Be the Hardest Working Demon Cultivator!

Because this is a true sage! A living saint!

Thus, Dai Huanzhen, upon realizing that the cultivator he had sent away earlier was not far off, promptly called him over.

"Do you know where this Elder Tan might be?" Dai Huanzhen asked.

As for the term 'elder', it naturally arose because Dai Huanzhen had yet to finish reading and had not even seen the part where Tan Shuchang adjusted the timeline in his records, so he mistook the owner of "Tan Shuchang's Cultivation Diary" for an aged predecessor.

After all, in his view, only those who had experienced much with age could possess such insight and temperament.

"Where would someone like me know this?" The cultivator was but a loose cultivator. How could he possibly know about someone like Demon Lord Tan, when even the disciples from the Upper Clear View and Western Tuo Mountain could not find him?

Moreover, even the second volume of "Tan Shuchang's Cultivation Diary" had been given to him by someone else.

This loose cultivator had some skill in talismanic arts, thus he had joined an association of friends versed in talisman.

While this talismanic association wasn't considered an official alliance and was just a loosely organized group, it had the advantage of being able to mobilize a large number of practitioners skilled in talisman crafting, so the position of the leader held some significant perks.

Hence, during the competition for leadership, contenders would generously distribute favors. Since Tan Shuchang was by then gaining a rising reputation, one of the contenders for the association used several dozen volumes of "Tan Shuchang's Cultivation Diary" as an incentive.

Although he ultimately did not succeed in the election due to the intervention of a top disciple from an Immortal Sect, he generously did not retract the gifts he had given away.

"You don't know?" Dai Huanzhen couldn't help but frown.

This frown from Dai Huanzhen scared the cultivator, who hastily said, "Although I do not know, the last pages of this cultivation diary bear a self-portrait of Elder Tan... those who have seen it have said that the resemblance is about sixty to seventy percent."

Upon hearing this, Dai Huanzhen's face lightened with relief. Having a self-portrait was good; although it sounded strange, it would make finding Elder Tan to become his disciple much easier.

Now that he saw Dai Huanzhen's face relax, the cultivator presented a scroll of the book as if it were a treasured offering: "I just asked around among my friends and unexpectedly borrowed this fourth volume of 'Tan Shuchang's Cultivation Diary' from them! It's just like the third volume, still containing only one diary entry..."

Dai Huanzhen snatched the scroll from the cultivator before he could finish speaking.

Dai Huanzhen eagerly opened the fourth volume of "Tan Shuchang's Cultivation Diary" and then saw — Tan Shuchang's fourth year of cultivation, October, the twenty-third...

"Four years of cultivation? Wasn't it forty years?" Dai Huanzhen was stunned for a moment, but he soon stopped caring about this time recording and continued reading.

Then he saw —

I once said on the riverbank... at this time, my cultivation had stalled for two hundred and nineteen years... indeed, with such poor aptitude, encountering bottlenecks in cultivation is inevitable. (The complete passage is at the beginning of chapter 104)n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Two hundred and nineteen years of cultivation!"

Dai Huanzhen took a sharp intake of breath, such an accumulation of cultivation was utterly unbelievable to him. He had thought that reaching a hundred years of true cultivation would make him nearly unmatched, yet there were those who had managed to cultivate for more than two hundred years.

At this moment, the ever-silent Dugu Jianyin within Dai Huanzhen suddenly spoke up, "Go and check the last part of the previous volume."

This two hundred and nineteen years of cultivation gave Dugu Jianyin an inexplicable premonition, that the one who "stole" the Chaotic Life Dharma Bead might just be the diarist Tan Shuchang!

After all, with the sword imprint he had left, if one had more than two hundred years of cultivation, coupled with a strong Sword Dao level, then it could indeed be destroyed.

Because three hundred years ago, such levels of cultivation essentially meant one had achieved immortality.

"Yes, elder." Dai Huanzhen was also curious to see what someone who could accumulate two hundred and nineteen years of cultivation but claimed to have poor aptitude looked like. At this moment, he did not detect the change in tone in the voice within him and flipped to the last page of the second volume of "Tan Shuchang's Cultivation Diary."

Thereupon, Dai Huanzhen saw an unusually young man, even younger in appearance than himself.

"It's him!"

Although there was only sixty to seventy percent resemblance, Dugu Jianyin was certain that this was the thief who had "stolen" the Chaotic Life Dharma Bead! After all, claiming to possess over two hundred years of cultivation strength, it all aligned with his understanding.

"Elder, are you saying this is the person who stole your treasure?" Upon hearing this, Dai Huanzhen also realized the implication and was instantly stunned.

Expect him, a cultivator of a mere hundred years, to fight one with over two hundred years of cultivation power?

This cultivation power isn't something one can accumulate simply by wanting to; just as the bottlenecks mentioned in the diary, without breaking through a bottleneck, even if one diligently cultivates daily until a ripe old age, they might not possess the cultivation power of even half a cycle!

Breaking through to two hundred years of cultivation power, the bottlenecks one would face are so numerous they would make one's scalp tingle.

Upon hearing this, Dugu Jianyin also realized that Dai Huanzhen was not strong enough.

He had been preoccupied with his guesses before this.

The Sword Dao power he left behind in the Jiawu Realm, although mighty, able to directly create a cultivator with a hundred years of true cultivation power, had already reached its limit.

"The surname Tan may not necessarily be your enemy; such a character could become an ally. I only desire that one treasure, to return to its original place," realizing that relying on strength alone was futile, Dugu Jianyin decided to outwit his opponent.

He planned to talk again with the youth, as the previously mentioned Sword Dao of Slaughter, Heaven-Conforming Sword Path, and Pure Yang Sword Path, though all very good, were merely top-notch Sword Paths.

Thus, Dugu Jianyin decided to bring out a powerful top-notch Sword Path to sway the young man.

Taiyi Sword Path!

One of the five core Sword Paths of Sword Temple, even he, Dugu Jianyin, had only received the inheritance of this Sword Path after his own enlightenment.

When one's strength is powerful enough, what they call opportunities can also be delivered to the doorstep.

"Yes, senior!"

Dai Huanzhen cheerfully responded, as he had been entertaining this very notion.

After all, for him, a cultivator with merely a hundred years of true cultivation strength, to hard clash with a supreme genius whose cultivation power had accumulated to two hundred and nineteen years, he could very well fight to the death and still not force the opponent to retreat a single step.

Thus, Dai Huanzhen hurriedly went in search of Tan Shuchang's whereabouts.

And with this search, he learned of Tan Shuchang's astounding battle achievements, as well as the origins of his identity.

Upon discovering that this Tan Shuchang was from the same Tan family he bore enmity towards, Dai Huanzhen fell silent.

At that moment, Dugu Jianyin transmitted to him telepathically: "This Tan Shuchang is merely a bastard of the Tan family; had it not been for the main branch having only three sons, and two of them being good-for-nothings, Tan Shuchang would never have been brought back. Moreover, within the Tan family, Tan Shuchang never received any cultivation resources..."

It was after learning that Tan Shuchang truly only had four years of cultivation that Dugu Jianyin became even more determined to pass down the Taiyi Sword Path and bring Tan Shuchang into the Sword Temple!

Four years to achieve two hundred years of cultivation power, even in the realm where he ascended to, the stories of True Immortals reincarnating were no more than this!

"What senior says is very true!" Dai Huanzhen nodded repeatedly. If in four years he could cultivate to this extent, and considering the diary entry was from over a month ago, it was likely that Tan Shuchang had by now broken through the bottleneck and advanced even further.

...

The hardworking Tan Someone, naturally unaware that another page of his diary had been leaked, not only dealt a blow to countless cultivators, but had also subdued his foes without a fight!

Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire

Furthermore, an incredible fortuitous opportunity involving the mysteries of the Fifth Greatness was about to be delivered to him.

At this time, Tan Shuchang finally concluded his laborious upgrading session.

"Ghostly Lotus Lift five times!"

"Four hundred and sixty years of cultivation power!"

Tan Shuchang promptly reined in his energy to forestall any celestial phenomena from occurring in his vicinity. For with cultivation power exceeding four hundred years, Tan Shuchang was starting to appreciate the deeper meaning of cultivation power, beyond just the strength of it, as mentioned by the "Old Little Sister" in the Dream Immortal Sleeping Rock.