Eternal Life from the Golden Needle Technique

Chapter 565: Chapter 88: Arduous Cultivation

During Shen Changchuan’s formative years, his maternal grandfather, Han Qinhu, had undoubtedly helped him a great deal.

For thirty years, Han Qinhu had managed and developed Dawan Village without complaint, gathering all manner of Cultivation Resources for him.

That alone was enough to earn Shen Changchuan’s profound respect.

But in the end,

Shen Changchuan still agreed to his decision to remain in Dawan Village.

Because,

Shen Changchuan could sense with absolute clarity,

his grandfather,

was running out of time!

During their earlier argument, his grandfather had appeared full of vigor, his face flushed and his voice booming.

He had even berated the members of the Han Family so fiercely they couldn’t even look up.

But Shen Changchuan’s powerful Divine Sense easily pierced that robust facade, sensing the decay and deterioration within his body.

His Vitality was like a guttering candle, flickering precariously in the wind.

This was a sign that his end was near!

Shen Changchuan fell into a thoughtful silence.

His grandfather hadn’t lied.

His life was indeed coming to an end.

Back then,

although his grandfather had successfully achieved Qi Introduction with his help and become a Cultivator of the Qi Introduction Realm,

and though there was no shortage of Cultivation Resources after Shen Changchuan’s own rise,

he was, in the end, simply too old!

His own mother, who had started on the Path of Immortal Cultivation in her thirties, had faced immense difficulties because her age meant her physique and potential were already fixed.

Let alone his grandfather, who had only achieved Qi Introduction Success in his sixties.

The only reason he had managed to struggle to the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer was because he had been a Martial Artist at the Innate Realm before that, giving him a solid foundation.

But this,

was already his limit.

His path forward was closed.

Even the most precious Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, even Middle Upper Grade Spirit Stones, were already useless to him.

A Cultivator at the Qi Introduction Realm Late Stage, if they avoided illness, disaster, and conflict, and focused on peacefully nurturing their health, would have a maximum lifespan of only about 120 years.

Unfortunately,

that prerequisite didn’t apply to his grandfather, Han Qinhu.

In his youth, roaming the Martial World of the Mortal World, he had been a fierce fighter. He’d faced death on several occasions and had even used techniques that drained his life’s potential just to survive.

As a result,

even though his body was somewhat nourished after he began cultivation, it only extended his life by another twenty or thirty years.

Now,

thirty years had passed in the blink of an eye,

and the extra lifespan his grandfather had gained by becoming a Qi Introduction Seventh Layer Cultivator was all but exhausted!

’Thirty years...’

Shen Changchuan sighed softly. As he gazed up at the sky, a look of nostalgia and bewilderment surfaced in his eyes.

Since arriving in Dawan Village all those years ago, he had taken things one step at a time, experiencing so much to reach his current position.

And before he knew it,

more than thirty years had passed since he crossed over into this world.

The swift passage of Time,

left him with a sense of unreality.

Even he hadn’t realized,

just how long it had been.

The reason he had ultimately supported Han Qinhu’s wish,

was not just because he knew his grandfather’s life was nearing its end, making the question of leaving somewhat meaningless.

The main reason was that he understood. He understood his grandfather couldn’t bear to abandon what had been the most successful endeavor of his later life, the culmination of thirty years of hard work. He wanted to bring his own story to a proper close.

Having lived two lives,

Shen Changchuan understood perfectly.

The rise of Dawan Village, piece by piece, had been accomplished almost entirely by his grandfather’s hands.

For his grandfather, it was arguably the most glorious achievement of his life!

So,

in the final moments of his life,

he wanted to be with the most brilliant achievement of his life, right up to the end.

’If I were in his shoes, with no path forward and my time running out, I’d probably also want to perish alongside the greatest achievement I’d fought my whole life to build!’

Sensing his grandfather’s powerful resolve,

Shen Changchuan had ultimately agreed to honor his choice.

Of course,

that didn’t mean Shen Changchuan would wash his hands of the matter completely.

Even as he prepared to return to the Dragon Cloud Sect Mountain Gate for secluded Cultivation, he would still keep a close eye on things here.

Before long,

Shen Changchuan returned to the Dragon Cloud Sect Mountain Gate,

and began a period of arduous, secluded Cultivation.

...

At the same time Shen Changchuan was returning to the Dragon Cloud Sect Mountain Gate to begin his secluded Cultivation,

news of what had transpired within the Xiangshan Sect Gate Ruins began to spread across the Immortal Cultivation Realm, carried by the surviving prodigies from the Outer Realm as they departed.

However,

the surviving prodigies from the Outer Realm had not been cast in a very flattering light during the incident.

The experience of being crushed and reaped like insignificant ants was a truth these normally proud prodigies found too humiliating to speak of, so naturally, they didn’t go around advertising it.

This disastrous, Waterloo-like defeat dealt a heavy blow to the survivors. Many, upon returning home, immediately went into secluded Cultivation.

Even those who didn’t enter seclusion to reflect on their experience were still sullen over their companions’ deaths, leaving them in no mood for idle gossip.

As a result,

the specific details of the event did not circulate widely.

Outsiders only learned that during the expedition, the prodigies had encountered Shi Mengting, a Saintess Candidate from the Celestial Demon Sect, and had been ambushed by her Guardian, a master at the Divine Travel Peak Realm.

More than half of the prodigies from the various regions had been lost.

As for the specific details,

the accounts were vague at best.

Only the patriarchs of the prodigies’ respective factions, who received direct reports, learned the full story. They were shocked by the Celestial Demon Sect’s audacity, but they were also forced to see Shen Changchuan—who had shone so brilliantly in the battle—in a new light.

The wider Immortal Cultivation Realm, however, remained ignorant of the specifics.

It was just that faintly,

rumors began to circulate,

that in the battle, Shen Changchuan had displayed unparalleled power, fighting the Celestial Demon Sect’s Saintess Candidate, Shi Mengting, to a standstill. Some even claimed his strength was comparable to the Divine Travel Realm!

The spread of this news,

left those who heard it feeling shocked and skeptical.

Some believed the rumors without question, marveling that the Tian Nan Domain’s Immortal Cultivation Realm had produced yet another Heaven-defying figure.

But at the same time, there were others who were utterly dismissive.

They believed that this so-called rumor,

was nothing but a sham, a fabrication released by Shen Changchuan himself to build a false reputation and intimidate potential rivals!

They were filled with contempt for this.

’A Celestial Demon Sect Saintess Candidate, while not a true Saintess and not yet able to compete with an Immortal Sect Daoist, is still an existence on the same tier as a Daoist.’

’How dare a little country bumpkin try to latch onto the fame of an Immortal Sect Daoist?’

’His intentions are truly sinister!’

That group of people, while being dismissive, was also filled with rage.

That’s right.

The ones so dismissive of the rumors,

were none other than a group from within the Immortal Sect:

the followers of the Daoist!

”A lesson! We must teach that insolent brat who doesn’t know his place a harsh lesson!”

”Hmph! Strength comparable to the Divine Travel Realm? As if! I can’t believe he has the gall to make such a claim!”