A Farmer's Journey To Immortality

Chapter 583: Aurous Body Realm P1

Zinnia took a shaky breath and looked at Aksai, her eyes filled with frustration and guilt.

“I tried to protect my students, but the harassment only got worse. They wanted to break me—to make me hand over Celestial Harmony. They have been trying to infiltrate this school as well but I have always been careful.

I’ve been searching for exceptional talents among the new students, people strong enough to defend the school and themselves, but… they’re rare. The good ones either leave out of fear or get hurt before they can grow.”

For a moment, only the sound of silence filled the room.

Aksai finally spoke, his voice quiet but carrying a subtle weight. “That means they drove away the true young martial prodigies. And at the same time, they have been trying to infiltrate the martial school using good seedlings as bait.”

Zinnia nodded, lowering her gaze.

“Yes. That’s why I thought you were sent by those ’old bastards.’ They’ve been sending challengers, spies, and their well-trained young talents here disguised as students. I’ve been on edge for so long that when you appeared, I thought you were another of their tricks.”

Aksai leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. His expression softened, though his eyes carried a flicker of cold anger. “You’ve done well, Zinnia. You’ve held your ground when most would have broken. And don’t worry—no one will harass this school again. Not Jin Jolan, not Wen Wei, not anyone.”

Zinnia looked up at him, her lips parting slightly in surprise. “My lord…”

Aksai smiled faintly, though his gaze was distant. “It seems I’ll have to pay an old debt to the Grand Martial Hall… in person.”

Aksai then leaned back slightly in his chair, his fingers gently tapping the edge of the teacup. His sharp eyes shifted to Zinnia, who still looked restless after recounting the troubles caused by Jin Jolan and the Grand Martial Hall.

He didn’t comment on it right away. Instead, he smiled faintly and asked in a calm tone, “Zinnia, tell me… have you heard of anyone in Sharang going beyond the Argent Body Realm?”

For a moment, Zinnia just stared at Aksai, unsure of what he was getting at. Then she exhaled slowly, resting her elbow on the table and rubbing her temples. “Beyond the Argent Body Realm, huh?” she repeated softly. “I’m not completely sure, my lord… but I’ve heard rumors.”

Aksai didn’t interrupt her. He waited quietly and allowed her to elaborate.

“I’ve heard that the Grand Martial Hall has been secretly experimenting with realm breakthroughs,” she finally said. “They claim to have helped a few of their top-tier Argent martial artists step into a new stage. They call it the Aurous Body Realm.”

Aksai’s eyes narrowed a little. “Aurous Body Realm…” he murmured, as if tasting the words.

Zinnia nodded before adding further.

“That’s right. But it’s not what it sounds like. The martial artists who reach that stage do gain power far beyond the late-stage Argent Body Realm—but at a cost.”

She inhaled deeply before speaking further. “Their lifespans are reduced instead of extended. The techniques they’ve used are incomplete and full of flaws. Their bodies burn out faster because their inner harmony is broken.”

Zinnia sighed before speaking further. “These imperfected Aurous artists… they shine brighter than anyone else for a short while, but… they die too soon. Like a lamp burning all its oil in one last burst of light.”

Aksai listened carefully, his eyes thoughtful. “So the Grand Martial Hall hasn’t perfected the method yet,” he said quietly.

“No,” Zinnia replied, shaking her head.

“That’s what they’re working on. This is the reason why they’ve been forcing every major martial organization to submit, taking their Martial Compendiums and using them as study material. Their goal is to correct the errors and create new, complete sets of techniques that can safely push someone into the Aurous Body Realm.”

She looked at him and shook her head before saying what she had been thinking all this time.

“I believe that’s why they’ve been gathering knowledge like scavengers. They’re comparing different martial paths, mixing and rewriting them, and calling these new creations the ’next generation of Martial Compendiums.’

These new ones can help younger martial artists progress faster—breaking into Bronze and even Argent Body Realms more easily than before. But…”

Aksai raised a brow. “But?”

“The fact remains,” she said firmly, “that true Argent-level Martial Compendiums are still extremely rare. Very few techniques can even guide someone that far. So the Hall has been forcing smaller sects and schools to surrender their techniques. They combine multiple Bronze-level techniques and modify them until they reach the Argent tier, then use those as templates to create the so-called Aurous-level Martial Compendiums.”

Zinnia paused for a moment, her eyes dark with worry. “Those Aurous Compendiums are given as rewards to the martial artists loyal to the Grand Martial Hall. But since they still have flaws, the higher-ranked masters use them mostly to train their disposable warriors—the ones they can afford to lose.”

Aksai leaned forward slightly, his expression unreadable. “And you think they want Celestial Harmony for the same purpose?”

“I’m certain of it,” Zinnia said, her voice firm.

“They believe your Martial Compendium—the Celestial Harmony—was built using the Grand Martial Hall’s foundations. But the truth is, your compendium has no such flaws. They want to use it as a blueprint to fix their mistakes.

With Celestial Harmony, they might finally create a stable version of the Aurous Body Realm technique—one that increases power and lifespan.”

Aksai listened to Zinnia’s long explanation with his usual calm expression. He didn’t interrupt her even once. When she finally finished, there was silence in the room, broken only by the faint rustling of leaves outside the window. Then, a small smile tugged at the corner of Aksai’s lips.

He leaned back slightly, his eyes half-closed as if lost in thought. “So,” he said softly, “they want to use others to perfect their own creation.” He let out a quiet chuckle.

“It seems I’m not the only one with such ambitions.”