"The Great Turtle Breathing Technique"?!
Chen Xia froze at the notification in his mind announcing that the "Turtle Breathing Technique" had upgraded. Then his Divine Sense swiftly sank into his mind to examine the "Great Turtle Breathing Technique."
The greatest difference from the "Turtle Breathing Technique" was the addition of the words "Nascent Soul method" after "Great Turtle Breathing Technique."
That meant the "Great Turtle Breathing Technique" was a cultivation method that could take him all the way to Nascent Soul!
Its specific effects did not differ much from the "Turtle Breathing Technique." The only improvement was a 20% increase in cultivation efficiency. Reaching Golden Core had originally required a hundred years; now, it only required eighty.
Actually, Chen Xia felt that rather than sacrificing lifespan, this sort of technique borrowed against it in advance, forcibly compressing the three hundred years at most needed to reach Golden Core into a hundred.
In principle, it was actually a gain. After all, a Golden Core cultivator had a lifespan of five hundred years. Trading a hundred years for three hundred years of cultivation to reach Golden Core still left two hundred years of life. That was better than being a lowly cultivator.
But why did so few people practice cultivation methods like this?
After a little thought, Chen Xia found the reason.
Everyone had different aptitude. Not everyone necessarily needed three hundred years to reach Golden Core. Some people might manage it in two hundred.
Some heaven's chosen could even reach Golden Core in less than a hundred years.
By comparison, this "Turtle Breathing Technique" was like chicken ribs-too little meat to relish, yet a shame to throw away. Anyone with even a little aptitude would not practice it.
What about those without aptitude? Chen Xia thought it over. People without aptitude might never even set foot on the path of cultivation.
And even if they did, the "Turtle Breathing Technique" had another hidden drawback: they would age faster than ordinary people.
After all, they were borrowing an extra two hundred years of cultivation from the Heavenly Dao and repaying it with two hundred years of lifespan.
So while their peers might be in their prime, brimming with vigor, practicing the "Turtle Breathing Technique" would spend their lifespan ahead of time, leaving them decrepit before they ever reached Golden Core.
It was not worth it. Not worth it at all.
That was also why so few people in the cultivation world had practiced this sort of cultivation method ever since its creation.
One could say this cultivation method was tailor-made for Chen Xia. No one else was suited to it.
With his infinite lifespan, he and the "Turtle Breathing Technique" were a match made in heaven.
Ever since Chen Xia became famous in Weixi Town, many people from the martial world had come to visit him, seeking just one thing.
To become his disciples.
Having heard rumors that Chen Xia had cultivated into an immortal, these people from the martial world all wanted to become his disciples and learn his arts.
Naturally, Chen Xia refused them all without explaining anything, offering only one sentence: "I don't teach."
That single sentence shut the door on their hopes of becoming his disciples.
But these people from the martial world merely assumed they had not shown enough sincerity. They felt an immortal would not accept disciples so easily, so most chose to settle in Weixi Town, intending to move Chen Xia with their sincerity.
Chen Xia thought they had stuffed themselves full and had nothing better to do. Still, seeing that they were boosting Weixi Town's economy, he said nothing.
It was just that these people from the martial world were becoming a bit of a nuisance. Even when he went out for a stroll, he would run into several people who rushed out and immediately kowtowed, asking to become his disciples.
Each had a different background, too.
There were young masters whose Lineages had been wiped out by evil demons and followers of crooked paths, bent on cultivating to avenge them.
There were Lineage scions whose childhood fiancées had come to break off their engagements, unwilling to accept it and seeking revenge.
There were martial prodigies who had fallen overnight, becoming cripples abandoned by their Lineages, hoping to cultivate and return to make them pay.
In short, each was more miserable than the last.
But Chen Xia knew nothing about teaching, much less cultivation. He was just someone who looked after his health and grew stronger every year, so he refused them all.
Inside a newly opened restaurant in Weixi Town.
Several people from the martial world sat around a table discussing matters. Among them, a man wearing a bamboo hat raised his wine cup and spoke first.
"Gentlemen, is Chen Xia, the mayor of Weixi Town, really an immortal?"
The other wandering swordsmen looked at one another. None had any definite information, so they only answered vaguely.
"He should be. I've heard people who've seen Chen Xia say his appearance hasn't changed in twenty years. Who but an immortal could do that? Even a disguise could never achieve that effect."
"Besides, a woman close to him was chosen by an immortal before and really did ascend to immortality. He must have gained quite a few benefits too."
The man in the bamboo hat seized on that crucial detail. Taking a sip of the wine he had raised, he asked with a smile.
"If a woman close to him was chosen by an immortal, why wasn't he chosen?"
The others still shook their heads. "That, we don't know."
"Heh." The man in the bamboo hat gave a contemptuous laugh and curled his lip disdainfully. "Isn't it simply because Chen Xia's aptitude was too poor to catch the immortal's eye? I reckon these rumors about him being an immortal involve a great deal of hype."
He looked around again, gestured in front of everyone, and said,
"Look, we've contributed plenty to making Weixi Town as prosperous and lively as it is today. We're all waiting for Chen Xia to choose us as disciples."
The others frowned in thought for a moment, then nodded one after another, agreeing that this was indeed true. Still, someone brought up another point.
"They say Chen Xia killed a band of roving bandits with his bare hands twenty years ago."
The man in the bamboo hat smiled disdainfully again. "Leaving aside whether that rumor is even true, plenty of people in the martial world could kill a band of roving bandits."
"Never mind anyone far away. The Seven Guests of the Bamboo Garden nearby could certainly do it, couldn't they? Not to mention there's an immortal sect within a hundred li."
These people stared at one another, finding some sense in his words, yet they still frowned and said hesitantly,
"But we don't know whether it's true or not."
The man in the bamboo hat chuckled, tapping his fingers lightly against the tabletop with an audible knock, his expression contemptuous.
"Then let's probe him a little and see whether he's a dragon or a worm."
The weather was lovely today.
After spending many days in seclusion, Chen Xia emerged leisurely from his house, glanced at the sky, and decided to take a walk around town.
With its growing population, Weixi Town was now extraordinarily lively.
Not only people from the martial world but merchants had also moved in. It was even livelier than the town ten li away.
However, with so many people from the martial world in town, clashes often erupted, causing panic.
To deal with this, the local authorities had invited experts from the Constabulary to station themselves in Weixi Town.
Even so, fights and killings remained frequent. Fortunately, they were all grudges between people of the martial world and did not involve civilians.
The Constabulary experts therefore kept one eye open and the other shut.
Since the residents were not involved, Chen Xia could not be bothered to interfere in their fights either, so long as they did not damage public property.
He was the mayor now, so he had to do at least the basics. Otherwise, he might as well quit.
Walking along the waterside, Chen Xia stretched and yawned, feeling that today's warm sunshine was truly lovely.
Many residents greeted him cheerfully when they saw him. "Hello, Mayor."
Chen Xia would wave and answer them, then continue on with his hands behind his back.
Wherever he went, these people from the martial world did not dare fight or kill, and all greeted him.
But today was different.
In an exceedingly rare sight, two groups were facing off in the bustling street before him, frightening civilians into fleeing and hiding.
Chen Xia frowned. Were these people from the martial world getting too arrogant? Fine, they could gather for a brawl, but they should at least keep out of his sight.
Both sides were still shouting, making an enormous commotion.
"You dog-spawn! You dare mouth off to your granddaddy? You really haven't died before! Your granddaddy's Iron Slab Saber will chop you up in two strokes!"
"Pah! That Iron Slab Saber of yours is too dull even to butcher pigs, and you want to kill people? Heh, kneel and give me two resounding kowtows right now, and I might spare your dog life!"
The two sides had yet to properly start fighting, but their shouting was fierce. They had also smashed quite a few tables and chairs, frightening the nearby residents into hiding.
The more the two groups shouted, the more worked up they became, even repeatedly hacking apart tables and chairs as they prepared to fight.
"Stop acting rabid here."
A shout rang out, interrupting both groups' yelling and curses.
The burly leader of one group turned to look. Seeing Chen Xia, he frowned slightly, pointed at the opposing side, and shouted.
"Mayor Chen, they provoked us first! You can't take their side, can you?"
The opposing group refused to back down and retorted, "You sons of bitches were clearly the ones looking for trouble, and now you dare dump the blame on your granddaddy!"
The two sides looked ready to start arguing again.
Chen Xia raised an eyebrow and strolled leisurely between the two groups.
Both groups frowned at Chen Xia, unsure what he meant by this.
Chen Xia stopped in front of the broken tables and chairs, sat steadily on a bench missing one leg, picked up a fallen teapot, and casually took a teacup.
He poured himself a cup of tea.
Turning his head, Chen Xia gestured with his chin toward a little girl hiding behind a pillar.
"Go home first, little girl. Don't be afraid."
The little girl was about five or six. When the two groups suddenly began fighting, she had been unable to escape and was trapped by the pillar between them.
Now that Chen Xia had spoken, she hurriedly nodded and ran outside in a panic.
Chen Xia watched the little girl's retreating figure disappear into the distance, took a light sip of tea, and shook his head at the two groups.
"Look at you lot. If you want to fight, then fight. What's the point of frightening a little girl? Can't you arrange somewhere outside yourselves?"
The martial artist leading one group nodded. "I did indeed lose my temper and fail to think things through. I can compensate for all these broken tables and chairs at their original price afterward."
The other group nodded too. "We can compensate as well."
"Good." Chen Xia nodded, his lips spreading into a smile. He spread his legs and rested his hand on the broken table, adopting the posture of a big boss as he smiled at them.
"You know I'm very good-tempered. Pay for the damages now, and I can let you off this once. Afterward, as long as you don't fight in town, I won't interfere."
The martial artist at the head of the group shook his head outright. "We can pay, but since when can grudges in the martial world be left for later? In the martial world, once a grudge arises, only settling it brings satisfaction. If we drag it out like this, won't our brothers be laughed at when we go out?"
"Exactly." The other group nodded too, echoing his words.
Chen Xia narrowed his eyes. "Haven't you gotten something wrong..."
He tapped his finger lightly against the broken table, producing a clang. His voice cooled a little as he continued.
"This place of mine isn't the martial world."
The martial artist leading the group frowned and retorted, "Wherever there are people, there's a martial world!"
As the argument dragged on, more and more onlookers gathered nearby.
Among them were quite a few people from the martial world who were very interested in Chen Xia, the supposed immortal.
Throughout the martial world, those who dared use the word "immortal" were few and far between.
And even then, they called themselves half-immortals at most. For Chen Xia to be called an immortal outright clearly set him apart from people of the martial world.
The moment the word "immortal" appeared, it placed him a head above everyone in the martial world.
But was Chen Xia really an immortal?
The rumors were certainly loud, yet no one had truly witnessed his abilities.
Chen Xia took another light sip of tea, his lips spreading into a smile as he addressed the two groups.
"It seems you're refusing the face I've given you."