Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation

One month had already passed.

Passing through the Storm Desert, though he had the leftover route map from the old thief of the Liu Family, and had walked this route himself before, Li Ji’an remained cautious, meticulously inspecting every trace along the way, causing a journey that should have taken ten days to last a month.

However, just after crossing the perilous Sandstorm Area, he encountered quite a few commoners of the Immortal Dynasty in the desolate desert area of his memory.

After inquiring, he learned that these people came here to hunt Yellow Sand Lizards and other desert Sand Beasts.

Many of them were old, weak, sick, or disabled.

This was because most of the young had died on the way to hunting Sand Beasts.

Given the hunters’ strengths, only teams of dozens had hope of capturing a Sand Beast, with a high rate of casualties.

The reason for this was nothing but harsh laws fiercer than tigers!

Now, the Great Wu Dynasty enforced excessive exploitation, leaving the commoners no choice but to hunt Sand Beasts for a slim chance to survive.

Flying toward the Imperial City of the Great Wu Dynasty, Li Ji’an felt a mix of emotions.

”Clearly, before ascending back then, I had imparted my meticulously crafted Martial Dao manual to the Seeking Immortal Palace, declaring my wish for everyone here to be like dragons, yet barely after a hundred and eighty years, martial artists here are nearly extinct... Ha~”

His manual, perfected over two lifetimes, was based on the first half of the 1st Layer of the Dragon Elephant Body Refining Skill taught by the Liu Family Ancestor to the Immortal Dynasty, integrating and innovating various martial techniques created by many predecessors, forming a technique that could mutually complement cultivation techniques and martial techniques, greatly enhancing body forging and the growth of Qi blood, and significantly increasing the activation of Qi and blood.

This manual, through diligent study and practice, activates Qi and blood with martial techniques, which in turn nourishes Qi and blood, circulating repeatedly, ultimately would ensure entry into the ranks of Martial Arts Grandmasters.

As for innate talent and constitution, it only determined the speed and efficiency of cultivation, the limit being the same.

Including resources for nourishing Qi and blood, they also only determine efficiency.

As long as one is determined and persistent, anyone can climb the supreme summit of Martial Dao step by step.

After all, the so-called supreme summit of Martial Dao here is but the first half of the first tier of common body-forging techniques in the cultivation realm.

Normally, with this manual, Martial Dao here should have flourished day by day.

And as Martial Dao spread widely, with everyone practicing martial arts and individual strength increasing, productivity should greatly improve.

Then, the lives of the people here would improve more and more.

Finally realizing the grand wish of everyone being like dragons!

However, the result was the opposite, or even completely opposed.

In several days within the Desert Area, he had figured out the journey of these hundred and eighty years after his ascension.

Back then, after leaving the manual post-ascension, the Zhao Royal Family vigorously promoted this manual for the task set by the celestial Immortal Master every ten years, even ten years into the future.

In the first decade thereafter, martial arts talents emerged everywhere, far surpassing the Immortal Master’s requirements.

Back then, the Zhao Royal Family was overjoyed, anticipating the celestial blessing upon the Immortal Master’s arrival.

However, the ten year period ended, yet the Immortal Master did not descend.

Fortunately, afterward, the Immortal Master conveyed celestial words saying there was a major event in the Immortal Realm, to wait for the right moment.

Thus, the royal family continued to vigorously promote the manual Li Ji’an left, renaming it the Dragon Transformation Manual.

The second decade arrived as scheduled.

By then, the seedlings nominated from various prefectures had nearly all reached the Qi Blood Realm.

And within the twenty years, the number of Qi Blood Grandmasters in the Immortal Dynasty doubled, numbering in the hundreds.

It was lauded as a martial arts golden era.

Simultaneously, responding to the wishes of martial artists across the land, the Zhao Royal Family erected a statue of Li Ji’an.

Honorary title: Martial Saint!

To avoid offending the Immortal Master, the Martial Saint statue was placed beneath the Immortal Master’s sculpture, only reaching half the height.

However, when the Zhao Royal Family eagerly awaited the Immortal Master’s arrival, the second decade passed, and the Immortal Master still did not descend.

So passed the third decade.

And the fourth decade elapsed...

The number of Qi Blood Grandmasters had already reached tens of thousands.

Since the Dragon Transformation Manual demanded little in the way of talent and resources, and due to the royal family’s promotion, nearly everyone practiced martial arts in the Immortal Dynasty.

Even farmhands in the fields used Qi and blood activation techniques for plowing, once tiring themselves out tending a few acres with a family now done by one person as if they were three.

And many once untouchable wild mountains were opened up.

The people’s standard of living stepped up.

Yet the Immortal Master still had not descended.

However, although Grandmasters were like schools of fish crossing the river, no one rebelled.

There still was the celestial Immortal Master’s deterrence.

Until the fifth decade.

The new generation of Qi Blood Grandmasters emerged more and more.

For them, the legends of the Immortal Master were just that—legends.

No longer did they have the reverence for the Immortal Master as the elder generation of Grandmasters did.

Gradually, they believed the so-called Immortal Master was nothing but a fabrication by the Zhao Royal Family to deter them, surely false.

The sixth decade, the Immortal Master still had not come.

Finally, someone could endure no more.

Qi Province’s Li Family, under the banner of Martial Saint Li Ji’an, rose in revolt.

The irony was that their initial slogan was disdain for the Zhao Royal Family’s disrespect of the Li Family’s ancestor Martial Saint, to insult the Martial Saint by inventing an imaginary celestial Immortal Master.

Martial Saint is not to be insulted!

Hence, a twenty-year-long tug-of-war began.

Initially, a large number of the Qi Blood Grandmasters still held reverence for the celestial Immortal Master, siding with the Zhao Royal Family against the Li Family rebels.

Until the seventh decade, the Immortal Master still had not descended, and many Grandmasters began to stand on the sidelines.

By the eighth decade, with the Immortal Master still absent, some Grandmasters started joining the rebels.

Then, like a collapse, the Zhao Royal Family was annihilated.

The Li Family established the Great Wu, honoring Martial Saint Li Ji’an as the Grand Ancestor, eradicating the Zhao Royal Family, severing their bloodline.

Afterwards, the Emperor of Great Wu ordered the removal of the Immortal Master sculpture, replacing it with the Martial Saint sculpture.

For a moment, Great Wu Kingdom was invigorated.

The long-standing celestial Immortal Master’s legend hanging overhead was finally overturned.

However, in the tenth year of Great Wu, with everyone practicing martial arts, no celestial Immortal Master’s deterrence remaining, instances of martial chaos broke out.

In the twentieth year of Great Wu, Qu Province’s Liu Family declared: ”The emperor’s throne rotates, today it belongs to our family.”

Thus, they raised an army in rebellion.

Although quickly suppressed by the Great Wu Kingdom, the momentum spread like a spark.

The number of Qi Blood Grandmasters numbered in the tens of thousands.

Everyone was at the apex of martial arts in the world, no one capitulated to another.

Why should you be emperor, and I a commoner?

By the thirtieth year of Great Wu, chaos swept the land, war flames everywhere.

In the fortieth year of Great Wu, all copies of the Dragon Transformation Manual were confiscated; anyone hiding it faced execution of nine clans or collective punishment for non-reporting.

In the fiftieth year of Great Wu, horsemen trampled the martial circle, the Weapons Ban Order was issued.

In the sixtieth year of Great Wu, the Martial Saint statue was destroyed by heavenly thunder, the Emperor of Great Wu led ministers to pray to the heavens, pleading forgiveness on behalf of the people.

In the seventieth year of Great Wu, the Emperor of Great Wu proclaimed he received a message from the Immortal Master, soon to descend to the mortal realm.

...

Now, the Martial Saint has long been debased by the Great Wu Royal Family as a heretic under the Immortal Master’s command.

The Martial Saint statue struck by heavenly thunder was buried in a dung pit, subjected to worldly filth and corruption.

The Dragon Transformation Manual is categorized as a Demon Technique, burned nationwide; those hiding it faced execution of nine clans.

The Great Wu Dynasty, forbids martial practice without the Immortal Master’s approval.

Once again, the populace returned to poverty and weakness, only the Great Wu Royal Family breeds batch after batch of supreme Grandmasters, ruling the nation with absolute martial force.

None can threaten their royal dominance, thus they sit high above, exploiting the whole world!

Henceforth, only one True Dragon is allowed in the world.

Ten days later, Li Ji’an stood at the old site of Seeking Immortal Palace.

Now it has been replaced by a Spring Breeze Building.

No dragon-like youths, only a tower full of beckoning red sleeves.

And his statue was buried in the dung pit behind the Spring Breeze Building.

In a blink, Li Ji’an arrived at the Imperial Palace of yesteryears.

Compared to the Zhao Royal Family era, the Great Wu Imperial Palace appeared more splendid and magnificent, with many newly built palaces far exceeding the people’s resources and efforts, evident of laboring at the people’s expense.

Most striking was in the north direction of the Imperial Palace, a sculpture of the Immortal Master stood proudly, several meters taller than during the Immortal Dynasty period.

”Where is the Emperor? Come out!”