Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation

“That is to say, you misunderstood her?” Ao Jiao smiled. Then she took in that one sentence and suddenly reacted, exclaiming, “That’s impossible! How could you have only ten years left to live? By breaking through to quasi-Emperor, your lifespan would extend to a thousand years.”

Xiao Chen thought for a while before replying, “Lifespan can be split into two types. One is natural lifespan, and the other is physiological lifespan.

“Natural lifespan is easy to understand. An ordinary person’s natural lifespan is about seventy to eighty years. For cultivators, by making continuous breakthroughs, natural lifespan would continuously increase.

“Physiological lifespan is the lifespan of the physical body. Normally speaking, the two are synchronized. However, there are exceptions that can cause natural lifespan to far surpass physiological lifespan, which results in a twenty-year-old person having a body like that of a seventy- or eighty-year-old person.

“The Lunar Palace’s Holy Daughter should be referring to my physiological lifespan.”

Ao Jiao found this unbelievable. She asked doubtfully, “What exactly did you see when you took the Holy Daughter’s pulse that made you change your mind like that?”

When Xiao Chen recalled that scene, his mind filled with shock once more.

After a long time, he replied, “Her physiological age is like that of a baby. If nothing unexpected happens, she should remain the same for the next ten years.”

“How can that be? She looks like she is at least twenty.”

Xiao Chen found it hard to believe too. However, that aura could not be wrong.

The chapter on Alchemy in the Compendium of Cultivation touched slightly on medical skills. The diagnostic skills recorded in it could not be wrong.

That was also why Xiao Chen no longer took the Lunar Palace’s Holy Daughter’s words as nonsense.

After he calmed down and gave the matter further thought, he concluded that since the other party did not know him, speaking such nonsense would not benefit her.

Then, he used this diagnostic method to check his physiological lifespan. While he looked strong, the physiological lifespan of his peak Rank 4 Sage Body indeed only had less than ten years left.

Xiao Chen had never considered this problem in the past. In the chapter on Alchemy in the Compendium of Cultivation, there was only a brief introduction. All along, he never paid any attention to it.

Ao Jiao said in understanding, “I think I roughly see where the problem is. It is in your physical body cultivation. You endured all sorts of pain, tempering the body over and over again. However, while your physical body advanced rapidly, you did not pay any attention to nourishing it.”

Indeed, Xiao Chen’s physical body cultivation was somewhat horrifying. At such a young age, he already attained a peak Rank 4 Sage Body.

He started tempering his body in the Heavenly Saber Pavilion, using the Dragon and Tiger Body Sculpting Art. If he calculated from there, it was not even ten years.

However, within these ten years, he had not nourished his body with natural treasures and Spirit Cores to supplement it.

This was the result of Xiao Chen not having a true master on his path of cultivation.

Ao Jiao possessed rich experience. However, the Thunder Emperor had not tempered his physical body, so she did not know much of this aspect and could not provide Xiao Chen with much help.

When Xiao Chen first advanced to Martial Monarch, he had refined his Quintessence twice for every grade, resulting in his body suffering from endless pain.

That path established the purity of his Quintessence. After turning it into Heavenly Sage Laws, the density far surpassed that of his contemporaries.

However, doing so definitely inflicted a lot of harm on his body, although he had thought at that time that he just needed to endure it and he would be fine.

Going back further, Xiao Chen once recklessly used the Strength Character Formula in the lower realm. Thirty-threefold combat prowess was heaven-defying. As an Inferior Grade Martial Monarch, he had forced back a Martial Sage.

Perhaps it was at that time the hidden damage was sowed.

Furthermore, when considering the present, the Myriad Heaven Divine Fist’s Deities Descending multiplied his strength by ten times. Xiao Chen kept using this without fear. This probably took its toll on his physiological lifespan.

Tenfold combat prowess and thirty-threefold combat prowess, such heaven-defying things should have a corresponding price.

Suddenly, Xiao Chen recalled a similarly heaven-defying martial arts expert in the Earth of his previous life who became unparalleled at a young age, gaining fame.

However, this person also died mysteriously at a young age. There had been rumors that his death was due to excessive, cruel training and practice.

The two were silent. After a while, Xiao Chen’s emotions recovered. He smiled and said, “That’s fine. It is not too late to realize it now. I know at least two methods to resolve this.”

“Which two methods?”

“Naturally, the first is the Lunar Palace’s Longevity Art. Unfortunately, that is the Lunar Palace’s divine canon. Outsiders can view only three chapters at most and would not be able to see the entire thing.”

Hence, there was no need to consider the first method. How could the sect’s divine canon be lent to others? Snatching it was even more improbable. The Lunar Palace was rife with experts; one might as well try to marry the Holy Daughter.

“As for the second method, I do not need to rely on others. It is my own Azure Dragon Body Nourishing Art. Now that I think about it, I understand why this body tempering Cultivation Technique is called body nourishing art rather than body tempering art. Tempering the body is simply part of nourishing the body!”

When Ao Jiao heard this, she smiled. “Darn you! It turns out that you already thought of a method to resolve this. You scared me.”

Xiao Chen smiled helplessly in his heart. Although he said that, the exhaustion of his physiological lifespan had already reached a practically irreversible level.

Even if the Azure Dragon Body Nourishing Art could help, realizing now might be too late. He was not feeling very confident.

However, he did not want to worry Ao Jiao too much, so he purposely said it in such a way. The most reliable method was still the Lunar Palace’s Longevity Art.

At this moment, a sonic boom came from behind. Xiao Chen frowned and turned to look.

He saw a stout and rather swarthy man giving off a stifling air, quickly flying over.

This person did not release any killing Qi or have any killing intent in his eyes. Instead, he had a strange expression.

What kind of expression was it? It was one of worship and adoration.

Xiao Chen felt suspicious. However, he only raised his guard and let the other party approach.

The swarthy figure boldly came to a standstill, chortling, “Haha! Brother, you are extraordinarily fast. If you had not stopped at this island, I would not be able to catch up.”

Xiao Chen laughed to himself, This person is really direct. I just don’t know why he followed me all the way here.

Just as Xiao Chen thought that, this person said extremely seriously, “Brother, I think really highly of you. Come with me and kidnap the Lunar Palace’s Holy Daughter!”

Xiao Chen really could not help but want to laugh. This person was already no longer in the realm of straightforward.

If not for this person being much stronger than those Sun Palace elite disciples, Xiao Chen would have thought that he had run into a lunatic.

Was the Lunar Palace’s Holy Daughter someone that could be casually kidnapped? Not to mention that Xiao Chen sensed a Great Perfection quasi-Emperor expert by the Holy Daughter’s side.

Even if one succeeded with the kidnapping, given the Lunar Palace’s reputation, if they issued a call for action, one would no longer be able to remain anywhere in the Heavenly Starry Ocean.

Furthermore, Lunar Palace disciples all possessed secret arts for protecting themselves. Kidnapping such a person had no benefits whatsoever.

After thinking about it, Xiao Chen still replied with a smile, “Brother, thank you for thinking so highly of me. However, I do not have such ambition. Furthermore, I still have important things to do. You can only look for others for such a big matter.”

The stout, swarthy man revealed an expression of great regret. He said, “That is too unfortunate. Brother easily accomplished something that many people of both righteous and evil factions wanted to do. It is too unfortunate that you won’t join us.”

The stout man did not give up. He continued to try and persuade Xiao Chen to accomplish this great matter with him.

Seeing Xiao Chen remain firm, he smiled helplessly and said, “Since Brother has things to do, I will not push any further. However, I can tell with one glance that we are people with similar interests. Tell me your name. In the future, when you have time, come to the Black Sea. I, Ba Tu, will definitely play a good host.”

The Black Sea…Xiao Chen felt interested. That was the place with the richest resources in the entire oceanic world. It was precisely because of the Black Sea that the many factions of the Heavenly Starry Ocean did not care for the resources of the Starry Heavens.

To them, the resources of the Black Sea were like inexhaustible treasures. There was simply no need to waste time in the Starry Heavens.

However, the Black Sea was also filled with bandits and powerful loose cultivators.

This Ba Tu before Xiao Chen did not look like a loose cultivator; he did not give off the baleful aura of loose cultivators. He should be the descendant of some famous bandit.

Xiao Chen was willing to befriend such a person. He smiled and said, “I am Mo Yun. I hope to meet you again in the future.”

For a long time, Mo Yun would be the alias Xiao Chen used as he traveled the Heavenly Starry Ocean.

Ba Tu kept watching as Xiao Chen flew towards the Ten Thousand Treasure Sea Market until his figure disappeared. Only then did he turn his head back. Like before, a look of regret remained on his face.

---

A sea market, a market built on the sea, referred to a kind of cultivator’s market that existed only in an oceanic world.

There were all sorts of sea markets in the Southern Sea. However, the most famous one was none other than the Ten Thousand Treasure Sea Market.

Xiao Chen walked on the water, following the map. In the vast sea, his white robes and folding fan did not look remarkable at all.

As he neared the Ten Thousand Treasure Sea Market, he started to see more cultivators.

These cultivators traveled in groups of twos or threes. The main topic of discussion was the approaching Ten Thousand Treasure Festival.

There would be not only auctions of every level but also specialized auctions like Secret Treasure auctions, Medicinal Pill auctions, Spirit Weapon auctions, and many others.

Aside from these, there would be various appraisal events as well. If one had good eyes, one might be able to gain an unexpectedly pleasant surprise.

Held every two years, the Ten Thousand Treasure Festival was a major event in the Southern Sea. Many cultivators would make a special trip there to attend.

Xiao Chen did not travel very fast. He only caught sight of the characteristic buildings of the Ten Thousand Treasure Sea Market after half a month.

A monumental sculpture stood tall in the vast sea. Half of its body stuck out of the water, tens of kilometers tall.

The attire of the statue was that of an Immortal Cultivator during the Immortal Epoch. It wore Buddhist robes, and four free and unfettered scarfs drifted above its head.

This figure had its left hand extended to the sky and shaped two fingers of its right hand into a sword. It stared into the distance, piercing through space and the barrier of the sky, looking at the distant Starry Heavens. The impression it gave was of a live person performing some kind of Buddhist art who had been enlarged multiple times and suddenly petrified, frozen in the long river of time and trapped for life.

A vague silhouette of such a scene was apparent only from a distance. When one was too close, it would not be clear because of the sculpture’s vastness.

The entire Ten Thousand Treasure Sea Market surrounded the statue, made up of more than a thousand islands of various sizes.

The core island was the palm held upraised to the sky, which had a city. The highest-level auctions would all be held there.

Many merchant ships filled the place. The banners of thousands of merchant associations flapped in the wind. Bustling, vast, noisy, and exciting—this was the Ten Thousand Treasure Sea Market.