The Forbidden Path to Immortality - Chapter 12

Chapter 3: Mingji

After listening to Lin Ge and Luo Nanchuan’s story for a long time, Li Xun still hadn’t figured out what had happened. He didn’t ask Lin Ge, but instead turned to Shan Zhi.

Among the direct disciples, Li Xun was the youngest and had only been at the peak for a few months. He had little rapport with his senior brothers and sisters, and on a daily basis, he could only speak to Shan Zhi, so he got all the information from him.

This time was no exception. After listening to Shan Zhi’s explanation, Li Xun finally understood what the so-called “Langya Water Mirror Heaven” was.

It turns out that within the Tongxuan Realm, the Shuijing Sect, located within the “Langya Water Mirror Heaven,” possesses a rare treasure called the “Chetian Water Mirror.” It’s said to be from the immortal realm, possessing the ability to foresee the future.

Every year, during the “rotation of the stars,” using special techniques, one can predict the most threatening disasters in the Tongxuan Realm for the following year.

These signs are often vague, but they are always better than nothing. Sects use them as a warning to avert disasters as soon as possible. This is how the Tongxuan Realm’s vitality has been preserved for millennia.

The master of this secret technique is

none other than Master Shuijing of the Shuijing Sect. While this claim might seem absurd at first, it has been proven countless times over the past millennia, and no sect dares to take it lightly. For example, the “Phoenix Killing” incident a century ago was revealed through the Chetian Shuijing, and the combined efforts of all sects prevented the chaos from escaping.

Therefore, every time the “Heavenly Stars Rotate,” representatives from the various sects of good and evil would descend upon the Shuijing Sect to observe the ceremony. This process, known as the Shuijing Conference, is a grand annual event in the Tongxuan Realm. Only then can the irreconcilable forces of good and evil achieve peace.

Li Xun understood the reasoning, but there was no need to rush preparations. The “Heavenly Stars Rotate” was still seven or eight months away. Although the Langya Shuijing Sky was thousands of miles away, it wouldn’t be too late to remain atop the mountain for a few months before descending.

In truth, Li Xun didn’t care about the “Chetian Shuijing” ceremony, nor was he eager for the upcoming journey down the mountain. The moment he learned he was leaving, his first thought was about his life!

“Spiritual Resonance Technique! Blood Disperser!”

Whenever the “Blood Nightmare Gnawing Heart” raged through his body, Li Xun would recall that rugged, ferocious face, those blood-red eyes, tinged with the stench of blood, and the life-or-death pact that had haunted him for eight years.

He never forgot it; after all, his survival depended on the mere thought of others.

After truly understanding the hardships of the immortal path, Li Xun began to feel proud. He had accomplished in eight years a feat that ordinary people might not even attempt in eighty. While not glorious, it was an achievement earned with the sweat and sweat of his life. Now, the most difficult steps were complete.

The entire Spiritual Resonance Technique was memorized.

Now he just needed to find a pretext, return home, and, beneath a rockery in the backyard, write out everything. If the agreement made eight years ago was followed, he would be free.

A bright future seemed to beckon him; all he needed was one small step…

but could it truly be?

Only those who truly understood the Tongxuan Realm could truly understand the Blood Sanren.

That demon, murderer, killer, lunatic… the long list of names he’d been called contained barely a single positive word of praise! How could he trust the promises of such a man?

But worst of all, he had no choice!

Thus, Li Xun felt a deep, despairing weakness and powerlessness.

No matter how clever an ant, in the eyes of a human, it was just an ant, a tiny insect that could be crushed by a single finger!

Without a force to counter it, all his scheming and wisdom were meaningless.

“What should we do?”

With just two words, he had Lin Ge tacitly agreed to his plan to return home to visit his family after the “Water Mirror Meeting.” Things were going so smoothly, yet Li Xun felt lost.

Feeling depressed, he found a secluded place and sat down.

This was a low-lying area on Guanxia Peak, with a small pond surrounded by evergreen vegetation. Although it was early spring, it was still lush and green.

He immersed his face in the icy water to calm himself down, but the temperature was so low that it almost froze his brain into ice.

Li Xun raised his head in anger and smashed the surface of the pond with one palm. The force of his palm penetrated the bottom of the water, causing mud and sand to surge, and the clear water instantly became turbid. After

the palm strike, his anger was somewhat relieved, and he sat by the pond, watching the water gradually clarify. At this moment, his mind was empty, but he didn’t want to think about anything anymore.

As if to match his mood, two dead fish floated to his feet. They looked quite plump and fresh, presumably because no one had disturbed them before, which was why they were so large. His angry palm sent these fish, recently awakened from hibernation, to their final resting place.

Li Xun frowned as he lifted them up, suddenly thinking back to his time on Zuwang Peak.

Back then, he’d often caught a few fish and grilled them, but the food was bland and tasteless, with few condiments.

Back then, his skills weren’t strong enough to light a fire, so the difficulty of getting a fire was a unique experience.

As he thought about it, he laughed, and his mood brightened.

He searched the surrounding forest for some dry firewood, erected a wooden rack, and using his newly learned fire-starting technique, he lit a flame in the pile. It seemed effortless.

He placed the fish over the fire, and soon they were cooked through. The faint fishy aroma mingled with the aroma of meat juices. Even without flavor, it was still a delight.

As he ate, he placed another fish on the grill. He devoured the first one quickly. Seeing that the one on the fire was almost done, he reached for it when suddenly… his heart skipped a beat: “Oh no!”

His body reacted faster than his mind. By the time he realized this, he had already rolled several feet away from the fire and leaped backwards, trying to rush into the forest.

At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he saw this scene: the burning campfire, under some mysterious force, was compressed into a finger-sized blue spark. Then, it exploded with a loud bang, and the scattered sparks transformed the firewood underneath into dozens of blazing fire sticks. They flew towards Li Xun with a terrifying momentum!

At this rate, Li Xun would be hit by these “matchsticks” before he could even reach the forest. Who knew what would happen?

At this critical moment, his “Golden Core True Qi Locking Structure,” already somewhat accomplished within him, erupted into action. Centered around the Golden Core in the Huangting, it energized countless subtle Qi energies, sending True Qi surging like a wave.

With a thought, his hands formed a seal, embodying the “Cloud Pattern” barrier he was most familiar with and adept at. Truly a mastery of the Heart Movement Seal.

With a crack, a cloud of vapor erupted from his body, filling the air with mist, then merging and disintegrating. Dozens of “matchsticks” plunged into the cloud, then remained silent before suddenly launching themselves outward, scattering in all directions. But the flames were gone, leaving only a charred mass.

“Chi!”

Like dropping a red-hot iron into ice water, the steaming sound was terrifying.

Li Xun cried out in surprise, and the cloud surrounding him suddenly shattered as a stream of sword energy, emanating from nowhere, pierced his chest.

The “cloud pattern” restriction, so effective at dissipating jin and transforming energy, was completely ineffective, shattering like paper with a single poke!

In that moment, Li Xun’s alert reaction was revealed.

His jin energy suddenly stopped, his meridians empty, leaving no trace of jin energy.

Like a piece of wood, Li Xun fell heavily to the ground. The sword energy grazed his forehead, and the aftermath left him dizzy.

But that wasn’t the point. The moment the sword energy made contact, he felt something truly strange.

This aura was incredibly familiar, like… the Spiritual Resonance Technique!

“Master?”

But Lin Ge would never do such a frivolous thing, yet this was clearly…

“Master Mingji!” He cried out, rolling on the ground to the edge of the forest, ready to escape at any moment, but staring intently at the sky above the pool. The moment the cry uttered, the person who had been hiding his presence finally emerged.

The fish, previously cooked on the bonfire rack, was lifted into the air by the blue flames’ force, only now landing on the ground.

Li Xun, stunned, was stunned. A female cultivator in azure clothing floated above the small pond, her slender figure suspended in mid-air. The winter mountain breeze blew, and her skirt fluttered slightly, allowing Li Xun to see beneath it a pair of simple, light Buyunxiang shoes, their plain uppers devoid of a speck of dust.

Clean, attentive, and simply dressed.

This was the message Li Xun could gather from the shoes.

When he looked up again, he met eyes a hundred times sharper than the previous sword energy.

This was a remarkably beautiful female cultivator, draped in a slightly loose azure robe that swayed in the wind, exuding a certain ease and composure. Through the gaps opened by the cold wind, a delicate yet uncomplicated dress, also in cyan, shone through.

Her features were delicate and impeccable, flawless. At first glance, she looked stunning, but a closer look revealed her face’s chiseled features, her eyebrows long and sharp, imbued with a dignified dignity that threatened no one to disrespect her.

Li Xun felt as if a sword were pressed to his neck, speechless.

Her entire being was as sharp as a drawn sword. Just one glance at him, and Li Xun felt as if his internal organs had been ripped out and laid bare before his eyes.

He had encountered cultivators with far greater powers than this one, but no one had ever looked at him this way, this way, as if facing a mortal enemy!

Instantly, his blood froze.

Just then, the cultivator’s face flickered with a faint smile, a smile that seemed to nudge the sword at Li Xun’s neck slightly away: “Me?” “

It is indeed Mingji! It seems that in the entire Mingxin Sword Sect, apart from the master and disciple Lin Ge and Li Xun, the only one who practices Lingxi Jue is “Shining Sword” Mingji.

Mingji is recognized as the most talented among the second-generation disciples of Mingxin Sword Sect.

She has been practicing Taoism for hundreds of years and has made a great name for herself in the Tongxuan Realm. She also likes to travel far and wide, has footprints all over the country, has a wide range of friends, and has a wide network of contacts. She is implicitly the most outstanding person in the Mingxin Sword Sect.

How could Li Xun not recognize such a person?

Her voice was as cold as ice water and had strong penetrating power. Li Xun had to take several deep breaths to ensure that he could speak smoothly.

He climbed up with difficulty, smiled bitterly and saluted: “Disciple Li Xun, is…”

“You are the disciple of the eldest brother! “Mingji’s reaction was very fast, just like her temperament, sharp and pointed, directly hitting the core and vital points.

Li Xunfang responded with a “yes”, and then he felt the sense of crisis like needles all over his body disappear in an instant, and he felt much better.

I’m so sorry!” Mingji’s smile was no longer as vague as before, but became real.

She took a few steps in the air and came to Li Xun’s side as if she was stepping on solid ground.

Maybe it was a psychological effect, or maybe there was really some strange method, Li Xun only felt that the sharpness in her body had been completely restrained, and now he only smelled a faint fragrance.

“Were you hurt just now?” Mingji asked.

Mingji now looked like a teacher, quite calm and dignified, and her voice was much softer, which made her voice more pleasant.

She stretched out her hand and wanted to touch Li Xun’s forehead, but scared Li Xun and took a step back: “Disciple is lucky!”

“Lucky? Aren’t you shy!” Mingji chuckled when she saw his appearance.

Now she was in a different mood. Her smile softened her sharp features, her taut lines relaxed, revealing a different demeanor, like the cool breezes of spring and autumn, caressing the heart.

Li Xun blushed and lowered his head, not daring to look at her.

He couldn’t even tell himself how much of this look was real and how much was fake.

Up close, Li Xun once again realized Mingji’s beauty. He saw Mingji’s hand, and it felt as if it were carved from cold jade, translucent and crystalline, unlike any other.

As soon as he stepped back, he regretted it, wondering what it would feel like to have that hand on his forehead. The thought made his heart skip a beat. This Master-Sister Mingji had such sharp eyes, I wondered if she’d noticed!

His heart raced several times, even feeling a little embarrassed. He quickly raised his head, trying to appear innocent, but as he did, he met her eyes, shining like the morning stars.

Involuntarily, his face, which had only just begun to feel better, flushed again.

What a fucking weird thing!

When Li Xun returned to his normal state, Mingji had already buried the dead fish on the shore.

Only then did he know why he had just been punished.

It turned out that the area around this pond was deep and secluded, a good place to relax and calm the mind. Mingji first discovered this place and often came here to rest for a while when she was in the mountains. She also had feelings for this place.

This time, she came back from a long journey and wanted to take a break here. Who would have thought that the moment she glanced, she saw a man grilling fish on the shore with a fire, which was a real eyesore. Naturally, she had to punish him.

If she hadn’t thought that he might be a fellow disciple of the sect, how could she have used her magic formula again if she hadn’t made Li Xun look so miserable with the first blow?

Finally, Mingji added, “Actually, when I first saw you, I thought I was seeing an old friend! I seemed to have hit you a little harder.”

“Old friend?” This was by no means the first time Li Xun had heard this term. Qingxu had said it, Qingyin had said it, and now Mingji was saying it again. Once was a coincidence, twice was a coincidence, so could the third time also be a coincidence?

He remembered the day when Qingyin used the Zuowang Stone to explore his three lives. His confusion grew even stronger, and he blurted out, “Who do I resemble?”

Mingji was surprised by his reaction and was stunned for a moment.

Li Xun reacted and quickly apologized. His mind raced, and he recounted similar remarks from Qingxu and Qingyin, as well as the story of the Zuwang Stone. Then, a look of confusion crossed his face. “All three immortal masters say I resemble someone. Could I be their reincarnation?”

Mingji laughed. “There are so many similarities in the world. Even among cultivators, such things happen occasionally. How can we take it for granted? Besides, this person is alive and well, a powerful figure in this world. Are you trying to replace him?”

Li Xun ignored her teasing and nervously asked, “Who is it?”

Mingji’s eyes rolled around, a bright smile on her face, but she remained silent.

Her attitude made Li Xun, no matter how anxious he felt, he could only smile back.

Li Xun was, after all, a remarkable person. After confirming that this familiar face wouldn’t cause him any trouble, he readily put it behind him.

Everything returned to normal, and Li Xun could finally speak normally with Mingji.

He was a man of sharp brows and keen eyes, his mind as sharp as anyone’s. Now that he’d recovered his spirits, and seeing that Mingji didn’t blame him, he seized the opportunity to do everything he could to impress her.

On the one hand, he genuinely had a fondness for Mingji. On the other, besides Lin Ge, Mingji was the only person on the mountain who could teach him the inner cultivation. If not to curry favor with her, who else could he do so?

Of course, currying favor didn’t involve the usual, unrelenting flattery that often annoyed others. Instead, he skillfully raised several profound questions he’d encountered in his cultivation and asked the master before him for guidance.

As a teacher, few people disliked a diligent and hardworking disciple. Although Li Xun wasn’t Mingji’s disciple, her eagerness to teach was likely no different from anyone else’s.

Li Xun’s questions, in particular, were often unique and insightful, possessing a unique spirit that, upon closer reflection, offered a unique flavor.

This cycle of questions and answers soon became a test of Li Xun by Mingji.

While the questions were within Li Xun’s purview, they were presented from a level far superior to his, and Mingji’s approach, speaking from a superior position, was complex and far more complex than ordinary questions.

Anyone else would have been stumped. But Li Xun was the kind of person who could and loved to solve difficult problems. His unique method of deduction, honed over months, was now far superior to what it had been. Mingji’s questions were no problem at all.

Of course, to say they were no problem did require some time. Before they knew it, the quiet place had grown dim, and the two had spent the better part of a day chatting, surprisingly catching up with each other.

It was Mingji who stopped first. She wiped off the strange patterns drawn on the ground, and then said: “Let’s stop here today. I have to go back to do evening lessons. It’s been so long, I seem to have forgotten something…”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t apologize to you!”

“How can that be!” Li Xun jumped up quickly: “Besides, you just said…”

“I meant apology .”

Mingji deliberately emphasized the word “apology”, which made Li Xun stunned: “Apology?”

Mingji smiled slightly: “With your cultivation level, you can also practice the method of flying with a sword!”

Li Xun scratched his head and replied a little embarrassedly: “I can do it, but I can’t find a suitable sword. “

This was half true and half false. It was true that he didn’t have a sword that suited his taste, but it was a lie to say that he couldn’t find one.

In Lin Ge’s collection, there were at least five or six swords that were suitable for his level of control, but Lin Ge didn’t mention it

, and he didn’t dare to ask for it. It’s not that Lin Ge was stingy, but that he was used to being lazy. Even though the relationship between the master and the apprentice was relatively harmonious, he would not always worry about trivial matters such as what his apprentice lacked or needed.

Li Xun was always cautious and careful. He didn’t want to disrupt the master-disciple relationship that was already on the right track because of some things. Now that the two of them got together, the matter of asking for the sword to practice was delayed.

When Ming Ji mentioned this, Li Xun couldn’t help but feel overjoyed. From what she said, was she going to send a sword over?

That was exactly the case.

Ming Ji stood by the pond, and she didn’t see how she acted. Suddenly, the water in the center of the pond shook, and the waves surged. The fish that had awakened from hibernation scattered in all directions. It looked as if a new fountain had opened in the pond.

Li Xun had sharp eyes and could see at a glance that in the center of the trembling water, a long sword in its sheath was slowly rising. It shone with a faint precious light, and it was definitely not an ordinary thing!

Ming Ji waved her hand, and the sword flew over and landed in her palm.

At this moment, Li Xun saw the intricate and profound patterns on the scabbard.

The sword had a simple shape and no decorations. The sheath was a blue-gray color, not very conspicuous. However, the twists and turns of the patterns on it, in the eyes of Li Xun, an expert, had their own wonders that required careful study.

Ming Ji held the sword, and the expression on her face was quite subtle: “This sword is called ‘Green Jade’. When it was forged, the swordsmith used a rare spiritual jade to sacrifice the sword spirit, but he lost his grip and the jade turned into smoke that covered the sword body. Because the sword spirit was not formed, this sword could not enter the forest of famous swords. “

As she spoke, she drew her sword from its sheath, with only half an foot of the blade exposed.

It was drawn out silently, with a chilling air. The luster on the sword was also green. At first glance, it looked like a piece of high-quality jade, and it lived up to its name of “green jade”.

Ming Ji said, “Although it is not one of the most famous swords in the world, the sword blank is made of high-quality material, and it is infused with the essence of spiritual jade. It is still a sharp weapon. It is most appropriate for you to use it now!”

Li Xun was delighted. He didn’t care whether the sword was a defective one, as long as it could be used. Besides, if it is not among the famous swords, it is not a good sword? In such a vast Tongxuan Realm, there are only a few famous swords?

Ming Ji looked at his expression and smiled again: “This sword was originally for my own use, but after the forty-nine heavenly tribulations a hundred years ago, I felt that my cultivation had improved, and this sword was no longer suitable for me, so I chose another sword and threw the old sword into this pool as a commemoration. Now I give it to you, but you have to take care of yourself! “

Li Xun quickly straightened his expression and took the sword respectfully. But before he could draw the sword to admire it, he didn’t know what trick Mingji used, but saw a flash of green light, and “Green Jade” was pulled out of its sheath again and swung in the air.

Li Xun’s heart moved, and he seemed to see some talismans and forbidden patterns in the shadow of the sword light, but saw Mingji wipe it with her jade-like palm, and the green light suddenly dimmed, and Li Xun could still see that the patterns in the light disappeared.

With a sound, the sword returned to the sheath. Mingji smiled at him: “I used the ‘attachment to the spirit’ technique to make some talismans on the sword to attract the spiritual energy of the sword.

“I could have given them all to you, but if you carved them one by one, it would be quite another to get something for nothing. It would be a waste of time. Please don’t blame me!”

“Master-uncle, I understand your love and care!” Li Xun really didn’t think too much about it. In fact, his confidence in his forbidden pattern technique had grown stronger in recent days. As long as he reached a certain level of skill in the future, what kind of pattern could he not draw?

Using uncontrollable power too early was not a good thing either. It was better to be down-to-earth and take one step at a time.

He smiled, gripped the hilt, and slowly drew the sword from its sheath. The azure light was much weaker than before, but it still cast a cyan hue on his face, even his eyes.

The sword energy flowed from his palm straight into his lungs, gurgling and flowing. In that instant, he felt a strange connection with the sword, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Nice sword!”

Seeing the young man’s excitement, Mingji felt a surge of joy in his heart, and even the disappointment he had felt when he had just given the sword to him disappeared.

Perhaps, it really was fate!