Practice begins with immortality

One day, eight years after Wang Bai's retreat, sunlight streamed through the window lattices of the Sutra Library, casting dappled shadows on the ground. At that moment, a tall, handsome, and imposing young man stood in the center of the Sutra Library. He bowed slightly, raised his hands, and respectfully addressed the front, "Ancestor, Jingtian has returned to report an important matter to you!"

This young man, Leng Jingtian, was Leng Yin's third son. He was gifted with extraordinary talent, having had the good fortune to become a disciple of a Third Tribulation Elder in Bingji Palace in his early years. Now, before he was even ten thousand years old, he had already achieved First Tribulation True Immortal status, a leader among his peers.

Only an indifferent but majestic voice was heard slowly: "What's the matter? Feel free to tell me." As the words fell, the entire Sutra Library seemed to become a little quieter.

Leng Jingtian took a deep breath and then answered solemnly: "Jingtian returned this time because, firstly, he missed his family and came to visit them; secondly, he was ordered by his master to invite the ancestor to a banquet."

As he spoke, Leng Jingtian took out a letter, and Wang Bai took it away.

"Oh? Banquet? What's it about?" The indifferent voice sounded again.

Leng Jingtian explained, "Ancestor, this banquet is hosted by the Xuanqing Dragon Palace. It's said to be grand, celebrating the return of the Dragon Prince, and thus many renowned masters and representatives from various factions have been invited. Our Bingji Palace is also among the invited guests, so our Master has specially sent a disciple to invite you to attend."

"So that's how it is. I already know." The voice continued after a pause.

After Leng Jingtian left the Sutra Library, the room fell silent. After a long moment, a whisper was heard: "The banquet at Xuanqing Dragon Palace... Let me think about it."

Xuanqing Dragon Palace is a powerful faction within Wang Bo's world community. Affiliated with the Dragon Clan, it might not be considered a significant force within the vast dragon system, but in the Tian'a Universe, especially in a remote location like this, it is an undeniably powerful entity. The Dragon Palace's master is a Five Tribulations Being, a Black Dragon King!

This return banquet was actually an ascension banquet. It was a grand banquet held specifically for the Dragon Prince after his ascension and return, to welcome him back.

Perhaps some people may have doubts at this time: since he is the prince of the Dragon Palace, the biological son of the Dragon King, born in the upper realm, possesses the body of a real dragon, and is born to be equivalent to an immortal, then how could he ascend from the lower realm?

The reason lies in the pursuit of everlasting life. In the lower realms, cultivators can achieve immortality simply by raising their cultivation to the fusion stage. However, in the upper realms, while immortals can enjoy relatively long lifespans, when they reach a certain age, the messengers of the underworld will come to claim their souls.

In contrast, in the Lower Realm, where the Netherworld's sphere of influence extends beyond the reach of its inhabitants, beings seemingly as insignificant as ants in the eyes of the Upper Realm immortals are able to outlive them. This inevitably resents some among the immortals. Consequently, a certain master devised a method known as "Reincarnation." Through this method, beings from the Upper Realm can inhabit the bodies of those in the Lower Realm, using the nearly endless time in the Lower Realm to delve into and master profound techniques and secrets.

It's worth noting that those from the upper realm who choose to reincarnate must seal their past memories upon rebirth. Only after embarking on the path of cultivation and gradually improving their cultivation will these sealed memories gradually be unlocked. This phenomenon is precisely what those from the lower realm refer to as "immortals descending to earth."

Powerful factions like the Dragon Clan favor this method of training their descendants. Firstly, they can have more time to comprehend the secret arts, and secondly, they can temper their character so that they can go further on the path of cultivation in the future.

The first generation of demons that Wang Bo had heard about in the universe were this kind of existence. No wonder the Yuan Tu Patriarch said that he was "just born into a good family."

The Dragon Palace banquet naturally offered numerous benefits. The various immortal wines and delicacies served were all beneficial to cultivation, especially since it was the Dragon Prince's Ascension Banquet! The benefits were even greater, but these things certainly weren't meant to be enjoyed for free. Therefore, all attendees were required to bring gifts, and the Dragon Clan, being known for their pride, had extremely high expectations for gifts. Directly presenting immortal stones or magical gold would be unwelcome unless the sum was enormous.

Leng Jingtian’s master, the Ice Sword Immortal Sa Yuanqian, was one of the people attending the banquet.

"No wonder they looked for Ling Tianfeng and a few others. It turns out it was because of the gift!"

After Wang Bo finished reading the letter, a glint of enlightenment flashed in his eyes. Sa Yuanqian wanted to attend the banquet at the Dragon Palace. However, the gift he had prepared wasn't exquisite or valuable enough, leaving the Three Tribulations True Immortal feeling rather embarrassed.

As a dignified Three Tribulations True Immortal, it was impossible for Sa Yuanqian to not even be able to come up with a decent gift. But the fact was that about half a century ago, Sa Yuanqian spent a huge amount of money to forge an immortal sword, almost using up all the precious treasures he had.

In fact, if there were no suitable treasures to offer as gifts, one could simply forgo the banquet. After all, forcing oneself to attend the banquet, only to lose face due to a shabby gift, wouldn't that be more trouble than it's worth? However, therein lay the problem—the benefits offered by this Dragon Palace banquet were truly enticing, too tempting to resist. Furthermore, Sa Yuanqian, a man of inherent greed, naturally didn't want to let this opportunity slip by.

So, after careful consideration, Sa Yuanqian decided to find a few wealthy and close colleagues to work together to save face. Among the many candidates, Ling Tianfeng was undoubtedly an ideal candidate.

Ling Tianfeng was not only the ancestor of Sa Yuanqian's disciples, but also a veteran expert who had achieved breakthroughs long before. He also had a considerable family fortune, making him a man of considerable financial resources. If Sa Yuanqian could obtain his assistance, his trip to the Dragon Palace would surely be much smoother.

"...I hope that fellow immortal Leng Feng will help me out based on our long-standing friendship and give me some more immortal stones and magic gold. I will never forget your kindness!"

.................................

"The Dragon Palace banquet? Sure, you can go. It's quite beneficial and it's also a great opportunity to see the world."

"As for the gift, let's use that one!"

Before he finished speaking, Wang Bai flicked his sleeve, and the next moment, a massive leg bone appeared before him. This was Wang Bai's creation, a leg bone of a 犼 (a type of 犼), imbued with a wisp of the Beast King's power.

"The leg bone of the Fourth Level Beast still contains a trace of its power. It is sufficient as a gift."

This bit of power does not bring much improvement to Wang Bai, but as a gift to the dragon clan, it is definitely of great significance.