Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

Huang and Lv cried out in surprise. Zhao Lin’s heart pounded nervously, and he couldn’t help but ask, "You two Daoist masters, are my Spiritual Root attributes... numerous?"

Huang Zhusong nodded. "Very many!"

He then explained, "An ordinary Cultivator’s Spiritual Root usually has two or three attributes. Some have as few as one. A six-attribute Spiritual Root like Your Grace’s is extremely rare."

Zhao Lin asked, "Is that good or bad?"

Hearing this, Huang Zhusong laughed heartily. "Of course it’s a good thing! Each attribute has Magic it excels at. The more Spiritual Root attributes you have, the wider the range of Magic you can cultivate."

"For example, Alchemy and Artifact Refining require a fire-attribute Spiritual Root. Surveying a Spirit Vein requires an earth-attribute one. And without a Water Attribute Spiritual Root, you can’t become a Spirit Plant Master."

Lv Qing also smiled. "Your Grace also possesses the three variant attributes of wind, ice, and lightning. This is something many Cultivators can only dream of."

"That’s good, then."

Zhao Lin had thought that having too many Spiritual Root attributes might hinder his cultivation. Hearing their explanation, he was relieved.

At this point, Huang Zhusong and Lv Qing both fell silent, looking at Zhao Lin in unison.

Their meaning was clear. They had stated their identities and purpose and were hoping Zhao Lin would agree to join the Chenghua Sect.

Their urgency wasn’t because they feared Zhao Lin would refuse to cultivate—after all, who could resist the allure of a long life?

It was because their term as resident envoys was about to expire. In a few months, they would have to return to the sect to report on their duties.

If they could guide a Martial Cultivator like Zhao Lin into the sect, the rewards would be quite substantial.

If Zhao Lin decided not to hurry and dallied in this world for another year or so, then this "peach" would be picked by someone else.

Zhao Lin fell silent as well, his mind racing.

Although he had been seeking the path to longevity ever since he’d transmigrated, and a part of him desperately wanted to agree on the spot... ’One must remain calm when facing major decisions.’ There were a few things he had to clarify first.

"Allow me to ask you two: what is the lifespan of a Cultivator? Can one truly achieve immortality?"

Hearing this question, both Huang and Lv smiled.

Huang Zhusong quickly suppressed his smile and said with a serious expression, "An excellent question, Your Grace! Why else do we cultivate, if not to seek a carefree, eternal life?"

"However, a Cultivator’s lifespan is closely tied to their Cultivation Realm, so it can’t be generalized."

"Just as martial arts has the Power Realm, Qi Realm, Blood Realm, Primordial Realm, and Innate Realm, the path of cultivation is also divided. It has the five great realms of Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Purple Mansion, Golden Core, and Divinity Transformation."

"Once you step into the Qi Refining Realm, your lifespan can reach around one hundred and twenty years. If you cultivate to the Late-stage Qi Refining, it can extend to one hundred and fifty."

Zhao Lin thought to himself, ’As an Innate martial artist, my lifespan is already a hundred and twenty years. Qi Refining only gets you to one hundred and fifty at most. That’s not much of an increase. This realm is far from enough.’

Huang Zhusong continued, "Upon entering the Foundation Establishment Realm, your lifespan starts at two hundred years. Cultivating to the late stage of Foundation Establishment extends it to around three hundred."

"After Foundation Establishment comes the Purple Mansion Realm, where one’s lifespan can reach six hundred years!"

A smile touched his face as he said this. "Your Grace has likely noticed a pattern. With every major realm you advance, your lifespan doubles."

"Therefore, a Golden Core Realm Cultivator’s lifespan is about twelve hundred years. Divinity Transformation doubles that again, reaching two thousand four or five hundred years."

’Over two thousand years...’

Zhao Lin’s heart pounded at the thought. His eyes flickered as he asked, "Are there higher realms after Divinity Transformation?"

Huang Zhusong wasn’t surprised by the question. He answered with a smile, "Of course there are. However, once you reach Divinity Transformation, you are already a Half-Step Immortal. To cultivate further, you must leave the Xuanyuan Continent and ascend to the unknown Immortal Realm."

"’The unknown Immortal Realm?’"

Zhao Lin murmured the words softly. ’So there are tiers between worlds,’ he thought. ’The Xuanyuan Continent is a higher-level world than this one, but there are even higher worlds above it.’

Seeing that Zhao Lin still hadn’t committed, Huang Zhusong probed, "Does Your Grace have any other questions? Our Chenghua Sect is a sect with a long and storied history on the Xuanyuan Continent. With our myriad cultivation techniques and profound heritage, we are the premier choice for seeking the Dao and attaining immortality."

Zhao Lin considered this silently. ’In this world, I am a renowned Martial Arts Grandmaster. But over there, I’ll just be a newcomer who has just started cultivating. I’ll have no control over anything.’

’Is it dangerous to join the Chenghua Sect?’

’Will I be reduced to manual labor or cannon fodder?’

’From our conversation, it’s not hard to guess that guiding me into the sect benefits them. Naturally, they’ll paint a rosy picture of everything.’

’A great war occurred on the Xuanyuan Continent a thousand years ago. The Chenghua Sect lost over half its Cultivators and is still recovering...’

’I’m afraid it might not be safe even now. What if I go and am immediately sent to a battlefield?’

’There’s a saying: while you’re eyeing someone else’s profit, they’re eyeing your principal.’

’It’s true I want to cultivate for a long life, but safety must be the priority.’

However, Zhao Lin didn’t ask these questions directly. Doing so would make him seem naive and easily led.

’If you ask the melon seller if his melons are sweet, you’ll only ever get one answer.’

"You two Daoist masters, there was an elder from my Xingyun Sect named Lu Yuanxiu. He became a Martial Arts Grandmaster over a hundred years ago. As far as I know, he left to roam the world after reaching that level. Did he also join the Chenghua Sect?"

Lu Yuanxiu was brilliantly talented and, before Zhao Lin, was the youngest to ever become a Martial Arts Grandmaster. If he wasn’t doing well in the Chenghua Sect, or had even passed away, then Zhao Lin would have to reconsider this entire matter.

After asking his question, Zhao Lin lifted his teacup to his lips.

His throat vibrated at a high frequency, emitting an ultrasonic wave to monitor the two men’s heartbeats, breathing, and blood flow.

When people lie or are nervous, their heart rate and blood flow quicken, and their breathing pattern changes.

At such a close distance, Zhao Lin was confident he could tell if they were lying.

Huang Zhusong thought for a moment, then nodded. "Elder Lu Yuanxiu is indeed in our Chenghua Sect. He currently holds the position of an elder."

Zhao Lin asked again, "And what is Elder Lu’s Cultivation Realm?"

"The Purple Mansion Realm," Huang Zhusong replied.

Zhao Lin frowned slightly. He had no real concept of cultivation levels and instinctively tried to map them to the martial arts realms he knew.

’Purple Mansion corresponds to the Blood Realm. That doesn’t seem very high.’

Huang Zhusong saw what Zhao Lin was thinking and quickly explained, "Your Grace may not know this, but it is extremely difficult for a Cultivator to break through to the next realm."

"Take the Qi Refining Realm, for example. Fewer than one percent of those cultivators ever reach the Foundation Establishment Realm. And the further you go, the harder it gets!"

"Even in a sect the size of Chenghua Sect, Purple Mansion Realm Cultivators are not a common sight."

Zhao Lin covertly observed the man’s speech and demeanor. He noted that Huang Zhusong’s expression was calm, and his heartbeat and breathing were normal. Knowing that he was most likely telling the truth, Zhao Lin continued with his questions.

"I’d like to ask you about someone else. I have a friend named Liang Song who suddenly disappeared a few years ago. Before he vanished, he sent me a letter that was vague and cryptic, with much left unsaid."

"Thinking back on it now, he most likely joined the Chenghua Sect. Do you two know anything about his current situation?"

"Liang Song?"

Huang Zhusong and Lv Qing shook their heads in unison. They had clearly never heard the name.

Lv Qing asked, "Do you know what year he disappeared?"

Zhao Lin thought for a moment. "The nineteenth year of Yuanxi. Six years ago."

"No wonder!"

Huang Zhusong smiled. "We hadn’t yet been assigned to this world six years ago. The previous resident Cultivators must have been the ones to guide him into the sect, which is why we don’t know him."

"After six years, this Cultivator Liang should have already graduated from the Spirit Dao Institute."

Zhao Lin’s expression shifted slightly. "The Spirit Dao Institute?"

Lv Qing picked up the explanation. "That’s right. When a Cultivator joins the sect, they must first study at the Spirit Dao Institute for three to five years. Only after they have mastered the sect’s Cultivation Techniques and Magic will they truly begin to take on duties within the sect."

’That sounds pretty good...’

Zhao Lin thought, ’At least that would give me a few years to cultivate in peace and have a smooth transition.’

But then another thought struck him. ’Why didn’t Liang Song tell me clearly when he left?’

’Does cultivation require severing the seven emotions and cutting off the six desires?’

Thinking of this, Zhao Lin voiced his question.

Huang Zhusong smiled faintly. "I would guess that your friend did not intend to sever your friendship, but rather, he was forbidden from revealing the matter of cultivation to you."

"That’s why he wrote a vague letter and left without a proper farewell."

Zhao Lin’s expression softened. "You mean to say... that matters of cultivation cannot be revealed to others?"

"Of course not."

Huang Zhusong said decisively, "Everyone envies Cultivators. Everyone wants to become an Immortal."

"If mortals were to learn that cultivation is possible, they wouldn’t care that it requires a Spiritual Root. From high ministers and kings down to the common folk, I’m afraid every last one of them would spend all day dreaming of how to cultivate."

"The only result would be the proliferation of false paths, frequent eras of chaos, the collapse of nations, and immense suffering for the people!"

Huang Zhusong’s gaze was intense as he spoke, word by word, "In fact, a long time ago, the Chenghua Sect did not hide the matter of cultivation from these nine lesser worlds. The result was exactly as I described. It was only later that we were forced to issue strict orders for our resident Cultivators to maintain secrecy."

The puzzle in Zhao Lin’s heart was solved. He finally understood why the several Innate Realm elders of his sect had been so tight-lipped about this matter. He had never expected this to be the reason.