Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

The moment Junior Martial Uncle Wu finished speaking, the youths scrambled toward the giant vessel. They scurried up the gangway and began touching and looking at everything on board, their faces filled with curiosity.

Zhao Lin didn’t rush to board. Instead, he lagged behind, carefully studying the massive vessel. ’Something seems off,’ he thought.

It seemed like overkill for the Chenghua Sect to send such an enormous vessel just to pick up twenty disciples.

Thanks to the engineering mindset from his past life, whenever Zhao Lin encountered something unfamiliar, he felt compelled to understand its underlying principles.

’What material is this giant vessel made of?’

’Where does its power come from?’

’What’s its flight speed...?’

On the vessel’s roof was an Octagonal Cloud Platform, wreathed in a green glow. That must be the control center for the Flying Vessel.

All over the hull, both front and back, were etched patterns resembling Arrays and countless dense runes.

Zhao Lin deduced it was these Arrays and runes that allowed the massive vessel to fly through the sky.

’Could its power source be... Spirit Stones?’

He also noticed protrusions like cannon ports on the bow and along the hull. ’This vessel might be a warship,’ he thought.

As he got closer, he saw the material had a wood-like grain. But when he touched it, the surface felt cold and hard, neither like iron nor wood.

Though he had many questions, Zhao Lin knew he wasn’t in a position to get answers yet, so he simply committed his observations to memory.

The massive vessel stood over a hundred feet tall. By the time Zhao Lin stepped onto the deck, the other youths had vanished. Only two young cultivators in long, blue-green robes were there, looking over at him with smiles.

"Welcome, Junior Brother. Please head into the cabin and rest!"

Zhao Lin spotted a hatch on the deck but didn’t rush inside. Instead, he cupped his hands in salute. "Excuse me, Senior Brothers, does this ship have a name?"

He hadn’t directly asked what kind of vessel it was, hoping to find out more through indirect questions.

The two cultivators exchanged a glance. The one on the left smiled and said, "It certainly does. It’s called the Han Red Ship."

"The Han Red Ship?"

Zhao Lin muttered the name to himself. ’Looks like I was right,’ he thought. ’The name has "Ship" in it, so it’s most likely a large military vessel. I just don’t know what "Han Red" means.’

Seeing his puzzled expression, the same cultivator smiled and explained, "It’s no secret, Junior Brother. Our Chenghua Sect is connected to nine minor worlds, and this particular world is called the Han Red Realm."

"That’s where this warship gets its name."

’So it really is a warship...’

Just as a new question came to Zhao Lin’s mind, the other cultivator cut in, "Please head into the cabin now, Junior Brother. We’re about to depart."

Zhao Lin glanced back and saw that Junior Martial Uncle Wu had finished bidding farewell to the three garrisoned cultivators and was walking toward the vessel. He thanked the two senior brothers, walked to the side of the deck, and descended the ladder.

Stepping into the cabin, he felt a flash of disorientation. It was like stepping into the passenger cabin of an airplane from his past life.

The interior of the cabin was quite spacious, about the size of a tournament stage, with dozens of chairs with armrests fixed to the floor.

The chairs were connected directly to the ship’s frame and looked extremely sturdy.

Beneath each chair was an Array Map with a circular pattern. He wasn’t sure what it was for.

The cabin was buzzing with excitement. Some of the youths sat together, talking loudly, while others wandered about, unable to contain their enthusiasm.

Zhao Lin glanced around before finding an empty seat by a window and sitting down.

The window was small and square, only about the size of a block of tofu. The material looked like glass, but a light tap produced a faint, metallic ring.

Outside, it was the dead of night and pitch-black, but the inside of the cabin was as bright as day.

Zhao Lin looked up and saw several fist-sized "stones" embedded in the ceiling, emitting a soft, bright light.

’Everything here seems ordinary at first glance, but it’s all so extraordinary. The arts of cultivation have completely replaced technology. How fascinating!’

Just then, Junior Martial Uncle Wu’s booming voice echoed into the cabin.

"Everyone, the Flying Vessel is about to move. Please return to your seats."

"There are violent astral winds outside. Do not, under any circumstances, leave the cabin. In the best-case scenario, your Dao foundation will be damaged and your path of cultivation severed. In the worst-case, you will be killed in an instant!"

The youths, who had been laughing and chatting a moment before, immediately fell silent. They quickly found their seats and sat down without moving.

Junior Martial Uncle Wu continued, "When we cross the realm barrier in a moment, the Flying Vessel will shake violently. But rest assured, there is a protective Array under your chairs to lessen the turbulence."

"Still, to be on the safe side, you should hold on to your armrests."

’So it’s a protective Array...’

Zhao Lin glanced down at the floor, feeling much more at ease.

The two blue-green-robed cultivators from before came in, closed the hatch, and took seats at the very front.

’It seems Junior Martial Uncle Wu is the captain of this vessel,’ Zhao Lin mused. ’And these two are... the flight attendants?’

’I wonder if they have a first mate or second mate.’

Zhao Lin pressed his ear against the hull. He couldn’t hear any voices, only the low hum of the Flying Vessel vibrating.

The humming grew louder, then with a ROAR, the Flying Vessel began to move.

A moment later, he felt a powerful sensation of being pressed into his seat by immense G-forces.

The other youths cried out in alarm.

Having been on airplanes in his past life, Zhao Lin wasn’t panicked. He looked out the window and saw the massive vessel lift off the ground, quickly rising above the island and heading toward a black vortex among the clouds.

’I’m finally leaving!’

Zhao Lin was filled with a mix of emotions. He wondered if his journey from this world to the Xuanyuan Continent could be considered a form of "ascension."

As he pondered this, the Flying Vessel plunged into the vortex and began to buck violently.

At the same time, the Array Maps beneath the chairs flared to life, and an invisible force "bound" everyone to their seats.

Even so, the youths maintained a death grip on their armrests, their faces ashen with fear, terrified of being flung from their seats.

With his martial arts foundation, Zhao Lin wasn’t as tense as the other youths. He quietly observed the view outside the window.

The Flying Vessel tore through the void at an incredible speed. Zhao Lin couldn’t begin to estimate how fast they were going; everything outside was just a blur.

Countless afterimages intertwined, morphing into a bizarre, kaleidoscopic pattern of psychedelic colors.

The turbulence lasted for only a brief moment before the Flying Vessel stabilized. The youths let out a collective, long sigh of relief.

About ten minutes later, the Flying Vessel slowed and began a gradual descent.

Looking down at the earth below, he saw a vast, boundless expanse of majestic mountains. Rivers coiled around them like jade belts, and occasionally, he could spot unidentifiable beasts running across the land.

’So this is the Xuanyuan Continent!’

Zhao Lin sighed in wonder, then suddenly raised an eyebrow. ’Why is it daytime?’

He distinctly remembered it being nighttime in his original world. Less than half an hour had passed, so how could it already be broad daylight here?

Furthermore, judging by the lush forests below, it seemed to be the height of summer. The season was different, too.

Just then, one of the youths asked, "Senior Brother, are we almost there?"

The blue-green-robed cultivator on the left chuckled. "We still have a ways to go. We’re about to get off and switch to another Flying Vessel."

"Switch Flying Vessels?"

The youths exchanged puzzled glances.

Zhao Lin was curious too. ’Did the Flying Vessel run out of "fuel"?’ he wondered.

Just then, the Flying Vessel jolted once before coming to a complete stop.

"Alright, everyone out."

The two blue-green-robed cultivators stood up, walked to the exit, and opened the hatch.

The group followed them out, looking around with curiosity.

Zhao Lin stepped onto the deck, looked around, and then suddenly took a sharp, deep breath.

It was the scent of Spiritual Qi!