The Tianhe Sword Sect is full of cultivators, and no one cares whether he is Su Xinghe's disciple or not. For these people, they are too lazy to care about anything other than seeking immortality.
Master Guo gave Jiao Fei two choices. One was to immediately become an inner disciple, but he would have to stay at the Beiji Pavilion; the other was to start as an outer disciple, and after passing the entrance examination, join the inner sect like ordinary disciples.
Of these two paths, going to Beijige is tantamount to letting him do as he pleases, allowing him to roam freely within the sect without anyone interfering. At the same time, it can also prevent the spread of the Heavenly River Orthodox Dharma outside the sect.
Starting as an outer disciple gives Jiao Fei a chance. As long as he cultivates diligently, he can stand out among the hundred or so outer disciples and enter the inner sect, where he can then start his own apprenticeship. This is much better than being idle and ignored at the Beiji Pavilion; it gives him more opportunities on the path of cultivation.
If Jiao Fei fails to pass the initial hurdle, he will be immediately expelled from the sect, his Heavenly River Orthodox Law will be revoked, and he will be forever cut off from the Great Dao.
Jiao Fei has a guilty conscience. If he has a master watching him all the time, he will be exposed sooner or later. He can only choose the first path.
Standing before the Beiji Pavilion, built inside the mountain, Jiao Fei glanced around before taking the jade token inside. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would be spending the next few years in this place.
The Beiji Pavilion was unusually quiet and deserted, yet it gave Jiao Fei a sense of relief. He knew that, at least for the next few years, he wouldn't have to worry about scheming against others or hiding his identity, and he would have plenty of time to cultivate.
Jiao Fei muttered to himself, “As the ancients said, the path to immortality is lonely, but the path to eternal life is carefree. I have already experienced the loneliness of the path to immortality, but I don’t know when I will be able to taste the carefree joy of eternal life.”
On the path of cultivation, one must rely solely on diligent practice, without distraction, and must abandon everything in the human world in order to hope for success in the path of immortality. Hence the saying: the path of immortality is lonely.
However, if one achieves immortality through the path of immortality, one can do as one pleases, control the clouds and rain, play in the mortal world, and enjoy all the pleasures that ordinary people cannot have. Hence the saying: "Longevity and carefree life."
Only by enduring loneliness can one achieve true freedom, ease, and joy.
Jiao Fei engraved this feeling of loneliness in his heart, then stopped and a three-foot-high wave surged up. He walked on this wave through the Beijige Pavilion.
The Arctic Pavilion is where disciples of the Tianhe Sword Sect go into seclusion to seek breakthroughs. It is protected by a large Arctic magnetic light array, and only those with a token can enter.
In addition, this token also contains the gate seal of the Arctic Pavilion.
The Beiji Pavilion contains hundreds of caves, each with its own sealed entrance. Besides the individual jade tokens placed within the caves, only the Beiji Pavilion token in Jiao Fei's possession can open them all.
Of course, this is on the premise that no one is in seclusion inside.
Jiao Fei wandered around aimlessly. When he saw the first cave, he checked the record in the token and found that the cave was empty. He then stopped his rambling, opened the seal on the door, and strode inside.
………………
"I began learning the Dao at the age of nine, experienced fetal movement in the first year, and entered the Daoist realm in the third year. One night, I had a sudden realization and began to travel the world. In the far west, I found the Yin Sha of the earth veins and returned after ten years. I spent three years cultivating the Yuan Gang of Thunder and Lightning, then seventeen years refining the Golden Elixir, three years consolidating my Dao foundation, and nine years escaping the Great Tribulation. I nurtured my spirit and believed that I could definitely cultivate the Yuan Shen within fifty years. So I lost my Daoist heart. I relied on my magical arts and was invincible in battle. I was undefeated for three hundred years, but my lifespan was about to end and I made no progress. I had no choice but to go into seclusion in the North Pole Pavilion."
"Time flies by unnoticed, and now my time has come. I am filled with regret and remorse."
"Xu Wen of Tianhe's last words!"
Inside the cave, Jiao Fei read and wrote this final piece of writing, a mere hundred words, and was deeply moved.
Without immortality, it's all for naught.
The Tianhe Sword Sect has been established for a thousand years, but only a dozen or so people have cultivated their primordial spirit. Xu Wen is not the only one who has quietly passed away in the Beiji Pavilion.
"Go away, go away! Seeking immortality is about pursuing that sliver of hope. I've always known that the path to immortality is so elusive. Even if you receive the true teachings, only one or two out of countless people can achieve immortality. Why be discouraged by this!"
Jiao Fei composed himself, bowed respectfully to Xu Wen's remains, and was about to leave the cave to find another place to stay.
Just then, a faint blue light suddenly emanated from Xu Wen's remains.
Lin Yi, witnessing this scene within the True Fire Realm, muttered to himself, "Finally, the wait is over."
An invisible, formless, and elusive eternal light flew out and landed on Xu Wen's ancestral aperture between his eyebrows.
Boundless light burst forth from Xu Wen's ancestral aperture between his eyebrows, revealing a world with endless cities and hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, seemingly calling themselves a nation, where everyone rode on clouds and mist, just like immortals.
This world is like a sudden explosion, and it dragged Jiao Fei into it as well.
Jiao Fei let out a cry of surprise. Before his eyes, there was a dazzling array of colors and endless images flashing, and he immediately fainted.
Lin Yi stepped out of the Eight Scenes of the Shangyuan Festival Talisman. The ground beneath his feet felt solid and heavy, and the city in front of him looked incredibly realistic, bustling with people coming and going. Officials, merchants, and commoners—everything was there. It was as if he had entered another real and authentic world.
"This illusory realm is truly wondrous," Lin Yi exclaimed. He looked up and saw a dark blue light emanating from Xu Wen, traversing the sky and shattering the endless illusion.
In an instant, the whole world turned into a colorful mist.
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Chapter Fifty-Three: The Mirage Realm, Ancestor Ziyun
The fog rolled endlessly, and apart from Lin Yi, only a few dozen people and a hundred or so objects remained, standing on the vast white plain.
One of the men was dressed in white and had an ordinary appearance, but he looked exactly like Xu Wen, who had already passed away.
A faint blue light emitted a melodious hum as it shot forward, merging with the white-robed man.
The colorful mist gradually calmed down, and the destroyed city walls, people, flowers, trees, and so on began to evolve little by little.
Lin Yi walked up to the man in white, glanced at him, and sighed.
"Why does this fellow Daoist sigh?" Xu asked.
"The path to immortality is long and arduous, and eternal life is hard to come by," Lin Yi replied.
Xu Wen stood with his hands behind his back, exuding the air of a grandmaster even in a casual pose. He said, "I'm not even sure if my current situation qualifies as lingering in the mortal realm. When I failed to cultivate my primordial spirit, I wanted to use my personal magic weapon, the Invisible Sword, as a foundation to cultivate a second primordial spirit. Unfortunately, before I went into seclusion, I fought with several giants of the demonic sect and suffered severe injuries. At a crucial moment, my injuries flared up, causing me to fail at the last minute."
Lin Yi shook his head slightly; Xu Wen was already dead. The reason for the current situation was related to the Yuan Shen Technique he cultivated.
The Yuan Shen Technique is one of the three methods and four techniques of the Tianhe Sword Sect. When cultivated to a high level, it can devour the essence of all the enemies killed and generate a new character in the Yuan Shen illusion formed by mirage energy. The character retains the same memories as before, but loses self-awareness and only knows how to obey the orders of the person who cultivates the Yuan Shen Technique.
The "Xu Wen" before Lin Yi was the one who failed to break through to the primordial spirit stage. His remaining essence was devoured by the mirage energy cultivated by the Yuan Shen Technique and became part of the Yuan Shen illusion.
Therefore, although they remember who they are, their minds are scattered and incoherent; they only know how to ask and answer questions, and they are completely unable to think.