"Who goes there?" A Black-armored Soldier from Cloud Mist Villa coldly called out, another Black-armored Soldier also looked towards the distant figure. Moments later, the two Black-armored Soldiers recognized the newcomer as the Third Prince, Qin Yu, and couldn't help but feel astonished. Still, they immediately knelt on one knee, respectfully saying, "Third Prince!"
Qin Yu, with sweat beading on his forehead and eyes sparkling, his face flushed red, said, "Please, rise." Saying this, he smiled at the two Black-armored Soldiers and then bounded into Cloud Mist Villa.
The two Black-armored Soldiers watched Qin Yu's retreating back with confusion.
"The Third Prince usually watches the stars from the mountaintop and doesn't return until daylight the next day. Why has he come back so early this time?" the Black-armored Soldier on the left wondered aloud.
The Black-armored Soldier on the right also shook his head in bewilderment, clearly clueless about the reason.
Lian Yan, who Qin Yu called 'Grandpa Lian', was an elder of the Qin Family. The current Prince Zhen Dong, Qin De, was raised by Lian Yan, who still wielded significant influence within the Qin Family. Two years prior, Qin De had assigned Lian Yan the duty of looking after Qin Yu at Cloud Mist Villa.
Like a gust of wind, Qin Yu rushed straight to the entrance of Lian Yan's room and immediately started knocking fervently with his little fists.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"…
"Grandpa Lian, open up, it's Little Yu! I have something to tell you, please open the door quickly," Qin Yu called out eagerly. Moments later, the light inside the room turned on. "Little Yu, dear, you woke me up just as I'd drifted off," said a kind voice as the door opened.
A kindly septuagenarian, draped in an overcoat, appeared before Qin Yu.
"Oh my, Little Yu, what's the matter? You're covered in sweat," Lian Yan exclaimed in surprise. Qin Yu was about to speak, but the vigorous running had left him gasping for air. Seeing Qin Yu's rapid breaths, Lian Yan quickly said, "Come in, tell me what it is inside." He then led Qin Yu into the house by the hand.
The two settled down at the square table.
"Rest a moment, don't rush; we can talk when your breath calms," Lian Yan said, seeing Qin Yu eager to speak. Qin Yu took a deep breath and then fixed Lian Yan with a determined gaze, "Grandpa Lian, I want to cultivate," he declared firmly.
"Cultivate?" Lian Yan was momentarily startled, then asked with a smile, "Little Yu, what made you think of cultivating?"
Qin Yu paused slightly and then chuckled, "It's nothing much; I just saw how impressive the uncles of the villa are and wanted to learn martial arts. Grandpa Lian, I can cultivate martial arts, right?"
A longing for paternal love lay buried deepest within Qin Yu's heart. He only wanted to keep it hidden, to strive tirelessly towards his goal.
"Little Yu, do you know what martial arts are?" Instead of answering, Lian Yan inquired.
Qin Yu shook his head, "I only know that you become very powerful after learning martial arts; I'm not very clear on the rest, but I think there's something about Inner Strength." An eight-year-old child, although well-read, there was much he didn't understand.
"Let me first explain it to you in detail," Lian Yan said with a smile.
Qin Yu's eyes lit up instantly, and he stared intently at Lian Yan, listening with full concentration.
"Let's start with experts. Experts are divided into Postnatal Masters, Innate Experts, and... Upper Immortals who surpass the levels of Innate Experts," explained Lian Yan with a smile. "The Postnatal Masters are as numerous as carps crossing the river in the Hidden Dragon Continent, but the number of Innate Experts in the entire Chu Dynasty probably numbers around a hundred only."
"A hundred?" Qin Yu exclaimed in surprise, "Doesn't the Chu Dynasty have nearly four billion people? Why are there so few Innate Experts, only one in tens of millions?"
Lian Yan sighed, "Becoming a Postnatal Master requires only a method of cultivation, but becoming an Innate Level Expert is extremely difficult. To become an Innate Level Expert, there are two requirements: one, you must reach the Postnatal Great Perfection Realm; two, you must have some insight into the Heavenly Dao."
Qin Yu was immediately puzzled, "Heavenly Dao, what is that?"
Lian Yan immediately grinned, "Heavenly Dao is natural; it's not an object, but a state that one can only comprehend oneself, yet is difficult to impart by word. Some people reach the Postnatal Great Perfection for decades, yet are unable to grasp, break through the final step, and become an Innate Expert for the rest of their lives. Once one becomes an Innate Expert, one will have a lifespan of about five hundred years."
"Five hundred years!" Qin Yu's little mouth opened wide.
Lian Yan saw Qin Yu's adorable expression and smiled, "Becoming an Innate Expert is so difficult, but once you do, naturally, the benefits are many, and five hundred years is just the lifespan. The nature of the Innate True Qi of an Innate Expert is also fundamentally different from that of a Postnatal Master, they are completely on two different levels."
...
"Ah, Grandpa Lian, isn't there an 'Upper Immortal' above an Innate Expert? How powerful are they?" Qin Yu's eyes shone brightly.
If even Innate Experts are so formidable, what about the Upper Immortals?
"Upper Immortals, how could one just easily become one?" Lian Yan sighed, "An Upper Immortal is so respected that even the emperors of nations would bow and respectfully address them as 'Upper Immortal' when they see one. These emperors are afraid that the Upper Immortal might kill them. Upper Immortals can wield Flying Swords, soar among the heavens, and can't even be considered mortals anymore!"
"Soaring among the heavens?"
Images naturally arose in Qin Yu's mind: standing on a Flying Sword, soaring above the nine heavens, that exhilaration, that unrestraint, couldn't help but make Little Qin Yu yearn deeply, and unconsciously, he wished to become an Upper Immortal.
"In the entire Chu Dynasty, there are nearly a hundred Innate Experts, but... it's difficult for the Chu Dynasty to produce an Upper Immortal even in a hundred years. And now, the entire Chu Dynasty has only three Upper Immortals. Among the three Upper Immortals, two have become Upper Immortals more than three hundred years ago. In these past three hundred years, only your Uncle Feng has become an Upper Immortal."
"Uncle Feng?" Qin Yu recalled his Uncle Feng, the one in white garments often sitting on a white crane; Uncle Feng was an Upper Immortal?
Lian Yan continued, "However, if you want to become an Upper Immortal, the best way is to go to the Overseas Immortal Island and seek mentorship. But other than the Upper Immortals from various nations, who knows about it? Can ordinary people even have the chance to meet an Upper Immortal, much less have the qualifications to ask them for the route to the Overseas Immortal Island?"
"Even if they knew, the distance from the Overseas Immortal Island to the Hidden Dragon Continent is too vast. Every year, tens of thousands from the Hidden Dragon Continent go in search of the Overseas Immortal Island, striving to seek mentorship. However, among the great dangers of the sea, only one in a thousand can survive the journey and reach the Overseas Immortal Island," Lian Yan said with a sigh.
Qin Yu's eyes instantly lit up, "Grandpa Lian, isn't it that there are ten people reaching the Overseas Immortal Island each year? Then why are there so few Upper Immortals on the Hidden Dragon Continent?"
According to Qin Yu's understanding, there would be ten Upper Immortals each year, so shouldn't there be many Upper Immortals on the Hidden Dragon Continent?
However, there were very few Upper Immortals on the entire Hidden Dragon Continent; even after hundreds or thousands of years, there were still less than ten.
"Can one become an Upper Immortal just by getting to the Overseas Immortal Island?" Lian Yan shook his head, "The position of an Upper Immortal is extremely remarkable; how could it be that everyone could cultivate into one? Even if the method of cultivation is taught to you, only one person in a thousand might have the talent to cultivate."
"Ah, so doesn't that mean, for those who go to the Overseas Immortal Island, only about ten survive each year, and perhaps only one in a hundred years can cultivate to become an Upper Immortal?" Qin Yu suddenly realized the immense difficulty of becoming an Upper Immortal.
Lian Yan suddenly stood up and looked out the window.
"Upper Immortal? Such a dazzling title. Countless experts across the continent are mad for it, countless masters yearn to become Upper Immortals. With a Flying Sword, one can kill from a thousand miles away; how divine is that?" Lian Yan's eyes held a hint of longing, then he sighed, "Even your father, the king, is constantly wishing for the assistance of an Upper Immortal. If he had the help of another Upper Immortal, perhaps his goals could be achieved."
Qin Yu's heart trembled suddenly.
"The king's goals?" At the same time, a warm current flowed through Qin Yu's body, and he was filled with vigor, "If I cultivate and become an Upper Immortal, father will probably be very happy. Then, I could also help father."
Thinking of helping his father by becoming an Upper Immortal, and receiving his father's approval and attention, Qin Yu's lonely heart, yearning for paternal love, warmed.
"For father, I must become an Upper Immortal." Qin Yu bit his lip, a determined light flashing in his eyes.