Mortal: The Path to Immortality

Inside the room, the flame of the oil lamp flickered gently.

With a smile on his face, Gu Dongjia was preparing to continue telling Lu Nanzhu and the other two about the anecdotes of Kuixing Island, as usual.

He reached into his robes, intending to pull out a faded sea chart, but Lu Nanzhu, sitting opposite him, suddenly put down his teacup.

"Master Gu, my fellow disciples and I have been quite troubled by your presence these past few days, and we have received much care from you."

Lu Nanzhu interrupted him gently, then with a flick of his hand, took out an exquisite porcelain bottle from his storage bag and gently pushed it to the center of the wooden table.

"Although this bottle of pills is not some kind of divine treasure, it can prolong life and strengthen the body when taken by mortals."

The host simply accepted it as a token of gratitude for the hospitality shown to him over the past few days.

Gu Dongjia stared at the jade bottle on the table, which was shimmering with a faint spiritual light. His eyelids twitched violently twice, and a look of eager anticipation flashed across his face.

But he did not reach out to take it; instead, he immediately straightened up, clasped his hands in a fist and declined, saying:

"It is my great fortune that you esteemed immortal masters have condescended to stay on this ship! How could I possibly dare to presume to ask for anything in return?"

At this point, he raised his head and carefully observed the expressions of Lu Nanzhu and Han Li.

However, the two people opposite him remained calm, sipping their tea slowly and deliberately, clearly waiting for him to continue.

Seeing that his thoughts had been seen through, Master Gu gritted his teeth and prepared to kneel down before the two men:

"Furthermore... I do indeed have a matter of life and death concerning the Gu family, and I would like to shamelessly ask for the help of a few immortal masters! I humbly request your mercy and save my Gu family!"

Lu Nanzhu was quick-witted and nimble; he wouldn't let Lu Nanzhu's kneeling be completely implemented.

With a slight bend of his fingers, a soft blue-green spiritual light swept across the air, transforming into an invisible force that held up Gu Dongzhu's knees, preventing him from kneeling down.

Then, Lu Nanzhu waved his hand again, and the bottle of pills on the table floated down into Master Gu's arms.

"Master Gu, please don't be like this."

Lu Nanzhu's tone remained calm, even through the mask.

"These past few days you have worked tirelessly to introduce us to the local customs and culture, saving us a lot of trouble."

"This bottle of pills is nothing; please accept it without worry. As for your request, please tell me in detail first. I will make a decision after I hear the details."

After speaking, Lu Nanzhu picked up his teacup again, said nothing more, and adopted a posture of listening attentively.

Holding the pills in his arms, Master Gu knew that the immortal master was giving him a chance to finish speaking.

He took a deep breath to calm his excited emotions before speaking:

"To be honest with you, my Gu family were originally small merchants from a remote sea area. We only managed to move to Kui Xing Island in the last ten years or so."

Back in my hometown, I used to lead my clansmen to travel between various remote islands, making a living by trading goods.

During this time, they encountered monsters and also witnessed natural disasters like tsunamis, and their business experienced three ups and downs.

Ultimately, it was only through his own pioneering spirit that he managed to accumulate the family fortune he has today.

This time, the whole family moved to Kuixing Island with the intention of taking advantage of the island's popularity to expand the Gu family's business.

But who would have thought that the business dealings between Kui Xing Island and other islands had long been divided up by various forces, and not just anyone could interfere?

Every three years, the island releases more than ten official merchant slots.

Only merchants with the right to trade can buy and sell spiritual materials and goods from large merchants; otherwise, it is considered smuggling and will result in the destruction of one's family.

The qualifications for these merchants must be renewed every three years. As for how this renewal is done?

At this point, Master Gu sighed helplessly and looked up at the two of them expectantly.

"It all comes down to whose 'backer' is more powerful. The merchant that wins the arena battle can keep the merchant's license for themselves."

Master Gu took a deep breath, his tone full of pleading: "In order to keep the company running, I have already incurred a lot of debt."

Now, my only hope is to renew this merchant's certificate so that I can continue trading and pay off my debts. Otherwise, my Gu family trading company will be unable to continue operating.

Gu is shamelessly trying to hire one of the immortal masters to fight on behalf of the Gu family.

Regardless of the final outcome, my Gu family is willing to unconditionally act as the permanent guarantor for several immortal masters on the island.

Furthermore, for the next ten years, one-tenth of the profits of Gu's trading companies will be delivered precisely to all of you Immortal Masters! I humbly request your mercy and permission!

After he finished speaking, he bowed respectfully.

Faced with the conditions offered by Gu Dongjia, Lu Nanzhu remained outwardly silent, but in reality, he had already subtly transmitted his voice to Han Li, who was sitting beside him:

"Senior Brother Han, the price offered by this Boss Gu is quite high. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Han Li's fingers tightened slightly as he held the teacup.

He glanced at the hunched-over old man out of the corner of his eye, a hint of caution flashing in his eyes, and replied telepathically without hesitation:

"This so-called arena battle is, to put it bluntly, just acting as henchmen for these mortal forces. We are unfamiliar with this place, Chaotic Star Sea, and if we start fighting on the stage, we might offend other forces, which would be really troublesome."

"Right now, all I want is to find a quiet place with spiritual veins to quickly open a cave and restore my previous cultivation level. I have absolutely no interest in this matter."

"Senior brother is indeed cautious," Lu Nanzhu continued his analysis via telepathy.

"Senior brother is indeed cautious. In this chaotic star sea, it's not easy to find a place with spiritual energy."

When we first arrived here, we spent several days without seeing any islands or landmasses that seemed to possess spiritual energy.

Kui Xing Island is said to be the largest gathering place for cultivators in the vicinity, and there should be quite a few cultivation grounds with abundant spiritual energy.

"Perhaps I should agree to this now. Regardless of victory or defeat, I can then rightfully reside on Kui Xing Island."

After listening to Lu Nanzhu's words, Han Li pondered for a moment, and finally nodded almost imperceptibly, agreeing with Lu Nanzhu's approach.

After ending the telepathic communication, Lu Nanzhu raised his head again, a profound smile on his face, and said in a deep voice:

"Master Gu, I agree to this."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Gu, who was bent over, was overjoyed.

However, before he could be happy for long, Lu Nanzhu suddenly changed the subject:

"However, let me make this clear from the start. If I fail to secure the merchant qualification for you on this trip, will the master's previous promise still stand?"

"Of course! Of course! Even if the Immortal Master were merely willing to condescend to participate, it would be the greatest favor to my Gu family. How could I, Gu, dare to deceive him in the slightest!"

Mr. Gu hurriedly straightened up, but he couldn't hide the joy in his eyes.

Afterwards, Lu Nanzhu asked Old Man Gu many specific details and rules about the magical duel.

After hearing those details, Lu Nanzhu realized that everything was almost exactly as he remembered, and he was finally relieved.

A few more days passed.

The outline of a massive island finally appeared on the horizon. As the cargo ship drew closer, the giant island, named "Kui Xing Island," gradually came into view before the group.

The merchant ship gradually slowed down and steadily sailed towards the bustling, huge dock.

Looking around, the calm harbor was filled with all sorts of strangely shaped ships, including several enormous vessels with unusual sails, which were even more magnificent than the wooden boat owned by Gu Dongjia.

Above the dock, streaks of colorful light could be seen flashing by from time to time. These were low-level cultivators riding all sorts of flying swords and magical artifacts, shuttling back and forth in the air.

What intrigued Han Li and Lu Nanzhu even more was that the boundary between immortals and mortals on Kui Xing Island seemed extremely blurred.

Along the shore as far as the eye could see, there were many low-level cultivators at the third or fourth level of the Qi Refining stage, openly using basic spells to help the mortal merchants carry heavy goods or to maintain order in the port by moving through the crowds.

A moment later, the merchant ship docked and anchored.

Lu Nanzhu, Han Li, and Qu Hun disembarked from the ship and, following the somewhat spirited Gu Dongjia, made their way through the bustling crowd to the only checkpoint leading to Kui Xing Island.

It was a huge pavilion built of stones. At this moment, an old man with white hair and a cultivation level of the early Foundation Establishment stage, dressed in a gray robe, was lying lazily on a rattan recliner with his eyes closed, completely disregarding the mortals and merchants coming and going around him.

However, just as Lu Nanzhu stepped across the dock, the gray-robed old man on the deck chair suddenly changed his expression.

The old man suddenly opened his eyes the moment his divine sense detected Lu Nanzhu's cultivation level.

He instantly stood up from the chair, his whole body radiating a subtle spiritual light, and he became full of energy.

"Oh my, Master Yang, you are still as radiant as ever!"

Before the old man surnamed Yang could even speak, Master Gu hurried forward and greeted him warmly and familiarly.

Under the cover of bowing, Old Man Gu very discreetly took out a mid-grade spirit stone, secretly slipped it into the old man's hand, and then whispered a few words in his ear.

The old man surnamed Yang calmly put away the spirit stones, narrowed his eyes, and glanced at Lu Nanzhu and the other two.

His gaze swept over Qu Hun and Han Li, finally settling on Lu Nanzhu, who was wearing a mask.

"Master Yang, these are the immortal masters I had the honor of inviting to your residence when I was traveling."

"This time, we hope Master Yang can help us get official entry permits for the experts on the island." Master Gu quickly straightened up and said loudly with a forced smile.

"Master Gu, your skills are truly growing stronger. I never imagined that your Gu family could actually persuade a Foundation Establishment cultivator to come out of seclusion this year."

The old man, known as Master Yang, looked at Master Gu with a playful tone, emphasizing the words "foundation building."

When Gu Dongjia heard this, he was stunned.

Although he had been calling Lu Nanzhu and his companion "Immortal Master" all these days, he only thought of them as ordinary Qi Refining stage cultivators commonly seen at the dock.

Upon hearing the Foundation Establishment Master on the island personally confirm his identity, he suddenly realized the truth.

The old man turned to look at Lu Nanzhu with a mixture of surprise and delight, his heart overflowing with joy—this time, it seemed that his family's merchant qualification might really be in the works!

Master Yang gave Lu Nanzhu a deep look, but said nothing more. He reached out and picked up two exquisite jade tablets from the table.

He took a deep breath, made a hand seal with his fingertips, and applied several streams of magic power into them. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, the two jade tablets, enveloped in spiritual energy, were handed to Lu Nanzhu and Han Li from a distance.

Having done all this, the gatekeeper took a step forward, bowed slightly to Lu Nanzhu, and said politely:

"This fellow Daoist looks so young, yet his magical power is so pure and refined. I never imagined he had already reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. He is truly a prodigy."

May I ask which sect's senior disciple you are, my esteemed disciple? I am Yang Liansheng, a steward of Kui Xing Island. I have yet to inquire about your name.

Lu Nanzhu reached out and caught the jade token in mid-air, casually stuffing it into his storage bag. He then politely returned the gesture with a cupped-hand salute.

"Fellow Daoist Yang, you are too kind. I would not presume to call myself your disciple. I am merely a wandering cultivator from overseas who has long lived in the wilderness, Lu Nanzhu."