Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

"Resolve the doubts in my heart?"

Zhao Lin looked down, his fingers drumming rapidly on the armrest. "Take them to the side hall."

"Yes."

Tian Dabang acknowledged the order and turned, leaving with brisk steps.

Zhao Lin stood up and followed, making his way to the central courtyard. He sat down by a pillar along the covered walkway.

This spot wasn’t far from the side hall. The area was open and unobstructed, and with his sharp hearing, he could clearly make out any activity inside.

’I have no intention of meeting the two Daoists just yet. Monks and Daoists are often full of bluster, quick to start with a line like, "Benefactor, a bloody calamity awaits you." I must first figure out their real reason for coming.’

Tian Dabang returned to the manor’s entrance and said to the two men, "Daoists, please follow me."

The two Daoists were slightly disappointed that Zhao Lin hadn’t come to greet them personally. However, they also understood that given Zhao Lin’s status, it was perfectly normal for him not to. They followed Tian Dabang into the side hall and sat down.

Tian Dabang had someone serve tea, then said with a smile, "My master is busy with official matters. I must ask you to please wait for a short while."

The gray-robed Daoist waved his hand. "It is no bother." He then picked up his teacup and took a sip for himself.

After Tian Dabang left, the two men continued to sip their tea while observing the hall’s furnishings.

At first, the two were calm. But they waited and waited, and still, Zhao Lin did not appear.

An hour passed. Their tea was refilled again and again, but there was still no sign of Zhao Lin.

The white-robed Daoist could finally sit still no longer. He shot to his feet and said, "Why isn’t he here yet? Does he plan to just leave us hanging?"

The gray-robed Daoist, however, was not anxious. "Younger Brother Lv, sit down," he said calmly. "Let’s just wait a little longer. Here, have some tea."

"I’m not drinking!"

The white-robed Daoist fumed, "I’ve filled my gut with tea and my heart with frustration!"

The gray-robed Daoist glanced outside the hall and lowered his voice. "He who is ignorant cannot be blamed; this is the mortal world, after all. Besides... he has already formed a Spiritual Root. He is one of us now, a cultivator!"

"Martial Cultivators are rare. We came here to recruit him into the sect, so you must not speak to him harshly. Do you understand?"

The white-robed Daoist’s expression softened. He nodded and said, "Brother Huang, you don’t have to say another word. I know how to conduct myself."

’The mortal world, Spiritual Roots, cultivation...’

Zhao Lin’s heart raced.

Those few words had sent a massive shock through him.

’Where did Lu Yuanxiu, the previous Martial Grandmaster of the sect, go?’

’Why did Primordial Qi suddenly appear in the world?’

’After I broke through to the Innate Realm, what are these four bamboo-like sections in my spine?’

’The mysteries I’ve been unable to solve lately all seem to point to a single answer...’

’There really is a path of cultivation in this world!’

’The two Daoists were speaking privately and would never have imagined I was eavesdropping. What they said is very likely the truth.’

’But from the sound of it, they came to invite me. That’s rather unexpected.’

Zhao Lin took a deep breath to calm himself. He strode into the side hall and said with a booming laugh, "I have arrived late and been a poor host. I hope you two Daoists can forgive me."

The two Daoists exchanged a glance, then rose and bowed in unison. "Your Grace."

Zhao Lin looked them over. The gray-robed Daoist was about thirty, with a plain face and three short wisps of a beard. The white-robed Daoist was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, fair-skinned and handsome, with an extraordinary air about him.

Both of them had fluctuations of Primordial Qi, but their Qi and Blood were only equivalent to that of a Power Realm martial artist. Zhao Lin had never encountered such a situation before, which only made him more curious about their origins.

"Daoists, please, have a seat."

Zhao Lin walked to the tea table and sat down casually. He accepted a cup of tea from a servant, took a light sip, and said, "May I ask for the Daoist names of you two gentlemen?"

The gray-robed Daoist replied with perfect composure, "This humble Daoist is surnamed Huang, given name Zhusong. I have no Daoist title. Your Grace may simply call me by my name."

The white-robed Daoist stated crisply, "I am Lv Qing."

Zhao Lin cut straight to the chase. "My steward told me you came to resolve the doubts in my heart. Is that so?"

Huang Zhusong replied, "Indeed!"

Zhao Lin continued, "Then perhaps, Daoist, you can tell me what these doubts of mine are?"

"Your Grace, if you would..."

As Huang Zhusong spoke, his gaze flickered toward the servants standing in attendance.

"You are all dismissed."

Zhao Lin ordered.

The servants withdrew, leaving only the three of them in the hall. Huang Zhusong then smiled faintly and said, "Does Your Grace know why there is Primordial Qi in the world?"

Zhao Lin slowly shook his head. "The workings of heaven and earth are beyond the ken of us mortals."

Huang Zhusong smiled noncommittally and asked, "I have heard a saying among martial artists: ’The path of martial arts is without limit.’ Is that correct?"

"There is."

"And does Your Grace agree?"

"Of course. My master told me that on the very first day of my training."

"Hahaha..."

Huang Zhusong suddenly burst out laughing. "Your Grace has reached the Innate Realm. Have you not yet deduced that there are no higher realms to ascend to on the path of martial arts?"

Zhao Lin was well aware of this. He was silent for a moment before replying, "Daoist Huang, you are no martial artist. Why are you discussing the path of martial arts?"

His tone carried a deliberate trace of bleakness, a tacit admission.

Lv Qing, who had been silent until now, raised an eyebrow. "Your Grace avoids the question," he interjected. "I imagine you know there is truth to his words, do you not?"

"Let me be frank with Your Grace. The path of martial arts ends at the Innate Realm. This is, in fact, a shackle imposed by this world!"

’The shackles of this world?’

Zhao Lin was inwardly shaken, but his face remained impassive. He looked directly at the man and asked, "This world? Daoist Lv, are you perhaps not from this world?"

Lv Qing simply smiled without answering, his gaze shifting to Huang Zhusong.

Huang Zhusong picked up the thread. "It is a long story. I wonder if Your Grace would be willing to hear it?"

Zhao Lin consented. "Daoist, please speak."

Huang Zhusong’s expression grew serious. "What I am about to say may seem somewhat fantastical, perhaps even shocking."

"But I must ask Your Grace to believe that every word I say is the truth, not a single falsehood!"

Zhao Lin leaned back in his chair. "Speak freely."

Huang Zhusong cleared his throat and began to speak slowly. "The two of us are, indeed, not from this world. We are cultivators who practice Qi Refining in pursuit of eternal life."

Zhao Lin’s expression changed slightly, but as he had already expected this, he did not appear overly surprised.

Huang Zhusong glanced at him and continued, "We come from the Xuanyuan Continent, a place tens of thousands of miles from here..."

Then, taking turns, Huang Zhusong and Lv Qing explained the story of their origins.

It turned out the two men came from a place called the Xuanyuan Continent, a land abundant with Spiritual Qi and perfect for cultivation.

The Xuanyuan Continent was vast and connected to hundreds, even thousands, of smaller worlds.

The sect to which they belonged, the Chenghua Sect, governed nine of these small worlds, and this world was one of them.

Many of the cultivators in the Chenghua Sect also hailed from these nine small worlds.

To become a cultivator, one must possess a Spiritual Root.

At regular intervals, the Chenghua Sect would search these nine small worlds for people with Spiritual Roots and recruit them, thereby maintaining the sect’s numbers.

Although perhaps not even one person in a hundred thousand possessed a Spiritual Root, the combined population of the nine small worlds numbered in the hundreds of millions, so they could always find enough "seeds" for cultivation.

Thus, the number of cultivators in the Chenghua Sect remained relatively stable.

However, a thousand years ago, a great war erupted on the Xuanyuan Continent. All the major sects were drawn into the conflict, and the Chenghua Sect suffered devastating losses, with more than half of its cultivators killed or wounded.

At this rate, replenishing their numbers at the original pace was far too slow.

To replenish their ranks as quickly as possible, the leaders of the Chenghua Sect decided to use an Array to channel the Spiritual Qi from their Spirit Veins into the nine small worlds.

When the Spiritual Qi entered the small worlds, it was diluted into Primordial Qi, which in turn nourished all life within them.

From then on, the number of people with Spiritual Roots in the small worlds grew and grew. Though the Chenghua Sect had sacrificed its Spirit Veins, it was able to rapidly replenish its cultivators and restore its strength.

Huang Zhusong and Lv Qing were the cultivators stationed in this particular world, specifically responsible for finding "cultivation seeds" who possessed Spiritual Roots.

’So the Primordial Qi of this world is just converted from the Spiritual Qi of the Cultivation Realm...’

One of Zhao Lin’s questions was answered. He silently mulled over their words. The story seemed plausible, but there were still things he didn’t understand.

"You two sought me out. Does that mean I have a Spiritual Root as well?"

As he asked the question, Zhao Lin felt a sense of unease. Logically, the answer had to be yes.

But with his own path to eternal life on the line, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.

"Your Grace has guessed correctly!"

Huang Zhusong laughed. "If you didn’t, we wouldn’t have come knocking."

Zhao Lin inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, but another question quickly came to mind. "If I have a Spiritual Root, why are you only coming to me now? Are only martial artists of the Innate Realm qualified to cultivate?"

"Not at all!"

Lv Qing interjected, "Your Grace did not originally have a Spiritual Root. It only formed recently."

’A recently formed Spiritual Root?’

Zhao Lin wondered, ’Could my Spiritual Root be different from others?’

Lv Qing didn’t keep him in suspense. "Spiritual Roots are a gift from the heavens," he explained. "They cannot be acquired later in life. However, the influx of Primordial Qi into the small worlds triggered a side effect."

"Strange beasts appeared in all nine small worlds, and the strength of martial artists increased dramatically."

"Originally, relying only on their own Qi and Blood, a martial artist could at most reach the Qi Realm. But with the advent of Primordial Qi, they were able to break through to the Blood Realm and even the Primordial Realm."

"Among these, the most exceptional individuals who cultivated to the Innate Realm could, during the trial of marrow refinement, forcibly form a Spiritual Root."

"Your Grace is one such exceptional person!"

A thought struck Zhao Lin. He remembered the four bamboo-like sections in his spine and asked, "What is a Spiritual Root? And where is it located?"

Lv Qing replied, "A Spiritual Root is the bridge that draws in Spiritual Qi. It is the very foundation of cultivation, and it resides within a cultivator’s spine, taking a shape like a section of bamboo."

"With one, you can sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, absorb it, and refine it for your own use. Without one, no matter how powerful you become, you are nothing more than a mere mortal."

"Spiritual Roots are divided into six grades. From highest to lowest, they are: Celestial Grade, Earth Grade, High Grade, Middle Grade, Low Grade, and Mortal Grade."

"A Celestial Grade Spiritual Root is a one-in-ten-thousand rarity among cultivators. Anyone who has one and develops it successfully is destined to become a pillar of the Cultivation Realm."

"An Earth Grade Spiritual Root, while slightly inferior, is not far behind."

"However, Celestial and Earth Grade Spiritual Roots are exceedingly rare. Most cultivators possess a High, Middle, or Low Grade root."

"As for those with a Mortal Spirit Root, they have no hope of ever reaching Foundation Establishment and can only practice some Low Tier Magic."

"I see."

Zhao Lin’s palm rested on his teacup. After a moment of silence, he suddenly looked up and asked, "Do you two know what grade my Spiritual Root is?"