Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Chu Mu wandered aimlessly through the Marketplace.

Even though he was unemployed, he didn’t pay much attention to the job postings.

He had previously wasted his days, grinding away day after day, all to earn Spirit Stones, broaden his understanding, and become a true Cultivator so he could fit into this Cultivation Immortal Realm.

He had achieved that goal. But the next problem—a shortfall of eight hundred Spirit Stones—wasn’t something that could be solved by wasting more days away.

Chu Mu was even a little reluctant to go back to that daily grind. It wasn’t that he was overly ambitious; he was just afraid... afraid that wasting his days away would make him slowly accept his reality, accept being ordinary.

’Once I truly accept reality, accept being ordinary, would I even be a Cultivator anymore?’

Chu Mu wasn’t sure, but right now, it seemed he had no choice but to accept reality.

If he didn’t return to the daily grind, he would soon find himself unable to get by in the Marketplace.

Then, he would have no choice but to leave the Marketplace and enter the naked law of the jungle outside.

It was a dead end, a stalemate that all Loose Cultivators, or any Cultivator without power or backing, would eventually face.

Either you honestly served as a consumable under someone’s protection, or you left that protection to kill one another.

’Sell... knowledge?’

Finally, Chu Mu’s steps halted. He touched a card in his coat, a hint of struggle surfacing in the depths of his eyes.

He didn’t have the power to escape this dead end, but he had knowledge.

And knowledge was wealth.

He had inherited knowledge in Alchemy, and the Puppetry Skill in Artifact Refining.

Even if he sold the most basic Grain Avoidance Pill Pill Recipe, he could definitely get a price he could never earn by grinding away day after day.

The premise was... he had to be able to sell it, and... he had to stay alive after selling it.

’I’ll risk it!’

Chu Mu gritted his teeth, his mind made up.

’If I don’t take this gamble, am I really going to waste over a decade just for a Grain Avoidance Pill?’

’At my current Cultivation speed, what realm would I even reach in ten-plus years?’

’Without enough resources to Support me, reaching the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation would be a blessing from the heavens!’

Chu Mu stopped dawdling and headed straight for home.

Back in his room, he shut the door and sat down abruptly at his desk.

He unclenched his fist, revealing a card.

He had figured out the card long ago. It was a location and a voucher.

He’d gotten it from Wang Mazi. It was the Black Market voucher he had suspected it to be.

The Black Market wasn’t in Jade Emperor Valley, nor was it nearby. It was on Fengming Mountain, a full seven hundred li away from Jade Emperor Mountain.

It was a great distance. Chu Mu guessed that there must be a Black Market near the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace.

After all, the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace was massive, and there were a great many Cultivators.

The demand for a Black Market could never be met by one seven hundred li away on Fengming Mountain.

Profit stirs the heart. Someone was bound to be making that money.

He figured Wang Mazi didn’t trust him much, so he had been fobbed off with this Black Market so far from Jade Emperor Valley.

After a moment of contemplation, Chu Mu’s gaze shifted, and the Light Curtain Panel appeared in his vision.

[Name: Chu Mu.]

[Skill: Basic Blade Technique (Refined Skill) 4976/5000, Fireball Skill (Entering the Hall and the Room) 1956/2000]

[Body Refining Technique (1000/1000)]

[Flame Decision First Layer (467/1000)]

[Alchemy: Dragon and Snake Soup: Refined Skill (1300/2000) Grain Avoidance Pill: Beginner’s Practice (96/100)]

[Spiritual Radiance Value: 1863.1%]

In over six months, even with frequent use of the "Spiritual Radiance Blessing," he had still accumulated a lot.

The biggest change, and his greatest asset going forward, was clearly his Blade Technique and Fireball Skill, both of which were on the verge of a breakthrough.

He had less than twelve Lower Grade Spirit Stones left. At his current rate of spending, as long as he didn’t busy himself with anything else, it was enough to support him worry-free for more than half a year.

Chu Mu took out ten Spirit Stones from his Spirit Stone Bag and set them aside. The bag was instantly empty, with less than two Spirit Stones remaining.

Then, he took out ten Broken Spirits and put them in his coat, leaving only a few Broken Spirits in the bag.

After a moment’s thought, Chu Mu went out again.

When he returned, he was holding thirty usage vouchers for the Magic Experiment Hall, and the ten Spirit Stones he had taken with him had been spent at Wang Mazi’s place.

With the appearance of these thirty vouchers, his entire fortune immediately shrank to less than two Spirit Stones.

Chu Mu didn’t mind. His decision was made, and his attention was once again focused on the Light Curtain Panel.

’Since I’ve decided to risk it, there’s obviously no need to hoard Spirit Stones.’

The right choice was to increase his own strength as much as possible before heading to the Fengming Mountain Black Market.

And right now, he didn’t have many options to increase his strength.

His Cultivation could only progress step by step. Ten-odd Spirit Stones couldn’t buy any Spirit Elixirs, and even if he could, it wouldn’t be worth it.

Only his Blade Technique and Magic.

On the Light Curtain Panel, both were close to a breakthrough. He had already studied them thoroughly, and with the "Spiritual Radiance Blessing," he could improve them quickly and turn them into real strength.

He had especially high hopes for that mysterious and profound sharpness of the blade’s edge from his Blade Technique.

The plan was set. The next step was to execute it.

Chu Mu tidied his room, clearing a large open space to practice his blade work, just as he had at Li’s Trading House.

He drew the Iron Saber that had accompanied him from the mortal world into the Cultivation Immortal Realm from his luggage. Standing with the saber in hand for a moment, Chu Mu’s eyes suddenly deepened.

The "Spiritual Radiance Blessing" descended, and the presence of this mortal blade filled the room.

Each and every move, lifting the heavy as if light, the light as if heavy, was executed with complete freedom.

On the Light Curtain Panel, under the "Spiritual Radiance Blessing," the Skill Level for his near-breakthrough Blade Technique once again entered the fast lane.

Perhaps because his mind was made up, freed from the psychological burden of the daily grind, his freedom of movement now held a hint of wild abandon, and an even greater sharpness.

Time trickled by. On the Light Curtain Panel, the Spiritual Radiance Value dropped at a rate visible to the naked eye. Under the effect of the Spiritual Radiance, Chu Mu lost himself in the moment, pouring his entire being into these few Blade Technique forms.

He didn’t overthink it. His Blade Technique at the Refined Skill level, combined with the conviction of "lifting the heavy as if light, the light as if heavy," had already imbued these ordinary Blade Technique forms with a profound mystery they shouldn’t possess.

Everything flowed from his will, everything originated from his conviction.

At some unknown moment, it was as if the swing of the blade’s edge broke through an unseen barrier. In that instant, the mortal blade... seemed to come alive!

In that unseen realm, the sliver of sharpness originating from his conviction and rooted in his spirit suddenly grew at a perceptible, rapid pace, as if it had received great nourishment.

Finally, the sharpness rooted in his spirit abruptly spread out, from his spirit to his body, like a scanner, pass after pass, round after round.

The blade’s edge still moved with abandon. Chu Mu, his eyes closed, continued to swing the saber without stopping.

’This sharpness of the blade’s edge, rooted in my spirit, has it... manifested?’

Finally, the blade’s edge came to a sudden halt!

A moment later, Chu Mu’s eyes flew open. The depth within them remained, mixed with joy and, even more so, disbelief.

His Blade Technique had broken through the Refined Skill level, and the explosive surge in the sharpness of his Divine Sense blade’s edge had truly manifested in reality!

Chu Mu could clearly sense that under the influence of this blade’s sharpness, under those spreading waves, his Divine Sense, Magical Power, and even his physical body had all gained an indescribable edge.

He tentatively extended his Divine Sense. As he focused it, Chu Mu even felt that his Divine Sense was no longer just Divine Sense, but an invisible blade forged from it!

He swung it subconsciously. With a distinct tearing sound, the desk and chair in front of him... were sliced in half!

The desk collapsed to the floor, the cut surfaces smooth as if carved by nature itself.

Chu Mu swallowed, the disbelief in his eyes growing even thicker.

’Does Divine Sense have Attack power?’

Obviously it does, but a cultivator at the meager Qi Cultivation First Layer like him should absolutely not have an offensive Divine Sense.

For a Cultivator like him, his Divine Sense had very limited uses.

Besides scouting in 360 degrees with no blind spots, its only other use was a bit of telekinesis, and even that was limited by weight, distance, and many other factors.

With his current Divine Sense, he could move an object of about ten jin at most, and it placed a huge strain on his Divine Sense.

’As for Attack power, using telekinesis to throw things at people?’

’Or using my insignificant Divine Sense to fight other Cultivators?’

And yet, the desk and chair were now sliced in two...

Chu Mu looked at the Light Shepherd Panel again.

[Name: Chu Mu.]

[Skill: Basic Blade Technique (Peak of Perfection) 1/10000, Fireball Skill (Entering the Hall and the Room) 1956/2000]

[Body Refining Technique (1000/1000)]

[Flame Decision First Layer (467/1000)]

[Alchemy: Dragon and Snake Soup: Refined Skill (1300/2000) Grain Avoidance Pill: Beginner’s Practice (96/100)]

[Spiritual Radiance Value: 1656.3%]

’Is it the Peak of Perfection realm that has such a miraculous effect? Or is it a Blade Technique at the Peak of Perfection that’s so miraculous? Or perhaps, it’s a Blade Technique influenced by the Light Curtain Panel that is this miraculous?’

Chu Mu thought silently, his gaze already fixed on his Fireball Skill, which was also about to break through.

’To solve this puzzle, I just need to train my Fireball Skill to the Refined Skill level. That should give me some clues.’

After all, the miraculous aspects of his Blade Technique had only begun to show signs of appearing when it reached the Refined Skill level.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...

Just as he was pondering, there was a knock on the door.

Chu Mu froze for a second, then went to open the door. A busy figure dressed in red once again came into view.

"Here’s seven days’ worth of food. I prepared it according to the menu you gave me."

After carrying two large baskets of ingredients to Chu Mu’s door, Chang Hongyi pointed to the pots, pans, and bundles of firewood to the side.

"These are a gift for you. Make sure to give me more business in the future, okay!"

"Alright. Thanks for the trouble."

Chu Mu nodded. But just as the words left his mouth, his expression flickered as if he had sensed something, and his body instantly tensed up.

Chang Hongyi wrinkled her nose, a little puzzled. "What’s wrong with you?"

"It’s nothing."

Chu Mu’s expression was a little unnatural. He forced a smile. "Want to come in and sit for a bit?"

"I can’t. I still have to deliver food to the other neighbors."

Chang Hongyi held her head high, looking slightly proud. "The dozens of families in the entire Sector A-3 are all my customers."

"Alright then. You stay busy."

Chu Mu didn’t insist. He stepped forward and, in two trips, carried the two baskets of things Chang Hongyi had brought into his room.

When the door closed, Chu Mu’s normal expression instantly turned grave...

...