Chapter 783: Chapter 297: Three Hundred Years in Tranquility, Attaining Dao and Becoming a True Immortal_1 Chapter 783: Chapter 297: Three Hundred Years in Tranquility, Attaining Dao and Becoming a True Immortal_1 Atop the high mountains, beside the great river,
a man in green robes with white hair sat cross-legged, a sword lying across his lap, his right hand ceaselessly pouring liquor from a white jade gourd into his mouth.

After an indeterminate amount of time, having drunk an unknowable quantity of liquor, the white-haired youth suddenly rose with his sword, stumbled, and began to swing the Immortal Sword in his hand.

His face was flushed with drunkenness as he muttered to himself.

“The road ahead is long, its goal far away; I shall search high and low.”
“One slash to break through calamitous ordeals, to sweep away the world’s injustices.”
“Riding the wind with my sword, I vanquish demons from between heaven and earth.

With liquor, I enjoy carefree delight; without, still I reel in ecstasy.”
“……”
In a half-drunken, half-conscious state, the youth practiced his swordsmanship, with sword light rippling across the nine heavens, and sword energy stretching across ten lands, seeming truly intoxicated, yet also as if he were comprehending the Dao.

Thus passed nine days, and then the eyes of the white-haired youth suddenly shone as bright as sword light.

He gave a light shout, and his Immortal Sword slashed forth.

Brilliant sword light surged!

A fearsome scene unfolded.

The waters of the river, flowing from the mountain’s summit, were cleft in twain, creating two towering walls of water on either side, revealing the riverbed for thousands of miles.

“Clap clap clap~”
Applause sounded as a youth in black appeared, having witnessed the spectacle.

“Impressive.”
“It seems your recent comprehension has yielded considerable insights,” the youth in black praised, a hint of envy in his tone.

Understanding the Dao was no easy feat, let alone for nine consecutive days.

To understand the Dao in the morning and be content to die in the evening.

He himself sought this but failed to attain it.

With an impassive face, the white-haired youth did not even spare a glance as he nonchalantly returned the sword to its place, took a big gulp of liquor, then said indifferently, “When did you arrive?”
“Shortly after you began your comprehension,” the youth in black said, unfazed by the other’s attitude, and smiled as he spoke.

“Oh~”
“Lu Zhen, you’re not curious why I came looking for you?”
“Not interested.”
“……”
The youth in black, with his prepared speech stuck in his belly, sighed helplessly after glancing at Lu Zhen, then said, “Are you still not over it?”
“Ha~ I’ve long since forgotten,” Lu Zhen scoffed with a sneer, taking another swig of liquor.

“Tsk tsk, Lu Zhen, you can lie to your brother, but don’t deceive yourself.”
Lu Zhen’s brow twitched, but he said nothing.

“See, you still haven’t let go.

This won’t do.

You should know…” the youth in black began earnestly, hoping to enlighten Lu Zhen.

“Wang Teng, haven’t you had enough?” Lu Zhen’s voice was calm but rimmed with a hint of indifference.

He had suppressed those things to the deepest recesses of his heart, only occasionally recalling them.

Yet Wang Teng came to provoke him, making Lu Zhen truly want to slay him with a single sword strike.

Glancing at the Immortal Sword next to Lu Zhen, Wang Teng gave a sheepish laugh, then became serious, “In half a month, the Heavenly Immortal Academy will be enrolling.

Do you want to go with me?”
The Heavenly Immortal Academy was founded three hundred years ago by the supreme Han Li, intended to cultivate the prodigious talents of the Yuankun Domain with the potential to become immortals.

The enrollment was only once every hundred years, open to the Eight Hundred Divine Regions of the Yuankun Domain, with a minimum requirement of the Holy Abyss realm for participation.

Wang Teng himself was in the Holy Abyss realm, having entered this domain just over a decade ago.

His invitation to Lu Zhen, who had broken through later than him, came a few years ago but in terms of combat ability, he was no match for Lu Zhen.

Lu Zhen was originally very gifted and talented, and with an Immortal Sword in hand, had he not indulged in such dissipation and lost himself to wine, he would likely have reached the later stages of the Holy Abyss realm, or even been on the verge of becoming a Quasi Emperor by now.

“What a pity, he will never see through the tribulation in his heart,” Wang Teng murmured within, feeling a sense of regret for his good brother.

He often advised him, but to no avail; he had met Lu Zhen too late.

Enmeshed in his troubles, so long as he remained in the Yuankun Domain, he was fated never to escape his tribulation.

“Why would you think that I would entertain the idea of participating in the Heavenly Immortal Academy selection?

Ridiculous!” scoffed Lu Zhen, continuing to drink nonstop, seemingly trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol and numb himself.

The Heavenly Immortal Academy was founded by that person, and he had no wish to encounter him; otherwise, he would not have avoided him at such lengths.

How could he possibly contemplate participating in the Academy’s selection?

After all, the Heavenly Immortal Academy was in the Qianyuan Divine Province.

If he returned, how would he face that person, how would he face her, and how would he face his Sect Leader and fellow disciples?

Lu Zhen had no face to return, nor had he ever thought of going back.

Wang Teng sighed and said earnestly, “Before coming to see you, I went to the Qianyuan Divine Province and saw your master and two senior brothers; they all miss you dearly.”
Pausing, Wang Teng continued, “Having comprehended such powerful swordsmanship over these nine days, don’t you wish to demonstrate it?”
“If you seek to prove something, why not try at the Heavenly Immortal Academy?”
“Lu Zhen, you are my good brother, we are the twin marvels of the primeval path; I hope you can pull yourself together.”
“That’s all I have to say.

I’ll wait for you at the Heavenly Immortal Academy.”
With that, Wang Teng drifted away, vanishing without a trace.

Lu Zhen kept drinking, as though he hadn’t heard Wang Teng’s words, or perhaps they hadn’t penetrated his thoughts at all.

But was that truly the case?

“Bang~”
The white jade gourd fell to the ground as Lu Zhen stood atop the high mountain, dazed, memories of days gone by flooding his mind, countless images flashing past.

Once, he was the brightest prodigy of the Qianyuan Divine Province, hailed as “undefeated for three thousand years.”
As the Third Patriarch of Bai Yujing, his combat ability was astonishing, his fame resounding far and wide, and he was lauded as the most likely contemporary to break through to the Holy Abyss realm.

Yet all that changed with the meteoric rise of Han Li.

Han Li had taken everything from him, directly or indirectly.

Ironically, Han Li had never deliberately targeted him, and his disconsolate departure from the Qianyuan Divine Province was not due to Han Li’s coercion.