Chapter 9: Lifespan Essence

The trek to the main sect mountain was taxing, but none of the newly minted laborers complained. For one, they knew better than to leave a bad impression on their first day. Second, Zeran made their time worth it by telling them her own impressions of the history of the Nine Thunders Sect."… And so the first sect leader invoked our sect's secret art, the Lightning Fox Technique. Lightning in the shape of a fox surged forward and slammed into the Twin Beast Sect's leader and crippled him."The laborers made noises of appreciation in accompaniment to the story."And that's the story of how the Nine Thunders Sect came to inhabit the Seventeen Mountains. Both the Twin Beast Sect and the Purple Flower Sect agreed that Nine Thunders would have the southern side of the mountains. Over the centuries, we've had skirmishes to preserve our share of the space, but gradually fell into a balance with the other sects. These days, the allocation of the mountain happens over a tournament between disciples of each sect.""We'll work hard to help contribute to the sect," one of the boys said. He had been right on the heels of the disciple during the hike.Zeran looked back and smiled. "Your name is Pengzi right?"The boy nodded furiously."Alright, what do you want to hear more of?""Sister Ze, could you tell us more about cultivating?"Zeran found a small clearing along the hike and waited for the laborers to all gather around. Surveying the expectant faces and then glancing up at the sky, she said, "Seems like we have a bit of sunlight left. Who can tell me the four realms of cultivation?""Foundation, Consecration, Lord, and Ruler," Pengzi answered in a hurry."Good, and remember that within each realm are four smaller stages. What are the four stages of the Foundation Realm?""Earth Flesh, Wood Skin, Water Lungs, and Fire Eyes," Pengzi again."Seems like you already know everything," Zeran said with a small smile. "How about I talk about the story of the first human? Have any of you ever heard of it?"This time Pengzi had a look of confusion on his face while the other laborers all shook their head."That's okay. It's not very well known. At the start of history, there were five elements. Iron, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. They lived together, coexisting and working to create a paradise. There was infinite zhen and the elements each stayed in harmony with one another. But, like all things, trouble eventually found them."In those days, there was no good or bad, no virtue or evil. Their downfall came from something far worse. Boredom. They began to become unhappy with their peaceful lives and questioned the purpose behind their existence.""So what did they do?" one of the female laborers asked."One day, three of the elements came together and plotted to create a new element. Water, Fire, and Iron collected an incredible amount of zhen and added their power as a catalyst. But in the process, something went wrong. Out of control, the mixture began to escalate into an impending apocalypse that threatened to destroy their paradise."The audience gasped."To stop that from happening, Iron sacrificed itself and became an enormous forge, the size of an entire continent, that locked the reaction in place. The other elements mourned their friend, but gradually developed a new balance over the following few millennia. Water extinguished Fire, which burned Wood, which in turn parted Earth, which finally completed the cycle by absorbing Water."As they settled into their new pattern, the forge that was once Iron cracked apart. At the center of the giant structure was a small blue ball. Lightning. And Lightning created life."Nestled in the back of the crowd, Xun chewed over what Zeran just said. And lightning created life…During his earlier examination of his spirit channels, Xun had found that the thunder soul had done more than just tear apart his muscles and damage his channels. A thick black-green paste was nestled right next to his aperture.Since the paste didn't seem to be bothering his aperture, Xun ignored it at the time. Now that he had a bit more time, he realized that the paste looked familiar. It was as if someone had ripped out the walls of his spirit channels, mashed them together, and then imbued it with a new energy. If he thought about it, that was kind of what had happened.More than that, the paste was giving off a woody, spring-like feeling. It looked like the raw form of lifespan pills.Back when Xun was a disciple, his master had often given him one-year lifespan pills. Those were mostly pale green and refined by Foundation Realm beginner alchemists. They tasted horrible.Later, when he built his own sect, he'd often chew on ten-year lifespan pills, refined personally by the sect's Consecration Realm alchemist. And he would have kept eating them if it weren't for the fact that each pill left his body with a small amount of poison. As he ate more, the benefits he got from each ten-year lifespan pill became smaller and smaller. Eventually, they no longer added enough new life to his body to justify their toxicity.The hundred-year pills that he had been searching for before death were dark green, and each one was the product of a Lord Realm master alchemist.It was said that thousand-year pills looked black-green, and that even Ruler Realm grandmaster alchemists couldn't always successfully refine them.And yet, the paste was black-green.Did I just gain a thousand years' worth of lifespan? Does sacrificing one's talent give them the chance to increase their lifespan by that much?Before Xun could think more, Zeran began to answer another question."… while most people know that they must first finish the Earth Muscle Stage before proceeding to the Wood Skin Stage, cultivating is a bit more complex than that. Take the Earth Muscle Stage. Technically, anyone who's opened their aperture is at that stage and can start nurturing their muscles with zhen. But when should a person begin training for the Wood Skin Stage?"The laborers each volunteered their own answer."When they have strength that rivals a bear.""When they can lift fifty stones.""When they think it's time. They should feel it."Zeran smiled at the last answer. "You're all technically right. A long time ago, a poet described those who complete the Earth Muscle Stage as, 'One must be as swift as wind, still as a mountain, aggressive as fire, and quick as lightning.' That's because each stage has four ranks.""I've heard of ranks." It was Pengzi again. "For the Earth Muscle Stage, that's Entrance, Strength to rival a bear, Strength to rival an ox, and Strength to rival a tiger.""Correct. Any cultivator who reaches a new stage is automatically at the Entrance rank of that stage. From there, they must go through the Minor Attainment, Major Attainment, and Perfection ranks before advancing to the next stage. Like what Pengzi said, the Earth Muscle stage's ranks revolve around strength."The students all nodded."Good, now let's continue." She began hiking up the mountain again. "I might have gotten a little carried away with the story there. We'll need to hurry to make it to the sect before sunset."