Chapter 50: Carefully Chosen Tribulation Site

In the early morning, the sleeping Ling E was roughly shaken awake.

She hadn't fully come to her senses yet when she heard Jiujiu excitedly shouting:

"Ha-ha-hey!My bottleneck as your master uncle has broken through on its own!Little Ling E, remember to tell your senior brother. I'm heading back to seclude myself first!"

"Oh... huh? It broke just from sleeping?"

Ling E responded groggily and opened her eyes to see Jiujiu scrambling around for her shoes.This little master uncle was full of energy at the moment, her cultivation having taken a solid step forward toward the Tianxian realm. She dashed out of the thatched hut, leaped onto her gourd, and hurried off toward Potian Peak.

"Remember to tell your senior brother—I'll help him with alchemy once I come out of seclusion—"

Ling E sat on the edge of her bed for a while, yawning twice, then walked over to her dressing table.Thinking about the minor mischief Jiujiu had gotten into the day before, Ling E's lips curved into a slight smile, followed by a soft sigh.It was truly carefree after becoming an immortal.

"Junior sister."

A voice transmission reached her ear, and Ling E instinctively replied, "Here!"

Li Changshou continued via transmission: "I heard what Master Uncle said.I'll probably be in seclusion for three months. After that, I might need to go out for a trip.Do you need any pills?This outing will likely take three to five years before I return."

Senior brother...Was he planning to go out and face his heavenly tribulation?

Ling E first felt a surge of joy for her senior brother, but then pouted unhappily; she was glad for him, yet upset that he'd be gone for three to five years, as she hadn't been apart from him for that long since joining the mountain.

"There's nothing I need; just take care of yourself, senior brother," Ling E murmured softly.

A faint laugh came through the transmission, and Li Changshou added, "When I leave, I'll wake up Master and ask him not to enter a deep seclusion for the next few years.Remember not to wander around carelessly. Keep my previous instructions in mind at all times, and don't let your guard down and get taken advantage of."

"I know, senior brother. You can say these things when you come out of seclusion," Ling E said with a sly glint in her eyes. "You're not trying to slip away right now, are you?"

In the alchemy room, Li Changshou chuckled but didn't respond further.

He glanced down at the faint green light emerging in his palm;he hadn't expected the Guidao Nine Realms to arrive much earlier than anticipated.At this moment, his Dao realm felt like bamboo shoots sprouting relentlessly after rain, an urge pushing upward every second, though he could still suppress it for now.Once he entered the Guidao Nine Realms, he would likely face the heavenly tribulation directly.Arranging for the tribulation had to be put on the agenda.

Going out to face the tribulation was a plan Li Changshou had set long ago—to avoid exposing his cultivation and prevent others from seeing his tribulation.After all, the tribulation was his own matter, and the sect's protective array offered no help whatsoever.Finding a secluded, uninhabited spot outside was about as safe as doing it within the sect.But slipping out of the mountain gate smoothly would require some effort.

Li Changshou sighed lightly:"Good thing I have the fish."

...

The rules of Duxian Sect were strict, but most applied to disciples who hadn't yet become immortals, regulating their behavior, urging their cultivation, and ensuring their safety.

In the sect's records, Li Changshou was an exemplary Qi Refiner at the Return to Void second stage, with fairly strict restrictions on outings;this was one reason he had chosen the experiential assembly to seek herbs in the North Continent.

To facilitate this outing for his tribulation, Li Changshou had long prepared an excuse to apply for leave from the Hall of All Matters—a disciple could return home once for a gravesweeping.

Once one entered the immortal path, ties to the mortal world should be severed completely.Yet, human hearts are made of flesh, and even the Dao heart faces trials from worldly attachments.

The sages of the human race valued loyalty, righteousness, propriety, and filial piety to educate the masses, and though cultivators had left the mortal world, they should still sweep the graves and pay respects to the parents who raised them, even if they couldn't perform filial duties in person.

Duxian Sect had adopted many practices from the major sects in Central Divine Continent, handling this aspect quite well.

For new disciples from the mortal world, the sect would assign specific outer sect attendants. Every ten years, these attendants would visit the disciples' parents, provide them with gold, silver, and necessities for living, share updates on the disciples' progress in the sect, and give them pills to ward off illnesses and talismans to avoid disasters—but never extend their lifespan.

Life and death follow a fixed order, and fate has its limits; Duxian Sect didn't want to incur unnecessary karma.

Once the disciples' parents passed away, the sect would notify the disciples and allow them to return home for up to three years to guard the graves, thereby completely cutting ties with the mortal world...

Eighteen years ago, Li Changshou had received notification from the sect that his mortal parents had both passed away.

Under the sect's care, his parents—from an ordinary nomadic tribe in the South Continent—had lived over a hundred years, free from illness and hardship.

Li Changshou didn't have many memories of his parents in this life; he had been taken up the mountain by his master at a young age, and his entry into the sect had ensured they lived a life of comfort and safety.

When he received the notification, Li Changshou had considered going immediately to guard the graves but postponed it due to preparations for the tribulation.

However, there was a complication.

During the three years of grave-guarding, if any outer sect attendants passed through the disciple's hometown, they would need to check on the disciple's situation...

Li Changshou had prepared for this, having built good relationships early on with the elders in the Hall of All Matters who handled disciple affairs.True friendships, like fish in water.

These elders weren't the same as the true elders.

The elders in the Hall of All Matters were mostly veteran true immortals in the sect, like Elder Ge, who managed internal and external affairs;the genuine elders of Duxian Sect were in secluded cultivation on various peaks and only held that title if they reached the Tianxian realm.

Three months later,Li Changshou woke his master from seclusion and mentioned his plan to return home to guard the graves, hoping his master would look after his junior sister.

The old Daoist Qiyuan naturally agreed and didn't think much of it, even advising Li Changshou to let go of worldly attachments soon and focus on the immortal path.

Ling E felt a bit reluctant and quietly asked, "Can I... go with you to guard the graves, senior brother?"

"You guess," Li Changshou said with a narrowed-eye smile, and Ling E immediately knew the answer, lowering her head in response.

Amid the misty mountains and clouds, as they bid farewell,Li Changshou caught a few spirit fish from the lake, tucked them in his sleeve, and flew on a cloud toward Potian Peak.

Ling E stood by the lake, quietly watching her senior brother's retreating figure, silently wishing him a safe tribulation, and lingered for half a day before returning to the thatched hut to cultivate...

Upon arriving at the Hall of All Matters, Li Changshou smoothly found the elder he knew well and explained his desire to return home for gravesweeping. The elder on duty that day, Elder Wei, readily approved.

"Changshou, I remember your home is in the northeastern region of the South Continent.Coincidentally, a sect attendant is heading to the South Continent tomorrow on business; he can take you along."

"Well," Li Changshou said, pulling out a few spirit fish from his sleeve, "Elder, there's something I'd like you to help with."

"You little rascal," Elder Wei said with a beaming smile, accepting the spirit fish wrapped in water bubbles and placing them in a porcelain jar for safekeeping.

Everyone has their preferences—some love wine, others love delicacies, especially these hard-to-raise, exquisitely delicious snakeheads.

Elder Wei chuckled: "Go on, what's your plan?"

"I want to use this opportunity to train in the South Continent for a few years," Li Changshou whispered. "Could you arrange it so that no sect attendants check on my hometown or take me there..."

"Alright, go ahead," Elder Wei said, picking up a bamboo slip in front of him. "This saves me a bamboo slip.You're a promising cultivator with a bright future;remember not to stir up trouble, break sect rules, or get lost in worldly temptations that cloud your pursuit of the Dao."

Li Changshou replied affirmatively and bowed: "Thank you for your help, Elder!"

"It's nothing; go on, and come back soon."

Elder Wei waved his hand, handed Li Changshou a jade token for outings, and advised him to avoid crowded mortal areas to prevent worldly impurities from affecting his Dao foundation.

Elder Wei's concern was genuine;after all, over the years, Li Changshou had given him over a hundred spirit fish...

It was common for sect disciples to use gravesweeping as an excuse to wander the mortal world for a few years, only to be caught and scolded or have their allowances docked—Elder Wei was used to it.

A few spirit fish in exchange for not recording Li Changshou's gravesweeping outing meant no sect attendants would check on him.

To Elder Wei, it was just a young disciple wanting to enjoy the mortal world a bit; no big deal.But for Li Changshou, this was a crucial, non-negotiable part of his tribulation plan...A small step.

...

Leaving Potian Peak, Li Changshou flew southward on a cloud and soon reached the sect's mountain gate.

He presented his outing jade token and mentioned returning home for gravesweeping; the immortals guarding the gate advised him to be careful outside, and Li Changshou thanked them before flying out.

The area within a thousand li of the mountain gate was still considered Duxian Sect territory;several important spirit vein mines were located in the southern regions.

Li Changshou flew two thousand li, landed in a forest, and spent two days in a hidden spot observing to ensure no one from the sect was secretly following him. Only then did he use earth escape to head south.

Along the way, he used earth escape through mountains and water escape through rivers;he witnessed cultivators fighting, mountain demons battling among themselves, an aunt and nephew-in-law sneaking around, and thousands of mortals engaged in chaotic warfare.

Traveling and observing, without stopping his pace,Li Changshou moved like an invisible ghost, crossing one ten-thousand-li stretch after another...

Half a month later, in the northeastern part of the South Jambu Continent, not far from the East Divine Continent, on a grassland,Li Changshou followed the sect's information and found his parents' graves on a hillside;the tomb was well-constructed, clearly built with considerable expense, with Duxian Sect's mark in the corner of the stele and the inscription "Erected by eldest son Changshou."

Weeds had grown around the grave; Li Changshou took out a short knife and carefully cleared them away.

Then, he knelt before the stele, offered fruits, meat, and fish he had prepared along the way, burned two rolls of yellow paper, lit three sticks of incense, and kowtowed four times, feeling a weight of attachment lift from his heart.

Afterward, he found an inconspicuous spot near his parents' graves, sat in meditation there as a way of guarding the tomb for them.

Seven days later, Li Changshou prepared to continue his journey to his chosen tribulation site.

Where did he choose?Actually, in the East Sea, but the section along the South Jambu Continent.

Because it was within mortal territories, few cultivators ventured there; the mundane impurities were thick, with only a few minor demons causing trouble.Human clan's destiny mostly gathered in the mortal world of the South Jambu Continent, so the Dragon Palace had no significant presence there.

At the edge of the mortal world, in the vast sea, finding a secluded, unremarkable small island would be the ideal spot for the tribulation!

Li Changshou took out a treasure pouch labeled "Earth Character Twelve" from his storage bracelet and retrieved from it... a pile of eyebrow pencils, face powders, and materials he had developed for makeup...

Then, for the first time in two lifetimes, this grown man began meticulously disguising himself.

There were a few basic principles for altering one's appearance: simply using illusion techniques or transformation spells wasn't enough, in Li Changshou's view.

He first used makeup and physical methods to change his features, then applied a specially made, ultra-thin, moist silk mask, followed by an illusion spell to turn himself into an old Daoist, and finally another transformation spell...

This way, even if a master glanced at him and saw through two layers of disguise, they wouldn't recognize his true appearance.

Most cultivators traveling outside used illusion spells, so it wasn't unusual.

After half a day of preparation, Li Changshou transformed into a stern-faced old Daoist and quietly used earth escape to head toward the East Sea in search of a seclusion spot for his tribulation.

Meanwhile...

At the boundary between the South Sea and East Sea, on an immortal island shrouded in mist and shaped like a giant turtle,in a treasure pool in a corner of the island, that newly arrived island pet—a small azure dragon several dozen zhang long—was slowly observing its surroundings with eyes just above the water;bubbles escaped from its dragon mouth, and its dragon eyes narrowed slightly.

'Perfect.'

It was the day for the Daluo Golden Immortal's lecture, and all the immortals nearby had gone to listen.

'You probably never imagined that I, the crown prince, memorized the routes of the Four Seas when I was just six years old.From here, I'll head toward the South Jambu Continent, hug the southern coast to reach the East Divine Continent, use the mundane impurities to hide my trail, then land at the boundary between the South and East Continents, and stealthily make my way to the East Divine Continent.If Duxian Sect doesn't dare to take disciples, I can always go to the major sects of the Three Teachings in Central Divine Continent!'

The azure dragon sneered coldly, its body gradually shrinking until it was just three feet long, then it swam toward a crevice at the bottom of the pool.

As it left the island's range, at the end of the island—where it resembled a golden turtle's head—a pair of enormous, somewhat terrifying turtle eyes opened just a slit...