Cultivation Starts with Rejuvenation

”Senior Brother Li, wait a moment!” As soon as the three landed, Zhou Zheng hurriedly shouted.

Li Ji’an instructed Lao Huang to stop the ox cart and looked at the group.

Their magical power was too exhausted, now less than half their peak strength.

Zhou Zheng looked fatigued, chasing after them with a flattering expression.

When he got closer, he looked enviously at Li Ji’an and Hu Zaiyi comfortably leaning inside the imperial carriage.

This isn’t a trial at all; it’s clearly an enjoyment.

”Senior Brother Li, this imperial carriage is really impressive. I remember it took hundreds of contributions to exchange for one of these, right?” Zhou Zheng touched the imperial carriage made of Spirit Wood, feeling the Spiritual Qi contained within its built-in Gathering Spirit Array, and flattered.

”We rented it!” Hu Zaiyi intentionally lay down on the soft couch woven with silk inside the imperial carriage, breaking Zhou Zheng’s illusion.

”What? It’s rented? This... wasn’t it Senior Brother Li...” Zhou Zheng’s expression changed.

Hu Zaiyi glanced at Li Ji’an and saw he had no objections, so a slyness flashed in his eyes as he said sincerely, ”Old Zhou, I really admire you all. To travel such a long distance relying only on riding a Flying Sword. If it were me, my magical power would be exhausted halfway.”

”...” Zhou Zheng’s eyelids trembled.

But he naturally wouldn’t treat Hu Zaiyi with the same respect as Li Ji’an, immediately glaring at him: ”Isn’t it all thanks to Senior Brother Li? It couldn’t have been your idea, Hu?”

”Of course, the credit goes to Senior Brother Li, but... luckily I didn’t act like some people, changing sides with the wind.” Hu Zaiyi said indifferently.

This sentence hit Zhou Zheng where it hurt, leaving him speechless again.

After all, Zhou Zheng was always the most agile-minded and was the closest to Li Ji’an when he first became a True Disciple.

”It’s just a trial, Senior Brother Li is broad-minded and treats others generously. He naturally wouldn’t take issue, unlike some people who are petty.” After being speechless for a moment, Zhou Zheng again smiled, half flattering, half teasing.

”Hmm?” Hearing this, Li Ji’an slightly self-reflected.

Could it be that in just three years, he left such an impression on others?

Broad-minded, generous to others—though these are positive traits and virtues, they aren’t good labels in the Cultivation Realm.

Nor are they qualities that any person should have; before achieving them, one must have strong power as a foundation.

Especially for someone like him, whose current life isn’t like his past life as a Pill Master, where others naturally sought him out. His current path is destined to be a climb upward, using power and methods to make others submit.

Before possessing absolute power that commands fear and admiration, even within the Sect, it’s easy to be taken advantage of, making others misjudge the cost of offending him.

Most critically, over time, it’s even easier to be hated and form enmity with others.

”It seems I’ve made the mistake myself, unintentionally continuing the habits of my past life as a Fake Pill Elder, Tier Three Pill Master.” Li Ji’an secretly nodded, his face darkening.

In his past life, a Loose Cultivator, to avoid making enemies, even with his alchemy skill as a foundation, his external image was always that of a kind and harmless person.

In this life as a True Disciple, he indeed holds a high status within the sect, with ordinary disciples being a rank lower, but he isn’t the only True Disciple. After decades of accumulation and selection, the Sect now has twenty-one True Disciples, all competitors.

He hasn’t yet demonstrated the strength of broad-mindedness and generosity with just this identity.

He should be generous with kindness to those below him, but with peers, he needs to timely show his fangs and thunderous tactics, only until his power is feared by all can he freely appear generous.

”Junior Brother Zhou, did you call out to this True Disciple just for leisure and chit-chat?”

”Senior Brother Li, please calm down. I... It’s my overstep, please forgive me, Senior Brother.” Zhou Zheng saw Li Ji’an’s changing expression and immediately tightened his heart, hurriedly withdrawing his hand from the imperial carriage and bowing to apologize.

No matter what, Li Ji’an is still the chief, with the backing of True Pill Elder and Pill Cauldron Peak.

”Lao Huang, go!” Li Ji’an closed his eyes, concentrating, and gave the order.

”Alright, young master.”

After the ox cart traveled some distance, Hu Zaiyi in the same cart finally realized, and Li Ji’an’s change in expression had him adjust his attitude, reflecting on his overstep along the way.

He became even more respectful at this moment.

Even when considering asking about their destination, he hesitated for a long while and didn’t manage to ask.

Li Ji’an also didn’t bother explaining.

Until three days later, Yao Rui and the others barely caught up, using the environment of this Tier One Spirit Vein.

”Stop!” Yao Rui loudly called from afar.

Lao Huang, without Li Ji’an’s instructions, ignored her, continuing to drive the ox cart.

”Woosh~” Until a sword planted itself in the ground before the ox cart, Lao Huang then leisurely pulled the reins.

”You who take the backdoor, you...” Yao Rui immediately landed by the ox cart.

However, before she could finish, a vine suddenly emerged from the ground, whipping towards her.

”Snap!”

Yao Rui was completely caught off guard by Li Ji’an’s sudden attack and was utterly defenseless, especially as her magical power hadn’t fully recovered, leaving her momentarily unresponsive.

The vine lashed solidly against the Body-Protecting Dharma Shield that instinctively appeared around her.

”Crack!” Normally, both she and Li Ji’an were at the Qi Cultivation 6th Layer, and her Fire Element Magical Power had more power, making it hard for Li Ji’an’s Wood Element Magical Power to break her fully activated Body-Protecting Dharma Shield.

But at this moment, it was just the basic instinctive Body-Protecting Dharma Shield, which shattered instantly.

”Ah!” The vine’s remaining force fiercely whipped her rear.

With a painful cry,

the True Disciple’s robe was instantly torn apart, revealing the fair skin underneath with a blood-red welt.

”How dare you attack me?” Yao Rui, though a cultivator at the Qi Cultivation 6th Layer, lacked the protective power, and her physical body was hardly different from that of ordinary people; this lash truly left her wounded, pain striking through to her soul.