Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

"Hm? What’s this?"

Inside the Jade Box lay a single, quiet pearl the size of a pigeon’s egg. The pearl looked like a drop of crystal-clear water, reflecting a sparkling light.

Song Changsheng picked it up between his thumb and forefinger. It was cool to the touch and felt so light it was almost weightless.

’This looks awfully familiar. Could it be... a Water-Repelling Bead?’ A flash of insight struck Song Changsheng, and the words escaped his lips.

The Water-Repelling Bead wasn’t a Magical Artifact. It was a type of Clam Bead nurtured by a Clam Demon. It had no definite tier; one simply had to hold it in their mouth upon entering water to move about freely underwater.

It was of little use to High-Tier Cultivators, but for any Cultivator below the Purple Mansion Stage, it was still quite practical. All in all, it was a decent treasure.

This was a good start. Song Changsheng immediately opened the second white Jade Box. Inside was a shriveled, brown seed. Although Song Changsheng wasn’t well-versed in the way of Spirit Plants, he could still tell that the seed’s Life Force was completely gone.

’Sigh, what a shame. A Spirit Seed that the cave residence’s owner carried with them must have been extraordinary. I’ve missed a great opportunity.’

Song Changsheng sighed in regret but saved it anyway. He planned to take it back for the Grand Elder to examine. The Grand Elder was a Tier Three Low-Grade Spirit Plant Cultivator; perhaps he would know what to do.

’Only this last one left. I hope it won’t be a disappointment.’

Song Changsheng opened the last, cinnabar-red Jade Box. With just one glance, his brow furrowed. Inside was a piece of paper about half a foot long.

Picking it up, he saw it was a meticulously cut paper figure. Simple facial features had been drawn on it with Cinnabar, giving it a comical look.

He flipped it over and saw a bright red character for "substitute" written over the spot where its heart would be.

Song Changsheng’s eyes widened in delighted surprise. "Could this be the legendary Substitute Paperman?"

The Substitute Paperman was a treasure that could only be crafted by a Puppet Master of Tier Three or higher. As its name implied, one paperman could take the place of a Cultivator in death once. The one in his hand was Tier One, usable by Qi Cultivators.

This was the kind of treasure that was hard to buy even with money. Even if he didn’t need it during the Qi Cultivation stage, giving it to a junior clan member or selling it to the clan were both excellent options.

’With this, it’s like having an extra life.’ Song Changsheng couldn’t hide his excitement. He bit the tip of his forefinger, forcing out a single, crystal-clear drop of blood.

This was essence blood, condensed from his Cultivation. By dripping this drop of blood onto the paperman and then keeping it on his person, he could activate its death-substituting effect.

As the fresh blood fell, the originally white paperman instantly turned scarlet. He pressed the paperman against his chest and immediately felt a great sense of security.

’I wonder what was in the Jade Box that Fellow Daoist Zhuang traded from me back then. It must have been extraordinary, too.’ Song Changsheng mused to himself, but he felt no regret.

After all, he had gotten the better end of the deal with Zhuang Yuechan.

At this thought, he took out the two Jade Scrolls again. He had already found the time to look through the one in his left hand. It recorded a Tier Two Artifact Refining inheritance. It and the Song Clan’s own Artifact Refining inheritance each had their own subtleties; by drawing on their respective strengths to make up for their weaknesses, he had benefited greatly.

A section on the refining method for "gourd-type" Magical Artifacts, in particular, had greatly inspired him, giving him a new plan for tempering his Treasure Gourd.

But for him, that was just the icing on the cake. The real prize was the Array inheritance recorded in the Jade Scroll in his right hand.

Back then, just a cursory glance had been enough to make him determined to trade for it, no matter the cost!

He had been injured before and also needed to consolidate his Array Dao Cultivation, so he had never properly studied it. Now, however, the time was ripe.

He pressed the Jade Scroll to his forehead. Accompanied by a faint, hazy glow, the contents recorded within the scroll surged into his Sea of Consciousness all at once.

The information came in the form of text, images, and even sounds.

It flooded into Song Changsheng’s Sea of Consciousness, eventually coalescing into the illusory figure of a young man. He was dressed in flowing white robes, a green long sword on his back, and he looked at Song Changsheng with a smile.

In his soul-state, Song Changsheng was a little dazed. He hadn’t expected these fragments of inheritance to actually form a human figure in his Sea of Consciousness.

’An illusion, or a remnant soul?’

"Successor, do not be alarmed. This is merely a little trick I left within the inheritance. It will not cause you any harm," the white-robed figure suddenly said.

"You are..."

Before Song Changsheng could finish, the figure continued on his own, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Hee Yunxuan, and I come from the Array Dao Academy."

"By the age of thirty, I had reached the level of a Tier Two Top-grade Array Master, but I hit a bottleneck. To advance further, I left the Academy and began to wander the world, eventually making my way to the Daqi Cultivation World."

"Here, I finally broke through my bottleneck and became a Tier Three Low-Grade Array Master. Just as I was preparing to return, I chanced upon a heavily injured Purple Mansion Stage demon lord."

"I fought him for three days. In the end, I managed to slay him by relying on my Arrays and some life-saving measures given to me by my elders, but I was also gravely injured in the process."

"Knowing my time was short, I established this cave residence, preparing to leave my life’s work to a fated successor..."

Hearing Hee Yunxuan’s words, Song Changsheng’s heart began to race. The man actually came from the "Array Dao Academy"—that was the Holy Land all Array Masters yearned for!

’Could the inheritance recorded in this Jade Scroll be from the Array Dao Academy?’

Song Changsheng’s gaze toward Hee Yunxuan instantly became feverish.

"However, the Academy’s techniques cannot be passed on to outsiders, so I can only leave behind some of the inheritances I acquired during my travels."

Song Changsheng’s blazing heart was instantly doused with cold water.

"However, by combining everything I learned in my life, I researched and developed a completely new path. I named it ’Array Carved on Body.’ I believe it will be quite a surprise for you."

"If you achieve success in your cultivation in the future, please make a copy and deliver it to the Array Dao Academy. Give it to a person named Guu Yiyi. This is my only wish before I die."

"Lastly, about those three Jade Tokens. I obtained them from that Purple Mansion demon lord. They seem to be related to some secrets of the Blood Demon Sect."

"Unfortunately, I was too heavily injured and had no chance to unravel this mystery. I’m leaving it to you now. It is likely quite dangerous, so don’t go throwing your life away if your Cultivation is too low."

"Well, that’s all I have to say. You can see the rest for yourself."

After speaking, Hee Yunxuan’s figure gradually faded, eventually dissolving back into the text, images, and sounds that now swirled within Song Changsheng’s Sea of Consciousness.

Song Changsheng was stunned for a moment. He didn’t know how many years ago this senior had lived, but it was only now that he had truly passed on.

He silently cupped his hands, a gesture of farewell to this senior.

After a long while, he began to study the Array inheritance left behind by Hee Yunxuan.

Although Hee Yunxuan had said this inheritance was not from the Array Dao Academy, its level of sophistication far surpassed the Song Clan’s Array inheritance, greatly inspiring him.

And within it, he found the "surprise" Hee Yunxuan had left for him—"Array Carved on Body."

...