Eternal Life Begins with Learning

’So many possibilities...’

Recalling the information from the Jade Scroll, Chu Mu still found it hard to suppress the excitement in his heart.

In his past life, every form of Energy had too many limitations.

But here in the Cultivation Immortal Realm, this tiny Spirit Stone, the Spiritual Qi that permeated the world...

Not to mention the profound mysteries of Spiritual Qi itself, a creation of heaven and earth!

Such a miraculous type of Energy, such a technical study as the Puppetry Skill...

And the Puppetry Skill was just one branch of the Artifact Refining Skill. Artifact Refining, in turn, was just one of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation Immortal.

’How magnificent must the Cultivation Immortal Realm be?’

Chu Mu was already growing impatient. So impatient that he had almost overlooked a few things... What did the prosperity of Qinghe County have to do with the Forced Labor?

What did the prosperity of Jingmen County have to do with those laborers, with the people toiling in the fields or drifting on the lake?

And he... a newcomer to the Cultivation Immortal Realm... what did its prosperity have to do with him?

In a sense, his status would shift from the pinnacle of the secular world to the very bottom of the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

The night sky was still brilliant as the small boat drifted slowly on the lake. Chu Mu lay reclined on the bow, his eyes half-closed, as if hovering between sleep and wakefulness, once again immersed in an ocean of knowledge.

One was an incomplete Alchemy Inheritance for which he already had a foundation. The other was a Puppetry Skill inheritance with a complete system of basic knowledge, yet for which Chu Mu had no foundation at all.

An ordinary person might have struggled to choose between them.

But with the existence of "Spiritual Radiance," Chu Mu clearly had no need to hesitate.

Elder Li once said that his aptitude for Cultivation Immortal was not very good.

But with "Spiritual Radiance," his ability to learn and absorb information was second to none.

Even facing the unknown Cultivation Immortal Realm, Chu Mu was extremely confident.

As for his future path of Cultivation, Chu Mu had long since formulated a crystal-clear plan.

He would walk the future Immortal Path just as he had walked the path of Qi and Blood Cultivation.

Learn and apply. It was as simple as that.

It wasn’t until the morning sun began to rise, as the boat drifted with the waves toward the shore, that Chu Mu finally pulled himself back from the vast sea of knowledge.

’I feel like... something is missing.’

Chu Mu stood up, looking around the small boat and then toward the nearby port, frowning in thought.

’What could be missing?’

’I’ve obtained two inheritances before I’ve even entered the Cultivation Immortal Realm!’

’Look at that youth from Qili Village. After getting his inheritance, he was hunted by Cultivators wherever he went, all trying to steal it from him.’

’I’m making a fortune in silence. I should be secretly rejoicing, so what could I possibly be lacking?’

Chu Mu habitually glanced at his Light Curtain Panel. His expression froze. He thought he knew what was missing now...

[Name: Chu Mu.]

[Skill: Basic Blade Technique (Entering the Hall and the Room) 1602/2000]

[Body Refining Technique (1000/1000)]

[Alchemy: Dragon and Snake Soup: Refined Skill (117/2000)]

[Spiritual Radiance Value: 439.2%]

Staring at the Body Refining Technique on the Light Curtain Panel, which had already reached Perfection, Chu Mu’s cheek twitched slightly.

’Two inheritances!’

’I’ve obtained two inheritances before even entering the Cultivation Immortal Realm.’

’Judging by how that youth was hunted again and again, it’s clear how precious these kinds of inheritances are.’

’But... I have two inheritances...’

’How do I use them?’

’According to the records in the inheritances, both require the Magical Power of a Cultivator to be put into practice.’

’Where does Magical Power come from?’

’What Cultivators cultivate is Magical Power.’

’In other words, I can only use these inheritances after I step onto the Immortal Path. Otherwise, I can only stare at them uselessly.’

’But the problem is, neither of these two inheritances contains any follow-up Cultivation Immortal Technique!’

’Besides, where can I even find the Cultivation Immortal Realm?’

’No follow-up Cultivation Immortal Technique, and no way to make contact with the Cultivation Immortal Realm...’

’I really let the excitement go to my head. To think I only just realized such a critical problem now.’

Chu Mu looked around. A moment ago, the world felt vast and open for him to explore. Now, it had become... the world is vast, but where can I go?

The problems were numerous and very real.

But one problem was particularly important.

Without a Cultivation Immortal Technique, it meant he had no way to protect himself when facing a Cultivator.

’Even if Cultivators exist, even if there are places where they gather, would I dare to approach them?’

’Not to mention, right now I don’t even know where to find any Cultivators...’

Stepping onto the dock, Chu Mu walked aimlessly, somewhat lost in thought.

No matter how frustrating reality was, he had to face it.

He mulled over every clue he had about the Cultivation Immortal Realm and Cultivators.

’I can’t approach a lone Cultivator unless I have no other choice.’

’Betting my life on a stranger’s whim is foolish.’

’The most straightforward method is to find a gathering place for Cultivators.’

’Judging from these two inheritances, which cover a wide range of subjects, it’s impossible for Cultivators to be lone wolves. There must be markets and trade similar to the secular world.’

’It’s human nature. Where there are people, there are rules. The more people there are, the more structured the system becomes.’

’This is a basic human instinct, and Cultivators can’t be an exception.’

’Regardless of what the system of rules is, its existence means there must be constraints on Cultivators. It’s impossible that all Cultivators in a gathering place can just do whatever they please.’

’If they could all act on a whim, no Cultivators would gather there in the first place.’

’This means a gathering place for Cultivators would have a certain degree of safety for me.’

’Unlike facing a lone Cultivator, where I can only gamble on the good or evil of their nature in a single moment.’

’Cultivators rely on Spiritual Qi for their Cultivation, so where there’s dense Spiritual Qi, there must be Cultivators...’

’The Puppetry Skill’s section on Array Runes describes Arrays like Illusion Arrays and Killing Arrays...’

’A gathering place for Cultivators should be protected by such Arrays...’

These thoughts flowed through his mind one by one, and Chu Mu quickly made a judgment based on his current situation.

Finding a place with dense Spiritual Qi... now that he had achieved Divine Appearance, he could sense Spiritual Qi. For him, this was a matter of following the clues and trying his luck.

As for basic knowledge like Arrays, he had no Magical Power and couldn’t use them, but he could learn more about them...

Chu Mu gazed at the prosperity of Jingmen before him, his eyes flickering. More than half a year ago, he had left Nanshan Town.

Now, in his pursuit of the Cultivation Immortal Realm, he would soon be leaving Jingmen as well.

Chu Mu shook his head and looked toward the Hundred Herbs Pavilion in the distance, a different possibility coming to mind.

The man and woman from that night, who had paid him a Spirit Stone to treat their injuries.

He didn’t dare approach a Cultivator, but what did he have to fear from a Martial Artist who wasn’t a Cultivator but definitely knew about the Cultivation Immortal Realm?

He was naturally well aware of the middle-aged man’s injuries.

He needed to recuperate, and not just for a short while.

Even if they fled, they definitely couldn’t have gotten far.

What’s more, just yesterday, that youth had appeared on the lake outside Jingmen.

This undoubtedly indicated that the man and woman were likely still within Jingmen’s borders, perhaps even still in Jingmen County...

A pang of regret hit Chu Mu. He had been a bit thoughtless that day, taking the Spirit Stone and rushing to distance himself to avoid trouble, instead of interacting more with the woman.

If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t be in such a passive position now.

After all, even if the man and woman were still in Jingmen County, the Jingmen Patrol Officer had failed to find them despite such a massive search. Where could he possibly look?

"Brother Mu, you’re finally back!"

The moment Chu Mu arrived at the entrance of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, Xu Yuan’s complaint rang out.

"If you didn’t come back soon, our Hundred Herbs Pavilion would have gone under!"

"Haven’t you been studying under me for a while now?"

Chu Mu teased, "Is Doctor Xu still not brave enough to practice medicine?"

"My skill level is only good enough for fetching herbs. How would I dare to actually practice medicine..."

Chu Mu shook his head, gazing at the three words for "Hundred Herbs Pavilion" that he had written himself. "That won’t do. The Hundred Herbs Pavilion needs you to hold it up."

"How could I..."

Xu Yuan started to object out of reflex, then seemed to realize something and his eyes widened. "Brother Mu, you..."

Chu Mu nodded.

Xu Yuan’s expression was complicated. "Does that mean you’re leaving, Brother Mu?"

"In a while."

Chu Mu shook his head. "A month. I’ll stay for another month."

"A month..."

Xu Yuan nodded, falling silent for a moment.

"Keep the Hundred Herbs Pavilion running. We need to have a way out."

"You stay in Jingmen for now. I’ll come back after I’ve scouted things out. Don’t neglect your Qi and Blood Cultivation."

Chu Mu’s words were earnest, and they reflected his true intentions. If possible, he really would lead Xu Yuan onto the Immortal Path as well.

In this era, Xu Yuan was the only one he could truly trust.

Take the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, for example. No matter how energetic he was, he couldn’t manage his own Cultivation and studies while also overseeing the pavilion’s operations.

It wasn’t a matter of energy, but a matter of it not being worthwhile.

If he used that time and energy to read a few more books or conduct more experiments and research, the gains would be far greater for him.

But without Xu Yuan managing the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, many things would be very inconvenient for him.

Even in the Cultivation Immortal Realm, having someone you know well and can trust to help is always better than fighting alone.

Chu Mu walked into the pharmacy, where a few apprentices were still bustling about, though most of the time, Chu Mu had no idea what they were so busy with.

Seeing Chu Mu enter, the apprentices quickly stopped what they were doing to greet him. Chu Mu didn’t linger in the Medicine Hall and went straight to the backyard.

Having not seen Chu Mu for several days, Wangcai, who was now as fierce as a mountain beast, immediately shot over and pounced on him.

With its immense strength, an ordinary person would have been knocked to the ground.

Chu Mu held his ground, firmly rubbing the dog’s head as it nuzzled hard against his chest. The corners of his mouth turned up in a slight smile.

"Xu Yuan, did you feed Wangcai his medicine today?"

Chu Mu called out toward the Medicine Hall.

"I just had Chang San finish brewing it. I was just about to bring it over."

Xu Yuan walked over carrying the medicinal soup, looking slightly puzzled. "What’s up, Brother Mu?"

"Just a small experiment."

Chu Mu smiled. As he took the soup, he also pulled the Spirit Stone from his robes and handed it to Xu Yuan.

"Brother Mu, this... I can’t take this!"

Xu Yuan shook his head repeatedly. "You said yourself, this is currency in the Cultivation Immortal Realm. You’ll definitely need it when you go there. My Cultivation with the Dragon and Snake Soup is already fast enough. There’s no need to waste it..."

Chu Mu pushed it directly into Xu Yuan’s hands. "Alright, stop being so fussy."

"I’m not giving it to you, just letting you borrow it for a few days. You have to give it back when I leave."

Seeing Chu Mu’s insistence, Xu Yuan clutched the Spirit Stone and opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing more.

Meanwhile, Chu Mu’s attention was already completely focused on Wangcai.

With the emergence of his Divine Sense, many things that were previously impossible to do or see were now possible.

This meant that many of his stalled experiments could now be resumed.

Take Wangcai, for example. With Divine Sense, the room for manipulation with this bowl of medicine was much, much greater.

For instance, he could use his Divine Sense to directly observe the changes of the medicinal properties inside Wangcai’s body. He might even be able to directly manipulate those medicinal properties...

In any case, it was clearly far superior to his previous method of relying on vague perceptions of Wangcai’s physical reactions.

’If it’s feasible on Wangcai, does that mean it’s also feasible on humans? To manipulate another’s body, or even their Divine Soul?’