Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Chapter 380: Chapter 350: An Island Named Chixia (Part 2)

Two springs and autumns passed, and it was early spring once again.

As all life reawakened, a panorama of green mountains and clear waters stretched to the horizon. A Flying Boat glided slowly across the sky.

Inside the cabin, a Pill Furnace was wreathed in True Flame. Chu Mu sat cross-legged before it, casting a series of Techniques that blurred into a continuous stream of phantoms, landing upon the furnace.

As the True Flame intensified, the surging medicinal properties within the Pill Furnace converged. One by one, the Elixir Pills slowly took shape during the Refining process.

Roughly ten minutes later, the True Flame dissipated. He lifted the lid to reveal several crimson Elixir Pills floating inside. A lump of black impurities was clearly visible at the bottom of the furnace.

With a flick of his sleeve, the Elixir Pills flew like a string of pearls into the Jade Bottle before him. The lump of black impurities rushed out the window and scattered on the wind.

Chu Mu grew thoughtful, his gaze drifting down to the mountains and rivers below.

The moisture in the clouds had grown noticeably thicker. Gazing out the window, he could see the boundless Vast Sea and the faint line where water met sky.

Chu Mu observed for a moment before raising his hand. The seal on the Jade Bottle broke, and a crimson Elixir Pill fell onto his fingertip.

Over the past two years, he had flown in a near-straight line across the entire Southern Border. Though he only stopped occasionally, he had visited dozens of Cultivation Immortal Marketplaces. He never stayed long in any one place, but his gains had been substantial.

If nothing else, he had now gained a comprehensive, theoretical understanding of the Vast Sea’s Demon Beast Alchemy System.

This crimson Elixir, for instance, was a Tier Two Upper Grade pill. The Pill Recipe was quite simple, requiring only three Spiritual Materials: a Tier Two Upper Grade Demon Pill as the main ingredient, supplemented with Earth Fire Essence and the Essence Blood of a Tier Two Water Attribute Demon Beast.

It completely lacked the complexity of Pill Recipes from the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World, which often required a dozen, or even several dozen, types of Spirit Medicine.

When he first encountered it, he had found it rather incredible. It was so streamlined, in fact, that it was almost hard to accept.

But as his understanding of this Alchemy System deepened, it all started to seem perfectly logical.

This Alchemy System had a fixed structure. It almost always used a certain type of Demon Pill as the main ingredient. Then, based on the characteristics of that Demon Pill, a few supplementary ingredients were used to either neutralize or enhance its properties.

The final product was a complete Elixir.

It was a seemingly simple Alchemy System, but upon deeper inspection, one would discover an incredibly profound principle hidden behind its ultimate simplicity.

The lowest grade of Demon Pill was Tier Two Lower Grade, meaning it came from a Tier Two Early Stage Demon Beast.

A Demon Pill was essentially the source of a Demon Beast’s entire power. To make a comparison, it was equivalent to the Golden Core a Cultivator condenses upon reaching the Golden Core True Master Realm!

From an alchemical perspective, if you likened a Demon Beast to a Pill Furnace, then the Demon Pill was a... Grand Demon Pill, into which the beast had condensed a lifetime of power!

In other words, a Demon Pill itself already possessed the characteristics of a complete Elixir.

Therefore, when using a Demon Pill for Alchemy, the challenge wasn’t piecing together various Spirit Medicines to create a complete medicinal effect, as was the case in the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World.

Instead, one only had to consider how to perfectly harness the efficacy of the Demon Pill.

And that utilization was the most profound aspect of this Alchemy System.

Take the Elixir on his fingertip, for example. Its utilization of the Demon Pill’s efficacy was nearly perfect.

Moreover, its medicinal effects showed no trace of the negative side effects that typically came from using a Demon-based ingredient.

Naturally, achieving this was no easy feat.

Even with his already profound foundation in Alchemy, he had still spent nearly two years studying and refining his methods under the Spiritual Radiance Blessing.

Even so, the Great Sun True Flame still played a monumental role in the Alchemy process.

Only through extensive refining with the True Flame could the final purity be achieved.

This meant that for an Alchemist to refine an Elixir with perfect efficacy and no side effects, they needed not only an extremely profound foundation in the Alchemy Skill, but also a special True Flame like the Great Sun True Flame, or some other Secret Skill.

Clearly, such individuals were undoubtedly as rare as a phoenix feather in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.

However, from what he had seen in the elixir shops of the various Marketplaces he’d visited, pills with perfect efficacy and no side effects were equally rare.

Of course, everything he had seen and heard so far was limited to the Qi Cultivation Realm.

Since he had yet to truly integrate into the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, he naturally hadn’t come into contact with anything at the Foundation Establishment Realm level.

"Tier Two Demon Pill..."

Chu Mu muttered to himself, his heart stirring with an inexplicable excitement.

Compared to the Alchemy System of the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World, this demon-based Alchemy System, despite any number of shortcomings, had one advantage that Great Chu’s system simply couldn’t match.

For a Tier Two Elixir in Great Chu, the main ingredient had to be a Spirit Medicine at least several hundred years old.

But in the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World, where resources were fought over down to the last drop, such ancient Spirit Medicine was, for a Loose Cultivator like him, practically... nonexistent!

Gathering the necessary Spirit Medicines for a single Tier Two Pill Recipe was as difficult as ascending to the heavens!

But now, with the Alchemy System of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World...

Given the boundless expanse of the Vast Sea, finding a Tier Two Demon Beast had to be far easier than finding a specific, centuries-old Spirit Medicine, which was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

And with his Alchemy Skill, he could adapt this system—originally suited for Bloodline Cultivators—for his own use as a traditional Cultivator...

Gazing at the horizon where the water met the sky, Chu Mu found it difficult to suppress the growing urgency in his heart...

「A little less than half a year passed in a flash.」

The boundless Vast Sea still shimmered under the light when a brilliant glow, soaring high into the sky, appeared on the horizon and entered Chu Mu’s vision.

Though called an island, it was large enough to be considered a small continent located just off the coast.

According to the map, Chixia Island was vast, stretching three thousand li from north to south. Situated near the mainland, it served as the central hub of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.

The island bristled with Grand Arrays, and the entire landmass was enveloped by one, with only a few ports serving as points of access to the outside world.

At a port on the island’s southwestern side, the clamor was immense. Seagoing vessels of all sizes sailed in and out, while various Flying Boats zipped through the sky above. Flashes of Tunneling Light and glinting sword beams filled the air as an endless stream of Cultivators came and went.

Chu Mu took it all in for a moment and came to a quick understanding.

Most of the seagoing vessels were made from Low Tier Spirit Wood. Compared to mundane ships, they offered only slightly more protection.

The Vast Sea was endless, and though the coastal waters were dotted with islands, it was clearly difficult for Low Tier Cultivators to travel freely between them on their own.

The long distances were a secondary concern; the primary danger was the Demon Beasts in the sea.

He had been attacked by Demon Beasts numerous times while flying here in his Flying Boat. Although they were mostly Low Tier, and thus no threat to him, they would be a deadly menace to any Qi Cultivation Realm Cultivator.

The sea vessels were at least Magical Artifact-grade, so they had some defensive capabilities. Plus, it went without saying that these ships, and even the larger Flying Boats that shuttled between islands, were all money-making ventures run by various powers.

Their safety was obviously guaranteed.

With a thought, he slowed the Flying Boat. While still several hundred li from the port, Chu Mu clearly felt an invisible wave sweep over him.

Immediately after, a carrier pigeon made of yellow paper landed on the outside of the Flying Boat’s defensive Array Prohibition.

Chu Mu raised a hand and made a grasping motion. The pigeon flew into his palm and disintegrated in the blink of an eye. A voice transmission echoed in his ear.

"Traveler, as this is your first time in the overseas territories, please proceed to Outpost Island to register. Only then may you enter the main island."

Chu Mu raised an eyebrow, a thoughtful look on his face.

This method was just like the surveillance system the Righteous Alliance had built around Jingmen’s outposts and logistics camps.

Anything that entered its surveillance range, be it a person or an Artifact, would be identified unless it had a registered identity marker or was deliberately using Concealment.

Driven by his urgency, he had flown straight for Chixia after leaving the mainland, without stopping at any other islands.

This Flying Boat, clearly, was not registered in their system.

’It’s just... that voice transmission said I had "first arrived in the overseas territories"...’

’Does that mean this system covers all of the overseas territories?’

Chu Mu’s expression shifted. ’If that’s the case, then the Chen Family’s control over these territories is terrifying.’

An identity system spanning all the overseas territories meant that any Cultivator who had ever stopped in any overseas Marketplace would have left a trace.

It meant they were constantly being tracked by this system. As long as the Chen Family wished it, they could pinpoint the location of any Cultivator in the territories at any time.

Chu Mu frowned, clearly puzzled as he recalled the Marketplaces and cities he’d visited on the mainland. ’But it wasn’t like this there...’

After a moment of thought, he looked toward the area of the sea indicated by the voice transmission, and a faint island came into view.

The so-called Outpost Island was in fact just a coral reef located a hundred li directly in front of the port. Spanning only a few li, it was utterly deserted compared to the bustling main harbor.

Enveloped by an Array, only a few pavilions stood in the center of the island.

As the Flying Boat reached the Outpost Island, a crack opened in the shimmering Array Prohibition. He flew through it, and just as the boat touched down, several figures flickered into existence before him.

The leader was an elegant man in gray-and-white robes, his Cultivation at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment.

At a glance, he seemed the picture of refinement, but upon closer inspection, one could sense a strange, domineering aura about him.

Behind him stood several Bloodline Cultivators, all at the Qi Cultivation Perfection stage. Their auras were just as strange; while each had a unique disposition, they all shared that same inexplicable, domineering quality.

Chu Mu’s eyes flickered. ’Flood Dragon Bloodline?’ With a wave of his hand, a silvery-white shadow leaped down from the Flying Boat, unleashing the full aura of a Tier Two Middle Stage Demon Beast.

The elegant man’s expression shifted. He subtly glanced at the armor-clad Wangcai before turning his gaze to Chu Mu and asking tentatively, "Are you from Great Chu, Fellow Daoist?"

"Yes."

Chu Mu nodded. There was nothing to hide; in fact, it was impossible to hide.

It wasn’t that orthodox Cultivators didn’t exist in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, but they were nearly as rare as phoenix feathers.

Not to mention, his habits, mannerisms, and even his techniques were all completely different from those common in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.

It was something anyone could tell at a glance.

"Are you a Loose Cultivator, Fellow Daoist?" the man asked again.

Chu Mu didn’t answer, instead retorting, "Do you people have this many rules here?"

"You jest, Fellow Daoist," the man quickly explained. "The Clan has a rule: any Cultivator entering the overseas territories must be registered and have a record on file."

"The overseas territories are fraught with danger, and the Demon Beasts are endless. The slightest carelessness can lead to a great disaster."

"To enter the overseas territories, one must have some understanding of them to avoid needlessly causing trouble."

Chu Mu chuckled lightly. He didn’t press the man on his feeble explanation, instead changing the subject. "Is it like this on the other islands, too?"

"All the islands in the overseas territories have Cultivators from my Clan stationed on them."

"Alright."

Chu Mu nodded. He revealed his Divine Soul Aura, and after a brief registration process, an identity Token was placed in his hand.

According to the man, holding this Token would grant him unobstructed passage throughout the overseas territories—at least, anywhere that was part of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.

The Flying Boat departed from the Outpost Island and headed straight for the port. Just as the man had said, the Token granted him truly unobstructed passage. He only had to present his identifying Divine Soul Aura along with the Token, and he officially set foot on the central hub of the overseas territories: Chixia Island...

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