CHAPTER 524: CHAPTER 204: RETURN_3

Your own strength’s limit always depends on knowledge.

Knowledge doesn’t change with the highs and lows of one’s constitution.

Moreover, knowledge is the only factor that determines one’s strength.

And today.

After Zhang Feng organized all the knowledge of this world.

There are only two things left.

First, the Zhang family, let them see him and complete the main quest.

Second, the more important thing, to see if the little carp has transformed.

The promise of marriage, he has thought about it several times over the past decades.

But to be honest, the thought wasn’t as strong as it used to be.

Zhang Feng felt it might be because they hadn’t seen each other for so long, and the wash of fifteen years of knowledge made his mind more focused on cultivation.

This is completely ’rational’.

But thinking of her, he remembered her angry expression like that of a consort in a cold palace.

Zhang Feng suddenly laughed and found his Nascent Soul progress suddenly increased by 3%.

It seems that while learning is important, a balance between relaxation and effort is also necessary.

Although there is no heart demon anymore, love has become another kind of catalyst.

The ’true self’ of three souls and seven spirits must develop in balance.

The emotional aspect related to love was somewhat weaker than other emotional factors.

But if it weren’t for the pressure of learning for so long, even thinking of her wouldn’t have made the Nascent Soul progress jump so suddenly.

’She should be at the Golden Core stage now, probably practicing the transformation magic...’

Zhang Feng felt quite sweet, then quickly collected his thoughts.

He was about to head to the Zhang family to find trouble, he couldn’t go there in a sweet mood.

Thinking, Zhang Feng’s spiritual sense enveloped the vast entire imperial palace, and he transmitted a message to the State Preceptor patrolling the corridor five miles away:

’State Preceptor, I have some grudges to settle, after which I will retire to the mountains and live the rest of my life with my Daoist couple.

I also thank His Majesty and the State Preceptor for their hospitality. I have left some insights on the Golden Core and Nascent Soul, hoping they may be of use to fellow Daoists.’

As words fell.

Zhang Feng had already left the chamber, silently flying dozens of miles in a mere five seconds, leaving the imperial palace city.

’Daoist couple?’ The State Preceptor was stunned, truly stunned mentally,

’Zhang Tianshi has a Daoist couple?

What kind of woman could match Zhang Tianshi?’

Although the State Preceptor was a monk, he was aware of the saying about matching social statuses.

Moreover, he thought, given Zhang Tianshi’s talent, the other party must be a renowned female cultivator as well.

But although there were many female cultivators in the world, he indeed never heard of anyone being Zhang Tianshi’s Daoist couple.

However, he then thought, Zhang Tianshi had become like an immortal descending to the mortal world, and everything in the world was like fleeting clouds to Zhang Tianshi.

So if Zhang Tianshi liked someone, he wouldn’t need to care about matching social statuses in the mundane world.

"I have become attached..." The State Preceptor shook his head with a smile, then bowed distantly toward the chamber where Zhang Feng had been, blessing this immortal couple.

As for who Zhang Tianshi wanted to seek grievances with.

The State Preceptor didn’t dwell on it, he could only say the other party should ’seek their own blessings’.

He would not bless them.

...

Five hundred miles away.

Xuanhu City.

The Zhang family remained unchanged.

But Family Head Zhang was almost four hundred years old this year, which, within the five hundred years of Golden Core lifespan, counted as old.

Equivalent to being over sixty for normal people.

Although the blessing of the Golden Core allowed his body to remain relatively at its peak, there was no hope for further breakthroughs.

Because now the Golden Core was ’minutely degrading’, sustaining his lifespan and functions.

This repair is unavoidable.

After all, the basic structure of the Golden Core builds upon the extended telomeres.

If telomeres don’t extend, if lifespan doesn’t maintain extension, then theoretically the Golden Core cannot exist, for it lacks the most essential foundational principle.

The cultivators in this world do not understand this, nor are they aware of telomeres on a microscopic level.

But they know that after four hundred years, Golden Core cultivators start to ’age’, both in realm and spiritual qi.

Until over four hundred eighty years old, the Golden Core completely vanishes.

In the last twenty years, a person gradually shrinks to skin and bones, until spiritual qi is exhausted, and vitality can no longer sustain life, then death follows.

This is indeed the case.

Today’s Family Head Zhang, or rather the Family Head Zhang of the recent years.

His temper was extremely poor, sometimes unable to accept the destined fate of aging.

His son, now at Great Success in the Golden Core stage, was at the peak of vitality, barely a century old.

Only compared to his youthful appearance before.

He now looked middle-aged.

And at this moment.

In the backyard.

The father and son faced each other in silence.

After a moment, Family Head Zhang sighed and said, "Fifteen years ago, Cyan Mountain Daoist suddenly appeared in the world, about to enter the Nascent Soul realm.

At first, I thought there was hope for a breakthrough and went to the palace several times over the years, wanting to meet Zhang Tianshi to seek the path to the Nascent Soul.

Unfortunately... Zhang Tianshi closed himself off, and fifteen years have rushed by, and I don’t know when he will emerge."

"Ah!" The Young Master Zhang also sighed, "Such an immortal being, not someone we can just meet on a whim."

The Young Master Zhang spoke, then looked outside the courtyard, "Father, you and I, to Zhang Tianshi, might also be like ants and commoners outside the courtyard are to you and me who have entered the Golden Core stage."

"Indeed." Family Head Zhang perhaps due to the Golden Core degradation, now like his son, felt everything below the Golden Core stage was like ants as well.

To be honest, he found his son’s description quite vivid.

Because in Zhang Tianshi’s eyes, they might indeed be like ants.

Thinking this, he continued, "Have you recently found any trace of Zhang Feng? Just think, the Master named Zhang Feng, has practiced the Dao for over seventy years.

If the Zhang Feng you abandoned decades ago is still alive today, he would also be seventy-five years old.

Is this a mere coincidence?"

"It must be a coincidence." The Young Master Zhang laughed, "Father, you know I’ve always been meticulous.

When I abandoned him, I also checked, that Zhang Feng had no spirit root.

How could such a commoner compare to the unparalleled talent of Zhang Tianshi?"

Young Master Zhang laughed further, "But that commoner was surely destined for great fortune, to share the same name as Zhang Tianshi?

If not for sharing the name, I would have long forgotten the name of that abandoned baby."

"Exactly." Family Head Zhang nodded, he had actually forgotten too.

And just as they were about to say something more.

A gentle breeze swept by, and to their astonishment, they silently found themselves in mid-air, overlooking the scenes on the streets below.

As they marveled at who could perform such magic, easily moving them to the sky,

Zhang Feng appeared a hundred meters in front of them and spoke:

"I know all about your discussion of ants."

"You... are Zhang Tianshi?!"

The two immediately recognized Zhang Feng as Zhang Feng’s portrait was familiar to many cultivators.

Next, before they could be moved or curious about Zhang Tianshi’s words,

Zhang Feng’s words shocked them.

"Gentlemen, I am the abandoned baby you mentioned."

As the words fell.

Zhang Feng didn’t want to say more, flying past the two of them.

Their bodies turned to powder, falling silently from the sky.

...

Zhang Feng arrived above the lakeside, looking down at the small carp at Minor Achievement in the Golden Core stage, diligently practicing transformation magic.

It seemed very difficult, probably taking another seven or eight years to transform.

Zhang Feng sat cross-legged on the clouds, with twenty-five years left, he would go nowhere, just quietly watching over her, accompanying her.

She had already waited for him for decades, he might as well wait for her this time.