[Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice: The Arctic Glacier contains ’Xuanjing Cold Qi’, which takes ten thousand years to condense into a single strand. It is the ultimate cold aura. If it encounters ’Snow Mountain Scattering Soul Thunder’, it transforms into ’Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice’, which can be refined into an extreme cold treasure.]
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"I owe you, Brother Cen!"
Chen Jichuan used the ’Insight Skill’ to examine it and, confirming it was correct, suppressed his inner joy and cupped his hands toward the middle-aged cultivator.
This middle-aged cultivator, named Cen Guanghong, was a renowned loose cultivator in the Mysterious Nether Sea, proficient in the ’Ice Sealing Water Technique’. He had long achieved the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, comparable to Wuk Yuan Immortal Master and Shii Tongwei back in the day.
Chen Jichuan had made acquaintances all around and had met Cen Guanghong a couple of times, though their relationship wasn’t deep.
More than twenty years ago.
He acquired a ’Mystical Gate Skill’ from a loose cultivator friend, Luu Ganzi, which required ’Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice’.
So, he mobilized his connections, spread the word through his friends, willing to exchange a vial of ’Wind Thunder Pill’ and a Magical Treasure for a piece of ’Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice’.
The ’Wind Thunder Pill’ is especially rare.
Not only does it require ’Wind Thunder Immortal Almond’ as the main ingredient, but seven other entering-grade spiritual medicines to be concocted.
Entering-grade spiritual medicines are already hard to find, and the ’Wind Thunder Immortal Almond’ is exclusively owned by Chen Jichuan, with no others available.
Once refined into ’Wind Thunder Pill’, even late-stage Qi Refining cultivators can use it. For someone like Cen Guanghong at the middle stage of Qi Refining, it is highly beneficial.
Consuming one pill saves ten years of hard work.
A bottle of twelve pills equals one hundred and twenty years.
News spread, and all corners of the world moved, various Immortal Masters came seeking pills.
Chen Jichuan suffered many plots, troubled beyond measure.
Fortunately, he had acquaintances all around with extensive connections. Being benevolent and liked to teach, many new Qi Refining Immortal Masters in the Mysterious Nether Sea had received his favor and guidance, treating him with the respect due to a teacher.
Once the news about the Wind Thunder Pill spread, many harbored ill intentions, but none dared to rob openly. The covert means employed, Chen Jichuan could handle them.
When those people realized it was futile.
Most Immortal Masters coveting the Wind Thunder Pill could only travel far to the North Pole, seeking ’Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice’.
But after more than twenty years, Cen Guanghong was still the first to find the Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice and bring it back to Jade Spring Mountain.
"Brother Cen, you’ve had a hard journey, how can I repay you——"
Chen Jichuan understood what Cen Guanghong had labored for, and immediately took out a bottle of ’Wind Thunder Pill’ from his sleeve and the ’Wind Thunder Fan’ from his waist and handed them to Cen Guanghong.
Over these years, he had sent off many friends, not expecting favors in return. However, some, having no descendants or disciples and with whom he had a very good relationship, insisted on leaving their Magical Treasures to Chen Jichuan before dying.
As a result, aside from the Wind Thunder Fan, Chen Jichuan still had the ’Three Elements Sword’ and the ’Thunder Sound Cone’.
Friends gifted with emotions involved, it wasn’t suitable to give them away or sell them.
So, he could only offer the Wind Thunder Fan.
"Thank you, Mr. Chen."
Cen Guanghong accepted the jade bottle, seeing the twelve Wind Thunder surging Spirit Pills inside, his face immediately lit up with joy.
But he pushed the Wind Thunder Fan back and shook his head toward Chen Jichuan, saying, "’Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice’ is of no use to me, exchanging it for a bottle of ’Wind Thunder Pill’ is already satisfying, I dare not accept this Wind Thunder Fan, please take it back, Mr. Chen."
Chen Jichuan was momentarily startled upon hearing this.
"Mr. Chen’s generosity is known far and wide today, I shamelessly accept the ’Wind Thunder Pill’, and I am already deeply ashamed, I dare not take the Wind Thunder Fan any further."
Cen Guanghong’s expression was resolute.
"Brother Cen, what am I to do?"
Seeing that Cen Guanghong’s words and expression were genuine, Chen Jichuan did not press further.
He put away the Wind Thunder Fan.
After thinking for a while.
He took out another jade bottle from his sleeve and said to Cen Guanghong, "I have already promised some old friends, and indeed have no extra Wind Thunder Pills. Here is a bottle of ’Core Formation Pill’, though not as good as the Wind Thunder Pill, it is still helpful for cultivation. It’s a token of my appreciation, please don’t refuse it, Brother Cen."
The Core Formation Pill is a First-order Mid Grade, not comparable to the Wind Thunder Pill, nor to a Magical Treasure, but it is something ordinary Qi Refining cultivators find hard to obtain.
Since Cen Guanghong refused the Wind Thunder Fan, perhaps the Core Formation Pill would be a slight compensation.
"Mr. Chen, do not underestimate me, Cen Guanghong!"
Seeing this, Cen Guanghong was furious, his anger blazing like a crown.
He leaped up, transformed into a streak of light, and disappeared.
Chen Jichuan stood there, dumbfounded, "This——"
Only then did he realize that Cen Guanghong wasn’t advancing to retreat or trying to claim more pills in disguise.
He felt ashamed in his heart.
By the time he wanted to explain, Cen Guanghong had already vanished without a trace.
"I can only apologize when I see him in the future."
Chen Jichuan sighed, feeling that there were still many good people in this world.
He set those thoughts aside.
Turning his head to the Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice, Chen Jichuan moved it to the underground chamber in Jade Spring Mountain and called for Lu Qing.
Cultivation Technique: (Fourteenth Layer)
Magic: Wind Thunder Wings, Splashed Ink and Striped Cloth Sword Technique, Protective Sword Shield, Pure Yang True Fire, Mystical Gate Skill... more
Lu Qing, wearing a dusky robe, appeared steady and polite, showing great respect in front of Chen Jichuan.
Chen Jichuan looked at this disciple, very satisfied.
Qi Refinement is difficult to achieve.
Echo Valley, over the past three hundred years, produced only Lu Qing after him as a Qi Refining Immortal Master.
Others, such as Wun Shouyang and Zhong Dahai, though they had the Immortal Almond, still failed to break through. Even those like the disciples of his Immortal Master friends who gifted him the ’Three Elements Sword’ and ’Thunder Sound Cone’, the ones with the Primordial Seed, couldn’t break through either.
Diligent in cultivation, cautious in work, progressing steadily, eventually gaining Chen Jichuan’s favor and receiving a ’Wind Thunder Pill’.
Lu Qing, rising to the challenge, made a breakthrough on the spot, achieving Qi Refining.
This ’Wind Thunder Pill’ is slightly stronger than the plain ’Wind Thunder Immortal Almond’, yet compared to the Primordial Seed, it is far less potent for breaking through Qi Refining.
Among the two disciples at Echo Valley who received the Primordial Seed and didn’t break through, Lu Qing consumed just one ’Wind Thunder Pill’ and succeeded.
One must admit, this fifth-generation disciple of Echo Valley indeed has extraordinary qualities.
Lu Qing at eighty broke through Qi Refining, now at one hundred and forty-four years old, is at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, and not far from Qi Refining Fifth Layer.
In both cultivation level and progression speed, he has already far surpassed his Ancestor Master, Chen Jichuan.
Two Qi Refining in one sect.
This has also pushed Echo Valley to its peak, being recognized as one of the Seven Immortal Sects within the Mysterious Nether Sea boundary.
The Ancestor Master, Chen Jichuan, is now ’running out of time’.
Once the Ancestor Master passes away, Echo Valley may once again lag behind among the Seven Immortal Sects or gradually be perceived as removed from the ranks of the Seven Immortal Sects.
With myriad thoughts swirling in his mind, Chen Jichuan mused about matters present and future.
Then, a sudden smile.
Suppressing those thoughts, settling his mind, he spoke to Lu Qing about the matter at hand: "I have lived for over three hundred years and know my time is short. More than twenty years ago, I acquired a ’Mystical Gate Skill’ from my friend, Luu Ganzi, which, by leveraging ’Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice’, allows one to enter a deep sleep. Today, having obtained a piece of mysterious ice from Cen Guanghong, I can finally perform this technique."
[Magic: Mystical Gate Skill]
[Grade: Middle-stage]
[Description: Mystical Gate Skill, also known as ’Suspended Coffin Skill’, ’Mysterious Coffin Skill’, and ’One Moment, Thousand Years’, leverages ’Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice’ to freeze life essence and evade celestial fate, extending life by three hundred years in the mortal world, but it can allow being awakened midway. However, the sleep cannot extend beyond three hundred years, once the time is up, one cannot fall into deep sleep again. Upon exhausting one’s life span, life essence is cut off.]
This is the foundation of Chen Jichuan’s ’fake death’ plan.
Once the technique is applied, the practitioner enters a state of ice-sealed slumber, which can be maintained for up to three hundred years. During this period, life span, life essence, and mana will all sleep together.
After the three hundred years are up, whether or not someone awakens them, the practitioner will awaken and continue to face death.
One can also be awakened during sleep, but once woken up, life span is reduced.
Which means, the actual ’living’ time remains unchanged, neither increased nor decreased.
This technique seems useless.
But it’s worth noting that many substantial Immortal Sects rely on one or two top experts for support. Once they pass away, if the sect doesn’t collapse, their power and status will significantly drop, attracting others’ covetousness.
With the ’Mystical Gate Skill’, as long as these top experts use the skill to fall into a deep sleep when there’s still thirty years of life span left, they can be awakened at any time in the following three hundred years.
If the sect faces a mortal crisis, one top-level combatant is sufficient to reverse the situation.
Not to mention, many Immortal Sects often have more than one expert.
Possessing the ’Mystical Gate Skill’ means that in the sect’s Ancestor Master Hall, unknown numbers of sleeping old monsters might be lurking.
This is also one of the sects’ heritage.
For instance, the ’Five Elements Sect’, ranked first in the Mysterious Nether Sea, has a nearly ten-thousand-year legacy, never lacking Qi Refining cultivators. Each Immortal Master, at the end of their years, enters the Ancestor Master Hall to sleep.
There is a rumor that the Five Elements Sect’s Ancestor Master Hall contains dozens of ice coffins, always filled with dozens of top Immortal Masters in slumber.
The Ancestor Master Hall’s secret is well-kept, so this rumor’s truth remains unknown.
But throughout the ages, whatever disaster the Five Elements Sect encounters, there are always extraordinary figures counteracting the danger.
It’s precisely due to the ’Mystical Gate Skill’.
Likewise for Wuk Yuanzi.
If he had this technique back then, entering sleep himself, he could have safeguarded Jade Spring Mountain for three more centuries, mitigating the worry of its mountain gate being seized.
During this time, if another Qi Refining appeared on Jade Spring Mountain, it would mean another four or five centuries of continuity.
Beyond that, those who sleep aren’t just paying, all is not just about guardianship.
During these three hundred years, if younger generations in the sect can find spiritual pills, magical arts, or other opportunities, they might help the practitioner break through, greatly extending their life span.
On the cultivation path, as long as one avoids death, there is hope.
Chen Jichuan had already passed on the ’Mystical Gate Skill’ to Lu Qing, so he didn’t need to explain too much.
He looked at Lu Qing and said, "From today, I will employ the ’Mystical Gate Skill’ and sleep beneath Jade Spring Mountain. If Echo Valley faces formidable enemies, you can awaken me."
"Rest assured, Ancestor Master, I will surely protect you and Echo Valley!"
Lu Qing’s eyes were firm.
Chen Jichuan waved his hand, dismissing Lu Qing.
He then stayed alone in the underground palace of Jade Spring Mountain, built more than twenty years ago, activating the surrounding array and placing the Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice in the center.
Then casting ’Concealing Technique’, he concealed his aura and figure.
The array enveloped all.
Lu Qing couldn’t see the situation inside from outside, he stood there for a while. After a long time, he kowtowed three times towards the chamber, then turned and left.
And the very next day as he left.
Chen Jichuan quietly emerged from the chamber, silently left Jade Spring Mountain, and departed from Jade Spring Island.
A vast sky and a new beginning!