Chapter 903: Not an Ordinary Mortal Technique Anymore

As Ji Yuan laid out his Four Treasures of Study to prepare ink for the children, Zhu Yan, having left Ji Yuan's courtyard, hurried to the front courtyard of the mansion and sent a telepathic message to the elderly cultivator named Tang.

The old immortal master, who had been chatting cheerfully with Li Ping in the main reception hall of the front courtyard, was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected Daoist Zhu, who had been so excited just moments before, to be leaving so abruptly.

"Uh, Immortal Tang, what happened?"

Seeing the old immortal master suddenly freeze, Li Ping asked with concern. The latter looked at Li Ping and smiled.

"Nothing serious. Daoist Zhu seems to have had a sudden insight and wishes to return for quiet cultivation. He won't be attending tonight's dinner, and he asked me to convey his apologies to Master Li."

"Oh, no need, no need at all. Of course, Immortal Zhu's affairs are more important. I'll simply host a special banquet for him another day. Immortal Master, let's continue discussing Feng'er."

"Yes, indeed, let's continue. Feng'er's talent is exceptional; he truly is a promising young man…"

Meanwhile, Zhu Yan walked out of Li Ping's mansion, respectfully seen off by the guards at the gate, then quickly entered the street and returned to the immortal master's residence where he was temporarily staying. The place was already equipped with restrictions, and Zhu Yan had personally reinforced it with additional measures.

Zhu Yan's steps were hurried. The attendants of the immortal residence bowed to him as he returned from outside.

"Immortal Zhu!" "Greetings, Immortal Zhu!"

"Hmm!"

Zhu Yan merely exhaled through his nose and nodded faintly, returning without pause to his cultivation chamber. Once inside, he closed the door, immediately cast several restrictions, and then finally could no longer hold it in.

"Pfft…"

A large gush of blood burst from Zhu Yan's neck, his chest was stained crimson, and the red patches that had previously faded on his body immediately reappeared, with most areas even showing charred marks.

"Sizzle… sizzle…"

Wisps of smoke rose from Zhu Yan's body, tinged with a faint reddish-grey, as if the Samadhi True Fire was still burning, and the pain intensified.

However, Zhu Yan was expressionless at this moment. He grabbed his neck with one hand and surprisingly plunged the other directly into his chest, clutching his heart. His demonic energy surged as he used powerful demonic magic to suppress the sword intent lingering in both wounds.

Zhu Yan temporarily suppressed the sword intent in mere moments. Approximately twelve hours later, a portion of the sword intent began to be sealed, and the wound on his heart finally started to heal, rather than merely being forced shut by muscle. The fracture in his neck also began to slowly dissipate, bit by bit.

At this moment, a significant amount of blood still hovered in the room; all of it automatically returned to Zhu Yan's body as his wounds healed, with very little loss.

However, this did not completely dispel the sword intent. It was like a chronic illness: aggressive medication might seem to bring quick improvement, but the root cause required slow conditioning. Zhu Yan's burns were even more problematic, engaged in a constant tug-of-war with his body's recovery.

Zhu Yan's skin often appeared to have healed significantly, but a particular burn would always extend, quickly becoming red and charred again, and it would also incinerate Zhu Yan's magical power. While not an unbearable or fatal injury for Zhu Yan, the sensation was extremely vexing, especially the pain, which was truly piercing and agonizing.

"Hmph, this is Ji Yuan's Samadhi True Fire; it's even more troublesome than I imagined!" Zhu Yan muttered coldly.

With a cold whisper, Zhu Yan surprisingly extended a hand like a claw and raked it over the most severely burned area of his body.

"Rip…"

A dreadful tearing sound echoed amidst the bursting blood. Zhu Yan had actually torn off a piece of his own skin, then reached for several other spots.

During this process, new flesh constantly grew. Half a day later, Zhu Yan's appearance had outwardly returned to normal, yet the intense burning pain, though somewhat diminished, still lingered. Occasionally, he would feel a sensation in his neck and chest like a small knife gouging his heart and cutting his flesh.

To fully recover, it would require a slow, painstaking process. Even Zhu Yan couldn't fully heal in a short time unless Ji Yuan helped, but that possibility was too remote, and Zhu Yan himself was unwilling.

Zhu Yan, upon returning to the immortal master's residence, did not leave his room for ten full days. Naturally, no one in the mansion disturbed him, and even the Tang-named cultivator, upon his return, did not inquire further.

Only after ten days did Zhu Yan finally open his door. By this time, he was confident that even if Ji Yuan were present, he might not be able to tell that his injuries hadn't fully healed.

In the Li residence, Li Ping was seated in the reception hall with the elderly Tang-named gentleman, who had come to visit again. Meanwhile, in the corridor outside, Li Feng was being led into the hall by the steward.

Upon entering, Li Feng saw his father and the immortal master sitting together. He frowned instantly but dutifully stepped forward to bow.

"Li Feng pays respects to Father and to the Immortal Master."

"No need for formalities! Come here, next to your father."

Li Ping encouraged his son and then motioned for him to come closer. Li Feng, being somewhat distant from his father and also a little afraid of him, cautiously walked to his side.

"Feng'er, Immortal Tang has come to see you again. Aside from the Emperor, even ordinary imperial relatives and nobility don't find it easy to meet Immortal Tang…"

Li Ping was about to say more, but the old man smiled and stopped him, merely taking a small, shimmering silver talisman from his sleeve and placing it on the table.

"Feng'er, you don't need to worry about Master Li's words. I, Tang, am but an ordinary cultivator. There's certainly no need for you to feel compelled to become my disciple just because of Master Li's remarks. As the saying goes, a forced melon isn't sweet. We cultivators of the immortal path emphasize destiny. Here, this is a gift from me to you."

Li Feng curiously reached out to touch the talisman on the table. With a poke of his finger, layers of silver light instantly rippled across its surface like water.

"Hahahaha… This is a Tranquil Heart Talisman that I refined. It can help you calm your mind and spirit, and also has minor protective effects against evil. While it's not a supreme treasure, I wouldn't easily give it away to just anyone. Take it."

Li Feng was both eager to have it and hesitant to accept it, appearing quite indecisive. The old man smiled again.

"Don't worry, accepting it doesn't mean you must become my disciple. It's just a gift I brought for you when I came to visit."

Only then did Li Feng feel relieved. He took the talisman in his hand and bowed to the old immortal master in thanks.

"Thank you, Immortal Master. Li Feng likes it very much!"

Li Ping, standing nearby, merely sighed. Immortal Tang truly seemed to like his son. How many people would envy such an opportunity? Even imperial relatives and nobility wished to apprentice themselves to some immortal masters in court but found no entry, yet his foolish son was unaware of his good fortune.

The old immortal cultivator was very patient with Li Feng. He was confident in his heart that this child would surely become his disciple.

"Feng'er, can you tell me why you're not very willing to become my disciple?"

"I…"

Li Feng stammered a little. He wasn't foolish; he knew that Mr. Ji likely wouldn't take him as a disciple, and he had heard from Grandmaster Zuo that countless people in the world wished to apprentice under Mr. Ji, but Mr. Ji didn't seem to have any disciples at all. Yet, this thought lingered in his mind.

Furthermore, Mr. Ji had advised Li Feng not to practice spiritual arts before his physique was strong enough. Perhaps once he could access spiritual arts, Mr. Ji might take him as a disciple. And even if Mr. Ji truly didn't accept disciples, comparatively, Li Feng still preferred Zuo Wuji.

Seeing Li Feng stammering, Li Ping, who was beside him, spoke up.

"Ah, this rebellious son, he's been practicing martial arts every day recently with a martial artist who came with us. I think he's become infatuated with martial arts."

"Martial arts?"

The elderly Tang-named gentleman seemed slightly startled, then smiled.

"Feng'er, martial arts are but mundane tricks, not only of little practical use but also incapable of transcending birth, aging, illness, and death. They simply cannot compare to the cultivation of the immortal path."

Hearing this, Li Feng frowned. This was different from what Mr. Ji had said, and it was also far from Grandmaster Zuo's lofty ambitions and soaring spirit. Li Feng clearly preferred to believe Ji Yuan and Zuo Wuji.

"Is that so, Immortal Master? But temples dedicated to both scholars and martial artists are being built everywhere now. Is the martial path truly useless?"

Li Feng was asking about the martial path, something Ji Yuan and Zuo Wuji often spoke of, but the old immortal cultivator naturally didn't believe a child understood what 'Dao' meant. He maintained his smile and shook his head slightly, saying,

"Martial arts are truly difficult to bring to prominence. Although martial temples are being built everywhere now, that's merely to stabilize the destiny of the Xia Yong Dynasty. Of course, there are indeed some individuals in this world whose martial arts are astonishingly high, but such people are too few to play any decisive role. In fact, I believe they are no longer mortal beings and should not be confused with mundane tricks."

Li Feng felt that the old immortal master's later words were flawed logic. Just because some martial artists were too strong, they were no longer considered martial artists?

"That's right, Feng'er. How can mundane tricks compare to immortal arts? Your martial arts instructor, I'll send him away tomorrow. He only knows a few basic forms himself, and teaching you martial arts is merely for money."

The steward, who had been standing at the door, opened his mouth as if to say something to his master, but recalling the warning he received from Ji Yuan before the banquet that day, he ultimately remained silent.

Li Feng, however, could not hold back. Even if Zuo Wuji had previously told him not to speak carelessly, he could not tolerate his father slandering the Martial Saint in his heart.

"Father, what you're saying is too much! This talk of 'mundane tricks' has been around for hundreds, even thousands of years. It might have been true before, but it's not necessarily so now. Others might be like that, but what if the one teaching me is named Zuo Wuji?"

Li Feng's somewhat intense reaction first stirred anger in Li Ping.

"Feng'er, you dare to talk back to your father?"

"This child would not dare!"

Then Li Ping had a realization.

"Zuo Wuji? I feel like I've heard that name somewhere…"

The elderly Tang-named gentleman nearby was somewhat startled, then recovered and asked,

"Zuo Wuji? Which Zuo Wuji? Is it Zuo Wuji, the Martial Saint?"

"It is."

Li Feng looked at his father, then at the old immortal master, and answered affirmatively, causing the old immortal master's expression to turn thoughtful, his eyes flickering.

"He's teaching you martial arts? Right here in this mansion?"

"Yes, Grandmaster Zuo didn't want me to say anything, but since Father was going to send him away, I spoke up."

Having been an official for many years, Li Ping was skilled at reading expressions. Seeing the change in the old immortal master's face, he immediately understood that the Martial Saint was certainly not an empty title. However, his inherent expectation for immortal arts still outweighed martial arts, so he said, softening his tone,

"Even if it truly is the Martial Saint teaching you martial arts, compared to immortal arts, martial arts are still mundane…"

The old immortal master raised a hand, stopping Li Ping from continuing.

"Master Li, the esteemed Martial Saint should still be shown respect. However, the matter of taking a disciple is not something that a mere title can override my judgment on."

With that, the elderly Immortal Master Tang stood up.

"Feng'er, I will visit you again another day. Master Li, I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now!"

"Uh, I'll see you off, Immortal Master!"

"No need!"

After bowing to Li Ping and Li Feng, Immortal Master Tang departed the reception hall, respectfully seen off by both, and left the Li residence directly without going to meet Zuo Wuji.