stable as Mount Tai.
When he stepped onto the 188th step again, the pressure around him was like a mountain collapsing and a sea overturning, enough to shatter the soul and dissipate the spirit of a first-grade martial artist.
But Jiang Ning only paused briefly before lifting his foot again and stepping onto the 189th step.
Boom—
A deafening roar erupted from overhead.
However, this pressure, when it fell on him, could not make his body sway in the slightest.
"Sure enough, it's much easier now."
He understood, but without stopping, he continued climbing upwards.
With each step he ascended, the pressure increased, but his spirit remained as firm as a mountain, never wavering in its foundation.
Step 190, Step 191, Step 199.
Without pausing, he stood on the 199th step.
Ahead, the cascading clouds and mist obscured his view.
He knew that once he took this step, he would reach the two hundredth step.
Being able to climb two hundred steps also proves his mental strength; his spiritual realm has reached that of a primordial spirit immortal.
After a brief pause, he took the step without hesitation.
Stepping over the misty waterfall, a new world instantly appeared before us.
Boom—
The heavens and earth roared, and the mind trembled.
He felt an endless spiritual pressure surging in from all directions, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing towards him.
But it only shook his mind for a moment, and then it all dissipated.
Looking ahead at the still-continuous staircase stretching into the clouds, his heart surged with emotion.
Standing on this step proves that he has reached the level of a primordial spirit immortal in terms of spiritual strength and soul realm.
This progress gave him a strong sense of self-confidence.
Just then.
Suddenly, a series of chaotic sounds rang in his ears.
"I, Li Musheng, have today attained the realm of an immortal!"
"Today, my soul has reached the realm of an immortal!!"
"I"
Voices, some male, some female, some passionate, some calm.
The sounds mingled and confused in his ears.
At first, the sound was blurry and seemed distant, but it gradually became clearer, revealing the emotions and passionate confidence within it.
Finally, the sound became clearer.
"I, Bai Li, have today achieved the realm of a Primordial God Immortal!!!"
Upon hearing this voice, Jiang Ning was immediately taken aback.
"Bai Li. It's him! It's Senior Brother Bai Li! His words are the clearest, the last words, which means he is the most recent person to climb the two hundred steps here."
“No!” Jiang Ning was taken aback again and shook his head: “That voice was clearly a woman’s voice.”
Thinking of this, he was immediately lost in memories, recalling the scene when he met Bai Li.
After a few breaths.
He snapped out of his reverie, shook his head, and decided not to dwell on the issue.
He knew that he had probably been deceived by Bai Li.
That wasn't a senior brother, but a senior sister.
Bai Li is a woman, or rather, a mother.
Because Bai Li is a demon, and her true form is a nine-tailed celestial fox.
Humans are divided into male and female, while demons are divided into male and female.
He calmed himself down and looked up at the empty space above.
After climbing two hundred steps, a message from the unseen world entered his mind. He understood that every disciple of the Shangyang Immortal Sect who climbed these steps would leave behind a message.
"I, Jiang Ning, have today achieved the realm of a Primordial Immortal!"
He announced loudly. (End of Chapter)