Chapter 29 (2/2)

This comforted Li Changshou. Peace had finally been restored to his life as a cultivator, and things were just as it had been for the past 100-odd years.

In fact, all of these things had only happened because of those Immortal-Emanc.i.p.ating Herbs.

The Immortal-Melting Pill was already complete, and the ups-and-downs were over. Li Changshou was satisfied with both the process and the outcome.

In the afternoon, Li Changshou went to the Pill Chamber and wrapped one Immortal-Melting Pill in a thin layer of candy.

Currently, Li Changshou could say that he was done with all the preparations required for the first plan.

He looked at the additional 11 Immortal-Melting Pills that he had produced and then divided them into three portions. Carefully, he put them away.

Few people refined pills like that, but they were treasures to people who had no hope of becoming immortals, but who wanted to escape the Heavenly Tribulation and live a long life. If Li Changshou had the opportunity, he would go to a noisy marketplace and sell a few of these. There, he would trade these for more precious materials to make array formation foundations.

Of course, he had to keep two as spare.

Li Changshou knew that he now had an 80% chance of making it through the Heavenly Tribulation and that these chances would keep increasing as he kept cultivating.

He also knew that his junior sister would advance quickly towards Immortal Ascension and that her chances of making it through the Heavenly Tribulation would be above 60% as well.

However, one could not be too sure about these things. n.o.body would be able to tell what would happen in the future.

At the very least, if he kept an extra Immortal-Melting Pill on hand, he would not have to fear that the Heavenly Tribulation would go wrong and kill him.

Li Changshou would also keep an extra pill for his junior sister. That would allow her to replicate their master’s plan for old age.

As a disciple and a senior brother, this was the most that Li Changshou could do for them.

Looking at the Immortal-Melting Pill caused Li Changshou to fall into deep thought once again.

‘What if, I’m just saying what if, Master cannot even make it through the first tribulation? If he is reduced to ashes when the first bolt of lightning strikes, what should I do? The preparations for the first plan are done. I should get started on the second and third plans while I’m at it. It would be best if Master suddenly has an epiphany and makes it through the Heavenly Tribulation to become an ordinary immortal.’

Li Changshou sighed and stood up, keeping the candy-wrapped Immortal-Melting Pills in his sleeves. Slowly, he walked out of the Pill Chamber.

An hour later…

Li Changshou stood in front of the place where his master was secluding himself. He cleared his throat, gave a Dao salute towards the door, and shouted, “Master! Your disciple wants to ask you a few questions about cultivation! Your disciple is deeply sorry for disturbing Master while you are cultivating!”

Soon, the wooden door opened, and the old Daoist priest, Qi Yuan, walked out, smiling. He waved his hand at Li Changshou.

“Come, let’s go to the lake. Your master has been neglecting to teach you these few years as well.”

Li Changshou sighed softly in his heart.

‘Master opened the door so quickly. It’s obvious he was not meditating. Is it hard for him to meditate now? It looks like the Heavenly Tribulation is really right around the corner.’

They arrived at the side of the lake, underneath a willow. Qi Yuan pulled out two meditation cus.h.i.+ons and sat opposite Li Changshou.

Qi Yuan said in a warm tone, “Feel free to ask me any questions.”

Then, Qi Yuan’s gaze darkened. He sighed and said, “If I don’t make it through the Heavenly Tribulation, I might not have a chance to answer your questions in the future.”

“Master, what are you talking about?” Li Changshou smiled. “You will make it through the Heavenly Tribulation for sure.

“Master, haven’t you always said that if we don’t have confidence in ourselves, we will not be able to face the obstacles and training that the Great Dao gives us?”

“You’re so afraid of death, yet you are turning around to teach your master!” Qi Yuan chided Li Changshou with a serious expression.

Li Changshou grinned and quickly cut to the chase. He began to ask questions about his own cultivation.

Li Changshou’s first three questions were quite ordinary. They were all questions that most cultivators in the Void Return Realm would have. Qi Yuan explained the answers in great detail.

Li Changshou’s fourth question was “What does ‘A soul returns to its soul, aura returns to its aura; the five elements function in a cycle, the world is restored to order’ mean?”

Qi Yuan paused, and then walked towards the lake, deep in thought.

Li Changshou did not stop. Instead, he asked three more questions, which were obviously ‘outside the syllabus’. At that moment, Qi Yuan did not know how to respond to Li Changshou.

Li Changshou was not making his master look bad on purpose. He merely wanted to remind his master tactfully that if there was a bottleneck in his cultivation journey, these few paths remained accessible to him to explore.

Currently, Qi Yuan was well aware that the chances of him making it through the Heavenly Tribulation were slim. He wanted to try his best to teach his disciple well and was deeply considering his own understanding of these problems. He dared not mislead his own disciple.

Slowly, Qi Yuan fell into deep thought.

Shortly after, Qi Yuan closed his eyes to focus.

Subsequently, flower petals appeared around the old Daoist. This was a common sight for cultivators who were approaching the Heavenly Tribulation.

However, the flower petals around Qi Yuan were extremely faint. The silhouettes of the petals were also blurry…

Very carefully, Li Changshou set up a simple, noise-cancellation layer around his master. Then, he turned around and headed back to his straw hut to busy himself.

This was the main part of the second plan. He needed to try his best to improve his master’s skill, as well as his master’s comprehension and understanding of the Great Dao.

‘Ai, if only I could give master a portion of the epiphanies I have every once in a while.’

Li Changshou sighed in his heart and then prepared the supplementary steps of this plan.

The supplementary portion of the second plan was awesome.

Li Changshou took out a pouch marked Metaphysics Number 32. From inside, he retrieved several three-feet-long, purple logs and six six-feet-long, multi-colored, metal rods. He began to fiddle with them quietly.

Lightning-Conducting Logs were common materials used in setting up lightning-elemental array formations. They could conduct the power of thunder and lightning.

The Lightning-Acc.u.mulating Seven Deity Metal was also a common material used in lightning-elemental array formations. They could acc.u.mulate and distribute the power of thunder and lightning.

According to Li Changshou’s knowledge, the destruction caused to cultivators by the Heavenly Tribulation could mostly be attributed to the power of thunder and lightning. Only a small fraction could be attributed to the attacks of the Great Dao.

If he could build a Two-Times Lightning-Diverting Rod, it could help cultivators mid-way through the Heavenly Tribulation. When the lightning struck, more than half of the power of thunder and lightning could be diverted out of their bodies. This might increase one’s chances of making it through the Heavenly Tribulation.

What’s more, theoretically, this should not trigger an amplification of the Heavenly Tribulation’s power.

No matter what, Li Changshou had to give it a shot!

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