Such Was the Might of a True Immortal!

Ten years of effort had finally allowed Lu Changsheng to thoroughly unravel the mystery of physical immortality. Yet the truth was astonishing—something Lu Changsheng had never even considered before. After spending a full decade analyzing fourteen immortal arts, he finally decrypted the secret of physical immortality, which was also the true essence of these immortal arts. In reality, the essence of an immortal art was not to temper the physical body until it sprouted immortal characteristics. Immortal characteristics did not originate from the physical body. Instead, they came from a unique component found within the external materials used in cultivating these arts. Lu Changsheng termed it immortal substance. "Immortal substance… This is the true foundation of physical immortality!" "Those immortal arts merely allow this immortal substance to fuse completely into the physical body, ultimately endowing it with immortal characteristics…" Lu Changsheng murmured softly. This was the root of all immortal arts! Were the immortal arts wrong, then? Likely not. The function of an immortal art had always been to achieve fusion with the physical body. Some of these arts were developed by sheer coincidence. Others, however, were likely created by figures who, like Lu Changsheng, had thoroughly understood the essence of immortal arts before devising them. Ordinary immortal arts like the Nine Heavens Living Soil Immortality Art probably lacked any real understanding of the nature of physical immortality. Their creators had simply relied on trial and error, fumbling blindly through experience until they eventually cobbled together an immortal art. Yet the efficiency of such an art was inevitably dismal. After all, if even the creator lacked a clear understanding, how could they produce a truly superior immortal art? Even managing to create an art at all was a stroke of immense good fortune. Though Lu Changsheng had never seen superior immortal arts, he deduced that they had to be distinctly different from ordinary ones. Their creators most likely understood the essence of physical immortality and had deliberately tailored superior immortal arts around that knowledge. Such superior immortal arts would naturally boast vastly improved efficiency and would never rely purely on luck. Having spent ten years to thoroughly penetrate the mystery of physical immortality, only one path now lay before Lu Changsheng. He would create his own immortal art. And once he succeeded, it would inevitably be a superior immortal art! "The secret of an immortal art lies in fusing immortal substance into the physical body." "To create an immortal art, I must first find immortal substance." "Immortal substance is contained within many natural treasures of the Heaven Realm. The external materials required by these fourteen immortal arts undoubtedly contain immortal substance; otherwise, they could not be called immortal arts." "Without immortal substance, an art cannot bestow immortal characteristics upon the physical body." "However, creating my own immortal art requires massive quantities of immortal substance. The best natural treasure isn't necessarily the one with the highest concentration of it. What good is a treasure that is exceedingly rare or on the verge of extinction, no matter how much immortal substance it contains? Take Nine Heavens Living Soil, for instance—it has vanished entirely…" "On the contrary, the concentration of immortal substance isn't what matters. What matters is sheer volume. It must exist in immense quantities, be extremely common, and be cheap enough to purchase in bulk, providing an endless supply for cultivation…" Lu Changsheng organized his thoughts. "The natural treasure must be ubiquitous. If the very soil of the Heaven Realm contained immortal substance, then that soil would be the most ideal cultivation resource for a True Immortal…" Lu Changsheng now completely understood the steps required to create his own art. He needed to search for a ubiquitous material. Before that, however, he had to understand what immortal substance actually looked like. Only by learning its properties could he inspect various ubiquitous materials one by one, using the right one as a foundation to create a superior immortal art. Familiarizing himself with immortal substance was simple enough. The cultivation materials required by the fourteen immortal arts all possessed immortal properties. Though some were precious, Lu Changsheng only needed a tiny scrap of each, which posed no real difficulty. Such trivial errands could naturally be handled by the Qi clan. Lu Changsheng immediately summoned Qi Guangmao and his son, tasking the Qi clan with gathering the materials on his list. The entire Qi clan mobilized at once, putting all their effort into tracking down the items Lu Changsheng needed. In just a few days, the Qi clan delivered the materials. Lu Changsheng began analyzing them one by one. Knowing in advance that these materials contained immortal substance made his analysis much easier. The reasoning was simple. He only needed to identify what several different materials had in common, isolate that shared element, and analyze it in depth. That would quickly reveal the immortal substance. Sure enough, in only a few months, Lu Changsheng succeeded in isolating the immortal substance from the materials. The amount present within them was astonishingly minute. It was entirely invisible to the naked eye. Even sensing it with consciousness required an extraordinarily thorough and targeted search just to catch a faint trace. Merely a trace. Precisely because immortal substance was so hidden and so difficult to perceive, many immortals had no idea it even existed. Now, however, Lu Changsheng had found it. His next step was simply to examine various ubiquitous materials and see whether any of them contained it. This was a massive undertaking that would certainly take a long time. Lu Changsheng instructed the Qi father and son to gather all manner of cheap and common materials, even collecting samples of ordinary soil, so he could analyze them one by one. The Qi clan focused entirely on sourcing common materials and delivering them to Lu Changsheng for inspection. No other immortal could have attempted such a thing. It was simply too time-consuming and labor-intensive, with no telling how long it might take. Moreover, the analytical capabilities of ordinary True Immortals—or even Mortal Immortals—fell far short of Lu Changsheng's. They simply lacked the ability. At least so far as he knew, Lu Changsheng was the only one capable of this feat. Other Mortal Immortals could not even begin to compare with his analytical power; the gap was simply too vast. Yet the more materials Lu Changsheng analyzed, the greater his disappointment grew. Over this period, he had analyzed over a thousand common materials in succession, and without exception, every single one had failed. Not a single one contained immortal substance. This made Lu Changsheng realize that immortal substance existed only within a tiny fraction of natural treasures. It was far from ubiquitous. "Must I really rely on rare and precious treasures?" "If I do, it will create obstacles for my future cultivation. My resources will be severely constrained…" Lu Changsheng frowned deeply. He had not anticipated that immortal substance would be this rare. After searching for so long, he had yet to find a single common material containing it. Yet giving up now and turning to rare treasures went entirely against his original intention. Lu Changsheng pondered for a moment and decided to grit his teeth and persevere. At any rate, not that much time had passed yet. He could afford to take it slowly. *** Inside the Qi clan's main hall, Qi Guangmao was listening to reports on the clan's various businesses when Qi Yutang hurried inside. "Father, something happened at the crystal mine." Qi Guangmao remained impassive, dismissing the other clan members before speaking. Once the hall cleared, only Qi Guangmao and Qi Yutang remained. "Go ahead. What happened at the crystal mine?" Qi Guangmao asked. This crystal mine had been one of the Qi clan's major priorities lately. For their commercial ventures, the mine represented a crucial breakthrough capable of expanding their trade channels. That was why Qi Guangmao had assigned Qi Yutang to oversee it personally. From the look of things, trouble had arisen. "Father, our Qi clan had already secured the crystal mine. The other family heads weren't from True Immortal clans, so they hesitated to provoke us. Even without our experts present, none of those factions dared contest it." "Recently, however, the situation changed. The Yue clan suddenly swooped in to seize the mine from us." "They came with overwhelming aggression. The moment they arrived with their experts, they drove our people away. Fortunately, they still showed some restraint and didn't kill anyone," Qi Yutang explained in detail. Qi Guangmao's brow furrowed slightly. Had it been an ordinary faction, it wouldn't have mattered. The Qi clan was now a True Immortal clan at the peak of its momentum, with no reason to fear others. Yet the Yue clan was also a True Immortal clan, backed by a True Immortal ancestor of their own. That was why they dared contest the crystal mine with the Qi clan. More importantly, the Yue clan possessed deep foundations and numerous experts. Without a True Immortal stepping in, they could effortlessly crush the Qi clan. How could the Qi clan hope to compete with them? Crystal stone was a very common mineral, primarily used in forging magic treasures. While it could not enhance a magic treasure's power, adding crystal stone during the forging process gave the finished treasure an exquisite, radiant, and dazzling appearance. As a result, most magic treasures incorporated crystal stone. It was not expensive, but the Qi clan had never owned a crystal ore vein. Having finally discovered a new one, they had intended to claim it, only for the Yue clan to appear out of nowhere, putting the Qi clan in a difficult position. "Father, what should we do?" "Our people have been driven out. We have no way to compete with the Yue clan." "Should we… notify the Old Ancestor?" Qi Yutang asked. It was the only solution he could think of. If the Old Ancestor did not intervene, this new crystal mine would surely fall into the Yue clan's hands. Yet the Old Ancestor remained in seclusion, and they rarely disturbed him over minor matters for fear of delaying his cultivation. Qi Guangmao pondered, weighing the options. After a long silence, he made up his mind. "Come, let us report to the Old Ancestor." "To the Yue clan, this mine might merely be the icing on the cake, but for our Qi clan, it could open an entirely new path. It is of paramount importance." "We will let the Old Ancestor decide!" With that, Qi Guangmao led Qi Yutang to Lu Changsheng's quiet room and stated their purpose. Inside, Lu Changsheng naturally heard the words of the father and son outside. "A crystal ore vein?" Lu Changsheng's interest was piqued. The Qi father and son rarely came to see him, always careful not to disturb his cultivation. Lu Changsheng appreciated their discretion, which showed Qi Guangmao's good judgment. Yet now, they had come to ask for his guidance, meaning this crystal ore vein had to be critical to the Qi clan's present standing. With that in mind, Lu Changsheng spoke, "Bring me some crystal stones. I'll take a look first." "Yes, Old Ancestor." Qi Guangmao had come prepared and respectfully presented several crystal stones. Lu Changsheng took them and examined them in his hand. The stones were translucent and crystal-clear, resembling quartz yet distinct in nature. This special material could be incorporated into magic treasures during forging. When completed, the treasures took on a crystalline sheen, looking sparkling and beautiful. Even though it merely improved appearance without offering any substantive boost to power, cultivators remained enthusiastic about it. After all, who wouldn't want their magic treasures to look splendid? Lu Changsheng had originally intended only a casual inspection without diving into deep research. Yet the moment he gripped the crystal stone, something stirred in his mind. A subtle spark of awareness flickered. Over this period, Lu Changsheng had been studying immortal substance nonstop, becoming intimately familiar with its traits. Having analyzed thousands of materials, the moment he touched the crystal stone, he sensed an unusual familiarity. Out of pure habit, he ran an analysis. That single analysis caused Lu Changsheng's eyes to widen, a flash of astonishment surfacing in his gaze. "These characteristics…" "It's real. This is immortal substance!" "Crystal stone actually contains immortal substance?" Lu Changsheng had never imagined that such a common material would contain it. "Bring me more crystal stones. A large quantity!" Lu Changsheng demanded, his tone urgent. Qi Guangmao was momentarily taken aback. Had the Old Ancestor discovered something special about the crystal stones? Regardless, the Old Ancestor's command had to be obeyed. Qi Guangmao immediately sent people to procure a vast quantity of crystal stones. They were not particularly precious and could be purchased anywhere in Lu City. Soon, piles of crystal stones were delivered to Lu Changsheng. He wanted to confirm whether that single stone had been a fluke, which required analyzing them en masse. Lu Changsheng began examining the stones one by one. Just three days later, Lu Changsheng rose abruptly to his feet. "Crystal stone truly contains immortal substance." "Every single piece has it—it wasn't a fluke!" "The only drawback is that the quantity per stone is pitifully small, lagging far behind the natural treasures used in those other immortal arts." "However, crystal stones are virtually inexhaustible in supply. No matter how sparse the substance is, so long as the volume is sufficient, the cumulative amount will be terrifying. And crystal stone happens to be one of the most common minerals in the Heaven Realm!" "If I use crystal stone as the foundation to create an immortal art, achieving physical immortality will be well within reach!" Excitement shone brightly in Lu Changsheng's eyes. His recent efforts had not been in vain after all. He had genuinely found a material containing immortal substance that was also completely ubiquitous, perfectly meeting his requirements. Lu Changsheng did not begin creating the art right away. Devising an immortal art required time—perhaps a considerable amount of it. Right now, another urgent matter demanded his attention: the crystal ore vein! Now that he had chosen crystal stone as the foundation of his immortal art, it would serve as his personal cultivation resource, requiring an astronomical supply. He had to secure the crystal ore vein for himself. Moreover, this mine was tied to the Qi clan's commercial prospects. Lu Changsheng decided to step in personally. Against the Yue clan, the Qi clan would never secure the vein without his presence. As for the fact that the opposition was also a True Immortal clan with a True Immortal expert? Lu Changsheng hardly cared. Though he had only recently advanced to the True Immortal realm, he had eliminated virtually all shortcomings in his combat repertoire. Coupled with his terrifying Dao Fruit divine abilities, Lu Changsheng was confident he had nothing to fear from any opponent in the True Immortal realm. Lu Changsheng stepped out of his quiet room. Qi Guangmao and Qi Yutang had already been waiting for a long time. "Old Ancestor." Lu Changsheng nodded, then asked calmly, "Where exactly is this crystal ore vein? I intend to go there personally and claim it!" A flash of joy crossed the faces of father and son. If the Old Ancestor was stepping in personally, the matter would be easily settled. Qi Yutang immediately offered, "Old Ancestor, I have been handling this matter all along. Allow me to lead the way." Lu Changsheng nodded. "Let's go." With a wave of his sleeve, Lu Changsheng swept Qi Yutang into his wake, transforming into a streak of flowing light that vanished toward the horizon. *** The Jiayan Mountain Range. Originally, this place was remote and desolate, devoid of natural treasures or immortal veins, and virtually devoid of visitors. Ever since a crystal ore vein was discovered here, however, everything had changed. At first, numerous minor clans had clashed violently to seize it. Later, the Qi clan intervened, using their name as a True Immortal clan to force those smaller families to back down. Yet the Qi clan had not had the last laugh either, for the Yue clan had entered the fray. The Yue clan had received the news last and arrived last, but they had ultimately seized the upper hand, virtually taking full control of the mine. As a True Immortal clan, the Yue clan naturally did not fear the Qi clan. Backed by formidable foundations, they had dispatched experts to drive the Qi clan away and forcibly occupied the vein. The Qi clan's people had not left entirely, however. They lingered nearby, monitoring the Yue clan's every move. The Yue clan had also refrained from lethal force, likely wary of the Qi clan's True Immortal ancestor. Still, any discerning observer could tell that the Yue clan held the upper hand. Unless the Qi clan produced another card, the crystal mine would fall permanently into Yue hands. The Yue clan was already preparing to excavate the ore. *Whoosh.* At that moment, two figures descended through the sky above the Jiayan Mountain Range. "Old Ancestor, down below is the crystal ore vein we discovered." "Those experts beneath us belong to the Yue clan," Qi Yutang reported respectfully. Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes slightly. Indeed, he saw numerous experts stationed below, including more than one in the Ancestor Realm. Compared to the Qi clan, the Yue clan truly qualified as an established True Immortal family with deep foundations, possessing both True Immortals and Ancestor Realm experts. The Qi clan, by contrast, lacked even a single Ancestor Realm cultivator, functioning as a crippled True Immortal family that relied entirely on him, their lone True Immortal old ancestor. "Let's go down." Lu Changsheng brought Qi Yutang down toward the crystal ore vein. "Hm?" "Who dares trespass on our Yue clan's crystal mine?" Several figures snapped their heads toward the sky as two silhouettes descended from the air. "It's Qi Yutang. He's back again." "The Qi clan kept pestering us before. Who knew they'd return after keeping quiet for a short while?" "Are the Qi clan's people really this shameless? They can't win by force, yet they keep clinging to it like pests. Do they truly think our Yue clan doesn't dare kill?" Instantly, murderous intent flared in the eyes of the Yue clan cultivators. "Hm?" Lu Changsheng's gaze turned cold. Without a word, he unleashed his aura. *Boom!* The terrifying aura of a True Immortal erupted. A dreadful pressure crashed down like Mount Tai, instantly enveloping every cultivator of the Yue clan. Every Yue clan member felt their body stiffen as an immense mountain seemed to press upon their heads, making even the slightest movement excruciatingly difficult. Being experienced cultivators, they recognized what this aura meant at a single glance. "Ah…" "It's a True Immortal! A True Immortal has descended!" "Is that Ancestor Lu of the Qi clan? Lu the True Immortal?" "The might of a True Immortal… It's impossible to resist…" In an instant, the entire mountain range fell dead silent. A True Immortal! Such beings stood high above the mortal dust. Once someone ascended to immortality, the divide between immortal and mortal became as vast as heaven and earth. The gap was simply insurmountable. As Lu Changsheng unleashed his True Immortal aura, every living creature across the Jiayan Mountain Range fell into terrified silence, not daring so much as to breathe loudly. Such was a True Immortal! Still, the Yue clan was an established True Immortal family after all. One of their supreme Ancestor Realm experts gritted his teeth, barely withstanding Lu Changsheng's terrifying aura, and spoke in a deep voice, word by word, "Greetings, Upper Immortal!" "To think an ordinary crystal ore vein would trouble an Upper Immortal to descend in person." "However, this vein has already been claimed by our Yue clan…" Lu Changsheng stared down at him. Though this man was a supreme Ancestor Realm expert who could call the wind and summon the rain among his peers, he could barely endure Lu Changsheng's piercing gaze. "Enough. As of now, this crystal ore vein belongs to the Qi clan." Lu Changsheng couldn't be bothered to waste words. A single sentence was all it took. The crystal mine belonged to the Qi clan. Who would dare say no? Silence! All the Yue clan members below fell deathly quiet. At this moment, they felt the sheer overbearing arrogance of a True Immortal. It was completely unreasonable. Yet what of it? This was a True Immortal! Besides, when contesting the crystal mine, the Yue clan had been the last to arrive—when had they ever acted with reason? The Heaven Realm had never been a place governed by logic. The strong were revered, and strength was the only truth! "What, do you have an objection?" Lu Changsheng asked, calm and unruffled. "Withdraw!" the supreme Ancestor Realm expert barked with a wave of his hand. The Yue clan members quickly retreated. What a joke! That was a True Immortal standing before them. Reason with a True Immortal? Threaten him by saying the Yue clan had a True Immortal too? The True Immortal would strike down whoever spoke first, and their death would be entirely in vain. Disrespecting a True Immortal was simply seeking death. Facing a True Immortal, the Yue clan's Ancestor Realm leader did not hesitate for a second, ordering an immediate withdrawal. As for Lu Changsheng? Only another True Immortal could reason with a True Immortal. The Yue clan expert immediately sent a distress message to their old ancestor, then pulled back to a safe distance to wait. Watching the Yue clan retreat meekly, Qi Yutang felt his blood surge with excitement. Such was the might of a True Immortal! With just a single sentence, who dared disobey? The Yue clan, so aggressive just moments ago, now retreated without daring to utter a single protest. Where had all their domineering swagger gone? "Old Ancestor, I will notify our clan members to begin mining the crystal immediately," Qi Yutang said eagerly. Lu Changsheng shook his head, replying placidly, "No rush. Wait a little longer." "To mine this crystal ore safely and settle the matter once and for all, I must have a showdown with the Yue clan's True Immortal." "For now, we simply wait." Lu Changsheng saw things with complete clarity. Whether out of pride or interest, the Yue clan's True Immortal would certainly show himself. Only True Immortal against True Immortal could ultimately decide the ownership of this crystal ore vein! Lu Changsheng did not have to wait long. In just three days, the other party arrived. *Swish.* Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. "Qi Yutang, step back." "The Yue clan's True Immortal has arrived…" Suspended in midair, Lu Changsheng cast his gaze toward the distant horizon.