Cannot Cultivate the Immortal Dao

In the eastern part of Xiaolin City, there's a patch of unused ruins.

A great fire occurred here eight years ago, killing many people, and cries are often heard at night.

Furthermore, people often go missing in this area.

Rumor has it that those who died in the fire were trapped here, unable to reincarnate, and thus turned into vengeful spirits that capture passersby to keep them company.

The government and the Demon Suppression Division also sent people, but they found nothing, and the matter was eventually dropped.

Later, the rumors became more outlandish, and people living nearby were so terrified that they moved away.

Now, it's completely desolate, and people usually avoid it.

Fahua Temple is also nearby.

It's said that the temple used to have a thriving incense trade, with people coming and going.

The temple survived the fire, but all the monks disappeared.

Now, the temple is in a state of disrepair.

It doesn't cover a large area and is overgrown with weeds. The main hall is covered in spiderwebs, and the Buddha statue in the center is broken in half, with the rest of its parts lost.

Tonight, however, a masked man carried an old Daoist priest into the temple's main hall.

After knocking out the old Daoist priest, Zhang You, after much deliberation, came to this place.

He had often heard people talk about this place in the teahouse, saying it was very strange.

After absorbing the blue and white energy obtained from the Headless Corpse Evil, he felt that the next Great Body Tempering was imminent.

He needed to seize the time to improve his strength, as he only had two days left.

Shopkeeper Li usually didn't bother him, so Zhang You wasn't worried about being discovered staying out all night.

Besides, if he was discovered, so be it. He already had some confidence, though he didn't know if it was enough!

He had thought about coming here to gain experience multiple times in the past two days. Tonight, he needed some experience, so he came here.

Perhaps he would really encounter some evil spirits to help him improve.

Zhang You threw the old Daoist priest on the ground and sat on a nearby cushion.

"Ouch!"

The old Daoist priest cried out in pain, clutching his lower back and patting his head, gritting his teeth as he got up.

He looked around and finally fixed his gaze on Zhang You.

"You're awake!"

Zhang You, with dark circles under his eyes, looked over.

"Sir, you are quite rude. If you have something to discuss, why resort to violence? My old bones can't take much of this! Tell me, what is it?"

The old Daoist priest was quite open-minded. Since the other party hadn't tried to kill him, they clearly had a request.

"Cough, cough... It's nothing much, I just wanted to ask you a few things."

Zhang You hadn't expected the old Daoist priest to be so straightforward.

He initially thought he would have to go through more trouble.

"That's it? You had to tie me up and bring me here?"

The old Daoist priest's eyes widened, and he really wanted to kick this masked man.

He thought it was something major, but it turned out to be just this?

"Cough, cough... Many people were rushing over just now. I didn't want to expose myself by being low-key, and I was afraid you wouldn't agree, so I hit you! I didn't expect your body to be so... you need to nourish it!"

Zhang You coughed again and explained.

"..."

"Fine, ask what you want to know. As long as I know it, I'll tell you everything!"

The atmosphere turned awkward for a moment, then the old Daoist priest took a deep breath and glared at Zhang You through gritted teeth.

"Are you a cultivator of the immortal path?"

"You could say that, but it's very difficult to achieve immortality in this world now!"

The old Daoist priest shook his head.

"You don't know the immortal path?"

Then he felt something was wrong.

This person was so powerful, possibly even a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm, yet he didn't know the immortal path?

Then he recalled the situation when Zhang Lin had made a move earlier, pacing back and forth in the main hall.

Suddenly, his expression changed to one of great shock, as if he had seen a ghost. "You cultivate the Martial Dao? That's right, his robust vital energy!"

He had indeed not sensed any flow of spiritual energy from Zhang Lin, even when he was fighting the evil spirits earlier.

"But how is that possible?"

He then looked towards Zhang Lin, hoping Zhang Lin could explain.

After all, the Martial Dao was a legendary existence, no longer recognized by the Heavenly Dao. Influenced by the environment, it was impossible to achieve success in its cultivation.

It wasn't that people hadn't tried before, but heaven wouldn't allow it. Even if you spent your whole life, it would be futile.

Therefore, the Martial Dao had become a thing of the past, gradually forgotten, with only fragmentary records found in a few ancient texts.

Nowadays, ordinary people might try to imitate martial arts techniques, but it was limited to strengthening their bodies. Cultivating Qi and blood energy was out of the question.

Yet, the masked man before him had achieved mastery, and his displayed strength meant ordinary Qi Refining Realm cultivators were no match.

Zhang Lin narrowed his eyes but didn't offer much explanation.

After all, he himself didn't quite understand the situation. Perhaps it was related to his special physique!

If that were the case, it would be unrepeatable, and others still wouldn't be able to achieve success in cultivating the Martial Dao.

"I want to know if I can cultivate the immortal path."

Zhang Lin didn't dwell on the previous topic.

"This is a spirit testing stone. You just need to hold it, and the result will appear."

The old Daoist thought for a moment, then took out a pure white bead and tossed it over.

"It doesn't seem to be reacting!"

After a while, Zhang Lin frowned and looked at the old Daoist.

"A prerequisite for cultivating the immortal path is having a Spiritual Root. Only with a Spiritual Root can one absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and refine it for immortal cultivation. The spirit testing stone detects whether a person has a Spiritual Root. If they do, it glows; otherwise, it remains unresponsive."

The old Daoist shook his head and continued, "It seems you cannot cultivate the immortal path!"

Zhang Lin sat there, staring at the spirit testing stone for a long time before finally sighing and tossing it back to the old Daoist.

"Cultivators of the immortal path are one in ten thousand, especially in this era. Those with Spiritual Roots are exceedingly rare! Be optimistic!"

The old Daoist put away the spirit testing stone and offered some comfort.

"Besides, cultivating the immortal path isn't necessarily a good thing!"

The old Daoist looked meaningfully at Zhang You again and said.

"Not necessarily a good thing?"

Zhang Lin was surprised by the old Daoist's last remark.

But the old Daoist clearly had no intention of explaining.

Zhang Lin didn't pursue this issue further and asked, "Besides the Qi Refining Realm and Foundation Establishment Realm, what other realms are there in immortal cultivation?"

"You actually know about the Foundation Establishment Realm!" The old Daoist was greatly surprised.

"The current immortal cultivation path only has four realms: Qi Refining Realm, Foundation Establishment Realm, Soul Realm, and Innate Realm. Beyond the Innate Realm, one is called a 'Land Immortal.' It is said that ten thousand years ago, there were realms above this, but they can no longer be reached. Even the Innate Realm is rarely achieved by people nowadays."

"What is your realm? And what realm was that Headless Corpse Evil earlier?"

Zhang Lin wanted to know his current approximate level.

"I am at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm. As for that evil entity, before it transformed into a colossal form, it was equivalent to the eighth level of the Qi Refining Realm. Afterward, it was slightly stronger than the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm, but only by a limited margin."

The old Daoist had nothing to hide.

"You may leave!"

With no further questions for the moment, Zhang Lin waved his hand and fell into thought.

"Finally found you, you little scumbag!"

Before the old Daoist could reply, a wave of spiritual energy suddenly swept in from outside.

The doors and windows were immediately shattered, scattering everywhere, followed by a chilling aura that permeated the entire hall.