Eternal Life Begins with Learning

"Something big has happened!"

"Something big has happened!"

On the street, Old Chen came running, his panicked shouts causing residents on both sides to open their doors and look.

"Old Chen, what’s going on?"

A cultivator couldn’t help but ask.

"I heard a squad from the Law Enforcement Team was killed outside the city! Not a single one escaped!"

"Now the Law Enforcement Team in the city is going crazy. I heard even a Foundation Establishment Powerhouse rushed over!"

SWOOSH...

Just as Old Chen finished speaking, several streaks of light shot across the sky with a piercing whistle, heading toward the distant mountain range.

The clamor instantly fell silent, but a moment later, it erupted once more.

Neighbors on all sides began to discuss it heatedly, all talking at once.

Chu Mu stared blankly at the streaks of light vanishing on the horizon, only seeming to snap out of it after a long moment.

After a moment of contemplation, Chu Mu shook his head, not bothering to dwell on it. He pushed open the door and walked into his room.

Even if the situation spiraled out of control, it wouldn’t affect him much.

After all, he was currently living outside Jade Emperor City, not inside it.

If things went south in Jade Emperor City and the gates were closed, he probably wouldn’t be able to leave even if he wanted to.

But Yuning Town was just a secular town, surrounded by vast mountains, with Jade Emperor City as its only neighbor.

Whether to stay or go was just a matter of making a decision.

If things became untenable, he could just slip away.

Besides, the town was mostly filled with low-level cultivators. If chaos truly broke out, they wouldn’t pose much of a threat to him.

All things considered, Yuning Town was still a top choice for him at the moment.

The door closed. Chu Mu paused, and the Light Curtain Panel appeared in his vision.

[Name: Chu Mu.]

[Skills: Basic Blade Technique (Peak of Perfection) 9999/10000.

Fireball Skill (Returning to the Essence) 5430/10000.

Flame Barrier (Returning to the Essence) 2420/10000

Fire Snake Skill (Peak of Perfection) 5320/10000

Cleaning Skill (Beginner’s Practice) 523/1000]

[Blazing Fire Technique Ninth Layer (1256/3000)]

[Wild Bull Technique Second Layer (1538/2000)]

[Alchemy: Grain Avoidance Pill: Peak of Perfection (8953/10000)

Vein Nourishing Pill: Peak of Perfection (7325/10000)]

Soul Cleansing Pill: Initial Glimpse (899/1000)

[Artifact Refining: Long Rainbow Sword: Beginner’s Practice: 99/100]

[Spiritual Radiance Value: 3260.6%]

With one batch of Soul Cleansing Pills and several months of time, his Qi Cultivation had naturally broken through from the Eighth Layer to the Ninth Layer.

His Body Refining Cultivation, which corresponded to the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation, was now approaching the Late Stage thanks to a pile of resources. Once he broke through, his Body Refining Cultivation would be roughly on par with his Qi Cultivation.

The Light Curtain Panel faded away. Chu Mu subconsciously clenched his fist, and a surging sense of power instantly welled up within him.

Chu Mu closed his eyes to perceive his inner state. Through introspection, his internal organs, meridians, and Dantian were all incredibly clear.

By now, with his Body Refining Cultivation approaching the third stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm, the benefits of Body Refining... or rather, Dharma and Body Cultivation, were becoming exceedingly clear.

The growth and strengthening of his physical functions, as well as the resilience of his meridians and Dantian, were undergoing a clearly perceptible, gradual change.

And this increase in strength was clearly continuing to grow along with his Body Refining Cultivation.

The benefits of such changes were obviously immense.

Moreover, Body Refining Cultivation focused on Qi Blood. And under the Essence, Qi, and Spirit system, Qi Blood could also subtly nourish the Divine Soul.

Dharma and Body Cultivation led to the perfection of the Essence, Qi, and Spirit system.

All these changes seemed to prove that the path of Dharma and Body Cultivation practiced by Ancient Cultivators was the truly complete Immortal Path.

Focusing solely on Qi Cultivation or Body Refining was inevitably incomplete, and would even have inherent flaws.

Chu Mu didn’t know if his speculation was correct, but based on his current observations, the possibility was very high.

After all, pure Qi Cultivation focused only on Magical Power and the Divine Soul, so the physical body would inevitably become a burden.

And the meridians and Dantian existed within the body.

In Qi Cultivation, the all-important Magical Power used the Dantian as its container and the meridians as its channels of circulation.

The Thirteen Layers of Qi Cultivation were, in essence, a process of Magical Power changing from quantity to quality.

From the initial wisps of gaseous Magical Power, it had condensed into a thin mist. Then, as his cultivation progressed, the mist had gradually thickened. Now, his Magical Power was as dense and viscous as a thick fog.

It was foreseeable that as his Qi Cultivation progressed, both the quality and quantity of his Magical Power would increase even further.

And under the pressure of this qualitative change, the meridians and Dantian—the channels and source of Magical Power—would obviously have to endure ever-increasing strain.

From his previous observations, although the strength of his Dantian and meridians grew with his Qi Cultivation, it didn’t seem to be keeping up with the qualitative progress of his Magical Power.

While this was certainly related to the tempering effect of the illusory long saber in his Divine Soul, it undoubtedly highlighted the underlying problem.

’The cultivation of Ancient Cultivators integrated Body Refining and Qi Cultivation as one...’

As he pondered, Chu Mu’s brow furrowed slightly as another question surfaced.

The so-called "Dharma" and "Body" were just two concepts forcibly separated by the modern Cultivation Immortal Realm.

For Ancient Cultivators, the two were clearly one and the same, unlike his current method of dual cultivation, practicing one Qi Cultivation Technique and one Body Refining Technique.

’In that case, what I thought was perfection is clearly not true perfection at all.’

After a moment of thought, Chu Mu waved his hand, and the Jade Scroll containing the Wild Bull Technique appeared in his palm.

The Jade Scroll came from East Lake. If it was really as Zhao Shuang said—that it was a Secret Realm containing an Ancient Cultivator’s Ruins Cave Mansion—did that mean...

At that moment, it seemed he had another reason why he absolutely had to go.

For the Thirteen Layers of Qi Cultivation, whether it be Cultivation Techniques, Magic, or even Magical Artifacts and Elixirs, all could be easily purchased on the market.

But anything related to the Foundation Establishment Realm...

Whether in the Black Market or the Marketplace, such items were incredibly rare, almost nonexistent!

Even if they did appear, the Spirit Stone price was often secondary; the additional conditions for purchase were the real hurdle.

He scanned the room. As always, it was empty and spotlessly clean, without a single trace left behind.

He swept his Divine Sense across the room, meticulously checking every inch. After confirming there were no abnormalities, Chu Mu moved the miniature isolation Restriction from the small room back to the main hall.

As for the commotion outside, he promptly put it out of his mind.

After all, the near-hostile confrontation when the Longevity Sect first arrived in Jade Emperor Valley had already foreshadowed many things.

What was meant to happen would happen sooner or later. Overthinking and worrying about it was pointless. It was better to quickly build up his foundation and improve his all-important ability to protect himself.

The isolation Restriction was reactivated, and an invisible barrier completely blocked out the clamor from outside.

Chu Mu closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a moment before taking out several Storage Talismans from his robes.

Various Spiritual Materials for Artifact Refining, worth over two thousand Spirit Stones, were piled up in the fragile space within the Storage Talismans.

The vast body of knowledge that was Artifact Refining began to flow through his mind.

His cultivation plan for the near future was very simple.

His plan to use Vein Nourishing Pills as a source of income had already put him in the spotlight. There were bound to be many people watching him from the shadows. With his current cultivation and strength, he couldn’t protect this venture, so he had to shelve it for now and lay low.

If that path was unworkable, he would just find another source of income. The Artifact Refining Skill could also serve that purpose.

Although the Long Rainbow Sword was a Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact, low-grade magical artifacts were bestsellers in both the Marketplace and the Black Market.

And in the current climate, with prices soaring, the cost of Magical Artifacts was also rising. For him, as long as he succeeded in refining them, the profits would be enormous!

By the same token, soaring prices meant that the purchasing power of Spirit Stones for resources had decreased. In a sense, for many cultivators, this meant their net worth was shrinking.

With their net worth shrinking, if there was something they wanted to buy but didn’t have enough Spirit Stones for, the likelihood of them selling off some of their normally hidden treasures was very high.

He would refine Magical Artifacts, sell them, and then use the profits in Spirit Stones to advance his own cultivation and enrich his knowledge base...

It was the perfect opportunity—a win-win situation.

After all, on the path of Artifact Refining, this first step with the Long Rainbow Sword was absolutely unavoidable...

...