After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 168: Chapter 169: The First Step to Mastery

Hu Min was stunned; he had never heard such a peculiar request. But just then, a knock sounded from outside. It was a messenger from Captain Xiao Maoliang of the Great Wind Army, informing Hu Min that his squad had been assigned a last-minute suburban patrol mission and had to depart immediately.

The Emperor’s Liquid had fallen all night, granting sentience to some creatures on the Chipa Plateau and inevitably making them restless. The Great Wind Army had to patrol outside the city to prevent newly-formed Demons from threatening the fields and farms.

A military order was absolute. Hu Min didn’t overthink it. He casually took out a Medicinal Powder—it was a bright yellow, of much higher quality than the one Hee Lingchuan had refined himself. The latter scraped out a pea-sized amount. "Thank you."

He poured out a few drops of Emperor’s Liquid in exchange. Hu Min said, "I have to go. Make yourself at home." With that, he quickly changed his clothes and left.

Hee Lingchuan waited for half an hour after taking the medicine, but his body had no reaction at all, as if he had just swallowed air.

The experiment was a failure. Long-lasting, enhancement-type medicines were useless on him.

’Of course, nothing in this world is that perfect.’ Even though he had expected this, he still sighed in regret before leaving Hu Min’s house and heading straight for the Merit Department.

Since it was certain the Emperor’s Liquid had no effect on him, he might as well hurry up and exchange it for military merit.

Registrar Liu was on duty at the Pengcheng Bureau again today, as busy as ever. When he heard Hee Lingchuan wanted to turn in Emperor’s Liquid, he just waved a hand. "Hand it over."

The Emperor’s Liquid was a fine thing, but in a city as large as Panlong City, there were always people who wouldn’t consume it themselves for one reason or another.

Registrar Liu used the tip of a needle to pick up a bit of the liquid from the flask, looked at it, sniffed it, and then said to Hee Lingchuan, "It has impurities. Middle-Lower Grade. I’ll take it."

According to his calculations, the merit from this flask of Emperor’s Liquid surpassed what Hee Lingchuan had earned for holding the rear and saving people in the Riqing River Valley. After all, missions to save people were common for the Great Wind Army, but Emperor’s Liquid was a rare opportunity.

The reward this time was similar to the last, with the addition of a few injury medicines for both internal and external use.

Hee Lingchuan smiled. "If everyone turned it in, couldn’t everyone just trade it for another wooden house?"

Registrar Liu replied sternly, "Not many people would choose to turn something like this in."

Hee Lingchuan looked at him and let out a long "Ohhh."

’Right. Besides using it themselves or turning it in, people could also buy and sell it on the open market.’

Merit had to be accumulated bit by bit. If you didn’t have enough, you couldn’t get what you wanted.

"My house is big enough. Can I exchange the merit for a decent weapon?" At least in the dream, Hee Lingchuan wasn’t picky about his living quarters. It was like when he used to play games—other people would spend money on cosmetic items and props, but he was a total cheapskate in that regard.

"What kind?"

"A saber." He had entered Panlong City empty-handed and desperately needed a weapon to feel more secure.

Registrar Liu went to the back room and quickly returned, holding a Ring-Headed Blade and a Sharpening Stone.

The blade’s edge was chillingly sharp, but there were two small nicks on its spine. The hilt was also a bit worn, and it was missing the ring pommel at the end.

"The owner of this blade died on Baimo Mountain last year." His expression was solemn. "It’s a good blade. I hope you’ll make good use of it."

Hee Lingchuan held it and gave it a flourish, finding it had a satisfying weight and felt natural in his hand.

"Thank you! I’d also like to exchange merit for a few Divine Techniques. Hmm, I heard the Basic Heart Method is free?"

Registrar Liu sat back down in his original spot and waved toward the outside. "Out the door, and find the Economic Revitalization Bureau across the street."

...

The Economic Revitalization Bureau was by the river.

Strictly speaking, half of the building was built over the river. As soon as Hee Lingchuan walked in, he saw a waterside pavilion, the Shuixuan. Inside sat two old men, one in black and one in white, who had identical faces.

It was currently 7:30 AM, still early. On top of that, because of the sudden appearance of the Emperor’s Liquid last night, the Economic Revitalization Bureau was deserted. Hee Lingchuan had sharp ears and heard the two old men muttering about news from inside and outside the city—someone had found a large glob of Emperor’s Liquid Paste, which led to a neighborhood brawl; there was unusual activity from the Demon Beasts near the mines, causing injuries to the miners; and so on.

Hee Lingchuan stepped forward, offered a greeting, and said he needed the Basic Heart Method.

The old man looked him up and down. "You’re not from Panlong City, are you?"

"I’m from Tusu City, but I’ve already registered my residence here."

"No wonder," the old man said. "In that case, you’ll need to find Mr. Zhangg for a test first." After speaking, he shook a bell hanging over the water’s surface.

The bell was very close to the water, only about two feet away, and its clear chime spread throughout the entire Shuixuan.

"Go down and stand properly." There was a ramp inside the pavilion leading directly into the water. Half of the river’s surface was covered in green lotus leaves, their unopened buds just tipped with a hint of pink, attracting a few dragonflies that hovered motionlessly.

The moment Hee Lingchuan stood by the water’s edge, the dragonflies hastily flew away.

SPLASH!

Several things that looked like snakes or whips suddenly shot out from underwater and coiled toward him.

Startled, Hee Lingchuan instinctively took a huge leap backward.

"What are you running for? Get over there and stand still!" the old man said impatiently. "It’s not like Mr. Zhangg is going to hurt you, is he?"

Only then did Hee Lingchuan get a clear look. They were actually several long, thick tentacles, thicker than his waist at the base but tapering to fine points covered in suckers.

Behind the tentacles, a large, oval head surfaced. It wasn’t smooth, but covered in clusters of sharp ridges that swept backward.

Its eyes were black and round, bigger than pomelos.

"Zhan—" ’What a massive tentacle monster! So the old man meant *Mr. Zhangg*, not *Mr. Zhang*.’

Hee Lingchuan heard a voice say, "Come here, let me have a feel."

The fear of tentacles is etched deep into the human psyche. But he also knew he was powerless to resist, so he could only steel himself and stand by the water’s edge.

Several tentacles reached out and draped themselves over him. The cold, clammy feeling unique to mollusks sent a shiver down Hee Lingchuan’s spine. They were more nimble than human hands, latching onto several of his key acupoints.

Hee Lingchuan felt a cold, dark power being injected into him. The True Qi in his Dantian flared up in response, circulating rapidly throughout his body.

"Foundation’s fairly solid, and the impurities have been purged. Not bad." Mr. Zhangg commented while prodding and poking him all over. "Mmm—bones and muscles are firm."

"Ah—Qi and blood are abundant and vigorous, Essence is full. Very good, very good."

Its tone of voice was so strange that even the thick-skinned Hee Lingchuan found it a bit much. The two old men, however, paid it no mind. "Oh, so his Essence hasn’t been spent."

Mr. Zhangg pressed firmly on various spots all over Hee Lingchuan’s body before slowly retracting his tentacles.

The two old men walked over, and the three bald heads huddled together, muttering.

Hee Lingchuan had heard from Hu Min that the Economic Revitalization Bureau provided Cultivators with tailor-made Heart Methods. But he had never expected the examiner to be an aquatic Demon.

’Right. Panlong City wasn’t just home to humans.’

’But a freshwater octopus, and on a plateau no less... the world is truly full of wonders.’

Still, this monster’s eight tentacles could simultaneously attend to almost all the meridians and acupoints on a person’s body, giving it a complete grasp of their True Power circulation. A human truly couldn’t compare.

The only side effect was the dozens of red marks left behind by the suckers.

Before long, their discussion ended. The old men spoke in unison, "The three of us have unanimously decided on the Meridian Technique."

There were five public Heart Methods in Panlong City, and they had chosen the Meridian Technique for Hee Lingchuan.

Hee Lingchuan coughed lightly. "The other four Techniques, may I borrow them to take a look?"

The response came again in unison, "You may not."

"..."

"With your level of insight, how would you know which one is most suitable for you?"

"Mixing and matching Heart Methods is harmful, not beneficial."

"It’s best not to even touch what isn’t meant for you."

"We have chosen Heart Methods for over nine thousand people without a single mistake."

The two old men spoke one after another, their tone, speed, and pitch completely identical. If you closed your eyes and listened, it would sound like a single person speaking.

Mr. Zhangg slipped back into the river and vanished. One of the old men went to a wooden cabinet, took out a Jade Scroll, and stuffed it into Hee Lingchuan’s hands. "The Heart Mantra is in here. Just probe it with your Divine Thought."

Hee Lingchuan couldn’t help but fiddle with it. He had once entered an Immortal Cave Mansion at the bottom of Immortal Spirit Lake and had found a few Jade Scrolls there too, but every one of them was blank, containing no information.

’To think Panlong City also uses Jade Scrolls.’

He probed it with his Divine Thought and, sure enough, there was a complete Technique inside. Although the script was vastly different from modern writing, he could understand all of it, not missing a single word.

What was even more miraculous was that after he let go of the Jade Scroll, the Technique remained etched deep in his Sea of Consciousness, as clear as day, every word unforgettable!

There was no need to memorize it at all; this kind of replicated memory was also error-proof.

Hee Lingchuan marveled silently. ’This must be an invention of the Ancient Immortals, right?’

The old man explained a few points of caution, then held out his hand. "Alright, give it back. Other people need to use it too."

Hee Lingchuan quickly said, "Besides the Basic Heart Method, I’d also like to use my military merit to exchange for Divine Techniques."

"Divine Techniques are divided into two categories: ’Magic’ and ’Martial’," the white-robed old man said, pointing to himself. "I am Mr. Ying. I’m in charge of the ’Martial’ category."

He then pointed to the black-robed old man. "He is Mr. Manx. He’s in charge of the ’Magic’ category."

"Divine Techniques aren’t good or bad, only suitable or unsuitable," Mr. Ying said. "You’re practicing the Meridian Technique, so it’s best for you to enter the Martial Dao. Later, once you’ve achieved mastery, it won’t be too late to learn some Magic."

Mr. Manx nodded and added, "As long as you live long enough."

Mr. Ying then presented Hee Lingchuan with a long list of titles. The latter was dazzled, thinking this one looked good and that one looked practical, when Mr. Ying finally said, "The military merit you’ve accumulated is only enough to exchange for two Divine Techniques."

’Then what was the point of laying out a list of a hundred techniques in front of me?’ Hee Lingchuan smiled deferentially. "Mr. Ying, please enlighten me."

"The fundamentals of combat boil down to two things: being able to fight and being able to run." Mr. Ying pondered for a moment. "I will choose a Body Technique for you called ’Swallow Returning.’ If you can train until you are as nimble as a swallow, the technique will be close to mastery."

Mr. Manx also said, "Beginner techniques are all about being solid. Only by building a good foundation can you stand invincible. Don’t dismiss it as simple—even the Red General is an expert in the Swallow Returning technique."

Hee Lingchuan’s eyes lit up. "The Red General practices this too?"

"Of course. He personally transcribed it and recorded it into a Jade Scroll."

"I’ll take it!"

But then Hee Lingchuan thought for a moment and pointed to the list of techniques. "So, how many Divine Techniques in total did the Red General record?"

"Eighteen," Mr. Manx didn’t hide it from him. "As for the rest, you can’t afford them."

Hee Lingchuan became even more fascinated. "Then I’ll have to trouble Mr. Ying to help me find a Divine Technique for fighting."

Mr. Ying glanced at the Long Saber at his waist, turned to confer with Mr. Manx for a moment, and then said, "Then let’s choose ’Wave Slash.’"

The old man stood up and went into the inner room, rummaging around for a good while before emerging with two Jade Scrolls.

Hee Lingchuan took them, calmed his mind to memorize them, then respectfully handed them back. Mr. Manx said from the side, "Once you’ve mastered these two, come find me again. Combining Magic with the Martial Dao can achieve wondrous feats."

"By the way, Lord Zhong requires Wenxian Hall to frequently invite experts to give lectures. You’ll always gain something by listening," Mr. Ying added. "Divine Techniques are good, but they are just external forces. The key that decides success or failure often lies in two hearts."

Hee Lingchuan’s expression turned serious. "Please enlighten me, sir."

"The Heart Method and the Mental Realm," Mr. Ying said. "The Heart Method requires diligent practice; the Mental Realm requires facing life and death."

Having experienced several battles, large and small, Hee Lingchuan deeply resonated with these two sentences. He offered his respectful thanks and left the Economic Revitalization Bureau.

As he stepped past the threshold of the Merit Department, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

The Old Turtle Demon’s verse required him to hide his talents and feign incompetence in reality. ’In that case, let my first step toward mastery begin here, in the dream!’

(The *Immortal Spirit* volume ends here. A new arc begins in the next Chapter.)