A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248

by Translator: Johnchen

  This was no surprise since the incantations were composed of words and phrases from an ancient language. Even though he had read quite a few books, he had a very superficial understanding of the ancient texts, so he was unable to immediately grasp certain meanings.

  Helpless and without a choice, Han Li finally began studying the Eternal Spring Arts as if his life depending on it, driving straight into piles of different books that were related to old, classical languages. He bitterly studied the incantations’ meanings every day and night, racking his brain several tens of times over every phrase and every word. Refusing to quit, Han Li was resolved to completely comprehend all of the techniques listed in the book.

  Even though he had never gone to a school or academy to obtain a formal education, he understood that making a mistake while cultivating boundlessly powerful energy would be more difficult to deal with than an infuriating obsession and might very well take this small life of his. Thinking of his own personal well-being, Han Li was filled with trepidation and fear, not daring to be even a slight bit careless.

  After three months of intensive research, Han Li finally was able to gain a level of mastery over the theory behind the incantations and apply them. As a result, he was finally starting to truly practice these techniques.

  However, Han Li’s insane method of studying delivered a large mental blow to his enthusiasm and stamina.

  He had originally planned to rely upon his intelligence, which was enhanced by the Eternal Spring Arts, and thought that learning magic techniques shouldn’t be difficult, but who knew that he would suddenly oddly become baffled. He obviously knew the theory theory behind the techniques, but when it came time to applying them into practice, he could never manage to succeed; no matter what he did, he could not do it right. He did not know whether it was because the spells were wrong, he read the incantations incorrectly, or his magic power was not in the right place. Unable to discover the reason why, Han Li felt extremely slow-witted.

  Han Li did not know what was causing his failures, but if it was a deficiency in magic power, he would eat another two spiritual herbs and the problem would be solved.

  However, this was a problem that he was unable to wrap his head around. Han Li came to the conclusion that his innate talent for performing Celestial Arts was not as great as he thought it was.

  It was only after a long period of bitter training that he finally gained a bit of success in the Fireball Technique and the Heaven’s Eyes Technique. As for the other three magic techniques, he did not succeed; he was unable to even reach their initial layers.

  With great dismay, he could only concentrate on the Fireball Technique and Heaven’s Eye Technique. He placed quite a bit of hope into these two Celestial Arts since they were the only ones he could comprehend.

  Among these, the Fireball Technique’s power did not disappoint Han Li; in fact, it greatly surpassed Han Li’s expectations.

  Despite of the Fireball Technique’s small size, it contained a terrifyingly high temperature that could not be underestimated. There was nothing that the Fireball Technique couldn’t burn.

  Even if the fireball touched a blade made of tempered steel, the area the fireball touched would immediately be melted into liquid steel upon contact.

  Faced with this inhumanly frightening power, Han Li even threw the fireball into a puddle of water to test it. Upon contact, the reaction of the puddle of water was similar to that of oil, and immediately lit up instead of extinguishing the fireball.

  After thoroughly understanding the Fireball Technique’s immense power, Han Li finally realized why Yu Zhitong looked down upon mortals with a lofty attitude.

  Now that Han Li thought about it, a mediocre cultivator who knew a Celestial Art similar to the Fireball Technique could easily kill experts in Jiang Hu. If it was a slightly stronger cultivator, then he could easily sweep across Jiang Hu, unrivaled under the heavens.

  The difference in power was simply too immense. It was no wonder that Yu Zhitong looked at normal mortals as if they were insects he could crush underfoot.

  Chapter 68: Poisoned

  As for the other techniques, Han Li held high expectations for the Heaven’s Eye Technique after witnessing the terrifying power that the seemingly simple Fireball Technique contained.

  After executing it, however, Han Li understood that this magic technique was simply a small transfer of energy into one’s eyes. There was hardly any difficulty worth mentioning, making it appear as if it were easy to master.

  However, the Heaven’s Eye Technique seemed easy to master because its difficulty was directly proportional to the strength of its target. It grew increasingly more difficult to master it as the target’s strength increased. Its functions focused primarily on checking the strength and purity of the magic power belonging to cultivators, making it a useful support-type magic technique.

  At first, Han Li was exhilarated and used the Heaven’s Eye Technique on both of his eyes. He then used his eyes, now filled with magic power, to inspect his own body’s condition. Through his enhanced perception, he saw a dim layer of white light permeating his body. The closer he got to his Dantian, the more dense the white light became.

  The white light was his magic power. When Han Li saw this, he couldn’t help but extend a hand to touch the white light. However, he felt nothing at all. He noticed that magic power was similar to air; both were incorporeal and without form, and only through the use of the Heaven’s Eye Technique could he hope to inspect it.

  But after several consecutive inspections, Han Li completely lost all interest in the Heaven’s Eye Technique.

  His loss of interest was due to the fact that he was all alone in the entire Seven Mysteries Sect. Who could he use the Heaven’s Eye Technique on? He couldn’t possibly spend the whole day narcissistically examining himself!

  Therefore, aside from intensifying his training of the Fireball Technique, which he hoped to be able to familiarize himself with in order to use it during actual combat, Han Li turned his attention to other types of magic technique that he had yet to learn. He began practicing other magic techniques slowly and in a repetitive manner, hoping for more breakthroughs.

  Slightly regaining a portion of his body’s energy, Han Li could only sigh after thinking about the difficulty of training in other magic techniques. The frequency of his complaints, however, decreased significantly over time as he continued practicing the techniques.

  Dong— Dong—

  The bell near the valley entrance was sounded; its chime spreading into the valley.

  Han Li wrinkled his eyebrows. He didn’t know why, but recently, the amount of people who came for help had suddenly increased. Furthermore, a majority of them had broken hands, broken arms, knife wounds, projectile wounds, and other similar external injuries.

  He did not dare to neglect his patients because aiding a person is like aiding in putting out a fire*. He collected himself and grabbed his medical bag. After exiting his house, Han Li made a beeline for the valley entrance.

  (TL: *idiom: both saving a person and putting out a fire need to be done immediately and with the utmost care)

  Outside the valley forest entrance early in the morning, Han Li saw a high ranking disciple wearing embroidered clothing. The disciple anxiously paced to and fro near the big bell like an ant on a hot pan.

  Upon seeing Han Li, he immediately hurried towards him.

  “Doctor Han, please follow me. My master has been poisoned and is on the verge of death. I respectfully ask if you would take a look to see if you can remove the poison from his body.”

  As this person approached, Han Li realized that the disciple had a familiar face. Having seen him a few times, he realized that the man was Elder Li’s most favored disciple, Ma Rong, who had previously come to visit Han Li several times on behalf of his master, Elder Li. Therefore, Ma Rong could almost be considered an acquaintance.

  “Poisoned?” Han Li asked while immediately walking down the road. As they hurr
ied along, Han Li asking darkly about the details behind Elder Li’s misfortune. Han Li was aware that there were some poison that even he himself had no experience with.

  “Yes, my master got into a fight with a member of the Feral Wolf Gang while travelling down the mountains to take care of some business. In the end, he was not careful and suffered an attack from a dark green seed looking item. At first, my master was not overly worried and even retaliated by killing his opponent. Who knew that the poison would suddenly take effect on the way back up the mountain, causing him to fall unconscious?”

  “Have you tried to seek the aid of other doctors?”

  “Of course we did. If it was any ordinary poison, then I would not have come to trouble Doctor Han. Those quack doctors, other than knowing that my master suffered from a rare poison, knew nothing else; they did not even dare to prescribe a medicine.”

  Ma Rong spoke with an extremely dissatisfied face.

  As Han Li listened, his facial expression did not change. As he hurriedly followed Ma Rong down the path, the only noise he made was “En.” Soon, however, doubt arose in his heart.

  Truthfully, he was not extremely well versed in curing poisons. If it was an internal or external injury, he could depend on several types of medicinal herbs. If he had to treat some rare deadly poison, however, he was not sure that he would be able to provide a solution to the problem.

  Even though he had the Pure Spirit Powder, an antidote that could cure hundreds of poisons, the world contained an innumerable amount of poisons. Who knew whether the Pure Spirit Power could cure the specific poison that was harming Elder Li? The few local doctors were not completely useless in the healing and dispelling poisons; otherwise, they would have been kicked off the mountain by the Elders of the Seven Mysteries Sect. After all, the sect could not afford to raise a group of incompetent medical disciples who were unable to heal even the smallest of injuries.

  However, they did not dare to even prescribe a simple prescription, showing that this poison was a troublesome problem that they have never encountered before. Han Li could only survive by having many hidden cards and being able to adapt himself to any situation. Even if he was unable to save Elder Li, it wasn’t likely that it would lower his own reputation. After all, there was no medicinal god that could cure every sickness.

  As Han Li was carefully refining his plan, Ma Rong practically forced Han Li to run lightly while grasping the sleeves of his garment. In this manner, the two hurried towards Elder Li’s residence.

  Seeing him so energetic, Han Li knew that their master-to-disciple relationship was pretty deep.

  Han Li felt slightly sorrowful because he thought back to his relationship with Doctor Mo. Although they were master and disciples in name, their actual relationship was similar to two enemies. If only their relationship had been as harmonious as the one between Ma Rong and his master.

  In the depths of his heart, Han Li had always held a form of respect towards Doctor Mo. After all, his medicinal knowledge and Eternal Spring Arts had been imparted to him by the deceased doctor.

  But sadly, things were not meant to be. The heavens dictated that the two would be unable to live in the same world, forcing them fight an intensive battle in which Doctor Mo died accidentally by Han Li’s own hands.

  Thinking about his past memories, Han Li couldn’t help but sigh. Afterwards, Ma Rong brought him to Elder Li’s place.

  Chapter 69: Li Feiyu and the Young Lady

  Elder Li’s residence was not extravagant; instead, it was merely a small, humble house.

  Surrounding several houses in close proximity was a two meter high, half a meter thick dirt wall encircling a simple courtyard. Facing the path was an arched, half-moon gateway through which Han Li could see that the courtyard was filled with many visitors.

  Stepping into the courtyard, Han Li realized that the actual number of people was much higher than what he saw from outside the gate. They gathered in groups of twos or threes, discussing Elder Li’s state in low voices.

  Han Li had already heard that Elder Li was a good-natured person in the Seven Mysteries Sect. Regardless if one was a lower-ranked disciple or an esteemed colleague, he rarely got angry with anyone, nor did he scramble for power and profit in the sect. As a result, many figures in the sect, both the important and the insignificant, had nothing but compliments for the old man, causing his popularity to be very high.

  Now that Elder Li was suffering from a poison-induced illness, everyone with high status in the sect would eventually pay their respects either personally or through a representative. Not a single person failed to do so regardless if their reason for coming was heartfelt or hypocritic. As a result, the courtyard soon became filled by a throng of people.

  Once Han Li came in, he was recognized by the people in the courtyard. The lowest Protectors immediately surrounded him, each striving to be the first to greet him

  “How are you, Medicinal God Han?!”

  “Doctor Han came!”

  A wave of well-wishing rang out and continuously battered his hears. Even if he didn’t want to hear the endless noise, he had no choice but to endure.

  Seeing these faces brimming with enthusiasm, Han Li similarly showed a bright smile that did not lose to the crowd in terms of splendor. However, although he appeared to be extremely courteous, he was actually sick of false pleasantries.

  Fortunately, those with high status, such as the Vice Sect Leaders and Consecrated Elders, implicitly nodded their heads in Han Li’s direction, showing their acknowledgement of his arrival without making a move to approach him.

  Seeing that they did not make it uncomfortable for Han Li by making him greet them, Han Li had a good impression about these esteemed individuals.

  Because of Ma Rong’s low status, he was unable to anything besides stand to the side with a look of concern. As the Protectors tried to get closer to Han Li with their constant stream of pleasantries, Ma Rong’s face revealed worry while both of his bands rubbed against each other nonstop.

  Finally, after Han Li finished greeting the last person, Ma Rong couldn’t wait any longer and immediately rushed forward, grabbing Han Li’s arm with one hand and charging straight into the house. This rude and impetuous action angered a few people who wished to get on good terms with Medicinal God Han, revealing a bit of their displeasure.

  On the outside Han Li had a forced smile, but he was actually quite pleased with Ma Rong’s decision. This way, he could finally get rid of those incessantly annoying people without having to offend anyone.

  With a sense of urgency, Han Li was pulled into living room by Ma Rong.

  There were not very many people inside, except a few family members and two Elders. Sect Leader Ma was also there, but what surprised Han Li the most was that Li Feiyu was also inside the room.

  Han Li was shocked. According to what he knew, there was no relationship between Li Feiyu and Elder Li, so why did he showed here?

  Just as his stomach was about to burst with questions, Han Li noticed that Senior Disciple Li was comforting a petite girl with tears flowing down her face. Li Feiyu’s highly focused expression was laced with traces of emotion, a look that was very different from the one he usually showed to his fellow disciples.

  Looking at Li Feiyu’s enamored appearance, Han Li suddenly realized what was going on. Startled, he couldn’t help but think that it was extremely funny.

  Han Li promptly and carefully scrutinized the young lady’s appearance, wanting to see just what kind of beauty could make Li Feiyu disregard everything for the sake of love.

  The young lady looked to be around fifteen to sixteen years of age and was wearing a jasper hairpin. In addition, she wore a lotus green dress, giving the originally sweet and pleasant facial features a naughty and mischievous air. Despite of this, her two eyes were swollen red, making her seem lovely yet pathetic. Her dejected appearance gave people an urge to lovingly bring her into a hugging embrace.

  “Zeze! She really is one
fair young lady.” Han Li exclaimed for several moments in his heart, thinking that Li Feiyu falling under this lady’s love snare was pardonable. In his heart, there was still a trace of envy and jealousy, not knowing when he himself would also be able to have an intimate companion.

  Maybe it was because he realized that Han Li was studying this young lady, but Ma Rong was quick to introduce everyone within the house to Han Li in order for him to establish a sense of familiarity.

  Sect Leader Ma and a white faced Elder Qian whom Han Li had saw before naturally did not need any introductions, and he immediately took the initiative to step forward to check the body.

  “Greetings Sect Leader Ma, Elder Qian!

  “Hehe! The young Doctor Han has arrived!” Sect Leader Ma acted as if he were Han Li’s close friend, almost as if there was no difference between their status.

  “Doctor Han is Doctor Han, why do you have to mention the word ‘young’?” Han Li silently curse within his heart in disagreement with Sect Leader Ma’s phrase.

  On the other hand, Elder Qian’s attitude was cold and detached. He merely nodded his head, acting in complete opposite to Sect Leader Ma. Han Li was not offended by Elder Qian’s indifference, since he knew that Elder Qian practiced a special cultivation method that required him to sever his feelings and desires, causing him to treat everyone with the same cold and indifferent attitude.

  In addition to Sect Leader Ma and Elder Qian, there was another tall, sturdy, and red-faced Elder with whom Han Li wasn’t familiar with. This Elder’s palms were rough and coarse, and all ten of his short fingers were thick and solid; from this, it was evident from a single glance that this Elder trained in a special martial art.

  “This is Elder Zhao, my master’s close friend. His previously job was to supervise the Treasure Gathering Division outside the mountain. He just came back two days ago.” Ma Rong said while introducing the Elder to Han Li.