His third wife (Red-haired human) was also a commoner, over 90 years old but appearing as youthful as a girl in her 20s. Together they had a daughter named H?a Tính (Red-haired half elf), a cheerful and brisk girl over 50 years old, a half-immortal whose beauty rivaled her mother’s. Despite her stunning looks, everyone in this Immortal Kingdom was the same; whether male or female, they were all youthful and radiant. Even when H?a Ph?c and his two sons stood together, they looked more like three brothers than father and sons, creating a family portrait that was both heartwarming and unbelievable. They were all enthusiastic and welcoming toward H?a Minh’s friends, and the house was filled with the bustling sound of laughter.
Since the age of 20, Hàn Th??ng had been recruited into the Huy?n B?ng giáo (Mysterious Ice Sect) and assigned to work in the City of Cultivators. He had seen many cultivators who, despite being 100 years old, remained youthful yet bore the traces of age—a classic, experienced beauty. Even he, now 80 years old, looked as young as a 30-year-old; however, standing amidst this family of beautiful people, he felt a sense of self-pity, suddenly realizing how much he had aged. Upon asking Noe, he learned that Noe was over 250 years old. Noe's face appeared to be in its early 30s with slight wrinkles that harbored the depth of time. Hàn Th??ng asked, "Why is everyone here so young?"
Noe replied in a calm voice, "Because of the relativity of time."
Hàn Th??ng looked at Noe as if looking at a strange creature, his eyes full of confusion. He said, "What do you mean? Is it possible that time flows slower here than outside?"
Noe shook his head and replied, "That is not it. This place and the outside are on the same timeline, so they are the same. The only difference is in emotion. Because it is always joyful here, they stay younger."
Hàn Th??ng shook his head, his expression still clouded, and said, "Explain further."
Noe said, "There are many reasons why they stay younger here than outside.
First, this place is rich in spiritual energy, which is good for tempering Essence and Spirit.
Second, the food here is very natural, which is beneficial for the body, making it lighter, more flexible, and stronger than it appears, even without physical cultivation.
Furthermore, this is a safe place with everything they need, so their emotions are always happy and peaceful, leading to long-lasting youth."
Seeing Hàn Th??ng’s blank face and lack of understanding, Noe smiled and continued: "For example, compare the time you put your hand in boiling oil for a second to a whole day spent talking to a beautiful girl like H?a Tính."
Hàn Th??ng’s eyes suddenly brightened as if he had a sudden realization. He said, "Ah, I see! When happy, time seems to fly; a whole day with her feels like a few seconds. But dipping a hand in boiling oil for even a moment feels like an eternity."
Noe said, "It is like Hell and Heaven. Time passes the same, but in Hell, it feels like hundreds of thousands of years, while in Heaven, it feels like only a few days."
Hàn Th??ng asked, "Then what about traveling through space and time? I’ve seen such things in the stories of Great Immortals or High Immortals."
Noe said, "Of course it exists; that is the power of Time Mages. They can move back and forth between spaces and times to make corrections by helping one person or harming another. But no matter what they do, they must follow the main timeline chosen by God. If they go another way, that world will sooner or later come to an end."
Hàn Th??ng asked, "Have you ever met people like that?"
Noe replied, "I have, but they always head toward the path of failure because they do not understand why they were allowed to live a period of time over and over again. Eventually, when the Time Mage grows weary after hundreds of attempts, those people meet their end."
Hàn Th??ng said, "Tell me when you meet one."
Noe said, "Agreed."
A few days later, Hàn Th??ng followed H?a Minh to the Royal Moon Forge to assist. Since leaving the Cultivation Sect, H?a Minh had to go to the forge to help his father and brother carry on the family business. Hàn Th??ng assisted in crafting and inscribing runes for Ice-attribute weapons, which were highly favored by the Immortal Race. Princess Metal Moon, the youngest daughter of the Moon Queen, was particularly fond of them. The Three-Star Array runes created a trio of ice swords; although all three were at the average Foundation Establishment (B) ice grade, their combination produced extraordinary power, which Metal Moon loved and appreciated. She was especially fond of Hàn Th??ng’s 10 Spirit Ice, controlled through the ten rings on his hands.
After a period of observation, Bird One and Bird Two saw that Noe was a special figure—one who could be called a scholar and even a prophet. The other members would go to him whenever they didn't understand something. His answers were always relatable, simple, and easy to understand rather than sophisticated or complex, using very familiar examples and stories. Regarding his status, Noe held an extremely high position; even the naturally arrogant Immortal aristocrats were very polite when meeting him. Yet, his temperament was very gentle and close to all people and creatures.
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Bird One saw many Immortals coming to ask Noe about their futures. However, he declined them all skillfully and gently. Sometimes, when no one was asking or requesting help, he would spontaneously prophesy about them, guiding them through dangerous situations without accepting any gifts. Gradually, the number of Immortals seeking Noe decreased, leaving him free to go where he pleased and prophesy whenever he wished; there was no way to force him.
Bird Two did not care much about that. Imitating the other members of the group, she asked as soon as she had a question. She said, "Mr. Prophet, please teach me, I want to cultivate."
Noe smiled. "So, what do you want to cultivate? There are three main types of cultivation: Body Cultivation, to train the physical body; Spirit Cultivation, to train the Spiritual body; and Soul Cultivation, to train the Soul body. Each path is divided into countless smaller paths, forming the 3,000 Great Daos. Cultivation means enduring hardship and suffering; can you handle it?"
Bird Two said immediately, "I can endure hardship. I must become stronger to protect my sister. Ah, why are there as many as 3,000 Great Daos? Isn't that an exaggeration?"
Noe shook his head and said, "No, it is not an exaggeration. 3,000 is actually quite few.
For example, take Body Cultivation; there are three main paths:
. Offensive training: Close combat (punching, kicking, scratching, ramming) and long-range attacks (stone throwing, spear throwing, archery...).
. Defensive training: Dodging, parrying, endurance, running, flying, using shields, using armor...
. Coordinated training: Formations, coordinating hands with feet, deciding whether to attack or defend first, double defense, double attack, and so on.
If I listed them all, it wouldn't be 3,000; it could be 30,000 or three hundred thousand. Especially when coordinated into a Set of Offensive Techniques or a Set of Defensive Techniques with dozens or hundreds of moves—those are countless and are called the Small Daos."
Bird Two listened to this lengthy explanation without getting bored. Instead, she asked curiously, "What are the Physical body, Spirit body, and Soul body? How are they similar or different?"
Noe smiled happily at the bird girl’s curiosity and said, "Spirit (Linh) is the most basic and primitive existence of the entire universe, the source of life, and motion. You can see Spirit as the light, while matter without Spirit is the darkness, immobile.
When Spirit and matter combine, they form a Spirit body (the body of the Spirit).
The Soul (H?n) was also originally Spirit but with added emotions: joy, sadness, and anger. The Soul also gathers surrounding matter to create a Soul body (the body of the Soul).
The Spirit body and Soul body are inherently light, fragmented, and almost invisible, like mist or smoke. They act like the anchor of a boat, keeping the Soul and Spirit in place. If the Soul body and Spirit body disappear, the Soul and Spirit will fly elsewhere. The Soul body and Spirit body are also places to store memories at the soul and spirit levels; losing these two means the Soul and Spirit will lose their memories.
The Physical body is the densest and heaviest part, providing the Soul body and Spirit body a place to shelter called a 'home,' or you could call it the 'clothes' of the Soul and Spirit."
Bird Two’s eyes lit up with delight. She clapped repeatedly and asked, "How wonderful! Then what about..."
Noe laughed and said, "So, do you want to cultivate? If you ask this much, I could answer until tomorrow morning and you still won't have practiced anything." Bird Two scratched her head and said shyly, "Yes, let's cultivate."
Noe said, "Each type of cultivation has strict requirements: Spirit Roots, Soul Roots, and Physical Roots.
Depending on the type, there are specific cultivation methods. Everyone has their own foundation, usually at a weak or average level, which grows through absorption.
Spirit Roots develop through absorbing new knowledge, breathing, and eating certain fruits (the Bigu method: a vegetarian diet without grains or beans).
Soul Roots develop through absorbing surrounding emotions, surrounding souls, and the souls within food.
Physical Roots develop through the absorption of flesh, blood, tubers, beans, and seeds."
Bird Two looked at the surrounding Immortals, who were all beautiful, and said, "Let me train my Spirit Roots. I want to be immortal like them."
Noe frowned with a look of displeasure. "Immortal? It is true that Spirit cultivation can lead to immortality. But do you want a weak, pale, and sickly body that lives forever? Or do you want to live alone? What use is immortality then?"
Bird Two didn't know why Noe was angry, so she said, "I don't understand. Please continue, Teacher."
Noe sighed and said, "The reason I am saying all this is because I want you to train everything. Everything is important for balance, so you don't suffer a backlash and harm yourself. I do not like the style of giving up everything just to pursue one thing. Do you understand?"
Bird Two stammered in confusion, as she had always heard about giving up everything to focus. She asked, "Then how should I cultivate?"
Noe said, "Create a list of priorities. At the top is the most important thing to do first, followed by the second and third; do not skip any.
You have Dual Spirit Roots of Wind and Lightning, so prioritize Spirit training first. If you stop progressing, switch to Body training because you have the Green Phoenix Body. Finally, train the Soul body; you and your sister can train together to create a combination." Bird Two said, "Yes."
Noe said, "Now sit down, close your eyes, and begin to focus on your breath. Inhale slowly, exhale gradually..."
Later, Noe taught about the classification of ranks for cultivators. The rank represents the source of energy (Spiritual Power) within a person; the more energy, the higher the rank.
- F-Rank: Commoner (0 – Level 190): People with no or very little energy.
- E-Rank: Mortal (> Level 200): Can project energy outside the body to create an invisible shield.
- D-Rank: Superhuman (> Level 300): Can convert energy into colorless or colored elements.
- Level 400 and above: The cultivation path branches.
Immortal Cultivation (Spirit Cultivation) (> Level 400):
- C-Rank: Qi Refining Immortal (> Level 400) also known as Mortal Immortal: Light body, can fly and jump like a bird, high speed. (Example: Bird One, Bird Two)
- B-Rank: Foundation Establishment Immortal (> Level 500) also known as Super Immortal: Light body, can walk on clouds, ride the wind, and pass through walls. (Example: Noe, Hàn Th??ng, Th? Trung Sa)
- A-Rank: Golden Core (> Level 600)
- S-Rank: Nascent Soul (> Level 700)
- S+ Rank: Great Immortal (> 800)
- SS-Rank: Half-step to the Immortal Realm (999)
God Cultivation (Soul Cultivation) (> Level 400)
Body Cultivation (Physical Cultivation) (> Level 400)