Chapter 127, Sailing in Search of Destiny

Translator: StarReader

 

A sable-hulled houseboat drifted along a river veiled in mist.

 

The lake waters, with their clear waters and sparse reflections, mirrored the emerald peaks on the sides. As the boat passed through, a beautiful scene, like a scroll of immortal art, slowly unfurled.

 

For the past year, Su Chen and Ah Nu had wandered the world, seeking the path to immortality.

 

Following the terrain map of Great Tang, they had traversed a thousand mountains and rivers.

 

They had witnessed the prosperous cities of Great Tang and the bustling roads and passed through secluded, remote ancient villages and deep mountain ruins rarely visited by humans, searching for the whereabouts of Immortal City Zhaoge and inquiring about traces of immortality.

 

The folk tales they heard about immortals were plentiful, and they had even found traces left behind by others engaged in immortal cultivation.

 

But when they asked the local people about the current location of an immoral, everyone was utterly clueless.

 

Su Chen, guided by the Great Tang central plains terrain map left by Daoist Han Shan, traveled to various famous mountains and rivers, searching tirelessly. A year had passed, yet he had found nothing.

 

In the blink of an eye, Su Chen had already traversed nearly two-thirds of the territory shown on the Great Tang map.

 

The densely populated, worldly, and prosperous cities had been ruled out; they could not be the location of Immortal City Zhaoge. Only the deep mountains and rivers rarely visited by humans might hold a few traces.

 

The road to immortality was as difficult as ascending a blue sky.

 

The path of the immortal was fleeting, nowhere to be found.

 

…

 

Last night, a sudden storm brought heavy rains, causing the river to swell considerably. The mooring lines of the punting boat were secured to the trees along the riverbank, sheltering it from the wind and waves.

 

This morning, the skies finally cleared, revealing a vast expanse of blue without a single cloud.

 

On the small stove at the front of the boat, rice porridge was simmering, alongside a pot of lightly seasoned rice wine.

 

Ah Nu held a fishing rod, angling in the river, preparing an early breakfast. After the meal, they would be ready to depart.

 

The path to immortal cultivation was long and arduous, though it allowed one to appreciate the beauty of the scenery along the way, adding a touch of poetic charm. It was nonetheless demanding.

 

She was a mortal still, bound by the necessities of food, clothing, shelter, and travel. Even an immortal cultivator such as Su Chen, at the Qi Refining Stage, couldn’t escape these basic needs, unless he forwent sustenance and resisted the influence of the mortal world.

 

Traveling through bustling cities presented no problem; a few coins were all that was needed to arrange food, clothing, shelter, and everything else, without requiring any personal effort.

 

However, in the remote and desolate wilderness, conditions were far more challenging, demanding complete self-sufficiency.

 

Chopping wood, building a fire, cooking, and washing—all were essential.

 

Supplies like firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were easily procured. They had stocked the boat with plenty of these items after purchasing them in the towns along the way. But fresh produce didn’t preserve for long; they had to rely on fishing along the route or foraging for mushrooms, mountain fruits, and game like mountain fowl and rabbits.

 

Throughout the journey, she meticulously attended to Su Chen’s meals and living arrangements.

 

Su Chen hailed from a family of fishermen, accustomed to doing everything himself from a young age, and thus found Ah Nu’s attentive care unsettling.

 

He wouldn’t allow Ah Nu to do these things.

 

But she refused his help.

 

Having been an orphan since childhood and having endured countless hardships, she would not shy away from hard work.

 

It had been seven or eight years at the Mist Terrace, and Matron Li ensured her delicate nature flourished by forbidding her from doing any chores. A bevy of maidservants attended to her every need, ensuring she didn’t even get a drop of cold water on her. It had been years since she’d personally washed her clothes, her fingers as flawless as scallions.

 

Now, accompanying Su Chen on his quest for the immortal path, all the mundane tasks along the way were handled by her.

 

“Fishing, laundry, making fires, and cooking—these are things that common folk do every day, and I can certainly do them too.

 

“I am prepared for hardship as I follow Young Master on his journey to attain the immortal path. This small amount of labor isn’t anything to worry about.”

 

Each time Su Chen tried to dissuade her, she always replied with a smile.

 

Su Chen tried to reason with her several times but couldn’t.

 

Ah Nu spent half an hour each day completing these chores. With free time on her hands, she occasionally plucked at an ancient zither at the bow of the boat, the echoing sounds of the zither reverberating between the valleys, as she drifted along the rivers, a picture of relaxed serenity.

 

…

 

Inside the small boat.

 

Su Chen had to spend several hours each day in meditation, cultivating The Mayfly Chapter of Wanderer’s Journey. The rest of his time was spent studying the spiritual art talisman he previously created, the White Lotus Spirit Sutra, and those spiritual objects.

 

While Su Chen meditated, each inhalation and exhalation drew in dozens of microscopic floating spiritual energy particles within a radius of several dozen feet, transforming them into essence that nourished and strengthened his spirit.

 

He journeyed through many places this year and discovered that the concentration of spiritual energy in remote locations, far from human settlements, was at least three or four times greater than in bustling, lively cities.

 

And in some treacherous, towering mountains, shrouded in mist, it could be more than ten times greater. Cultivating in such places consistently would improve efficiency tenfold.

 

No wonder immortal cultivators preferred famous mountains and rivers rather than lingering in the crowded markets of prosperous cities.

 

Su Chen also discovered that the spiritual energy in a given location would change drastically with the cycle of the sun and moon.

 

At midday, as the scorching sun illuminated the earth, the spiritual energy swelled, exceeding its usual levels by dozens of times.

 

Su Chen felt the intense spiritual energy under the blazing sun and attempted to draw it in. Upon inhalation, it felt like a surge of yang fire scorching him, nearly burning him with the sheer intensity of the spiritual energy.

 

Yet, every midnight, especially during the nights of the full moon, the spiritual energy appeared abnormally frigid and exceedingly dense.

 

He attempted to draw upon the spiritual energy under the full moon and immediately felt a wave of chilling coldness wash over him. In a mere moment, his entire body was frigid, shivering uncontrollably.

 

The spiritual energy during these two times of day was incredibly abundant but seemed unsuitable for absorption—one too fiery, the other too cold with moon yin energy. After a few attempts, he dared not again draw upon the spiritual energy between heaven and earth during these times.

 

Only during the mornings and evenings, when the sun’s heat was absent and the moon’s yin energy was minimal, did the spiritual energy drifting in the heavens appear gentle.

 

Su Chen had spent a year cultivating Wanderer’s Journey: The Mayfly Chapter and had gained a deeper understanding of the Qi Refining Stage and the immortal cultivation method. The Qi Refining Stage could be roughly divided into early, middle, and late. Of course, it could also be divided more precisely into nine layers.

 

The Mayfly Chapter only contained three cultivation methods: the first layer, Dormancy; the second layer, Metamorphosis; and the third layer, Winged.

 

Only Dormancy could be used for daily cultivating. It involved drawing in free-floating spiritual energy from the heavens, a portion used to cultivate the spirit, the remainder stored within the body.

 

The subsequent two layers weren’t methods of cultivating but rather a manner of utilizing them.

 

Metamorphosis involved actively triggering the essence stored within the body. Once triggered, it would allow the immortal cultivation practitioner to rapidly undergo a transformation and elevate their cultivation.

 

Each transformation would dramatically increase power by a small amount.

 

When cultivating to the third layer of the Qi Refining Stage, one could undergo a single transformation, swiftly rising to the fourth layer of the Qi Refining Stage.

 

At the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Stage, two transformations could be undertaken, elevating to the eighth layer of the Qi Refining Stage.

 

At the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Stage, three transformations could be achieved, rising to the rare twelfth layer of the Qi Refining Stage.

 

That was to say, as cultivation increases, this Metamorphosis could, at most, transform three times, reaching the pinnacle of the Qi Refining Stage.

 

Of course, whether or not to transform was entirely up to oneself. It was fine not to transform.

 

After completing the third transformation, one could also trigger Winged. Once feathered, one’s cultivation would experience another significant leap in a very short time.

 

However, this process was irreversible; those cultivating Wanderer’s Journey: The Mayfly Chapter could only use this technique once in their lifetime.

 

Simply reading the introduction of these three arts left Su Chen awestruck, and he knew the next two techniques had to be incredibly powerful.

 

But what was troubling was the first, Dormancy.

 

Dormancy was named such because it implied a very slow increase in realm; only a portion of the essence cultivated was absorbed by the spirit, while the rest was stored within the body.

 

Since entering the Qi Refining Stage, Su Chen had been cultivating the Mayfly Chapter for nearly a year.

 

During this year, the Azure Lotus spirit within his Spirit Mountain has remained largely unchanged, still at the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage, and the first spirit leaf had grown to roughly one-tenth larger.

 

At his current cultivating speed, he estimated it would take at least ten years to complete the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage and grow the second spirit leaf.

 

The subsequent layers of the Qi Refining Stage were also becoming increasingly difficult to cultivate.

 

If things continued like this, he would probably only reach the fourth layer in this lifetime.

 

“This cultivation was too slow. Under normal circumstances, I’m likely to only reach a maximum of mid Qi Refining in this lifetime. Just how are other immortal cultivators cultivating?”

 

This left Su Chen quite troubled.

 

But his understanding of various common knowledge about immortal cultivation was too limited.

 

He still needed to quickly locate Immortal City Zhaoge to see how other immortal practitioners were cultivating and adapt their methods in order to find a solution to this problem.

 

…

 

Su Chen, at dawn, closed his eyes and meditated, cultivating for two hours, becoming aware of Ah Nu making a fire and preparing food outside the boat. A feeling stirred within him.

 

For a year, the two of them had searched everywhere, failing to find any trace of other immortal practitioners or discover the whereabouts of Immortal City Zhaoge.

 

But they had made some progress.

 

Su Chen’s understanding of the immortal cultivation method had undoubtedly strengthened considerably.

 

Whenever he had free time, he would help Ah Nu prepare herbs for body tempering that replenished her blood and energy. She took a new combination every five or six days.

 

With his current Qi Refining Stage, his Divine Sense was far stronger than before. He already mastered the art of concocting remedies for mortals to an unprecedented level, customizing each combination to maximize its effect on Ah Nu’s Dantian cultivation.

 

Ah Nu had also made significant improvements.

 

Ah Nu had progressed from a third-rate practitioner in the Lower Dantian, and in just one year, she had advanced to the first-rate early stage of the Middle Dantian. This was considered a relatively high cultivation among common practitioners.

 

Once the Dantian was improved, True Qi would be powerful, and every gesture and movement would carry force—even plucking flowers and leaves could injure an enemy.

 

Ah Nu was splitting wood and making a fire when, while gathering it, she accidentally scratched her hand on a dry piece of wood, drawing a tiny speck of blood. She gasped softly, furrowing her brow, and blew on her hand.

 

After making the fire, she cleaned and gutted the fish she caught, placing them in a pot and sprinkling in a little oil, salt, and spices to make a pot of fresh fish soup.

 

Then, she retrieved a few pieces of clean clothing, kneading them in the icy river water and beating them with a wooden stick, her delicate hands turning crimson from the cold.

 

Not long after, Su Chen lifted the curtain and came out to the boat.

 

“Young Master, you’re awake! The fish soup is nearly ready!”

 

Ah Nu, seeing him awake, couldn’t help but smile.

 

Su Chen scooped a bowl of soup and tasted it. The clear aroma held a sweet, fresh, and savory flavor, and he couldn’t help but praise, “This soup’s flavor is growing more refined and mellow. It seems you have a knack for cooking!”

 

“Young Master is too kind!”

 

Ah Nu’s heart overflowed with joy. “Where are we heading out to today?”

 

“Let me see.”

 

Su Chen retrieved the map of Great Tang from his chest, then looked towards the distant horizon. His gaze fell upon the place nearest to him, sketched in ink on the map—a misty, towering mountain named Mang Mountain.

 

The mountain appeared close, but there were at least hundreds of miles of river to cross. If the river were winding, it would likely be even further.

 

“After breakfast, we’ll depart and head toward Mang Mountain. I’m going to cultivate shortly. Afterward, you steer the boat. Follow the river for two or three days, and we should be there.”

 

“Alright!”

 

Ah Nu nodded.