"Up till the 9021st year of my transmigration, everything has been going fine.
"Today is a special day, so I've decided to form a nascent soul to commemorate it. This marks my 3,000th attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
"As expected though, my Nascent Soul escaped again."
In the bamboo house, a young man in white put away his cultivation journal and looked at the sky outside the window calmly.
Lu Xuan was a transmigrator.
The Chief of Xiaoling Peak was the most senior person in the entire Dao Evolution Sect.
After cultivating for more than 9,000 years, his cultivation had already reached…Exceptional Golden Core stage.
Lu Xuan was supposed to be a cultivation genius.
At the age of six, he was chosen by the Dao Evolution Sect Leader and joined the sect to cultivate.
At the age of nine, he refined his body, and at the age of twelve, he refined his Qi.
As the youngest Qi-refining stage disciple in history, he broke the Dao Evolution Sect's record.
In the next three years, he would advance by a major stage. Breaking through was as easy as eating and drinking for him.
Until he was 21 years old.
On that day, he experienced the four stages of Body Forging, Qi Refining, Foundation Building, and Core Formation.
Lu Xuan, who was now in the Golden Core stage, took a bath and changed his clothes, burned some incense, and played the zither.
Under the gratified gazes of the group of masters and elders as well as the admiring gazes of his junior brothers and sisters, he walked into the seclusion cave abode used to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage.
Everything went smoothly. The Golden Core rushed into the middle palace and returned to the fetus. The mana circulated and the Divine Sense condensed. The Nascent Soul was planted on the lotus platform.
Lu Xuan smiled, thinking that he was indeed a genius.
In the next moment, with a pop, it was as if a ripe melon had fallen.
The Nascent Soul that had just formed cut off its connection with the lotus throne. It slowly rose up and flew out of his body, passing through the cave abode…
Under the shocked gazes of the group of onlookers, his Nascent Soul smiled and flew away like a Buddha sitting on a lotus, disappearing into the horizon.
Even the old cultivators who had lived for thousands of years had never seen such a scene.
Lu Xuan's master exploded on the spot.
When he saw his good disciple's Nascent Soul flying away, he suspected that the darn baldy of the Buddhist Sect was behind this. He raised his Dao Sword and wanted to settle the score with the bald donkeys.
He was stopped by a group of martial masters and elders, and only after much persuasion did they manage to persuade him to calm down.
That night, the Dao Evolution Sect held an emergency meeting and made ample preparations for Lu Xuan's second attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
Array formation sealing, spiritual treasure suppression, mighty figure protection, altar opening...
However, it was useless. Under everyone's watchful eyes, Lu Xuan's Nascent Soul clasped his hands and turned into three streams of clear air. Ignoring the seal of the spiritual treasure array, he flew straight up.
Lu Xuan felt numb.
The masters and elders were also dumbfounded.
This was the first time they had heard of a Nascent Soul fleeing, and he had run away more than once!
Lu Xuan's master was dumbfounded.
This time, his disciple's Nascent Soul was clearly using Taoist methods. He couldn't possibly go and tear down the ancestral hall of their ancestors, could he?
Just like that, every three years, Lu Xuan would attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
So far, he had already formed...
Well, it should be said that he had released 3,000 Nascent Souls.
Once every three years, without a break.
Of course, over the years, his Nascent Soul did not remain unchanged.
"My Nascent Soul is escaping faster and faster…"
Lu Xuan looked up at the sky. In the sky outside the window, a pitch-black crack appeared, tearing the sky apart. It was extremely deep.
Since many years ago, his Nascent Soul had been able to create such a phenomenon in the sky.
At first, the cultivation world was in a state of panic. This phenomenon caused quite a stir in the entire Archean Eon World.
Many of the immortal sects thought that it was a sign of the invasion of the otherworldly demons. They prepared their troops and horses in fear, but nothing happened after waiting for a long time.
Later on, it was a common sight. When cultivators came to pay their respects, the Dao Evolution Sect disciples in charge of welcoming them would point at the crack in the sky and gossip.
They said that this was a phenomenon unique to their sect and was called the Heavenly Abyss. It only appeared once every three years and could not be seen anywhere else.
"So many years have passed in the blink of an eye…"
Lu Xuan stretched his back and walked into the courtyard with the wine gourd in his hand. He then lay down on the rattan chair.
Under normal circumstances, Golden Core cultivators could not live that long, but his situation was unique.
Every Archean Eon cultivator had a Life Wheel in their body. Every year, the Life Wheel would grow by one more circle, just like the growth rings of a tree.
Only by becoming a True Immortal and ascending to the Upper realm could one achieve immortality.
Unlike ordinary cultivators, every time Lu Xuan formed his Nascent Soul and his Nascent Soul escaped, the Life Wheel in his body would reset.
Indeed, the Life Wheel in his body would be reset to the state it had been in three years ago.
In this process, not only would his biological age change, but his mentality would also become younger.
In the words of Lu Xuan's master, who had ascended to the Immortal World and became a Saint Ancestor, this was called cutting off the mortal world's Qi, leaving no traces of time on the spiritual altar.
It was a stage that many mighty figures could only dream of when they were in the late stages of comprehending the Dao.
Of course, his master emphasized that all mighty figures had Nascent Souls.
Therefore, even though he had become the Dao Evolution Sect's Uncle Grandmaster, Lu Xuan did not have the slightest bit of lethargy.
"Resetting one's lifespan, longevity, and the escape of a Nascent Soul are not all bad things."
"Lu Xuan has a good attitude. Besides, maybe he will succeed next time."
Old Master Lu, who was already over 9,000 years old, took a sip of wine. His body swayed along with the recliner as he hummed a song.
"Uncle Grandmaster! Uncle Grandmaster!"
A call came from outside the courtyard. It was old but full of energy.
Shortly, an old man with white hair and beard appeared in front of Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan slowly sat up from the recliner, wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth, and looked at the Sect Leader who was dressed in a wide-sleeved robe.
"An Hua, what's the matter?"
"I just came out of my seclusion and remembered that today is the day that you will form your Nascent Soul, Uncle Grandmaster…"
The sect master, whose name was An Hua and whose Daoist name was Qing Yangzi, rubbed his hands and said expectantly, "Um, Uncle Grandmaster, have you broken through?"
If outsiders heard the white-haired old man calling the handsome young man "Uncle Grandmaster", they would definitely be shocked.
Lu Xuan looked at the grand-disciple's expectant eyes and pointed at the black crack in the sky.
"Just…the usual."
He had formed his Nascent Soul in 9,000 years, just like before.
"As expected…" Qing Yangzi revealed an expression that said, "I knew this would happen." His old face was full and gratified.
"Why are you smiling so happily?" Lu Xuan looked suspicious.
"Cough, cough…" Qing Yangzi coughed dryly.
"I made a bet with Junior Brother Feng Yangzi on whether or not you can successfully form your Nascent Soul this time. We bet on a painting maestro's calligraphy treasure… Well, I've won."
"Do you have that little confidence in me?" Lu Xuan said faintly.
"Junior Brother Feng Yangzi is quite confident in you…" Qing Yangzi muttered. "He felt that there would definitely be some changes after 3,000 times of forming your Nascent Soul. Fortunately, your performance proved to be consistent…"
Veins throbbed on Lu Xuan's forehead as he tried to convince himself that An Hua was a thousand-year-old adult, so he couldn't beat him up anymore…
"There should be something else other than the bet."
Lu Xuan took a deep breath and walked into the bamboo house. "Come in and talk."
"Uncle Grandmaster, your eyes are like torches."
Qing Yangzi chuckled and blinked his eyes like a child. He then followed the grandmaster into the house.
Although he was the ancestor of the Dao Evolution Sect, Lu Xuan's life had always been simple.
There were bamboo tables, bamboo beds, bamboo chairs alongside a futon, an incense burner, and the statue of the ancestor.
There was also a calligraphy painting hanging on the wall. The brush strokes and ink marks were vigorous, giving life to how the characters danced.
The words "Nascent Soul Formation" were written on it.
This was written by Lu Xuan after he had a mental breakdown after failing to form his Nascent Soul and drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
Although his Nascent Soul still eluded him after he sobered up, he had to admit that this was indeed an amazing piece of work.
Every time a Dao Evolution Sect disciple prepared to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, Qing Yangzi would borrow this calligraphy from his grandmaster uncle.
After showing it to the disciples, it could greatly increase the success rate of forming the Nascent Soul.
Every time the Sect Master's grand-disciple came to give him good news, Lu Xuan's mood would be very complicated.
"Tell me, why are you looking for me?"
Lu Xuan gestured for Qing Yangzi to sit down in front of him and poured him a cup of tea.
Qing Yangzi took it with both hands and said, "The Southern Sea's Heavenly Water Temple sent us a message saying that a dead city appeared out of thin air in the coastal area. The aura is strange and ominous.
"The dead city appeared on a stormy night. After that night, all living beings within a hundred kilometers were found dead. The disciples that the Heavenly Water Temple sent to the city were also lost."
"A dead city?" Lu Xuan pondered for a moment. "Did the Heavenly Water Temple ask us to send someone to take a look?"
"Exactly." Qing Yangzi nodded.
Since 10,000 years ago, the Heavenly Water Temple was a sect under the Dao Evolution Sect.
When a subordinate sect encountered a crisis that they could not resolve, they naturally had to ask for help from the upper sect.
However, this was not to say that the Dao Evolution Sect was lacking in talent.
If Lu Xuan wasn't included, their overall strength would only be slightly stronger than the Heavenly Water Temple.
More than 8,000 years ago, Lu Xuan's master ascended to the Immortal World.
The Dao Evolution Sect's mighty figures could not withstand the power of time and passed away one by one.
Among the new disciples, there were fewer and fewer who could achieve great things.
Currently, the person with the highest cultivation level in the Dao Evolution Sect was Sect Master Qing Yangzi…
He was only a Void Refining stage cultivator.
How could one judge a sect's foundation?
It simply depended on the cultivation level of their sect leader and how high they ranked within the sect.
Generally speaking, the supreme leader was the one with the highest stage, and they were all new sects.
Sects with deep foundations all had some Head Elder, Grand Elder, and the like protecting them.
If the young ones were beaten up, the old ones would stand up and support them.
The number one sect in the world that had produced True Immortals in the past had declined to such a state. One could not help but sigh at the rise and fall of the cycle of reincarnation and the impermanence of the Heavenly Dao.
"What are your plans regarding this?" Lu Xuan asked.
"If the subordinate sects ask for help, we can't sit idly by." Qing Yangzi blinked.
"However, there are many matters in the sect. Junior Brother Feng Yangzi and I can't get away. The elders also have their own missions…"
"Are you trying to say…that I should go over and take a look?" Lu Xuan pointed at himself.
"Yes, yes." Qing Yangzi nodded vigorously.
Lu Xuan suddenly stood up and walked away.
"I'm not going."
"Just go once. Uncle Grandmaster, you haven't left the mountain for almost a thousand years."
"Every time I go down the mountain, I encounter a bunch of troublesome things. What if I die?"
"Uncle Grandmaster, don't you know your own strength at all? Every time, the ones who die are the ancestors of other families…"
"Shut up! Also, don't hug my thigh. How old are you already…"
"I won't let go until you agree!"
"This is a pair of pants worth 20,000 spirit stones!"