Mortal: The Path to Immortality

Another year passed, inside the room.

Lu Nanzhu was sitting cross-legged, with several yellowed books scattered in front of him. The books were covered with dense writing, which were his learning notes from the array manuals he had repeatedly studied in recent years, which he had obtained from Xin Ruyin and the Red Moon Island cultivator.

After a period of continuous study, his understanding of the art of formations has greatly improved. In the disassembly and deduction of formation patterns, he has far surpassed ordinary formation masters of the same level.

He raised his hand to close the book in front of him, and after a moment's thought, he took out an ancient-looking array plate from his storage bag and carefully examined it in his palm.

He had found this array plate by chance near the remains of an ancient cultivator in the Sealed Fire Abyss when he was in Tiannan.

Based on his studies in array formations during this period, Lu Nanzhu roughly deduced its true origin from the strange array patterns and formation structure on the array plate. This array plate should be a fragmented replica of some ancient and wondrous array—"Eight Desolate Thunder Prison".

According to scattered records in ancient texts, the so-called "Eight Desolate Thunder Prison" is an extremely rare killing formation that uses lightning to control other forces.

Once this formation is fully set up, the entire area within a hundred miles will be enveloped in violent lightning, like a lightning cage woven from thousands of electric arcs.

Legend has it that any cultivator, whether righteous or demonic, who mistakenly enters this formation will be instantly pulverized by the falling lightning, their body and soul annihilated.

"However, this array plate in my hand is ultimately just a high-quality replica. If I want to unleash its true power, my current Foundation Establishment cultivation level is definitely not enough."

Moreover, to refine this array into its final form, one needs to find rare and precious materials with the lightning attribute as raw materials. Most importantly, to activate this array, the cultivator themselves must be able to draw upon or activate the power of lightning…”

Lu Nanzhu looked at the array plate in his palm, his brows furrowing slightly, and he couldn't help but feel troubled.

He casually tore off a blank scroll from the side and tapped it gently in the palm of his other hand, muttering to himself.

"Thunder Bamboo, oh Thunder Bamboo..."

One of the three sacred trees, he can only dream of it now.

After some thought, Lu Nanzhu retrieved the array plate and the scrolls.

He stood up and walked to a furnace in the inner room that was still warm. With a flick of his sleeve, he used his magic to gently lift the heavy furnace lid, and immediately felt a medicinal fragrance wafting out.

He collected the newly refined Foundation Establishment stage pills into the bottle one by one.

After putting away the pills, Lu Nanzhu pushed open the stone door and walked out of the inner room.

Upon entering the main hall, one could see Chong Li sitting cross-legged, suspended three feet above the ground, his hands forming a strange hand seal, intently cultivating the top-tier martial art—the Great Wilderness Asura Force.

At this moment, countless pure earth-attribute yellow spiritual energies in the main hall were converging towards Chong Li's powerful body, accompanied by his steady breathing.

Thanks to this top-tier cultivation technique and Lu Nanzhu's lavish spending on pills and spirit stones, in just over a year, Chong Li's spirit puppet body, which had virtually no cultivation bottlenecks, had rapidly advanced to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

This terrifying cultivation speed, which even surpassed that of ordinary Heavenly Spirit Root cultivators, made Lu Nanzhu, who was watching from the side, unable to help but feel a little envious.

Seemingly sensing his approach, Chong Li's body dipped slightly in mid-air and fell back to the ground.

"I'm going out to take care of some personal matters. You stay here and guard the cave. Don't slack off," Lu Nanzhu said, looking at it.

Chongli opened her eyes, and the confusion in them was less than it had been a year ago.

After listening to Lu Nanzhu's instructions, he didn't say anything more. He simply raised his right hand, nodded to Lu Nanzhu, then closed his eyes again, floated in mid-air, and skillfully began the next round of his cultivation technique.

Lu Nanzhu chuckled at its amusing appearance. He straightened his clothes and slipped away from the cave.

As the stone gate of Linghai Peak slammed shut, the "Inverted Five Elements Array" on the outside rippled with spiritual light, once again concealing the entire mountain peak within it.

Lu Nanzhu transformed into a streak of blue-green light and sped straight toward the Tiandu Street Immortal Cultivation Market on Kuixing Island.

......

The Tiandu Street Market was bustling with people, and the cries of vendors from both sides of the street could be heard incessantly.

In the center of a slightly wider street corner stood two strikingly beautiful young women dressed in bright and flamboyant clothes.

They patiently looked around, their large eyes constantly searching through the noisy crowd, seemingly looking for someone to strike up a conversation with.

These two were Yuan Yao and Yan Li, who had recently left their sect and wandered all the way to Kui Xing Island.

After a while, Yanli, who was petite, couldn't hold back any longer.

Somewhat disappointed, she withdrew her divine sense, turned around, and found a clean stone step nearby to sit down.

She raised her hand and patted the empty space beside her, calling out to her companion who was still standing in the middle of the street:

"Little sister, come and rest for a while."

Even the tall and slender Yuan Yao felt somewhat tired. She sighed softly, turned around and responded, then sat down next to Yan Li with a dejected expression.

"Sister, do you think the two of us sisters can really stay on Kui Xing Island smoothly? We've been working as guides at the entrance of Tian Du Street for several days, and in the end, we haven't earned a single spirit stone."

Yanli adjusted her long skirt, somewhat doubting her initial decision, and her words inevitably carried a hint of self-pity.

"Among the independent cultivators who come to Tiandu Street, those who are truly wealthy don't need any guides, while those who need guides to lead the way mostly don't have many spirit stones."

Although Yuan Yao was also somewhat disappointed, she quickly cheered herself up and comforted her.

"But it's alright, sister. We can always go to another outer island, or try our luck on an inner island. The Chaotic Star Sea is so vast, there's bound to be a place where we can earn spirit stones."

"Alas. We are not good at any of the arts of cultivation, so in the end, all we have left is this physical body."

As Yanli spoke, she touched her cheek with her finger with a hint of self-deprecation, then lowered her voice.

"If all else fails, we'll have no choice but to find a high-level cultivator to rely on from now on."

Yuan Yao, sitting to the side, quietly watched Yan Li without immediately responding, but a hint of worry and resentment flashed in her eyes.

"Little sister, look over there!"

Suddenly, Yanli seemed to have discovered something important. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly nudged Yuan Yao, who was somewhat distracted.

Yuan Yao snapped out of her daze and looked in the direction Yan Li was looking.

In the crowd not far away, a young monk dressed in an indigo robe was walking with his hands behind his back, pausing to look at several large shops on the side of the street.

This person was naturally Lu Nanzhu, who had just left Linghai Peak and was preparing to come here to inquire about the "Dust-Reducing Pill".

Upon seeing this, Yanli quickly stood up, straightened her clothes, and composed herself.

A polite, gentle smile appeared on her face. She pulled Yuan Yao along and, with a mixture of urgency and courtesy, headed towards the indigo figure.

The two walked gracefully to a spot a short distance behind Lu Nanzhu, then composed themselves, bowed their heads, and performed a simultaneous salute.

"This junior greets this senior. I see you standing in front of the door; you look unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting Tiandu Street Market?"

Hearing the noise behind him, Lu Nanzhu slowly turned around.

His face remained calm, but he was secretly smiling.

He then scanned the two women with his divine sense and found that they were only at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

"What's going on with you two ladies...?" Lu Nanzhu raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, feigning confusion.

"Judging from your hesitation in front of these large trading companies, I suppose you are looking to buy some elixirs to improve your cultivation or to find some rare materials."

As Yanli spoke with a smile, she pointed to Yuan Yao beside her.

"My sister and I are quite familiar with all the shops around here. If you don't mind, we can guide you. With our help, you might be able to save some spirit stones and buy the treasures you want."

Yuan Yao approached a little closer, and only then did she muster up some courage to quietly observe the young Foundation Establishment cultivator in front of her.

Upon seeing him, she couldn't help but feel a little surprised. She felt that this person looked quite young and handsome, but he didn't have the arrogant air of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Seeing that he could have such cultivation at such a young age, the two of them thought that he was either a young talent with extraordinary gifts or came from a prominent family of cultivators.

Lu Nanzhu rested his chin on his hand, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two beautiful couples, each with their own unique charm, for a moment.

He pondered for a moment, then reached into his robes and pulled out a small cloth bag containing about a dozen spirit stones. He tossed it up and down in his hand, then smiled at the two of them:

"I do need to inquire about some information. How about this, I'll ask you a few questions first. If your answers satisfy me, this bag of spirit stones will serve as your guide fee for today."