Hunyuanzi talked as if he were convincing himself: “Hmm, that’s right, it must be so. This entire system is your empire’s policy of keeping the populace ignorant. You instill these simplistic ideas as standards, and then no one will have the ability to rebel anymore.”
“What does this mean?” Yang Hao didn’t understand at all.
The Primordial Subduing Energy did not hold back: “In other words, in this world, there exists another cultivation method, hundreds or even thousands of times more powerful than the basic techniques you currently possess.”
“This is impossible!!” Yang Hao exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. “All the teachers said the Five Fundamental Techniques are the most powerful methods of cultivation—they’re supposed to be the shortcut to reaching the peak of martial arts mastery!”
“What your teacher said is nonsense!”
“Hey, how can you insult the teacher like that?” Yang Hao said, clearly upset. “You yourself are barely alive, so how can you claim to be better than others?”
Hongyuanshi sneered, “Kid, have you forgotten who it was that just took that sword strike for you? That attack you faced earlier was definitely not something that can be achieved through basic techniques. That annoying fellow, Wang Zhijun, must certainly be from a prestigious sword-fighting family.”
Yang Hao was speechless and could hardly argue back. Wang Zhijun’s sword strike indeed seemed impossible to block; it was only thanks to the intervention of Hunyuanzi that he had narrowly escaped disaster. Moreover, Wang Zhijun was truly a descendant of a prestigious sword-fighting family. The old man’s judgment had been spot-on, not missing a single detail.
“What kind of cultivation method would be more powerful?” Yang Hao had basically believed what Hun Yuanzi said, although he still had some reservations about the part where the Empire was deceiving people.
In our era, there were countless individuals who withdrew from the mundane world to cultivate themselves, but among them, the most formidable were the cultivators of immortality. These people aspired to become immortal gods, aiming to transform themselves into the most powerful beings in the world. Each had their own unique cultivation methods, yet they all shared the same goal: to ascend and become immortal.
Yang Hao had seen this kind of thing before, so he wasn’t particularly unfamiliar with it. “So you’re also someone who cultivates immortal arts,” he said.
“Cultivators of Immortality are divided into many sects due to their differing methods. The two most important sects are the Breath-Intake Sect and the Pill-Cauldron Sect. Since their cultivation techniques are vastly different, conflicts between these two sects frequently arise,” Hunyuanzi said, as if lost in reminiscence. “The Breath-Intake Sect, with its numerous members and relatively simple cultivation methods, has continuously oppressed the Pill-Cauldron Sect.”
Yang Hao was concerned with more superficial matters: “Which of these two factions is more powerful?”
“Of course it’s the Dan Ding Sect!” declared Master Hunyuan firmly. “Inhaling essence is merely a superficial cultivation method. How could it compare to us Dan Ding experts? Once we form the golden elixir within, we can achieve immortality and ascend to the heavens right on the spot.”
“So you must be a master from the Dan Ding Sect,” Yang Hao detected a hint from the words. “But how come you didn’t become an immortal, instead hiding inside that giant pill?”
Speaking of this, Hunyuanzi became so enraged that he gritted his teeth: “I was just one final step away from ascending and becoming an immortal. Unfortunately, due to betrayal by a traitor, the cultivators of the Fogas sect discovered my last cultivation location. They nearly struck me so severely that my yuan-shen would have left my body, leaving me unable to recover for eternity. Luckily, I had one last resort left, which allowed me to hide inside the Nihuan Dan, planning for revenge in the future.”
“Oh no!” Yang Hao became extremely anxious. “Oh dear, old man, doesn’t that mean I’ve ruined your revenge plan? Now you’ll just have to stay inside my stomach for a few years. How can you take revenge like that?”
Regarding this question, Hunyuanzi had already thought it through: “Although I can no longer come out for revenge, it’s alright. I can teach you all my cultivation techniques, turning you into an unparalleled expert. You can become my disciple and then go help me seek vengeance.”
“Come on…” Yang Hao didn’t expect Hunyuanzi to come up with such a ridiculous idea. “I don’t want to help you take revenge at all. I just wish to live a simple, ordinary life. After graduating from school, I plan to join the imperial army as a minor officer—that kind of life would be comfortable enough for me. I have no interest in all that fighting and bloodshed.”
Hongyuanshi let out an evil chuckle: “Boy, you’ve swallowed me into your body, causing such a huge mess. Don’t you have the slightest sense of obligation to make amends?”
Yang Hao was once again left speechless. By now, he had come to realize that the immortal he had swallowed must be far more eloquent than himself, always managing to corner him completely. “You’ve already been asleep for so many years, maybe even thousands of years. Your enemies have definitely been dead for a long time; there’s absolutely no need for revenge anymore. Haha!”
Yang Hao tried really hard to come up with an excuse that seemed quite decent.
However, Hunyuanzi decisively denied it: “My enemy was already on the verge of reaching the final stage of cultivation when he framed me. He probably ascended to immortality long ago. How could he possibly die? Even after ten thousand years, he’s still out there, living in ease and comfort.”
“Hey, old man, you’re not seriously telling me to go after an immortal, right?” Yang Hao felt like a fool, as if he were being toyed with by someone.
“What’s the big deal about causing trouble for the immortals? Anyway, I’m going to teach you the methods of cultivating immortality. Once you’ve fully mastered your cultivation and ascended to become an immortal, we’ll both be immortals. So why should we be afraid of them?” Hun Yuanzi’s words sounded quite reasonable.
“I can become an immortal too, you know!” Yang Hao exclaimed, his mouth wide open in astonishment. However, deep down, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something seemed slightly off.
After pondering for a long time, Yang Hao suddenly realized: “I understand now. You’ve been deceiving me all along. That talk about cultivating immortality and seeking revenge—it was all just to get me to follow you and practice your evil techniques.”
Hongyuanshi chuckled, as if his thoughts had been pierced through by Yang Hao, feeling somewhat embarrassed: “As long as this cultivation can make you a top expert, who cares what it is!”
“Then your cultivation method is really just black magic!” Yang Hao pressed on relentlessly.
“Well…” Yuanzi hesitated, “Each era has its own mainstream trends, so it’s inevitable that other schools of thought get suppressed. One must see through the phenomena to grasp the essence.”
“Could it really be some kind of black magic?”
“Alchemy cultivation in the Dan School is certainly not sorcery. It has always been very orthodox, many times more rigorous than the superficial teaching methods of today.”
Although Yang Hao usually seems a bit slow-witted, he’s actually not stupid—he just can’t be bothered to think too much about many things. Now that he senses Hunyuanzi is trying to frame him, of course he won’t let it slide: “Who asked you about the Dan Ding Sect? I’m asking you—is your cultivation method actually evil sorcery or not?”
Hun Yuanzi was pressed so hard that he had no choice but to reluctantly reveal part of the truth, half-concealing as he spoke: “Actually, even within the Dan Ding Sect, there are many different types. Ours, well… has indeed strayed just a little bit…”
“What kind of thing is this?”
“It’s also the Dan Ding Sect…” Yuanzi realized he could no longer bluff his way through it. “But most people call us the Elixir Sect, or the Dual Cultivation Sect of Dan and Ding.”
“An Elixir Sect of Aphrodisiacs?!!!” Yang Hao roared. Suddenly, numerous memories surged into his mind—such as the so-called “Niwan Pill,” which was actually made from aphrodisiacs. Yang Hao’s body brimmed with the energy of aphrodisiacs, and he recalled the mist that had knocked out Ess, along with himself. “Are you really refining aphrodisiacs or cultivating?”
“This is where our sect truly stands out,” declared Huan Yuanzi proudly. “Others may take pills or cultivate energy, but they do so miserably and with great hardship. We, however, are different. The pills we cultivate are all aphrodisiacs. After taking them, one feels extremely delighted—never experiencing any boredom or distress. Being able to cultivate immortality in such a blissful state is precisely why we call ourselves first-rate…”
“I see it as despicable,” Yang Hao said, furious beyond words. “No wonder someone came to eliminate you. You’re clearly part of a cult!”
Hongyuanshi remained calm and composed, his voice steady: “That’s right, that’s right. In the past, others used to call us heretics.”
“I refuse to practice your wicked sorcery,” Yang Hao had made up his mind. He decided to stick to his teacher’s method and gradually master the foundational techniques. “You’d better stay quietly inside me and enjoy your retirement. It’s a good thing you didn’t revive, otherwise the world would have one more lecherous old man.”
“Not having an old lecher, having a young one is also quite good.” Hearing Yang Hao’s decision, Hun Yuanzi wasn’t the least bit nervous and remained remarkably calm.
“I’m not some little pervert, hmpf! You can forget about making me your apprentice!”
“But you already are,” the Master said calmly, issuing the command. “Now, as your master, I bestow upon you the status of the 86th generation’s chief disciple of the Dan and Cauldron Dual Cultivation Sect, also known as the Elixir Sect. From today onward, you shall be the sole heir of our sect.”
“I will not cultivate your lewd techniques! No!! No!!!!” Yang Hao roared forcefully.
“You will definitely learn it,” Master Hunyuan was not worried at all. “If you don’t learn, you will surely die.”
“Will I die?” Yang Hao asked in astonishment. “Why? Are you planning to kill me?”
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