Entering the Immortal Sect Again; A Discourse on Spirit Roots

[The Morgue].

In the dim world, a simple raised platform stood beneath a towering book laid open. Ancient, stately seal-script characters were inscribed across its pages.

Wang Ping opened his eyes.

He stared blankly for a long while before the lingering haze of resurrection cleared. Then a tempting thought arose: What if I went back right now?

In that last battle, he had killed a third of the county constables. All four veteran constables who had reached External Arts Perfection were dead. Without exaggeration, the imperial court's hold on Longxing County had been shattered. If he returned now, there was a good chance he could kill Xu Bingzheng!

At the thought, Wang Ping's hands itched for a fight.

But when he looked down and saw that he had nothing left, he quickly calmed himself. "No. All my weapons were destroyed in that battle."

The Black Chi Bow, the Ox-Tail Saber, the Heart-Guard Mirror, the Exquisite Girdle, the Soft Armor... Every piece of equipment that complemented his martial arts had been ruined. Those possessions would not return with him when he resurrected. Even if he went back on the spot, his fighting strength would plummet without them.

"Besides, [Otherworldly Celestial Demon] still needs to recover."

"Xu Bingzheng's cultivation was already higher than mine, and I have no room for mistakes. If I don't return at full strength, one slip could bring me down..."

After turning it over in his mind, Wang Ping decided to play it safe.

He was not the sort to charge headfirst into a wall. The reckless brute was only a disguise; most of the time, there was method to his recklessness. Charging in without thinking was asking to die.

"A gentleman can wait ten years to take his revenge."

"I'd better head to the Immortal Sect world first. Once I've cultivated immortality and learned a few spells, I can come back and crush these crude martial artists from an entirely different level."

But before that...

Wang Ping turned toward the towering book with a hint of anticipation. Just before dying, he had used his own corpse for the tally.

As it happened, the [Peace Scripture] still had room for one more scroll.

What would he get this time?

As though answering Wang Ping's thoughts, the towering book began to glow. Light spread across its pages before his eyes.

Images from Wang Ping's life soon appeared on the blank page. To his surprise, Madam Su featured prominently: their conversation, his desperate charge into the county seat, and finally her talk with a tall woman in the peach grove...

"A few words exchanged, and life and death were shared; a promise weighed a thousand pieces of gold."

Wang Ping felt a little embarrassed watching it. After all, he had been able to risk his life so freely because he could resurrect and try again.

Without that, he doubted he would have had the resolve to die for a righteous cause.

"I didn't know the [Peace Scripture] could show what happened after I died. Judging by her bearing, someone from the Su Household in the capital must have come to help her."

Wang Ping's gaze shifted to the tall woman behind Madam Su.

A single glance made his Spirit Sense ache.

Clearly, this tall woman was no ordinary expert. The last person to provoke that reaction from his Spirit Sense had been Xu Bingzheng at full strength.

With that, he could rest easy. His death had not been for nothing.

The image shattered. Wang Ping's awareness returned to the present, and the writing on the towering book's third page finally settled into place.

[Scroll Three: A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold]

[For a promise made in life, you marched willingly toward death. Your actions left an indelible mark on someone's heart.]

Wang Ping read the scroll carefully.

After a long while, he rubbed his brow. Delight flickered in his eyes. "This scroll... Its effect is nothing like what I expected."

In short, it let him take out a loan.

"Once [A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold] is activated, I can write a [promise] on the scroll and draw in advance on the result of fulfilling it."

"So long as I fulfill the [promise] within the time limit, I can keep that result permanently. If I fail, the scroll will backlash. Not only will the result disappear, but the scroll itself will be ruined and become unusable."

"Of course, there's an exception."

"If I suddenly die after making a [promise], the result I drew in advance disappears along with me, and the [promise] resets."

Death wiped out the debt. It was as simple as that.

Wang Ping stared at the scroll, deep in thought.

"This scroll... I can't use it to kill someone. A person can't die twice, after all. Making that the [promise] would all but guarantee I'd break my word."

It was also difficult to use it for a direct boost in combat strength.

If he used the scroll to break through to Titled Martial Master, how could he break through a second time afterward? Crippling his cultivation and starting over would cost too much.

After considering it from every angle, he found only one use that was worth it.

"Cultivation."

Whether it was martial arts or immortal techniques, he could draw on the result in advance with this scroll, then go back and cultivate toward it. The effect on his efficiency would be dramatic.

Take his cultivation of [Qi Suppression], for instance. Once the experience he had gained as a Force Servitor was instilled in him, he had brought the spell to the level of mending bones and joining sinews in a remarkably short time. He was only one step from coating his body in True Qi and becoming impervious to blades and spears. That was how much boarding first and buying the ticket later could speed up cultivation.

"...It really is a good thing."

Wang Ping rubbed his chin. If he had possessed this scroll earlier and drawn on full mastery of the [Cloud-Piercing Heaven-Shaking Arrow] in advance, he might actually have forced his way into the county office!

At that thought, Wang Ping remembered the [Heaven's Will Soul-Returning Pill] he had deliberately delivered into Xu Bingzheng's hands before dying. A smile rose in his eyes.

"By now, that damned official should have started examining it, right?"

"With his abilities, he'll spot the Heartbreak Pill in the outer layers. But that doesn't matter. Those were decoys from the start."

The [Heaven's Will Soul-Returning Pill] he had given Xu Bingzheng was a version Wang Ping had painstakingly reworked. Its outermost shell came from the original pill. He had replaced the middle layer with Heartbreak Pill and the inner layer with the original pill again, but had mixed Heartbreak Pill powder evenly into that inner shell.

The two pills had been blended seamlessly, leaving it both nourishing and lethally poisonous.

That was beyond mortal methods.

"Only someone with Spirit Sense like mine could cut the two pills so precisely, then piece them back together without leaving a seam."

By Wang Ping's reckoning, however cautious Xu Bingzheng might be, he was still a mortal without Spirit Sense. No method of testing the pill could expose the trap within.

"If he takes it himself, I might not even need to lift a finger. By the time I return from the Immortal Sect, I could hear news of the magistrate's sudden death..."

Return from cultivating immortality to find the county magistrate dead. That sounded lovely!

"Unfortunately, the Immortal Sect world isn't like the Great Shun Dynasty. I can't spend Destiny to choose an identity. I have to let the [Peace Scripture] decide at random..."

He only hoped it would make him a disciple this time. He did not want to be a Force Servitor again.

With that, Wang Ping lingered no longer. He stood, brushed off his sleeves, and strode toward the portal on [Otherworldly Celestial Demon].

Clang!

Golden light burst forth as the portal opened. Wang Ping's vision was swiftly swallowed up, and his consciousness grew heavy, as though he were sinking to the bottom of the sea.

He had no idea how much time passed before a strange sensation of rising swept through his body. The golden light gradually faded and scattered. His five senses stirred back to life, and new sights, sounds, and smells rushed in, followed by a flood of memories.

"Senior Sister, don't worry."

"He was originally going to be made into a Force Servitor. I had to pull some strings with the senior brother on watch to get him out."

"His records say he's a natural [Desire-Realm Celestial Being], and he's practiced quite a few mortal martial arts. His blood and vitality are strong. He's one in ten thousand."

"He's worth a great deal as human stock!"

Voices sounded beside Wang Ping's ear as he rapidly absorbed the memories pouring into his mind. Soon, however, he heard a familiar voice.

"Of course I trust you two, Junior Brothers."

The voice was soft and gentle. Hearing it alone was enough to conjure the image of a graceful, noble lady, though it also carried an inexplicable allure.

Daoist Nun You again?

Wang Ping's heart tightened. He did not dare react in the slightest.

"You're too kind, Senior Sister."

The voice continued, plainly eager to please. "The Heaven and Earth Pavilion's quality control was lax last time. They actually let a Force Servitor retain some memories of his former life."

"It's a shame that Force Servitor died so suddenly. Without evidence, neither the Guardian Court nor the Heaven and Earth Pavilion will admit fault. Otherwise, we could have squeezed them for a fortune. And... I heard your attendant boy caused a terrible disaster earlier, letting some scoundrel sweep away all your Dharma Coins for this season?"

"Why else would I trouble you two, Junior Brothers?"

Daoist Nun You gave a mournful sigh. "My purse is simply too light to buy a new Force Servitor. I could only buy suitable stock and raise him myself."

"As it happens, I've already refined that attendant boy. The place at my side is empty, so I'll have this one fill it. Otherwise, completing the important task the sect entrusted to me would be difficult."

"I see..."

The three chatted a little longer. Then the two disciples, who had clearly come to deliver him, took their leave, and only the sound of Daoist Nun You's breathing remained.

By then, Wang Ping had finally sorted through the memories of this life.

"This time, my former self was a mortal martial artist. He volunteered to become a Force Servitor to enter the Immortal Sect, hoping only to be granted a Spiritual Root and a chance to cultivate immortality..."

The deeper Wang Ping delved into the memories, the more shocked he became.

"He came from a great grassland kingdom called Northern Liao, also known as the Golden Horde Court. Its people worship the Immortal Sect and call it [Eternal Heaven]."

In Northern Liao, [Eternal Heaven] was not merely supreme in matters of faith. It also held the most important power in worldly affairs: the right to collect taxes.

But the tax it collected was not money.

It was a "death tax."

"Under Northern Liao's rule, bodies are neither buried nor cremated. They're handed over to [Eternal Heaven] as tax."

"The more people die in a household, the more tax it pays. They call it [Sky Burial]. The Royal Court even provides a subsidy, so people save on funeral expenses and earn an unexpected windfall besides. It's considered a policy that benefits both the nation and its people, beloved by everyone on the grasslands..."

Wang Ping was dumbstruck.

They said nothing was certain but death and taxes. Now even death could not escape taxation. Was this Immortal Sect actually a demonic sect?

"The bodies collected as tax must be the material used to make the Immortal Sect's Force Servitors."

"My former self was different, though. He entered the Immortal Sect voluntarily while he was alive, asking only for another Spiritual Root test so he could embark on the path of immortal cultivation."

"He'd apparently been tested once already. The test found only a [Desire-Realm Celestial Body], no Spiritual Root, so he couldn't join the Immortal Sect. But he couldn't accept it. He kept thinking the test was wrong and wanted another. And the Immortal Sect actually showed such mercy that it let him in for a second test?"

Wang Ping was surprised, but he soon understood.

"Of course. Corpses vary in quality. What matters most is how much resentment they bore before death. A body whose owner died naturally of old age can't compare to one who died suddenly and violently."

"My former self was already unwilling to accept the result. If he tested again and got the same answer, his resentment would soar in despair."

Seen that way, the Immortal Sect was not mercifully offering a second test. It was trying to improve the quality of the corpse.

No wonder they had said he was so valuable as human stock.

That explained it!

"Even he probably understood that. He was just clinging to a sliver of hope and couldn't let go... Ah, cultivating immortality is harder than climbing to the azure heavens."

Wang Ping's heart constricted.

For his former self's memories mentioned a term he could not ignore: Spiritual Root. A mortal needed one to cultivate immortality.

"Is that really true?"

"The [Heavenly Book of Self-Transformation and Dominion over the Desire Realm] never mentioned it. Is that because the scripture is incomplete and assumes every cultivator has a Spiritual Root?"

Wang Ping's scalp prickled.

There was one fact he could not ignore: every time he was reborn, the person was called his former self, but all his conditions were effectively the same as Wang Ping's own.

In other words:

"If he doesn't have a Spiritual Root, I might not have one either!?"

Just then, a pleasant fragrance drifted over. The restraints around his body came undone, and a seductive voice rang beside his ear.

"Wake up."

Wang Ping hurriedly cleared his mind and slowly opened his eyes.

Daoist Nun You's familiar face came into view. Compared with last time, however, she looked considerably more haggard.

"Where am I..."

Wang Ping feigned confusion. After a moment of blank staring, he blurted out, "My second test! The immortals promised me I could take it again!"

He struck just the right note of obsession.

Seeing him like this, Daoist Nun You paid it no mind. She smiled. "Don't worry. Since I brought you here, you'll naturally have your chance to take the test again."

With that, she gestured around them.

Only then did Wang Ping see that he was in a great hall. A shrine stood at its head, housing a divine statue.

The statue was most unusual. It had none of the solemn majesty of statues in worldly temples; its face could not even be seen clearly. It depicted a Dao Practitioner turned sideways, robes billowing, head tilted slightly. A wisp of blue smoke rising from the incense burner within the shrine veiled the figure's features.

The figure seemed forever to be changing, yet also resembled something that had remained unchanged since time immemorial.

The deity looked down on everyone equally. Stranger still, no matter what angle one viewed the statue from, it always presented that same sideways figure.

Profound beyond profundity, it took constancy as change.

"This is the Celestial Venerable Hall," Daoist Nun You explained. "The Immortal Sect was founded by the Celestial Venerable. Every disciple of the Immortal Sect, regardless of cultivation, is the Celestial Venerable's successor."

"Under the statue's gaze, no Spiritual Root can hide. The test is far more accurate than those used outside... After all, we can't deny that besides [Defective Spiritual Roots] and [True Spiritual Roots], some [Variant Spiritual Roots] really are difficult to detect."

Wang Ping's heart stirred.

His former self had known about Defective Spiritual Roots and True Spiritual Roots. A Defective Spiritual Root was incomplete. Its bearer could cultivate immortality, but the great path would remain out of reach.

Only a True Spiritual Root truly allowed a person to cultivate immortality and seek long life.

But now Daoist Nun You had named a third kind: the Variant Spiritual Root. As its name suggested, it differed from other Spiritual Roots and was therefore difficult to detect through ordinary means.

Hope flared anew in Wang Ping's heart.

After all, who the hell would not want to cultivate immortality if given the chance? Compared with crude martial artists, immortal cultivators who could live for ages undoubtedly operated on an entirely different level!

"But don't get your hopes too high."

Daoist Nun You's voice drifted over again. "Variant Spiritual Roots may be hard to detect, but fewer than one mortal in ten thousand possesses one."

Maybe I'm that one.

Wang Ping took a deep breath and sat before the shrine, full of anticipation. Gathering his strength and regulating his breath, he said quietly, "Thank you for your guidance, Immortal. Please test me."

Daoist Nun You nodded. "Very well."

As soon as she spoke, she formed a hand seal. Light rose from the shrine, and the statue within turned slightly, as though casting a sidelong glance at him.

Wang Ping instinctively held his breath.

Yet nothing happened.

As he watched the statue's light fade and its former wonder disappear, Wang Ping's heart sank to the bottom. Then Daoist Nun You spoke again.

"It seems you aren't one."

She tossed a jade slip into Wang Ping's lap and said flatly, "This is the cultivation method practiced by menial disciples. Take it and practice."

"My former attendant boy practiced it too. He left some resources in the monastery that can help you advance quickly. If you're lucky and cultivate this method to its limit, you might even develop a [Defective Spiritual Root]. The great path would still be beyond you, but it would be more than enough to extend your life."

With that, Daoist Nun You turned and strode away.

Wang Ping: "..."

On second thought, cultivating immortality was not all that great. One might live a long life, but spending half of it in seclusion and meditation was little better than being dry bones in a tomb.

Martial Dao offered far more freedom and exhilaration.

I don't want it anyway!