"Moreover, during my visit to Yangzhou, I inadvertently discovered the location of the Longevity Manual," Lin Yang suddenly whispered.
Upon hearing this, Shi A immediately widened his eyes and subconsciously asked, "What?"
"Brother Lin, could you tell me how you discovered this? It's not that I don't trust you, but this news is just too shocking," Cai Yan said earnestly.
After all, the Longevity Technique involves a cosmic-level authority and a thousand units of yellow fortune. Keep in mind that, in terms of strength, even a peak third-tier expert in the main world only possesses this much fortune.
"It's like this, you two should know that I, Lin, am skilled in the art of observing qi. By chance, I obtained some information that the leader of the Shilong Dojo, who is also the number one expert in Yangzhou City, Shilong, actually moved to a small courtyard several years ago and has been living a life that is almost like seclusion."
“That’s right. As the leader of the Shilong Dojo, he shouldn’t stay in a small courtyard for so long. And if he were to be in seclusion to break through, it wouldn’t take three years. There must be some secrets that are unknown to others, but who knows what secrets he might have?” Shi A said, puzzled.
"Yes, that's what I thought at first too. Then, I came to the courtyard where he lived, wanting to see what secrets he held. After that, I secretly used the art of observing qi."
"Upon closer inspection, we discovered something extraordinary. There was a faint trace of azure energy in that courtyard. Brother Shi, you should know what that trace of azure energy signifies," Lin Yang said with a serious expression.
Upon hearing this, Shi A's face lit up with joy, and he said happily, "Azure Qi, that means the fourth rank. Or rather, there's an item in Shi Long's courtyard that can help you break through to the fourth rank. Judging from our mission, it's most likely the Longevity Scripture. Otherwise, how could a small city like Yangzhou have two top-tier items?"
To be honest, Lin Yang, who was familiar with the plot, certainly knew that the Longevity Formula was with Shi Long, but he needed a plausible reason. Otherwise, Cai Yan and Shi A might not believe him out of the blue.
Therefore, Lin Yang really did go to Shi Long's courtyard and actually checked it out. Everything was absolutely real; he was just lucky.
"I believe that Brother Shi and Wenji both have quite a few trump cards. Even if they cannot unleash their full power due to spiritual energy, world limitations, or other reasons, subduing a stone dragon at the peak of the Innate Realm should not be a problem."
Upon hearing this, the two were quite intrigued. When the third cycle begins, anyone with a modicum of common sense will understand that the world has changed. It can be said that the era of great strife has arrived once again. What is an era of great strife? Simply put, it's a world where stagnation means regression.
Look at the fate of those chosen ones after the first two cycles began: the victors won the entire world, while the losers were annihilated. Even without ambition, it's still worthwhile to seek more opportunities for the sake of one's life.
Seeing their hesitation, Lin Yang continued, "Besides, we might not necessarily clash. I think if we tell Shi Long the current situation, namely that Yuwen Huaji is about to arrive, he will surely consider this matter carefully."
“That’s right, let’s go and take a look first, no matter what,” Shi A said.
Upon hearing this, Cai Yan nodded.
...
"Who are you? This is Master Shi's residence, and we do not receive outsiders. Do you have any invitations?" a young Taoist asked as he stepped forward.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang chuckled.
“We are old friends of Master Shi, and you don’t need to know the specifics. After you deliver this letter, he will naturally let us in. Oh, by the way, you can tell him that we can solve a problem that has been bothering him for many years.”
Upon hearing this, the young Taoist frowned, but still took the letter from Lin Yang's hand. After carefully examining it, he went to report to Shi Long.
Knock knock knock, knock knock knock.
As the young Taoist boy knocked on the door, Shi Long couldn't help but raise his head, saying somewhat angrily, "What's wrong? Didn't I tell you not to bother me with trivial matters?"
Shi Long, as the top expert in Yangzhou City, had been stuck at the peak of the Innate Realm for many years. Later, after accidentally obtaining the Longevity Manual, he naturally studied it carefully. As a result, this study lasted for several years, but he made no progress whatsoever.
The entire Longevity Manual contains seven illustrations, along with numerous incomprehensible oracle bone inscriptions. It is incredibly profound; Shi Long, for one, couldn't understand it at all. In addition, there are annotations by many Daoist masters, such as Ge Hong and Tao Jinghong, these renowned Daoist practitioners.
These predecessors were all renowned grandmasters, and their annotations, taken individually, all seemed quite reasonable. This put Shi Long in a very difficult position; with so many conflicting interpretations, whose should he believe?
Several times, his forced training not only failed to break through to the Grandmaster level, but he almost suffered a qi deviation. His martial arts skills not only didn't improve at all, but actually regressed considerably.
Upon hearing this, the young Taoist said somewhat timidly, "Master Shi, these were brought up by some guests outside the door. They said they can solve the problem that has been troubling you for many years."
"What?" Shi Long asked in surprise.
Then, with a wave of his sleeve, the door opened automatically, propelled by his innate true energy. At the same time, the letter in the boy's hand was directly sucked away. This skill of retrieving objects from afar, of capturing dragons and controlling cranes, would even earn praise from Yuwen Huaji if he were present.
Upon placing it on the table, he saw the four large characters "To be opened by Shi Long" written on the envelope. It was written quite formally, at least that's what Shi Long thought. However, being a seasoned veteran, he easily opened the envelope with a burst of internal energy.
The words "Longevity Secret" were written on it.
Upon seeing this, Shi Long was startled. In a moment of carelessness, his control over his true energy went awry, and he exerted too much force, causing even the letter in his hand to vanish into thin air.
"Master Shi, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with this letter?" the young Taoist asked anxiously.
Shi Long shook his head, immediately regaining his composure, and then instructed, "Hmm, don't worry, invite them in, just bring them here."
"Is it right here, or not in the reception room?" the young Taoist asked curiously.
In his memory, even when his senior brothers came to visit, Shi Long would only receive them in the reception room. This study was a secret within a secret; no one dared to enter without Shi Long's permission.
“Yes, this is the place.” Shi Long nodded immediately.
A moment later, Lin Yang, Cai Yan, and Shi A arrived at the place.
At this moment, Shi Long, dressed in a Taoist robe, looked quite ancient. However, his every move exuded a sense of ruthless killing intent, which disrupted this atmosphere.
However, this is quite normal. In his youth, he had fought his way through many places, battling numerous masters. Otherwise, how could he, as a mere wandering swordsman, have become the undisputed number one underworld figure in Yangzhou?
The door closed automatically just as the three entered. Shi Long had been carefully observing their expressions, hoping to glean some information. However, none of them showed any change in expression, and he obtained absolutely no useful information.
At this moment, Shi Long was observing the three of them, and the three of them were also carefully observing Shi Long. Under Lin Yang's Divine Eye of Fortune, Shi Long's destiny and fortune were clearly visible.
This person's destiny is merely an ordinary second-tier red destiny. His aura is deep red, with traces of yellow and black energy. In other words, if Yuwen Huaji hadn't come, given a few more years, he would still have a good chance of reaching the Grandmaster realm.
This wisp of black energy should correspond to Yuwen Huaji. If he survives this tribulation, he will naturally transform and break through to the Grandmaster realm. If he fails, he will be in danger of death. According to the original story, he was rather unlucky and failed.
Just then, Lin Yang looked at Shi A, who, after careful consideration, nodded. This meant that defeating Shi Long was no problem. As for whether it would be through trump cards or weapons, Lin Yang didn't need to worry about that.
"I don't know what you mean by the Longevity Formula?" Shi Long asked.
"Why does Master Shi ask questions he already knows the answer to? The Longevity Manual in your hand originally belonged to my Guangcheng Immortal Sect. Outsiders, unaware of its secrets, could never possibly comprehend it. I believe you have already deeply understood this."
The implication is that even if you spend your whole life trying to understand it, you won't gain anything, so just give up on that idea.