Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

This cultivation market outside Lin Yuan Prefecture is hidden deep within the clouds.

At the entrance to the market, two guards dressed in blue Taoist robes stood with eyes that seemed to pierce the air.

When Qin Wan presented the token that was neither gold nor jade, the two men's expressions turned slightly solemn. Their gazes swept over Xia Dong, a mere mortal with no cultivation, but they showed no disdain. Instead, they politely stepped aside to let him pass.

The Qixia Immortal Sect has been entrenched in Linyuan Prefecture for a long time. Although the imperial court is powerful and martial arts are being promoted, and the sect seems to be giving way, its foundation is still unfathomably deep.

The rules within this market town remain as strict as ironclad laws, and despite the turbulent undercurrents outside, there is no sign of disorder here.

Stepping into the market, the scenery suddenly opens up.

The streets were lined with buildings, and cultivators came and went, some trading in hushed tones, others resting with their eyes closed.

As Xia Dong walked through it, he gradually felt a sense of unease, as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

He had not practiced any immortal breathing techniques. His pure blood and qi, refined to the extreme through the mastery of the Crane Formation, made him appear upright and tall to mortals, but to the keen perception of cultivators, he was like a blazing furnace in the dark night, extremely conspicuous.

Thanks to his cultivation of the refining techniques in the "Mysterious Yin Scripture," Xia Dong's soul was far more acute than that of ordinary martial artists. He could clearly perceive, amidst the seemingly casual glances around him, several undisguised expressions of greed and covetousness.

Xia Dong lowered his eyes imperceptibly, his steps remaining perfectly steady, though his hands, tucked into his sleeves, tightened slightly. A sense of crisis clung to him like a bone-deep ailment, making his desire to improve his strength even more urgent.

Fortunately, those eyes also fell on Qin Wan, and they became wary, quietly withdrawing their prying gazes.

Qin Wan was not only wearing the inner sect attire of the Qixia Immortal Sect, but her hairpins and waist ornaments also exuded the unique magical artifact aura of the Lonely Moon True Person lineage.

In Lin Yuan Prefecture, not many cultivators dare to provoke True Person Gu Yue.

Xia Dong understood immediately; this was probably the deeper meaning behind Master Guyue's bestowal of the token and his decision to have Qin Wan accompany him. He didn't offer favors with words, but rather protected her with his remaining blessings; the thoughts of an immortal were truly meticulous.

The two strolled around the market for a while. Xia Dong stopped in front of a dilapidated stall and exchanged a spirit stone in his hand for a jade slip containing common knowledge about the cultivation world, titled "Miscellaneous Records of Cultivation".

Before leaving, after Qin Wan's gentle and soft-spoken negotiation, the stall owner impatiently gave her a common ancient book as a free gift—"Changchun Medical Classic".

In the eyes of cultivators, mortal medical skills are practically worthless. Once one draws in Qi, the cultivator will be free from all illnesses; if any mortal relatives or friends fall ill, a talisman or a rejuvenating spell can solve the problem.

However, cultivators would never easily use such methods, which consume spiritual energy and resources, on outsiders.

In the struggle for immortality, every penny counts, and cultivators place great importance on their own resources.

Having acquired a miscellaneous book, a medical classic, and the "Dragon-Capturing Skill" previously given to him by Qin Wan, Xia Dong has already gained quite a bit.

However, what terrified him even more was what happened during his subsequent stroll.

Under the guise of purchasing medicinal herbs, he subtly inquired about pills that could enhance one's spiritual cultivation. The answer he received sent chills down his spine—such pills were almost extinct throughout the entire market, and even within the Qixia Immortal Sect itself.

The wonders of the soul are profound and mysterious.

Even in ancient times, secret medicines that could enhance the spirit without side effects were of considerable value.

Summer and winter, a fine layer of cold sweat suddenly appeared on my back, and when the mountain wind blew, it chilled me to the bone.

The ancient bronze bell in his mind could easily refine a Yin ghost along with the spiritual energy of a spirit stone into a "Yin Sha Pill" without any side effects.

If such methods were exposed, not only the Qixia Immortal Sect, but even the Great You Dynasty would likely not hesitate to extract his soul and refine his spirit, just to explore the secrets within.

He had originally planned to find some wandering ghosts to refine into pills and exchange for resources. Now, he ruthlessly extinguished that thought.

Every husband is not guilty, and he is guilty of his crime.

Before possessing absolute power, the secret of the Yin Sha Pill must remain a closely guarded secret.

……

The market exit leads to a desolate mountain path.

"Brother Xia, I must return to my sect to report to my master, so I will take my leave here." Qin Wan paused and said softly.

"Take care on your journey, Wan'er." Xia Dong cupped her hands in greeting, watching the graceful figure disappear into the misty mountain steps.

Turning his gaze away, Xia Dong stood alone in the mountain wind, but a clear path of dormancy gradually took shape in his mind.

No matter how strong one's martial arts skills are, one's lifespan is limited to a hundred years, and immortality is difficult to attain.

If he truly wants to embark on the path to immortality, he must find another way.

The "Changchun Medical Classic" felt slightly heavy in my sleeve.

"Open a clinic."

This was his next thought.

A skilled physician capable of healing the internal injuries and chronic illnesses of martial artists is an extremely rare figure in Lin Yuan Prefecture, whom all factions would treat as an honored guest.

He not only wanted to heal mortals, but also plotted against immortals.

If one day he can use the deductions from the ancient bronze bell to create a medical method to heal the damage to the meridians and soul of cultivators, he will be able to legitimately befriend cultivators and even take the opportunity to peek into and decipher the original secrets of cultivation techniques.

He enters the game through medicine and protects himself with martial arts, hoping to achieve his wish of seeking immortality.

...

...

In Pingyang County, the moonlight was like water.

The shadow of the jujube tree in the courtyard falls on the small courtyard with its blue bricks, making it appear exceptionally tranquil.

Xia Dong lit a small green lamp in the room and laid out the "Changchun Medical Classic" he brought back from the market and the "Dragon-Capturing Skill" that Qin Wan had found for him side by side on the rough wooden table.

After he returned, he didn't rush to practice his skills, but instead opened the yellowed medical book.

The opening few words all discuss the pharmacology of herbs and the relationships of mutual generation and restraint among the five internal organs. Xia Dong read it carefully and found that this ordinary medical book was quite similar to the traditional Chinese medicine he knew in his previous life, but in the details, it contained many profound mysteries about the circulation of qi and blood in martial arts and the vital points of the human body's meridians.

Looking at the detailed meridian diagrams in the book, Xia Dong couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

In ancient times, medicine developed and progressed through continuous investigation and knowledge acquisition. In that vast history, there were even legendary physicians who performed astonishing feats such as "opening the skull with an axe and scraping the bone to remove poison," which are almost identical to modern medical principles. Unfortunately, later, China was submerged and the barbarians invaded and ruled the Central Plains, abruptly breaking the backbone of Chinese civilization.

Once the lineage is broken, later generations of medical practitioners gradually lose the courage to explore the mysteries of the human body, and slowly descend into the quagmire of mystification and superstition.

"If a seeker of the truth loses the backbone to explore the truth, all that remains is a shell of gods and ghosts." Xia Dong murmured to himself, his fingertips tracing the rough pages.

He composed himself, no longer dwelling on the rise and fall of his past life, and instead focused all his energy on the two booklets before him.

With the "Changchun Medical Classic" in his left hand and the "Dragon-Capturing Skill" in his right.

One book emphasizes following the natural order and harmonizing the five internal organs; the other aims to seize the spine and lock down the body's vital energy and blood.

While studying diligently under the dim light until late at night, Xia Dong suddenly felt a stirring in his heart.

He closed his eyes, and the pure blood and qi he had cultivated in the Crane Stance slowly flowed along the life gate recorded in the Medical Classic. Then he suddenly pressed the method of the Dragon Capture Technique, locking the blood and qi firmly on his back.

One releases, one retracts; one lives, one dies.

Xia Dong suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of understanding appearing in his dark pupils.

Medicine and martial arts share the same origin.

The techniques of killing can be derived from the knowledge of saving lives, and the medical skills of saving lives can also be used to control the physical body.

The path of practicing both medicine and martial arts may well open up a new world for him to seek immortality.