Stronger from Earth

Chapter 405 - 399: The Audience

As Hongze walked along his path, he carefully observed Longevity Island, gaining an understanding of its profound and mysterious foundations, feeling quite struck in his heart.

In the Jiangnan-style immortal garden, he saw Chun Shui and Qiushui from afar, two maidens seemingly walking out of an ancient painting, surrounding a lazy lady, who must be his master’s wife, Lin Cheng.

His master’s wife had a calm demeanor and unmatched beauty. As a scientist, her research was quite outstanding, making her a trendsetter of the era.

Only such a woman could catch the eye of his master, Hongze thought to himself, sighing in his heart.

"Ahem, ahem."

Upon hearing two coughs, Hongze turned his gaze five steps ahead towards the elder. The old man appeared ordinary, like a retired old man practicing Tai Chi leisurely in a city park.

The elder’s hair was more than half white, wrinkles climbed onto his face, along with age spots; he was already in the twilight years of his life.

A youth or a young adult can still roam the world, experience its vastness, and gain some transformation, but in old age, dissatisfaction truly abounds, and all one can do is eat well, drink well, quietly wait for time to pass, and reminisce, for their time is running out.

"Young man, what brings you to Longevity Island?" He Fang’s voice was ancient, yet revealed the kindness of an elder.

Hongze bowed in respect, not knowing the elder’s identity, but knowing that anyone present here was certainly not an ordinary person, thus he needed to be respectful.

"Elder, this junior is Hongze, a Southeast Asian Chinese, graduate of the Federation University, who met his honorable master at a young age. I studied under Master Hongwu Taoist for five or six years.

My master has not returned from his travels, and upon hearing that my master’s wife is pregnant with a gifted child, as I am currently free in Jiangyou, I came to visit and fulfill part of my filial duty."

He spoke simply and directly, without saying much, knowing that his master’s wife would certainly be aware of his details, and there was no need to waste words.

He Fang observed this young man, handsome in appearance, well-mannered in conduct, calm and composed, with a righteous gaze and sunny disposition, indeed a fine young man.

Wang Xuan had a real knack for selecting people.

With a single glance, he saw through Hongze’s cultivation level; a young man in his early twenties having reached the Vajra Realm was no easy feat, fittingly described as prodigiously talented.

His vitality was condensed, his spiritual power pure and radiant, his soul clear, and his flesh body’s strength quite commendable, with a foundation significantly stronger than Wang Xuan’s at the Vajra Realm.

However, his seventh disciple, Wang Xuan, had a gift that grew stronger with his cultivation realm, and based on his current talent, there likely was none among his peers to surpass him.

"Oh, you’re Wang Xuan’s disciple, have you joined Immortal Martial Mountain, cultivating its Holy Land Technique?" He Fang asked casually.

At his age, not considered young either, being over two hundred years old, he had accepted seven disciples and now even had a grand-disciple, albeit unofficially recognized.

Hongze replied, "This junior hasn’t entered Immortal Martial Mountain, and thus not an Immortal Martial True Inheritor. For many years, this junior has inherited and practiced my master’s self-created ’Creation True Scripture,’ instead of the Immortal Scripture of Immortal Martial Mountain."

Though Wang Xuan was a True Inheritor of Immortal Martial Mountain, he didn’t have the True Immortal Realm, so even taking in disciples did not permit adding them to the mountain’s registry, as per protocol.

Clearly, Wang Xuan was quite particular about these protocols and didn’t pass down the mountain’s core technique, ’Mixed Element Martial Scripture,’ to Hongze due to his special status.

He Fang nodded approvingly, "Good."

Hongze not practicing the Mixed Element Martial Scripture received his acknowledgment; had he done so, He Fang would instead feel displeasure.

"Your foundation is quite remarkable," He Fang remarked.

Through people’s assessment, mastering the ’Creation True Scripture’ led to such a foundation for Hongze, apart from his extraordinary talent, the high ceiling of the cultivation technique was a pivotal factor, and the creator had reached the peak of comprehension at the Same Realm.

Hongze smiled lightly, without saying much.

He Fang stood with his hands behind his back, finding the young man before him quite the heroic figure, believing that with proper guidance, the future achievements were destined to be extraordinary.

Considering his ssuzi-clroudiric potential, a True Immortal was inevitable.

He Fang solemnly instructed, "Kneel down and kowtow."

These words bewildered Hongze, but his body involuntarily performed the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows, his forehead knocking loudly on the ground.

Such bizarreness, how could Hongze not understand that the elder before him possessed terrifying strength, and despite using all his means, he would not be a match, even the Demon King Giant Panda beneath the island wasn’t as formidable as the elder.

Upon completing the ritual, He Fang slowly stated, "Under me, there are seven disciples, your master happens to rank seventh; based on seniority, you should call me Grandmaster."

These words left Hongze stunned on the spot. His master’s master was none other than Immortal Martial Mountain’s True Immortal Power?

To serve as his master’s master, existence of great power was unquestionable.

"Greetings, Grandmaster." Hongze performed another respectful bow.

The cultivation realm emphasizes the respect for teachers and their teachings; disciples respect the teacher as a father, and the teacher sees the disciples like their own. While there might be entanglements of interests, the emotions are genuine.

Being able to kowtow to a grandmaster signifies a form of acknowledgment, and having clung onto such a ’big leg,’ how could Hongze not be joyful?

He Fang said, "The cultivation technique created by Wang Xuan is enough for you to practice, but if you reach its limit and Wang Xuan hasn’t returned, you should come to Immortal Martial Mountain and see me."

If Wang Xuan never returned, this young man’s progress shouldn’t be hindered, and as an elder, passing on the teachings across generations was a helpless measure.

After speaking, He Fang’s figure shattered like a mirage, disappearing in this world, as if all were but a dream.

Bereft of direction, Hongze stood in a daze for a while, finally realizing the opportunity that had befallen him; there was no need to worry about his future, being an Immortal Martial True Inheritor wasn’t out of reach.

Step by step, Hongze proceeded to meet his master’s wife, bowing respectfully, "Disciple Hongze, greets Master’s Wife."

Lin Cheng closely examined the young man, observing how much of Wang Xuan’s character Hongze had inherited—calm, composed, clear in mind and heart about what he wants and the path he will take.

Judging by his performance, he indeed was a model young man aligning with socialist values, righteous and honest, pragmatic in doing things.

Of course, under Wang Xuan’s typically calm demeanor was an unafraid, destructive demon nature, even in the face of Gods and Demons, he would dare strike them down with a sword.

But he had family and attachments, which made him cautious, hence he was always measured in his actions.

"Is it Hongze? Your master mentioned you, a young man whose talent and character he is quite satisfied with; coming to see me today shows your consideration.

Master’s Wife doesn’t have much as a meeting gift, so I’ll give you two pills, things your master left behind."

With a slight movement of her fingers, Lin Cheng gestured, and Chun Shui presented the already prepared Golden Body Pill and Thousand-Life Pill to Hongze, who accepted them with both hands.

Chun Shui said, "The Mountain Lord’s refined premium pills are rare to flow outside, and both the Golden Body Pill and Thousand-Life Pill are exclusively circulated within Immortal Martial Mountain.

These two pills are rare treasures. The Golden Body Pill, when consumed by an initial Earth Immortal, can directly condense the golden body typical of a Peak of Earth Immortal, making the physique’s strength comparable to a Third Realm of Earth Immortal Dharma Body cultivator, an excellent medicine for strengthening the foundation.

The Thousand-Life Pill, upon consumption, can extend life by a thousand years, a treasure for prolonging life and enhancing life force.

The two pills in your hand are top-grade among both Golden Body Pill and Thousand-Life Pill, unmatched by anything else; consuming the Thousand-Life Pill, a Peak of Earth Immortal can extend life by five thousand years, equal to that of a Pure Yang Celestial Immortal.

Such treasures would make a Pure Yang Celestial Immortal bankrupt to acquire, they are truly precious; do not disappoint your Master’s Wife’s kind intentions."

Hongze’s gratitude was beyond words, with Master’s Wife gifting such significant treasures upon their first meeting, it showed a form of acknowledgment, otherwise, if Lin Cheng was not satisfied, she would’ve simply dismissed him.

He presented his prepared gift, which was collected Pregnancy-Protecting Immortal Materials, a possession quite precious to him but a mere small item to Lin Cheng.

But the sentiment was conveyed, and Lin Cheng was satisfied, not considering other things much.

The two chatted for a while, and suddenly Lin Cheng’s abdomen emitted a purple-gold light, like a small sun; a bout of fetal movement left her feeling deeply fatigued.

Having consumed spirit medicine replenishing qi and blood, Lin Cheng felt drowsy; nurturing such a child had almost prevented her from further cultivation, and the daily expenditure was indeed too great.

Waving her hand gently, Lin Cheng had Chun Shui guide Hongze on a tour of Longevity Island, as she herself drifted away gracefully to rest.

...

Anno Domini 2520, the Earth Expeditionary Army set forth to the Evolution Realm, absent for several years, while Earth Civilization fully faced the challenge of the Wizard Realm and Hell Realm.

Over the years, frequent battles erupted, and during the slow progress of the war, Immortals descended, with a single sword wounding the Original Wizard of the Wizard Realm, leading to a full collapse of the Wizard Realm’s situation and its defeat under Earth Civilization’s fierce offensive.

In the year 2524, Earth Civilization, with half of the realm’s power, annihilated the Wizard Realm, reaping considerable gains.

In that year, the Celestial Dew Rain descended, causing Earth’s territory to continuously expand, growing new sections of land, and the overall surface area increased by a third.

This unprecedented Celestial Dew Rain propelled a major physical evolution among the populace, with the average level of cultivation advancing by almost half a realm.

As the earth expanded, living beings evolved, cultivators progressed rapidly, and sects and familial clans grew increasingly powerful. After Earth Civilization swallowed the Wizard Realm, its overall power significantly increased.

The wheels of the era thus rolled mercilessly over the passage of time, with all either willingly or passively taking strides forward.