"Did he just fly away?" Wang Xuan and Old Chen exchanged glances, both ready to confront the situation, whether to strike the immortal or prepare to be struck themselves.

"Floating like an ethereal being, transcending to immortality."

"This is how immortals should be—grand and majestic!"

With the figure gone, Old Chen and Wang Xuan couldn't help but praise him, reflecting their true feelings. If immortals were like this, they wouldn't have to be on guard, allowing them to cultivate peacefully in the inner realm without fear of being attacked.

"Not at all petty! If every immortal were like this, that would be ideal!" Wang Xuan added.

Upon hearing this, Old Chen's face twitched. He wanted to cover Wang Xuan's mouth; such words shouldn't be spoken lightly. In an instant, he felt an eerie chill in the inner realm, sensing something was off.

Wang Xuan also felt anxious, whispering, "Old Chen, I think I just saw a flash of sword light at the entrance of the inner realm—a celestial maiden floated by."

Old Chen nearly exploded with anger. "Master Wang, please be cautious and shut your mouth!" He was genuinely frightened. After finally finding a tranquil inner realm, what if a female sword immortal burst in and struck them down again? They'd have no recourse!

Wang Xuan wasn't sure if he'd imagined it, but he dared not speak further. Who would willingly invite trouble? He quietly noted in his mind: *Beware of the ethereal sword maiden!*

The two shared a glance and decided not to mention the matter again, focusing on their cultivation. The opportunity was rare, and the peacefulness here was even more precious.

Wang Xuan continued to practice the golden body technique. He had almost reached the sixth level before, just breaking through the final barrier, but it hadn't felt complete.

One month, two months…

Half a year later, Wang Xuan's body trembled violently, golden light bursting forth as he finally stepped into the realm of the sixth level of the golden body technique.

He felt a surge of power throughout his body, his spirit more vibrant than ever, a tangible mental energy glowing like golden flames.

Outside, in Old Chen's hospital room, Qingmu was startled; it hadn't been long since Wang Xuan entered, yet his face was already peeling again!

"Young people are so thick-skinned, shedding layers like this!" Qingmu envied. This meant Wang Xuan's golden body technique was maturing significantly, leading to another substantial power increase.

In the inner realm, Wang Xuan let out a breath. At this level, he figured ordinary bullets wouldn't be able to penetrate his flesh. He imagined that under normal circumstances, bullets would only break the skin and cause minor bleeding, the projectile hardly able to embed itself.

In a cold weapons era, typical means and ordinary people would find it nearly impossible to kill him.

"How about you, Old Chen? Have you broken through?" Wang Xuan looked over.

Old Chen nodded calmly. "Almost there; I just need to settle and refine it a bit. Shouldn't be a problem."

Wang Xuan felt relieved upon hearing this, knowing Old Chen must have broken through, interpreting his old colleague's words with a discerning ear, never taking everything at face value.

"That's great! Glad to hear it!" Wang Xuan sighed in relief.

"Why do I feel like you care more about this than I do? Are you feeling relieved?" Old Chen questioned, suspicious.

"Of course! Not only are you alive, but you've also broken through. With you at the forefront, everyone's eyes will be on you. That means I have less pressure—my effort to save you wasn't in vain."

It was easy to imagine the explosive news when Old Chen, who had lain there for months, stood up again. There would be no shortage of attention on him, and it would be hard to conceal the power he had gained after the breakthrough.

"Listening to you makes me feel like future storms and raging waves will crash down on me, while you'll be sitting back, relaxing and cultivating!" Old Chen could envision such scenarios.

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Wang Xuan shook his head. "I have my fair share of challenges to face. Some want to keep me grounded on the old earth, blocking my path to the new star. Others simply want me dead, and I still haven't figured out who the instigator is. Plus, some financial groups and big organizations are already eyeing me. For example, Old Wu is trying to recruit me into their exploration team. Who knows what else awaits?"

It was hard to believe that just last night they had been fighting for their lives, yet today they were calmly cultivating and chatting.

Now, both were practicing the ancient techniques of the pre-Qin alchemists, with no pressure for survival. Their poses were quite relaxed, akin to soaking in a hot spring filled with mysterious substances, leisurely conversing.

Wang Xuan asked, "Old Chen, what level are you at now? Can you tell me about the realms of the old arts and what lies ahead?"

"You mean my current level? I have few rivals in this era, but in ancient times… let's not discuss it," Old Chen replied, suddenly feeling a wave of emotion.

"Please, tell me more," Wang Xuan urged, curious about the ancient realms of the old arts.

Old Chen sighed, "I hesitate to say too much for fear of discouraging you. The truth is, I'm somewhat skeptical about those ancient things—they seem too mysterious and unbelievable."

Wang Xuan pressed, insisting he needed to hear it.

Old Chen asked, "Do you think I'm strong enough?"

"You're very strong! You can split mechas with your sword; now that you've broken through, can you cut through small warships?" Wang Xuan asked.

"What are you thinking? If a warship locked onto me, a single energy cannon would send me to my grave," Old Chen lamented. This wasn't the cold weapons era; even someone who surpassed grandmasters like him had to keep a low profile in this age of advanced technology, or he wouldn't escape death.

Unless he could step into the realm of myths, reproducing the astonishing feats of the old arts' legends.

Old Chen spoke seriously. "Let's compare it using the levels of Go. In this era, I've surpassed the grandmaster level and belong to the highest ranks. But in the brilliant ancient era of the old arts, I'm merely the highest rank among amateur players—just starting out compared to real professionals."

Wang Xuan was genuinely stunned. Old Chen had just broken through, yet he was stronger than when he split the mecha at Pamirs, and in ancient times, he was still just a novice?!

"So, I prefer not to mention these things to avoid scaring you," Old Chen sighed.

"I'm not scared at all; I'm actually excited!" Wang Xuan's eyes lit up. "So, if you keep getting stronger, eventually even warships might not pose a threat to your physical body? For instance, Old Chen, if you keep developing like this, you'll surely be able to split a warship with your sword one day!"

Old Chen's eyes were deep as he said, "Old Wang, so this is what you're like!"

Wang Xuan scoffed, "Old Chen, don't drag me into this; it's about you. I don't do those things—unless, of course, the person who wants me dead is from some big organization. If that's the case, one day I'll go after him, even if I have to face a super energy cannon!"

"Are you practicing the golden body technique to eventually tear a warship apart with your bare hands?" Old Chen asked casually.

"Is that even possible?"

"Not really!" Old Chen ruthlessly extinguished some of Wang Xuan's violent thoughts, but then added, "Zhang Daoling's body techniques… maybe they could."

"I'm not that kind of person. I practice the old arts to strengthen my body and for self-defense!" Wang Xuan replied passionately, his words striking like a hammer.

Then he began asking Old Chen about various aspects of the old arts in ancient times, particularly about the levels of power and their strengths at different stages.

Old Chen shook his head. "I haven't really delved into those classifications because they seem meaningless; you'll understand your power when you reach it naturally."

Wang Xuan didn't buy it. "Old Chen, I suspect you've been hit hard by those levels, right? Talking about it just brings tears, so you'd rather not mention it?"

Old Chen's expression darkened. "Let me tell you something meaningful instead: the secret paths of the old arts go beyond just the inner realm."

Wang Xuan was intrigued and perked up. "There's more?"

Old Chen nodded. "The ancient paths look quite complex now, and some things I find hard to believe. For instance, ‘meditation'—you and I came straight to the inner realm. Then there's ‘finding the path,' which involves discovering a real road that can be traveled but is invisible to ordinary people. And ‘gathering herbs'—the herbs aren't the ones visible to us but rather ‘heavenly herbs'…"

Wang Xuan listened, mesmerized, hardly believing the old arts could be so mysterious. Although Old Chen's descriptions were vague, they ignited his imagination—these were all secret paths to power!

He had just found the inner realm, and there was still so much mystery waiting for him to explore.

The two of them, like researchers soaking in a hot spring, chatted casually while cultivating, thoroughly relaxed.

Unfortunately, the inner realm, opened by that raw jade, would begin to fade by the fourth year, and they'd likely have to leave in a year or so.

They chatted about everything, truly as relaxed as one could be.

"Old Chen, what do you think ‘transcending to immortality' really entails? So far, not a single person seems to have survived; they all got shattered by lightning. If that's the case, do immortals even exist? It feels like they've all perished. For instance, that female sword immortal was so powerful, yet she's left with just a fragment…"

At this point, Wang Xuan quickly shut his mouth, as he seemed to glimpse a streak of sword light at the entrance, a beautiful shadow floating past.

"Oh no, this sword immortal… is she eavesdropping?!" Wang Xuan wiped the cold sweat off his brow, daring only to think in his heart.

Fortunately, Old Chen hadn't noticed the female sword immortal and didn't mention her, probably due to his large psychological shadow, always on guard, never wanting to speak of her.

However, Old Chen continued discussing the matter of transcending to immortality, capturing Wang Xuan's rapt attention. He added, "I believe the immortals might still be around us…"