Chapter 46: Preparations for Returning to Childhood

Due to the relatively long lifespans in the cultivation world, generations are often a tangled mess. Take the Qi Refining stage, for example—there are those who marry and have children at twenty, especially in families that recruit husbands to bolster the next generation. Others wait until their bodies begin to decline in their seventies or eighties, realizing only then, with their blood and energy waning and cultivation prospects dim, that it’s time to leave heirs; these are usually those with slightly better spiritual roots, who break through to late-stage Qi Refining before fifty and still harbor hopes of reaching Foundation Establishment.

Most, however, follow a more ordinary path, marrying and having children in their thirties or forties, just like Zhang Tiezhu. The Grand Elder was no exception to this majority—he was now over a hundred, yet his granddaughter had only just turned eighteen.

Seeing the Grand Elder’s earnest expression, Li Ji’an knew that without a firm excuse, he would never be able to deflect him. “Elder, you overestimate me. I’d long forgotten about that matter. As for your granddaughter… to be honest, I’ve already set my heart on someone else. I’m afraid I must decline.”

“Oh? You… Little Li, as a man devoted to the path of cultivation, one should not be swayed by emotion or indulgence in romance. Marriage and children are only for continuing the family line—does it matter with whom? As long as you find someone with decent spiritual roots, the next generation will be better off, won’t they?” The Grand Elder was clearly taken aback and only then reacted, quite surprised by Li Ji’an’s mention of a beloved.

It’s not that love doesn’t exist in the cultivation world, but for those at the bottom, especially families from the wilderness, love is a luxury they cannot afford. The Grand Elder’s words did not surprise Li Ji’an in the least. Not only in this cultivation realm—even in the immortal-blessed dynasties he’d witnessed, among all the noble families and those in power, there was no place for love between men and women.

The only saving grace was that female cultivators here had the same cultivation paths as men, with little difference in gender, which made things relatively equal. If neither side wished for romance, then none was expected; most were simply Dao companions on the road of cultivation.

But in the immortal-blessed dynasties, women among the powerful were seen as tools or playthings, to be used and discarded at will. Any noble who was lost in love was deemed a fool, lacking ambition and doomed to fail.

“Elder, you must be laughing at me. I am without great ambitions, unable yet to let go of worldly affection. It is…” Li Ji’an’s voice faded.

The Grand Elder gazed at him with furrowed brows, disappointment clear in his expression. What could possibly be so troubling? To be lost in love! Wasn’t pill refining satisfying enough? Wasn’t the art of talismans enticing?

“Well, love isn’t impossible… Come, follow me and meet my granddaughter. Isn’t love just a matter of seeing and being tempted? My granddaughter is quite charming.” For Yan Kongyi, as long as the family produced a descendant of exceptional talent to inherit his talisman legacy, nothing else mattered.

Li Ji’an shook his head firmly, “Elder, you simply do not understand love!”

In the end, the withered, white-bearded old man left, his face stiff and his eyes glazed.

When even the Grand Elder had come in person and Li Ji’an still refused to return for the matchmaking, Yan Qingwan finally realized something was wrong. It seemed things were not as simple as she’d imagined. Previously, she assumed Li Ji’an was holding out for someone with better spiritual roots; then, she thought he wanted someone more beautiful. Later, she supposed he was after higher status. Now, with all three nearly within reach, she truly did not know what kind of person he was waiting for.

Seeing that Yan Qingwan was in no state to refine pills today, and to forestall further matchmaking attempts, Li Ji’an simply asked for leave and returned to his small courtyard.

“Ribbit~”

A decade had passed, and Guagua had grown considerably, now close to Li Ji’an’s shoulder when crouched beside him.

“Come! Again.” He tossed Guagua a Jade-Condensing Pill, his own blood and energy surging.

“Ribbit~” Guagua flattened itself instantly in submission.

Over the past ten years, as the Lightning-Flame Crystal Body Tempering steadily progressed, Li Ji’an’s blood and energy grew ever more robust, often leaving him feeling feverish. One day, he discovered by chance that Guagua’s tough hide made it an excellent sparring partner.

Repeated matches revealed that not only did this temper his own energy, but also benefited Guagua’s bloodline evolution.

Now, his body-tempering was nearly at its peak, and Guagua too was showing signs of advancing to a higher stage.

Soon, man and frog were exchanging blows in the courtyard once again. Unfortunately, Guagua was still only a mid-stage first-rank beast, and its main talent was not in defense. Li Ji’an, confident he could shatter a Qi Refining cultivator’s protective shield with a single punch, dared not use more than half his strength.

Still, Guagua’s tongue was something he had to guard against. Though soft and slick, it could secrete a paralyzing toxin that even his physique couldn’t fully resist, limiting his energy output.

With a sudden flick, Guagua’s tongue shot up from beneath the ground. Li Ji’an left a blurred afterimage behind as he instantly appeared where the tongue had darted from. Before he could materialize, the ground churned and Guagua burrowed away again.

Clearly, it had long been cowed by Li Ji’an; this was now its standard tactic. And Li Ji’an could do little about it.

Finally, after a while, he seized an opportunity—risking paralysis from Guagua’s tongue, he followed its retraction track, released his blood energy, dove two fathoms underground, and managed to drag Guagua out, pummeling it with a flurry of blows until it could no longer escape.

“Not bad, off you go!” Tossing it two beast pills, Li Ji’an resumed his Lightning-Flame Crystal Body Tempering.

Moments later, he finished, finding the crystal had barely been consumed. “It seems I’ve truly reached the limit! I must break through to the second rank.”

To break through to the second stage of the Hundredfold Tempered Golden Body Art required the demon core of a second-rank Armored Beast—a near impossibility for him, or even for any of the eight great families of the wilderness.

So, he didn’t dwell on it.

He gathered all the Lightning-Flame Crystals he’d stockpiled over the years and had Guagua store them in its mouth, enough for a full rejuvenation after he returned to youth.

After some thought, he also tossed in the mid-tier fire cultivation manual “Molten Rock Scripture” he’d recently bought at the market, along with all the premium basic pills he’d refined over the years.

Before the upheaval in the Zheng family, he had favored the Yan family’s “Flame Dragon Art,” the very foundation of the Yan family’s foothold—a true high-grade method with the potential to reach Core Formation, perhaps the finest fire art in the wilderness. Its refined mana was dense and explosive, perfect for condensing pill flames.

But the best manuals available in the market were only mid-grade, like the “Molten Rock Scripture,” and others were restricted by soul-binding prohibitions. After his next-life rejuvenation, both his body and soul would revert, purging all traces of such restrictions—any prohibition signed with his current soul would be rendered void.

This was only a backup plan.

“In my previous life, my blood and energy began to decline at sixty-one, triggering rejuvenation. In this life, I still feel nothing.” He carefully checked himself again—there was still no sign of decay; his energy was in its prime. Li Ji’an remained unsure when rejuvenation would come in this life.

This was, of course, thanks to absorbing spiritual energy, which nourished his body. In theory, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator could live to about one hundred and fifty, though that was an idealized figure. Life as a cultivator was fraught with battles, backlashes from breaking through bottlenecks, and pill toxins. Aside from those who cultivated life-preserving wood or healing water arts, few reached such an age.

At mid-stage Qi Refining, especially at his current fourth level, his theoretical lifespan topped out at about one hundred and ten.

But with his body-tempering at the first-rank peak, he likely had a lifespan of about one hundred and twenty.

“Could it be that my blood energy won’t decline until I’m seventy or eighty?” Li Ji’an was in no hurry. The more time he had, the more preparation he could make, and the safer it would be.

At the very least, he had yet to solve the problem of soul cleansing at the moment of rejuvenation, which rendered Guagua’s beast soul token useless. Until that was resolved, he dared not bring Guagua along, lest all these years of nurturing go to waste.

For this, over the years, aside from Chen Zhaohu, he’d sought out several hunting teams that frequented the deep mountains, posted bounties, and even approached vendors specializing in rare insects at the markets.

For now, all he could do was wait.

A month later, Zhang Tiezhu sent word again—good news this time. His son, Yan Jue, had just turned fifteen, and his spiritual roots had fully formed: a mid-grade earth root with thirteen strands of sensitivity.

This news gave Li Ji’an a thrill as well, confirming his previous theories and making him all the more eager to see what kind of spiritual roots he would have in his next life.