Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation

The carriage to the Prefectural City was provided by the Martial Academy, and the County Office also sent constables to escort it, so the journey was uneventful, and they arrived safely after half a month.

His previous life's experiences made him thoroughly familiar with Shangyi County, and with the Zixiao Temple as his backing, he was virtually worry-free within Shangyi County.

However, upon arriving in Chongan Prefecture, Li Ji'an became instinctively cautious.

He declined the offer from the experienced coachman of the Martial Academy to show him around the Prefectural City, which was several times more prosperous than Shangyi County, and went straight to the Xún Xiān Institute to report.

"A dragon emerges from the shallows! Young friend, your future is immeasurable. Please have a seat while I prepare your credentials." Thanks to his second-place ranking in the Prefecture-wide Martial Examination, the steward of the Xún Xiān Institute was very polite to Li Ji'an and generous with his praise.

Li Ji'an respectfully returned the courtesy: "Sir, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise. I am deeply grateful for your personal attention to this matter."

The old steward raised his eyebrows slightly and scrutinized Li Ji'an again: "Excellent, excellent. Young and successful, yet without arrogance or impetuosity. Your temperament is also excellent. Your future is indeed immeasurable."

Li Ji'an bowed again.

Although he had never been to the Prefectural City in his previous life, he had learned much about it through various channels. The Prefectural City's Xún Xiān Institute belonged to the Xún Xiān Palace, the most powerful department of the Immortal Bestowal Dynasty.

The Palace Master of the Xún Xiān Palace was personally appointed by the emperors of each generation.

All matters under heaven can be delayed, except for the selection of Immortal Seedlings, which must not be taken lightly.

This was the motto passed down through generations of the Zhao Imperial Family.

The steward of the Chongan Prefecture Xún Xiān Institute was a Rank Four official. Even the Prefect of Chongan Prefecture would not dare to flaunt his official authority in front of him.

Moreover, those who could hold this position were at least Great Martial Masters with complete Blood Exchange.

Skin, Flesh, Bone, Blood, Marrow, Organs. Skin Grinding was just the foundation, Flesh Tempering was considered entry-level, Bone Forging was a hurdle that blocked eighty percent of martial artists.

As for Blood Exchange... it was a chasm that blocked ninety-nine percent of the people in the world.

Only when one's ordinary blood was refined by pure Qi and Blood could one be considered to have truly shed their mortal form, possessing extraordinary power, subduing dragons and tigers, and single-handedly withstanding an army of ten thousand.

The Xún Xiān Palace's true "Immortal Seedlings" were also limited to those with complete Blood Exchange.

In this life, Li Ji'an's roots were good due to the medicinal nourishment he received from the age of eight. Coupled with his ten years of martial arts experience from his previous life, and the added benefit of his "Rejuvenation" comprehension, he spent three months in stance training, six months in Skin Grinding, and a year in Flesh Tempering, which could be considered remarkable progress.

However, he did not dare to be careless about the next hurdle, "Bone Forging."

As for completing Blood Exchange before the Immortal Seedling Ceremony, he was not very confident.

The Immortal Seedling selection had already taken place five years ago in this life. Theoretically, Li Ji'an had two more chances in this life: once in five years at the age of twenty, and once in fifteen years at the age of thirty.

If he could complete Blood Exchange in five years, his chances would be great.

But if it were fifteen years later, at the age of thirty he would be at the limit, and his age score would be almost zero. If he wanted to stand out among the entire Immortal Bestowal Dynasty and become one of the top ten, he would probably have to complete Marrow Cleansing or even achieve minor success in Organ Refinement to be competitive.

"This is your Institute Plate. Please keep it safe. With this plate, no one in the entire Chongan Prefecture will dare to offend you," Steward Hao said, handing the nameplate to Li Ji'an and casually offering a reminder.

"Thank you, sir!"

The more Steward Hao looked at Li Ji'an, the more he liked him. Feeling the vigorous Qi and Blood emanating from his body at close range, he nodded frequently, his eyes filled with endless regret.

"Ah, it's good to be young." He was already over seventy years old, and his Qi and Blood were declining faster and faster. Every day he was on a downward slope, and he increasingly regretted his youthful arrogance and self-confidence. Seeing Li Ji'an today, he was reminded of his former self.

His former self, who was not even as good as the Li Ji'an before him who had completed Flesh Tempering at the age of fifteen, was self-righteous, arrogant, and complacent, indulging in flattery and praise, lost in the mundane world. He originally had the potential to become a Qi and Blood Grandmaster of his generation, but ultimately stopped at Blood Exchange, watching helplessly as he decayed and rotted.

He dreamed of returning to his youth, but alas... flowers may bloom again, but youth never returns.

"Little Li, early success is not always a good thing, and late bloomers can also attain the Dao. Strive hard and do not waste your talent." Before leaving, Steward Hao couldn't help but offer a reminder.

But that was all. Young people had not experienced the world, and with their amazing achievements, it was difficult to maintain their original intentions.

No matter how correct the reasoning, if the other party had not experienced it, and had not been taught by elders from childhood, they would not be able to understand and comprehend it.

Li Ji'an deeply agreed with Steward Hao's reminder.

However, this reasoning was of little use to him.

On the contrary, with his ability to "Rejuvenate," he could "be young again." In the future, he would definitely experience too much early success, and there was almost no possibility of late blooming!

Moreover, how could the so-called "late bloomer" compare to his accumulation over countless lifetimes?

After thanking Steward Hao, a servant in the institute led him to the residential area of the Xún Xiān Institute.

"Young Master Li, you are the second-ranked in the entire Prefecture, so you have been specially assigned a detached courtyard in Area A. This way, please." The servant led the way, introducing Li Ji'an to the various areas of the institute and the precautions to take.

"Thank you!" As steady as he was, in order to ensure his safety in the Prefectural City's Xún Xiān Institute, he had naturally learned the details from the Dean of the Shangyi County Martial Academy and had a clear understanding of everything.

The Xún Xiān Institutes of the thirteen Prefectures of the Immortal Bestowal Dynasty also faced great pressure. If they failed to send a qualified Immortal Seedling to the Imperial City's Xún Xiān Palace for ten consecutive years, they would be severely punished!

There had even been records of dereliction of duty punishable by death if the Emperor was angered.

The Chongan Prefecture Xún Xiān Institute had failed to send an Immortal Seedling to the Xún Xiān Palace for three consecutive years.

Therefore, they treated geniuses and quasi-Immortal Seedlings with extra care.

The servant's attitude towards Li Ji'an was respectful all the way, not without fawning. However, just as they arrived in front of the gate of the Area A厢舍, the servant frowned slightly, gave Li Ji'an an apologetic smile, and quickly walked up.

"Have you all forgotten the rules of the institute?"

Five people stood side by side in front of the gate of Area A. Their originally somewhat casual expressions instantly became solemn when they saw Li Ji'an and the servant arrive.

Ignoring the servant's reprimand, the five of them greeted Li Ji'an.

Li Ji'an raised his eyebrows slightly, a smile appearing on his face.

He recognized one of them as Xiao Wu, the little fellow who had entered the Martial Academy in his eighth year in his previous life.

Thirteen-year-old Xiao Wu had just entered the Martial Academy, his childishness had not faded, and he had left his parents' care for the first time, so he was very lonely and lost.

He thought that Li Ji'an was a member of the Martial Academy, and he had no airs, and he was very amiable and humble, so he became somewhat dependent on Li Ji'an.

Later, when he learned Li Ji'an's true identity, he was shocked, and his relationship with Li Ji'an became even closer, almost a friendship between people of different generations.

As the saying goes, children speak without malice. He often laughed at Li Ji'an for being older than his father and still coming to practice martial arts with him, becoming his fellow disciple, which was embarrassing.

However, he only allowed himself to laugh at him, but he did not allow others to laugh at him, because he had fought with people several times for laughing at Li Ji'an.

He still remembered that before he was about to take the Martial Examination, he patted his chest and promised Li Ji'an that as long as he succeeded in the Martial Examination, he would come back to protect Li Ji'an in the future, and he also said that if Li Ji'an had a son, he would fund the medicinal materials for nourishing his tendons and strengthening his bones.

It was just that Li Ji'an did not wait for him to participate in the Martial Examination before he "Rejuvenated."

For the next five years, he had been in the Zixiao Temple and lost contact.

When he had just entered the Martial Academy two years ago, he learned that this kid had failed the Martial Examination that year, and two years later, in the second test, he barely managed to enter the Xún Xiān Institute, and had now been in the institute for five years.