Rebirth Triple

After joining the Sanyi Sect, Zuo Ruotong did not allow Liu Jin to immediately come into contact with the Reverse Life Triple Realm.

For the first three days, Zuo Ruotong had him do only one thing: sit quietly on the stone wall behind the Taoist temple. The stone wall was bare, barren of any vegetation, exposed to the scorching sun overhead, and with cold stone slabs beneath his bottom. Liu Jin sat there from sunrise to sunset, drinking from mountain springs when thirsty and eating dry rations when hungry.

On the evening of the third day, Zuo Ruotong arrived.

"How do you feel?"

Liu Jin thought for a moment: "The stone is uncomfortable."

Zuo Ruotong smiled and sat down beside him. A mountain breeze swept between them, and he raised a hand to smooth his wind-blown hair, his tone calm: "The Threefold Reversal of Life is the fundamental technique of the Sanyi Sect. Starting from the first level, one reverses the innate state, moving closer to the primordial Qi. Skin, flesh, and bones are transformed into Qi in sequence. By the third level, the entire person becomes a pure mass of Qi, freed from the shackles of the physical body, achieving immortality."

Liu Jin listened quietly.

"But that's an ideal." Zuo Ruotong's tone turned somber, like a mountain spring flowing over a hidden reef. "The reality is that most people can't even get past the first hurdle. Transforming Qi into flesh and blood sounds easy, but in practice, the slightest mistake can result in the skin ulcerating all over the body. If you're lucky, you'll be left with a body full of scars; if you're unlucky, you'll have a fever, wounds that won't heal—and you might not be able to breathe your last for half a year."

Liu Jin didn't speak.

"The transformation of Qi into muscles and bones is an even greater hurdle." Zuo Ruotong looked into his eyes, not to frighten him, but to state the facts. "Misaligned meridians and broken bones are not uncommon. Among the disciples of the Sanyi Sect throughout history, more have been permanently disabled due to the attempt to break through to the second level than have died at the second level. Some cannot lift their hands, some cannot walk, and some have their meridians in complete disarray, unable even to disperse their Qi, spending the rest of their lives in excruciating pain."

He paused, giving Liu Jin time to process what he had to say, and then continued.

"As for the third level—since I took charge of the Sanyi Sect, no one has reached it, not even the second level of perfection, including myself."

The mountain wind suddenly picked up, making the bamboo forest rustle.

"Will I die? Will I be crippled?" Liu Jin muttered to himself.

Zuo Ruotong turned her head, her gaze falling on Liu Jin like moonlight—not scorching, but crystal clear. "Every step of the Reverse Rebirth Triple Stage is like scraping impurities from the cracks in your bones with a knife. If you scrape it right, you'll reach new heights. If you scrape it wrong—at best, your meridians will be damaged; at worst, you'll be crippled for life, with no turning back. Are you sure you want to take this path?"

Liu Jin remained silent for a while.

It wasn't fear. It was confirmation of his resolve. Having confirmed it, he nodded: "Let's go."

Zuo Ruotong didn't say anything more. He stood up, took out a yellowed silk scroll from his sleeve, and placed it on Liu Jin's lap. The edges of the silk scroll were worn rough, showing that it had been turned many times.

"This is the complete mantra for the first level of the Reverse Life Triad. I'll only remind you of one thing: it's better to be slow than fast. Each session should last no more than one hour; do not be greedy. If you feel your skin tightening or stinging, stop immediately. The thought of 'just one more incense stick' is the number one killer of disciples of the Three Ones Sect."

"I have noted it down."

Zuo Ruotong took a few steps, then stopped without turning back: "The Sanyi Sect's techniques are unlike any other. With other techniques, if you suffer a qi deviation, you can dissipate your power and start over, or switch to another method. But with the Reverse Life Triple Stage, there's no turning back—once you begin, every change in your body is irreversible. So," his voice softened, "don't make me regret taking you in."

"Yes."

Zuo Ruotong's figure disappeared into the bamboo forest. Liu Jin opened the silk book and read it word by word.

Reversing one's innate nature begins with the skin and hair. Qi is transformed into silk threads, penetrating the body from the inside out. Wherever Qi flows, the mortal body yields, and the innate nature takes over.

He memorized the incantation, closed his eyes, and surrendered his body to the automatic cultivation device.

The sophisticated engine inside the body started up.

Unlike the trickle of Qi during Foundation Establishment, this time the Qi seemed to have branched out, transforming into countless extremely fine threads that started from the dantian and permeated the entire body. Each thread sought out pores, textures, and the ends of meridians, then slowly drilled in.

It doesn't hurt.

But it itches.

An intense itch. It felt like countless ants were crawling, biting, and building nests under his skin. He instinctively tried to scratch, but found he couldn't lift his fingers at all—the automatic cultivation device had taken over his body, and he could only remain in a meditative posture, completely still.

Liu Jin gritted his teeth and mentally said three words to himself.

Endure.

……

"It's starting, it's starting. The first level of the Reverse Rebirth Triple Stage."

"Three days of meditation were all for this moment. Master Zuo is truly composed."

"The risks he mentioned made my legs weak. Skin ulcers all over the body, misaligned meridians, broken bones and tendons—is this a martial art for humans to practice?"

"That's why we need automated training devices. For a normal person to practice this is like gambling with their life every time they try to break through a level."

"How do you think Liu Jin is feeling right now?"

"Judging from his expression... it probably doesn't hurt, it's just itchy."

"Itching is harder to bear than pain. I'd rather be punched than be tickled."

……

On the first day, a faint white light appeared on the surface of the skin, like moonlight shining on the skin.

The next day, the white light solidified. He looked down at the back of his hand; his skin was no longer the normal color, but an ivory white. It was slightly elastic to the touch, but the texture was no longer like flesh. He gently scratched it with his fingernail, leaving no mark—the resilience of his epidermis far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

On the evening of the third day, Zuo Ruotong came again.

He walked up to Liu Jin, said nothing, and flicked the back of Liu Jin's hand with his finger.

There was no dull thud when it hit flesh.

Instead, it produced a very slight metallic tremor, like a tap on a thin piece of jade.

Zuo Ruotong raised an eyebrow. He grasped Liu Jin's wrist, closed his eyes to examine it. After a moment, he opened his eyes, his gaze complex.

"Three days."

Liu Jin looked up at him.

"For an ordinary person, reaching the first level in three months is already considered exceptional talent. You took three days."

Liu Jin didn't know how to answer. He couldn't very well say, "It's all thanks to the automatic cultivation device." He thought for a moment and then said, "Perhaps... this disciple has an affinity for this cultivation method."

Zuo Ruotong glanced at him.

Just one glance. There was no questioning in that gaze, but there was a faint, knowing look that didn't explicitly state anything. Liu Jin felt a slight tension in his back from that glance—he knew that Zuo Ruotong must have noticed something, but she hadn't asked.

After a long silence, Zuo Ruotong withdrew her gaze and said only one sentence: "Starting tomorrow, cultivate on your own, and don't forget to do morning lessons with your fellow disciples."

……

"Three days?! Three days for the first level?!"

"Is this guy cheating?"

"Sorry, it's not turned off."

"Wait... what was the cheat system he chose again?"

"Holy crap, an automated cultivation device. This thing can be used on the third level of Reverse Life?"

"The more extreme the cultivation method, the more outrageous the effect of the automatic cultivation device. The process of cultivating the Reverse Life Triple Stage is extremely painful, and many people simply cannot bear that kind of pain and stop on their own. But the automatic cultivation device is forcibly running, so there is no such thing as 'stopping because of the pain'."

"So when others practice the Reverse Rebirth Triple Stage, they have to use a knife to scrape impurities from between their bones, enduring excruciating pain, sweating profusely, and trembling all over, but they can stop whenever they want. This guy just gets anesthetized and has a machine perform the surgery on him automatically?"

"Theoretically, yes. Moreover, the probability of him going into qi deviation is much lower than that of normal cultivation, because the automatic cultivation device will strictly follow the correct path of the cultivation method and will not deviate due to pain."

"Did you notice the look in Master Zuo's eyes just now?"

"I noticed. He must know there's something wrong with Liu Jin."

"Knowing but not asking. That's Zuo Ruotong."

……