Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 25 - 24: The path forward is unclear, where to find the Great Book?

Tao Qian studied the narrow table before him, on which lay stacks of banknotes amounting to thousands of yuan, a small pile of silver coins, silver dimes, and copper coins—the remnants of his actual gains.

All of them related to the transcendent and abnormal, acquired by him through the arduous task of scavenging corpses.

"Qu Worm Feces Stone, Earth Element Manual, Meat Demon Possession Technique, Mountain Ghost Skin, Corpse Blood Elixir... plus the previously obtained Bai Qin Play Fragment, and the Immortal Fish Technique."

"For me to have gained so much in the past two days, I must be considered fortunate among those in the Cultivation World."

"At least compared to my predecessor, Seeking Immortal Hermit Wu Ming, I'm definitely blessed."

"But in the end, these are all thanks to my strange Golden Finger."

"It's just a pity... these items cannot clear the path ahead for me, nor let me discern the Great Dao."

Tao Qian spoke with a hint of regret, though not overly so.

Clearly, he was well aware that if buying a couple of books and killing four marauders could grant access to the Great Dao, such cultivation techniques would be far too cheap.

He mumbled to himself while contemplating the uses of these items.

"The Bai Qin Play Fragment is still unusable; I can be exempt from the cost required to learn the technique, but not the basic conditions of cultivation."

"The simplest forms such as Pig Form, Sheep Form, Chicken Form, etc., require not ordinary bird blood, but the elusive wild spirit bird essence, where on earth could I find such blood?"

"Besides, even if I did cultivate them, their power would likely fall far short of that of the Bo Dragon Bloodline."

"Only the Ape Form Elephant Form poses some potential."

With this thought, Tao Qian set down the fragmented books.

He then planned to put aside the Earth Element Manual and the Meat Demon Possession Technique, two Secret Techniques.

The latter goes without saying—it is a spell from the Heterodox Side Door and among the more malevolent ones. Tao Qian could exempt himself from the cost but would never cultivate it.

As for the former, the cost could be exempt, but its prerequisite: consume one Earth Element daily—the more consumed, the higher the chance of success.

Clutching the manual, Tao Qian thought for a moment, then moved it back in place.

With a distressed expression, he clenched his teeth and said,

"I possess the Bo Dragon Bloodline, and with all my strength, I can briefly command the forces of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning to control the sky, but at an immensely high consumption rate. Just now, feigning for a moment, my Source Qi was nearly drained; it's simply too risky... If I add one more Subterranean Evasion Technique as an escape card, that would be ideal."

"Besides, isn't it just eating bugs? What's the big deal?"

"Their protein content is extremely high, and if fried before eating, they would be even crunchier. Perhaps I could even grow to like the taste."

Having said that, Tao Qian pinched the ball-like Feces Stone again, his face twisted in conflict.

Although the time was short, Tao Qian had already experimented.

"All other costs for this Feces Stone can be exempted; wearing it can counteract poison, and in the future, I can use it to offset some costs of cultivating Earth-related Exotic Skills."

"The only problem is that the stench is irremovable. Could it be that the fecal smell is not a cost, but a prerequisite condition?"

"Never mind, I'd rather stink than be poisoned to death someday."

"Moreover, it's actually not too bad. It seems the foul smell targets only the wearer; others can't smell it, which spares me from social death—a great blessing."

Pinching his nose, Tao Qian acknowledged another treasure.

Next was the "Mountain Ghost Skin," which greatly resembled human skin and truly captivated Tao Qian's heart.

"The skin is similar to a concealed Treasure Armor, and it has many functions."

"Yet, it's such a pity that the good condition of being unable to conceive offspring upon wearing it—which would have been a favorable cost—was negated by my Special Ability; the contraceptive effect was thus nullified."

"What an ironic twist of fate!"

As he spoke, Tao Qian flung the skin onto the back of his hand.

Astonishingly, the hairless, colorless "abnormality" squirmed and stretched as if alive, quickly covering Tao Qian's entire body.

To his surprise, he felt no discomfort; on the contrary, he felt even lighter.

As for the final item, the Corpse Blood Elixir that was as large as a date, there was actually little to be said.

After understanding its origin and function, Tao Qian placed it in his bosom, allowing the Mountain Ghost Skin to envelop it along with the Feces Stone.

Then, Tao Qian remarked with a sigh, "Floating Corpses are fine zombies, indeed. If I have the chance, I'll seek one too; not to block their path for gifts, but a chat would be nice."

Having accounted for his gains and their applications, Tao Qian was not completely satisfied.

In his mind, he quickly replayed the night's multiple attacks, summarizing a bit of experience and mistakes.

Finally, Tao Qian's thoughts focused on the conversation he overheard before taking action, especially the critical sentence spoken by Zhang Xian: "The reward of Silver Coins is a small matter; the true significance lies in whether one can be granted a cultivation scripture and technique."

This sentence fully expressed the endless hardship of the lower ranks within the Cultivation World.

The Evil People from the Four Beasts of She County were the same.

And so was the hermit Wu Ming, who had sought immortality for thirty years and died in a daze.

"The so-called cultivation scriptures and techniques refer to those cultivation manuals that have completeness, a clear path ahead, smaller costs, or methods within the manuals to offset those costs."

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"Such tomes, in the Cultivation World, are the true essence of the foundation."

"Be it the Daoist, Buddhism, Martial and Divine Cultivation, or the countless Heterodox Sects and Side Doors, all depend on a large number of such tomes to occupy the upper echelons of the Cultivation World's ecological hierarchy."

"A more colloquial name for them is... the 'Lifebound Scripture'!"

"Since it is called Lifebound, naturally, they are not mere thin volumes; almost all of them are profound and complex, directly connected to the Heavenly Dao's Great Books."

"Most are named as Scriptures, Books, Records, and so forth."

"Like the Cao Gang's top-secret 'Blood River Scripture', or the legendary Daoist 'Old Lord Ascension Scripture', the Buddhist 'Great Reincarnation Scripture', the fabled Heterodox 'Infant Scripture'... these are all things that every cultivator dreams of obtaining."

"Even among Lifebound Scriptures, there are levels of strength."

"Any Magic Skill capable of cultivating a True Immortal is controlled by major powers without exception."

"Books like 'Blood River Scripture', abundant in methods but hopeless for pursuing the immortal path, are also controlled by forces of the 'Cao Gang' caliber."

"My current Cultivation of the 'Immortal Fish Technique' has nothing to do with a Lifebound Scripture, a more accurate description would be that it's akin to an admission ticket, an entry pass. With it, one can merely enter that terrifyingly peculiar Fairyland Fish Pond to vie for the chance to be 'fished' by formidable existences, truly a fate most dire."

At this thought, Tao Qian's eyes revealed a trace of bitterness.

Although he had entered the Energy-Introducing Realm, he had not obtained a single 'Lifebound Scripture' suitable for cultivation.

There was a saying in the Cultivation World:

A day without a Great Book,

is just an existence akin to an ant!

Tao Qian knew how precise this saying was from what he had learned from Seeking Immortal Hermit Wu Ming and Rigui Daoist Lin Xiaohua.

As recorded in the 'Nameless Secret Manual', one day a large group of low-level cultivators gathered to discuss how to resist a 'True Cultivation Disciple' from a Great Sect.

They thought with their overwhelming numbers, even if they couldn't win, they should've been able to put up some resistance.

However, the outcome was that the True Cultivation Disciple waved a hand and a dazzling rainbow light obscured the sky; the group of low-level cultivators vanished in the blink of an eye, not even a complete corpse was left behind.

Tao Qian, having obtained the Bo Dragon Bloodline, was indeed a proper Energy-Introducing Realm cultivator.

But this did not change the fact that he was at the bottom of the Cultivation World.

What if one day, he also encountered a disciple from a Great Sect and accidentally ended up with the same fate?

With these thoughts, Tao Qian grew even more disheartened.

He couldn't help but think about ways he might obtain a Great Book or Lifebound Scripture at this stage.

"The 'Immortal Fish Technique'... that Fairyland is the fishpond of some terrifying being, even using something like the 'Bo Dragon Pearl' as bait; one day using a Great Book as lure wouldn't be out of the ordinary."

"Others surely would not dare to take the bait, but I am different. The joy of freeloading is momentary, but everlasting freeloading is constant joy, even if I could freeload a Lifebound Scripture, that would be unbelievably thrilling."

These two thoughts flashed through his mind, and Tao Qian's expression grew complicated.

After consuming the Bo Dragon Pearl Fragment, he had originally intended to be cautious and avoid that Fairyland Fish Pond.

But now, it seemed he still had to take the risk.

"Hmm?"

"Actually, there's another more conventional, orthodox method, which is to seek the Dao and ask questions like Wu Ming; however, I need to have a clear goal."

"Which of the Twelve Major Daoist Sects, the 3,800 Buddhist temples, the numerous Martial and Divine Cultivation clans, the thousands of sources from Heterodox Sects, and the most mysterious Demon Sects should I choose from?"

"Choose correctly, and there's a chance to cultivate into a True Immortal."

"Choose incorrectly, and one might lose their life."

"If only that accomplished Rigui Daoist Lin Xiaohua were here, it'd be good to have a senior's leg to cling to for advice. After all, that big leg had promised to pass on a method to enhance that ability, right?"

"But the guy is also cautious, though within Southern Yue, he did not specify where in the province he could be found. How am I to find him?"

Thinking up to this point, Tao Qian scratched his head.

With no choice but to temporally set aside those thoughts and an unclear path ahead, at least he had a direction now.

The next step, finding a Lifebound Scripture!

"It's probably difficult to get it in one step, but I can continue to explore within the Cultivation World."

"Now that my cultivation level also makes me a proper cultivator."

"I should visit some of the cultivator gathering places mentioned in the 'Nameless Secret Manual.' If I'm not mistaken, there's one nearby Seeking Immortal County."

"That place is called 'Tengshe Town,' originally a mortal dwelling until disaster struck and wiped out the entire town. It was then occupied by a Heterodox power and turned into a sort of marketplace for the mutual exchange of goods and Magic Skills."

"The tricksters and evil people there are plenty, though. The poor Seeking Immortal Hermit was swindled terribly there and almost had his Essence Blood sucked away by some charm-type Abnormality."

"If they could be so cruel to an old man, I, a tender new cultivator, must be even more cautious upon going there, lest I fall prey to those sweet-talking seductresses with ample bosoms and long legs."

"Remember, remember!"

...

Having finished his planning, Tao Qian knew where to go after closing his stall the next day, and contentedly secured all the banknotes and silver coins.

He didn't go to sleep but instead sat cross-legged on the bed, slowly recovering the Bo Dragon Source Qi that he had excessively expended from his showboating that night.