Exploring Immortality Cultivation

Zu Zhipeng's ancestral home was in Xiaodong. Xiaodong is located in the southwest of Shenzhou, west of Kunlun Mountain, and east of Xiao River. Six years ago, when the West Sea Dragon King unleashed a snow disaster, Xiaodong was right in the heart of the affected area. Thankfully, this fellow was also a sort of vagabond in the village, who, being strong and healthy, did not starve or freeze to death, as he only had himself to feed. However, Xiaodong is now an area ravaged by a cult, with a deteriorating Spirit Energy Environment which has become unfit for living, so the Immortal Alliance arranged several relocations. Among them, those with shallow worldly ties and unable to find a livelihood were recruited by the Immortal Alliance into the Zhenhai Navy.

For the past half year, life had probably been the most comfortable for Zu Zhipeng. Not only did he have nothing to worry about in terms of food and clothing, but he had also mastered Immortal Power and came into contact with all sorts of inconceivable magical items. In his view, this was already a life akin to that of an immortal.

Deep down, Zu Zhipeng was always filled with gratitude and admiration for the nameless Immortal Master who created the Cultivation method for the Zhenhai Navy. How many in Shenzhou revered those of the Immortal Dao? Yet very few could actually set foot on the path of Immortality. And now, he, as well as all the fellow villagers and partners who joined the Zhenhai Navy, had all become Cultivators and acquired Mana!

This was also why he was particularly grateful to the "Immortal." Perhaps it was because his "political awareness" stood out, or maybe it was because he indeed had some talent. Before the Zhenhai Navy set out for the West Sea, he was promoted to Centurion.

And now, he was carrying out his first task after arriving at the West Sea— to follow any order given by this quirky Immortal Master.

An unprecedented oddity.

Moreover, this Immortal Master seemed rather fond of interrupting others.

The Centurion, who had a particular fondness for his own Military Flag, pointed reluctantly to his belt: "This belt is the Storage Magic Artifact you Immortal Masters mentioned. It has seven 'Hidden Compartments,' with the one at the back being rather small, intended for us to store some miscellaneous items, but it can only hold a few things. Then, the sides of the belt each contain a few Magic Artifacts, Elixirs, Talismans, and food."

"A few Magic Artifacts?" Wang Qi asked, "Is there only one in each Hidden Compartment?"

"Yes," replied Zu Zhipeng, puzzled, "Of course, each Hidden Compartment can only hold one item."

Wang Qi touched it in confusion and found that the other party's words were true. He walked behind Zu Zhipeng and pointed at the back of his neck: "This might tickle a bit."

"Immortal Master, you..." Zu Zhipeng wanted to ask why, but a tingling sensation quickly spread throughout his body along his spine. Wang Qi commanded, "Take something out, anything will do."

Zu Zhipeng did as told, puzzled, and retrieved a set of Sword and Shield.

Wang Qi was baffled. He felt his Mana probe into the jade stone that came with a Storage Space, and immediately, the curvature of that Storage Space changed, releasing a Magic Artifact. The entire process was simply idiot-proof, akin to pressing a switch with Mana. They couldn't, like Cultivators, selectively take out what they wanted from a Storage Bag.

"That's interesting..." Wang Qi took a couple of steps back and watched as Zu Zhipeng planted the Army Flag beside him and took up the Sword and Shield. Pointing to the Military Flag planted in the ground, Wang Qi asked, "May I have a look at this Magic Artifact?"

"Of course."

Wang Qi lifted the Zhenhai Army Flag and discovered that it was imbued with a certain Divine Power, likely a Lower Divine Power of Life Flame, and one of the Qi Blood Type. It would create a special Spirit Power Field in which the location indicated by the battle flag would inspire the Qi Blood of all the Human Clan members, raising their morale, and strengthening their bodies.

Essentially a combination of Constant Morale + Attack Formation + Reduction of Damage + Recovery Aura Skill.

What was most important was that this flag contained no Mana Imprints or Soul Marks; it was an unclaimed Magic Artifact.

"Indeed, when they activated that Storage Space a while ago, there was no involvement of the Soul. Their manipulation of Mana was not fine-tuned, nor could they use Mana to conduct a Soul Field for precise control of items. But is it 'cannot' or 'no need'? I should try it out... huh?"

Wang Qi was surprised to find that he could not use this unclaimed Magic Artifact.

"Is it like the 'Treasure of the Sect' or 'Inheritance Magical Artifact', requiring specific Cultivation methods or bloodlines to operate?"

Wang Qi borrowed the Sword and Shield from Zu Zhipeng's hands and found that this pair of weapons was also unclaimed with no imprints, yet he was unable to use them.

Wang Qi then asked, "When you carry out reconnaissance, do you use Spiritual Sense?"

"Spiritual Sense?" Zu Zhipeng scratched his head, then asked, "Is the Immortal Master referring to the ability to see without using one's eyes? Of course, we have mastered that."

"Show me."

Zu Zhipeng nodded, and he extended his hand. From it, a strange Spiritual Power was released. This power was definitely not Mana in the conventional sense, nor was it Soul Power. It emitted like sound waves, scanning the surroundings rapidly, and then reflecting back.

Wang Qi wondered, "This is..."

"This is our Spiritual Sense. It's different from yours, Immortal Masters, but it's still quite effective."

"Understood." Wang Qi breathed a sigh of relief, "Now I get it."

The power of the Heart Demon Curse was twisted Soul Power that absorbed Spiritual Power, resembling Mana but not being Mana, resembling Soul but not being Soul, situated between the power of Spirit and conventional Mana. For cultivators like Chen Feng and Wang Qi, it would be more efficient to use this power for Illusion Techniques rather than for conventional Spells.

The Human Clan is innately spiritual, with the brain being a more significant organ of thought than the Soul. The practice of the Zhenhai Navy was to use the Heart Demon Curse to twist these people's specific Souls. This part of the Soul did not participate in thought processes and would not affect one's personality. The condensed Heart Demon Curse Power served the dual purpose of Soul Power and Mana for these mortals.

And the part of their souls which had been transformed drew mana from the "army" system. The moment these Zhenhai Navy soldiers retired and left this system, they would lose all of their mana and revert to being mortals.

"I think I understand why I can't use this magic artifact," said Wang Qi, taking out the memory body of the Dao Heart Pure Yang Spell from his storage bag. He asked Feng Luoyi in his mind, "Teacher Feng, I won't get chopped by the Heavenly Sword if I try using it on this artifact, will I?"

"Mind your own boundaries."

Wang Qi inserted the memory body into his belt, and the familiar power surged in. There were still many infected with the Dao Heart Pure Yang Spell, but they were far away in the Divine Capital, and the divine power took a few milliseconds to transmit. Wang Qi channeled the pink spell power into the military flag in his hand. Instantly, a red glow filled the sky, and a blood-red circle of light appeared above the drill ground, surrounding the group of eleven people, including Wang Qi.

Feeling the overwhelming power within him, Zu Zhipeng exclaimed in awe, "How do you use it like this! Even regular Immortal Masters can't manage it!"

"Didn't I tell you guys? The laws of the Zhenhai Navy, in other words, the mana within you, were created by me." Wang Qi shook the flag but noticed that the soldiers in front of him were stunned as if petrified. He asked, "What's wrong?"

Zu Zhipeng's voice trembled slightly, "Immortal Master... Are you truly one of the founders of Zhenhai Navy's cultivation method?"

"To be precise, 'one of the founders'. I did a little bit," Wang Qi put down the flag in his hand and reached for Zu Zhipeng's battle sword. However, Zu Zhipeng gave a shudder and suddenly asked, "Wait, may I ask which sect you belong to, Immortal Master?"

"Wanfa Sect," Wang Qi said, puzzled.

Zu Zhipeng suddenly fell to his knees and bowed deeply, "My benefactor!"

Wang Qi was taken aback as he watched the other party suddenly perform such a grand ceremony for him, and waved a mana to lift him up, "Hey, hey, what are you doing?"

"I... I was nothing but a commoner from Xiaodong. Just a few years ago, I was living in a shack and eating rice bran, but now... now..."

This Centurion had limited education. Despite having studied hard for a few years, his knowledge was comparable to that of a literacy class, and the same few words repeated over and over again. Wang Qi listened to him for a while, grasped the context of the issues, and then halted him, "Firstly, you don't need to thank me. I only created a part of this cultivation method. The rest was completed by others."

Zu Zhipeng insisted, "But the general said, anyone from Wanfa Sect or Yangshen Pavilion who has granted great favor to Zhenhai Navy, especially these two sects each have a young Immortal Master..."

Wang Qi cut him off, "Moreover, I am here to inspect Zhenhai Navy's cultivation method and see what deficiencies still exist. If you really want to repay me, then just listen to me well."

Zu Zhipeng perked up and pounded his chest in a salute, "Yes, Immortal Master!"

Wang Qi thought for a moment and then said, "I am quite interested in your superpowers. Can you demonstrate a few of your best skills?"

"First, you have to know that the Zhenhai Navy has many types of troops. From the Second to the Seventh Guard are regular troops, but you might not be able to see them all..."

Wang Qi waved a hand dismissively, "Just a few will do."

He had two purposes in observing the Zhenhai Navy: one was to study how their superpowers operated to refine his own Core Formation Method, and the other was to research the Heart Demon Curse and Divine Plague Curse Technique to enhance his combat skills.

To venture into the dragon's den and the tiger's lair, he needed to strengthen his power as soon as possible.

Zu Zhipeng nodded, "The most common troops in Zhenhai Navy are the Spearmen, followed by the Gunners, and then the Sword and Shield Hands. The Sword and Shield Hands are responsible for guarding the main formation, to prevent demon evils from invading, while the Spearmen are responsible for thrusting forward, and the Gunners for suppression..."

Wang Qi interrupted him again, "Spears, swords, and shields, I understand all that. But what is the 'gun and arrow'?"

Zu Zhipeng called out, "Five Long! Show the Immortal Master your gear!"

Three men responded and swiftly drew something from their waists—an oddly out-of-place object appeared in their hands.

"This is..." Wang Qi pointed at the item resembling a heavy machine gun, "This one is..."

"A firegun! You Immortal Masters probably rarely use them, but..."

Wang Qi shook his head, "No, I know what fireguns are, and I'm aware of firegun magical artifacts. Such artifacts' power depends on the quality of the gunpowder and the bullets which makes them very expensive. That's why people of the Immortal Dao usually don't use them..."

It was even less likely for anyone in this world to be bored enough to develop firearms. Why bother with pricey, single-use materials when one could use free spiritual energy?

Moreover, the design that completely abandons personal combat ability did not align with the concept of Immortal Dao people. Who was the transmigrator behind this design?

The three Gunners then took out their "ammunition" from the storage space. Rolled up, it looked like an oversized correction tape, but upon closer inspection, Wang Qi realized those were machine-written talismans.

"Activate the power of the talismans? Got it, I understand," Wang Qi shook his head. "Now show me some of your moves."

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)