"This child is indeed extraordinary. However, this body-refining cultivation technique… it feels somewhat familiar?"
Above a mountain range in the Myriad Peaks Forest Cave, an old man observed the circular projection before him, his brow furrowed in thought. As he murmured, his figure slowly faded from view.
Bang!
A minute later, accompanied by a violent bang, both Li Xuan and the giant scorpion were thrown back by the terrifying counterforce. Although Li Xuan couldn't break through the scorpion's defense, the scorpion was equally unable to inflict any significant damage on Li Xuan.
However, the prolonged duration of the battle naturally led to immense consumption. Leveraging the rebound force to retreat, Li Xuan couldn't help but shake his numb hands. Yet, his eyes remained fixed on the giant scorpion, which hadn't moved after landing.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew. The swirling yellow sand vanished instantly, and so did the giant scorpion on the ground below. Just as Li Xuan was preparing to defend himself, the scene before him abruptly shifted.
Surrounded by lush trees and blooming flowers, it was clearly the landscape of the Myriad Peaks Forest Cave.
And before Li Xuan, an old man stood, looking at him with a smile.
"Junior Li Xuan pays his respects to Senior," Li Xuan said, hastily bowing and cupping his fists as he looked at the old man's face.
The old man before him was none other than the Myriad Peaks Elder.
Having seen the enormous, shadowy outline of a face previously, Li Xuan recognized the old man's identity immediately. As for the preceding scene and the scorpion's disappearance, they were clearly the work of this Myriad Peaks Elder. However, Li Xuan was still somewhat puzzled as to why.
The Myriad Peaks Elder nodded slightly and then looked at Li Xuan, asking, "Whose transmission is the body-refining technique you practice?"
"Senior recognizes the body-refining technique I practice?" Li Xuan was taken aback, but a look of excitement quickly bloomed on his face.
Yi Qin had been gone for so many years, and Li Xuan had never received any news. His physical cultivation was entirely dependent on the "Nine Revolutions of Tempering the Spirit" that Yi Qin had passed down.
The Myriad Peaks Elder pondered for a moment, then slowly inquired, "Is this technique named 'Nine Revolutions of the Demonic God'?"
"Precisely! Senior indeed has sharp eyes. This technique was passed down to me by a senior. If not for this cultivation method back then, I fear I wouldn't have been able to cultivate my body to its current state."
Upon hearing this, Li Xuan became even more certain that the Myriad Peaks Elder knew Senior Yi Qin. Without any concealment, he recounted matters concerning Senior Yi Qin.
Of course, the matter of Zhenyu was naturally omitted.
"So it truly was her. I had the chance to meet her once. I never expected to encounter her disciple today. However, did she impart her alchemy skills to you?" the Myriad Peaks Elder asked, nodding slightly after listening to Li Xuan.
"As for alchemy, Senior did teach a sister of mine. Senior, do you know Senior Yi Qin?" Li Xuan immediately thought of Zeng Ru Xue and spoke, his voice filled with anticipation.
"Actually, if you hadn't asked, I would have told you about it. Otherwise, why would I have pulled you out of the trial and allowed you to pass directly? Very well, since you've asked, I shall tell you," the Myriad Peaks Elder said with a smile.
"Back then, I traveled the Great Zhou World and coincidentally encountered the senior you mentioned. Honestly, to see an alchemist possessing such terrifying strength was a first in my life. At that time, I even requested a spirit elixir from her for an old friend, and now I realize I still owe her a favor."
The Myriad Peaks Elder paused before continuing, "But strangely, later that world-plane disappeared, and that senior vanished without a trace. Even though I wished to repay her kindness, I never had the chance to meet her again. Even my old friend, Elder Ba Bao, has been dead for nearly ten thousand years."
Li Xuan chuckled sheepishly, naturally guessing that Senior Yi Qin was likely imprisoned in Zhenyu during that time.
The Myriad Peaks Elder sighed, "Although we Spirit Masters act against heaven's will to seize a sliver of life, there are times when we grow weary. Sometimes, living for too long becomes a burden."
"In fact, if I had acted then, I could have certainly extended his life by a hundred years, but he refused. He said that after living for so long, all his loved ones had departed one by one, and he had become numb. He preferred to live in solitude rather than defy fate and return."
"For so many years, haven't I also been contemplating his words? Rather than living like this in solitude, death is truly preferable."
"Everyone lives for different reasons. Not all choices leading to death are wise. Just as you mentioned that Senior Ba Bao was your close friend, and even after ten thousand years, you still remember him."
"Since you have the courage to choose death, why not choose to live? Of course, I am not qualified to judge the rightness or wrongness of Senior Ba Bao's choice. These are merely my own thoughts," Li Xuan said, shaking his head.
The Myriad Peaks Elder smiled faintly, "I didn't expect such a young fellow like you to see things so clearly. Tell me, what is it you seek by coming to my Myriad Peaks Forest Cave?"
Li Xuan chuckled sheepishly and then replied, "This trip, I am here for the Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood."
"As expected, you came for the Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood. I guessed correctly. However, aside from the Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood, it seems there is nothing else in my Myriad Peaks Forest Cave that your Tianyi Pavilion values. Little fellow, your name is Li Xuan, correct?" the Myriad Peaks Elder said, showing no surprise after hearing Li Xuan's words.
"Yes," Li Xuan replied with a wry smile. It turned out the Myriad Peaks Elder had known the purpose of Li Xuan and his companions' visit from the very beginning. Now that he had been called out by the Myriad Peaks Elder, Li Xuan felt a bit embarrassed.
"There's no need for that. Giving you the Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood is not impossible. However, this matter is beyond my capabilities; you must go and collect it yourself. If you fail to find the true Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood, you cannot blame me. Consider this my third test for you." The Myriad Peaks Elder nodded slightly.
"The true Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood?" Li Xuan looked at the Myriad Peaks Elder in confusion.
The Myriad Peaks Elder smiled and nodded, "Although I have lived in the Myriad Peaks Forest Cave for tens of thousands of years, I do not control this place. The Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood is a spiritual entity that arises from the Myriad Peaks Forest Cave. It possesses its own sentience."
"To survive, it also has natural instincts. Illusion is one of the innate abilities of the Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood. Even I would need considerable time to pinpoint its true form. However, you are quite fortunate. The Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood grows once every thousand years, and this is its period of weakness. This should significantly reduce the difficulty for you."
"Myriad Peaks Senior, if I were to collect this Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood, would it cause any harm to this place?" Li Xuan asked after a moment of contemplation.
"You are a kind-hearted young man, actually considering this. Rest assured, the Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood dissolves and returns to the Myriad Peaks Forest Cave every ten thousand years, causing no damage to this place. This current stage is when the Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood is nine thousand years old. If you cannot collect it, in a few decades, it will likely return to heaven and earth as before," the Myriad Peaks Elder said, his eyes filled with admiration.
Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "If that is the case, I am at ease."
The Myriad Peaks Elder looked at Li Xuan with curiosity and asked, "Have you not considered how to find the true form of the Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood? Know that the Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood has hundreds of illusory forms and constantly shifts its location. If you cannot find its true form, you will be unable to collect and take it away."
"If that is truly the case, then I can only blame myself for being incapable," Li Xuan said with a carefree smile.
"Very well, since you are so open-minded, I shall say no more. Let us go. I will escort you to the location of the Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood. What happens next is up to you. If you succeed in collecting the Myriad Peaks Spirit Wood, I shall impart to you a divine ability. In this way, I will have repaid that person's favor," the Myriad Peaks Elder said, standing up.
"Thank you, Senior!" Li Xuan was overjoyed. A divine ability from such a powerful figure, no matter what it was, would be enough to become one of Li Xuan's trump cards.