Eternal Life Begins with Learning

He’d only managed a little over an hour of fitful sleep the entire night.

At dawn, the glint of a blade was already flashing in the courtyard.

Just as Chu Mu could not find peace, neither could Nanshan Town.

In less than a month, two separate incidents had resulted in the deaths of over a hundred Inspectors each.

For the small Nanshan Town, such casualties could no longer be described as merely "heavy."

Every household in mourning—this was no exaggeration, but the stark reality.

But clearly, the thoughts of the common folk could never influence the will of the powerful.

Before the sky had brightened, another large contingent of Inspectors marched into Nanshan Town under orders.

It was a seamless replacement for the hundred-odd Inspectors who had died in the line of duty.

Furthermore, by Li Jinghong’s command, the Patrol Camp, which was under the direct jurisdiction of the County Inspection Department, was once again expanded—obviously to deal with the turmoil in Nanshan Town.

After a night of clamor and chaos, the dead were gone, but the living had to go on.

Ten times the standard compensation was enough to quell most of the Resentment. As for the remaining dissatisfaction, it couldn’t stir up any trouble in the face of the Inspectors enforcing the will of the authorities all over the streets.

In the courtyard, just a wall away, the flashing blade had ceased. He had assumed his Pile Skill stance. Chu Mu’s eyes were slightly closed, already immersed in the Qi and Blood of his body.

Not until the morning sun began to rise did Chu Mu tidy himself up and finally head out.

It was still the same memorial archway, and still the same desiccated corpse hanging high above. However, in just one short day, most of the faces of the Guardian Inspectors on duty had changed.

He had only been an Inspector for a few months, yet in that short time, the personnel at the Inspection Office had been replaced one batch after another.

Now, despite being a recently recruited Inspector, Chu Mu could actually be considered a veteran among his Hundred Households.

The funny thing was, he barely knew anyone in his current Hundred Households.

Even in the squad under his command, with the constant rotations, the members were often replaced with a new batch before he could even learn everyone’s names.

Previously, Chu Mu would have undoubtedly felt compelled to socialize, to weave and maintain his network of connections.

But now, after witnessing a higher level of the Extraordinary, such thoughts had vanished without a trace.

’Connections? Relationships? In the face of absolute power, they’re not worth shit!’

’Forget everything else—even if my connections reached all the way to Li Jinghong, if that white-robed man decided to slaughter me on a whim, would Li Jinghong dare to say a single word?’

Reality was clear and cruel.

Chu Mu understood this perfectly, and it was this very understanding that fueled the deep unease in his heart.

It stemmed from his powerlessness in the face of a higher tier of the Extraordinary!

Even if that white-robed man, or rather, the higher-tier Extraordinary, would never notice a minor character like him.

’Maybe it’s just pointless anxiety, or maybe it’s a persecution complex.’

’But powerlessness is powerlessness. That’s an unchangeable fact.’

And in an era without any restraints, this powerlessness was especially terrifying!

The hundreds of ice sculptures in that mine were still vivid in his mind.

Chu Mu pressed his lips together, the oppression in his heart growing even heavier.

[Name: Chu Mu.]

[Skill: Basic Blade Technique (Initial Glimpse) 298/500]

[Body Refining Technique (18/1000)]

[Spiritual Radiance Value: 538.3%]

The Light Curtain Panel appeared in his vision. Gazing at the double-digit Skill Level for his Body Refining Technique, Chu Mu couldn’t help but let out a breath.

His Blade Technique was still progressing rapidly, but the difficulty of the Body Refining Technique, of Qi and Blood Cultivation, clearly far exceeded his expectations.

Even with the support of medicinal liquids for his daily Cultivation, its progress was pitifully slow.

And within the Qi and Blood Cultivation System, the effect of the "Spiritual Radiance Blessing" was drastically reduced.

After all, the amount of ’qi’ that could be produced from three meals a day, even with the support of medicinal liquids, was more or less fixed.

Qi and Blood Cultivation revolves around refining this generated qi. Once the qi produced by the body is fully refined, the Qi and Blood Cultivation for the day must end. Over-cultivating will only harm the body.

Cultivating with the "Spiritual Radiance Blessing" was therefore meaningless.

After all, it made no difference whether the qi from one meal took an hour, half an hour, or a quarter of an hour to refine.

The total amount of qi was finite. Even eating many small meals wouldn’t increase the amount by much, and one also had to consider the body’s digestive system and various other real-world factors.

His greatest advantage was clearly the cognitive leap brought about by the "Spiritual Radiance Blessing." But since its effect was limited here, all he could do was cultivate arduously.

’At this sluggish pace, if I really want to cultivate to the Great Success stage, I’ll probably be halfway in the grave by then!’

’If it takes until I’m half-dead just to master the Body Refining Technique, then... how could I even dream of glimpsing, let alone reaching, a higher level of the Extraordinary?’

For once, Chu Mu didn’t spend his time on Guardian duty reading or practicing martial arts. Instead, he was deep in thought, contemplating his... path of martial cultivation!

The Qi and Blood Cultivation System was very straightforward.

This meant that without sufficient external support, Qi and Blood Cultivation was destined to be nothing but arduous, repetitive grinding, a day-in, day-out effort.

Refine a little today, refine a little tomorrow, factor in the consumption from nourishing the internal organs, and then accumulate bit by bit until reaching final Perfection.

And because it was so straightforward, the future of such arduous cultivation was all too clear.

’At this rate, the meaning of cultivating so arduously is truly minimal.’

’Perhaps I can start with external forces?’

Chu Mu subconsciously thought of the blood-red Elixir Pill that the white-robed man had refined.

He wasn’t being delusional; rather, his thoughts turned to the medicinal formulas that could support the Body Refining Technique’s Cultivation.

’What is my advantage?’

’Is it the perseverance for this day-in, day-out arduous cultivation?’

’Anyone with a bit of tenacity can do that.’

’My advantage is my focus, the cognitive leap from the ’Spiritual Radiance Blessing,’ which gives me a far greater capacity for comprehension and logical thinking than ordinary people.’

’In other words, with the help of ’Spiritual Radiance,’ I can learn and understand new knowledge faster and better than ordinary people.’

’This is my greatest advantage!’

’And what is the biggest drawback of Qi and Blood Cultivation right now?’

’It’s the lack of sufficient external intervention. Without it, it’s doomed to be a day-in, day-out grind with no future in sight.’

’Therefore, what I lack is a stronger, more powerful external intervention.’

’This external force could be the Elixirs I can’t obtain, or it could be the medicinal ingredients and formulas that I *can* access!’

’These external forces, in other words, could also be called... knowledge?’

’With ’Spiritual Radiance Blessing,’ perhaps I can learn about medicinal ingredients and formulas, understand that knowledge, apply it, and then... use that knowledge to tailor-make sufficient external support for my own Qi and Blood Cultivation?’

’And knowledge—or rather, learning knowledge... isn’t that precisely what I’m good at?’

Chu Mu’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. This idea seemed to have opened the door to a whole new world for him.

’Spiritual Radiance’... this is how it should be used.

...