Sarah Qin felt an overwhelming sadness.
In the blink of an eye, years of cultivation passed, and with it, the once peaceful world fractured and faded, with hundreds of years slipping by. She had poured every ounce of effort into breaking through the Ninefold Sword Barricade, yet it had taken her three full centuries to accomplish. Though within Shushan, this feat was celebrated as an unprecedented record—achieving the Ninefold Sword Barricade at the Foundation Establishment Stage—Sarah Qin's exceptional talent made even the most seasoned practitioners marvel.
Yet, Sarah felt helpless, believing she had ultimately failed. She couldn't save her father, nor could she protect her friends.
"Jason… I hope that in your next life, you can see the light and become a great cultivator," she murmured. "The life-extending elixirs I prepared for you… in the end, they were all for nothing."
Her gaze lingered sorrowfully on the Swordmaking House before her. The place was the same, yet everything felt irrevocably changed. A glistening tear slipped down her cheek. She took a steadying breath, preparing to leave.
Outside the Swordmaking House, she was no longer a simple cultivator. She was the peerlessly gifted Sarah Qin, radiant with brilliance, and the highly revered Sect Leader of Shushan.
Suddenly, a familiar voice drifted over. "Long time no see. Why are you crying?"
Sarah stopped in her tracks. Her stunning face registered a flash of shock. That voice—it was so familiar. Could it be Jason Chu?
Was she hallucinating? After all, he should have exhausted his life force long ago, shouldn't he?
Disbelief gripped her as she turned to look toward the voice's source. At the end of the small path leading toward the restricted area of the Swordmaking House, a young man walked toward her with a gentle smile on his face.
Dressed in white, the young man had an ethereal presence, yet his most unusual feature was his closed eyes, as if they had never seen light. This figure was unmistakably Jason.
"You… you're alive?" Sarah's eyes widened, disbelief coloring her gaze.
As a powerful Golden Core Sage, she could sense that this young man's presence was unmistakably real and familiar.
"You reached Foundation Establishment?" she asked, her surprise palpable. She noticed that Jason's aura was smooth and stable, signaling that he had successfully forged a solid foundation and was well on his way in his cultivation path.
This was beyond her expectations. She had no idea how someone born with such a profound handicap had managed to break his limits and succeed in reaching Foundation Establishment. Yet seeing him alive stirred a joy in her she hadn't felt in a long time.
"What are you talking about?" Jason responded, his smile brning. "I've already reached the Ninth Layer of the Longevity Stage."
Jason's expression reflected genuine surprise, as if he were amused by Sarah's reaction. He wasn't lying. Over three centuries, not only had he condensed his Golden Core, but he had also progressed to the pinnacle of the Longevity Stage, a level he hadn't originally aimed for at all.
Initially, he had merely intended to condense a Golden Core to renew his body and reach a higher state of being. Surprisingly, the breakthrough came with relative ease, his Golden Core forming smoothly as he shed his former self and rebirthed his bones and muscles. Yet, his sight remained darkened—like he had been born without eyes, a permanent condition beyond mere restoration.
Along his journey, he had gleaned some clues about his condition, learning that the so-called "Heavenly Handicap" wasn't simply a congenital defect but also a curse from above. Rebirth through cultivation didn't guarantee restored sight.
Though he had prepared himself mentally, the actual loss still stung. But devoted to the path of the sword, Jason's will remained resolute. He steeled himself with a single resolve: if the Golden Core stage wasn't enough, he would cultivate to the Longevity Stage, to the Heavenly Gate Stage, or, if necessary, shatter the gates to reach a supreme state of being.
This determination drove him into a cultivation frenzy. Using the vast resources he had gathered from his travels, he secluded himself in cultivation for three hundred years, reaching the Ninth Layer of the Longevity Stage.
"There is one more chance to defy fate at the Heavenly Gate Stage. I hope I can break this curse," Jason mused. Initially, he had intended to remain in seclusion until he reached the Heavenly Gate Stage, but Sarah's unexpected visit to the Swordmaking House had drawn his attention.
Seeing an old friend at his door with such sorrow, as though coming to pay respects at his grave, left Jason both amused and speechless. Feeling compelled to comfort her, he stepped out to meet her.
"Longevity Stage?" Sarah raised an eyebrow, giving him a playful glare. "Not only have you learned to talk nonsense after all this time, but you're also shamelessly exaggerating. I'm the Great Elder of the Heavenly Gate Stage, after all!"
Relieved to see him alive, Sarah's face softened into a radiant smile. However, she rolled her eyes at his claims of reaching the Longevity Stage, finding them utterly implausible. As a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of the Golden Core Stage, she knew the difficulty of breaking into the Longevity Stage—a stage where one's life and body transformed, granting the chance to achieve true immortality.
While she had reached the Ninth Layer of the Golden Core Stage herself, even as an unparalleled genius, she couldn't be sure she'd reach the Longevity Stage within five hundred years. Attaining it required not only cultivation but also a depth of experience and epiphanies born of profound insight.
Jason, a "shut-in" swordsmith in the Swordmaking House, couldn't possibly have acquired that experience. In fact, she had her suspicions when she first saw him.
The Swordmaking House had existed for eight thousand years, with many powerful figures leaving countless secrets behind. Even the esteemed Dugu, the Sword Demon Ancestor, had belonged to the lineage of the Swordmaking House.
Perhaps, over his years as a swordsmith apprentice, Jason had stumbled upon some ancient inheritance left behind by one of those great figures. That might explain how he had managed to break through from Houtian (Acquired), soaring through Xiantian (Innate) and Grandmaster stages, reaching Foundation Establishment and acquiring a lifespan of a thousand years.
"Im not lying. I really have reached the Longevity Stage," Jason sighed, shrugging at Sarah's skepticism.
She was his only friend, so he didn't mind sharing the truth about his strength with her. He just hadn't expected that when he laid his cards on the table, she wouldn't believe him, which left him a bit at a loss.
"Alright, alright, I get it. You're in the Longevity Stage," Sarah teased. "But remember, the next time you tell someone you've reached the Longevity Stage, you should refer to yourself as a 'Heavenly Sovereign of Longevity.' In our world, anyone at the Longevity Stage is honored with that title."
Her tone turned serious, and her gaze softened as she fixed her crystal-clear eyes on him. "Since you're willing to be so honest with me, I suppose it's my turn to reveal something."
Her voice dropped to a gentle lilt, and she beamed at him with a mischievous sparkle. "The truth is, I'm the Sect Leader of Shushan."
Sarah waited with anticipation, her smile widening as she observed Jason's reaction.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]