Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

Seeing the Essence Soul emerge, Zhao Lin let out a long breath of relief. ’This Whip-Line Serpent was a tough one to kill,’ he thought.

Dong Lingcheng was knocked to the ground by the aftershock of the Thunder Sound Fist. The punch itself hadn’t harmed him, but the inch-deep bloody hole on his back was a shocking sight.

Zhao Lin helped him up and asked, "Senior Brother, are you alright?"

"I’m fine..."

Dong Lingcheng’s face was deathly pale and his teeth were chattering slightly. He took a crimson pill from his robes and swallowed it. After meditating to regulate his breathing for a while, the color finally returned to his face.

"Thank you for saving me, Junior Brother."

Dong Lingcheng stood up, faced Zhao Lin, and bowed deeply to the ground.

"Senior Brother, there’s no need for that!"

Zhao Lin tried to refuse the gesture, but Dong Lingcheng insisted on the formal bow and said earnestly, "If you hadn’t intervened, Junior Brother, I wouldn’t have made it."

After speaking, he let out a long cry, calling for the distant Elder Nie.

A matter this urgent had to be reported to the elder immediately to prevent other disciples from encountering the same situation.

"By the way, Junior Brother, what was the name of that Fist Skill you just used? How did I lose consciousness so suddenly?"

Dong Lingcheng rubbed his head, feeling a little dizzy as he asked with curiosity.

Zhao Lin smiled. "Thunder Sound Fist. I’m guessing you’ve never heard of it, Senior Brother."

"The methods of a Martial Cultivator are truly extraordinary!"

"You flatter me, Senior Brother. Mortal martial arts can hardly compare to Magic; they’re only useful in close combat."

Dong Lingcheng said no more, his heart still pounding with fear as he stared at the Whip-Line Serpent’s corpse on the ground.

If Zhao Lin had acted a moment later, even if he hadn’t died immediately, he likely would have lost his cultivation base entirely.

"Senior Brother, what is this long, thin worm?"

"Why does it look like a leather whip?"

Li Sancai, Tong Mu, and Zhu Cong finally came to their senses and asked, their voices tinged with fear.

"This is a type of parasitic demonic insect called a Whip-Line Serpent..."

Dong Lingcheng explained patiently.

After hearing his explanation, the three of them looked astonished. They had never imagined such a bizarre, demonic insect existed in the world.

Before long, Elder Nie flew over.

He spotted the Whip-Line Serpent on the ground at a glance, and his brow twitched violently. Only when he looked up and saw everyone standing before him, safe and sound, did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"Elder, this Whip-Line Serpent was hiding inside a locust..."

"This disciple was careless and got ambushed. Fortunately, Junior Brother Zhao intervened in time, and I escaped disaster."

Dong Lingcheng explained what happened in just a few sentences.

Elder Nie glanced at Zhao Lin and said with approval, "You did very well!"

"The Whip-Line Serpent is insidious and venomous by nature, and excels at ambushes. It hasn’t been seen in Nanhe Province for many years. This was my oversight."

"You all rest here for now. I’ll go inform the other disciples so they can be on their guard."

With that, he leaped into the air, his voice magically carrying as he announced, "All disciples, listen carefully! A Whip-Line Serpent was just discovered among the locusts. You must be careful..."

An hour later, all the locusts in the town had been completely wiped out. Fortunately, no second Whip-Line Serpent appeared.

Elder Nie directed the disciples to pile the insect carcasses near the farmland outside of town and burn them to ash.

The mortals also emerged from the inner Array, thanking the elder and disciples profusely.

Although the disciples were exhausted, their robes splattered with fluids spat by the locusts, the sight of so many grateful eyes made them feel the trip had been worthwhile.

...

"You came to the aid of a fellow sect member in distress. Your actions are an example for all disciples. I have already applied to the province for merit points as a reward for you."

Upon returning to Han Chi County, Elder Nie dismissed the other disciples, keeping Zhao Lin behind specifically to talk.

Zhao Lin’s heart leaped with joy at the mention of merit points.

To prevent the devaluation of merit points, the Chenghua Sect’s management of them was extremely strict. Each county had a fixed amount to distribute, and any additional rewards required an application to the province or even the sect headquarters.

’Since the elder is applying to the province,’ he thought, ’it must be for more than just a handful of merit points.’

Zhao Lin straightened his expression and said, "Thank you, Elder. This disciple was only doing what he should. It wasn’t for the sake of merit points."

Then, he added inwardly, ’But it would be even better if there were more merit points.’

By the time he returned to his residence, it was already dark.

Exhausted from the long day, Zhao Lin felt famished. He took out some extra Spirit Rice and poured it into his small cauldron to cook.

Half an hour later, the rice was cooked, and the cauldron chimed.

As Zhao Lin ate the Spirit Rice, he reflected on the day’s events.

Each of the instructing senior brothers had cultivated at least one Magic to the Mastered level. It hadn’t seemed that impressive during the demonstrations at the Demonstration Pavilion, but in actual combat, the difference was clear.

A single spell from an instructing senior brother could slay several demonic insects. What’s more, their attacks always hit their mark; within a hundred paces, they never missed.

In comparison, not only did his own Wind Blade Skill have a short range, but he could barely hit seven or eight out of ten locusts on the ground. Once the demonic insects took flight, his accuracy dropped to only twenty or thirty percent.

’For the same Magic, the gap between Entry-level and Mastered is already huge. I can’t even imagine how powerful it would be at Grand Completion or even Perfection...’

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Just as Zhao Lin was lost in thought, a knock came from his courtyard gate.

He walked out of his room, curious. ’Who could it be this late?’ he wondered.

"Junior Brother Zhao, it’s me."

Before Zhao Lin could ask who it was, Dong Lingcheng’s voice sounded from outside the gate.

"Senior Brother Dong, what are you...?"

Zhao Lin opened the gate and was surprised to see Dong Lingcheng carrying a large bundle on his back and a wooden chest in his hand.

"Here, take this!"

Dong Lingcheng didn’t stand on ceremony, thrusting everything into Zhao Lin’s arms and walking into the house himself.

Zhao Lin caught the bundle and could tell just by the feel that it was filled with Spirit Rice—at least a hundred jin. He knew it was a gift of thanks.

The wooden chest was heavy, but he couldn’t tell what was inside.

"Thank you for what you did today, Junior Brother Zhao. But pretty words are cheap..."

Walking into the living area, Dong Lingcheng pulled up a chair and sat down. "Just a small gift to show my gratitude."

Zhao Lin, who was often going hungry, desperately needed the Spirit Rice to solve his pressing problem. Still, he made a show of refusing, "Senior Brother, you’re too kind..."

Dong Lingcheng waved his hand dismissively. "Just take it, Junior Brother. I’ve already carried it all the way here. Am I supposed to carry it all back? People would laugh their heads off!"

At this, he tilted his chin up slightly. "Going to open it and take a look?"

Zhao Lin stopped refusing. He opened the bundle and, just as he’d thought, it was full of gleaming yellow Spirit Rice.

He then opened the wooden chest and had to squint as a brilliant light flowed out. Inside were two neat stacks of Spirit Stones.

A quick count revealed there were over a hundred of them, and each Spirit Stone had a snowflake-like pattern on its surface.

Zhao Lin immediately thought of his Spirit Beast Scroll, which had remained gray and unresponsive. It seemed to need Spirit Stones to be awakened, and his heart couldn’t help but stir at the thought.

Dong Lingcheng chuckled. "To be honest, Senior Brother here gets a decent monthly allowance, but most of it goes to buying supplements like Jade Marrow Liquid and Yuan Condensing Pills, so I haven’t saved up much. Don’t think this is too little, Junior Brother."

Seeing that Zhao Lin’s expression remained calm upon seeing the Spirit Stones, he asked in surprise, "Junior Brother, have you seen Spirit Stones before?"

Zhao Lin nodded and answered truthfully, "I saw one once before joining the sect, from a stationed cultivator. But that Spirit Stone didn’t have a snowflake on it."

Dong Lingcheng chuckled, picked up a Spirit Stone, and stroked the pattern on it. "After Spirit Stones are mined and cut, a restriction seal is placed on them to prevent Spiritual Qi from leaking out. This snowflake is the mark of that seal."

"If there’s no snowflake, it means it’s been used to some extent. You must remember this, Junior Brother."

Zhao Lin nodded with a smile. "Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother. In that case, I won’t be polite. I’ll accept this gift!"

"That’s more like it!"

Dong Lingcheng was delighted. They exchanged a few more pleasantries before he left, fully satisfied.

Zhao Lin saw him all the way to the courtyard gate. He fully extended his sense of hearing to confirm no one was nearby, then walked back to his room and stood before the wooden chest.

He reached out and picked up a Spirit Stone.