Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

THROB THROB THROB...

The Wuli Acupoint on his palm was swollen and burning, vibrating nonstop. The nearby meridians throbbed with a piercing pain.

Zhao Lin took a deep breath and circulated the force of his Stone Roar Fist, pushing it along the end of his Hand Taiyin Meridian toward the Wuli Acupoint.

He clenched his five fingers into a fist, then opened them. Clenched, then opened...

The Wuli Acupoint was located at the very end of the meridian, thin and delicate. When the force of his qi reached it, it could only narrow to a single thread, like a great river dwindling to a babbling brook.

To increase the power of his fist technique, he had to expand it.

The qi force Zhao Lin commanded was like a pangolin, rampaging through his meridians and drilling out a new path.

After about a quarter of an hour, the qi force encountered a mist-like barrier.

’Success is at hand.’

Zhao Lin increased the pressure, viciously ramming the barrier. Once, twice, three times... after the fifteenth strike, the barrier vanished, and the path was suddenly clear!

The widened meridian connected seamlessly with the Wuli Acupoint, allowing his qi force to pass through without obstruction.

To master the internal training of the Stone Roar Fist, one had to open ten acupoints. He had now completed nine, which could be considered a Minor Achievement.

’The ninth acupoint is finally open!’

Zhao Lin let out a soft breath, a smile touching his lips as he rose and walked out of the training room.

Tongyun Peak, situated at the summit of the Xingyun Sect’s main mountain, was the sect’s headquarters.

Whenever the weather cleared and the evening glow cast its light, Tongyun Peak would be wreathed in red clouds, resembling a celestial paradise.

As Zhao Lin walked along the bamboo-lined path toward the elder’s meditation chamber, he could see the scenery of Tongyun Peak with just a glance upward.

Though it wasn’t the first time he’d witnessed such a wondrous sight, his eyes still filled with awe.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed since Zhao Lin’s arrival at the Xingyun Sect.

His greatest impression was that the cultivation conditions here were truly superior.

The training equipment, grounds, and gear were, needless to say, all-encompassing. The crucial part was the medicinal herbs and Cultivation Techniques.

Disciples of the Wuxiang Institute drank two medicinal soups daily: Guiyuan Soup and Eight Treasures Soup. The former nourished their Qi and Blood, while the latter replenished their deficiencies.

The herbs used in both soups were harvested from the deep, old-growth forests of the Yanxing Mountain range. They were of sufficient age and possessed extremely potent medicinal properties.

Back at the Liuhe Sect, Zhao Lin had drunk Qi Replenishing Soup. With nothing to compare it to at the time, he had thought it was quite effective. Only now did he understand what a world of difference there was.

The same was true for the General Soup he took when practicing his fist technique. Although the name was the same, its efficacy was on a completely different level.

Previously, when practicing the external forms of Stone Roar Fist, he could only last for about two hours a day. Any longer and his bones wouldn’t be able to take it.

Now, even after practicing for four to six hours, one bowl of General Soup would restore him completely.

As for Cultivation Techniques, Elder Water Mirror had passed on the "Hundred Rivers Skill" to Zhao Lin on the very first day, and told him that the full name of the Sea Return Skill was the Hundred Rivers Return to Sea Skill.

Only when combined did they form a complete Cultivation Technique.

If one only cultivated the Sea Return Skill, it would be impossible to ever break through to the Blood Realm.

This wasn’t a matter of Zhu Huaishan being selfish and holding back from his disciple; it was due to the sect’s rules and regulations.

The Xingyun Sect permitted its members to go out and establish their own schools, but there were strict regulations on which Cultivation Techniques and medicinal formulas could be passed on and which could not.

This was the only way to ensure that outstanding disciples who were out in the world would return to the main sect, and it also prevented the leakage of their techniques.

There were many things Zhu Huaishan knew but dared not teach his disciples. If the main sect were to find out, "reclaiming the technique" wouldn’t just be a figure of speech—they would eliminate the person as well.

Zhao Lin focused on cultivating his Stone Roar Fist and Turtle Shell Force. With the double boost from the medicines and the Spirit Beast Scroll, his Stone Roar Fist had already reached Minor Achievement, and his Turtle Shell Force was also progressing rapidly.

To allow the disciples to focus on their martial arts, every disciple in the Wuxiang Institute was given a private residence, complete with two servants responsible for food, daily life, cleaning, laundry, and other chores.

These were luxuries he could never have enjoyed at the Liuhe Sect. From this perspective, the monthly tuition of twenty taels of silver was absolutely worth the price.

Water Mirror Department, meditation chamber.

"You still have forty-two acupoints left to open. I suppose that’s barely acceptable."

Elder Water Mirror withdrew the fingers resting on Zhao Lin’s wrist and delivered his assessment calmly.

"Keep working hard. Practice as I’ve told you, and strive to break through to the Second Layer of the Qi Realm this year."

"Also, you must not become complacent. The Yin Meridian acupoints become harder to break through the further you go. Some people get stuck on the last few for a lifetime!"

Despite his words, deep down, Elder Water Mirror was very satisfied.

For Zhao Lin to have broken through sixteen acupoints in just one month—such speed, such natural aptitude—was a rare sight even in the Xingyun Sect.

But he was a very old-school martial artist who rarely praised his disciples, lest their heads swell and they neglected their training.

Especially since Zhao Lin came from a small county town, his potential likely hadn’t been fully unleashed yet. He needed to be pushed even harder.

"I will heed your teachings, Elder."

Zhao Lin was unaware of the rich drama playing out in Elder Water Mirror’s mind. He only felt that in a place like the Wuxiang Institute, which was teeming with geniuses, he could finally let loose and no longer had to hide his true strength. It felt like a fish returning to water.

"Mm, go back now. Try to make more progress by next month’s assessment."

"Yes, Elder. I will take my leave."

Zhao Lin left the meditation chamber. As he reached the entrance of the Water Mirror Department, he saw two young disciples walking toward him and stopped. "Senior Brother Liao, Senior Brother Gu."

The Wuxiang Institute had over a hundred disciples in total, with roughly twenty to thirty scattered among the various departments.

Because the disciples all practiced different Cultivation Techniques and were at different stages of cultivation, they usually trained on their own and didn’t interact much. They would run into each other often in the Martial Arts Hall and training rooms, but it was mostly just to the point of recognizing faces.

After a month in the Water Mirror Department, Zhao Lin could only name most of the people; he knew little about their backgrounds or origins.

"Junior Brother Zhao."

The two also stopped to greet him. The one named Gu asked, "What did the Elder say about your assessment just now?"

"The Elder said it was barely satisfactory," Zhao Lin replied honestly.

Senior Brother Gu raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Congratulations, that’s already an excellent evaluation."

He glanced toward the meditation chamber as he spoke. "It’s not easy to get a good word out of Elder Water Mirror."

A humble expression appeared on Zhao Lin’s face. "Senior Brother, you praise me too much. I’ve only just arrived and still have much to learn."

Senior Brother Liao also laughed. "Junior Brother, no need to be so modest. We’ve all heard you were admitted to the Wuxiang Institute under special exception. While the outer court disciples might not have our level of talent, their combat strength at the same realm isn’t much weaker."

"The Autumn Harvest is coming up. I’m sure Junior Brother Zhao will be able to distinguish himself then!"

"The Autumn Harvest?"

Zhao Lin’s heart skipped a beat, and the question slipped out, "Senior Brother Liao, what is the Autumn Harvest?"

Senior Brother Liao and Senior Brother Gu exchanged a surprised glance, then their expressions shifted to one of understanding. They smiled. "Junior Brother Zhao just joined the Wuxiang Institute, so it’s normal that you wouldn’t know about our Spring Competition and Autumn Harvest."

"Please enlighten me, Senior Brothers." Zhao Lin cupped his fists, adopting an expression of one eager to listen.

"We Wuxiang Institute disciples usually focus on our training and rarely have minor and major competitions every month or season like the outer court disciples. However..."

Senior Brother Liao began to explain, "The Spring Competition on the third day of the third lunar month, and the Autumn Harvest on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, are the two most important events of the year."