Chapter 33: Re-entering the Immortal Gate, A Discussion on Spiritual Roots

Great Peace Mortuary.

In the dim world, a simple high platform stood. On the platform rested an opened, towering book, its pages engraved with streams of ancient, imposing seal script.

Wang Ping opened his eyes.

After sitting in a daze for a long while, he finally shook off the lingering aftereffects of his resurrection. An incredibly tempting thought soon surfaced in his mind: should he immediately resurrect and go back?

In the battle just now, he had cut down a third of the County Yamen's bailiffs. All four veteran bailiffs at External Arts Perfection had died in action. Frankly speaking, the imperial court's foundation of rule in Longxing County was mostly destroyed. If he resurrected and charged back right now, he had a very high chance of killing Xu Bingzheng!

At that thought, Wang Ping's hands immediately began to itch with anticipation.

However, he quickly calmed down when he looked down at his bare state: 'No, all my weapons were destroyed in that fight.'

The Black Hornless Dragon Bow, Oxtail Saber, Heart-Protecting Mirror, exquisite belt, soft armor... every weapon that complemented his martial arts had been ruined in that battle. These external items wouldn't return with his resurrection. Even if he went back on the spot, his combat strength would plummet without his gear.

'Besides, the Outer Heavenly Demon is still on cooldown.'

'Xu Bingzheng's cultivation is already higher than mine, and I have zero room for error right now. If I can't return in my peak state, a single careless mistake could get me killed...'

After thinking it over, Wang Ping decided to play it safe.

After all, he wasn't the stubborn, reckless type. Playing the brute was just a disguise. Most of the time, his aggressiveness followed a strict logic; charging in brainlessly was just asking for death.

'A gentleman takes revenge, ten years is not late.'

'I should head to the Immortal Gate World first. Once I learn a few spells and return as a cultivator, crushing these crude martial artists with absolute superiority will be the best strategy.'

But before that...

Wang Ping shifted his gaze, looking at the towering book before him with some anticipation. Right before he died this time, he had used his own corpse for the final settlement.

The Taiping Sutra just so happened to have an empty slot for a scripture scroll.

What would it generate this time?

As if responding to his thoughts, the towering book soon began to glow, the faint light spreading across its pages at a visible speed.

On the blank pages, Wang Ping soon saw scenes from right before his death. To his surprise, Madam Su appeared most frequently in the imagery. It started from their conversation, shifted to his suicidal charge into the city, and finally ended with Madam Su speaking to a tall woman in a peach grove...

"In a brief conversation, we shared life and death; a single promise weighs a thousand pieces of gold."

For a moment, Wang Ping actually felt a little embarrassed watching this. Ultimately, the only reason he could disregard his life so fearlessly was because he could resurrect.

If he couldn't, he knew very well he lacked the resolve to sacrifice himself for a righteous cause.

'I didn't expect the Taiping Sutra to show scenes from after my death. Judging by her demeanor, someone from the Capital Su Family must have come to receive her.'

Wang Ping shifted his gaze to the tall woman standing behind Madam Su.

Just a single glance made his spiritual sense ache slightly.

Clearly, this tall woman possessed extraordinary strength. The last person to trigger such a reaction from his spiritual sense was Xu Bingzheng at his absolute peak.

With this, he could finally set his mind at ease. His death this time hadn't been in vain.

In the next second, the images shattered. Wang Ping's consciousness returned to reality as the text on the third page of the towering book finally settled into place.

[Volume Three: A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold]

[To honor a promise made in life, you marched forward resolutely even at the cost of your life. Your actions have left an indelible impression in someone's heart.]

Wang Ping carefully read through the contents of the scripture scroll.

After a long while, he lightly rubbed between his eyebrows, a hint of joy surfacing in his eyes. 'This scripture scroll... the effect is completely different from what I imagined.'

Put simply, it was a loan.

'Once [A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold] is activated, I can write down a [Promise] on the scroll and withdraw the rewards for completing that [Promise] in advance.'

'Afterward, as long as I fulfill the [Promise] within the time limit, I can permanently keep the advanced rewards. Conversely, if I fail to complete the [Promise], the scroll will backlash. Not only will the advanced rewards vanish, but the scroll itself will be completely ruined and unusable.'

'Of course, there is an exception.'

'If I suddenly die after making a [Promise], the advanced rewards will disappear with me, and the [Promise] will naturally reset.'

Debts cleared upon death—it was as simple as that.

Looking at the scroll, Wang Ping fell into deep thought.

'This scripture scroll... it can't be used for killing. After all, a person can't die twice. Making that kind of [Promise] almost guarantees I'll break it.'

It was also difficult to use it to directly boost his combat power.

After all, if he used this scroll to directly break through to Titled Martial Master, how was he supposed to break through a second time to fulfill the condition? The cost of crippling his cultivation to rebuild it was far too high.

After thinking it over, there was only one method with the highest cost-effectiveness.

'Cultivation.'

Whether it was martial arts or immortal spells, as long as he used this scroll, he could withdraw the results in advance. Going back to cultivate it afterward would make the process far more efficient.

For example, when he practiced Qi Restriction, the experience he gained as a strongman allowed him to reach the stage of mending bones and connecting sinews in an extremely short time. He was only one step away from covering his body with True Qi and becoming invulnerable to weapons. This was exactly how 'getting on the train first and buying the ticket later' boosted cultivation speed.

'...It's still a good item, then.'

Wang Ping stroked his chin. If he'd had this scripture scroll earlier, he could have taken out a loan to reach the perfection stage of the Cloud-Piercing Heaven-Shaking Arrow in advance.

If he had, he might have actually been able to break into the County Yamen!

At that thought, Wang Ping remembered the Heaven's Will Soul-Returning Pill he had proactively handed to Xu Bingzheng right before dying, and a smile surfaced in his eyes.

'Calculating the time, that dog official should have already started inspecting it, right?'

'With his skills, the Gut-Severing Pill I hid in the outer shell won't escape his notice. But it doesn't matter. Those were just a decoy to begin with.'

The Heaven's Will Soul-Returning Pill he gave Xu Bingzheng was a version Wang Ping had meticulously reforged. The outermost shell was made from the original pill's skin, the middle layer was replaced with a Gut-Severing Pill, and the innermost layer reverted back to the original pill. However, he had evenly blended the powder of the Gut-Severing Pill into the pill's shell.

The two pills were perfectly fused together in this way, simultaneously possessing both nourishing and highly toxic properties.

This was no longer a mundane method.

'Only someone with spiritual sense like me could cut two pills so precisely, piece them back together flawlessly, and fuse them into one.'

Or so Wang Ping estimated.

No matter how cautious Xu Bingzheng was, he was ultimately just a mortal. Without spiritual sense, no pill-testing method could possibly detect the trap hidden inside.

'If he chooses to take it himself, I might not even need to make a move. By the time I return from the Immortal Gate, I might just hear news of the magistrate's sudden death...'

Returning from cultivation to find the county magistrate dead—it was music to his ears!

'Unfortunately, the Immortal Gate World is different from the Great Shun Dynasty. I can't consume luck to choose my identity; I can only let the Taiping Sutra pick at random...'

He just hoped he would randomly get a disciple identity this time, rather than becoming a strongman again.

With that thought, Wang Ping didn't linger any longer. He stood up, patted his cuffs, and strode toward the doorway on the Outer Heavenly Demon.

Clang!

Golden radiance spilled out alongside the sound of the doorway opening. Wang Ping's vision was quickly engulfed, and his consciousness grew hazy, as if he were sinking into the depths of the sea.

An unknown amount of time passed before a strange sensation of 'floating upward' swept through his entire body. The golden radiance gradually faded and scattered. His five senses resumed functioning as new sights, sounds, and smells rushed in, followed immediately by a massive influx of memories.

"Senior Sister, you can rest easy."

"This one was originally going to be made into a strongman. I had to use my connections with the guarding Senior Brother to get him out."

"The files say he isn't just a natural Desire Realm Deva, but he has also practiced a lot of mortal martial arts. His vitality is incredibly vigorous; he's truly one in ten thousand."

"His value as human livestock is extremely high!"

As the voices echoed in his ears, Wang Ping rapidly assimilated the surging memories. But soon, he unexpectedly heard a familiar voice.

"Naturally, I trust the two of you, Junior Brothers."

The voice was soft and gentle. Just hearing it was enough to sketch the image of a graceful noblewoman in one's mind, yet it carried an inexplicable charm.

'That Daoist Nun You again?'

Wang Ping's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't dare show the slightest reaction.

"You're too polite, Senior Sister."

The voice continued with obvious flattery. "After all, it was the Heaven and Earth Pavilion's poor quality control last time that allowed the strongman to retain some memories from when he was alive."

"It's a pity that out-of-control strongman died so suddenly. Without proof, neither the Protector Courtyard nor the Heaven and Earth Pavilion would admit fault. Otherwise, we definitely could have extorted a fortune out of them. Also... I heard your attendant boy caused a massive disaster recently, which led to all of your dharma currency for this season being swept clean by scoundrels, Senior Sister?"

"If that weren't the case, why would I trouble you two Junior Brothers?"

Daoist Nun You sighed faintly, her tone mournful. "My purse is truly empty right now. Since I can't afford a new strongman, I had no choice but to buy the raw material to cultivate one myself."

"It just so happens that I've already refined that attendant boy. My seat is currently empty, so I'll have him fill the position so I don't fail the sect's important tasks."

"So that's how it is..."

Next, the three of them exchanged a few more casual remarks. Finally, the two disciples who were clearly in charge of the delivery took their leave, leaving only the sound of Daoist Nun You's breathing.

At the same time, Wang Ping finally sorted out the memories of this life.

'In this life, my predecessor was a mortal martial artist who voluntarily became a strongman to join the Immortal Gate, all just to be granted a spiritual root and gain the chance to cultivate...'

The deeper Wang Ping delved into the memories, the more shocked he became.

'My predecessor hailed from a great grassland nation called Northern Liao, also known as the Golden Tent Royal Court. The people there worship the Immortal Gate and call it Eternal Heaven.'

As for Eternal Heaven's status in Northern Liao, beyond holding supreme religious authority, it actually possessed the most important right in the secular world: the power of taxation.

However, they didn't collect ordinary monetary taxes.

Instead, they collected a 'death tax.'

'Under the rule of Northern Liao, corpses are neither buried nor cremated. Instead, they are handed over to the jurisdiction of Eternal Heaven as taxes.'

'The more people died in a household, the more taxes they paid. This is called a sky burial, and the Royal Court even provides subsidies for it. This way, the common people not only save on funeral expenses but also earn a windfall. As such, it is considered a benevolent policy that benefits the nation and its people, cherished by everyone on the grasslands...'

Wang Ping was left dumbfounded.

They say that only death and taxes are inevitable. Well, now even death couldn't avoid taxes. This Immortal Gate was definitely a demonic sect!

'The corpses collected as taxes must be the materials used to create the Immortal Gate's strongmen.'

'But my predecessor was a little different. He proactively joined the Immortal Gate while still alive, begging only for a second chance to have his spiritual root tested so he could embark on the path of cultivation.'

'It seems he already took the test once. He only tested positive for the Desire Realm Celestial Body, but had no spiritual root. Thus, he couldn't join the Immortal Gate. Unwilling to accept this, he stubbornly believed the test was wrong and wanted to be tested again. And the Immortal Gate was actually merciful enough to let him in for a second try?'

Wang Ping was a little surprised, but he quickly realized the truth:

'Right, corpses are judged by their quality, which mainly depends on how heavy their resentment was right before death. A corpse that died naturally of old age can't compare to one that suffered a tragic, violent death.'

'My predecessor was already deeply dissatisfied. If he took the test again and got the same result, his despair would absolutely cause his resentment to skyrocket.'

From this perspective, the Immortal Gate wasn't being merciful by giving him a second chance. They were just trying to improve the quality of his corpse.

No wonder they just said his predecessor's value as human livestock was incredibly high.

That explained everything!

'Even my predecessor probably understood this logic, but he clung to a fluke of hope and couldn't let go of his obsession... Sigh, cultivating immortality is harder than ascending to the blue heavens.'

Seeing this, Wang Ping's heart tightened.

Because in his predecessor's memory, a term was mentioned that he couldn't ignore: spiritual root. A mortal body absolutely had to possess a spiritual root to cultivate immortality.

'Is that true?'

'The Other-Transformation Freedom Control Desire Realm Celestial Manual never mentioned this at all. Is it because the cultivation method's scriptures are incomplete, and it just assumes the practitioner already has a spiritual root?'

At that thought, Wang Ping felt his scalp tingle.

There was one fact he simply couldn't ignore: every time he resurrected, even though he took on the identity of a predecessor, their physical conditions were actually identical to his own.

In other words:

'If my predecessor doesn't have a spiritual root, it's highly likely I don't either?!'

Just then, a pleasant fragrance suddenly drifted over. He felt the bindings on his body being untied as a charming voice echoed in his ears.

"Wake up."

Hearing this, Wang Ping hurriedly cast aside his stray thoughts and slowly opened his eyes.

Immediately after, Daoist Nun You's familiar face entered his vision. Compared to the last time, however, she seemed quite a bit more haggard.

"Where is..."

Wang Ping feigned confusion. After acting dazed for a moment, he immediately said, "My second test! The Immortals promised they'd let me test one more time!"

His manic obsession was played to perfection.

Seeing him like this, Daoist Nun You didn't mind. She smiled and said, "Relax. Since I brought you here, I will naturally give you that second chance."

After saying that, she pointed around the room.

Only then did Wang Ping notice that he was in a grand hall. In the seat of honor sat a shrine, and inside that shrine was a divine statue.

The statue's appearance was incredibly unique. It lacked the solemn dignity found in secular temples and didn't even have a clear face. It depicted a Daoist figure standing sideways, robes fluttering. The face was slightly tilted away, its features obscured and veiled in a wisp of blue smoke rising from the shrine's incense burner.

It seemed to be in a constant state of flux, yet simultaneously felt like something eternal and unchanging.

It simply looked down equally upon everyone. Even more bizarrely, no matter what angle one looked from, they could only see its profile.

It was profound and mystical, beyond ordinary comprehension.

"This is the Heavenly Venerable Hall."

Daoist Nun You took the initiative to explain, "The Immortal Gate was founded by the Heavenly Venerable. Every single one of us disciples, regardless of our cultivation level, is a successor of the Heavenly Venerable without exception."

"Therefore, under the gaze of the Heavenly Venerable's statue, no spiritual root can hide. The accuracy of this test is far higher than those methods used outside... After all, it's undeniable that aside from defective spiritual roots and true spiritual roots, there are indeed some variant spiritual roots in the world that are difficult to detect."

Hearing this, Wang Ping's heart immediately stirred.

His predecessor had known about both defective spiritual roots and true spiritual roots. Defective spiritual roots were incomplete; although one could still cultivate with them, there was no hope of reaching the Great Dao.

True spiritual roots were the ones that could genuinely allow a person to cultivate immortality and achieve long life.

But now, Daoist Nun You had presented a third type: the variant spiritual root. As the name implied, it was completely different from other spiritual roots, making it difficult to detect through ordinary means.

This reignited the fire of hope in Wang Ping's heart.

After all, if given the chance, who the fuck wouldn't want to cultivate immortality? Compared to crude martial artists, cultivators who could live long and see the world were undoubtedly an overwhelming, higher-dimensional force!

"However, don't get your hopes up too high."

A second later, Daoist Nun You's faint voice drifted over. "Although variant spiritual roots are hard to detect, the mortals who possess them are one in ten thousand."

'Maybe I'm exactly that kind of person?'

Wang Ping took a deep breath and sat down full of anticipation in front of the shrine. Rousing his energy, he said softly, "Thank you for the guidance, Immortal. Please administer the test for me."

Daoist Nun You nodded. "Very well."

As her voice fell, she formed a hand seal. The shrine inside the hall instantly glowed with a halo of light, and the divine statue within shifted slightly, as if glancing over from the side.

Seeing this, Wang Ping subconsciously held his breath.

However, nothing happened.

Watching the statue's light dim and lose its former mystique, Wang Ping's mood plummeted to rock bottom. Then, Daoist Nun You's voice rang out once more:

"It seems you are not."

With that, she tossed a jade slip into Wang Ping's lap and said flatly, "This is the cultivation method practiced by handyman disciples. Take it back and practice it."

"My attendant boy used to practice this method as well. There are still some resources left behind by him in the Daoist temple that can help you improve quickly. If you're lucky and manage to practice this method to its absolute peak, you might be able to cultivate a defective spiritual root. Though the Great Dao will remain out of reach, it is more than enough to prolong your life."

Having said her piece, Daoist Nun You simply turned and walked away.

Wang Ping: "..."

Thinking about it carefully, cultivating immortality wasn't actually that great. Although one could live forever, half of that life would be spent sitting in secluded meditation. It was no different from being a withered skeleton in a tomb.

How could that compare to the freedom and exhilaration of the martial dao?

'I don't even care!'