Chapter Sixty-Six: The Rebirth Technique of the Profound Heaven

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Lin Bufan sat cross-legged in perfect stillness, keeping his mind in the sharpest state of concentration as he carefully contemplated every character inscribed upon the stone tablet, hoping to grasp even the faintest trace of Daoist resonance from within. Yet, he had already studied the entire tablet dozens of times, without the slightest stirring of insight.

Lin Bufan knew that to comprehend such mysteries, talent, will, fortune, and opportunity were all indispensable; only by reaching a state where man and nature were one could there be a chance of true enlightenment. There was no need to rush; such things could not be forced.

Steadying his heart and mind, Lin Bufan began anew, pondering each word from the very start. But this time, he suddenly sensed a subtle difference. Within his consciousness, a faint halo seemed to appear around the characters on the tablet.

The halo was nearly imperceptible, yet it was unmistakably different from before. His heart skipped a beat, and a surge of wild joy flooded through him, but in the next instant, he forced himself to focus, not daring to let his attention wander in the slightest.

Such opportunities were fleeting—one moment of distraction, and they could vanish forever. Yet Lin Bufan did not know that this time, even if he wished to let the opportunity pass, it would not allow him to.

The tiny glowing figure drifted reluctantly to his side and glanced at him—he couldn’t have looked more ordinary. Ah, what a heartache. Instinctively, the little being glanced out of the corner of his eye at Shen Wan, standing on the edge of the crowd.

Shen Wan rested his chin on his hand, staring at Lin Bufan without blinking, his gaze brimming with “kindness.”

“Well, if it comes to it, I’ll just go back to sleep and wait for the next fated one to appear.” With a soft sigh, the little figure gritted his silver teeth and dove straight into Lin Bufan’s forehead.

Lin Bufan felt his consciousness tremble. Suddenly, the characters on the stone tablet flashed with a brilliant green light, which grew even brighter and more intense. The green glow encircled all the inscriptions and began to tremble rapidly. Within moments, the characters detached themselves one by one, rising slowly into the air and finally converging in the sky, reassembling into five great words:

Xuantian Rebirth Technique

Lin Bufan stared blankly at the words in the air, his throat dry, scarcely able to believe his eyes. But in the very next moment, the words exploded, scattering into tens of thousands of starlike motes that surged toward him.

He dared not move, letting the starlight wash over him and merge into his body. A warm current coursed through his meridians, like a soothing spring cleansing every channel it passed. His hairs stood on end as impurities seeped from his pores, bit by bit being expelled.

Lin Bufan felt an indescribable lightness and relief, as if bathed in a gentle spring breeze—he had never felt so refreshed.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

At last, the warmth faded, but in his mind a faint, childish voice began to echo:

“Xuantian is reborn; myriad forms are formless. As long as the way endures, life endures. I now grant you the Xuantian Rebirth Technique: it may draw in qi, foster roots, restore the core, and mend the soul. If you do not misuse it, your vitality will never cease, and your spirit will never perish.”

Lin Bufan listened to the true essence of this art, his heart pounding wildly. “Xuantian Rebirth...” he murmured inwardly. But before he could fully process this new knowledge, the childish voice sounded again:

“Hmph! See to it that you use it well!”

“Uh...” Lin Bufan was taken aback. Why did that voice sound so reluctant?

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Shen Wan kept his eyes fixed on Lin Bufan, only to see his body shudder violently a few times before falling completely still. It had been quite a while, and yet he remained motionless in the same spot.

Thinking back to this guy’s last breakthrough, when his house had blown up, such stillness hardly seemed right. Shen Wan grew more uneasy and was about to get up, when suddenly the little figure drifted lazily out from Lin Bufan’s forehead once more.

Arms drooping, the tiny figure looked utterly exhausted. Seeing this, Shen Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief and beckoned the little one over with a curled finger. The little figure pouted, face full of misery, and floated over.

“All done?” Shen Wan asked cheerfully.

The little one sniffled, “It’s done. Can I go back to sleep now?” His eyes were already growing unfocused. Shen Wan hurriedly blew a few breaths in his direction, afraid he might fall asleep right then and there.

“Hey, hey, don’t sleep yet. Let me ask you—are the other towers like you? Each with a little being like yourself?”

“Mm, I’m called Tablet Three. If you go down the line, it’s Tablet Four, Tablet Five, Tablet Six...” The more he spoke, the weaker he sounded, his head about to droop.

Shen Wan nodded. Seeing him like this, he couldn’t bear to ask more questions. There was nothing else he needed to know anyway, so he waved him off to sleep.

The little one, as if granted amnesty, summoned his last strength, turned around without even saying goodbye, and shot back into the stone tablet.

A gentle breeze brushed the tablet, but it remained still.

“Tablet Four, Tablet Five...” Shen Wan muttered under his breath, glancing at the remaining towers. Currently, Tablets Two, Three, Five, and Eight had been activated—only four remained.

Turning to Lin Bufan, he saw him trembling with excitement, standing there at a loss.

Thousands of cultivators nearby suddenly awoke from their reverie and all looked toward him.

The tower before them was aglow with green light, clearly activated, and the one echoing with the tower’s power was Lin Bufan, standing at the back.

Wu Xi, seeing this, was delighted, but his expression quickly turned solemn as he summoned his fellow Qingxuan Sect disciples to surround his junior brother.

“We need to leave, quickly!” Wu Xi ordered. Lin Bufan, too, emerged from his deep trance, hastily suppressing his excitement. Now was not the time to talk. Standing behind Wu Xi, he and the others began to withdraw.

Thousands of cultivators chattered anxiously—a dangerous situation. It wasn’t safe.

Shen Wan didn’t sense anything amiss. Seeing the Qingxuan Sect disciples moving quickly, he trotted over, puzzled.

“Brother Lin, congratulations!” he called, genuinely pleased, since he had personally overseen these events and knew exactly what had happened.

Lin Bufan was stunned. “Y-young Uncle? Why are you here?”

Zhu Qianqing and Han Yuechan were equally puzzled, but Wu Xi’s tone was grave: “We can discuss this later. This is not a place to linger. We must go.”

Only then did Shen Wan sense the tense atmosphere. Scanning the crowd, he swallowed hard.

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The looks from the thousands of cultivators were like those of starving wolves, their eyes glinting coldly.

Shen Wan shrank back, hiding behind Wu Xi in terror. “Let’s go, let’s go!” he urged.

Without another word, the Qingxuan Sect disciples released their spiritual power, set up every defense, and quickly withdrew from the tower’s vicinity.

Fortunately, no one followed. In such a mixed gathering of sects, few wanted to waste time on trouble—four towers remained unactivated, and everyone was keen to fight for another inheritance.

Within moments, the area beneath the tower was deserted.

Under the protection of his companions, Lin Bufan retreated into the woods. Wu Xi extended his spiritual sense, ensuring no threats lurked within several kilometers, then finally relaxed. Turning to Lin Bufan, his face lit up with excitement.

“Junior brother, did you really succeed in comprehending it?”

Lin Bufan’s face shone with excitement as he nodded. “Senior brother, I did it! The Xuantian Rebirth Technique!”

“The Xuantian Rebirth Technique?” Wu Xi drew a sharp breath. He was far more knowledgeable than the other disciples, and even he had only ever seen mention of such an art in ancient fragments.

“One of the top ten arts of antiquity—of the heavenly rank! Junior brother, this is a tremendous fortune!”

Lin Bufan’s pupils contracted. He could feel the immense power of the technique, but never imagined it was of the heavenly rank. Such a great opportunity—it was hard to believe.

The other disciples felt the same, a flicker of envy crossing their faces, but more than that, they were overjoyed for their brother.

Shen Wan watched the group, their faces shifting from surprise to laughter to wild excitement, as if they were all afflicted by some strange illness. At last, he stepped forward to interrupt: “Finished chatting? If so, let’s get moving.”

Wu Xi snapped out of his excitement. “Uncle is right. We must escort Junior Brother Lin out of here as soon as possible. With such a treasure, if anyone targets us, we’ll be in trouble.”

“Huh? Who said we were leaving?” Shen Wan looked bewildered, and the others were just as surprised.

“What do you mean? We’re not leaving?”

After a moment’s thought, Shen Wan realized—after all, only he could see the little guardian spirit, and no one else knew that he had forced out the opportunity for Lin Bufan.

Turning the thought over in his mind, he realized he was not just another spiritless cultivator. Aside from his unique bloodline, he could even see spiritual beings invisible to others—a truly defiant talent.

Grinning foolishly where he stood, he only made the others more confused.

Uh… did Elder Xiao Jiu have some kind of illness?

Seeing their twisted expressions, Shen Wan cleared his throat. Since he could steer the direction of these inheritances, why let the other sects benefit? Nonsense.

With Shen Wan’s temperament—never letting good things go to outsiders—he’d never allow that to happen.

With four towers left unactivated, he had no time to waste. He threw his arm around Lin Bufan’s neck and waved the others on.

“Come on, to the next tower! Uncle will lead you to seize another inheritance!”

No need to explain—it couldn’t be explained anyway. Just follow Uncle, and there’d be plenty to gain.

There would be meat to eat.