Third Young Master Ji's capability was indeed impressive. In less than half an hour, he had gathered every last material on the list.
"Lord Clan Master, prepare a secret chamber. The process itself isn't difficult, but it requires absolute silence — no interruptions whatsoever."
The Panlong Clan Lord nodded. "Without my orders, no one would dare disturb us here."
The method
His father, the Heavenly Emperor, had deployed the supreme power of the Myriad Heavens using precisely this Five Elements Passage of Yang Art — though the Heavenly Emperor had employed the far greater "Myriad Heavens Grand Five Elements Passage of Yang Art." In essence, it involved using the Five Elements within the body to generate life force where none existed.
This heaven-defying technique consumed an enormous amount of energy.
Even the Heavenly Emperor from his previous life had only resorted to it on rare occasions. It wasn't until later that he refined the Sun-Moon Divine Pill, allowing him — in a mere mortal's body — to enjoy a million years of life.
That Sun-Moon Divine Pill had nearly exhausted all of the Heavenly Emperor's fortune, and it became one of the direct catalysts for the Calamity of the Myriad Heavens that followed.
The Heavenly Emperor had never spoken of it, but Jiang Chen, upon careful reflection in this life, cross-referenced countless details from his past and finally grasped the truth.
But by the time he understood the magnitude of his father's sacrifice, the barrier between his past and present lives had already sealed them apart.
Of course, the Myriad Heavens Grand Five Elements Passage of Yang Art was far beyond Jiang Chen's ability.
That technique could extend one's life by thousands of years — without the divine power of a realm lord like his father, who could possibly execute it?
However, a crude version — the simplest form of the Five Elements Passage of Yang Art — was well within Jiang Chen's capabilities, and the cost to himself wouldn't be too great.
Of course, this crude version was less than a thousandth as effective. At best, it could extend life by three to five years. But those three to five years were exactly what Jiang Chen needed.
What he wanted was precisely those three to five years.
First, it would do the Panlong Clan Lord a favor — a fitting return for the gift he had accepted.
At the same time, demonstrating this skill would cement the Panlong Clan Lord's loyalty, convincing him beyond doubt that Jiang Chen had the means to solve his power-dissipation problem.
Earning the Panlong Clan Lord's trust and high regard would bring Jiang Chen nothing but benefits.
As long as the Panlong Clan Lord didn't want to die, he would stand firmly at Jiang Chen's side.
The Five Elements Passage of Yang Art, even in its crude form, was far too complex for ordinary people to execute. The intricacies within were so profound that only a true insider could glimpse the hidden mysteries.
After Jiang Chen's repeated demonstrations, it appeared even more unfathomably deep.
Jiang Chen wasn't worried about the Panlong Clan Lord stealing the technique. It was like pill refinement — the inner secrets couldn't be grasped from a single viewing. One could at best see the surface, never penetrating to the essence.
Moreover, Jiang Chen was certain the Panlong Clan Lord wouldn't dare attempt it on his own. A man's life was at stake — if the old man tried recklessly and perished, that would be an irredeemable loss.
The generative power of the Five Elements was continuously channeled by Jiang Chen, in the form of successive seals, into each of the Panlong Clan Lord's major acupoints.
These acupoints governed the Panlong Clan Lord's vital energy.
When the generative seal-force entered them, these acupoints received a brief surge of life — regaining vigorous vital energy and blossoming with renewed vitality.
Working ceaselessly, Jiang Chen sealed a total of forty-nine vitality seals, covering all the major acupoints throughout the body and forming a grand circuit of life.
When he finally finished, fine beads of sweat had appeared on Jiang Chen's forehead.
The process had been far more difficult than he'd anticipated, but it had proceeded smoothly enough without any complications. However, the energy expenditure had far exceeded his expectations.
Fortunately, Jiang Chen had recently broken through to the Earth Saint Realm, his sea of qi had expanded considerably, and the true qi circulating within his body had become far more active.
After taking a few Restoring Pills, Jiang Chen felt much more at ease.
He opened his eyes and said, "Clan Lord, it's done."
The Panlong Clan Lord had kept his entire body relaxed throughout — not offering the slightest resistance, not deploying any divine sense, not circulating any internal vitality.
In that moment, he had been like a puppet, leaving himself entirely in Jiang Chen's hands.
Only after hearing "it's done" did the Panlong Clan Lord snap back to awareness, activating his divine sense as his meridians and vital energy resumed circulation.
The moment they did, the Panlong Clan Lord froze.
"Oh?" A look of wild joy erupted across the old man's face. "My body's functions! They're so active! It's been ages since I felt such vigorous, youthful vitality!"
Jiang Chen smiled faintly and nodded. "The process went fairly smoothly. It's just that the energy cost was quite a bit more than I expected."
The Panlong Clan Lord's eyes blazed with gratitude. "Young friend, you truly are a miracle worker! To possess such life-restoring abilities — it's truly an eye-opener! Remarkable, truly remarkable!"