Gateway of Immortality

"Lifesaver?"

The chubby young man was taken aback. "You saved Senior Brother Han's life?"

Qin Sang recounted the events that had transpired on Guling Mountain.

The chubby young man's anger dissipated considerably, his expression shifting between uncertainty and frustration. After a moment, he glared at Qin Sang, then took out a small scroll, which he unfurled with a wave of his hand. An ancient painting stretched out before them.

In the painting, mist and clouds obscured the sky, layer upon layer, extending endlessly like the thirty-three levels of heavens, shrouded in mystery.

Among the clouds, a flock of celestial cranes soared gracefully, their lifelike movements so vivid they seemed alive.

Qin Sang then sensed a surge of spiritual power as the chubby young man infused the scroll with it. In the next moment, a mass of clouds emerged from the scroll, and within the swirling mist, a celestial crane cried out, its call echoing through the air.

The crane in the painting landed on the chubby young man’s palm. He whispered a few words into its ear, and the crane flapped its wings, growing larger with the wind, before disappearing into the horizon.

Moments later, the clouds in the painting suddenly began to churn, eventually transforming into a figure—it was the young man from Guling Mountain who had narrowly escaped death.

"Junior Brother Zhen Ming," the cloud-formed figure of the young man seemed somewhat ethereal, his voice faintly distant, "What urgent matter has prompted you to summon me?"

He then caught sight of Qin Sang standing nearby and immediately recognized him, smiling warmly. "General Qin, it's been a while. I hope you've been well."

Qin Sang was just about to speak when Zhen Ming stepped forward and began to complain. "Senior Brother Han, it wasn't my intention to disturb you, but this Qin fellow insisted on seeing you. I had no choice. I followed your instructions, asked him if he was determined to pursue the path of immortality, and after he made his decision, I tested his spiritual roots. I warned him that having spiritual roots is a rarity, and sure enough, this mere mortal has none. I advised him to return to his normal life, but he wouldn't listen, accusing me of trying to harm him. He kept insisting that he's your lifesaver and demanded to see you."

Having finished, Zhen Ming glared at Qin Sang with a huff, looking utterly aggrieved.

The young man glanced at Zhen Ming, then at Qin Sang, and smiled. "General Qin, Junior Brother Zhen Ming isn't lying. It’s true that only one in ten thousand mortals possess spiritual roots. The path of cultivation is more difficult than ascending to the heavens, and even if you manage to cultivate, the immortal world is fraught with countless dangers. You could perish at any moment. Living as a mortal may not be so bad. Why not let Junior Brother Zhen Ming ask the Sacred Palace's palace master to look after you? Even if dynasties change, you’ll live out your life in peace."

"But..."

Hearing the young man echo Zhen Ming's words, Qin Sang felt a wave of frustration. He wanted to ask why, if he had no spiritual roots, he had been able to cultivate the Netherworld Scripture.

Yet, recalling his encounters with immortals, the life-and-death struggles between righteous and demonic cultivators, and the many mortals he had killed with the Yan Luo Banner…

He couldn't even confidently say that he was not a demonic cultivator.

"Immortal Master Han," Qin Sang asked, his face full of unwillingness, "Is it really impossible to become an immortal without spiritual roots? Are there no exceptions?"

Is it because I wasn't originally from this world, I was an exception? Or perhaps it was an ability granted by the Jade Buddha?

The young man’s expression softened, and Zhen Ming also paused, glancing at Qin Sang with a frown before falling silent.

The young man hesitated for a long time before saying, "General Qin, as far as I know, in the righteous path, there are indeed no cases of someone without spiritual roots entering the immortal path. Even those from the most prestigious sects require spiritual roots to cultivate. However..."

Seeing the young man’s hesitation, Qin Sang's eyes lit up. "Immortal Master Han, is there another way?"

The young man smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Without spiritual roots, no method will work. If you can't sense spiritual power, how can you cultivate? What I was about to say is that our Han family only knows about the righteous cultivators. We know very little about the demonic sects. Their cultivation methods are strange, filled with countless sinister techniques. Whether they have a way to break this limitation is unknown to us." ʀ

"Demonic sects?"

Qin Sang was surprised. Is the young man suggesting that I join the demonic sects?

The young man conjured a circular jade disk from a cloud of mist in his palm and said solemnly, "Since I made a promise, I won't go back on my word. This jade disk is a token from a cultivation market located in the border area between the Northern Lands and the demonic sects. I obtained it from the mustard seed pouch of that demonic cultivator. If you're determined to take your chances, I'll have the crane deliver it to you. But remember, if you truly join the demonic sects, the next time we meet, we will be enemies, not friends. I won't show any mercy."

Qin Sang didn't hesitate, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture. "Thank you, Immortal Master Han!"

The young man gave Qin Sang a deep, meaningful look, nodded, and then his cloud-like image dissipated.

After waiting for a short while, the crane returned, holding a jade disk and a scroll in its beak.

Zhen Ming took the items, handed them to Qin Sang, gave him a nod, and then mounted the crane and flew away.

Qin Sang unfolded the scroll, discovering that it was a large, detailed map—by far the most extensive and detailed one he had ever seen. He quickly located the position of the Great Sui, which appeared remarkably small on the map.

To the north was the Heng Kingdom, an area dozens of times larger than the Great Sui. Even further north, there were many nations larger than the Heng Kingdom.

After crossing the Heng Kingdom and several other countries, Qin Sang finally found the location marked by the young man, within a region called Biyun Kingdom. As for the exact location of the cultivation market, the young man left a note stating that Qin Sang only needed to bring the jade disk near the area, and the plate would automatically guide him to the market.

The young man also briefly introduced the cultivation market and warned Qin Sang that demonic cultivators were extremely dangerous, especially for mortals. If things went wrong, Qin Sang was advised to flee as quickly as possible, considering it a final act of kindness.

Qin Sang mentally calculated the distance. If he traveled on horseback, resting overnight and continuing at dawn, it would likely take him several years to reach his destination. Fortunately, he noticed that there was a large river called the Tianlu River to the west of the Great Sui, which connected the north and south. The Wuling River was just a tributary of this great river.

Traveling by boat along that river would greatly speed up his journey.

After carefully storing the scroll, Qin Sang examined the jade disk for a moment. Resisting the urge to probe it with his spiritual power, he nodded to the palace master who was waiting nearby and then began his descent down the mountain.

As night fell, the Holy Mountain of Zhao offered a commanding view of the entire imperial capital. The lights in the Jade Palace were ablaze, no doubt due to the new emperor's ascension and the officials, busy with the restoration of the empire, had yet to conclude their discussions.

Joash's Thoughts

Author's thoughts:

A Few Words.

The release of the Mortal's Journey anime has stirred up old memories for me. With some free time on my hands, I felt inspired to start writing. Upon reflection, the most profound impression Mortal's Journey left on me wasn’t the intricate and captivating plot or the mysterious spells and treasures of the Old Devil. Instead, it was a single line from Mo Caihuan. The first fifty chapters, nearly a hundred thousand words, were all written to lead up to that one line from the protagonist.

This is my tribute to Mortal's Journey, to Wang Yu, and to fondly remember Han Paopao. It’s a way to commemorate the time I spent reading those books in the past.

Thankfully, the story so far has unfolded without much deviation from my initial plans, and I was able to incorporate that line successfully. For me, this feels like achieving a small goal.However, this has also made the early plot somewhat slow-paced. I’m not sure if readers are still interested in stories about the mundane world.

With a hundred thousand words written, I haven’t secured a contract, and the collection count has barely reached one hundred—such a dismal and tragic situation. I wonder how many of these hundred-odd collections are from readers who are truly following the story. Some readers have consistently voted with recommendation tickets, and I’ve noticed and appreciated your support. Thank you.

As always, if you find my writing worth your time, please consider adding it to your collection, voting, or helping to spread the word. I’d greatly appreciate it! Thank you!