Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 94 - 92: Alien Objects, Evil Objects, Immortal Objects

Two days later, everyone took turns observing the True Qi Martial Arts, then exchanged information with one another before leaving one after the other.

Meanwhile, Lu Chang’sheng had three new objects in his possession.

One was a white jade bracelet, with fine cracks creeping across its surface and faint traces of blood clinging within.

According to Old Jiang, this white jade bracelet was involved in a homicide case in a lower county of Liyang Prefecture. It began with a scholar who’d repeatedly failed the imperial examinations; he’d married a stunning wife, envied by all. Unexpectedly, half a year later, he suddenly passed the Child Examination, was overcome with excitement, and when he got home, fell into a deep sleep and couldn’t be awakened.

When his family was organizing his funeral, he suddenly sat bolt upright, gave a strange, wicked smile, then lay back down, dead silent forevermore.

His terrified family had planned to bury him, but after witnessing this, they lit a great fire and reduced him to ashes.

This item was what remained. The family sold it to a pawnshop, and it was later bought by Old Jiang’s men who followed the trail.

The second object was an uncanny snake figure carved with a grinning face—the story behind it was known as the "Snake Immortal."

This happened some decades ago. One night, the house snake of a Snake Breeder slithered up to the rafters, and at the end of every month, it would spit out a piece of silver.

Eventually, officials discovered this; only then did they realize these were pieces of official silver stored by the county office. The Snake Breeder was executed and his head displayed to the public.

The snake was also slain by the arriving soldiers, leaving behind this object, which was forever after regarded as a cursed thing.

The last item was a cow’s eye, and inside—astonishingly—there seemed to be a glimmering, crystal-clear teardrop.

Yet, each of these three items gave him distinctly different feelings.

Gazing at the white jade bracelet filled him with a sinister, oppressive sense. The snake’s eye, apart from its strange patterning, evoked nothing at all—certainly nothing like the bracelet’s effect.

But the cow’s eye was utterly different. Resting in his palm, it felt as warm as fresh jade, with a faint, soothing sensation like warm water flowing within.

"Is there some essential difference between them?"

"My master has been seeking immortality for many years—just how much does he know about these things?"

Lu Chang’sheng pondered, then finally decided to consult Hong Yuan about it.

Still, with a bit of self-interest at heart, he only took out the two more sinister and inauspicious objects—the snake’s eye and the white jade bracelet.

Soon, he arrived at the Jixia Academy. The moment Hong Yuan saw what Lu Chang’sheng produced, his brow furrowed sharply.

"These are evil objects! You’d better bury them deep underground—or toss them somewhere scarcely touched by people!"

"Evil objects?"

"Mm. Truth is, one should call them extraordinary things. The quest for immortality isn’t ours alone—long ago, others set out on similar paths, and in the end, they derived what we now call the Seeking Immortality Technique."

"I’d intended to wait six months before sharing this, but since you’ve already come into contact with these, I’ll give you an overview. The Seeking Immortality Technique is founded upon these extraordinary items. You construct an array with them, and thus draw down Immortal Fate from the heavens."

"The Complete Library in Four Branches of Literature even mentions the Seeking Immortality Method, but regrettably, it leaves much unsaid."

A trace of regret flickered in Hong Yuan’s eyes.

The Complete Library in Four Branches of Literature described folk customs, geography, and supernatural beings in rich detail, but when it came to the methods of cultivation, the writing grew vague and reticent, as if holding something back.

If not for that, those like themselves who sought immortality might not be left in their current predicament, unable to find a clear Seeking Immortality Method.

What was recorded as the Seeking Immortality Method consisted of all the requirements for Immortal Worship.

"Extraordinary objects fall into two types—evil objects and Immortal Objects. Evil objects are like these two you have now—they radiate misfortune, stir up all kinds of negative thoughts. Some invoke lust, others greed for riches—the seven passions and six desires, any of them are possible, but most commonly, it’s greed for wealth."

"Heaven sends no windfalls. Coveting that which is not rightly yours quickly leads one to disaster."

"But Immortal Objects are different—they appear balanced and serene, their aura pure, sometimes even calming the mind and steadying the spirit. Rare Immortal Objects can even assist with martial cultivation."

"What we seek is precisely the Immortal Object, to use alongside Immortal Worship Incense in order to commune with Immortal Fate... yet, so far, all attempts have failed."

"But why is that?" Lu Chang’sheng asked in surprise.

"The formula is incomplete!" Hong Yuan replied.

He didn’t shy from sharing these secrets, for eventually Lu Chang’sheng would have to know them. "Once—no one knows when—a Jade Scroll with the Immortal Worship Formula was unearthed at the Langya Ruins. But the flaw of human hearts is this: upon seeing what seemed to be an Immortal’s relic, one seeks to keep it for oneself. The result? The sect was destroyed, the school scattered, and the order where a single sect ruled the world came crashing down in the blink of an eye."

"After that, the world had only one remaining sect: Dao Inference Sect. Its Sect Leader, Lin Daosheng, was brilliant beyond compare. Even now, in the most distant annals, his name remains—a legend."

There was unmistakable emotion in Hong Yuan’s voice.

In that age when Innate Martial Artists walked everywhere, still none could eclipse him—his talent was truly inconceivable.

"Lin Daosheng unified the world, and with the strength of the land, tried to unravel the puzzle of the Jade Scroll. Ultimately—he succeeded!"

"But time had already gnawed away at the Jade Scroll—the information within was already almost gone. In the end, it was nothing more than a fragment."

"With Lin Daosheng’s passing, his sect fell, the prefectures declared themselves kings, monarchy took root—and thus began our Great Yuan."

"Generation after generation of Martial Artists continued the search for immortality, but fewer and fewer believed. Only that Immortal Worship Formula has lasted to this day."

As Hong Yuan spoke, he brought out an object—a thin booklet.