Chapter 66

“Master Uncle Yun yangzi, why don’t you stay for a meal before leaving?”

It was a rare opportunity to be alone with a Nascent Soul-level expert. Just a few casual words from such a figure could benefit him for life—how could he let this chance slip away?

“Eat?”

The word sounded foreign to Yun yangzi. He couldn't even recall the last time he ate—perhaps it had been hundreds of years.

“Very well.”

Seeing Yun yangzi agree, Han Luo immediately got to work preparing a few of his signature dishes and uncorked a bottle of aged Erguotou, pouring two cups.

At the dining table, Yun yangzi looked like a kind and approachable old man, entirely devoid of the pride or aloofness typical of high-level cultivators.

“Not bad at all,” Yun yangzi praised, visibly surprised. “Not only is your cultivation talent outstanding, but your cooking skills are also quite impressive.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Master Uncle,” Han Luo replied, feeling both flattered and honored.

While he could still bear the pressure from Golden Core cultivators like Hongniang and Yun ding, the invisible pressure Yun yangzi exerted nearly crushed him—even though Yun yangzi hadn’t released a shred of his spiritual aura. The weight came from the soul itself, a pressure that threatened to overwhelm him entirely.

Yet Han Luo wasn't discouraged. In fact, he welcomed it.

He wasn’t a masochist—he just knew his talent was frighteningly high, so high it even scared him sometimes. If unchecked, he feared he might become arrogant. Being in close proximity to a powerhouse like Yun yangzi helped him stay grounded, reminding him to remain humble and tread carefully with every step.

“Master Uncle…”

As a modern-day soul transmigrated into this cultivation world, Han Luo was deeply obsessed with the Dao. Naturally, he wasn’t going to waste such a precious opportunity—he dove into a series of questions about cultivation.

It pained him to think that his own master was always in closed-door cultivation. The number of times they’d met could be counted on one hand, let alone any proper guidance. So now that he finally had a true expert in front of him, he was determined to make the most of it.

Yun yangzi didn’t hold back. He patiently explained every question, and Han Luo listened intently, thoroughly immersed in the conversation.

When Han Luo next opened his eyes, three days had passed.

“Han Luo, your comprehension is extraordinary. If you ever have any doubts in the future, feel free to come to me,” Yun yangzi said with great satisfaction.

Among his peers, Han Luo had already surpassed everyone in their generation—perhaps even their senior brother. But what pleased Yun yangzi the most wasn’t just Han Luo’s talent, it was his attitude. He never glossed over anything. Every question, no matter how small, had to be fully understood before moving on. Though it felt excessively cautious, Yun yangzi saw it as a valid path of cultivation.

There are countless paths to immortality.

Some break through via combat, facing death and danger to ascend.
Some rely on pills, moving forward carefully and eventually soaring to the heavens.
Some are blessed with endless fortune and opportunities, climbing rapidly to great heights.

But in Yun yangzi’s eyes, no two paths to immortality were ever the same.

Each cultivator walks a unique path. Some endure the darkness and finally see the light of dawn, while others fall midway and are never heard from again.

With the rising sun behind him, Yun yangzi departed.

Han Luo then spent another three days digesting all the knowledge he had gained. Although his cultivation hadn’t improved, his understanding of the Dao had deepened significantly.

During these six days, the various peak lords began testing the newly installed Spirit Tempering Arrays on their disciples. As it was the initial trial, they didn’t use them on their prized disciples but on some of the more average ones.

The results were nothing short of stunning. At minimum, a disciple’s spirit tempering effect improved by one level, while the luckiest among them saw an improvement of three levels in a single go. It was astonishing.

Han Luo activated his bronze mirror.

Each Spirit Tempering Array had ancient bronze inscriptions carved by him, and every array's usage data was transmitted back to this mirror. As the numbers appeared before his eyes, he nodded with satisfaction.

This was exactly what he wanted.

He pulled out his little notebook and began analyzing the data, refining the array based on what areas still needed improvement.

Time passed swiftly—as it always did for cultivators.

Three months later, under Yun yangzi’s orders, Han Luo distributed another twenty Spirit Tempering Arrays to each peak.

The result? A massive wave of spirit tempering swept through Luoxian Sect.

Now, the first question disciples asked when they saw each other wasn’t “Have you eaten?” but “Have you tempered your spirit today?”

And at the center of it all were a few particularly dazzling stars.

Chixiao, a strong contender for the title of the sect’s number one disciple, shocked everyone by becoming the second person to complete seven rounds of spirit tempering with the help of both the array and Hongniang.

Next came Li Jun, the most beloved and respected disciple, who also completed seven rounds under the guidance of Peak Lord Yun ding and the array.

Three disciples achieving spirit tempering perfection in the same generation was unprecedented.

Even more surprising were the twelve disciples who reached six rounds of tempering, soon dubbed the “Twelve Yamas.”

The number of disciples who managed five rounds ran into the thousands. As for those with fewer than three rounds? None remained.

This phenomenon was unheard of in the three sects neighboring Luoxian Sect. For the first time, everyone felt that a golden age for the sect was just around the corner.

And the key that had unlocked this age was nothing more than a small, humble Spirit Tempering Array.

No one knew who had created it, nor where it had come from. But people were determined to honor the one responsible with a fitting title.

Eventually, after a vote, they decided on the name: Luoxian Zhenren.

“Luoxian” to represent the sect—its highest honor.
“Zhenren,” meaning a person who has stripped away all pretense and returned to a pure, natural state, in harmony with the heavens and the Dao.

For someone who gifted such a miraculous creation to the sect, this title was more than deserved.

Han Luo hadn’t expected his fellow disciples to give him such a grand title.

“Luoxian Zhenren,” he murmured, rubbing his nose. “Sounds pretty good.”

The improvements to the Spirit Tempering Array were nearly complete. After thousands of experiments, the array had finally become a fully stabilized, sellable formation.

Now, it was time to choose the right Spirit Tempering Pill.

Though the so-called “Perfect Spirit Tempering Pill” had shown solid results during testing, Han Luo wasn’t about to take it himself. After all, he’d made the pill—he knew exactly what “perfect” really meant. If there truly was such a thing as a perfect pill in this world, it would only be one kind: a supreme-grade pill.

Inside the pristine alchemy room, he washed his hands with clean water before pulling out a series of rare herbs from his bronze storage ring. These precious ingredients had been carefully collected by the peak lords and Master Uncle Yunyangzi, as agreed, specifically for crafting the supreme-grade Spirit Tempering Pill.

With everything prepared, Han Luo opened the pill furnace and began his refinement.