Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

Water Mirror Department, Martial Arts Hall.

"The day after tomorrow is the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. The five departments of our Wuxiang Institute, along with the fifty disciples from the outer court who form their own group, will be heading into the mountains for the Autumn Harvest."

The disciples of the Water Mirror Department were all gathered, and on the stage, the Water Mirror Elder spoke confidently.

"The Autumn Harvest will last for three days. After those three days, you will be ranked according to the quantity and grade of the medicinal herbs you’ve gathered. This ranking will be your assessment result, and the top ten will receive rewards from the sect..."

Each department in the Wuxiang Institute had one teaching elder and four teaching deacons.

Normally, the disciples’ training was guided by the teaching deacons. They only came to the Martial Arts Hall to listen to the elder’s lectures and ask questions on designated days each month.

Today was not one of those days, but the elder had summoned everyone to announce the details of the Autumn Harvest.

Most of those present had participated in last year’s Autumn Harvest and were listening distractedly. Only new disciples like Zhao Lin, who had joined less than a year ago, were listening intently.

The Water Mirror Elder continued, "I’ve gone over all the rules and particulars. If anyone doesn’t understand something, you may ask questions now."

Just then, a disciple with a baby face stood up and asked, "Elder, since we’re allowed to snatch herbs from others, why don’t we all just travel together? We wouldn’t have to bother picking herbs ourselves. We could just rob everyone we see. Wouldn’t that be great?"

The other disciples chuckled softly at his words, but he himself wore an unconcerned expression.

The baby-faced disciple’s name was Zhang Xiaoshan. He had just joined this year and was half a year younger than Zhao Lin.

This person was notoriously lazy in the Water Mirror Department. He was always looking for shortcuts in his daily training, avoiding external Cultivation Techniques and specifically choosing easier ones to practice.

Yet, Zhang Xiaoshan’s father was an inner court elder, and his uncle was a sect Guardian. On top of that, his own talent was excellent. The deacons found themselves in a difficult position, not knowing whether to reprimand him or not, which gave them a huge headache.

"Great?"

The Water Mirror Elder gave him a look that was not quite a smile. "If every department thought that way, who would be left to pick the herbs? And let’s say, for the sake of argument, that no one else thinks of it and we succeed. Then a new problem arises."

"Our department has over thirty people. How would we divide the stolen herbs? Don’t tell me we’d end up fighting amongst ourselves?"

"Well..." Zhang Xiaoshan was speechless. He had only joined five months ago, so he was near the bottom in terms of both strength and seniority. Even if they did steal a large number of herbs, it wouldn’t be his turn to get any.

The Water Mirror Elder sighed. "The mountain is huge. It’s hard enough finding herbs that don’t have legs, and you want to go chasing after living people who have two?"

Zhang Xiaoshan’s eyes darted about, and he spoke again, "Elder, the rewards for the top three in the Autumn Harvest are generous. I think there’s a loophole in the rules."

The Water Mirror Elder’s eyebrow twitched. "What loophole?"

"What if a few disciples who know each other each gather a small number of herbs? Knowing they won’t rank high, they could just give all their herbs to one person, helping them get into the top ten, or even the top three." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Zhang Xiaoshan rubbed his hairless chin, shaking his head smugly. "That person gets the reward and then privately compensates the others. Wouldn’t that be great!"

"Great again?"

The Water Mirror Elder’s cheek twitched. After a moment of silence, he said, "That’s my fault. I seem to have missed a rule."

"During the Autumn Harvest, private transfers are strictly forbidden. If discovered, the person who received herbs from others must not only return all rewards but will also be demoted to the outer court to reflect on their misdeeds for a year."

"The one who reports it will be credited with a great merit. Now, tell me, would you still dare to accept herbs from others?"

"That’s not worth it." Zhang Xiaoshan shook his head and sat down dejectedly.

Zhao Lin also thought of a question and stood up. "Elder, if I gather enough herbs in one day, can I come down the mountain early?"

The Water Mirror Elder waved his hand. "The primary purpose of the Autumn Harvest is still to gather herbs. You must stay for at least two days. You can only start coming down the mountain from noon on the third day."

"Any other questions?"

The Water Mirror Elder looked around at the disciples. Seeing no more questions, he said, "In recent years, our Water Mirror Department’s performance has been poor, always hovering near the bottom. This year, you all had better make me proud!"

The disciples below instantly fell silent.

Among the five departments of the Wuxiang Institute, the strongest were the Gold and Stone Department and the Fire Jade Department. For the last five years, the top spot had alternated between the two.

The Outer Court group and the Cyan Wood Department had more members, so they could sometimes compete for a top-three spot, or even second place.

The Water Mirror Department and the Earth Department were brothers in misery. After every Autumn Harvest, they would be taunted by disciples from the Gold and Stone and Fire Jade Departments: ’Is it that your people are useless, or are your Cultivation Techniques just that bad?’

The disciples felt disheartened just thinking about it.

The Water Mirror Elder frowned and raised his voice. "Do you all know what this year’s rewards are?"

"Elder, aren’t the rewards more or less the same every year?"

"More or less? They’re exactly the same."

"Right, it’s just the same old reward..."

The disciples chattered amongst themselves.

The Water Mirror Elder smiled faintly and said in a deliberately casual tone, "This year is different. The rewards for the top three are much more generous, especially for first place. It’s an upgrade of more than a single grade compared to last year!"

As soon as he said this, the disciples perked up and immediately fell silent.

Zhao Lin also sat up straighter, watching the Water Mirror Elder, eager to hear what this year’s rewards would be.

According to the senior disciples, the reward for the top ten in previous years was a dose of Marrow-Cleansing Soup to temper and cleanse the meridians. The top five received two doses, and the first-place winner received a Blood Recovery Pill.

A person’s Qi and Blood peaks at the age of twenty-five and declines thereafter. If a martial artist in the Qi Realm cannot break through to the Blood Realm before the age of thirty, their chances are basically gone for life.

The function of the Blood Recovery Pill was to stimulate one’s Qi and Blood, extending their peak period for another three years. In other words, it gave them three extra years to attempt a breakthrough.

If this pill were offered in the outer court, it would undoubtedly cause a frenzy.

However, the disciples of the Wuxiang Institute were all exceptionally talented and highly ambitious. They felt that if they were still stuck in the Qi Realm at thirty, needing an extra three years to barely break through to the Blood Realm, their future accomplishments would be limited.

Although everyone agreed the pill was good, they didn’t covet it excessively.

Regardless, possessing a sense of smell as keen as a Fragrant Mink, Zhao Lin had already set his sights on first place in the Autumn Harvest.

The Water Mirror Elder cleared his throat and announced, "This year, the reward for the top ten is still Marrow-Cleansing Soup. Second and third place will each receive a Blood Recovery Pill."

When the disciples heard that the Blood Recovery Pill, previously reserved only for the first-place winner, was now being given to second and third place, their anticipation for the grand prize skyrocketed.

Every one of them held their breath, straining their ears.

"The reward for first place is..."

The Water Mirror Elder paused deliberately before slowly uttering three words: "The Five-Six Pill."

"Ah, it’s actually the Five-Six Pill!"

"Amazing! The sect is finally being generous for once."

"Indeed, they’re really sparing no expense this time..."

A wave of gasps instantly erupted from below the stage.

Zhao Lin couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

He had read numerous notes in the Celestial Water Pavilion, and the name of the Five-Six Pill was as renowned as a clap of thunder.

The Blood Realm was divided into three layers: the First Layer for training the five viscera, the Second Layer for training the six bowels, and the Third Layer for blood replacement.

The five viscera and six bowels were the foundation of cultivation in the Blood Realm, but because they were hidden deep within the body, soft, and fragile, they were extremely difficult to train.

The Five-Six Pill could generate blood, nourish primordial qi, and strengthen the internal organs. Its effects were particularly remarkable, and the "Five-Six" in its name came from this very function.

Unfortunately, the ingredients for the Five-Six Pill were hard to find. Although it was greatly beneficial for breaking through from the Qi Realm to the Blood Realm, the Xingyun Sect usually only bestowed it upon inner court disciples who had already reached the Blood Realm to help them continue their advancement.

Offering the Five-Six Pill as the first-place prize for the Autumn Harvest was a first in many years.