"The Immortal Path... seeking truth..."

These were two ordinary-sounding terms, but when they reached Chu Mu’s ears, they brought an inexplicable shock.

It was as if these two terms signified a magnificent, beautiful world beyond his wildest imagination.

Chu Mu suppressed the shock in his heart, mustered his courage, and asked, "Dare I ask, Elder Li, in the Cultivation Immortal Realm... are there many who seek the truth?"

"Of those who can set foot on the path of Cultivation, how many do not harbor a heart for seeking truth?"

"It is simply a matter of whether or not their mentality changes along the way."

"The Cultivation Immortal Realm is a place where a hundred flowers bloom. If you can always maintain your desire to seek the truth, then in the future, should you be fortunate enough to embark on the Immortal Path, your journey may be a little smoother."

Hoisting the bamboo basket onto his back again, Chu Mu walked out of Mingxin Hall in a near daze.

It had been a very ordinary trip to Mingxin Hall. Over the past few months, he had lost count of how many times he had come here.

But this time, a brief conversation had completely lifted the mysterious veil shrouding the higher echelons of the Extraordinary.

Cultivation, Cultivation Immortal... seeking truth, or perhaps... true cultivation...

Immortal Gods were no longer a guess, but a reality unveiled before him.

Essence, Qi, and Spirit...

Divine Appearance... that is the Immortal Path.

Stopping at the entrance of Mingxin Hall, Chu Mu gazed up at the sky. The setting sun descended in the west, still a fiery red, casting a dazzling, dark gold light across the mountains.

At that moment, the daze completely vanished, replaced by an indescribable excitement surging through his heart.

Mundane martial arts, Qi and Blood Cultivation, Divine Appearance, the Immortal Path...

Chu Mu had already experienced firsthand just how difficult this path was.

But difficulty was one thing; what Chu Mu feared was toiling away only to find he had taken the wrong path in the end.

Right now, regardless of anything else, Chu Mu knew only one thing: he was not on the wrong path.

No matter how hard it was, as long as the direction was correct, that was enough.

Chu Mu tightened the straps of his basket, and his steps seemed to gain a new strength.

Over a month had passed. The crumbling ruins had been made completely new. Although many artisans could still be seen hammering away, the reconstruction was, on the whole, complete.

The idea of renovating the house, which he’d had ever since coming to this world but had always been constrained by his finances, was now realized through a stroke of luck.

The once-old courtyard gate had been replaced with a brand-new wooden one. Chu Mu didn’t know if the wood was valuable, but the natural color and grain, sealed with tung oil, were extremely pleasant to the eye.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, he saw that while the layout was the same, everything had been renewed.

The only things that hadn’t changed were the large tree to one side of the courtyard and the dangling weighted balls hanging from it.

A brand-new, rebuilt courtyard and a compensation of fifty silver—that was the recompense for that incident.

He walked into his bedroom. The rebuilt room was no longer cramped; it now occupied the space of the original bedroom plus half of the main hall, making the entire room a size larger.

The room’s furnishings had also changed. A medicine cabinet, a bookshelf, a wardrobe, a desk, and an earthen kang bed were all arranged quite neatly within the room.

Chu Mu carefully took out the medicinal herbs he had gathered in the bamboo basket. There were many types of herbs, and the vast majority of them needed to be processed through a series of steps to best bring out their medicinal properties.

Chu Mu was, of course, already intimately familiar with these procedures. When it came to the study of medicine, if nothing else, he was quite confident in his accumulated knowledge.

As of now, he had read nearly every medical book he could get his hands on. Even if he couldn’t recite them all from memory, he was thoroughly familiar with their contents.

His theoretical knowledge was more than sufficient; what he lacked was simply enough practical application and accumulated experience.

As he sorted the herbs one by one, Chu Mu’s thoughts kept returning to the same topic. The mystery of the Extraordinary had been unveiled, and the world of Cultivation Immortal was now revealed before him.

’How could I possibly remain calm?’

Riding the wind on a sword, exterminating demons between heaven and earth.

Who could possibly refuse such Divine Demon-like power...?

Chu Mu found it impossible to refuse. In fact, he had been striving for it all along.

Knowing people, knowing medicine—if he hadn’t yearned for this, why would he have worked so hard on this path?

It was just that, before today, his efforts in knowing people and medicine were to support his Qi and Blood Cultivation.

But now, he was pinning his hopes on this knowledge of people and medicine to help him step onto the... Immortal Path more quickly.

’The ultimate goal is purely for the Divine Appearance...’

’So, is there a way to make the Divine Soul manifest earlier?’

Having finished sorting the herbs, Chu Mu stared at the pitifully low Skill Level for his Body Refining Technique on the Light Curtain Panel. His gaze flickered as he couldn’t help but ponder.

Elder Li’s words had been very clear.

The goal was only the Divine Appearance; everything else was secondary. Even if achieving Divine Appearance caused some deficiencies, they could be easily remedied afterward by the wonders of Spiritual Qi.

Wasting time on the path of Qi and Blood was clearly the most inefficient thing to do.

’Essence Qi Nourishing Spirit... or a fortunate coincidence... or being born with a powerful Divine Soul...’

Chu Mu mulled it over, finally rubbing his head in frustration.

Even though he knew that Qi and Blood Cultivation was a waste of time, it seemed he had no other choice but to continue wasting time on this path.

After all, he didn’t know where Spiritual Qi was more abundant. Elder Li hadn’t said anything explicitly, but judging from his expression, it probably wasn’t a simple matter. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

A mundane Iron Ore mine was already firmly in the grasp of the Nanshan Li Family, to say nothing of Spiritual Qi.

Given how precious Spiritual Qi was, the Spirit Veins that produced it were likely all monopolized.

As for a fortunate coincidence... what kind of fortunate coincidence could he possibly have?

And being born with a powerful Divine Soul? That was even more out of the question; it had nothing to do with him at all.

He had lived two lives, and besides the appearance of the Light Curtain Panel, there had been nothing else out of the ordinary.

Under these circumstances... it seemed he could only do as he had always done: strive and struggle for his Qi and Blood Cultivation.

He would have to continue his studies of people and medicine as well.

No matter how great the possibility of ascending to the heavens in a single step, it had nothing to do with him.

Chu Mu consoled himself. At least he now knew the ultimate goal of Qi and Blood Cultivation, had confirmed the correctness of this path, and was aware of the Cultivation Immortal Realm’s existence.

’My gains have been enormous!’

"Don’t be hasty. Be steady. Be calm..."

Chu Mu muttered to himself as he looked at the medicinal herbs, now sorted into categories before him.

’I can’t lose my rhythm. I can’t let this rush of blood go to my head.’

What Elder Li said today undoubtedly proved that his current studies in knowing people and medicine had definitely surpassed the scope of mundane Medical Skill.

’It’s even possible that I’m already receiving the... inheritance of a Cultivator like Elder Li!’

’The hundred arts of Cultivation!’

’Could knowing people and medicine be the legendary practice of Alchemy?’

Chu Mu wasn’t certain, but with this speculation in mind, what he needed to do became very clear.

’I refuse to believe that a Cultivator—a Cultivator who is so extraordinary in the path of knowing people and medicine—wouldn’t have a way to help me quickly transcend the Qi and Blood stage!’

’Since Elder Li hasn’t shown any sign of this, it obviously means he wants me to learn, to understand, to apply... to... seek the truth!’

’If I follow the steps and keep to Elder Li’s pace, I can’t go wrong!’