The night is deep, and silence surrounds.

    Moonlight shines through the window, spreading over the ground like a pool of clear water.

    In the quiet room, cigarettes are smoking slowly, and the fragrance of descending true incense fills the air, making people's minds incredibly peaceful.

    After a bath and a change of clothes, Chen Yun sat on the matted rug, adjusting his physical state to achieve the best possible condition for dashing to congeal Golden Dan into immortality.

    He did not immediately refine the spiritual Qi; instead, he first recollected the "Inner Elixir Formula of Master Chen" in his mind.

    Chen Yun thought to himself, "My original creation of the Inner Elixir Technique requires ordinary practitioners to begin their cultivation by harmonizing their five internal organs through proper diet, neither too hungry nor too full. The mind must be serene until it reaches emptiness, allowing for the entrance into the Dao. At the end of the second hour and at the beginning of the third hour, one should cleanse themselves and enter into meditation. Kneeling with folded legs, light incense should be burned while closing one's eyes to maintain one's inner spirit. Once breathing becomes rhythmic and steady, one should first reverse their tongue to seal both holes at its root and cease breathing……"

    With that thought, he began to review the first transformation technique.

    Chen Yun sat cross-legged, closed his eyes to concentrate, and awaited equal breaths in and out. First, he reversed his tongue to seal both openings at the root of his tongue and stopped breathing.

    With the technique in operation, he gradually felt that there were two streams of qi from the roots of his upper molars rushing up, penetrating both sun points; then entering into the breech, where he felt that the two streams of qi merged together.

    If an ordinary person begins to practice this method, up to this point is considered one session of qi cultivation. After each session, one must open their eyes and wait for a while, then close them again and repeat the previous method. Wait until the qi reaches the top of the brain at the mud palace and stop. This should be done three times every night.

    Chen Yun had already passed this stage and naturally did not need such a complicated process.

    He continued with the next stage of his qi cultivation, feeling the qi flowing from the mud palace into his brain, traveling down his throat and through his spine, streaming through his tailbone, and passing through his gallbladder, navel, and heart.

    A warm and soothing sensation rose within his chest.

    "This is a sign of the true Qi descending."

    Chen Yun continued to run the qi cultivation technique, feeling the qi reaching his heart, warm and slightly moving in his heart, and this warmth then rose from his heart, passed through his throat, and entered his tongue.

    He noticed a slight bitterness in his mouth, which was a sign of the gall qi rising and the harmonization of yin and yang.

    Suddenly, Chen Yun felt his body gradually becoming larger, his spirit becoming excited, and as if the house, mountains, rivers, and seas were all within himself.

    He reached forward to grasp the table, and the next moment, he saw a bright ball of light like the sun falling into his lower dantian.

    Chen Yun did not open his eyes immediately but gradually gathered his thoughts, then allowed his limbs to return to a prolonged state before opening his eyes.

    "The first transformation is fine, now we can start refining the spiritual Qi."

    After resting for a moment, Chen Yun began to run the "One Layer Half" technique.

    He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, tapped his teeth nine times, waited for his mind to settle and his internal Qi to harmonize, and then practiced the method of breath retention.

    With one breath and one expiration as a "breath," every time he closed his mouth for eight or nine breaths.

    Chen Yun strictly followed the qi cultivation technique, after completing the closure, slowly opened his eyes, restored breathing, and then resumed the method of breath retention as before.

    At this moment, the internal fire was sufficiently strong, and the spiritual Qi was being refined little by little.

    Chen Yun felt a warm sensation in his heart, comfortable in all his limbs, and a movement of the heart.

    An abundance of danyeux, slowly birthed, was like a stream of heat flowing into the dantian.

    Chen Yun cultivated without haste or delay, with absolutely no distracting thoughts.

    ...

    Since two years ago, when Chen Yun shattered the Ten Extinction Formation, Gao Jiexing died in melancholy, Gao Conghui succeeded as the second king of Nanping and resumed the status of a vassal state, and this year when Nan Chu's Ma Xisheng claimed submission and also resumed the status of a vassal state, the situation in the world seemed to have briefly entered a period of stability.

    Currently, the various countries in the south, except for Nan Wu and Nan Han, all follow the standard of Later Tang.

    However, at this time of chaos and turmoil by evil spirits and demons, they all want to gain merit from the Battle of Divine Ascension. How can we let the world be peaceful?

    In the first year of the Changxing era, Shi Jingtan was granted the additional title of Inspector General of Marshal.

    In September, Duan Zhang, the military governor of Dongchuan, rebelled. Shi Jingtan was appointed as the head military commander of Dongchuan's military campaign and concurrently in charge of the affairs of Dongchuan's military government.

    The next year, due to the treacherous terrain and difficult route of Shu River, the grain transportation could not meet the needs, and Ming Zong ordered a retreat.

    In April, he was also appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Six Armies and various guards.

    In June, he was transferred to the position of Military Governor of Heyang, still retaining his military authority.

    At this time, Shi Jingtan had already subtly developed a desire to take his place, but he was still accumulating power.

    On this day, he feigned an outing to the suburbs, but in reality, he met with some evil spirits and demons and came to the outskirts of Heyang City.

    Shi Jingtan rode on his horse, accompanied by a group of attendants.

    There were two horses beside him, each with a Daoist sitting on top.

    The Daoist on the left wore a black robe, and the one on the right wore a starry robe.

    Shi Jingtan said, "Thank you, Master Gou, Master Cheng. You all say that I am like a trapped dragon, what should I do to break the situation?"

    Xie Wuyang and Gou Teng Daoist exchanged a smile. They had heard about Chen Yun's participation in the Battle of Divine Ascension two years ago and immediately headed to the battlefield to seek revenge for their family's demise.

    Who would have thought that Chen Yun's visit to Jiangling City to break the Ten Directions Extinction Formation was merely a "guest appearance," and he never gave them an opportunity.

    Xie Wuyang and Gou Teng Daoist had been waiting for the chance to avenge their family's wrongs. How could they give up this opportunity?

    So, after much searching, they eventually decided to invest their efforts in Shi Jingtan.

    They were planning to use Shi Jingtan's identity to force Chen Yun to appear in battle and then eliminate him.

    Xie Wuyang, whose thoughts are profound and inscrutable, said: "The opportunity for Duke Shi is not in the central plains. If you want the latent dragon to emerge from its depths, you still need to combine forces with the Northern Black Tortoise."

    Shi Jingtan didn't quite understand the meaning of this sentence and humbly asked for clarification, "May I ask, Master Xie?"

    Gou Teng Daoist burst into laughter, "It's impossible to reveal the secrets of heaven and earth. The time will tell, Duke Shi will understand when it comes."

    Shi Jingtan felt quite helpless and wanted to obtain more information from the two immortal beings.

    Suddenly, a strong wind swept past from the front.

    Following that, a deafening roar like the roar of a thundering tiger echoed throughout the sky.

    Shi Jingtan and his entourage looked ahead and saw a giant white tiger with a white eyebrow jump out of the forest in front of them.

    The large beast was as big as an ox, with a fierce appearance, and it charged towards Shi Jingtan at once.

    Shi Jingtan was caught off guard and almost fell off his horse.

    The situation suddenly occurred, and his attendants were unable to draw bows and shoot arrows in time.

    As immortals, Xie Wuyang and Gou Teng could not physically harm the mundane, so they could only use powerful methods to shift Shi Jingtan aside, causing the great tiger to miss its target.

    Nevertheless, Shi Jingtan was still terrified. He immediately commanded his attendants, "Quick! Kill this big beast!"

    His attendants hastily drew bows and aimed at the beast.

    Suddenly, a black streak flew out from the jungle and struck the beast's forehead with pinpoint accuracy.

    The beast let out a terrible howl and collapsed to the ground, convulsing a few times before falling still.

    Shi Jingtan and his attendants looked anxiously and saw that a spear, about six to seven feet long made of cold iron, was sticking out of the beast's forehead.

    A man's voice boomed from the woods, "This beast has been ravaging villages and devouring several children. Fortunately, it was caught by me, Wu."

    With the sound, a young man carrying a load of firewood appeared.

    The young man was dressed in simple clothing, but he was over nine feet tall and had a bizarre appearance, looking like a brave warrior.

    Shi Jingtan, excited to hunt, quickly dismounted and bowed, "Thank you for saving my life. May I ask what is your noble name?"

    The young man put down the load of firewood and returned the bow, "I am Wu Xingde."

    He spoke, walked forward and pulled out the cold iron spear from the tiger's forehead. Then he kicked the tiger's corpse into the air with a heavy step, and with a shoulder shrug, the tiger's corpse fell onto his shoulder.

    Shi Jingtan, impressed by Wu Xingde's impressive strength and physical prowess, felt a deep affection towards him. He proactively opened his voice to retain him, "Wu hero, I am Shi Jingtan, the military governor of Heyang. Would you like to serve under me?"

    Wu Xingde, who was about to leave, paused and turned around in surprise, "Are you Duke Shi?"

    Shi Jingtan smiled and said, "Yes, that's me."

    Wu Xingde recalled what his uncle had said, threw the tiger's corpse on the ground, bowed and kneeled, "Wu Xingde greets the master."

    "Good! Good! Good!" Exultant, Shi Jingtan personally helped Wu Xingde to his feet.

    Xie Wuyang and Gou Teng Daoist observed Wu Xingde's incredible strength and acknowledged that he could indeed be of great assistance to Shi Jingtan, nodding slightly at the side.

    However, there was a strongman among Shi Jingtan's attendants who did not concede and wanted to test his strength against Wu Xingde.

    Wu Xingde had just joined Shi Jingtan's camp, and naturally did not want to offend others, so he declined gracefully.

    However, the strongman would not let it go, and Wu Xingde, out of desperation, agreed and proposed a solution where the strongman would carry Wu Xingde's load of firewood. If he could carry it, Wu Xingde would concede defeat.

    The strongman thought at the time that Wu Xingde was looking down on him, so he picked up the load of firewood immediately.

    Then......

    Yes, the strongman used all his strength, but he couldn't lift Wu Xingde's load of firewood.

    It was precisely because of this that Shi Jingtan became even more impressed with Wu Xingde and immediately appointed him as the captain of the guards.

    ...

    A year had passed in a blink.

    Chen Yun had been secluding himself to cultivate divine energy and had already entered an important stage.

    However, today he deviated from his usual routine and temporarily ceased his cultivation of divine energy. Instead, he opened a window and rested.

    The reason was no other than the fact that just now, he had cultivated to the late stage of the patriarch realm.

    Chen Yun was sitting cross-legged by the window, looking at the yellowing chrysanthemums outside, feeling the condition within his body.

    At this moment, the middle palace's divine energy is abundant, and there is a subtle feeling of overflow.

    "Seems that I have reached the edge of breaking through the true realm," Chen Yun thought without joy or sorrow, "All it takes is to merge qi, essence, and spirit, condense into a sacred fetus, and one can become a Daoist."

    "Moreover, after a year of refining divine energy, there has been a significant breakthrough in the second layer of the 'Pan Gu True Body Technique', which is about yin and yang refining of form. It has gradually reached the mid-stage."

    Chen Yun can feel how strong his physical body has become.

    To put it bluntly, some of the magical weapons with moderate power attacking him may not be effective.

    For example, the ice ring kind of treasure, it is basically impossible to harm him, and not only can't harm him, it's probably unable to damage a single hair.

    With the power of ordinary magical treasures unable to harm his body, what is there to say about weaker ones?

    For example, the pin needle obtained from Liu Guibi in the past. If someone were to attack him with it, it would probably be shattered by his robust physique.

    Not to mention the pin needle, even a delicate spirit dog artifact handcrafted by Lü Dongbin could not cause any harm to him.

    Chen Yun faintly sighed, "The 'Pan Gu True Body Technique' is truly profound. Even though I have not yet reached the stage of mastering the second level of yin and yang refining of form, my defense is already incredible. With the power of carrying mountains and running days, if I could actually master the ninth level, it might truly be able to open up heaven and earth."

    He was deeply satisfied with the results of his seclusion for a year.

    But now is not the time to be satisfied or not. Chen Yun knew that he should start striving to condense the golden elixir and thus achieve enlightenment and become an immortal.

    Chen Yun secretly made up his mind, "I will start to fully sprint towards the realm of a true person in a moment. This time, I must become an immortal!"

    (The end of this chapter)