Chapter 39: The Ask Immortal Pavilion and Jianghu Affairs
\nAnother dull day passed.
\nAfter closing his shop following dinner, Zuo Meng encountered a cloaked figure in black upon stepping into the street. The masked man whispered a cryptic phrase before hastily departing:
\n\u201cAn immortal strokes my crown, bestowing eternal life. Seek the Dragon Emperor Temple west of the city for the path to longevity.\u201d
\nLongevity?
\nHad cults already emerged so soon after the world\u2019s upheaval?
\nCurious about their growth, Zuo Meng decided to investigate. Current laws still limited cultivation to the Foundation Establishment stage. Only after the second and third cataclysms would Core Formation and Nascent Soul experts emerge, truly ushering in an era of immortals.
\n\u201cDo you believe in immortals?\u201d
\nA gatekeeper swathed in black robes confronted Zuo Meng at the entrance.
\n\u201cNaturally.\u201d
\n\u201cHave you met an immortal?\u201d
\n\u201cI once glimpsed a Mountain God upon a stone.\u201d Zuo Meng recalled the Seven Stones he\u2019d sealed during the era\u2019s dawn. Though the wild one had likely broken free, the remaining six\u2019s whereabouts remained unknown\u2014their influence might already permeate this changing world.
\nThe black-robed figure jerked his head up, studying Zuo Meng\u2019s face intently before tossing him a black Token.
\n\u201cProceed left into the hidden passage. Show this at the entrance.\u201d
\nHaving screened his worthiness, the guard ignored him. Unqualified visitors would\u2019ve been redirected elsewhere.
\nDescending through winding tunnels, Zuo Meng emerged into an expansive underground complex. Night pearls studded the vaulted ceiling like stars, illuminating a bustling black pavilion. A bulletin board stood nearby, its announcements mirroring government wanted posters but detailing immortal-related affairs.
\nAsk Immortal Pavilion
\nThe board listed recent supernatural events in Suzhou and confirmed \u201cimmortals\u201d\u2014topped by Cold Mountain Temple\u2019s traitor Jie Ming, dubbed Son of the Frost Buddha. Second and third places went to unnamed Taoist and Sword sect disciples. Over twenty entries appeared, each requiring payment for full details.
\n\u201cThe pavilion master knows his trade.\u201d Zuo Meng admired the entrepreneur behind this venture.
\nLower sections advertised recent headlines for aspiring immortal-seekers:
\n*Cold Mountain Temple\u2019s New Calamity: Knife King\u2019s Visit on July 15*
\nKnife King? Likely another early inheritor like Zhi Hua, empowered during the world\u2019s first upheaval.
\n\u201cJie Nian\u2019s been scrambling to counter his traitorous junior brother,\u201d Zuo Meng mused, recalling the monk\u2019s near-fatal exploration of Black Forest\u2019s underground palace. Having planted martial roots at Cold Mountain Temple himself, Zuo Meng paid for detailed reports on both fellow disciples, anticipating future dealings.
\nThe crowd mostly comprised ordinary folk sprinkled with inheritors like Zhi Hua. No Foundation Establishment cultivators were present\u2014this resembled either wandering cultivators\u2019 gathering or a premeditated immortal faction. Regardless, it posed no threat to Zuo Meng\u2019s plans. He\u2019d simply await the golden silhouette\u2019s grand scheme before reaping rewards.
\n\u201cA profitable sideline.\u201d
\nZuo Meng began selling \u201cTotemic Cultivation Methods\u201d\u2014improvised guides for inheritors clueless about wielding their totemic powers. These \u201cinheritance\u201d weren\u2019t true techniques but seeds implanted in mortals to manipulate worldly laws. All inheritors ultimately served the golden shadow\u2019s designs.
\nOver subsequent nights, Zuo Meng\u2019s manuals sold steadily, resolving his financial woes. No longer would creation require empty coffers.
\nJuly 15 arrived.
\nA black-clad swordsman climbed Cold Mountain Temple\u2019s steps, blade in hand\u2014no ordinary pilgrim.
\n\u201cThe Knife King!\u201d
\nRunners shouted up the mountain despite the temple\u2019s recent troubles. Spectators craned their necks as the commotion reached the gates.
\n\u201cAmitabha.\u201d An aged monk barred the swordsman\u2019s path\u2014the same welcoming monk who\u2019d once received Zuo Meng. \u201cThis holy ground forbids weapons.\u201d
\n\u201cMy blade stays with me till death.\u201d The Knife King stamped, cracking stone steps as he lunged sword-first at the monk.
\nGray robes billowing, the monk unleashed decades\u2019 worth of cultivated energy\u2014remarkable progress enabled by Cold Mountain Temple\u2019s early access to internal energy techniques and the world\u2019s spiritual energy resurgence.
\nHigh-level energy supercharged cultivation. Prodigies like Jie Ming and Taoist elites amassed century-deep reserves within years, some nearing two centuries\u2019 potency.
\nThe monk\u2019s palm strike intercepted the blade mid-slash, repelling the Knife King with resonant force.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter 39: The Ask Immortal Pavilion and Jianghu Affairs Another dull day passed. After closing his shop following dinner, Zuo Meng encountered a cloaked figure in black upon stepping into the street. The masked man whispered a cryptic phrase before hastily departing: \u201cAn immortal strokes my crown, bestowing eternal life. Seek the Dragon Emperor Temple west of the city for the path to longevity.\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[3],"tags":[],"fcn_genre":[],"fcn_fandom":[],"fcn_character":[],"fcn_content_warning":[],"class_list":["post-1418","fcn_chapter","type-fcn_chapter","status-publish","hentry","category-dreaming-to-become-a-creator"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/fcn_chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1418\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1418"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_genre?post=1418"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_fandom","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_fandom?post=1418"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_character","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_character?post=1418"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_content_warning","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_content_warning?post=1418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}