Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Chapter 370: Chapter 340: North-South Differences, Fulfilling the Agreement

"That’s right. Besides the Enlightenment Pill, there should be quite a few other headline treasures."

"This is the Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s first time setting up in Dubhe City. To make a name for themselves, they’ll definitely pull out some of their most valuable treasures."

Chu Mu nodded. Though he’d never heard of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, he had no trouble understanding what Xu Changqing meant.

After all, the turmoil currently sweeping the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World was, at its core, a conflict caused by local clans growing so powerful that they challenged the ruling authority of the Longevity Sect.

It was said that the signs of this conflict had appeared as early as several thousand years ago.

For several generations, successive Sect Leaders of the Longevity Sect had relentlessly suppressed the major clans.

As a result, in the territories under the Longevity Sect’s direct control, no threatening powers were allowed to exist.

As far as he knew, the Longevity Sect had now completely centralized its power within the territories it ruled!

The entire north was under the Longevity Sect’s direct jurisdiction, leaving no room for independent, state-like territories.

Naturally, such a sweeping policy greatly harmed the interests of the Cultivators within the Longevity Sect.

However, to appease those disgruntled by this policy, the Longevity Sect had established compensatory measures.

For instance, back in the days of the Jade Emperor Valley, the Longevity Sect had completely opened up the leasing of shops within its Marketplaces.

Any Cultivator within the Longevity Sect’s sphere of influence, including the sect’s own disciples, could lease a shop, establish a trading house, and receive the sect’s protection.

As a result, trading houses of all sizes began to spring up one after another.

This Hundred Treasures Pavilion was clearly one such establishment.

To be able to open a trading house in a place like Dubhe City, they must be quite powerful.

It was quite obvious that these trading houses were not substantially different from the Cultivation Immortal Clans of the south.

The only real difference was that one had its own territory, and the other did not.

Many northern Cultivation Immortal Clans would register a trading house with the Longevity Sect, funnel their clan’s power and members into it, and thus complete the transformation from a Clan to a trading house.

Furthermore, because of the unique nature of a trading house, they could bypass the bloodline restrictions inherent to a Clan, which dramatically increased their appeal to Loose Cultivators.

Of course, while it seemed like there was no difference on the surface, from a strategic perspective, this was an exceptionally brilliant move by the Longevity Sect.

No matter how powerful a trading house became, it always remained within the Longevity Sect’s system of governance, unlike the southern Cultivation Immortal Clans that were self-contained states within a state.

They exchanged pleasantries and fell into conversation, chatting happily as if they were old friends reuniting.

As a Longevity True Inheritor and a Sword Dao Nascent Soul Heir, Xu Changqing had access to information and secrets that were far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

For Chu Mu, the conversation filled in the gaps in his knowledge from his past several years of seclusion.

The two didn’t leave the restaurant until sunset.

"I’ve reported your matter to the Sect Leader. He has issued a decree. With this token, you can enter the sect and go directly to the Scripture Pavilion. You may stay for twenty-four hours and, excluding the True Inheritance Secret Techniques, take your pick of any two volumes."

Xu Changqing handed him a Jade Talisman. "You can go on your own from here. I have a few other matters to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave."

"That’s fine."

Chu Mu nodded and watched Xu Changqing depart before turning his attention to the palm-sized Jade Talisman.

It was pure white, with the smooth, lustrous feel of fine jade. Yet when held, it emitted a bone-chilling cold. Both its front and back were flawlessly white, without a single mark or pattern.

But when he probed it with his Divine Sense, he could feel a faint, plant-like vitality circulating within the talisman.

He glanced at the distant, cloud-piercing Longevity Immortal Mountain, deliberated for a moment, then with a flick of his wrist, sent the Jade Talisman into his Storage Space.

He turned back into the restaurant and rented a room to rest for the night.

Not until the following morning did Chu Mu emerge from the restaurant and head straight for the towering main gate of the Longevity Sect.

In the mortal world, there’s a saying that a mountain that looks close can kill the horse you ride to reach it. In the Cultivation Immortal Realm, that saying was even more true.

Although Dubhe City was said to be situated at the foot of the Longevity Mountain Range and appeared close, the actual distance to the sect’s towering main gate was several hundred miles.

He had barely traveled a hundred miles from the city gates when disciples of the Longevity Sect flew over to intercept him.

Their words, "This is sect territory. Trespassers will be put to death," demonstrated the Longevity Sect’s imperious nature.

"Senior, please proceed!"

The moment he revealed the Jade Talisman, the attitudes of the Longevity Sect disciples changed instantly. With deep bows, they watched Chu Mu cross into the six-hundred-mile restricted zone.

After a journey of six hundred miles and dozens of security checks, Chu Mu finally arrived before the towering mountain gate.

At that moment, the Jade Talisman in his hand seemed to be activated by something. It abruptly floated up before him, its faint, fluorescent light flickering as if to guide him forward.

Chu Mu gazed at the towering Immortal Mountain before him, at the sprawling network of pavilions and palaces, and at the countless shimmering lights, a rare sense of apprehension stirring in his heart.

Following the guidance of the Jade Talisman, every Longevity Sect disciple he passed along the way moved aside, respectfully allowing him to pass.

Just as he stepped through the gates of the Longevity Sect, Chu Mu thought he would finally get a good look at the vast sect.

But the instant he set foot inside, before he had a chance to take in the view, the Jade Talisman floating before him blazed with light. An irresistible force immediately enveloped him.

In a flash, he felt as if he had crossed an immense distance. When his feet were on solid ground again, a towering structure covering hundreds of acres filled his vision.

The building was shaped like a pagoda, spiraling up layer by layer until it pierced the clouds, its full height impossible to discern with the naked eye.

Countless Array Prohibition Patterns swirled around the structure. The moment he probed it with his Divine Sense, an indescribably terrifying Spiritual Pressure surged forth, nearly suffocating him.

In front of the tower, disciples of the Longevity Sect came and went. Despite being a bustling scene, it was utterly silent; even their footsteps seemed to be unconsciously softened.

Holding the Jade Talisman, Chu Mu walked forward. To his surprise, he encountered no security checks or barriers this time, and he stepped directly into the magnificent structure.

Rows upon rows of Spirit Wood Bookshelves were arranged neatly, stretching out into a vastness the eye could not see the end of. The shelves themselves, holding either rows of books or stacks of Jade Scrolls, were all shrouded in a faint, fluorescent light.

Each section and every volume had a plaque identifying the name and effects of the Cultivation Technique or Secret Skill it contained.

Disciples of the Longevity Sect moved between the endless ocean of bookshelves, maintaining an absolute silence in both word and deed.

Chu Mu stared blankly at the endless bookshelves before him. He then glanced at the staircase leading to the second floor, and recalling the tower’s cloud-piercing height from outside, the corner of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch.

’Such a vast ocean of knowledge, and I only have twenty-four hours...’

He looked down at the Jade Talisman. As if to reinforce his sense of urgency, a countdown timer had appeared upon its surface.

Not daring to delay, he spread out his Divine Sense. The plaques on dozens of nearby bookshelves flooded his perception—all of them were for basic Magic and knowledge of various crafts.

Clearly, this First Layer of the Scripture Pavilion most likely housed basic-level texts and Jade Scrolls.

He headed up the stairs and was met by a faint membrane of light. When he touched it with the Jade Talisman, however, the membrane dissipated, leaving his path clear.

He went straight upstairs. Although an Array Prohibition blocked each floor, the Jade Talisman cleared a path for him until he stood before the barrier on the eighth floor. There, the talisman finally failed, and he could not advance another step.

He stepped back from the staircase and let his gaze sweep over the eighth floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

Just like the First Layer, it was a vast ocean of shelves, with no end visible to the naked eye.

The sheer volume of texts in this Scripture Pavilion was already beyond his imagination.

He approached a bookshelf, and his eyes fell upon rows of Jade Scrolls.

An entire bookshelf held dozens of Jade Scrolls, all of them Fire Attribute Cultivation Methods.

There were even several Jade Scrolls marked as Ancient Techniques.

The effects of each Cultivation Technique were clearly marked on their respective plaques.

Without exception, all of them were High Tier Cultivation Techniques rarely seen in the outside world.

Any one of these, if it appeared in the outside world, would likely cause a major uproar.

Yet here on the eighth floor of the Scripture Pavilion, each was just another ordinary volume amidst an endless ocean of Secret Techniques.

...

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!