Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

Chapter 328: Chapter 316: Lu Yuanxiu

"Dean Zhou, don’t trouble yourself. I’d like to speak with young Zhao alone for a moment."

With that, Lu Yuanxiu glanced at Zhao Lin and strode back into the Spirit Dao Institute. He picked a random meditation chamber, pushed the door open, and went inside.

Zhao Lin didn’t rush to follow. Instead, he bowed to Dean Zhou and Elder Nie. "Dean. Elder."

"Go on. This is a rare opportunity."

Zhou Hongfang nodded with a smile, thinking, ’This disciple trains so diligently and handles himself so properly. Perhaps he’ll achieve great things in less than twenty years.’

"Yes."

Zhao Lin replied before quickly walking into the meditation chamber.

"Have a seat."

Lu Yuanxiu sat down in the center seat with a commanding presence, gesturing for Zhao Lin to sit as well. "I’ve been outside the province for the past two years and rarely return," he said. "I never expected the Spirit Dao Institute to produce another Martial Cultivator."

"How are things with the sect these days? Tell me about it."

Zhao Lin knew that when Lu Yuanxiu mentioned "the sect," he was referring to the Xingyun Sect in the mortal realm. After a moment of thought, he gave a full account of the current situation in Great Yue and within the Xingyun Sect.

"You won the championship four times?"

Hearing that Zhao Lin had taken first place in the martial tournament for four consecutive sessions, Lu Yuanxiu couldn’t help but gasp, his face a mask of disbelief.

Still, he knew Zhao Lin wouldn’t lie about something like this. He sighed with emotion. "Truly, each generation produces its own heroes! I took the championship twice in my day and was always proud of it. I never imagined you would double that."

"A feat like that is not only unprecedented, but I fear it will never be matched."

Zhao Lin replied humbly, "Elder Lu, you flatter me. In truth, I was only able to achieve this thanks to the legacy you left behind."

Lu Yuanxiu paused, slightly taken aback. "My legacy? How so?"

Zhao Lin stood up, took a few steps back, and lunged into a stance, executing a Celestial Frost Fist.

The fist’s force was frigid, kicking up a wisp of frosty white vapor.

This was a Fist Skill Lu Yuanxiu himself had created. Zhao Lin had deliberately performed it for him. Lu Yuanxiu’s eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands in praise. "Excellent Fist Skill!"

The demonstration closed the distance between them. Lu Yuanxiu, a man of straightforward temperament, immediately grabbed Zhao Lin’s arm and pulled him down to sit beside him.

"How did you reach the Martial Grandmaster stage? Tell me everything, in detail."

"Yes, sir."

Zhao Lin collected his thoughts and recounted his entire journey. He spoke of starting in Qinghe County where he joined the Liuhe Sect, then his entry into the Xingyun Sect, cultivating to the Blood Realm, participating in the tournaments, and finally, his breakthrough to become a Martial Grandmaster.

"You’re good. I like your style."

When he finished, a look of approval flashed in Lu Yuanxiu’s eyes. "You cultivate well here in the Spirit Dao Institute. When your training period is complete, you can come find me in Wangdong County."

"Thank you, Elder Lu!"

Zhao Lin was overjoyed. ’Nanhe Province has seven counties, and Wangdong County is the largest, as well as the seat of the provincial government,’ he thought. ’Starting my career there would be a much higher launch point than in any other county.’

"There are very few Martial Cultivators in the sect. It’s only right that we look out for one another."

Lu Yuanxiu said casually, then his tone shifted. "Martial Cultivators are an outlier among cultivators. Tell me your thoughts on being a Martial Cultivator and how you plan to approach your own cultivation path."

Zhao Lin knew this was a test, and his heart tensed. Fortunately, this was something he had spent a lot of time thinking about, so he already had a general idea.

"Elder Lu, I believe the greatest difference between Martial Cultivators and Magic Cultivators lies in the sequence of our training. Magic Cultivators only cleanse their bodies and purify their marrow when breaking through to Foundation Establishment, whereas we Martial Cultivators complete this step before we even open our meridians."

"Therefore, a Martial Cultivator’s Qi and Blood is abundant, and our meridians and Spiritual Acupoints are wider and more robust, allowing us to hold more Spiritual Qi."

"Our advantage lies in close combat. Moreover, at the same cultivation level, our Mana is stronger."

Lu Yuanxiu nodded. "Those are the advantages. What about the disadvantages?"

Zhao Lin continued, "The disadvantage is that our meridians and acupoints become fixed, making it much harder to break through to the next realm."

"That’s one. Another disadvantage is age. Most Magic Cultivators join the sect around the age of fifteen, whereas we Martial Cultivators are more than twice their age. We can’t afford to cultivate step-by-step as they do. We have to accelerate our progress."

Lu Yuanxiu nodded again. "It’s clear you’ve given this a great deal of thought."

"Correct. We Martial Cultivators struggle through countless hardships in the mortal realm to reach the Martial Grandmaster stage, only to find ourselves on the same starting line as these... children. And the difficulty of our cultivation is even greater."

"You just said you have to accelerate your cultivation. How?"

Zhao Lin thought for a moment before answering, "By studying Daoist arts to earn merit points for pills, and by taking on more sect missions for extra rewards."

Lu Yuanxiu frowned slightly. "That’s the right direction, but it’s too vague. How many merit points can you really earn from Daoist arts? Speaking of which, which one did you choose?"

"Arrays," Zhao Lin said.

Lu Yuanxiu remained noncommittal. "Arrays are fine. Do you know which Daoist art I chose back in my day?"

"I do not, Elder."

"I didn’t choose a single one!"

Zhao Lin was stunned, at a loss for words.

Lu Yuanxiu smiled faintly. "Daoist arts are optional, not mandatory. Why feel obligated to study one?"

"In the Qi Refining stage, every second is precious. You should spend all of it cultivating and earning merit points, then use those points to trade for valuable pills. It may seem like a radical approach, but it is the most suitable path for a Martial Cultivator."

"Once you reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, your lifespan doubles. You’ll have plenty of time to study Daoist arts then."

"Of course, the sect has its reasons for this system, but it doesn’t necessarily suit everyone. We are Martial Cultivators. We don’t have that much time to waste."

Lu Yuanxiu’s words were like a sudden enlightenment for Zhao Lin. ’I’ve been playing it too safe,’ he realized. He had vaguely considered this path before, but it had never been so clear. With just a few sentences, Lu Yuanxiu had illuminated the way.

Lu Yuanxiu held out his palm. "Let me see your jade slips."

Jade slips were important, so Zhao Lin always kept them on his person. As requested, he took out two slips: one red and one green.

The red jade slip was his Body Stone, which served as a cultivator’s official record, chronicling all their major events within the sect.

The green jade slip was for personal notes, in which Zhao Lin had only recorded some insights on his cultivation.

Lu Yuanxiu picked up the Body Stone. After sweeping it with his Divine Sense, he asked in surprise, "You have one hundred sixty merit points. Why haven’t you spent them?"

Zhao Lin replied, "I wanted to save up a bit more..."

"Wrong!"

Lu Yuanxiu cut him off before he could finish. "Your cultivation level is low right now, so you accumulate merit points very slowly. The longer you save them, the less they’ll be worth."

"That’s because as your cultivation level rises, earning merit points becomes easier and easier."

"Let’s use an analogy. Say you’re an apprentice who earns twenty copper plates a month. In order to save money, you skimp on food and clothing, living a miserable life."

"Ten years pass. You’ve become a senior clerk, maybe even the Shopkeeper, earning five taels of silver a month. Tell me, do those hundred-odd copper plates you saved back then mean anything anymore?"

"Wouldn’t it have been better to use them to network, or to learn a trade? At the very least, you could have bought meat to eat and build a strong body."

"I’m speaking in principles; worldly affairs might not always follow this logic, but in cultivation, you must always look at the big picture."

He paused, then added with profound meaning, "Merit points are only points of merit when you *use* them!"

"Otherwise, what’s the point of saving up ten thousand merit points if you’re nearly fifty and still stuck at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer? What good will a Foundation Establishment Pill do you then?"