Chapter 168 — The Old Men

"The Mystic Body Three-Elixir Art is the Essence-Drawing Art that can be found anywhere, true, but there really is something to it. Only, those who can cultivate this art to Shen'er's level are exceedingly few — one might well say Shen'er is the only one."

The Headman said gravely: "At the very least, I've never seen another. I suspect this art is from before the Wasteland became a wasteland. It should be no poor art; somehow it was passed down and became the most ordinary Essence-Drawing Art. But I can't be certain. Who could have imagined that this art would one day be cultivated to completion by someone?"

The young Patriarch's eyes flickered: "Perhaps one might say that before the Wasteland became a wasteland, ordinary people could still cultivate, and this Mystic Body Three-Elixir Art was the method by which ordinary people of that time cultivated. But because of some great upheaval, ordinary people lost the ability to cultivate, and the Four Great Spirit Bodies appeared after that, becoming the mainstream of today."

Master Dan's heart stirred: "If ordinary people cannot cultivate, how was Shen'er able to? It won't do to say it was merely that he worked a hundred times harder than others — there must be people in this world who work harder than he does. Nor will it do to say it was merely that he consumed a hundred times the resources of other ordinary people — there may be those willing to spend such vast resources to awaken a mortal body. So he must have something that sets him apart from ordinary people."

The Headman's heart skipped: "Perhaps he is an ordinary man from before the Wasteland became a wasteland."

The three exchanged a look, each agreeing with the thought. The young Patriarch said: "Then this ordinary man from before the cataclysm — where did he come from?"

The Headman and Master Dan said in unison: "Carefree Township!" The two looked at each other, both somewhat shaken.

Only Elder Protector's mind did not turn as fast as theirs; lost in the clouds, he could not get a word in.

"I feel like my thinking can't keep up with them..." Elder Protector had a natural sense of being excluded.

"Carefree Township?"

The young Patriarch's heart stirred: "May I ask where this Carefree Township is?"

The Headman smiled slightly: "I don't know. But if you're interested, daoist friend, tonight we can leave the village and go look for it."

"Leave the village?"

The young Patriarch turned his head and looked at the vast, boundless Wasteland, and suddenly felt a pang of alarm, and also of anticipation.

He had come to the right place.

He thought to himself.

It had been a long time since he'd felt this surging excitement. The old scoundrels of Hidden Remnant Village had given him back the adventure and impulse of his youth.

Two old men with one foot already in the coffin, plus one more old man, plus a half-aged Master Dan, setting off together to brave the depths of the unfathomable Wasteland — and to brave it in the darkness. The very thought of it was exhilarating.

On Mount Sacred Advent, Shen Mu instructed: "Ling'er, though this mountain is the holy ground of our Heavenly Holy Sect, this is my first time here as well, and I don't know what other dangers this place holds. Don't go running about. Once I've mastered the transmission method on this wall, I'll take you out of here."

Xue Hu'er answered and turned and ran out of the palace hall.

Shen Mu sat down before the wall and studied the transmission method on it carefully.

The transmission method on this wall was a way of refining a treasure; the various runes, formations, and divine powers in it could not be used separately. Only by refining them into a treasure could the effect of transmission be activated.

This was the principle behind the transmission banners and transmission garments refined by many of the Nether Demon Sect's high-ranking members.

A transmission banner, once unfurled, could carry away everything the banner covered, and could carry many people. A transmission garment, covering the body, could carry oneself away.

Shen Mu carefully pondered the mysteries of the transmission method. After a day's time, he had at last comprehended the transmission method on the wall thoroughly, and his mind began to turn over calculations.

The Nether Demon Sect's transmission method relied on runes to activate formations, and formations to drive divine powers. Because it was too complex, it was very hard to deploy the divine power directly, which meant it had to be refined into a treasure before transmission could be carried out.

If the divine power could be deployed directly, it too could produce a transmission effect, and it would surely be more nimble than treasures like transmission banners and transmission garments.

Moreover, after pondering so long, Shen Mu had discovered that this transmission method actually required superb calculative skill — the higher one's attainment in the arts of calculation, the faster one could master the transmission divine power.

"I need more advanced texts on the arts of calculation!"