This was the Xeno-Immortal School!

Xu Qing’s eyes glittered. The jade slip didn’t contain a lot of information, but what information it did contain was magnificent. It concisely expressed the basics of the Xeno-Immortal School. Although the jade slip didn’t go into detail about the specific techniques involved, the description was enough to give Xu Qing a general understanding.

The technique seems similar to that of the God-Merging School. One of them stores up godliness, the other merges with it. The former involved using a complete human body, then creating the outline of a god in the sea of consciousness. The goal was to use that god-storing technique to make oneself into a Xeno-Immortal.

The latter involves abandoning one’s human body, and replacing it with the body of a god. The ultimate goal is to achieve pure godly ascension and become a human god.

This line of thinking… is astounding. No wonder Dustcloud said that the Xeno-Immortal School used to be the number one school of thought in the Imperial University.

With such thoughts on his mind, Xu Qing looked around at the empty school and realized that there was a very fatal flaw. And that fatal flaw led to the downfall of the Xeno-Immortal School.

The requirements to practice this kind of cultivation are terrifyingly high! You have to use your soul to create threads, then use them to form the outline of a god or a godly entity. That alone is inherently dangerous. Furthermore, progress is going to be slow.

That’s why Dustcloud said that this school’s theories were unrealistic. Or could it be that no one actually succeeded with it?

After some more thought and analysis, Xu Qing turned to the schoolmaster, who was still rifling through the jade slips. “Is it true that no one has ever succeeded with your technique?”

“Who said nobody ever succeeded?” the schoolmaster said, sounding displeased. He snorted coldly, then proudly continued, “Eight thousand years ago, our Xeno-Immortal School’s Li Xuanfeng successfully wove an earthchild that manifested physically, bolstering his battle prowess to an astonishing degree.” 1

Almost as soon as the schoolmaster stopped talking, one of the three lazy students said, “Riiiiight. It only took Patriarch Li Xuanfeng a thousand years of cultivation to weave that godly earthchild. It took so long he nearly ran out of longevity. He really was awesome!”

The schoolmaster turned and glared at the student. “It might have taken a while, but after Patriarch Li Xuanfeng succeeded, he used the god-storing technique in his sea of consciousness to dramatically boost his battle prowess!”

“Exactly!” exclaimed one of the other students. “Exactly!! And then he got killed by a Spirit Trove nonhuman who had only practiced cultivation for five hundred years. Amazing!”

The schoolmaster’s glare grew even more intense. He was clearly very displeased. “Also, wasn’t it only five thousand years ago that our school’s Patriarch Chen Daoze also succeeded? With one thought, he could summon a godly entity from within him, leading to a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering transformation.” 2

“Oooh, right!” said the student seated in the middle of the other two. “Except that afterward, he couldn’t transform back…. We still have his body here in the tower. Teacher, the God-Merging School mentioned that they want to buy it. Why don’t we sell it to them?”

“Don’t even mention the God-Merging School to me. Their theories are a bunch of hogwash. Is a monkey wearing human clothing actually a human?” The schoolmaster flicked his sleeve, making it very clear how much he disdained the God-Merging School.

The three students all sighed. Then the one in the middle looked at Xu Qing and said, “I suggest you get out of here while you can. The three of us are stuck. Years ago, we foolishly came here thinking there might be some valuable things that other people had missed out on. We even thought we could turn this place around and make out like bandits in the process…. But then this old codger tricked us into believing that only ‘conclave disciples’ could study with him. We ended up signing a contract for life!

“That’s why we’re stuck as members forever. You’re probably not from the imperial capital, are you? Otherwise you’d know all of this stuff. Seriously, you don’t want to get involved with this place.”

Perhaps it was because the schoolmaster knew that his facial expression was hidden by the mask that he’d picked up the habit of snorting coldly a lot. With just such a cold snort, he squatted back down and started rifling through the jade slips again.

The tower went silent again.

Xu Qing looked at the three students, then the schoolmaster. “I’ll take my leave now,” he said.

After he was about 300 meters away, he turned and looked back at the Xeno-Immortal School. Given its location in the east of the Imperial University, he could imagine how bustling the place must have been in the past. But now it was empty, a shell of its former self that few people went inside.

There were only three students there. From what Xu Qing could tell, their story seemed authentic. They really had been tricked into joining the school, which was why they seemed full of rancorous energy. As for the schoolmaster, he probably had a guilty conscience, which was why he went around snorting coldly all the time, hoping to keep his last scraps of dignity as the schoolmaster.

So, two people succeeded in the past, and were able to weave godly projections in their sea of consciousness, then manifest them externally. I wonder what that looked like?

Thinking about such things, Xu Qing disappeared into the crowd.

In the blink of an eye, another half a month went by.

Xu Qing had visited most of the schools of thought in the Imperial University, and had already accumulated a lot of knowledge. That said, most of it was lacking in detail. Given the time he had on his hands, he couldn’t gain a deep understanding.

In the end, he chose not to formally join any of the schools. The main reason for not making a choice was that he couldn’t stop thinking about Summer Immortals. The term seemed to possess a strange power that made it impossible for him to get it out of his mind.

Ultimately, Xu Qing couldn’t forget what his Master had mentioned after upgrading Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior.

“I reforged it using a Summer Immortal magic I found in some ancient records. As a result, you can call it an immortal weapon now!” 3

The moon currently shone brightly, making the stars less visible. Xu Qing sat in the courtyard in Ningyan’s mansion, looking up into the sky at the moon and thinking about everything.

Back when Master first mentioned the term Summer Immortal, I didn’t understand what he meant. I assumed it was some special theory related to magical devices. But after coming here to the imperial capital, and chatting with Princess Anhai, I started to suspect there was more to it. And that trend continued during the last month I spent studying in the Imperial University, and especially after going to the Xeno-Immortal School….

The light of the moon fell onto Xu Qing like a gauzy veil, making it seem like he was wreathed in moonlight. Although, the light shining off him quickly turned violet.

How could Master know of Summer Immortal techniques…. And how could he be proficient in their use? Now that I think about it, it seems like he was planting a concept in my mind with what he said. A seed that would sprout as my understanding expanded here in the capital.

Xu Qing took out the Spike of Misfortune and studied it.

Time passed. About two hours later, he heard the sound of footsteps accompanied by someone humming a little tune.

The Captain swaggered out a moment later. He was in a good mood, and had obviously been drinking. When he caught sight of Xu Qing in the moonlight, he grinned.

“Little Ah Qing! How have things been at the Imperial University? I feel like I haven’t seen you in days. Let me tell you, I found a really great place recently. Have you heard about the Red Dust Pavilion?”

Xu Qing could smell the alcohol as the Captain sat down next to him and slapped him on the shoulder.

“Well,” the Captain went on, “the Red Dust Pavilion is amazing.”

Xu Qing looked up at him. “I’ve been there. I was on the way back when the assassination attempt happened. I told you.”

The Captain blinked a few times and then laughed. “Of course I remember! I mean, I went there for the specific purpose of looking into the assassination attempt.”

The Captain produced a jug of alcohol and handed it to Xu Qing.

In order not to ruin the Captain’s mood, Xu Qing decided not to mention the clay fox. He sipped some of the alcohol, and almost immediately felt slightly dizzy. It was, of course, the Red Dust Pavilion’s famous Drunken Immortal. 𝖋𝖗𝖜𝔟𝖓𝖔𝔳𝔩.𝔠𝖔𝔪

“Something on your mind?” the Captain asked, taking back the alcohol and sipping some.

Xu Qing thought for a moment. “Eldest Brother… do you know our Master’s background?”

The Captain had been about to tilt the jug back to take another drink, but he stopped and looked at Xu Qing.

Noticing the serious expression on Xu Qing’s face, the Captain chuckled. “The old man? He has a mysterious background. I mean, look at the apprentices he takes. There’s me, the number one chosen in all of Revered Ancient.”

Xu Qing blinked a few times and then nodded earnestly.

Looking very pleased, the Captain continued, “And then there’s you, the number two chosen in all of Revered Ancient. Second Sib, heh heh. Well she was destined to get married, which is great. You probably guessed that, right? I was a bit doubtful, so last time I was back in Sea-Sealing County I checked in to make sure.

“Finally there’s Third Sib, that damn miscreant. Believe me, even though he seems like he’s keeping a low profile, that guy is a schemer through and through. And he has plenty of secrets. In fact, I suspect… that he has something to do with the Ghost Emperor!

“The thing is that nobody knows what species the Ghost Emperor is, or where he came from. But his weapon contains the sealing mark of a god domain, and he killed god domain cultivators. So, you tell me. How could a top expert like that not have an amazing history? Therefore, given everything, I have a very outrageous speculation, which is that he actually comes from….”

The Captain pointed up to the dome of heaven.

Xu Qing’s pupils constricted. The dome of heaven contained the broken face of the god, and beyond that, the starry sky. And there was more.

“The holy lands!” The Captain burped and then laughed. “Anyway, that’s pure speculation on my part. As for Master, well, let me tell you a little secret. In one of my past lives, I met someone who was very much like the old man. They didn’t look alike. It was more like a feeling….”

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed.

“Another thing. In this life, when I had just become an apprentice, I remember feeling like I had seen him before on more than one occasion. That said, I have a lot of missing memories.” Shaking his head, the Captain stood and stretched. “Don’t think too much into it, little Ah Qing. Be like me. Just focus on being happy. Live every day to the fullest. That’s the best way to live.”

Swaying a bit as he walked, the Captain headed toward his room. However, after taking only about seven or eight steps through the moonlight, he stopped with his back to Xu Qing.

“Little Ah Qing, do you remember what I said to you back in Seven Blood Eyes when you became an apprentice?

“One bow for the Ancient Emperor. Three bows for heaven and earth. Nine bows for the Master.

“Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity is the great founder. All humans owe him a single bow of respect.

“Heaven, earth, celestial, terrestrial. They bear the weight of all. All humans owe them three bows of respect.

“However amazing the Ancient Emperor was, he did not show you favor. Heaven and earth, and all other living beings in this sea of suffering, have done nothing to save you. Only Master will ascend to heaven and descend to hell for you. Only he will show you favor. Only he will save you. Only he will expend all effort so that you can walk a great dao. Therefore, you owe him nine bows of respect!” 4

As the moon shone down in the courtyard, the Captain’s voice seemed to echo from the ancient past into the current life.

“In this life, it’s not just you and I who’ll travel the world together. We’ll do it with Master too.”

1. Li Xuanfeng: Li is listed #2 on the 100 common surnames list. Xuan means “dark, black” and is the same character from things like Plumdark, Dark Serenity, Dark War, etc. Feng means “wind.” Incidentally, the combination of xuan and feng is also one way to say “cockatiel” in Chinese. I don’t think that’s relevant here, but it is interesting. Madam Deathblade says this sounds like a cool and interesting name. ☜

2. Chen Daoze. Chen is #5 on the list of 100 common surnames. Dao is the same dao from ‘heavenly dao.’ Ze has a lot of meanings, but in this novel it appears most commonly as ‘law’ in the sense of natural and magical laws. Madam Deathblade says this name makes her think of someone who always follows the rules and tries to do the right thing. ☜

3. Master Seventh uttered those words in chapter 740. ☜

4. Xu Qing became an apprentice in chapter 263. For the most part, all the quotes in this chapter are directly from that chapter. ☜