Chapter 190: Chapter 188: Weird Atmosphere
Early morning.
Chu Mu surfaced from his thoughts.
He scooped a basin of water from the vat in his room.
Splashing the cold water on his face seemed to sharpen his senses.
The water’s surface rippled, revealing his reflection.
With a subtle shift of his will, his original face returned.
The face in the reflection changed along with it.
Gazing at the face that was at once familiar and strange, Chu Mu couldn’t help but stare, a little dazed.
It was familiar from his years in this life, yet strange because of the memories of his last.
’How long have I been in this world?’
Chu Mu tried to remember, but the details were hazy.
Especially after he’d entered the Cultivation Immortal Realm, the very concept of time had grown hazy.
His lifespan—or rather, the lifespan of any Cultivator—was far longer than that of an ordinary mortal.
At the very beginning of his Immortal Path, a Cultivator at the Qi Cultivation First Layer generally had a lifespan of about one hundred years.
And as one’s cultivation advanced, statistics from the Cultivation Immortal Realm showed that each layer gained in the Qi Cultivation Realm typically added about five years to one’s lifespan.
Reaching Qi Cultivation Perfection meant a lifespan of at least one hundred and sixty or seventy years. If one maintained their body well and had vigorous Qi Blood, it wasn’t impossible to live for two hundred years.
Most importantly, a Cultivator’s longevity was different from a mortal’s. Once ordinary people passed their physical prime, they entered a state of decline, their bodily functions deteriorating in every aspect.
Eventually, the older they grew, the more frail they became.
A Cultivator, however, could maintain their body at a relative peak thanks to their cultivation, even as they approached the end of their life.
A mortal’s prime might only last for a decade or so, but for a Cultivator, their entire lifespan was one of sustained vitality.
All things considered, he had only lived through a small fraction of his potential life.
This feeling of strangeness would surely fade with time.
After a moment’s pause, Chu Mu splashed his face again. Amidst the spray of water, his features slowly morphed, settling back into the guise of his new identity.
He casually wiped the water from his face, adjusted his clothes in the copper mirror’s reflection, and then pushed the door open to step outside.
Any mortal who happened to wander into the small town in the early morning would never guess it was a gathering place for the fabled Immortals.
Smoke curled from chimneys as people bustled around their stoves. There was the SPLASHING of water as others washed themselves or their clothes. Someone was dumping waste, and the movement of a dung cart released a foul stench.
At a glance, it had none of the air of otherworldly Immortals. Instead, it was brimming with the mundane hustle and bustle of a typical mortal town, completely indistinguishable.
The artifacts of the Cultivation Immortal Civilization were nowhere to be seen in a low-level settlement like this.
Chu Mu exchanged greetings and a few words of small talk with some neighbors, then joined the flow of people leaving town for their duties.
At a fork in the road outside of town, the crowd split up. One path led to the Spirit Fields where cultivators toiled away their time; the other wound into the mountains, toward the demarcation line two hundred li away.
There were no paths in the mountains. Perhaps it was because no Cultivator liked to travel a common, well-trodden road.
Chu Mu moved slowly through the mountains. According to the information from Wang Mazi, the fifty-li radius around the Marketplace was a relatively safe zone. This was because the Law Enforcement Team from Jade Emperor Valley primarily patrolled within that range.
Thus, even with the prohibition still technically in effect, the risk increased dramatically beyond this fifty-li safe zone. The farther one ventured, the greater the danger!
Given his past experiences, Chu Mu had expected to be filled with anxiety and fear as he headed away from the Marketplace.
But once he was in the mountains, those anticipated feelings never materialized.
Instead, there was a strange sense of anticipation, as if deep down, he was hoping someone would set their sights on him!
As he surveyed the surrounding forest, the anticipation in Chu Mu’s heart grew stronger.
’After lying low for years and finally acquiring such wealth and power, how can I find peace of mind without testing my new strength?’
His intention was clear.
But after walking for several dozen li, an instinctual warning flared up. In an instant, his keen anticipation morphed into a sharp, undeniable unease.
’No amount of preparation can make up for one fatal flaw: besides that one life-or-death struggle in the Marketplace, what other combat experience do I even have?’
’And that time, all I did was throw a few Fireballs before risking my Divine Soul to settle it.’
His countless life-or-death struggles back in the mortal world had made the importance of combat experience painfully clear.
With every step forward, he was seized by an indescribable apprehension.
The forest was deep and dense, but the path ahead was punctuated by clearings. He saw massive, sudden craters, collapsed and splintered trees, the lingering scorch marks of fire, and the faint traces of bloodstains.
Looking around, he saw that this entire section of the forest was the same.
To kill or be killed—for those unwilling to toil away their lives in the Marketplace, this was the naked law of the jungle.
Chu Mu could guess that a hidden observer was sizing him up, trying to determine his true strength beneath the disguise.
BOOM!
An earth-shattering roar suddenly erupted from nearby, immediately followed by a series of shouts.
"You’re not getting away!"
"Get him!"
Then, Chu Mu saw a figure flash past. Behind him, he could faintly make out other menacing figures in hot pursuit.
’Longevity Sect!’
When he got a clear look at the fleeing man’s attire, Chu Mu’s heart tightened. The man was wearing the Standardized Robe of a Longevity Sect Outer Disciple!
Chu Mu had intended to stay out of it, but the fleeing man seemed to mistake him for one of his assailants and slashed at him with his sword without hesitation!
A torrent of sword light rushed toward him. The man was at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer, and the aura emanating from his long sword was unmistakably that of a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact!
Chu Mu barely managed to bite back a curse!
He had imagined many scenarios upon leaving his place of comfort, but never this kind of senseless, unprovoked attack!
In a near instant, several Flame Barriers materialized around him. His Divine Wind Boots activated, and his body flickered, dodging the incoming sword.
His strike having missed, the man didn’t press the attack. Seeing that Chu Mu had dodged, he continued his escape.
In the space of a few short breaths, Chu Mu had already tossed a Rejuvenating Pill into his mouth. Several more Flame Barriers had appeared, circling around him.
At the same time, acting on instinct, he had already hurled four condensed Fireballs at the man!
By the time Chu Mu realized the man was only trying to flee, it was already too late.
The four Fireballs, arranged in a triangular pattern, had already forced the fleeing man to a halt.
As the man paused to dodge, the three Cultivators pursuing him arrived.
For a moment, the forest fell silent. The three parties stood in a triangular standoff, each occupying a corner.
Their gazes crossed, each sizing up the others. Aside from Chu Mu himself, both the chaser and the chased seemed completely baffled by the situation.
The atmosphere was utterly bizarre.
The corner of Chu Mu’s mouth twitched. He was beyond speechless.
...
