Chapter 44: Ten Thousand Homes with Lit Lamps

Chapter 44: Myriad Homes with Lit Lamps

Thud!

A muffled sound echoed from deep within Xue An’s bones.

It was the sound originating from the deepest recesses of his sinews and bones, signifying that Xue An had finally taken the first step upon the path of cultivation.

Although he was still a myriad of miles away from his former peak as an Immortal Venerable, this crucial step had, after all, been taken.

The so-called True Person realm involves channeling physical strength throughout the entire body, thereby granting the ability to achieve the seemingly impossible.

As for the Carefree realm, the entire body is condensed and refined into a unified whole, bestowing immense might with every gesture and movement.

More importantly, upon entering the Carefree realm, one gains an extended lifespan of one hundred and fifty years.

This was a temptation of colossal proportions.

Hence, mortals in the secular world referred to it as the Carefree state.

Yet Xue An knew this was far from enough.

For the realms of cultivation were divided into: True Person, Carefree, Heavenly Person, Scattered Immortal, Longevity, Golden Immortal, True Immortal, Grand Luo, Immortal King, Immortal Emperor, Immortal Venerable, and finally, the legendary Saint realm.

Right now, he had merely taken the very first step.

However, Song Yi, who had regained his clarity, stared with a gaze full of envy and shock.

This was the first time he had ever witnessed someone breaking through to the Carefree realm in such a short span of time.

Especially considering this person was only in his early twenties; if news of this were to spread, it was unimaginable how many people it would shock.

"To enter the Carefree realm is essentially to become an immortal!" Song Yi muttered to himself.

Xue An stood up, feeling that his physical strength had multiplied by more than ten times. Furthermore, his spiritual energy was full and abundant, giving him an overwhelming sensation that the entire world was within his grasp.

Nevertheless, Xue An’s state of mind was as steadfast as a rock, and in a fleeting instant, he dispelled these illusions.

Having gathered a multitude of medicinal herbs beside the pool this time, he could use them precisely to refine the Foundation Nourishing Pills.

Now that Xue An had broken through to the Carefree realm, his pill-refining speed had accelerated immensely.

In practically the blink of an eye, those piles of precious herbs were refined by Xue An into liquid form, and the alchemy process commenced.

Xue Lan watched from the side, her eyes spinning in a blur as she felt her worldview undergo a profound subversion.

Song Yi was struck with even greater shock.

If Xue An’s breakthrough to the Carefree realm was the first shock to hit him, then this pill-refining spectacle made Song Yi yearn to drop to his knees in reverence.

While prominent sects and major factions generally possessed the art of alchemy, which one of them did not require ritual cleansing, fasting, and tedious, elaborate preparations before finally lighting the furnace to refine pills?

Even then, the failure rate remained extraordinarily high.

This was precisely why, nowadays, apart from the disciples of a few major sects, practically no one could afford to consume medicinal pills.

Because they were simply too expensive.

Moreover, the techniques of alchemy were closely guarded secrets, never passed down lightly.

Yet look at this Mr. Xue—his movements were as smooth as flowing clouds and moving water, and the pills were successfully refined in a mere fraction of a second.

Puff.

More than a dozen pills radiating a rich, intoxicating fragrance landed in Xue An's palm.

In barely five minutes, from start to finish, the pills were successfully brewed.

This success rate and efficiency left Song Yi dumbfounded, his jaw hanging open.

At that moment, Xue Xiang was drooling as she asked, "Daddy, what is this? It smells so good!"

Xue An smiled faintly and then did something that nearly caused Song Yi’s eyeballs to pop out of their sockets.

He directly handed one pill each to Xue Xiang and Xue Nian.

"Taste it and see how it is!"

"Mm-hmm!"

The two little girls popped the pills into their mouths one by one, swallowing them down as if they were eating ordinary candies.

Song Yi felt like crying.

Any single one of these pills, if leaked out into the outside world, would drive the disciples of prominent sects to tear each other to pieces like rabid dogs.

Yet this Mr. Xue was casually feeding them to his two daughters as snacks?

At this moment, Xue An handed another one to Xue Lan.

"Eat this and have a taste!"

Xue Lan felt somewhat embarrassed and instinctively wanted to decline.

Song Yi said in a hollow voice, "Eat it, lass. This is your supreme fortune!"

Hesitating for a brief moment, Xue Lan ingested the pill.

Instantly!

Xue Lan felt a violent cramping in her stomach, and with a blush on her cheeks, she hurried far away.

After a short while, she returned, looking slightly shy.

By this time, all the impurities throughout her entire body had been purged.

She looked like an immaculate piece of flawless jade, crystalline and translucent both inside and out.

To say nothing else, this single pill alone was sufficient to extend the young girl's life by fifty years while granting her eternal youth.

Song Yi’s mouth watered with intense envy.

Xue An glanced at him indifferently.

Song Yi hastily lowered his head in utmost respect.

"Why aren't you following her?"

Song Yi offered a bitter smile. "Now that Young Master Huo is dead, even if I return to Central Capital, I won't escape death. I might as well stay here."

In truth, there was one more thing Song Yi hadn't mentioned: when he first regained consciousness, Chen Rushih had wanted to take him away.

Yet Song Yi had secretly cast a divination hex.

The hexagram told him that misfortune and fortune were unpredictable, but a monumental opportunity was awaiting him.

As for just how massive this opportunity was, Song Yi himself had no idea.

Xue An remained noncommittal.

He held neither aversion nor particular affection toward this Song Yi.

To put it bluntly, this was merely a cultivator who relied on a few tricks to drift among the secular elites and powerful families.

"How long have I been in meditation?"

"Daddy, you've been sitting there for a long while now," Xue Xiang said.

"Oh, and didn't you two find it boring?"

"Not at all! In the past, my sister and I would often stay home by ourselves for a whole day!" Xue Xiang replied.

A pang of heartache struck Xue An. During the times when he was absent, these two little girls must have suffered a great deal of hardship.

After all, Tang Xuan'er had to raise them while also going out to earn a living, leaving the two of them alone at home.

With this thought in mind, Xue An bent down, scooped his two daughters into his arms, and smiled gently, "Then Daddy will take you down the mountain!"

With those words, Xue An tapped his toes lightly and his entire figure soared straight up into the sky.

Simultaneously, he left behind parting words for Song Yi: "Take Lan'er down the mountain!"

Xue Lan tilted her head back, gazing blankly at Xue An as he vanished into the firmament.

Meanwhile, Song Yi addressed her with utmost deference, "Miss Lan'er, let us descend the mountain."

"Brother An... has he become an immortal?" Xue Lan murmured softly.

Song Yi shook his head with a light sigh. "You can't quite call it becoming an immortal, but it's close enough. Moreover, this Mr. Xue possesses an aura that prevents anyone from taking him lightly. His future achievements are simply beyond imagination!"

Song Yi spoke from the bottom of his heart.

As for Xue Lan, her emotions were a chaotic mix of sorrow and awe.

From this moment onward, the girlish fantasies lingering in her heart gradually extinguished.

For she knew that the gap between herself and Brother An was as vast as the distance between the clouds and the mud.

At this moment, Xue An soared directly into mid-air, carrying his two daughters with him.

Naturally, the Carefree realm alone could not grant such prowess.

Yet for Xue An's true might, this was a trivial feat.

The two little girls excitedly gazed up at the bright moon and the blanket of twinkling stars in the sky.

"Daddy, the moon is so big!"

"Yeah, and it looks just like a sesame seed cake with a bite taken out of one side!" Xue Nian never strayed far from thoughts of food.

Xue An smiled faintly. "Close your eyes, Daddy will show you a magic trick."

"Mm-hmm!"

The two little girls obediently closed their eyes.

A flash of light flickered in Xue An's eyes, and a massive curtain of light materialized beneath his feet.

This light screen resembled a sheet of glass, floating suspended in mid-air.

Xue An released his grip, setting his two daughters gently down upon the luminous platform.

"Open up!"

The two little girls opened their eyes and beheld a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

The light screen perfectly mirrored everything in the sky above; the moon and stars were all reflected upon it, twinkling in brilliance.

It was as if a second sky had appeared.

Xue Xiang took a cautious step forward, discovering that she could walk as steadily as on solid ground, whereupon she excitedly began to run around, pulling Xue Nian along with her.

Xue An looked upon his two daughters with a gentle smile.

Below their feet stretched the myriad homes with their lit lamps, a vibrant tapestry of the human world!