The Luo River

The morning sun shone on the river as the green water and green willows accompanied each other. When the breeze blew, the water and the willows moved together.

There was a saying in cultivation that people should pick dew in the morning and rosy clouds in the evening.

Zhang Li and Zhuo Yun were standing on the riverbank. They were facing the Luo River and condensing their spirit energy to comprehend the technique.

Even though Zhuo Yun was trying his best to suppress the joy on his face, it could not be concealed.

One night of Spirit Refinement could increase one's lifespan by 30%. Even if one did not enter the Innate Realm, they could live up to 130 years.

If Zhuo Yun could remain calm after such a good thing, he would not be Zhuo Yun.

After fusing the memories of his two lives, Zhang Li still remembered the time he entered the mortal realm. He was crazy for a whole month.

At that time, he could not even walk properly.

"You're the one who convinces the spirit energy to enter your body. You still need to turn it into your own True Essence."

"The Green Willow Silk Force is most suitable when there is not much spirit energy. It can first condense a trace of True Essence and leave it at the center of your body."

"Have you consumed the medicinal pill?"

Zhang Li looked at Zhuo Yun, who hurriedly nodded.

Last night, he had returned to his residence and begun to cultivate the Green Willow Silk Force according to the cultivation techniques that Zhang Li explained.

This was an immortal cultivation method. Once one entered the basics, the world around them would immediately be different.

He had two elixirs and a spirit stone that the temple master had given him when he accepted the mission last time.

In the beginning, he could not bear to swallow the medicinal pill that Zhang Li had given him. Instead, he swallowed the White Cloud Pill from Qiao Cheng that Zhang Li did not fancy.

As expected, aside from a warm feeling in his meridians, like the legendary True Essence power, there was no other effect.

He then gritted his teeth and swallowed the Vitality-condensing Pill that Zhang Li had given him instead.

D*mn, the medicinal pill entered his stomach, and the medicinal strength turned into True Essence and spiritual energy. It surged in his body and almost caused his meridians to burst.

True Essence shot into his center and passed through his meridians.

It worked.

The moment he cultivated the immortal cultivation method, Zhuo Yun felt that his entire world had changed.

The sky was clear and the earth was turbid, and all things grew.

His entire body seemed to have turned into a light cloud.

Only now did he understand why the elders in the temple, who cultivated the immortal path, and the banished immortal cultivators all had a transcendent bearing.

This was not intentional, but what he saw with his eyes and felt with his hands were different from any ordinary martial artist.

Now that he had stepped onto the path of immortal cultivation, his five senses were at least twice as sharp as before.

At this moment, he respected the grandmaster even more.

The Vitality-condensing Pill that the grandmaster had bestowed on him was definitely an incomparably precious item!

"Since you've already taken the pill, I think you won't have to worry about your True Essence for the time being. You can just refine the medicinal power in your meridians and center.

"In the future, you will stay on the shore to comprehend the resilience of the green willows. Once you can trigger the will of the green willows and the True Essence in your meridians, you will complete it." The two of them walked along the river while Zhang Li explained.

He sighed with emotion. If only someone had taught him this way when he first stepped onto the path of cultivation.

The instructors of the Misty Cloud Sect who taught the new disciples were all old-fashioned and dogmatic. They only knew how to force-feed their disciples and make them memorize information.

Where could one find a grandmaster like him?

The Luo River flowed eastward, and the ships on the river's course crisscrossed.

This water was the lifeline of Luojing and the livelihood of thousands of people.

Those who cast nets, oars, boats, and sails all revealed the unique vitality of the mortal world.

Standing on the shore, Zhang Li felt that the transactions of his two lifetimes were intertwined before him. In the end, the memories of his previous life grew fainter and fainter.

He was no longer a mortal…

The change in his state of mind caused the True Essence at his center to surge again.

This was an increase in cultivation!

As expected, mortal cultivation required mundane practices.

He would take it one step at a time and one scenery at a time.

Splash!

Water splashed everywhere, and a figure emerged from the cool water by the river bank.

A half-naked young man holding a large jar poked his head out of the water and saw Zhang Li and Zhuo Yun standing on the shore. He was stunned for a moment.

He stopped paddling and immediately fell back into the river. He ended up swallowing a big mouthful of water.

"Cough cough cough..." The young man climbed up the shore with the jar and glared at Zhang Li and Zhuo Yun.

This was not a pier. Why was someone there?

"You guys, don't tell anyone about this," the young man said in a low voice. He hugged the jar and looked around before heading out of Luojing.

Although the weather was warm, it was still early in the morning. The young man stepped out of the river bare-chested, and faint heat rose from his body.

He had practiced martial arts before.

"Is that salt in your jar?" Zhang Li suddenly asked.

The young man paused, turned around, and stared at Zhang Li.

"You're swimming across the Luo River and bringing salt out of the city. Is that illegal salt?" Zhang Li asked again.

The young man's expression changed.

"Are you smuggling salt? According to the law of Zhao, there's a penalty for selling illegal salt," Zhuo Yun said.

"I-I'm not smuggling salt," the young man said anxiously.

"Luojing is the imperial capital. Salt and iron are exclusively supplied throughout the country, so the price of salt is cheaper here than outside the city." A voice rang out behind the river bank. "It's not private salt, but official salt.

"And it's illegal for official salt to leave the city."

Zhang Li turned his head around and saw Su Ming as well as Yu Mengmeng standing there.

The man was sending official salt out of the city and selling it at a higher price.

The price difference between the return trip was the cost of luck and hardship.

The young man's face turned pale. When he saw the scholar's robes on Su Ming, he became even more nervous.

How could an ordinary scholar know about this?

This person was most likely someone from the government.

The government had caught him while he was transporting salt out of the city. If he did not die today, he would lose a layer of skin.

Su Ming walked forward slowly and looked at the young man. "This business of yours isn't a long-term solution. You're a good young man. You should do something proper."

"Hehe, something proper?" The young man smiled bitterly. Perhaps it was due to the breeze that blew against his body, but he was trembling. "What can I do?"

"Many people of your age are fighting in the army and protecting the country of Zhao with their lives!" someone shouted under the green willows by the river.

A tall and steady man in his 40s quickly walked over with his hands behind his back.

"Those soldiers in the army spilled their blood just so that the people of Zhao could live a stable life and make an honest living.

"If you have nothing to do, you can join the army."

Zhang Li had discovered this person by the river and also sensed that the heavy vitality in his body.

He was an expert.

Zhang Li thought that he was a martial arts expert, but unexpectedly, he looked like a general of the imperial court.

A general of the imperial court had come to the Luo River because of the demons in the water?

When Su Ming saw the man, his body trembled, and doubt shone in his eyes. He bowed slightly and wrapped his fist in his palm. "Second Master?"

The burly man turned to look at him and frowned. "You recognize me? I haven't been in Luojing for 20 years."

When he said that, he fixed his gaze on Su Ming, and a hint of brilliance shone in his eyes. "You are Dongfang's little errand boy!"

Su Ming smiled lightly and wrapped his fist in his palm once again.

The conversation between the two made Yu Mengmeng raise her head curiously.

Her teacher was just a little errand boy to others?

Who was this second master?

"Are you at the Luo River because of the water demon?" The man looked at Su Ming. "Your teacher thinks highly of you."

Su Ming nodded and asked, "Second Master, are you also here for the same reason?"

The burly man nodded, and his face revealed a solemn expression. "Last night, two Spirit Sensing experts were floating in the Luo River. Their meridians had been severed, and there were all kinds of bite wounds on their bodies. It seemed like the work of demons."

"Demons don't do such things…" Su Ming prevented Yu Mengmeng from saying further.

Zhang Li looked at the young man who was holding the jar, and he noticed the change in his expression.

"Were you on the Luo River last night?

"What did you see?"