Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Zhang Zhiwei moved to the table for the younger generation and sat down, and Lü Ci, Lu Jin, and the others immediately followed suit.

Previously, Zhang Zhiwei was in the main guest seat, which was occupied by the leaders of various sects. The younger generation dared not squeeze in there.

Now that Zhang Zhiwei has set up a separate table, they immediately followed suit, and the table was soon packed with people.

Some young talents and even veteran masters who wanted to befriend Zhang Zhiwei immediately regretted their actions and secretly hated themselves for being too slow.

The most enthusiastic one to arrive was Lü Ci, who was the first to move, followed by Lu Jin, and then all the younger generation at his table followed.

"Hey you guys," Zhang Zhiwei said irritably, looking at the table that had suddenly become crowded, "why are you sticking over here like leeches?"

"Hehe," Lü Ci grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, "It's been quite a while since I've seen Senior Brother Zhang, I've missed you terribly!"

"You've only been home for a few days?" Zhang Zhiwei said.

"Over the years, I have been very grateful to Brother Zhang for taking care of me at Longhu Mountain," said Lü Ren, clasping his hands.

"No problem," Zhang Zhiwei said, looking at Lü Ren.

Lu Ren had a gentle and refined face, but his hairstyle made Zhang Zhiwei feel somewhat out of place.

Because his hairstyle is the same as Lü Ci's in the story.

To be precise, it was after Lü Ren's death in the story that Lü Ci, in order to remember her brother, specially styled her hair to resemble Lü Ren's.

Now, Lü Ren is unharmed, while Lü Ci still sports his flamboyant spiky hairstyle.

When Zhang Zhiwei was examining Lü Ren, he specifically used his "Delusion-Breaking Divine Eye" to observe his fate line and found that it was very smooth and had not been interrupted in recent years.

This shows that his fate has been completely reversed.

Zhang Zhiwei laughed and said, "Speaking of which, it's been quite a few years since I last saw Da Bi."

Upon hearing this, Lü Ren was somewhat flattered: "Senior Brother Zhang, you flatter me! In recent years, I have been busy with family affairs and have not been able to visit you at Longhu Mountain. I am truly sorry for my rudeness. Please forgive me, Senior Brother Zhang!"

"We've been through thick and thin together, there's no need for such formalities," Zhang Zhiwei waved his hand.

Lu Ren felt a warmth in his heart and quickly raised his wine glass to toast Zhang Zhiwei.

Zhang Zhiwei didn't hesitate, readily raised his glass, and immediately clinked glasses with him. The two drank it all in one gulp.

Just as he put down his wine cup, Lü Ci leaned over again, refilled it, and chuckled, "Senior Brother Zhang, you saw my match with Lu Mang just now, right? Could you give me some pointers? How should I practice my skills to take them to the next level?"

He stared longingly at Zhang Zhiwei. There was no other way; with Master Zuo guiding him, Lu Jin could only cling to his senior brother Zhang Zhiwei's coattails.

"Didn't I tell you to hone your life force?" Zhang Zhiwei said.

Lu Ci said, "Life is of course of importance. Over the years, I have been hoeing the ground every day, without stopping day and night. But I can't have made no progress in my skills. The main problem is that I am a little confused about the evolution of the Ruyi Zhenjin. I feel that there is still a lot of room for improvement, but I don't know how to improve."

“What you say makes some sense. Let me think about how you can take your methods to the next level…” Zhang Zhiwei pondered for a moment, then said:

"You have already mastered the Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound, and then integrated the Vibration Force and Overlapping Force into your Ruyi Force, thus developing the Ruyi Vibration Force, but this is not enough."

"When practicing martial arts and fists, the focus is initially on techniques, but as one progresses, the emphasis shifts to strength, momentum, and artistic conception."

“You have only simulated the form of ‘Zhen’ with Ruyi Jin, which is merely superficial and lacks the most crucial essence.”

"Your cultivation strategy from now on is very simple."

Zhang Zhiwei pointed to the ground beneath his feet: "Go and feel the pulse of these mountains and rivers, the breath and vibration of the earth, and try to experience the magnificent power and profound rhythm of the geological tremors!"

"Then, through the method of visualization and contemplation, bring this insight into your spiritual world and ponder it day and night."

"Over time, your Ruyi Vibration Force may well nurture that divine intent originating from the depths of the earth..."

Lu Ci listened carefully to Zhang Zhiwei's advice and was very excited. He had never thought that he could improve himself in this way.

If it really works out… Lu Ci glanced at Lu Jin. Wouldn’t this brute be an easy target?! Completely at my mercy?!
Seeing that Lü Ci had already gone to ask for advice, Lu Jin quickly went to ask Zhang Zhiwei for advice as well.

Lu Jin and Lü Ci are different.

With the guidance of the Left Sect Master, Lu Jin progressed steadily and surely. Zhang Zhiwei didn't have much to teach him, so he simply told him to hone his life foundation and let things take their natural course.

With these two taking the lead, the other younger people at the table also took the opportunity of toasting to ask Zhang Zhiwei for advice on their cultivation problems.

Zhang Zhiwei was in a good mood today, patiently listening to everyone's questions and providing crucial guidance.

Perhaps seeing that everyone at their table was asking for advice by toasting, people at other tables started to get eager to try it too.

Just then, a figure carrying a wine glass slowly walked over.

It was none other than the Great Ying Immortal, Zuo Ruotong!
With the arrival of the big shot, those who were itching to make a move immediately suppressed their thoughts. To go up and disturb him at this time would be incredibly tactless!
When Lu Jin saw his master coming over, he quickly stood up to offer him a seat.

The others at the table also moved their chairs and respectfully bowed to the Left Gatekeeper.

The title of the Great Immortal is not much lower than that of the Little Celestial Master in the martial arts world, and they also have great respect for Master Zuo.

Zuo Ruotong nodded to them: "Excuse me, everyone, I've come here today to ask my friend Zhiwei for some advice."

"What do you mean by asking for advice!" Zhang Zhiwei said. "Master Zuo, you're going too far with those words. This junior can't accept such praise!"

"Just telling the truth!" Master Zuo laughed. "Young friend Zhiwei, I seem to have some feelings lately and would like to discuss them with you."

“Please speak, Master Zuo.” Zhang Zhiwei said solemnly, “This junior will certainly speak frankly and without reservation, but my knowledge is shallow and I may not be able to offer any insightful opinions.”

Seeing this, Lu Jin very perceptively told everyone to get up and leave their seats, leaving the space to her master and Zhang Zhiwei.

The Left Sect Leader did not stop Lu Jin's actions. What he wanted to talk to Zhang Zhiwei about today concerned the future direction of the Sanyi Sect, and it was indeed not appropriate for outsiders to hear it.

Actually, he had originally planned to go to Longhu Mountain to discuss Taoism with Zhang Zhiwei after some time, but since they happened to be gathered at Wudang Mountain this time, and on a whim, they decided to discuss it here.

Moreover, the Celestial Master is right there, so you can ask them for answers if you have any questions.

Master Zuo said, "It concerns the future direction of the Sanyi Sect. Although it has been confirmed that the threefold path cannot lead to the heavens, I have thought about it for a long time and feel that the essence of the concepts left by our ancestors is not entirely without value and should not be discarded. However, how to distinguish and select, and discard the dross and retain the essence, is still shrouded in mystery for me."

Zhang Zhiwei nodded: "To be able to establish a sect and gain the recognition of the entire supernatural world, the Three One Ancestor is definitely not an empty name. Even if the final result deviates from expectations, there must be something to learn from his ideas. Moreover, it is very common in the supernatural world for sect founding ideas to deviate from reality."

Zuo Ruotong nodded in deep agreement. Wasn't Quanxing the most typical example?
Moreover, a formal leader emerged in the middle of the Quanxing sect: Yao Guangxiao, the Black-Clad Prime Minister. He changed the Quanxing's rules of conduct, completely pushing the organization to the opposite side of everyone.

Ever since he realized that the Three Ones Sect's path of reverse rebirth and triple ascension to immortality was blocked, he went back and carefully reviewed the sect's history. The history of the Three Ones Sect began when its founder, Lin Zhao'en, was three years old.

When the patriarch was three years old, Wang Yangming, the Confucian sage, visited the Lin family, praised the patriarch's outstanding appearance, and imparted his skills to him.

The patriarch first cultivated the philosophy of mind, but later encountered a bottleneck and abandoned Confucianism to embrace Buddhism;

After studying Buddhism for several years, he abandoned Buddhism and entered Taoism, devoting himself to the study of human nature and destiny.

After achieving spiritual enlightenment, he returned to Confucianism to cultivate his mind.

Five years later, he broke away from Confucianism and established his own school, the Sanyi School, which combines the three teachings.

At that time, Japanese pirates attacked, and Lin Zhaoen led the Sanyi Sect to resist them. He also cooperated with the famous general Qi Jiguang to defeat the invading pirates.

Thus, the Sanyi Sect gained a great reputation and established itself in the martial arts world, but it was only a foothold and far from being as famous as it is today.

However, looking at the entire history of the sect, he discovered that there were two major turning points during the previous dynasty.

First, in the 55th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the Sanyi Sect, which had been developing well, was regarded as an "evil sect" because it did not abide by some unreasonable rules of the imperial court. It was then subjected to a large-scale purge and lost a large number of disciples.

Later, with the change of emperors, the ban was gradually ignored. The Sanyi Sect began to develop again.

However, as it developed to a certain point, it encountered the same problem as before, and Sanyimen still refused to comply.

Therefore, in the fifty-third year of Qianlong's reign, the imperial court once again suppressed the Sanyi Sect.

Strangely, this crackdown was much more intense than the last one, but the Sanyi Sect did not suffer the same heavy losses as before, and it took decades to barely recover.

On the contrary, as if divinely aided, they grew stronger with each blow, recovering their strength in just a few decades, forcing the imperial court to abandon their suppression efforts, and even rising to become a major sect of Taoism.

In previous years, under his leadership, it even earned the reputation of "the number one Taoist sect in the world".

Previously, he only thought it was the protection of the ancestral master.

But later, he gradually figured out something different. There must be something fishy about things that are not normal. Why were the results of the two purges of the Sanyi Sect so different?
The Left Gate Master began to trace back the past of the San Yi Gate.

The current system within the gate is a continuation of the system established after the second purge by the previous dynasty.

The current Sanyi Sect focuses on the cultivation of techniques and has lost its roots in the Xuanmen (mystical) sect.

Did this root exist before?

Zuo Ruotong couldn't say for sure either. Judging from the different results of the two purges, the Sanyi Sect must have changed a lot during this catastrophe.

Because these days, he has been focusing on cultivating his life force rather than his techniques, but the result is that his progress is extremely slow.

Even the most talented among the newly initiated disciples can only barely reach the point of Qi transforming into flesh and blood after seven or eight years of hard work.

According to the old method, disciples with such talent, when combined with elixirs to improve their physique, could master the reversal state in about three years.

The difference between ten years and three years is obvious, and the higher you go, the greater this difference may become.

However, the advantage is that the risk is greatly reduced, and there will almost never be cases of death or disability. Moreover, under the same circumstances, the strength will be greater.

Based on this, he boldly speculated that the former Sanyi Sect might have had the roots of the Xuanmen Sect, otherwise why would it be called the Xuanmen Sect?

After all, if it wasn't true in the first place, other sects wouldn't acknowledge it.

What was the case at the beginning, but not now, may be due to life-or-death issues, forcing them to change themselves from a steady and pragmatic pursuit of the Dao to a pursuit of techniques that rapidly enhance combat power, in order to ensure the continuation of their lineage under the suppression of the imperial court.

This also explains why other Xuanmen sects in the past could not exist as a fake Xuanmen sect like the Sanyi Sect, and why it has continued to this day.

But that's all in the future. What happened in the past is no longer important now. The Sanyi Sect has lost its roots, and what he needs to do is reconnect them.

The best and simplest way to establish a connection with one's ancestors is to refer to their teachings.

After all, regardless of whether the Sanyi Sect had any roots back then, its founder was a disciple of a sage who had witnessed the true power of those who had reached the heavens, so his ideas must have some merit.

Taking this idea with you and consulting Zhang Zhiwei, who is likely to have extraordinary connections, might yield some results. After all, we can learn from others' experiences.

Afterwards, Zuo Ruotong explained her doubts to Zhang Zhiwei in detail.

During the last discussion, Master Zuo demonstrated the general outline of the Threefold Reverse Rebirth cultivation to Zhang Zhiwei. Zhang Zhiwei was very familiar with the Threefold Reverse Rebirth, so he did not need Master Zuo to repeat it.

Master Zuo said, "According to the patriarch, a person's life originates from the formless and imageless void. When a person is first born, their nature and life are perfectly integrated, which is the primordial Qi."

"The primordial Qi then evolves into the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit. These three treasures are continuously consumed until the body decays and life dissipates."

"Therefore, if one wishes to live forever, this process must be reversed, so that essence, qi, and spirit return to their original state, revert to the primordial primordial qi, and then return to the formless and imageless void. This is the state of ascension, and also the true essence of the threefold rebirth!"

“In the past, we simply thought that if we cultivated the Reverse Life to the third level, we could completely return to the state of primordial Qi, unite with the Dao, and ascend to the Great Void.”

"The result... is that I have indeed returned to the state of primordial Qi, but it is only temporary, and the primordial Qi is still being consumed. I cannot ascend or live forever; it is just a powerful technique."

“But after discussing the Dao with you, my friend Zhiwei, last time, I suddenly had an idea. Perhaps the state of reversal is a state that one naturally possesses after reaching a certain level of attainment.”

"This state does not require the transformation of qi and spirit; it should be maintained continuously, without increasing or decreasing."

Zuo Ruotong said in a deep voice, "This is also why I have been able to maintain the reverse life state for decades, because it should have been able to be maintained indefinitely, but we just went down the wrong path."

Zhang Zhiwei nodded. It was indeed possible. Maintaining the same method for decades was something that was quite astonishing.

Using abilities requires mobilizing one's own energy and spirit, which is much more tiring than exercise such as walking or jogging.

How many people can run around tirelessly for decades without sleep?
Even Zhang Zhiwei was surprised when he learned of this, but Master Zuo still managed to do it.

Besides marveling at Master Zuo's perseverance, he also praised the ingenuity of the Reverse Regeneration technique, noting that its powerful and lasting effects were truly rare.

But what if this method has always been in place?
In this way, it becomes somewhat reasonable that the Left Gate Chief could maintain his position for several decades.

Master Zuo continued, "Over the years, I have been searching for a way forward, and at the same time, I have been reflecting on the past and eager to find the shortcomings and make up for them."

"Over the years, I have actually figured out something different. Perhaps the problem is not entirely about disregarding life, but about something much bigger."

"I'm now aware of the problem, but I feel somewhat at a loss as to where to begin. So, I've come to ask my friend Zhiwei for advice: if you were in my shoes, how would you handle this?" (End of Chapter)