Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

The eight compartments of the Spirit Beast Scroll flashed in unison. Inside, the exotic beasts and insects breathed out clouds and mist, releasing a multi-colored vapor.

The vapor flowed into his meridians, winding and surging before gathering in his Qi Sea.

’So the Spirit Beast Scroll was storing Primordial Qi. In that case, I won’t wait any longer.’

Zhao Lin’s expression shifted, and he immediately made a decision. ’Marrow Cleansing and Condensing—the time is now!’

He calmed himself and sat cross-legged once more.

The meridians in the spinal column were narrow and blocked by layers of barriers, preventing Primordial Qi from entering. This area was also known as the "incurable" region of martial cultivation.

Now that he had entered the Innate Realm and his physical body had been tempered, the barriers had loosened slightly, barely allowing a small amount of Primordial Qi to be infused.

Zhao Lin twisted his six streams of True Qi into a single strand and sent it into his spine through the Weilu Acupoint, slowly grinding away at the outermost barrier.

SHHH...

As the Primordial Qi circulated, a faint scraping sound echoed from within his body.

Only he could hear this sound. At first, it wasn’t so bad, but as time went on, it grew sharp and piercing, like a knife scraping against an iron plate, becoming increasingly unbearable.

Zhao Lin knew that if he reduced the True Qi by one stream, passing the trial would be easier and the risk would be significantly lower, but he had no intention of doing so.

Each elemental type of True Qi had its own use. If he were to abandon one during the Marrow Cleansing and Condensing, that stream of True Qi would inevitably be restricted after he succeeded.

「Day turned to night.」

Yunjian Cave was pitch-black.

Around midnight, the Primordial Qi finally broke through the outermost barrier and entered the second layer.

Zhao Lin’s spirits lifted. He let out a couple of soft breaths and resumed his breakthrough technique.

「A night passed, and the red sun rose.」

"It’s been a full day, hasn’t it? Why is there still no movement?"

Outside Yunjian Cave, Lu Chaohuan, Yang Lin, Pan Yue of Leisure Cloud Hall, and the various elders from the Outer Court and Wuxiang Institute were gathered in a circle, engaged in a heated "discussion."

Worried that their voices might disturb Zhao Lin, they could only communicate by writing on paper.

In less than a day, they had already filled dozens of pages.

The Water Mirror Elder, a worried look on his face, picked up a brush and wrote a line of text on the paper.

Yang Lin picked up a brush from the brush rack and wrote, "Who knows how long a breakthrough takes? None of us have any experience."

Lu Chaohuan reached for the brush and wrote, "I’ve read the notes of a previous Grandmaster of our sect, Lu Yuanxiu. It only took him four hours to break through to the Innate Realm."

The Water Mirror Elder wrote, "Should we go in and take a look?"

Yang Lin wrote, "No need. We can hear his breathing, and it’s very steady. It doesn’t sound like his cultivation has gone awry. If we burst in now, we’re more likely to startle him."

Elder Huoyu snatched the brush and wrote, "So we’re just supposed to wait?"

Just as Yang Lin was about to write a reply, he suddenly saw a beetle trying to crawl into the cave. He reached out and made a grasping motion, and the beetle immediately flew into his palm.

He kneaded it in his palm for a moment. When he opened his hand again, the beetle fell to the ground in tiny fragments.

Dusting off his hands, he continued to write, "Zhao Lin has always been full of surprises. I think we can wait a little longer."

The others had no better ideas, so they could only continue waiting outside the cave.

「Another day passed.」

CRACK!

A loud crack suddenly came from within Zhao Lin’s body. After this sound, the Primordial Qi finally broke through the last barrier.

It gathered into a ball and surged upward along his spine.

The breakthrough had reached its most critical moment. Zhao Lin’s mind was as still as water, not daring to be distracted in the slightest.

The Primordial Qi coursed up and down his spine, cleansing and condensing his marrow...

As noon approached, a whirlwind suddenly stirred inside Yunjian Cave, and Primordial Qi gathered frantically around Zhao Lin’s body.

Zhao Lin’s body swelled like a balloon. His acupoints opened wide, and he began to absorb massive amounts of Primordial Qi.

Outside, the group also sensed the anomaly and exchanged surprised glances.

Yunjian Cave was located in a depression on the summit of Xingyun Mountain, where the Primordial Qi was already denser than elsewhere.

But now, this Primordial Qi, as if drawn by some force, was scrambling to surge into the cave.

’He’s breaking through!’

The group knew the phenomenon was definitely related to Zhao Lin, and they all peered into the cave.

Unfortunately, the cave was winding and twisting, and the light was dim. They couldn’t see anything, only hearing the faint sound of wind and Zhao Lin’s long, steady breaths.

At this moment, Zhao Lin had successfully broken through the second gate of the Innate Realm, entering the stage of Marrow Cleansing and Condensing. The six elemental types of Primordial Qi had truly merged with his physical body!

Then, something unexpected happened.

The Primordial Qi in his spine grew more and more solid, condensing into a column that looked like bamboo joints.

It resembled jade and emerald, crystalline and translucent.

The bamboo-like joints stacked on top of each other, rising upward.

One joint, two joints, three joints... it continued stacking until it reached a fourth joint, then stopped.

’So Marrow Condensing creates Primordial Qi bamboo joints. I wonder what they’re used for?’

Zhao Lin was secretly amazed. Although he had deduced the cultivation technique himself, this change was completely unexpected.

The breakthrough was over, but he didn’t stop cultivating immediately. Instead, he continued to circulate his energy to completely stabilize his new realm.

...

Thirty li north of Yongning City stood an unnamed mountain, where two thatched cottages were nestled halfway up the slope.

In front of the left cottage was a small, fenced-in vegetable patch. A Daoist in a gray robe and green shoes was watering the plants, carrying buckets on a shoulder pole.

The gray-robed Daoist suddenly sensed something. He put down the buckets and turned to look toward Xingyun Mountain.

A moment later, a look of delighted surprise appeared on his face. "Incredible! The Xingyun Sect has produced another Martial Grandmaster!"

Before his voice had faded, a young man in white robes walked briskly out of the right cottage. He glanced toward Xingyun Mountain and said in surprise, "To think a breakthrough to the Innate Realm could trigger such a distinct phenomenon. I wonder which elder it is?"

The gray-robed Daoist smiled faintly. "If I’m not mistaken, it should be that young Duke Zhen."

The white-robed youth said admiringly, "For a martial artist to step into the Innate Realm is several times harder than it is for people like us to reach Foundation Establishment."

"The last Martial Grandmaster in this world was Elder Lu, over a hundred years ago. For this person to accomplish such a feat just after turning thirty is truly incredible!"

"Our Chenghua Sect is about to gain another Martial Cultivator. For recommending him, you and I will surely receive a handsome reward."

The gray-robed Daoist nodded, a hint of worry in his voice. "It is indeed a rare opportunity. I’m just afraid he won’t be willing to follow us on the path of cultivation."

The white-robed youth was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Brother Huang, why would you say that? No one has ever refused before."

The gray-robed Daoist shook his head. "This is different. He’s the Duke Zhen, a man of esteemed status. Cultivating the Dao would mean giving up his identity and starting from scratch. He’s not like those poor kids you can lure away with a simple promise of defying fate and changing their destiny."

The white-robed youth scoffed lightly. "Brother Huang, you worry too much. No matter how high one’s mortal status, it’s nothing more than fleeting wealth, a passing cloud of smoke. How can that possibly compare to the allure of eternal life?"

The gray-robed Daoist said softly, "I hope so. Everyone says cultivating the Dao leads to eternal life, but I’ve never seen anyone actually achieve it. In fact, if you do a rough calculation, the lifespan of a cultivator might not even match that of a mortal."

The white-robed youth said gravely, "Brother Huang, forgive me, but I cannot agree with that. Don’t we cultivate the Dao precisely to fight for that sliver of a chance at life?"

"Whether we can succeed is secondary. What matters is that the path exists!"

The gray-robed Daoist pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "You have a point! All who practice martial arts are strong-willed and indomitable individuals who press ever forward."

"His martial path has reached its end. If I show him the path of the Dao, I’m not afraid he’ll be unmoved!"

The white-robed youth laughed heartily. "Exactly. That’s the logic."