Gateway of Immortality

As Qin Sang passed through Sword Pass, he noticed that the peach blossoms had withered, leaving behind clusters of bright red peaches hanging in abundance, making for an eye-catching scene. Feeling a sudden urge, he descended from the sky and plucked a few ruby peaches. The peaches were indeed juicy and sweet, far superior in taste to the spiritual fruits grown by Sun De. These were nothing like ordinary fruits.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Qin Sang left behind a few peach pits, planning to plant them in his cave dwelling in the Yuncang Marshlands so he could enjoy the fruits regularly.

Upon returning to Dao Peak, Qin Sang hurriedly greeted a few familiar senior brothers and sisters before hastily making his way to the Wooden Hall. However, Senior Uncle Wen was nowhere to be seen; only Zhuang Yan was present.

The two of them had a good relationship, so Zhuang Yan invited Qin Sang to sit down. With a teasing smile, Zhuang Yan asked, "Junior Brother Qin, did you come back for the Gourd Illusion Realm as well?"

What is Gourd Illusion Realm?

Qin Sang furrowed his brow slightly. He had never heard of such a thing before.

But with his mind preoccupied by the mysterious orchid, he didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he asked, "Senior Brother Zhuang, I was sent by Senior Uncle Wen to exterminate demons in Guyuan Kingdom. Now that the matter is resolved, I’ve returned to report to him. Do you know where Senior Uncle Wen is?"

Zhuang Yan let out a light "Oh," took out a jade slip, and said, "So Junior Brother Qin has been in Guyuan Kingdom all this time. You probably haven’t seen the sect leader’s latest decree... Senior Uncle Wen is currently inside the Gourd Illusion Realm, and he left me here to handle some affairs. How did the demon issue in Guyuan Kingdom go? Why don’t you tell me the details, and I’ll record them. If you need assistance, I can arrange reinforcements for you."

Qin Sang thought it might be better to report to Zhuang Yan as well.

As long as this matter passed without much attention, no one would be too interested in a Qi Refining Realm disciple’s encounter with demonic influences.

With that in mind, Qin Sang spoke casually, "No need for reinforcements. It was simply Senior Brother Gu from our sect stationed in Guyuan Kingdom who was tempted by an evil art and caused harm to mortals. He had disguised himself well for years, but this time, he slipped up. I discovered his treachery and have already executed him. The corpse here is that of his disciple, Gu Yuan. You can see the changes in his body, and this is the evil art I found on Senior Brother Gu. I’m not sure how it should be dealt with."

Qin Sang handed over Gu Yuan's corpse and the Secret Technique of the Corpse Core to Zhuang Yan.

After examining them, Zhuang Yan shook his head in regret. "This Senior Brother Gu lost his way and deserved his fate. Evil arts like this have always been handled in the same way—destroyed on the spot. From what I see, this art has dangerous implications. Junior Brother Qin, make sure you aren’t tempted by it. I wouldn’t want to be the one tasked with exterminating you next time."

Qin Sang shook his head. "Of course not."

Watching Zhuang Yan record everything, Qin Sang nodded inwardly. Although he was eager to borrow a waist token to head to Treasure Tower Peak, he knew he would have to wait until Senior Uncle Wen returned from the Gourd Illusion Realm. He patiently asked, "Senior Brother Zhuang, could you tell me more about the sect leader’s decree and the Gourd Illusion Realm you mentioned earlier?"

Zhuang Yan's eyebrows shot up, and with a mischievous grin, he chuckled. "This is a big opportunity. Here, take a look at the sect leader’s decree yourself."

As he spoke, Zhuang Yan sent a sword talisman to Qin Sang.

The decree's general message was this: A Golden Core expert named Sage Mawu from Shaohua Mountain was seeking a dual cultivation partner. The requirements were for male disciples who were at the Foundation Building Realm or had broken through the tenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm before the age of forty and had yet to lose their yang essence[1]. This dual cultivation art had extremely high demands, and only those who could pass the Gourd Illusion Realm would be eligible. However, that was merely the first test.

After reading the decree, Qin Sang was taken aback. "Looking for a dual cultivation partner so openly?"

Seeing Qin Sang’s reaction, Zhuang Yan scoffed. "What are you thinking? Our sect has several dual cultivation arts that are part of the righteous methods. Many of the senior uncles who break through to the Foundation Building Realm choose dual cultivation, not just for the benefits of the art itself but also to have a powerful partner by their side. Whether in battles or on journeys, it’s highly advantageous. Why wouldn’t anyone want that? It’s just that I’ve never heard of an art with such strict requirements. It must be an extremely profound secret art, and Sage Mawu had no choice but to have the sect leader issue this decree."

Qin Sang nodded in understanding. Having been in the world of cultivation for some time, he was no longer a complete novice. It was just that he hadn’t encountered such grand affairs before, and his initial surprise was only natural.

Yin and yang in harmony, heaven and earth in balance.

As Zhuang Yan mentioned, the path of yin-yang dual cultivation was indeed part of the righteous methods. Unlike the sinister harvesting techniques of demonic sects, dual cultivation arts did not benefit one side at the expense of the other. Instead, they offered advantages to both men and women, making it a mutually beneficial practice, rather than an evil art.

"Who is this Sage Mawu?"

Qin Sang pondered for a moment. He had been on Shaohua Mountain for quite some time and had heard numerous tales about Golden Core experts and Spiritual Infant grandmasters of the mountain, but he had never once heard of Sage Mawu.

Zhuang Yan replied, "It is said that she is a direct disciple of Grandmaster Dong Yangbo, known for her aloof and reclusive nature. She's always been in secluded cultivation in the Yuncang Marshlands, barely known to others. I've only heard of her a few times, but never had the chance to see her."

"A grandmaster’s disciple?"

Qin Sang was astonished. Doing a quick mental calculation, he said, "This Sage Mawu must be several hundred years old by now, right? I wonder what she looks like."

Zhuang Yan scoffed. "Looks are just a facade. Why would Junior Brother Qin care about age? Even as a Foundation Building Realm cultivator, how many more years do you think you can live? You might die earlier than she does."

Qin Sang glanced sidelong at Zhuang Yan. "Senior Brother Zhuang seems quite tempted. Why not give the Gourd Illusion Realm a try?"

"Who wouldn’t be tempted to form a partnership with a Golden Core expert? If you latch onto such a figure, those Foundation Building Pills we’ve been tirelessly seeking could be ours in abundance, and who knows, it might even help you break through to the Golden Core Realm. This is a shortcut to the heavens! Just look at Senior Uncle Wen—he had already resigned himself to handling mundane affairs and gave up on further cultivation, but even he went in. Unfortunately…"

Zhuang Yan’s expression suddenly turned regretful as he let out a long sigh. "When I was young, I was weak, and the maidservants in my household were too aggressive—they stole my yang essence early on... otherwise, how could I let others have all the glory!"

From Zhuang Yan’s flamboyant demeanor, one couldn’t be sure who took advantage of whom back then.

Seeing Qin Sang remain silent, Zhuang Yan assumed he was still dismissive of the idea. He then spoke earnestly, "If your yang essence is still intact, listen to your Senior Brother’s advice—give it a try. There’s no reason to be embarrassed. We, as immortal cultivators, seek only that slim chance of achieving immortality. Now that such an opportunity is right in front of you, it would be a shame to let it slip away."

Qin Sang nodded quietly.

Indeed, the yang essence of this body remained untouched.

The previous host of this body, Qin Sanwa, had been young. After Qin Sang took over, he had been constantly on battlefields, moving from one conflict to another. The only woman who had ever caught his eye was the Dongyang Lady, but unfortunately, their paths were too different to align. After being ennobled, he killed the heir the very next day, and hadn’t even had the chance to enjoy a single day of luxury.

Later, upon entering Kuiyin Sect, he had been treading carefully every step of the way, single-mindedly focused on cultivation, and had never let any thoughts of romance arise again.

1. This is the source of one's yang qi. ☜