Painting of the Nine Immortals
chapter-197

The Sun has just rose, sending blinding rays of light in all directions.

In the back mountain of the Yun manor was the blooming Forest of the Purple Bamboo.

The scenery of this place was absolutely beautiful just like a poem or a painting. Every time a gust of wind blew across, bamboo leaves were swept off the ground and danced in the wind. The translucent purple bamboo leaves waltzed in the wind like little fairies. This particular scenery was like a dream, where the beauty of it all was endless.

Above all, the air here was refreshing and densely spiritual. It was a prized location for training.

At this very moment, a youth dressed in all white was standing in the middle of the bamboo forest. His visage was handsome, his stance extraordinary, and his disposition in particular, was preeminent, just like a newly risen immortal.

Bamboo leaves filled the sky and flirted with the golden sunlight. The young man’s eyes were squeezed shut and he had no emotions on his face. He stood there, in the middle of it all, yet not a single leaf touched him as if they were being rejected by an invisible force.

It was Ling Xian.

Time flies like a white stallion. In the blink of an eye, three years have passed.

Ever since he resolved the Yun Clan’s crisis, he stayed there. Just like this hidden forest where he lived, he never showed his face in the world.

In these past three years, Ling Xian transformed from the coming of age youth to the young man of vigor he is today. Though his visage never changed much, his mentality has matured.

His capability has transformed drastically as well.

More than two years ago, Ling Xian reached the peak of the foundational level and was only half a step away from the completion level.

With the improvement of his Qi, he also entered the Seventh-Realm of alchemy.

As for his physical body, borrowing the ability of the Divine Book of Genesis, his physical being was now comparable to a weapon of the Eighth-Realm!

Such insane achievements!

It was next to impossible for most geniuses to achieve such greatness in all three paths of cultivation.

In recent months however, Ling Xian has ran into something troublesome. His training has been stuck at the peak of the foundational stage. Despite hundreds of attempts, he could not overcome this bottleneck he was stuck at and breakthrough to the completion level.

The reason for this was because of the inhibition spells the superior beings placed on him.

It is one of the unsolvable mysteries in the cultivation community. When one person possesses majestic blood, seals are placed on them that prohibit them from performing Taoism.

As supported by the Clandestine House, in the long history of Taoism, a person with majestic blood is born every few 10,000 years. Most of whom can never break the seals placed on them.

Of course, a few have broken the inhibition spells and have since then roared through the sky for miles and miles.

No doubt, all of them became the powerhouse of their generation!

However, without exception, those people never experienced bottlenecks during their cultivation journey after the first seal was broken. This means that every one of them only had one seal placed on them.

Ling Xian was different. His body was locked by four supreme inhibition spells. This alone was enough to prove the unprecedented natural talent he has in him. His resilient majestic blood has long surpassed the ancestors of his kind!

However, everything has two sides: pros and cons.

The stronger the majestic blood is, the more violent the seals are.

Seal the sky, lock the earth, trap the Immortals, and restrict the Gods, these four inhibition spells have locked him in tightly and disallowed him to march forward and reach the top courageously. If he never coincidentally encountered Liao Cang Qiong, he would still be in the City of Qing, slaving his life away just to feed himself.

Now he has grown to be a foundational cultivator, the problem that once troubled him for 14 years emerged again. Like an impassable mountain, it stood before him. If he cannot overcome it, he will have to remain this way his whole life, unable to arrive at the completion stage and once again see the sky as limitless.

The Immortal Trap, the second seal of the four inhibition spells, was created by an array master named Feng Qing Ming. This great person has once sealed three Immortals for 800 years! How heaven defying!

It was because of this inhibition spell that Ling Xian was stuck at the peak of the foundational stage. Every time he tries to break the bottleneck, the Immortal Trap automatically appears and stops him from accomplishing his goals.

This has given him an immense headache. No matter how much or how hard he tries, he cannot crush this obstacle. To overcome this, he even once asked for The Untainted’s help. But the result was disappointing.

The Untainted truly is powerful. However, she is merely the soul of her Immortal self and her capability is only a fraction of what she is truly capable of. The Immortal Trap’s power is multiple times the strength of the Sky Seal. Thus, naturally, the Keeper of the Land and Sea could not break it.

After that event, Ling Xian became even more helpless. He understood that being impatient is useless and that all he could do is let nature take its course. He had two options before him, to either let himself dull in moments of hardships or make himself shine while he waited for opportunities to overcome this obstacle.

"Time flows like water, three years has passed."

A soft voice suddenly rung in the middle of the bamboo forest.

Ling Xian lazily opened his eyes and saw a light flash before him. Immediately, a horrifying atmosphere expanded across space. Crazy wind began to blow, snapping bamboos, lifting leaves, and shaking up the entire Forest of the Purple Bamboo.

After half a minute, the forest finally calmed down again. Ling Xian exhaled out a murky breath of air and suppressed the majestic blood inside him that was boiling violently. He murmured to himself, "I have failed yet again. It seems like overcoming the Immortal Trap is not something I can achieve at the level I am at."

Just now, he had tried to break the bottleneck once again. Needless to say, he failed.

Facing the cruel failure, Ling Xian merely shook his head. His expression was calm like water without a hint of disappointment. It is clear that a composed heart impenetrable by negative emotions was his biggest gain.

"Oh well, since I cannot break through, then whatever happens happens. I firmly believe that one day, all the inhibition spells in me will be destroyed." Ling Xian’s expression was calm. Gazing upon the orange sky, his eyes became heated.

Three years of putting his mind at ease, the youth has turned into a mature young man. His dreams and desires however, never faded in color.

Even if he cannot crush the tall mountain he was facing, his determination will never waver, and he will never give up. He believed in himself and he believed that he is unstoppable. With a good mentality, he would for sure destroy all that stands in his way, and when that happens, he will shine like the Sun!

"If I cannot improve my level of training, then I will use the Golden Pages to toughen up my physical being," Ling Xian muttered to himself and summoned the Divine Book of Genesis.

However, just as he about to indulge himself in training, a shadow appeared from far away and within seconds, dashed before Ling Xian.

The person here had red cheeks and grey hair. He too wore a white robe with embroidered cloud-shaped patterns on the sleeves. The giant and loose robe tangled in the wind, making him appear like a sage.

It was the Yun Clan’s leader, Yun Hai.

"Elder Brother Yun, you haven’t visited me in a long time. You must be here today to get yourself a sip of my Tea of Enlightenment," Ling Xian hid a smile. During the past three years, he has gotten familiar with Yun Hai and has been calling him his Elder Brother.

In the beginning, Yun Hai suggested Ling Xian call him Elder Brother. Ling Xian, of course, rejected due to the huge age gap between them. As time passed, however, Ling Xian humored him and complied.

The cultivation community is a world that only recognizes strength and capability. Though Masters are heavily respected, the etiquettes with name-calling only apply to those directly related by blood. For two cultivators who are not related, they can call each other anything they desire, as long as it’s agreed upon.

On top of that, Ling Xian’s capability was insane. For Yun Hai to call Ling Xian his Junior Brother was not a disadvantage, but a bargain.

"Haha, Junior Brother, you know me well. The Tea of Enlightenment is a treasure created by Heaven and Earth and cannot be bought with gold. Of course I would want to drink as much of it as I can." Yun Hai bellowed and did not feel the least bit ashamed.

"I am speechless at your thick skin. I imagine even the sharpest weapon cannot pierce that skin of yours," Ling Xian teased. He then waved around his sleeve. A stone table, two chairs, a teapot, and two jade cups appeared.

"If I don’t have thick skin, how will I get my Tea of Enlightenment?" Yun Hai did not seem to mind the mockery. He sat on the stone chair and waited for Ling Xian to pour hot water onto the Petal of Enlightenment.

"You! What can I even say."

Ling Xian shook his head helplessly and took out six Petals of Enlightenment from his storage pouch. He put three petals in each cup, then stuck up a finger and pointed it like a sword. He slashed in midair.

Instantly, the faraway river began to shake. A tiny stream of water was summoned by him and floated into the teapot on the table.

Then, Ling Xian poured the spiritual water into the jade cups and immediately, a refreshing aroma filled the air, clearing out the negative thoughts in their minds.

"It really is no wonder these petals are legendary."

Yun Hai inhaled as much of the tea's fragrance as he could. Impatiently, he picked up the cup and took a small sip. Then he closed his eyes in enjoyment, only opening them slowly after a long while. His face flushed with satisfaction and he exclaimed, "Though I have drank this multiple times, every single time is different. This really is an abundant experience."

"You sure are enjoying yourself. But my stash of these petals is reaching its bottom." Ling Xian pretended to be hurt, though he was only kidding. Even if the pile of spiritual stones he possessed were reaching its bottom, he would not see the bottom of the Petal of Enlightenment.

He owns the Purple Dwarf after all.

"Haha, I do not believe a word of your bullsh*t. Even if I drink it every day, you will not find yourself short of them," Yun Hai guffawed. During the past three years, Ling Xian and him have established a good friendship and have learned plenty about each other. Despite that, he came to realize that this young man is unfathomable, like an unsolvable puzzle or a dense smog, he cannot see through to him.

Whether it’s the undefeatable capability or the unexhaustive wealth.

"You don’t have to believe me. I will simply not make you any tea the next time you come." Ling Xian grinned.

"Ah! Junior Brother, do not be so petty. It’s simply the Petal of Enlightenment!" Yun Hai said in a haste.

"Simply the Petal of Enlightenment?"

Ling Xian teased again, "Hey, Elder Brother, how are you so shameless? How dare you say something like this? Don’t think I don’t know that this item on the Shi Ao Island is worth even more than on the continents."

"Hehe, I did not know Junior Brother knew about that." Yun Hai laughed.

"Alright, do not keep me in suspense any longer. I know you are not only here because you lust over the Petal of Enlightenment. If you are that kind of person, I would not call you my brother." Ling Xian curved his lips, fully aware that Yun Hai is a good person in nature with admirable principles. He simply liked to joke around and definitely was not here just for the tea.

"Ah, Junior Brother, you know me well."

Yun Hai stuck up his thumb and wiped the smile off his face. In a low voice, he whispered, "I am here today because I have a presumptuous request that I must ask of you."