Who Let Him Cultivate Immortality

Peach Blossom Leaf shrugged helplessly and said, “I can’t help it. When I was constructing the illusion, I encountered a big problem. People conjured out of thin air tend to look unreal.”

“Later, my master told me that this is a common issue when building illusions. Whether you’re creating someone from scratch or piecing together people you’re familiar with, they end up looking fake.”

“So, I could only use people I know. I thought about it for a while and consulted with my master, the Second Elder, and the Eighth Elder. We all agreed that the Sect Master’s image was the most appropriate.”

“Senior brother, you are familiar with the Sect Master, so you don’t feel a strong connection seeing him as the protagonist. But outsiders wouldn’t think that way, since they don’t know him.”

Lu Yang: “…”

Alright, that does make sense.

The Fifth Elder slowly commented, “Setting aside the image of our Sect Master, the plot is still quite interesting.”

Previously, the Fifth Elder hadn’t thought much of it, but after experiencing this illusion, he suddenly realized that pretending to be a low-level cultivator and revealing one’s true cultivation at a critical moment was actually quite thrilling.

The Fifth Elder could see the immense business potential in Peach Blossom Leaf’s invention. It would definitely attract mortals and low-level cultivators, and even mid to high-level cultivators would find it quite appealing.

Moreover, promoting this illusion system would be simple, and it could be mass-produced.

Setting up the illusion wasn’t difficult. Peach Blossom Leaf had taken less than half a month to develop a framework. If word of this got out, counterfeit versions would inevitably appear.

The key was who came up with the idea first.

They had to apply for a patent as soon as possible.

“The formation and talismans are one set. Have you thought of a name yet?”

“Not yet. Senior brother, can you help me think of one?” Peach Blossom Leaf turned to Lu Yang for help. Senior Brother Lu was always creative and had unique insights.

“Me?” Lu Yang was just watching the excitement—how did this suddenly become his responsibility?

“Let me think. The illusion isn’t real. Though one gets deeply immersed while watching, and might feel a sense of longing after it ends, in the end, it’s like a reflection in the water—illusory and unreal. How about calling it ‘Dreamlike Bubble Illusion?”

(TL Note: The name comes from the phrase “一切有为法，如梦幻泡影，如露亦如电” which is from Buddhist scriptures, specifically from the Diamond Sutra. It translates to “All conditioned dharmas are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow, like dew, and like a flash of lightning.” Everything we experience, everything that has a form or is conditioned by causes and conditions, is temporary, illusory, and without a permanent, unchanging essence. Like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, dew, or lightning, they appear momentarily and then disappear.)

“‘Dreamlike Bubble Illusion’?” Peach Blossom Leaf’s eyes lit up. She repeated the name a few times silently, and the more she said it, the more she liked it.

“Alright, we’ll call it ‘Dreamlike Bubble Illusion’!”

“Dreamlike Bubble Illusion, what a great name.” The Fifth Elder nodded. He had always trusted Lu Yang’s ability to come up with names.

After all, his own title, Myriad Treasures Heavenly King, was also coined by Lu Yang.

“Does Nephew Peach still have any talismans? I need to take some back. Also, how do we apply for the patent?”

“Yes, yes, I do.” Peach Blossom Leaf hadn’t expected the Fifth Elder to agree so readily. She handed all the remaining talismans to him, along with the formation scrolls, wrapping them up neatly.

After receiving the talismans and scrolls, the Fifth Elder suddenly remembered something. With a meaningful smile, he said, “Applying for a patent isn’t hard, but Nephew Peach, have you thought about who the patent belongs to?”

“Who the patent belongs to?”

Peach Blossom Leaf saw the Fifth Elder’s smile and suddenly recalled that she had only provided the idea, while the transformation of the illusion into talismans and the simplification of the formation were done by the Second and Eighth Elders.

Strictly speaking, the Second Elder and Eighth Elder also deserved part of the patent.

How much would they claim? Or would they buy the entire patent from her?

She had heard that some sect elders liked to seize their disciples’ opportunities, and the disciples had no choice but to swallow their grievances.

Grandpa Ba playfully shoved the mischief-making Fifth Elder. “You’ve been a little rascal since you were young. Back when you swindled the Nine Nether Sect’s treasury, you contributed even less than Old Eight!”

The Sixth Elder gazed at the Fifth Elder gloomily, frightening him into breaking out in a cold sweat. He quickly waved his hand and denied it.

“I was just joking with her. It’s better to scare her a little now and let her learn the harshness of the world from me than to have her tricked by outsiders later, right?”

Grandpa Ba spoke kindly, “Nephew Peach, neither Old Eight nor I need this patent. We don’t really have anything we need Spirit Stones for. We just helped you with something small during our spare time. The patent is all yours.”

The Eighth Elder nodded in agreement. He never engaged in anything that would harm his own sect.

Peach Blossom Leaf was deeply moved. Once the Dreamlike Bubble Illusion earned Spirit Stones, she vowed to repay the sect.

After Peach Blossom Leaf and the others left, Lu Yang remained behind, which puzzled the Fifth Elder.

“Nephew Lu, is there something you need?”

“It’s nothing major. I just wanted to ask—has my flying vehicle patent made any money?”

The Fifth Elder became even more curious. “It has, of course. I already gave the Spirit Stones to Nephew Yun. Didn’t you receive them?”

Lu Yang, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, shook his head firmly.

“That’s odd. Why don’t you go ask Nephew Yun what’s going on?”

Lu Yang: “…”

Suddenly, he felt like the patent fees weren’t that important after all.

No, no, no! He couldn’t think like that. Those Spirit Stones rightfully belonged to him. He had to find Eldest Senior Sister and get to the bottom of this!

“Fairy, how about you handle this matter for me?”

Everlasting Fairy, who had been watching the scene unfold, was caught off guard. How did this involve her?

“Huh?”

“Fairy, you’re not afraid of Eldest Senior Sister, are you?”

“Of course not! Little Yun is nothing to be afraid of!” Everlasting Fairy stiffened her neck as she spoke, refusing to show weakness in front of Lu Yang.

Lu Yang clapped for Everlasting Fairy’s bravery.

“You and I share the same body. Your business is my business, and my business is your business, right?”

“Right.”

“Then isn’t it perfect for you to ask Eldest Senior Sister about this?”

“That makes sense… Fine, don’t worry, leave it to me!” Everlasting Fairy patted her chest in assurance.

“One more thing,” Lu Yang added, as he took out an immortal sword from his identity jade plate. It had been refined by Ying Tian Immortal and previously used by Qilin Immortal.

“Could you take a look at this flying sword? Can it be repaired?” One Qingfeng Sword wasn’t enough for Lu Yang, so he wanted to refine another sword.

The moment the sword appeared, the Fifth Elder’s eyes widened, and his lips trembled. “Heavens! This is an immortal sword, a sword forged by an immortal! Where did you find it?”

“I picked it up from a street stall at the Qingzhou Grand Event.”

The Fifth Elder gazed at Lu Yang with envy. This kid’s luck was off the charts.

Shaking his head, the Fifth Elder explained, “It’s as difficult as ascending to the heavens. A sword forged by an immortal is indestructible. Even a heavenly tribulation wouldn’t cause damage. Though this sword is broken and only half remains, if my guess is correct, it must have been damaged in a great battle.”

Lu Yang nodded, recalling that when the Dragon and Phoenix Prodigies discovered Qilin Immortal’s deceit, they likely didn’t hold back their anger. It must have indeed been an epic battle.

The Fifth Elder wore a look of longing. “The level of that battle is beyond anything you or I could ever participate in. Only in such a battle could an immortal sword be destroyed.”

“You might not believe me when I say this, but you see how fragile this sword looks? You might think I could just snap it in half, like this?”

As the Fifth Elder spoke, he casually gave the sword a small twist.

Crack—

A soft cracking sound echoed, and the immortal sword snapped into two pieces.

The Fifth Elder: “…”

How many Spirit Stones would it cost to compensate for the sword? Would selling myself be enough?