Mortal: The Path to Immortality

"A letter left by Qi Jue! Could it be the founding patriarch of the Seven Mysteries Sect—Master Qi Jue?!" Lu Nanzhu was somewhat shocked, as if he had discovered a shocking secret. He first calmed himself down and continued reading the silk scroll:

"My name is Seven Absolutes. In my early years, I sought the path of immortality with a close friend. Alas, my aptitude was insufficient, and my arduous search for immortality proved fruitless, a regret I carry throughout my life. The items in this box are all remnants of the immortals I acquired in my youth. I leave them to a destined person in the future, who may perhaps discover some of their uses, thus filling the void in my heart. The path to immortality is long and uncertain; I urge you to cherish it."

After reading it, Lu Nanzhu sighed softly. After catching his breath for a moment, he moved the silk scroll aside and looked at the bottom of the box. Underneath the scroll lay a dusty gray cloth bag, about the size of a palm, sealed with a silver silk cord.

"Storage bag?!"

Lu Nanzhu's heart skipped a beat; this was standard equipment for cultivators. He couldn't worry about anything else and immediately sent a wisp of his divine sense to probe the opening of the bag. The storage bag wasn't very spacious, with a few items scattered around.

With a thought, he first took out a jade slip that glowed with a bluish light. This jade slip was not protected by any restrictions, and as soon as he touched it with his divine sense, the information inside surged out like a tide.

"The Legend of Fuyao...a body-refining technique?"

This is an extremely rare body-refining technique, but unfortunately, only half of it exists, consisting of four levels. After carefully studying it, Lu Nanzhu frowned slightly. Although this technique is powerful, each level requires the assistance of a corresponding spiritual object, making the process tedious and complex.

In particular, this first level requires the aid of a rare fruit called the "Wind Spirit Sacred Fruit" to temper the body's meridians and lay a solid foundation. Without this foundation, subsequent cultivation techniques cannot be practiced or operated at all.

However, the jade slip also included a matching escape technique called "Song of Skywalking." According to its description, once a cultivator masters this technique, their escape speed will be greatly increased. Even low-level cultivators can fly without the aid of magical artifacts.

"If I could learn this 'Song of Heavenly Steps,' who among my peers could stop me?" Lu Nanzhu was initially overjoyed, but then, thinking of that damned "Sacred Fruit," a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes. "Where can I find that 'Wind Spirit Sacred Fruit'?"

He withdrew his divine sense from the jade slip, his interest waning, and then continued rummaging through his storage bag. He finally pulled out a shriveled, withered fruit resembling a walnut. The fruit was completely charred black, showing no sign of life. Lu Nanzhu stared at it for a long time, then his heart skipped a beat: "Could it be... this is the Wind Spirit Sacred Fruit?"

After pondering for a moment, Lu Nanzhu took out half a roof tile from his storage bag. This item was neither gold nor jade, and it had patterns resembling eagles and phoenixes on it. The broken parts were jagged, and its purpose was unclear. In addition, there were several tattered ancient pill formulas and two or three bottles of Qi Refining stage pills in the bag.

He looked at the items on the table, especially the jade slip and the withered fruit, and thought to himself, "We still don't know the details of this withered fruit. If I use the small inkstone... regardless of whether this withered fruit can be used for divination, the most urgent task is to improve my cultivation as soon as possible. That way, I'll have more options when using the small inkstone!"

In the days that followed, Lu Nanzhu behaved as usual. He handed over the keys on time every day and spent the whole day in the attic. Under the guise of sorting through his belongings, he secretly replaced the old wooden box that had been taken with a fake that was very similar in material and color, and then covered it with a layer of faint, seemingly real spiritual energy.

While alone in the attic, Lu Nanzhu diligently practiced the "Eternal Spring Technique" to advance his cultivation level. Several months later, with a violent surge of spiritual energy within his body, he finally and naturally reached the sixth level of Qi Refining.

"Judging by the days, the results from Shenshou Valley should be coming out soon." He opened his eyes, got up, dusted himself off, and looked out at the bamboo forest through the attic window. "I hope my appearance didn't affect the outcome. It's also time to get the rest of the cultivation technique from Han Li."

That day, Lu Nanzhu had just finished his shift when he heard astonishing news from within the sect. The reclusive Doctor Mo had left a handwritten letter for the sect elders, stating that he had been away from home for many years and, now old and homesick, had set off to return to his hometown to visit relatives. The letter also specifically instructed that during his absence, all affairs of Shenshou Valley would be managed by his beloved disciple, Han Li.

Although the higher-ups in the sect were somewhat surprised by Doctor Mo's departure without saying goodbye, they didn't see anything amiss. Moreover, Han Li did indeed have a close relationship with Elder Mo, so no one stepped forward to stop him.

Others might have been misled by this letter, but Lu Nanzhu knew perfectly well. That old fox, Mo Juren, had likely failed in his attempt to possess someone and was now dead. And Han Li, in the present day, undoubtedly possessed all of Mo Juren's legacy—not only the incantations for the first eight levels of the *Changchun Gong*, but also several additional immortal techniques.

"Old Mo has 'left,' and Han Li should have just regained his footing by now. Going there now would be just the right time."

Lu Nanzhu flipped his palm, and the shriveled, walnut-like fruit twirled between his fingers. These days, he had been using the small inkstone to deduce other strange spiritual plants, but he discovered a major drawback: if each strange plant had to balance "rapid growth" and "strange effects," it would not only severely deplete his spiritual sense and energy, but also slow down his cultivation progress.

"If we could find a mother plant that specializes in absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and then share the nutrients with other spiritual plants through grafting, the difficulty of spiritual plant deduction would be greatly reduced."

After poring over countless dry and rare herbal medicine books, he finally found a vague record in a tattered scroll titled "A Brief Introduction to Herbs":

"The Spirit Moss grows in damp, shady places and is bluish-purple in color. This moss is fine and dense; wherever it covers, the vegetation on it is nourished, grows more vigorously, and its roots and stems become thicker and stronger..."

This simple description caught Lu Nanzhu's eye. The characteristics of this "spirit moss" were exactly what he had imagined the mother plant of the spirit plant to be. However, the book only mentioned it briefly and did not mention its specific place of origin. Moreover, this ancient book was written a long time ago, and it was estimated that this medicinal plant would be hard to find now.

"It seems I need to go to Shenshou Valley to consult Senior Brother Han. As Mo Juren's personal disciple, he is probably unmatched in the entire Seven Mysteries Sect when it comes to the study of herbs and medicines."

A few days later, Lu Nanzhu stabilized his Qi Refining Level 6 realm and set off for Divine Hand Valley.

Upon arriving at the valley entrance, he did not rush in, but instead pulled the bronze bell used for announcements.

"Clang—Clang—"

The sound of bells echoed through the valley, and soon a figure with steady steps slowly walked out of the valley. The newcomer had slightly dark skin, and his eyes revealed a coldness and composure that did not match his age. It was Han Li.

Upon seeing that the visitor was Lu Nanzhu, Han Li's usually tense face showed a rare hint of pleasure, and he quickly stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Junior Brother Lu? What brings you here? Please come in."

Han Li's "enthusiasm" was genuine. In the original course of his destiny, he should have been subdued by Mo Juren and faced imminent danger. However, at that critical moment that night, it was the "secret box" Lu Nanzhu had given him that proved invaluable. Taking advantage of Mo Juren's unsteady footing, he activated the box, disrupting Mo Juren's rhythm and severely injuring him on the spot. Although a prolonged struggle ensued, Mo Juren ultimately died a humiliating death from Han Li's relentless underhanded tactics, rather than from the backlash of being possessed.

Han Li will always remember this life-saving grace.

The two sat down at a stone table next to the herb garden. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lu Nanzhu got straight to the point and explained his purpose.

"Senior Brother Han, to be honest, I've been studying an ancient medicinal formula lately, but I'm stuck on the auxiliary ingredient." Lu Nanzhu's expression was sincere, and his tone carried a hint of humility in seeking advice. "Does Senior Brother know of 'Spirit-Supporting Moss'?"

"Spirit-Generating Moss?" Han Li pondered for a moment, rapidly searching his mind.

Seeing that he did not answer, Lu Nanzhu went on to describe in detail the various characteristics of "Spirit-Ghost Moss".

Suddenly, Han Li seemed to remember something, got up and went into the house, and soon took out a herb-gathering notebook with slightly messy handwriting.

"Junior Brother Lu, I have seen a similar record of this kind of moss in Elder Mo's notes." Han Li turned to a page and pointed to the record, saying, "When Elder Mo was collecting herbs in Qinglan Valley outside Jingzhou Prefecture, he saw a pale bluish-purple moss growing in the crevices of rocks by a deep pool. The quality of the medicinal herbs around this moss was indeed superior to those in ordinary places, which matches your description of the 'Spirit-Ghost Moss.' However, because it is extremely difficult for it to survive when transplanted, Elder Mo only made a note of it and did not bring it back."

Lu Nanzhu's face lit up with joy. Qinglan Valley? That place is quite close to his family's old residence in the prefectural city.

Seeing the joy in Lu Nanzhu's eyes, Han Li didn't look away. "Junior Brother Lu, since you're here today, besides the matter of the herbs, I have something else to give you." Han Li was silent for a moment, then suddenly took out a handwritten book he had prepared beforehand, placed it on the stone table, and pushed it over. "These are the incantations for the seventh and eighth levels of the cultivation technique, as well as a few spell incantations that I've recently mastered. I'm giving them to you because I'm grateful for your help many times before."

Lu Nanzhu remained silent for a moment, then put away the handwritten copy and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Han Li: "Senior Brother Han, I will humbly accept this generous gift. As I said before, I will never refuse any request in the future."

"Junior brother, you flatter me. We've known each other for many years, this little thing is nothing," Han Li said with a relieved smile.

The two chatted for a while around the stone table, exchanging pleasantries about trivial matters within the sect. Lu Nanzhu deliberately avoided any sensitive topics related to Elder Mo and the progress of cultivation.

Lu Nanzhu then reluctantly left Shenshou Valley and returned to his residence.