Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 52: Foresight and Long-Term Planning

"Gang Leader Li, you overestimate me."

Zhang Yao hurriedly stood up and supported Li Xiaofeng.

After the two sat down again, there was a hint of excitement in Li Xiaofeng’s expression.

Within the Cao Bang, there was no lack of Absolute Peak Experts. Just the Squad Leaders and Guardian Elders together amounted to more than a dozen.

Among these many Absolute Peak Experts, selecting a few with good talent who do not frequently engage in combat and letting them start cultivating their mind and spirit, waiting for the right time, was completely feasible.

His lifespan was not long, but he could at least hold on for a few more years. Within these years, the probability of the Cao Bang producing a new Grandmaster was quite high.

In this way, both the Cao Bang and his family could be preserved.

"Governor Zhang, your help is as good as giving me a new life..."

Li Xiaofeng repeatedly expressed his gratitude, with a look of appreciation.

After the two chatted for a while longer, he couldn’t wait to stand up and take his leave, hurriedly taking a boat back to the Jiangdu Headquarters.

After Li Xiaofeng left, Zhang Yao returned alone to the garden pavilion, sat back down at the small stove, picked up the teacup on the stone table, and drank it all in one go.

The tea had long turned cold as it went down his throat, yet it couldn’t extinguish the increasingly intense fire within his heart.

"So there really are Immortal Families in this world..."

Zhang Yao muttered to himself, his eyes deep as a pool.

The secret he learned from Li Xiaofeng had completely overturned his decades of understanding.

It turned out that within this heaven and earth, far away from the mundane world, there was a vast and bizarre world.

At this moment: countless thoughts clashed, making Zhang Yao’s mind as chaotic as a tangled skein of hemp.

He had thought that a Martial Arts Grandmaster was the peak of humanity, but unexpectedly, above them, there were Immortal Families, showing him a new path forward.

At the same time, the caution ingrained in his bones returned, causing him to regret being so ostentatious, wanton, and reckless over the past two decades, completely lacking in crisis awareness.

What is a Grandmaster? Perhaps even the aftermath of an Immortal Family’s Magical Battle could easily turn him into ashes.

"Hoo..."

Zhang Yao took a deep breath, a familiar feeling welling up.

It was like decades ago when he was wildly cultivating Martial Arts daily, acting cautiously and low-key, hiding his true strength, all to deal with a crisis that might erupt suddenly.

Now, he discovered new power, a new level, which equated to a potential new crisis.

If he didn’t know about the existence of Immortal Families, he could continue to indulge himself, carefree and happy. But now that he knew, he could no longer return to his past mindset.

"I must become a Cultivator, or some kind of ’Immortal Family’ being!"

Once this thought appeared, it immediately took root and firmly embedded itself in Zhang Yao’s heart.

He was a Longevity Seeker, pursuing eternal freedom and ease. He could not allow his life to be out of control, possibly dying like an ant at any moment.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, Zhang Yao stretched out his palm and pressed downwards, causing the flames in the small stove to suddenly lower, almost extinguishing.

And his palm was still a full foot above the top of the flame!

"Everyone is mistaken!"

"The Grandmaster Realm is definitely not the pinnacle of Martial Dao!"

Zhang Yao’s gaze was deep, recalling his experiences over the past twenty years, the insights in his heart growing ever deeper.

In the past twenty years, his Martial Arts didn’t stagnate as expected; instead, he continued to progress, gradually stepping into a profound new realm.

The Martial Arts True Qi had multiplied several times over, and the range of its external extension increased from the original three inches to the current one foot, significantly boosting his combat power.

Compared to himself twenty years ago, he could now take on three opponents at once.

"Compared to other Grandmasters, my greatest advantage is maintaining the peak state of vitality and blood."

"This is enough to show that the process of True Qi nurturing has never stopped."

Most Grandmasters, when they refine True Qi, are already in their fifties or sixties, far beyond their peak of vitality and blood.

Their physical state no longer supports the nurturing of True Qi, making it very difficult, or even impossible, for them to advance in strength.

Under the ravages of time, the strength of most Grandmasters only gradually declines year by year.

"It’s not just the change in True Qi."

Zhang Yao fell into deep thought, recalling the changes he had undergone over these years.

Especially in recent years, he noticed that every move he made seemed to enamor the maids around him.

At first, he was pleased, thinking it was due to his charm. But later, he gradually realized something was amiss—it should be an inadvertent release of some kind of intangible mental influence.

He initially found it difficult to control, but later gradually figured out some techniques to actively restrain this mental influence.

"A strong physique breeds a strong soul."

"At my level, the strength of the soul has far surpassed that of ordinary Grandmasters, leading to such incredible and mysterious changes."

Twenty years of being a Governor: even though he had not actively cultivated, the continuous nurturing and growth of True Qi allowed Zhang Yao to vaguely touch the realm above Grandmaster.

This is the charm of time.

"If, over the past twenty years, I actively explored and diligently delved into understanding, perhaps I would have already reached a higher level."

At this thought, Zhang Yao’s heart slightly stirred:

"I don’t know if the extreme of Martial Dao can touch the threshold of the Immortal Dao, achieving a path of entering Dao through martial arts?"

"Even if not, having greater martial prowess would be of great help in searching for traces of the Immortal Dao..."

...

Zhang Yao prepared to leave.

The announcement of this news quickly caused a huge commotion in Baihe City.

Surprised, lost, sobbing, trying to dissuade him, flustered—various reactions were shown, but Zhang Yao ignored them all.

Having made up his mind, he wouldn’t change it.

That evening, under the watchful eyes of countless citizens, Zhang Yao, carrying a pack, holding a sword, rode a horse out of the north gate of Baihe City.

Arriving by boat and departing on horseback, leaving behind a two-decade-long absurd dream.

Once he was far from Baihe City:

The night was deep, and Zhang Yao sat by the campfire, his thoughts becoming increasingly clear.

"Since Immortal Families exist, it’s impossible for them to completely detach from the mundane world."

"At least two paths exist to find traces of their existence..."

Immortal Families need to cultivate, they must have abodes; to communicate and trade, there would be marketplaces or similar establishments.

From this point, visiting some remote, rarely-visited famous mountains and rivers might yield results.

The other path is through the mundane Imperial Dynasty.

Since there are traces of Immortal Families’ activities, it’s impossible for an Imperial Dynasty controlling a nation’s territory to be completely clueless.

Zhang Yao even speculated that perhaps the Imperial Family and the Court are backed by some Immortal Family support.

This is not baseless speculation. The chaos in Da Wei has lasted for decades; countless rebel kings and Jiedu Envoys attempted to conquer Central Province and completely overthrow the Court, yet all failed.

This is enough to indicate that the Da Wei Imperial Family still has some foundation, possibly several Grandmasters, or perhaps legacy from an Immortal Family.

"No, neither of these methods will work..."

Zhang Yao pondered for a moment, then shook his head and dismissed these paths.

Visiting famous mountains and rivers or probing the secrets of the Imperial Family were not good methods; the risks were completely uncontrollable.

He knew nothing about the world of Immortal Families; what if he encountered some ill-tempered Immortal being and was casually killed?

He only had one life, precious beyond measure; he couldn’t take risks unless absolutely necessary.

"Then there’s only changing to another path."

"I’m in no hurry; I have all the time in the world to wait and can completely devise a plan with the least risk."

At this point, Zhang Yao began to outline a brand new plan in his mind...a plan that, although time-consuming, was sufficiently secure...