Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

"Ugh!"

In the quiet room, Zhao Sheng suddenly groaned, his face turning instantly pale.

He forcefully endured the agony of his spirit being torn apart and removed the God-slaying Pearl from his forehead.

Looking at the figure faintly visible within the Jade Pearl, Zhao Sheng's expression was slightly gloomy.

"Sigh, Yue Qinghan, oh Yue Qinghan! Giving me something I can't use, what exactly do you mean by this!"

Zhao Sheng couldn't help but lament before carelessly returning the God-slaying Pearl to his storage bag.

More than thirty years ago, during an encounter at Heavenly Pillar Mountain, he received the God-slaying Pearl from Yue Qinghan.

After all these years, each time his divine intent probed the interior of the Jade Pearl, he was met with the slash of sword light,

regardless of how he dodged, even if he used Bullet Time, he still couldn't avoid it for an instant.

In the blink of an eye, his divine intent would be cut off, followed by a splitting headache and a great loss of spirit as he exited the Jade Pearl.

As a result, over the years, there wasn't much progress in his swordsmanship, but the strength of his divine intent increased significantly.

This, in turn, also indirectly improved his skill in drawing and making talismans.

After catching his breath, Zhao Sheng took out a bottle of Returning God Pills and swallowed one.

Soon, his mind felt a refreshing coolness, and the severe headache immediately lessened significantly.

The Returning God Pill was a Second Order Spirit Pill recorded in the alchemical experiences of Master Qiong Shen.

Zhao Keru, after advancing to Foundation Establishment, saw a dramatic improvement in his alchemy, and he successfully refined a batch during the third year of his seclusion in the secret mansion.

Zhao Sheng, learning of this, treasured it like a prized possession. Over the years, his divine intent had been severed countless times, but he recovered quickly, all thanks to the Returning God Pills.

Feeling much better spiritually, Zhao Sheng summoned the Hundred Lifetimes book and flipped to the fourth page, whereupon a data panel appeared before him:

Name: Zhao Chonghe (Zhao Sheng)

Life Span: 62/97

Realm: Qi Refining Ninth Layer

Profession: Quasi Second-rank Talisman Master (7/10)

Constitution: Four Spirit Roots (Yellow Level), Primary Healing (Mortal Level)

Talents: Spiritual Smell (Yellow Level), Bullet Time (Yellow Level), Rock Hand (Mortal Level),

[Skills]

Cultivation Technique: Mystical Spirit Skill (Refined), Stacking Talisman Technique (Small Success, Eighteen Stacks)

Spell: Thousand Silk Sword Rain (Great Success), Refraction Technique (Refined), Water Dragon Roar (Small Success), Water Bomb Technique (Small Success), Bone Burning Skill (Beginner)

Talisman Making: Invisibility Talisman (Divine Transformation) Flowing Cloud Sword Talisman (Divine Transformation), Concentrating God Talisman (Second Order, Great Success), Sweet Rain Talisman (Second Order, Small Success), Illusion Shadow Escape Talisman (Great Success), Illusion True Talisman (Second Order, Refined)...

Martial Arts: Cloud Dragon Nine Transformations...

Looking at the data on the panel, Zhao Sheng sighed at how quickly time passed but felt fairly satisfied with his cultivation progress.

After all, he was just a Four Spirit Roots cultivator. Despite having an abundance of elixir pills and spirit stones, there was a limit to how fast he could refine and absorb them; he couldn't hurry the process even if he wanted to.

"Having just passed a sixty-year lifespan, I reckon I have three chances to make a surge at Foundation Establishment. Hmm, that should be enough."

With that thought, a trace of a smile appeared on Zhao Sheng's face. He put away the Hundred Lifetimes book and stood up, leaving the quiet room.

As soon as he left the quiet room, his brow furrowed, his expression darkened, and he turned his head to look at a corner, stating sternly, "Xuan'an, what are you hiding for? Get over here!"

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"Ah! Uncle Seven, I knew I couldn't hide it from you," confessed Zhao Xuan'an after being caught red-handed. He quickly emerged from a corner and scurried to Zhao Sheng's side, obsequiously flattering him.

At this time, Zhao Xuan'an was already over thirty years old and had evolved from a handsome and dashing youth into a charming and mature heartthrob that still looked incredibly youthful, barely in his twenties.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Upon seeing Zhao Xuan'an still carrying that debonair and untamed demeanor, Zhao Sheng couldn't help but seethe with irritation and reprimanded, "Just look at you, already in your thirties, yet still so immature. Have you come to hide out at my place because you've found yourself in trouble again?"

Zhao Xuan'an nodded incessantly and raised his thumb in approval, praising, "Uncle Seven, you hit the nail on the head. Today, my mother was once again urging me to get married soon. You know what I'm like. So, I thought I'd lay low here for a while to avoid the pressure."

Zhao Sheng furrowed his brows and said decisively, "No! If that were the case, you wouldn't dare come near me. Tell me, which female cultivator friend of yours has come looking for you at Heavenly Pillar Mountain?"

Zhao Sheng thought this because Zhao Xuan'an had a history of "previous offenses."

This young man, starting from the age of sixteen when he first experienced the pangs of young love, quickly revealed his playboy nature. It was a mystery who he inherited that from with his gift of the gab, good looks, and knack for being humble and submissive.

Since graduating from the Cultivation Academy at the age of eighteen, Zhao Xuan'an had been living it up, accumulating countless amorous debts over the years and even earning the nickname "Lord Peach Blossom."

Sometimes, Zhao Sheng would wonder if there were too many peach trees on Heavenly Pillar Mountain, causing Zhao Xuan'an's life to be plagued with romantic entanglements.

Now it seems like a streak of peach blossom luck, but who knows if it will turn into a peach blossom tribulation in the future.

As Zhao Sheng thought this, he heard Zhao Xuan'an say with gloom, "Uncle Seven, you have to help me! I'm your only direct disciple. My mother is pushing me hard to get married, and now, Little Feng has also shown up, leaving me with no way out."

Zhao Xuan'an wasn't wrong.

In the entire Zhao Family, he was the only one capable of carrying on Zhao Sheng's legacy of Talisman Tao.

Over the years, the members of the Zhao family's Xuan generation had grown to twenty-three, with four having decent Talisman Tao talent.

However, after so many years since Zhao Sheng passed down the Stacking Talisman Technique, only Zhao Xuan'an had succeeded in mastering it.

From this point alone, it was clear that Zhao Sheng valued Zhao Xuan'an greatly.

But what Zhao Sheng couldn't tolerate was that Zhao Xuan'an actually…

Zhao Sheng smacked Zhao Xuan'an on the head, furiously berating, "Little Feng is the daughter of which family? You haven't even sorted things out with Xiao Lan and Little Hua yet, and you're already stirring up new romantic debts. Are you trying to infuriate your mother to death?"

Rubbing his head, Zhao Xuan'an replied aggrievedly, "Uncle Seven, my relationships with Xiao Lan and Hua Hua were all genuine love, and yes, I may be flirtatious, but I'm not indecent! But this time, Little Feng is different; she's really persistent. I remember I didn't provoke her at all!"

Before Zhao Sheng could scold him further, Zhao Xuan'an continued with a mournful face, "This time I'm in deep trouble. That Little Feng is the legitimate daughter of Medicine Immortal Ge Family. I heard her grandfather is a Golden Core Master."

After hearing this, Zhao Sheng was taken aback and promptly inquired, "Tell me, how did you get involved with her? You're clearly courting disaster for Heavenly Pillar Mountain!"

The Elixir Saint Ge Family was renowned in the Southern Border, not just any average Cultivation Family, but one of the Seven Great Families of Elixir Cauldron, as famous as Denver Liu Family, Medicine Immortal Sun Family, and others.

Although the family had no Nascent Soul Ancestor at its helm, it boasted more than five Golden Core Masters, compared to which the Zhao Family was nothing more than chickens and pottery dogs.

Zhao Xuan'an thought back and said woefully, "Two months ago, at the Youlan Pavilion gathering, I think I drew her a Portrait Talisman."

"But other sisters got one too, she wasn't the only one," Zhao Xuan'an emphasized lastly.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng was furious.

The Portrait Talisman, by its name, was a talisman that could create an image of a person and further beautify it.

It was a new type of First-Order Talisman that Zhao Sheng had successfully derived eight years ago by combining Old Li's spring palace talisman with a Second Order Illusion True Talisman from the Secret Talisman Scripture.

To teach the Illusion True Talisman, he had carelessly taught Zhao Xuan'an how to make the Portrait Talisman.

Little did he know that Zhao Xuan'an would use it to attract women, tsk, this good-for-nothing kid.

But Zhao Sheng quickly calmed down, realizing that this situation was different from the previous ones. One wrong move could indeed bring disaster upon the Zhao family. Your next read awaits at empire

"If it really comes down to it…" Zhao Sheng glanced at Zhao Xuan'an and made up his mind.

"Come on, tell me, how did you get to know her? And how did you carry on the relationship? Don't hide anything."

Zhao Xuan'an recalled, "Little Feng's name is Ge Feng'er. Half a year ago, I went to Nine Tripods Square..."

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