Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

"I have no parents, and I didn’t originally have a name..."

Li Sancai was the last to tell his story. The moment he spoke, everyone was taken aback.

It turned out Li Sancai’s parents had died just after he was born. He survived on scraps from neighbors and whatever he could scavenge from the trash, wandering the streets from a young age.

At the start of the year, he fell gravely ill and collapsed by the roadside, barely breathing. As luck would have it, a stationed cultivator on patrol happened to pass by. He discovered that the beggar, who was covered in sores, actually possessed a Spiritual Root, and so he brought him back to the temple for treatment.

Half a month later, Li Sancai had slowly recovered. The cultivator told him the truth of the matter and asked if he was willing to cultivate.

Li Sancai was moved to tears of gratitude and naturally agreed at once.

The cultivator asked his name. Li Sancai said he had no name, nor did he know his parents’ surname.

The cultivator was in a bind. ’You have to have a name before you can join the sect, right?’

Li Sancai asked the cultivator for his surname.

The cultivator said, "My surname is Li."

Li Sancai said, "Immortal Master, you have given me a new life, so I will take the surname Li as well."

Though the cultivator found the matter absurd, he couldn’t refuse. After a moment’s thought, he said, "You have three Spiritual Roots—water, fire, and earth. From now on, you will be called Li Sancai."

Zhu Cong, He Shaoqun, and Bai He were filled with sympathy upon hearing his tale, and they all offered words of comfort.

After they had chatted for a while, Senior Brother Xun walked over from the main hall. He hesitated before saying, "I’m usually the only one living here, so I never cook. Your meals are going to be a problem."

Zhao Lin understood immediately and offered, "I have some silver taels on me. I’ll go out and buy some food."

Senior Brother Xun nodded. "Then I’ll have to trouble you, Junior Brother."

Zhu Cong immediately piped up, "I’ll go with Senior Brother Zhao!"

Zhao Lin glanced at him with a smile. "Sure, but it’s a long walk."

Zhu Cong said, "Perfect. We can look around on the way. It’s too stuffy here."

He Shaoqun added, "It is a bit stuffy. I’ll go too."

Zhao Lin nodded and looked toward Li Sancai and Bai He. They both said they wanted to go as well.

"Alright, then let’s all go together!"

Zhao Lin gestured for the others to come along. Before they left, he asked Senior Brother Xun, "Senior Brother, is there anything you’d like to eat? I can bring it back for you."

Senior Brother Xun shook his head. "Once you start cultivation, you no longer eat mortal food. You don’t need to worry about me, Junior Brother."

Zhao Lin didn’t press the issue. He led his four new juniors out of the temple and headed straight for the county town.

As they walked, Bai He suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Zhao, are you a martial artist?"

Zhao Lin glanced at her. ’This girl has a sharp eye,’ he thought, then asked aloud, "What makes you say that?"

Bai He replied, "When you walk, Senior Brother, your body seems light, yet your footing is very steady. My older brother practices at a martial arts academy, and his posture and gait are very similar to yours."

Zhao Lin nodded. "You’re very observant. I have indeed practiced a bit of kung fu."

The temple was over ten li from the county town, and it took them nearly an hour to reach the city gates.

After asking for directions, Zhao Lin led the group to the best restaurant in town. He requested a private room and, in one breath, ordered twenty different dishes.

He Shaoqun, Bai He, and Li Sancai knew a meal here must be expensive and all thanked him profusely. Even the youngest, Zhu Cong, added, "You’re spending too much on us, Senior Brother."

’These four have good character,’ Zhao Lin thought with an inward smile. He said aloud, "Once we get to the Xuanyuan Continent, I’m afraid this gold and silver will be useless. Better to spend it now than let it weigh us down."

It was already past noon, so the restaurant wasn’t crowded. The food arrived quickly.

Everyone was famished, especially the young boys. They were at that age where they could eat their parents out of house and home, so they dug in with gusto.

Zhao Lin observed them quietly. He noticed that while the boys were eating heartily, Bai He had barely touched her chopsticks.

At first, he assumed it was because she had a small appetite, but he soon noticed a strange look on her face. Her brow was slightly furrowed, and one hand was pressed against her lower abdomen.

Zhao Lin had a good idea what was happening. He took a subtle sniff of the air and caught the faint scent of blood, confirming his suspicions.

"Waiter..."

Zhao Lin called the waiter over and quietly ordered a bowl of chicken soup with motherwort.

A short while later, the chicken soup was brought to the table.

When Bai He saw the motherwort in the soup, she froze for a second, her eyes darting a quick, secret glance at Zhao Lin.

Zhao Lin’s expression remained neutral as he kept his head down, eating his rice and other dishes.

Bai He seemed to relax, finally picking up her bowl and ladling some soup for herself.

After finishing it, she still seemed to want more and ladled another bowl.

After two bowls of soup, the color returned to her face.

After lunch, ’I don’t feel like making another trip tonight,’ Zhao Lin thought. So, he had the leftovers packed up, bought five steamers of buns, and took it all with them.

By the time they returned to Zhenyang Temple after the long trip, the younger ones were exhausted. Yawning, they all headed back to their rooms to rest.

Zhao Lin chose a room with good lighting. After tidying it up a bit, he closed the door and windows and sat down cross-legged.

He took an Innate Pill from his robes, swallowed it, and began to cultivate.

Though he was about to begin his journey of cultivation, Zhao Lin had no intention of abandoning the martial path.

He had asked Huang Zhusong and Lv Qing about the combat strength of Qi Refining Realm cultivators.

According to them, the physical strength of a Qi Refining Realm cultivator couldn’t compare to that of an Innate Realm martial artist, whose body had been completely reforged.

Until they mastered their magic, Qi Refining cultivators were only slightly stronger than ordinary people, with more robust bodies.

In a direct comparison, an Early-stage Qi Refining cultivator was stronger than a Blood Realm martial artist, and one at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining was stronger than a Primordial Realm martial artist.

However, if the two were within seven steps of each other, a Blood Realm martial artist could even kill a cultivator at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining.

It was similar to a confrontation between melee weapons and firearms.

Zhao Lin was an Innate Realm Martial Grandmaster. As long as he could get in close, he could even fight a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

So for now, his martial arts were his true foundation for survival.

The Innate Pill Zhao Lin had just taken was one he had formulated himself after discussions with the people of the Medicine Pavilion.

The pill contained four medicinal properties—water, fire, earth, and ice. It would harm anyone else who took it, but only Zhao Lin, with his Spirit Beast Scroll, could easily refine its medicinal power.

As the sun began to set, Zhu Cong, He Shaoqun, and the others emerged from their rooms.

With nothing to do, they gathered in the front courtyard to chat. The yard was spacious and open, offering a view of the distant mountain range.

Senior Brother Xun had been standing outside the gate for a while. Seeing that no one else was arriving, he also entered the courtyard to speak with the group.

Gathered together and about to head to the Chenghua Sect, the youths’ conversation naturally turned to cultivation. They daydreamed about a future where they could fly through the heavens, tunnel through the earth, and create armies from scattered beans.

Senior Brother Xun didn’t interrupt, merely listening in silence from the side. His expression held a hint of world-weariness and complex emotion.

Zhao Lin could guess what he was feeling. When one first started practicing martial arts, who didn’t dream of reaching the Blood Realm, the Primordial Realm, or even becoming the strongest under heaven? But those who actually succeeded were few and far between.

"Senior Brother Xun, how many years have you been here?"

Zhao Lin went and sat down next to Senior Brother Xun. After a bit of small talk, he learned that Xun was responsible for both Qi Province and Yun Province, tasked with finding people with Spiritual Roots. He had already been stationed here for three years.

"Unfortunately, my luck was bad this year. I didn’t find a single one."

Senior Brother Xun gave a self-deprecating smile and sighed softly.