Immortality: Grinding Experience Starting as a Paper Craftsman

Chapter 189 Turning the Tide, Settling Old Grudges

Changqing Peak is located on the back mountain of Liuyun Sect.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and a layer of moisture condensed on the bluestone slabs.

The birdsong in the bamboo forest was crisp and melodious, and the mountain breeze made the broad bamboo leaves rustle against each other.

Gu Yan, dressed in a loose white robe, stood with his hands behind his back on the wooden corridor of the bamboo building, looking calmly at the foot of the mountain.

In the past few days, he has been claiming to be in seclusion refining the healing medicines sent by various sects, and his complexion has gradually become rosy.

Every day, disciples came to pay their respects outside Changqing Peak in an endless stream, but he did not see a single one of them.

If one wears the mask of a saint for too long, it will always take some time to wash away the hypocrisy in one's heart.

Gu Yan has never been a magnanimous person.

He could smile and forgive his former fellow disciples who had humiliated him in order to maintain order on the surface.

But if you repay evil with kindness, how will you repay kindness?

He remembered every detail of Su Hongxiu's murderous intent as she drew her sword on the flying boat to the Eastern Continent Grand Competition, and Nangong Yue's haughty disdain.

Since they now regard him as an unattainable saint, he will use the saint's methods to settle this score with interest.

Gu Yan walked down the wooden corridor and followed the bluestone path to the martial arts training ground halfway up the mountain.

At this moment, Su Hongxiu was the only one on the training ground.

She was wearing a tight-fitting red training uniform, holding the two iconic short swords in her hands, and was hacking away at the steel wooden stake in front of her, sweating profusely.

The blade flashed, and red spiritual energy rolled in the air like flames.

Su Hongxiu used all her strength in every strike, as if she was venting some kind of pent-up frustration in her heart.

Since she went to the bamboo house to apologize a few days ago, Su Hongxiu's state of mind has changed.

She felt ashamed of Gu Yan's magnanimity and angry at her own weakness, so she could only desperately cultivate in an attempt to close the distance between herself and that holy son.

A gentle breeze swept across the training ground.

Su Hongxiu was startled and abruptly stopped what she was doing, turning her head to look.

Gu Yan was already standing at the edge of the training ground without anyone noticing.

Su Hongxiu hurriedly put away her twin swords, walked quickly to Gu Yan, and knelt on one knee.

"Hongxiu was unaware that the Holy Son had emerged from seclusion and has been negligent in her duties. Please forgive her, Holy Son."

Gu Yan raised his right hand, and a gentle spiritual force lifted Su Hongxiu up.

"Junior Sister Su, there's no need for such formalities. I was just taking a casual stroll today when I saw you practicing your sword diligently, so I stopped to take a look."

Gu Yan walked up to the steel stake covered in knife marks and gently stroked the cuts with his slender fingers.

"Your Gale Blade Technique is powerful but lacks staying power. The blade strikes like fire, which can unleash tremendous destructive force in an instant, but it is also extremely easy to damage your own meridians. Your poor performance in the competition back then was largely due to the hidden dangers in the circulation of spiritual energy."

Upon hearing Gu Yan pinpoint the flaw in her technique, a hint of admiration flashed in Su Hongxiu's eyes, and she respectfully lowered her head.

"Holy Son, your insight is as sharp as a torch, while Hongxiu's talent is dull, and she has never been able to comprehend the principle of combining strength and gentleness in this sword technique. Please enlighten me, Holy Son."

A cold smile appeared on Gu Yan's lips.

He turned around and looked at Su Hongxiu, his eyes full of the expectations a senior would have for a junior.

"I wouldn't call it guidance. Since you gave me a Seven Star Begonia a few days ago, I'll return the favor by giving you a wisp of sword intent."

Gu Yan raised his right hand, bringing his index and middle fingers together to form a sword-like gesture.

The divine and demonic nascent soul within his body slowly rotated, drawing a wisp of the purest and most powerful righteous energy from the half representing the golden light of the righteous path.

"Watch closely."

Gu Yan pointed a finger directly at Su Hongxiu's brow.

That wisp of righteous energy instantly entered Su Hongxiu's sea of ​​consciousness, and then, following her eight extraordinary meridians, forcibly merged into her fire-attribute spiritual power.

Su Hongxiu felt a loud bang in her mind, and a vast and powerful aura, as if it could suppress the heavens and the earth, exploded in her body.

Her cultivation level did not increase, but the density of her spiritual energy was forcibly compressed several times at this moment.

"Thank you, Holy Son, for bestowing this Dharma!"

Su Hongxiu was so excited that she trembled all over.

She could feel that with the enhancement of this protective energy, the power of her swordsmanship had increased at least three times.

"Draw your sword and give it a try."

Gu Yan smiled and took two steps back.

Su Hongxiu took a deep breath, suddenly drew her twin swords, and slashed them fiercely at the steel stake.

"Boom!"

The incredibly hard steel stake was instantly cleaved in two like tofu under this strike, the cut as smooth as a mirror, and the blade's energy even plowed a three-zhang-long trench into the ground.

However, just as Su Hongxiu was overjoyed...

A piercing pain suddenly erupted from the meridians in her arms.

Although that trace of righteous energy was powerful, it was like cold iron, settling deep within her meridians.

Every time she swung her knife, it was like using her mortal flesh and blood to pull a boulder weighing thousands of pounds.

The pain of her torn muscles made her wrists go limp, and the two short knives clattered to the ground.

Su Hongxiu fell to her knees with a thud, clutching her shoulders with both hands. Large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, and the pain contorted her face.

"This is?"

Su Hongxiu gritted her teeth and struggled to lift her head.

Gu Yan looked down at her, his smile still gentle, his tone full of sacred and inviolable majesty.

"This is the principle of a heavy sword having no edge, and great skill appearing simple. Your sword is too flimsy. The internal energy I left in your body will constantly compress your meridians. From today onward, every time you circulate your energy and swing your sword, you will suffer the pain of your meridians being torn apart. Only when you temper your body in this extreme pain to the point that it can perfectly bear this power can you truly enter the inner sanctum."

Gu Yan leaned down, looking at Su Hongxiu's pale face, and asked softly, "Cultivating immortality is inherently defying the heavens. Junior Sister Su should be able to endure this pain, right?"

Su Hongxiu trembled all over, her training clothes soaked with cold sweat.

Little did she know that this was not a forging at all, but rather Gu Yan using the principle of mutual restraint in cultivation techniques to implant a painful nail in her body that could not be easily removed.

Back then, she clamored that she would break Gu Yan's legs.

Now, Gu Yan is using this high-sounding "bestowed method" to ensure that as long as she still holds the knife, she will live forever in excruciating pain.

Su Hongxiu, who endured all of this, couldn't harbor the slightest resentment.

Looking into Gu Yan's expectant eyes, she felt that this was both a great blessing and a test from the Holy Son.

"Hongxiu... Thank you for your guidance, Holy Son! Hongxiu will live up to your expectations, even if I am shattered to pieces, I will never utter a sound of pain!"

Su Hongxiu bit her lip until it bled, enduring the excruciating pain of her torn meridians, and knelt down on the ground, kowtowing heavily to Gu Yan.

Gu Yan straightened up with satisfaction and turned to walk out of the bamboo forest.

"Train hard, the future of Dongzhou still needs you to protect it."

Leaving behind a single sentence, Gu Yan's figure disappeared into the morning mist, leaving Su Hongxiu kneeling on the spot, sweating profusely, and weeping with gratitude as she looked at his retreating figure.

After dealing with Su Hongxiu, Gu Yan did not return to the bamboo building, but instead followed the mountain path to Qingxin Garden, where the inner disciples lived.

This is Nangong Yue's residence.

As the eldest daughter of the Nangong family, her courtyard was decorated in an extremely luxurious manner, and it was filled with precious ice and snow plum blossoms.

As soon as Gu Yan stepped into the courtyard, Nangong Yue, who was meditating in the pavilion, immediately opened her eyes.

Upon seeing that the person who came was Gu Yan, a hint of panic flashed in Nangong Yue's eyes. She quickly stood up and hurried to greet him.

"Why did the Holy Son come in person? Your health has not yet recovered. If you have any orders, you can simply send someone to summon Nangong."

Nangong Yue lowered her head, her tone extremely respectful.

The once arrogant noblewoman who told him to go to the lower deck on the airship and felt that he was not even worthy of breathing the same air as her was now as humble as a maid in front of him.

Gu Yan looked at the winter plum blossoms in the courtyard and spoke softly.

"I'll be leaving the Flowing Cloud Sect in the next few days to visit the Cangxuan and Guixu Sects. Before I leave, I remembered the fourth-grade Rejuvenation Pill you gave me a few days ago, so I thought I'd stop by to see you."

Gu Yan walked to the stone table and sat down, his gaze falling on Nangong Yue.

Nangong Yue cultivates the ice-based technique "Frost Ice Technique," and possesses a cold and aloof temperament.

This arrogance is a deeply ingrained flaw of aristocratic families.

"Junior Sister Nangong, your 'Frost Frost Technique' has reached the bottleneck of the mid-Golden Core stage. If you want to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, you can't just keep practicing behind closed doors. You need to experience true extreme cold."

Gu Yan extended his right hand from his wide sleeves.

A crystal-clear drop of water condensed at his fingertips.

These water droplets may look ordinary, but they are actually filled with Gu Yan's blood demonic chill.

"This is a drop of Xuanbing Jade Marrow that I obtained from some ancient ruins. It contains the ultimate laws of frost. I am still recovering from my injuries and have no use for it, so I am giving it to you to help you break through."

Gu Yan flicked his finger, and the drop of water landed steadily in Nangong Yue's palm.

Nangong Yue felt the pure ice-type spiritual energy emanating from the water droplets, and her eyes suddenly lit up.

She clenched her fists excitedly and bowed deeply again.

"Thank you so much, Holy Son, for bestowing this treasure! Nangong Yue will never forget it!"

"Take it, and I will protect you."

Gu Yan said with a smile.

Without the slightest hesitation, Nangong Yue tilted her head back and swallowed the drop of Xuanbing Jade Marrow.

The moment the water droplet entered her body, it immediately transformed into a massive cold current that rushed into her dantian.

Nangong Yue's face lit up with ecstasy. She could feel her cultivation barrier loosening under the impact of this cold current.

However, the next second, her expression suddenly changed drastically.

The chilling aura of the Blood Demon hidden within that cold current erupted.

This yin energy was extremely domineering. Instead of damaging Nangong Yue's meridians, it directly penetrated her bone marrow and the depths of her soul.

In an instant, Nangong Yue felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss.

Frost formed on her eyelashes, her blood flowed slowly, and a bone-chilling cold made her shiver uncontrollably.

"It's so cold..."

Nangong Yue's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground.

Her prized ice-type spiritual power was completely rendered useless in the face of this chilling aura.

The extreme cold stripped her of all dignity and strength, leaving her huddled on the ground, shivering like a fish out of water.

The moment she tried to straighten her back and maintain that haughty, aristocratic posture, the chill would intensify, freezing her to the bone.

Only when she lowered her head, bent over, and humbled herself to the extreme did the chilling aura lessen somewhat.

Gu Yan looked at Nangong Yue, who was curled up on the ground, picked up the tea that had gone cold from the table, and took a small sip.

"Junior Sister Nangong, the power of extreme cold is the greatest test of one's character. This Xuanbing Jade Marrow will slowly transform your physique. During this process, you cannot circulate your spiritual energy to resist it; you can only submit to it and revere it. When you can achieve perfect tranquility in the face of this cold, your path to the Golden Core will naturally be complete."

Gu Yan's words dispelled Nangong Yue's last doubts.

She raised her head, trembling, her lips purple, but her eyes were filled with a longing for power and gratitude towards Gu Yan.

"Nangong...understands. Thank you...Holy Son, for the guidance."

Nangong Yue struggled to change her posture, lowering her body even further and pressing her head firmly against the cold ground.

Back then, she told Gu Yan to go to the lower deck, feeling that Gu Yan was not worthy of standing and talking to her.

Now, Gu Yan has bestowed upon her a great fortune, forcing her to bow her head and remain a subservient servant for the rest of her life, as long as she wants to cultivate.

Seeing Nangong Yue's disheveled appearance, Gu Yan put down his teacup, got up, and left.

……

That night.

Inside the bamboo building on Changqing Peak, the lights were on.

As usual, Shen Youwei carried a food box to the bamboo house.

She wore a simple white dress, her face was beautiful and refined, but there was a hint of weariness between her brows.

These days, besides taking care of Gu Yan, she also has to deal with many complicated matters after the inner sect was reshuffled, which has even squeezed out her own cultivation time.

Gu Yan sat on the soft couch, watching Shen Youwei bring out dish after dish of exquisite medicinal cuisine, his gaze falling on her fluctuating breathing.

"Senior Sister Shen, your cultivation has been stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment for several years now, hasn't it?"

Gu Yan suddenly spoke.

Shen Youwei paused, then shook her head with a wry smile.

"The sect is busy with affairs, and coupled with my mediocre talent, the barrier to my Golden Core is exceptionally strong. I tried to break through a few days ago and almost suffered a qi deviation. I'm afraid I'll be stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage for the rest of my life."

At this point, a hint of sadness flashed in Shen Youwei's eyes.

She was not afraid of death, nor was she afraid of hardship.

She was just afraid that her cultivation level was too low, and that if she encountered danger again in the future, she wouldn't even have the qualifications to stand by Gu Yan's side and take a sword for him.

Gu Yan looked at her, his pretense vanished, and his eyes became more serious than ever before.

He could use and punish Nangong Yue and Su Hongxiu without any mercy; it was their own fault.

But for Shen Youwei, the woman who never abandoned him during his lowest point, Gu Yan was willing to give her the most tangible favor.

"Sit on the tatami mat."

Gu Yan pointed to the empty seat in front of him.

Shen Youwei was stunned for a moment, a blush appeared on her face, and finally she obediently took off her embroidered shoes and sat cross-legged opposite Gu Yan.

"Close your eyes, hold your breath, and no matter what happens, do not resist."

Gu Yan's voice has a magical power to soothe people's hearts.

Shen Youwei closed her eyes as instructed.

Gu Yan slowly extended his right hand and gently touched Shen Youwei's smooth forehead with his index finger.

The next moment, the divine demon nascent soul in the dantian suddenly opened its eyes.

The radiant golden light on the left side transformed into a pure, warm, and boundless energy, flowing continuously into Shen Youwei's body along Gu Yan's fingers.

This is the most fundamental power of a Nascent Soul cultivator, free from the impurities of spiritual energy in the world.

Shen Youwei felt an overwhelming surge of vitality explode within her body.

The incredibly solid barrier of the Golden Core was like snow under the blazing sun, melting away without a trace before this power.

"boom."

The spiritual energy above Changqing Peak suddenly began to converge wildly.

A dark, ominous cloud rapidly formed in the night sky, with faint flashes of lightning within it.

This is the tribulation of heaven and earth brought about by the formation of the Golden Core.

Shen Youwei felt the oppressive power of the heavens, and her delicate body trembled slightly.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Gu Yan did not retract his finger, but simply raised his head and looked coldly at the tribulation clouds in the sky through the roof of the bamboo building.

The terrifying divine sense of the Nascent Soul stage, mixed with a trace of divine and demonic power, transformed into an invisible sharp blade that shot directly into the sky.

The calamity cloud that had just condensed and hadn't even had a chance to unleash its thunder was directly pulverized by Gu Yan's divine sense and dissipated into the night sky.

Peace was restored inside the bamboo house.

A clear buzzing sound came from Shen Youwei's body, and a round... A golden elixir, radiating dazzling brilliance, steadily took shape from her dantian.

She opened her eyes, feeling the surging power of the Golden Core within her body, and was completely stunned, staring in disbelief at Gu Yan, whose face was still pale.

"Junior Brother Gu... what... what exactly did you do? You gave me your essence? What about your injuries?!"

Instead of experiencing the elation of a breakthrough, Shen Youwei was so anxious that tears streamed down her face.

She thought Gu Yan was risking his life to help her improve her cultivation.

Gu Yan felt a warmth in his heart, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his thumb, and chuckled softly.

"I've said it before, I'm breaking out of my cocoon and becoming a butterfly. This is just a tiny bit of power left behind by my master. Senior Sister Shen, you are now a Golden Core cultivator, and I will need you to look after the Flowing Cloud Sect for me in the future."

Shen Youwei bit her lip tightly, staring at Gu Yan. After a long while, she nodded heavily.

"Don't worry, as long as I have a breath left, I will never allow anyone to ruin your hard work in the Flowing Cloud Sect. No matter where you end up, I will be here waiting for you."

Gu Yan withdrew his hand and looked out the window at the deep night.

The matter concerning the Flowing Cloud Sect has finally been resolved.

Su Hongxiu became a fanatical believer who was constantly subjected to pain.

Nangong Yue transformed into a cold, obsequious servant.

He personally pushed Shen Youwei to the Golden Core stage, and with a little more effort, he could make her the youngest elder in the Flowing Cloud Sect.

……

Two days later.

Early morning, outside the gate of Liuyun Sect.

The enormous psionic airship hovered in mid-air.

Qingyunzi, the sect leader of Liuyun Sect, gathered at the mountain gate with all the elders and disciples of the sect.

All eyes were focused on the young man in white standing on the deck of the airship.

With Shen Youwei's support, Gu Yan bowed to the crowd seeing him off below.

"Fellow disciples, a demonic calamity has suddenly struck the capital of the Great Yan Kingdom, and a demoness has declared herself empress. The situation in the Eastern Continent is extremely turbulent. As the Holy Son of Liuyun, I, Gu Changsheng, should go to the Cangxuan and Guixu sects to discuss strategies for defending against the enemy."

Gu Yan's voice echoed throughout the entire mountain gate.

"May the Holy Son return victorious soon, and uphold the might of our righteous path!"

Tens of thousands of disciples shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Amidst countless admiring and fervent gazes, the flying boat emitted a deep roar, transformed into a streak of light, pierced through the clouds, and sped towards the Cangxuan Sect.

Standing on the deck, facing the howling wind, Gu Yan stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the mountains and rivers below that were gradually shrinking in size.

"Junior Brother Gu...take care."

Shen Youwei bid a reluctant farewell to Gu Yanyi, then jumped off the deck and flew back to the mountain gate on her sword.