Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Chu Mu raised his hand. The Minghong Saber, still hovering in the air after losing its target, seemed to answer a summons as its blade shimmered and shot downward.

In the next instant, the Minghong Saber was in Chu Mu’s hand.

At that same moment, Zhao Tang, who had been rushing over at top speed, screeched to a halt.

His face went from pale to green, but he finally managed to force a smile. "Sir, how about we let this matter rest?"

"It’s better to have another friend than another enemy. I guarantee that as for what happened today..."

"Heh..."

"I won’t find peace until you’re dead." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Chu Mu chuckled, his tone light, yet firm.

"Sir, do you really insist on a fight to the death?"

Zhao Tang demanded, his expression grave.

Chu Mu remained silent. Deep within his Divine Soul, the Divine Soul Saber, which had lain dormant for a long time, now seemed to merge as one with the Minghong Saber in his hand.

The illusory and the real intertwined once more, years after the last time.

Chu Mu had no desire for a drawn-out battle. ’This is a Foundation Establishment Heir; who knows how many tricks he has up his sleeve.’

’Now that the other threat is dealt with, a swift and decisive battle is the only way.’

With that, he raised his saber.

The next instant, it fell.

"You..."

Zhao Tang’s face was grim. Then, as if sensing something, his expression changed dramatically!

"Urgh..."

Zhao Tang grunted as if struck by a heavy blow. Blood gushed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth like a fountain. He staggered, let out a pained roar, and collapsed to his knees.

Chu Mu also let out a grunt. In that same instant, trickles of blood seeped from his own eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

The sensation of a splitting headache descended upon him once more.

’A Divine Soul Defense?’

Chu Mu gritted his teeth, his grip on the Minghong Saber tightening.

Zhao Tang wasn’t dead!

When his saber had descended just now, he had clearly felt some kind of resistance.

The resistance was ultimately shattered, but the blow had not been fatal!

"Die!"

Chu Mu snarled through gritted teeth, veins popping on his forehead. He charged forward, his saber already raised high once more!

CLANG!

The sound of clashing metal rang out again. This time, however, Zhao Tang wasn’t controlling the Magical Artifact with his Divine Sense; he was desperately holding the Shield aloft with his bare hands.

Like a madman, Chu Mu hacked down again and again!

The Shield was unscathed, but under this terrifying Power, Zhao Tang, who held the shield high, was brutally hammered into the ground.

"You can’t kill me! My father is— My father is..."

Zhao Tang screamed in despair, his eyes wide with terror!

"I’m your daddy!"

Chu Mu grinned. Stained with blood, his smile was more terrifying than ever.

He reached for the Shield, the Magical Artifact Zhao Tang was relying on. With his Divine Soul so heavily injured, Zhao Tang could only wield the artifact with his physical strength.

Chu Mu was also relying on physical strength and his Divine Soul was also injured, but... his Body Refining Cultivation was far from weak!

He tossed the Shield aside, grabbed a handful of Zhao Tang’s disheveled hair, and yanked. A chunk of scalp came away with it.

The bloody patch was exposed. Zhao Tang’s face was a mask of terror and despair. He clutched a Talisman, trying to either counterattack or escape.

Chu Mu raised his saber to strike, but at the last moment, he lifted his foot and stomped down hard.

His head burst, splattering red and white matter all over the ground.

Chu Mu reached out and snatched a fleeing black shadow from the air.

"Spare me, spare me..."

A face flickered within the black shadow, and broken pleas for mercy could be heard clearly.

Chu Mu paid it no mind. The splitting pain in his head only twisted his face into an even more ferocious expression.

He endured the pain and, with a flick of his finger, conjured a wisp of flame.

In the next instant, a desperate, shrill wail rose from within the flames.

It lasted for only a few breaths before... the soul was utterly annihilated.

Chu Mu then moved through the carnage, collecting his spoils. Within a few breaths, he had vanished into the forest.

Just moments after Chu Mu’s departure, several men in the Magic Robes of the Longevity Sect arrived at the blood-soaked scene.

The ground was stained with blood and pocked with craters, but there was no sign of life.

How things would unfold from here was no longer Chu Mu’s concern.

He didn’t stop for a second, running for his life through the mountain forest.

Not until the next morning, now a considerable distance from Jade Emperor Valley and well outside its sphere of influence, did Chu Mu finally slow his pace.

’I should be in Luofu County now...’

Chu Mu surveyed his surroundings, recalling a map he had prepared back in the secular world to pinpoint his current location.

The vast East Lake flowed down from the Qing River, and most of the surrounding counties bordered it in some way.

Luofu County, in particular, was named after Luofu Mountain.

A majestic mountain range bordering East Lake.

When viewed from East Lake, the towering peaks seemed to float upon the water’s surface, hence the name Luofu.

According to what he’d heard in the Cultivation Immortal Realm, Luofu County was within the East Lake Xie Family’s sphere of influence.

In fact, for thousands of miles in every direction, aside from a few clans connected to the Xie Family and the Li Family of Nanshan...

...everything was essentially territory of the East Lake Xie Family.

This so-called sphere of influence was, of course, completely different from one in the traditional, secular sense.

In the Cultivation Immortal Realm, a sphere of influence was based on Spirit Veins and resources.

Cities and Marketplaces were built around a Spirit Vein, which was then used to control all surrounding secular regions and the Spiritual Materials of the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

As for secular towns and populations, they were basically meaningless to the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

Chu Mu rubbed his head. The stabbing pain was undeniable proof of his Divine Soul Injury.

He had no regrets. In life, the goal was to keep one’s thoughts clear and unhindered.

His caution was for the sake of peaceful Cultivation, to avoid stirring up trouble.

But when someone came looking for trouble at his own door, to still compromise and yield...

...that wouldn’t be caution. That would be foolishness!

His only regret was that, fearing the Foundation Establishment Powerhouse backing Zhao Tang, he hadn’t dared to preserve his Divine Soul.

’Otherwise, I could have squeezed some useful information out of it.’

’Besides, dying so quickly was letting him off far too easily.’

As his thoughts wandered, Chu Mu looked down at the secular city on the plain below.

According to the map in his memory, this city should be Luofu County City.

Feeling the waves of stabbing pain in his mind, Chu Mu paused for a moment. He changed his appearance to that of an ordinary person and scanned his surroundings, a flicker of worry in his eyes.

’My identity is completely exposed. I’ve killed several Longevity Sect disciples. It’s inevitable that I’ll be a wanted man, targeted by Zhao Tang’s father.’

’I’m not too worried about myself.’

’I can move between a few Black Markets, spend a few thousand Spirit Stones...’

’I don’t lack cultivation resources. Even if this mess hadn’t happened, my plan was always to return to Yuning Town and lie low for a while, turning my recent gains into a foundation of knowledge and raising my Cultivation.’

’The only one I’m worried about is Xu Yuan.’

’I gave him plenty of Spirit Stone Elixirs, Magical Artifacts, and Talismans. I made sure he had things to defend himself.’

’As I was escaping, I even sent him a message via Sound Transmission Talisman to arrange a rendezvous point.’

’But his Cultivation is low, after all.’

’The world outside the Marketplace is completely different from the world within.’

His thoughts churned, but ultimately, he could only bury his worries deep in his heart.

’Our only means of contact is the Sound Transmission Talisman, and the ones I bought have a very limited range.’

’Now that I’m so far from Jade Emperor Valley, the Sound Transmission Talismans are completely useless.’

’I can only hope...’

Chu Mu let out a long breath and stopped dwelling on it. This whole situation was his fault, really.

...

As he walked down the mountain, Chu Mu altered his appearance. His Magic Robe dimmed until it looked like ordinary secular clothing.

At the city gate, when the Gate Guards tried to extort him, Chu Mu realized he had no money...

He really didn’t have any secular Paper Currency!

The corner of Chu Mu’s mouth twitched. With a casual flick of his wrist, he plucked a wad of Paper Currency from the guard’s tunic, peeled off a single bill, and handed it to the man.

"Alright, alright, get in there!"

The guard sniffed the bill and immediately turned to his next target.

Chu Mu paid him no mind and followed the flow of people into the secular city.

"Welcome, sir. Will you be dining with us, or are you looking for a room?"

As he entered an inn by the street, a waiter immediately rushed over to greet him.

"A room."

Chu Mu tossed out several bills and glanced around the main hall. The diners were all ordinary mortals; nothing seemed out of place.

"Right away! This way, sir."

The waiter led the way.

Once they reached the room and the waiter had left, Chu Mu scanned the area before closing the door. He laid down an isolation Restriction and then sat cross-legged in the middle of the room.

This was undoubtedly the second time he had used the illusory long saber within his Divine Soul.

The first time he used it, he had to recuperate for over half a year to make a full recovery.

And now...

After just a brief inspection, a shadow fell over Chu Mu’s features.

The Divine Soul Injury he’d sustained this time was far more severe than the last.

A large gash had been torn in his Divine Soul. Even the illusory long saber seemed damaged; already faint and ephemeral, it was now almost transparent.

As a result, even the constant tempering fluctuations seemed to have slowed and weakened significantly.

If not for his formidable physique, thanks to his Body Refining Cultivation, Chu Mu was certain that with an injury like this, his fate would have been no better than Zhao Tang’s.

In killing his enemy, he had nearly destroyed himself.

Recalling the resistance he felt when the Divine Soul Saber struck, and the image of Zhao Tang still alive despite bleeding from every orifice, Chu Mu couldn’t suppress a wave of lingering fear.

’If Zhao Tang’s Divine Soul Defense had been just a little stronger, my attack wouldn’t have resulted in mutual injury. I would have been the one crippled by the backlash!’

’A Divine Soul Defense Magical Artifact? Or some kind of treasure?’

Chu Mu sifted through the messy pile of loot, but he couldn’t find any item with such properties.

’And I did stomp his head into paste...’

’So... it was a one-time-use item?’

Chu Mu mused, making a mental note to be more vigilant.

’The Divine Soul Saber within my Divine Soul, for now at least, can only be used as a final trump card.’

’Otherwise, if I strike, my enemy walks away unscathed, and I’m the one crippled by the backlash... that would be the biggest joke in the world.’

...