The plum rains drizzled steadily, speckling the surface of the Weishui River with countless ripples.
A colossal vessel nearly a hundred zhang long cut through the water, driven forward by magical artifacts humming like cicadas.
Deep beneath the Weishui River lurked many guiling, yet none dared stir before this dreadnought.
Standing on the deck, Third Young Master Tu gazed out over the surging river. "Life... is full of ups and downs."
Right now, he felt everything that had happened to him recently was far too bizarre and tumultuous.
First, his unbelievable stroke of luck—acquiring the lightsaber.
Then his rotten luck—getting extorted twice by Thorn Blood.
The first time, he had narrowly escaped, but the second time... he truly had no choice and had to cough up the silver.
"Young Master Tu, do you think we'll be able to see the Floating Cloud Fairy at the implement master conference this time?" Zhan Wenyu asked with an infatuated expression.
The Floating Cloud Fairy was a renowned beauty on the Hundred Fragrances Ranking, as well as an exceptionally talented implement master.
Naturally, Zhan Wenyu drooled over women like her.
"Most implement masters with any talent in our Jining Prefecture will be attending this conference. The Floating Cloud Fairy is also from Jiangzhou, so she should be there too," Third Young Master Tu answered calmly.
On this trip to Yeshan Lake, he had originally wondered if his lightsaber's cooldown might finish in time. Could he use it once to slay the Water Lord of Yeshan Lake?
If he could pull that off, he would do a great favor for the Heavenly Sect, and the Tu family's standing would rise significantly as well.
Unfortunately, that remained pure fantasy; his lightsaber still had not cooled down. Nowadays, let alone summoning a god, it could not even emit a glow.
"I wonder if I'll get a chance to see her... And between the Floating Cloud Fairy and Shen Lingxuan, who's prettier?" Zhan Wenyu could not help letting his imagination run wild.
"Perhaps Shen Lingxuan. Few people have ever seen her face, yet she ranks near the top of the Hundred Fragrances Ranking. Her looks must be truly breathtaking," Third Young Master Tu mused.
"Hmph, for such a peerless beauty to marry a good-for-nothing—what a waste of heaven's gifts!" Zhan Wenyu said, gazing toward the deck several dozen meters away, disdain flashing in his eyes. "A warship creates immense noise as it moves, so hardly any fish would follow it, yet he's actually fishing right now. Laughable, truly laughable."
Third Young Master Tu also looked over at the figure several dozen meters away.
There lay a young man, reclining on an armchair, leisurely fishing.
"Since there's nothing better to do, I think I'll go give him some trouble. Care to join the fun, Young Master Tu?" Zhan Wenyu suggested.
"No thanks, I'll pass on such dandy antics. Brother Zhan, you'd best not go offending people heedlessly. His wife is a true disciple of the Heavenly Sect."
"I'm a playboy! If I don't go around offending people, wouldn't that ruin my reputation?" Zhan Wenyu replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, in the Zhan family, I'm not allowed to pursue the path of an implement master, nor can I become a weapon wielder. If I don't act like a profligate son, what else am I supposed to do?"
At the mention of this, a fleeting shadow of despondence crossed Zhan Wenyu's eyes.
The Zhan family was among the top ten prominent clans in Jining Prefecture.
However, his elder brother was thirty years older than him and extraordinarily domineering, which left him with no choice in the clan but to live a comfortable, idle life with food and clothes provided.
"Playing the fool and causing a little trouble for my elder brother isn't so bad either," Zhan Wenyu said with a mocking sneer.
"He is Shen Lingxuan's husband?" A white-robed man nearby spoke up in surprise.
This white-robed man was a disciple of the Ancient Thunder Sect.
"To think Shen Lingxuan's husband would be so pathetic," he murmured, somewhat disappointed.
He held genuine respect for Shen Lingxuan, as in two years, the true disciples of the Heavenly Sect and the Ancient Thunder Sect were scheduled for a duel.
His most revered Third Senior Sister was slated to clash with Shen Lingxuan.
For Shen Lingxuan to be a true disciple of the Heavenly Sect meant she undoubtedly possessed astounding talent, yet she had settled into such a slipshod marriage.
"Still, it might have to do with her constitution. Rumor has it she possesses the Mysterious Yin Physique. If anyone could spend a night of passion with her, they could comprehend the harmony of heaven and humanity and have a chance to step into the Heaven-rank!" the white-robed man remarked casually.
For an Earth-rank weapon wielder to step into the Heaven-rank, the hardest hurdle was sensing heaven and earth to reach the realm of the harmony of heaven and humanity.
"The harmony of heaven and humanity is immensely difficult. In the past century, not a single Heaven-rank weapon wielder has emerged in our State of Ning. Word has it that stepping into the Heaven-rank even grants the opportunity to venture Beyond Heaven," the white-robed man said, his face brimming with envy.
A Heaven-rank weapon wielder could be called the lifelong pursuit of every weapon wielder in the State of Ning.
Shen Lingxuan's emergence had given many old fogies a glimmer of hope.
However, the Shen family possessed formidable strength, backed further by the Heavenly Sect, so no one dared make a move on her.
Of course, there was another reason: Shen Lingxuan had not yet fully matured, and her Mysterious Yin Physique had not reached perfection. Plucking it prematurely would truly be a waste.
Hearing this, Zhan Wenyu felt even more aggrieved. "That kid is far too lucky. If he weren't such a useless bum, how could this opportunity have ever fallen into his lap?"
Third Young Master Tu chuckled. "Why should one wretched soul make things hard for another?"
"Hmph! If I don't give him a hard time, am I supposed to give my brother one?"
With that, Zhan Wenyu headed straight toward Qi Yuan.
The white-robed man looked at Third Young Master Tu. "Want to come watch the spectacle? It's pretty dull on this boat anyway."
Third Young Master Tu shook his head. "Not in the mood."
In the past, he would certainly have joined the fun, but now his mind was entirely occupied with that stallkeeper he had encountered at the ghost market.
He had been searching for him all this time without success, which left him quite dejected.
Still, he knew the other party had disguised himself, so finding him would not be easy. Only within three meters would his magical artifact react.
Meanwhile, Zhan Wenyu marched aggressively toward Qi Yuan, determined to cement his reputation as a profligate son.
"A fish swims in the water, beginning where it ends, ending where it begins. Is that not Taiji? A fish has an air bladder, round and smooth. Is that not a Golden Core? And so, little fish... you are natural seeds for cultivating the Dao."
Qi Yuan's voice was faint and ethereal. Zhan Wenyu's footsteps halted, and he stood dumbfounded.
What kind of nonsense is he spouting?
He originally intended to jeer, but as he drew near, he caught an inadvertent glimpse over the ship's side and froze on the spot.
Down below the vessel, hundreds, thousands of fish were jostling to follow along, just like young children hanging on every word of their teacher's lesson.
This sight made Zhan Wenyu completely forget his original purpose.
And right at that moment, Qi Yuan's voice drifted into his ears again.
"The worldly Great Daos are myriad and manifold. The way of this realm is indeed peculiar, yet all paths converge at the end. I have devised a method called the Dragon Transformation Art..."
Qi Yuan's voice was ethereal, akin to celestial music.
After spending so many days in this world, Qi Yuan had not just been killing left and right.
After all, he had comprehended the Dao before the Wall of Ultimate Principle and absorbed myriad paths.
Within the Gate of Myriad Manifestations, he had also perceived all kinds of origins.
His vision, knowledge, and intellect had in fact reached an extraordinary height.
Spending this much time in the Qingshan Realm had enabled him to create an extraordinary path of his own.
Of course, this path was still immature, fraught with obstacles and thorns.
Sharing his insights with the river fish now served as a way to organize his thoughts.
Beside him, Zhan Wenyu listened in rapt fascination, utterly entranced.
Beneath the giant vessel, more and more fish gathered.
Most implement masters remained inside their cabins cultivating the art of implement forging and did not witness this scene. Even if they had, they would have dismissed it as a natural phenomenon.
Who knew how much time passed before a crisp voice jolted Zhan Wenyu from his reverie.
"What, did you come here to bully me?" Qi Yuan asked, stretching lazily as he looked at Zhan Wenyu.
Indeed, being a matrilocal son-in-law was not easy; even when lying still and doing nothing, someone always wanted to step on you.
Jolted awake, Zhan Wenyu wore an embarrassed look. "M-Mister... no, I am not."
His attitude toward Qi Yuan had completely reversed.
At first, he truly took Qi Yuan for a useless bum.
But upon hearing Qi Yuan's sermon, inspiration stirred in his heart, making him feel as though an entirely new door to the world had swung open before him.
"Are you here to steal my radiance?" Qi Yuan remarked casually.
At the same time, he marveled at his own astonishing charisma—even while playing a matrilocal son-in-law and sporting a taunt aura above his head, he could still win people over.
"Mister, what you spoke of just now... what was it?" Zhan Wenyu bowed solemnly, asking with humble deference.
Profligate though he was, he was no fool.
"The Dao of Longevity," Qi Yuan answered without concealing anything.
The Supreme Ultimate Principle Qi Yuan comprehended was Absolute Adaptation.
To him, whether it was the martial dao, the immortal dao, or the way of weapon wielding, what they pursued in the end was nothing more than survival and longevity.
In this world, Earth-rank weapon wielders were already considered big shots, yet their lifespans were merely two hundred years—far too short.
Thus, synthesizing his own insights, Qi Yuan had created the Dragon Transformation Art as a minor experiment.
The primary function of this formula was to increase a creature's lifespan.
"Can this grant immortality?" Zhan Wenyu asked hurriedly.
Right now, he looked at Qi Yuan as though gazing upon an otherworldly master.
Because of his elder brother's dominance, he could only play the profligate or read biographies and chronicles, where he encountered countless tales.
Beyond heaven were beings beyond heaven, and within Heaven Beyond Heaven were mysterious transcendents wielding all kinds of extraordinary abilities.
Guiling themselves originated from Heaven Beyond Heaven.
Some legendary heroes had even encountered mysterious extraterrestrial visitors claiming to come from the future, whose prophecies about the history of the Qingshan Realm were verified one by one to everyone's astonishment.
Zhan Wenyu felt he might have just stumbled upon his own fateful encounter.
"Immortality is too difficult. But if cultivated to great completion, gaining several hundred or even several thousand years of lifespan wouldn't be a problem," Qi Yuan said.
"T-This..." Zhan Wenyu's breathing turned ragged.
If he could have several hundred years of lifespan, wouldn't he be able to dance on his older brother's grave?
"Mister, please teach me!" Zhan Wenyu bowed hastily.
This left Third Young Master Tu and the white-robed man in the distance bewildered.
"What is Zhan Wenyu doing?"
"Didn't he go to cause trouble? Why is he bowing?"
The two of them were completely perplexed.
"Should we go over and see?"
"Sure."
Curious, they decided to walk over.
Zhan Wenyu looked at Qi Yuan, full of devotion.
Boosting his combat strength held no interest for him.
No matter how strong he became, could he beat his brother?
Since he could not beat him, he would just outlive him!
If his brother lived to two hundred, then living to four or five hundred was a pure profit!
The sermon Qi Yuan had just delivered still resonated like celestial music in his ears; he trusted Qi Yuan implicitly.
Speaking, he pulled out his banknotes. "Mister, teach me!"
This was his entire life savings, a full eighty thousand taels.
As the second young master of the Zhan Manor, he was not allowed to cultivate, but he received plenty of silver. That was his older brother's unconventional way of providing for him.
Qi Yuan glanced at the silver and cleared his throat.
Beside him, Chen Kangbao understood immediately, stepping forward to take the banknotes.
"For the sake of the silver, I'll give you a chapter of the Turtle Transformation Art. Cultivate it to full mastery, and you'll possess the strength of ten thousand turtles and a lifespan of three thousand years."
"Three thousand years?" Zhan Wenyu sucked in a breath of cold air.
Even the gods of legend did not seem to live for three thousand years, did they?
This was not turning into a turtle; this was turning into a god!
As for the strength of ten thousand turtles, that was admittedly lackluster, but lifespan was what mattered!
"Listen closely; I'll only recite it once. If you don't remember, you can ask Chen Kangbao to repeat it, but it will cost..."
"Five hundred buns!" Chen Kangbao hurriedly chimed in.
Hearing this, Zhan Wenyu became even more convinced that Qi Yuan was an expert.
Experts always did as they pleased without conforming to convention, their actions bizarre and unpredictable.
In those chronicles, Zhan Wenyu had read about a mysterious old elder who enjoyed collecting women's silk stockings.
The man might simply not care for silver, preferring buns instead.
"Right." Qi Yuan could not be bothered to argue about the buns. "Though the divine tortoise lives long, yet..." Qi Yuan began making things up on the spot.
Qi Yuan had now reached the peak of the Purple Mansion, and in terms of combat power, he was comparable to a Great Ultimate Principle.
Advancing further was actually very difficult.
It required him to comprehend his own Dao, his own divine path.
At present, Qi Yuan was immensely strong, but his path was cluttered—the path of the Golden Core, the Myriad Dao Martial God, the immortal dao, and so on.
To become a true deity and step into the Yin God realm, Qi Yuan surmised that he had to clarify his Great Dao.
Leaving behind an extraordinary path in this game could be considered an attempt of his own.
Zhan Wenyu listened with rapt attention, not daring to miss a single word.
Even if he memorized it completely, he resolved to exchange five hundred buns for Chen Kangbao's repetition afterward—first to return the favor, and second to verify whether he had misheard anything.
"In this chapter of the Turtle Transformation Art, the most vital aspect is to amass karmic fortune and perform good deeds often. Remember this," Qi Yuan added as an instruction.
Just then, Third Young Master Tu and the white-robed man strolled over.
A smile appeared on the white-robed man's face. "Young Master Zhan, weren't you going to cause trouble for this matrilocal son-in-law? Why are you bowing like a student before a teacher?"
His smile held a teasing edge, mingled with bewilderment.
Third Young Master Tu was also puzzled, but the moment he drew near Qi Yuan, his heart skipped a violent beat.
Because his magical artifact had turned red again! A redness ten times, a hundred times more intense than last time!
He... he... a daring thought surged in his mind.
Could he be...
His heart pounded furiously.
The matrilocal son-in-law Qi Yuan was actually that mysterious big shot!
When he recalled that when Qi Yuan went to Ninghe County, it was precisely when the guiling incident occurred at Red Cloud Stockade...
It all matched up!
This was not some lowly son-in-law; this was an overbearing, domineering powerhouse of a husband!
The way he looked at Qi Yuan changed instantly, turning deferential and cautious.
Zhan Wenyu's expression shifted slightly. "What nonsense are you spewing? I revere Mister as my teacher, so how could I ever bully him?"
As he spoke, he stole a glance at Qi Yuan, terrified of offending him.
The confusion in the white-robed man's eyes deepened into utter bewilderment.
Zhan Wenyu's transformation was truly staggering.
As for Third Young Master Tu, he remained dead silent.
Right then, Qi Yuan spoke up: "I'm a matrilocal son-in-law. Isn't it only natural to bully me? Come, hurry up and bully me. I promise I won't resist. But... you'll have to be gentle. I'm afraid of pain."
Zhan Wenyu: "..."
Third Young Master Tu: "...??"
White-robed man: "???"
All three had question marks swimming in their minds, each meaning something entirely different.
Chapter 507