Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

The effect of the Wuliu Pill couldn’t compare to that of the Moisturizing Pill, which could directly help a martial artist break through from the Power Realm to the Qi Realm.

However, if an outer court disciple in the Power Realm with at least average talent had to choose between the two, nine times out of ten they would choose the Wuliu Pill.

The reason was simple: on the path of martial arts, the higher one climbed, the harder it became to break through. It was a competition of long-term potential.

There were plenty of people who made rapid progress in the early stages, only to get stuck for life once they reached the Qi Realm.

Although the Wuliu Pill only increased the chance of a breakthrough by about twenty percent, it carried far more weight in the minds of most martial artists.

This was the difference a realm made.

Zhao Lin mused to himself, ’Even though I have the Spirit Beast Scroll to advance my body’s evolution, and my natural aptitude is already in the upper-middle tier, making me a standout among my peers...’

’...who in the Wuxiang Institute *isn’t* a heaven-sent genius?’

’I heard that a few years ago, there were even two disciples who broke through to the Blood Realm at eighteen and entered the inner court.’

’For the sake of this Wuliu Pill, I have to take first place in the autumn harvest!’

The other disciples all had the same thought. Herb gathering wasn’t a martial arts competition; a great deal depended on luck. What if they got incredibly lucky and found a Top Grade medicinal herb?

Everyone began to take this autumn harvest very seriously.

Seeing the fighting spirit ignite in the disciples, Elder Water Mirror’s expression softened slightly. He beckoned toward the door, and seven or eight attendants immediately filed inside.

The attendants carried wooden trays stacked with satchels, which they began to distribute to everyone.

"These are the items you’ll need for the mountains. Check to see if anything is missing..."

Elder Water Mirror said calmly, then began to explain their uses.

Zhao Lin received a satchel as well. Opening it, he saw a food pouch, a waterskin, a felt blanket, two medicine pouches, a pair of leg guards, and a small iron shovel inside.

There was also a bamboo tube and a sandalwood box, the uses of which he couldn’t guess.

’It went without saying the food pouch and waterskin were for food and water, and the felt blanket was for staying warm while resting. To survive three days in the deep mountain forests, these items were indispensable.’

The leg guards were made of treated deerskin, which was both supple and tough. Worn on the legs, they could prevent snake and insect bites.

The small iron shovel was obviously for digging up medicinal herbs. The most valuable part of some rare herbs was the root, which was buried deep underground; digging them up by hand was out of the question.

’Are the medicine pouches for repelling insects?’

The two medicine pouches, one black and one white, were about half the size of his palm. They were stuffed full and tied shut at the top with a string.

Zhao Lin picked up the pouches and sniffed each one. He immediately recognized that the white pouch smelled similar to the Antiseptic Elixir he had used back at the Liuhe Sect, but the scent from the black pouch was one he had never encountered before.

Just then, Elder Water Mirror’s explanation reached this very topic. "The white pouch contains Antiseptic Elixir," he said. "The black one contains an antidote, which can be either applied externally or ingested."

"Make sure you carry them on your person when you enter the mountains. At a critical moment, they might just save your life."

Zhao Lin nodded silently, put down the pouches, and picked up the bamboo tube.

The bamboo tube was semi-sealed, with a small hole in its lid from which the faint scent of sulfur, pine resin, and camphor wafted out.

Zhao Lin weighed it in his hand and muttered, "A fire-starter?"

A fire-starter was a common tool for making fire. It contained a roll of compressed sweet potato vine that, once lit, would have the open flame blown out before being capped, allowing it to smolder slowly.

To use it, one simply had to open the lid and either blow gently or shake it a few times. The rush of fresh air would instantly make it burst back into flame.

’But this bamboo tube is a bit longer and heavier than any fire-starter I’ve used before. It seems pretty inconvenient if it’s just for making a fire.’

However, after hearing Elder Water Mirror’s explanation, Zhao Lin had a moment of realization.

It turned out that the bamboo tube did contain a fire-starter, but it wasn’t for lighting campfires.

It also contained a signal firework. By opening the tube and blowing hard, the fire-starter would reignite and light the firework’s fuse.

The firework was specially made; as it shot out flames, it also let out a piercing whistle.

"We will be stationed at several key points in the mountains. The moment we see a flare or hear a whistle, we will set out immediately. Remember, this signal firework is only to be used in life-threatening situations!"

Elder Water Mirror warned them solemnly.

"You must also be vigilant. If you encounter a strange beast you can’t handle, stay as far away as possible. Otherwise, no matter how fast we are, we won’t reach you in time."

As Zhao Lin listened, he opened the sandalwood box.

At first glance, the sandalwood box resembled a food container without a handle. Its lid was perfectly sealed, its sides were lined with lime paper, and dozens of Sichuan peppercorns were scattered across the bottom, emitting a pungent aroma.

’Such a big box just for a few peppercorns?’

Zhao Lin frowned, unable to guess the box’s purpose.

After hearing Elder Water Mirror’s explanation, he finally understood that the sandalwood box was for storing medicinal herbs.

Most rare herbs were delicate and fragile, especially materials like petals and leaves. They would begin to wilt within half a day of being picked, their medicinal efficacy greatly diminishing as a result.

Storing them in a dry, sealed container helped preserve them for a long time.

"Elder, why are there no knives?"

Zhang Xiaoshan asked, shaking out his satchel a couple of times.

"Hmph. You’re usually so afraid of hardship and exhaustion that you neglect to practice your fist and palm techniques. Now you’re getting anxious?"

Elder Water Mirror first scolded him before explaining, "Since you are permitted to snatch herbs from one another, how could we possibly allow you to carry sharp weapons? If we did, who knows how many lives would be lost!"

"Then what do we do if we run into a strange beast?"

Zhang Xiaoshan asked, sucking air through his teeth.

"Each of you will be given a cattle-tendon rod. That will be enough to handle strange beasts and poisonous insects."

Elder Water Mirror waved his hand, and an attendant came in carrying two bundles of cattle-tendon rods, distributing one to each disciple.

Zhao Lin had used cattle-tendon rods before, back at the Liuhe Sect. They were tough and sturdy, not easily broken, and felt comfortable in his grip.

Next, several instruction deacons took turns on stage, explaining to the disciples how to find rare medicinal herbs.

They described where the herbs grew and what they looked and smelled like, sometimes even passing around dried samples for everyone to examine.

Even the senior disciples, who had participated in the autumn harvest before, listened with rapt attention for the sake of the Wuliu Pill—to say nothing of new disciples like Zhao Lin.

During lunch in the dining hall, all the disciples could talk about was the Wuliu Pill. Even disciples who barely knew each other suddenly became friendly.

"Old Wei, what mountain do you think the autumn harvest will be on?"

In a corner of the dining hall, Zhang Xiaoshan asked a senior disciple.

"Why are you asking? Don’t tell me you’re planning to scout the place out beforehand?"

The senior disciple replied coolly.

"Scout it out? No way, the place is probably a restricted area. I was just thinking that if we knew which mountain it was, we might find some useful information among all the notes in the Celestial Water Pavilion."

Zhao Lin’s ears twitched. ’This Zhang Xiaoshan is pretty sharp,’ he thought.

He heard the senior disciple say, "Good idea, but it won’t work. Even the elders probably don’t know yet."

"Why not?"

"Think about it. Our rankings in the herb gathering affect the elders’ prestige, so of course they want their own disciples to place at the top. If they knew which mountain it was, what’s to stop them from leaking the information to us ahead of time?"

"I heard the elders pre-select several mountains and only decide on the final location the night before. It’s better that way, so no one gets an unfair advantage."

"Makes sense..." Zhang Xiaoshan said, disappointed.

For the next two days, the disciples’ minds were completely occupied by the autumn harvest. In addition to attending the deacons’ lectures on rare herbs, many of them also rushed to the Celestial Water Pavilion to pore over related books.

For a time, the Celestial Water Pavilion was packed to the gills with disciples from every institute who were about to participate in the autumn harvest...

「In the blink of an eye, the day of the autumn harvest arrived.」