Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

The Spirit Dao Institute, Demonstration Pavilion.

Beneath the Demonstration Pavilion was a training chamber, forty zhang long and forty zhang wide, where dozens of disciples were engrossed in practicing magic.

"Flaming Blade!"

"Earth Blade Skill!"

"Water Arrow Skill..."

Ever since Miao Kefa had demonstrated two perfect-level magic skills, the disciples of the Spirit Dao Institute had been deeply shaken.

Not only were the disciples who already practiced these two skills training with greater fervor, but many who had never touched the Spirit Blade Skill or Spirit Arrow Skill were also beginning to switch over.

The training chamber was spacious, somewhat resembling a shooting range from his previous life. The southern side was an open area with white lines marked on the floor, facing numerous circular discs that served as targets.

The discs, walls, and floor were all protected by an Array, so the disciples could unleash their magic at will without fear of causing damage.

"Ice Blade Skill!"

Zhao Lin formed a hand seal, unleashing an ice blade within half a breath. In a flash of silver light, it struck the bullseye of a target twenty zhang away.

Seeing this, Elder Wu and several instructing senior brothers who were observing from a distance all gave a slight nod. The other disciples also turned to look.

"With that kind of precision, he must be at the proficient level, right?"

"Definitely. I’ve been watching! Ten out of ten hits from twenty zhang away, with seven of them dead center on the bullseye. That meets the standard for the proficient level."

"I’m so jealous. I’ve been practicing for four months and I’m not even at the entry-level yet. Senior Brother Zhao used to practice the Wind Blade Skill, and now he’s switched to the Ice Blade Skill without being set back at all."

"Heh, there’s nothing to be jealous of. Everyone knows Martial Cultivators have an advantage with magic in the beginning, but they always get stuck when it’s time to break through to the next realm..."

Zhao Lin paid no mind to the disciples’ chatter. Feeling his Spiritual Power depleted, he dusted off his hands and walked to the side of the chamber to sit and rest.

He practiced magic in the training chamber every day not only to give others the impression that he was a diligent cultivator, but also to allow the magic absorbed by the Spirit Cultivation Map to become more attuned to his body.

Constant practice is key; it never hurts to train more.

Besides unranked minor spells like the Lighting Skill, Fireball Technique, and a wind-driving spell, Zhao Lin had mastered four Tier One magic skills.

He had cultivated his Rock Armor Skill to the Minor Achievement stage, a fact he rarely revealed. On the rare occasion he did use it, he would deliberately make it look as if he were only at the entry-level.

He had brought his Ice Blade Skill and Flame Stream Arrow to the proficient level, consuming a total of eight Spirit Stones.

Reaching this stage in half a year was already considered incredibly fast. Any faster, and he would risk arousing suspicion.

Since there was no risk of anyone discerning its true level, Zhao Lin used sixteen Spirit Stones to directly analyze his Qi Observation Skill up to the Minor Achievement stage.

At the Minor Achievement stage, the Qi Observation Skill allowed him to roughly perceive the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the air.

This ability helped him find a spot with dense Spiritual Qi whenever he cultivated on the mountaintop each morning.

He had fifty-one Spirit Stones remaining, which he planned to save for the time being.

For every level he raised a magic skill, the number of Spirit Stones required increased fourfold. Reaching the mastery stage would cost sixty-four Spirit Stones, to say nothing of major achievement and perfection.

Few people in the entire county could come up with over a thousand Spirit Stones.

’When it’s time to choose a Dao Art next year, I’ll have to think carefully and pick one that’s more ’profitable’.’

Zhao Lin also discovered something interesting about the Spirit Cultivation Map: after it absorbed four magic skills, the four grids on it were all different colors.

The grid for the Rock Armor Skill was earth-yellow, the Qi Observation Skill’s was transparent, the Ice Blade Skill’s was silvery-white, and the Flame Stream Arrow’s was crimson.

This meant that once a grid absorbed a magic skill, its attribute was fixed. It could then only absorb Tier Two or Tier Three magic skills of the same attribute.

The color corresponded to the attribute, making it clear at a glance.

...

After cultivating for half the day, Zhao Lin returned to his residence before dark.

From a distance, he saw someone standing before his courtyard gate, looking his way with a broad smile.

The person looked incredibly familiar. He took a closer look—who else could it be but Liang Song?

Zhao Lin froze, a rush of blood surging to his head. His mouth opened, but for a moment, no words came out.

"Brother Zhao!"

Liang Song stepped forward and threw his arms around Zhao Lin, exclaiming, "I heard there was a Martial Cultivator among the new disciples this year, and I just knew it had to be you!"

It was one of the four great joys in life: to meet an old friend in a distant land.

Especially since this "distant land" was an entirely different world, both men were overcome with emotion.

"I asked around about you, too. I heard you’d been posted to another county."

Zhao Lin said, regaining his composure and patting Liang Song’s shoulder.

Taking a closer look, he saw that in the six or seven years since they’d last met, Liang Song had matured considerably. He now wore a mustache, was dressed in a navy blue long robe, and carried himself with a calm, reserved air.

"Yeah, I’ve been constantly busy. I finally got some free time these past few days, so I made a special trip back to see you."

Liang Song took a step back and looked Zhao Lin over, surprised. "Qi Refining Second Layer! That’s some impressive cultivation speed!"

Zhao Lin laughed. "You flatter me. You’re already at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer."

Liang Song waved his hand dismissively. "The sixth layer is nothing. Some of the disciples who joined the institute the same year as me have already reached the Qi Refining Eighth Layer."

"That fast..."

Zhao Lin trailed off, suddenly realizing how strange it was. They hadn’t seen each other in years; why was cultivation the first thing they talked about?

He reached out and pushed open the courtyard gate. "Let’s not just stand out here. Come on in."

Inside, Zhao Lin wanted to play the host for his old friend, but unfortunately, he had neither tea nor wine, so he moved to get the water kettle.

"I’ve got some wine."

Liang Song said, standing up. He took a long-necked cyan bottle and two small cups from his storage pouch, filling both to the brim.

"Is this Spirit Wine?"

Zhao Lin lifted his cup and took a sniff. A sweet fragrance assailed his nostrils, and he could feel a faint fluctuation of Spiritual Power radiating from it.

Spirit Wine was brewed from Spirit Grain or Spirit Fruit. Not only was it absorbed more quickly by the body, but it could also satisfy the cravings of those with a fondness for drink.

Liang Song nodded. "That’s right. Spirit Wine."

"How many Spirit Stones is a bottle of this worth?"

Since the Spirit Cultivation Map required vast amounts of Spirit Stones, Zhao Lin was very mindful of prices.

"Not expensive. Three Spirit Stones."

Liang Song raised his cup and clinked it against Zhao Lin’s.

They had known each other for over a decade, trained in martial arts together, and were now cultivating at the same institute. Both were filled with a deep sense of emotion.

After a few cups, any lingering awkwardness between them vanished completely.

When Liang Song asked how he had entered the institute, Zhao Lin recounted his story: participating in the martial arts tournament, cultivating to the Primordial Realm, breaking through to the Innate Realm, and finally being brought here by the stationed cultivator.

After listening, Liang Song sighed. "That’s incredible. With your talent and intelligence, I’m sure you’ll thrive in the Cultivation Realm as well."

He then shared his own story.

It turned out that the Dao Art Liang Song studied at the Spirit Dao Institute was Tamed Beast, and he was currently stationed in Yanmen County of Nanhe Province.

Tamed Beast is the art of raising Spirit Beasts, and it is one of the mainstream Dao Arts in the Cultivation Realm.

Spirit Beasts have many uses. Some serve as mounts, some help find Spirit Grass, some can be used as beasts of burden, and others can be used for reconnaissance and combat.

The art of Tamed Beast is crucial for any sect. While it doesn’t rank in the top four Dao Arts, it holds a firm place in the top ten.

Zhao Lin asked Liang Song why he had chosen this particular Dao Art. Liang Song laughed. "I didn’t think too much about it back then. I used to be a hunter, and I figured a Spirit Beast is still a beast, so I chose the path of Tamed Beast. You could say I’m back in my old line of work."

"So, how is it? Is Tamed Beast a good line of work?"

"Spirit Beasts are intelligent, and they aren’t devious like people, so all in all, it’s pretty good. The work can just be a bit tedious."

After chatting for a while, their conversation eventually circled back to cultivation.