Chapter 130, To Zhaoge!

Translator: StarReader

 

“Is this… a spirit tree?”

 

Su Chen’s eyes widened in disbelief.

 

The restorative power of this cassia tree was truly astonishing. He had never encountered a spirit tree of such miraculous properties.

 

“This is a thousand-year-old cassia spirit tree, also known as Returning Spring Wood. It regrows when felled, an incredibly divine phenomenon, a naturally restorative spirit tree. It’s a superb material for crafting wood-based magic items. I’ve been logging in these mountains for many years and have discovered this spirit tree for over ten years now. However, I lacked the strength to fell it in previous years. These past few years, my strength has grown significantly, so I’ve come to try again.”

 

“Is Brother Wu felling it to craft a magic item?”

 

“Not exactly. My family has been woodcutters for generations; I wouldn’t know how to craft a magic item. This wood isn’t just for magic items; for ordinary mortals, it can extend lifespan, eliminate illness, and ward off disasters. My mother is celebrating her hundredth birthday today, and I intend to fell this spirit tree to celebrate her longevity. Steeping cassia wood shavings in tea can cure a hundred diseases and is very beneficial to the body. Once I fell it, I’ll give you some branches. Even we immortal cultivation practitioners would enjoy this spirit tea.”

 

Woodcutter Wu laughed heartily.

 

With his divine strength, he would have split any ordinary giant tree long ago. This spirit tree was too extraordinary; it regrew when felled, always escaping his axe. Otherwise, he would have split that giant tree long ago.

 

“I see!”

 

Su Chen was deeply astonished.

 

Since Woodcutter Wu intended to fell this spirit tree, he could only watch from the sidelines and wait for him to do so.

 

While waiting, Su Chen occasionally asked Woodcutter Wu, this senior, humble questions about immortal cultivation.

 

For example, immortal cultivation progress was agonizingly slow; were there ways to accelerate the cultivation method?

 

Woodcutter Wu’s face bore an expression of reluctance.

 

He was essentially unable to answer Su Chen’s questions.

 

He simply didn’t know.

 

Initially, Su Chen assumed Woodcutter Wu was unwilling to discuss cultivating with him.

 

“Brother Su, asking these questions is quite difficult for me. I haven’t practiced immortal cultivation in my entire life; how would I know how to do it?”

 

Woodcutter Wu wiped away a sheen of sweat with a towel and sighed.

 

Su Chen was astonished and exclaimed, “This… Brother Wu…aren’t you an immortal cultivation practitioner?”

 

“I am an immoral, but I do not practice immoral cultivation.”

 

Woodcutter Wu lowered his giant axe and chuckled ruefully, “The circumstances are long and complicated… The Wu family has lived in this small village for generations, making a living by felling trees. From a young age, I was naturally a woodcutter, simply felling timber in these deep mountains. I’d never been to Zhaoge. I’m unfamiliar with the concept of cultivating, and I’ve never practiced it for even a single day.

 

“However, later I happened to meet Brother Lu; he was astonished to see me and said that I had become an immoral. I was equally surprised. How could I inexplicably become an immoral?

 

“But Brother Lu is a senior immortal cultivation practitioner in Immortal City Zhaoge; he is masterful when it comes to immortal cultivation, knowing everything. He’s far more skilled than I am. He said that I am an immoral, and so it must be true. Brother Lu also invited me to Immortal City Zhaoge, but I have an elderly mother who requires my care, so I declined.”

 

[Brother Wu is an immoral person who doesn’t practice immortal cultivation?]

 

Su Chen was stunned into silence.

 

He finally understood that in this world, one could become an immortal without practicing immortal cultivation or immortal art.

 

He was an immortal cultivation practitioner, but he and Woodcutter Wu were entirely different.

 

Woodcutter Wu, in the realm of immortal cultivation, understood less than he, a newcomer to that world.

 

“But Brother Su doesn’t need to rush. I’ll introduce you to Brother Lu later. He’s a seasoned immortal cultivation expert, and he’s sure to know all your questions!”

 

Woodcutter Wu said warmly.

 

Woodcutter Wu’s chopping lasted a full half an hour.

 

Yet, this cassia spirit tree had endured hundreds of his axe blows and remained as it was. The recovery was too strong; it simply couldn’t be chopped down.

 

Su Chen couldn’t help but say, “Brother Wu… The trunk of this spirit tree is three, and you can only chop half an inch each time, and it returns to its original shape when you pull it out. It’s been half an hour, and you still haven’t been able to chop it down.”

 

Woodcutter Wu paused, panting from exhaustion.

 

Every swing of this half-ton giant axe, each time it struck, was incredibly draining.

 

He sighed, “It’s been more than just half an hour. I’ve been felling it for three days before you arrived. This wood is impossible to chop down in one single breath; you must exhaust its restorative power before you can chop it down. But it’s still the same; it’s probably still hard to chop down… Though it’s a bit stronger than it was years ago; back then, I couldn’t even break its bark.”

 

“Felling it… for three days?”

 

Su Chen listened, stunned.

 

Woodcutter Wu possessed such determination. With his divine power, three days without breaking it down meant that this spirit tree wasn’t merely strong.

 

“Brother Wu, lend me your axe!”

 

Su Chen, seized by a momentary impulse, borrowed the giant axe from Woodcutter Wu, wanting to see how deep his own strength could chop.

 

He held the giant axe in his hand, gauging its weight.

 

Su Chen swung his axe with force.

 

The massive axe struck the wood as if it had hit a block of refined steel, failing to pierce the bark. Instead, it rebounded back at him.

 

Su Chen’s hands throbbed from the recoil, his expression stunned.

 

Even at the first layer of the Qi Refining Stage, he couldn’t even break the bark of this spirit tree. It seemed his cultivation was considerably weaker than Woodcutter Wu’s.

 

“Brother Su, you shouldn’t bother. Newcomers at the early Qi Refining stage simply can’t chop it down. They can’t even cut through the bark. It’s a superior first grade spirit wood; it takes at least the mid Qi Refining stage to even barely manage to split its bark.”

 

Woodcutter Wu laughed outright.

 

“Forget it. Since we can’t chop down this tree, let’s cut off a couple of branches and take them back to brew tea. This spirit tea will slightly enhance cultivation. I’m giving you a branch; you can use it to brew tea or take it to Immortal City Zhaoge. I’m not familiar with Zhaoge, and I don’t know how many spirit stones this wood would be worth there… at least a piece or two of spirit stones, I’d say.”

 

Woodcutter Wu finally gave up on chopping down the massive tree, which was a yard in circumference.

 

Cutting off a few branches was far easier.

 

He swung his massive axe, and with a surge of power, two branches of the cassia spirit tree split off. He took one back to the mountain village to give to his mother to brew tea. He cut off another and handed it to Su Chen.

 

“Thank you, Brother Wu!”

 

Su Chen quickly said his thanks and put it away.

 

This branch was far superior to the spiritual items he had collected while traveling in various places. Using it to brew spirit tea and enhance cultivation couldn’t be better.

 

“Let’s go drink!”

 

Woodcutter Wu chuckled, inviting Su Chen to his home for a drink of wine.

 

Su Chen nodded in agreement.

 

The two traversed mountains and hills, heading toward the small village in the Wild Mountains.

 

The two descended the mountain, returning to the small village at its foot.

 

Along the way, they hunted a mountain pheasant, intending to stew it into soup.

 

At that moment, Mother Wu was seated at the loom, weaving fine cloth. Ah Nu chatted with Mother Wu, assisting with the fire and the cooking. Seeing Su Chen return, she couldn’t help but show her delight.

 

Woodcutter Wu killed the mountain pheasant by the river, cleaned it thoroughly, added a bit of spirit cassia, and prepared to simmer a pheasant soup.

 

“Son, you’re forty years old and still haven’t found a wife; the village hasn’t seen anyone willing to marry into our Wu family. This is all because your old mother has held you back!”

 

Mother Wu sighed after drinking the pheasant soup.

 

“Mother, please don’t speak of it. Your son is young; he only wishes to look after you and has no thought of such matters.”

 

Woodcutter Wu replied quickly.

 

After a little while, the pheasant soup was ready, and Woodcutter Wu brought a bowl to Mother Wu, celebrating her hundredth birthday.

 

Woodcutter Wu rarely associated with those from his village; the grand celebration was modest in scale.

 

Su Chen and Ah Nu happened to be present, so they joined in celebrating Mother Wu’s hundredth birthday as well.

 

Following their initial meeting, Su Chen and Woodcutter Wu shared drinks and conversation in front of the house.

 

The sun began to set.

 

It was then that they noticed Mother Wu, seated at her loom, had quietly reached a hundred years and passed on.

 

Woodcutter Wu was startled and dropped to his knees before Mother Wu, wailing loudly.

 

Su Chen and Ah Nu stood speechless for a long while.

 

Su Chen attempted to console him, saying, “Woodcutter Wu, your mother passed peacefully, having lived to a hundred years—she’s ascended from this mortal realm.”

 

Woodcutter Wu knew this to be true; in this world, mortals lived out their lives for a hundred years—it was the way of the heavens, and no matter how great one’s power, it could not be defied.

 

Still, he couldn’t help but give vent to his grief.

 

Woodcutter Wu located a place rich in spiritual energy deep within the mountains and laid his mother to rest, observing the traditional mourning period of seven days.

 

Afterward, he bid farewell to his mother, and with his travel pack on his back, he set off from the mountain village, joining Su Chen and Ah Nu and heading toward Immortal City Zhaoge.

 

Woodcutter Wu had already attained the mid Qi Refining Stage of cultivation.

 

His previous reluctance to travel to Zhaoge was simply due to his desire to care for his aged mother. Now that she had passed peacefully, he was unburdened and freely journeyed to Immortal City Zhaoge.

 

…

 

Hundreds of mountains, thousands of miles of perilous mountains, swamps, and wilderness—an intimidating prospect for ordinary mortals.

 

But Su Chen was an immortal cultivation practitioner, and Woodcutter Wu was an immortal, and it presented no hardship for them. Ah Nu, too, was a first rate expert, and though the journey was somewhat arduous, she was capable of traversing mountains and wading through rivers.

 

Half a month later.

 

They were now just a hundred or so miles from Spirit Mountain Zhaoge; the terrain had abruptly flattened, revealing a vast plain ahead.

 

“There’s an estate up ahead,” said Woodcutter Wu. “It belongs to an immortal cultivation family from Immortal City Zhaoge. Besides the immortal cultivation practitioners, ordinary descendants also reside within that estate, living together.

 

“Let’s head to the estate; there are small shops that sell tea, water, and meat where we can rest our feet. Brother Lu mentioned he lives there as well; he’s a veteran immortal cultivation practitioner who frequents Immortal City Zhaoge. If we pay him a visit, perhaps he’s going to Zhaoge City! Having him lead the way to Immortal City Zhaoge would be ideal.”

 

“Sounds good!”

 

Su Chen readily agreed.

 

He knew very little about immortal cultivation.

 

And Woodcutter Wu also lived in a small village, spending most of his time felling trees in the deep mountains, completely ignorant of the ways of immortal cultivation. Going to Immortal City Zhaoge, he didn’t know what customs or rules existed there. It would be better to get to know an experienced immortal cultivation senior and learn more about Zhaoge City.