Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

Chapter 209: Chapter 199: Imparting Techniques

The group walked on in silence, eventually arriving near a dilapidated rammed-earth beacon tower.

Suddenly, a shout came from the high platform: "Military zone! Unauthorized personnel, keep out!"

The sound of THUMPING footsteps followed as three soldiers armed with sabers and spears ran out from the tower’s entrance.

The leader wore bamboo armor. He had long arms and legs, a large head on his neck, and stared at them with wide, bovine eyes, his face a mask of surprise and suspicion.

"Who are you?"

Yang Lin said nothing, simply retrieving a smooth, lustrous ivory tablet from his waist and showing it to the soldier.

When the big-headed soldier saw the insignia on the tablet, he was startled and hurried to bow. "Sir..."

The two soldiers behind him froze for a moment before bowing as well.

Yang Lin waved a hand, stopping the three of them. His expression was pleasant as he said, "We’ve just come to have a look around. Please don’t mind us if we’re intruding."

The big-headed soldier shook his head vigorously. "No intrusion, no intrusion at all," he said quickly.

Zhong Yewu noted that the three soldiers were all wearing leather armor and had weather-beaten faces. He asked curiously, "The war is over now. What are you all doing here guarding a beacon tower?"

The big-headed soldier let out a "heh" and gazed northward. "Those Tatars don’t keep their word. They often sneak over to steal and cause trouble. When we spot them, we light the beacon to notify the garrison to drive them out."

"The autumn harvest is coming up, so we have to guard against them coming to steal the wheat."

Zhao Lin glanced at the dilapidated beacon tower and asked, "It must not be easy to get down the mountain from here. Are your living conditions manageable?"

The big-headed soldier grinned. "We’ve got grain stored in the tower, enough to last half a year."

"Half a year?"

Xiang Bao asked in astonishment, "You stay up here on this mountain for half a year at a time?"

"Yep."

The soldiers all nodded in unison.

Xiang Bao asked, "Isn’t it tough?"

The big-headed soldier scratched his head. "It’s alright. There are more mosquitoes in the summer, and it gets freezing cold in the winter. But it’s nothing, really. We’re soldiers; it’s our duty to defend the land."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Bao, Zhao Lin, and the others couldn’t help but feel a surge of solemn respect.

...

The day after returning from Yueguan Mountain, Yang Lin sent someone to summon Zhao Lin to Hongrong Pavilion.

Zhao Lin walked into the hall and saw Yang Lin seated in the place of honor, with Elder Water Mirror beside him. He had a good idea of what this was about.

As the Headmaster, Yang Lin was responsible for the disciples’ overall cultivation strategy, but the specific Cultivation Techniques were still taught by the elders of the Wuxiang Institute.

This was partly because Primordial Realm martial artists were scarce, making it impossible to assign a full roster of five elders to the Inner Court.

It was also because most Inner Court disciples had come from the Wuxiang Institute, so the elders were familiar with them and could provide suitable cultivation advice.

’Elder Water Mirror’s presence here must mean they’re going to bestow a Cultivation Technique upon me.’

"Headmaster Yang, Elder Water Mirror," Zhao Lin said, bowing.

"Have a seat."

Yang Lin nodded with a smile, gesturing to the chair in front of him.

Zhao Lin walked over, sat down, and waited quietly.

Yang Lin stroked the mustache that curved around his lips and suddenly asked, "The next Martial Assembly is in the spring of the year after next. You’re aware of that, right?"

Zhao Lin replied, "I am."

Yang Lin grunted in acknowledgment. "You’ve been in the Inner Court for almost a month. According to custom, it’s time to impart a Cultivation Technique to you."

"You’re eighteen this year, so you’ll have just turned twenty by the time it begins. I believe that with your talent, you should be able to break into the Inner Court’s top ten by then and compete in the Martial Assembly!"

At this point, his tone shifted. "However, twenty is still very young, and a year and a half of cultivation is too short. To make a real showing at the Martial Assembly... is very difficult! You must make a choice."

"So I want to ask you: do you want to steadily raise your realm and set your sights on the Martial Assembly five or even eight years from now? Or do you want to cultivate several Cultivation Techniques, rapidly increase your combat power, and make your mark at the next Martial Assembly?"

Zhao Lin didn’t answer right away, lapsing into silence instead.

’This is a dilemma.’

’If I choose the former, I’ll have to focus all my efforts on cultivating the Sea Return Skill, and at most one other Cultivation Technique. I should be able to break through to the First Layer of the Blood Realm within two years.’

’This is the path most disciples choose upon entering the Inner Court: first raise your realm, then cultivate techniques.’

’But if I do that, it’ll be hard for me to compete against the other powerhouses at the Martial Assembly.’

’Not to mention, the strength displayed by the four great disciples just the other day was shocking.’

’If I choose to bolster my combat power, I’ll have to simultaneously cultivate several techniques—fist techniques, leg techniques, claw techniques, footwork, and so on. My realm progression would have to be put on the back burner for now.’

’Everyone wants to have it both ways, but it’s exceedingly difficult.’

’Pushing one’s Qi and Blood to a higher realm requires cultivating the Sea Return Skill for at least four hours a day, and you still have to leave time for your meridians to rest and recover.’

’Forcing the cultivation of other techniques on top of that would just mean compromising on both fronts.’

Zhao Lin thought for a moment, then replied, "Headmaster, I want to make an impact two years from now!"

In truth, Zhao Lin knew from Yang Lin’s tone that the Headmaster hoped he would take a more long-term view. However, after weighing his options, he still chose to prioritize increasing his combat power.

’Because I have the Spirit Beast Scroll.’

’There’s no need to wait five years.’

’I’ll strive for a good result at the Martial Assembly, obtain a large amount of resources from the rewards, and enter the Primordial Realm as fast as possible.’

’Only by becoming a Primordial Realm martial artist will I have the authority to read all of the sect’s martial arts scriptures.’

’They say there are no limits to martial arts. Does it really end at the Innate Realm?’

’Even if that’s true, Cultivation Techniques are all created by people. I’ll just research and create my own technique and add another realm above the Innate Realm!’

Yang Lin was stunned by his words, but Elder Water Mirror burst out laughing. He said to Yang Lin, "See? I told you so, didn’t I?"

Yang Lin frowned. "You’d better think this through. Haste makes waste. Do you think Xiao Jin is formidable? He only managed to rank in the top sixteen at the last Martial Assembly."

Zhao Lin said earnestly, "Thank you for the reminder, Headmaster. I want to give it a try."

Yang Lin fell silent, his expression darkening slightly.

The reason he hesitated was that a disciple as talented as Zhao Lin was incredibly rare. He had to be nurtured with care. If his training went awry, a promising martial arts prodigy would be wasted.

Seeing this, Elder Water Mirror lowered his voice. "Zhao Lin is naturally strong. He could fight for a very high rank, which is a big advantage in the Martial Assembly. He might be able to go even further than you think."

Zhao Lin knew Elder Water Mirror was speaking up for him and immediately shot him a grateful look.

Yang Lin mulled it over for a long while before finally sighing. "Fine. For now, I’ll agree and allow you to cultivate several Cultivation Techniques simultaneously."

"However, I will check your cultivation progress every month. If there is even the slightest problem, you are to stop immediately!"

Zhao Lin said solemnly, "Yes, thank you, Headmaster!"

Yang Lin nodded. "Good! Let’s go through this one by one. Your Three Yin Claw has already reached the Minor Achievement stage, so you can continue cultivating it. Your fist technique, however, must be changed."

"The Stone Roar Fist is a technique for achieving quick results. While its power is decent, it has no further room for improvement. You must switch to a superior fist or palm technique."

"I’d still like to practice a fist technique."

Zhao Lin said immediately.

He had already figured it out back in the Qi Realm. Once he reached the Blood Realm, he would immediately cultivate the Celestial Frost Fist. That way, his Cold Ice True Qi would have a proper use, and he wouldn’t have to hide it so carefully anymore.

Yang Lin gave a noncommittal response, his gaze shifting to Elder Water Mirror.