Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 509 I want to live longer! To spend more time with you!

Chen Fan frowned almost imperceptibly.

He paused for a moment, then slowly said, "The path of cultivation is fraught with difficulties and dangers, and cannot be achieved in a day. You..."

"I know it's difficult." Chun Tao interrupted him, her voice filled with an unprecedented firmness. "But Xiao Chenzi, you just said you'd be gone for decades, even a century... By the time you come back, I'll probably be old and dead, buried in the ground."

As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears again: "I don't want this. I... I want to live longer, to spend more time with you. Even if I can't be as amazing as you, living ten or twenty more years would be good enough."

As Chen Fan looked at the tears and stubbornness glistening in her eyes, a frozen string in his heart was gently plucked.

He remained silent for a long time before finally nodding: "Okay."

Chun Tao was taken aback, then her face lit up with surprise: "Really? You're willing to teach me?"

"Okay," Chen Fan said, "but you have to promise us one thing."

"What is it? Tell me!" Chun Tao nodded quickly.

"The path of cultivation is fraught with peril, with nine out of ten facing death. If you embark on this path, you must bear the consequences and face peril. If you encounter calamities in the future, do not regret your decision today."

Chun Tao nodded vigorously: "I don't regret it! As long as I can be with you, I'm not afraid!"

Looking into her resolute gaze, Chen Fan sighed inwardly.

He didn't know if this decision was right or wrong.

But at this moment, he didn't want to disappoint her.

"Let's go, let's go down the mountain and find a place to stay." Chen Fan turned around and walked down the way he came.

Chun Tao quickly followed, her steps much lighter than when she came.

On the way down the mountain, Chuntao kept chattering away, asking questions: "Little Chenzi, do you have to become an apprentice to cultivate immortality? Do you need to prepare an incense table? Do you need to kneel and kowtow three times and nine times?"

Chen Fan shook his head: "There's no need for those formalities. The first priority in cultivating immortality is to guide qi into the body."

"Guiding Qi into the body?" Chun Tao blinked. "What's that?"

"The world is filled with spiritual energy. Mortal bodies are impure and cannot perceive spiritual energy. Guiding Qi into the body is a special method to perceive the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, introduce it into the body, cleanse the marrow and meridians, and condense the Qi in the dantian."

As Chen Fan spoke, he stopped and casually picked a blade of grass from the roadside: "Look."

He spread the blades of grass flat in his palm and released a small amount of spiritual energy.

A faint bluish halo appeared on the blades of grass, as if they had come to life.

"This is spiritual energy," Chen Fan said. "If you can sense it, you have stepped into the threshold of cultivation."

Chuntao stared at the blade of grass, her eyes wide with amazement: "How amazing..."

Chen Fan gathered the grass leaves and continued down the mountain.

The two found a secluded village at the foot of Qixia Mountain and rented an unused farmhouse.

The farmhouse was small, with only a small courtyard and three tiled rooms.

There is an old locust tree in the yard, with lush branches and leaves that cast a cool shade.

Chen Fan set up a simple spirit-gathering array in the courtyard and used spirit stones to carve a small qi-guiding array plate inside the house.

He plans to stay here for half a month to focus on teaching Chuntao the basics.

Chun Tao then excitedly tidied up the house, cleaning it inside and out until it was spotless. She then went to the village entrance to buy a bag of rice and some side dishes, and clumsily cooked a dinner.

Dinner was simple: a plate of stir-fried greens, a plate of pickled radishes, and two bowls of thin porridge.

Chen Fan sat on the stone bench in the courtyard and took a sip of porridge.

The porridge was a bit thin and the dishes were a bit salty, but he didn't say anything and just silently finished eating.

Chun Tao sat opposite him, eating while secretly watching him. Seeing that he had finished his meal, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

After the meal, it got completely dark.

Chen Fan asked Chun Tao to sit cross-legged in the courtyard, while he sat opposite her.

"The first step in cultivating immortality is breathing exercises," Chen Fan said slowly. "Close your eyes, relax, and focus your attention on the tip of your nose. When you inhale, imagine a stream of pure air entering from the tip of your nose, traveling down your throat and trachea to your dantian. When you exhale, imagine the turbid air in your body rising from your dantian and being expelled through your throat and the tip of your nose."

Chun Tao closed her eyes as instructed and tried to regulate her breathing.

But the more she tried to relax, the stiffer her body became.

He took a few breaths, but they were either too rapid or too shallow, and his face turned red from holding his breath.

"No rush." ​​Chen Fan's voice was as calm as flowing water. "Take your time and feel the natural flow of your breath."

Chuntao took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

After repeating this process more than ten times, I gradually found a rhythm.

On the first night, Chun Tao felt nothing.

She felt like a fool sitting in the yard, exposed to the cold wind for half the night, until her legs went numb.

The next morning, Chun Tao woke up feeling sore all over.

She rubbed her shoulders as she walked out of the room, only to find Chen Fan already sitting in the courtyard with a pot of hot tea in front of him.

"Little Chen, you're up so early?" Chun Tao yawned.

"For those who cultivate immortality, meditation can replace sleep." Chen Fan poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her. "Continue with your breathing exercises today."

Chuntao took the teacup, took a sip, and felt the warmth fill her stomach.

She took a deep breath, sat cross-legged in the courtyard, and continued the breathing exercises she had practiced the night before.

She still didn't feel anything that day.

Chun Tao was a little frustrated, but she didn't give up. She just gritted her teeth and tried again and again.

The third day, the fourth day, and the fifth day.

For five consecutive days, Chun Tao began her breathing exercises every morning and continued until late at night. Her breathing became increasingly steady and long, but she still couldn't sense any spiritual energy.

On the evening of the sixth day, Chun Tao sat in the courtyard, her eyes filled with confusion and unease.

"Little Chen...am I just not destined for immortality?" she asked in a low voice. "I've been practicing for five days, and I can't feel anything..."

Chen Fan looked at her and slowly said, "The path of cultivation is most difficult at the beginning. Some people can only draw Qi into their bodies after three years, while others cannot achieve it in their entire lives. Five days is nothing."

"But how long did it take you back then?" Chun Tao pressed.

Chen Fan was silent for a moment, then said, "Our family... was fortunate enough to receive the help of a rare treasure, so we cannot judge it by ordinary standards."

He paused, then added, "But if it weren't for that, with our family's aptitude, we probably would never be able to enter the Dao in our entire lives."

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope rekindled in Chun Tao's eyes: "Then I'll try again!"

She closed her eyes again, adjusted her breathing, and calmed her mind.

Chen Fan looked at her serious expression and felt a slight stirring in his heart.

He raised his hand, and a faint wisp of spiritual energy condensed at his fingertips, silently merging into the air around Chun Tao.

Chun Tao was focused on breathing when she suddenly felt a slight coolness on the tip of her nose, as if a clear spring was flowing into her nasal cavity, sliding down her throat, and sinking into her lower abdomen.

The feeling was wonderful, like drinking a sip of cool mountain spring water on a hot summer day, making you feel refreshed.

"I...I feel it!" Chun Tao suddenly opened her eyes, her eyes filled with surprise. "Little Chen! I feel something cool! It went into my nose!"

Chen Fan nodded: "Continue."

Chun Tao quickly closed her eyes, trying hard to grasp that feeling. But the coolness vanished in an instant, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't catch it again.

She tried again throughout the night, but still didn't get a second response.

But this time, she was not discouraged.

She knew that feeling was real.

If it has happened once, it will definitely happen again.