Volcanic Age

"Hup!" Zhou Xuchuan exclaimed.

Pow!

BOOM!

It was a punch without qi. Staring at the fist-sized hole in the boulder before his eyes, he was convinced that his physical prowess had improved along with his fleshly body.

After focusing on the Iron Shirt technique, he reached the fifth stage of it relatively quickly. Zhou Xuchuan was also grateful for the corrective effect of his Bodily Transformation.

He had also reached the fifth stage of the Ten-Thousand Jin Sword. Due to the unique quirk of the Ten Thousand Convergence Art, he couldn't improve the sword art any further than the fifth stage, but it was still a satisfactory result nonetheless.

He also reached the eighth stage of the Hundred Divine Transformations.

Zhou Xuchuan ended yet another rewarding day of training and thought about returning to his residence to prepare dinner for his master. Before he could make his way back home, he received a message stating that the Sect Master was looking for him.

Thus, he made a detour and visited the Violet Haze Pavilion first.

"Huh-uh! So you've improved again, and in such a short period of time at that!" You Riwen exclaimed while scanning Zhou Xuchuan.

"Are you sure, Sect Master?!" Xue Song gasped out in shock.

It was already unbelievable for a young man barely in his twenties to be a Harmony Realm expert, but for him to improve even further… Could Zhou Xuchuan be an actual monster?

Zhou Xuchuan politely replied, "Compared to you, I'm still a long way off, Sect Master. I'm merely a little bit ahead of other Harmony Realm experts."

Of course, you can't compare to him! Xue Song exclaimed in disbelief inwardly.

Just who was the Sect Master? Wasn't he an absolute powerhouse revered as one of the Ten Empyrean Overlords? From the get-go, he wasn't someone a young brat like Zhou Xuchuan could compare himself to.

"The divine medicine that this brat had picked up when he was a little kid must've been something otherworldly, alright," said Ling Zhen, grimacing and tutting away.

"Elder Ling, please don't forget that one's diligent effort plays a major role, too," Shen Yulian chimed in, correcting Ling Zhen's words.

What's going on here?

It wasn't just the Sect Master; the Five High Elders of Mount Hua were present, too.

Zhou Xuchuan couldn't help but grow curious. He then noticed that, including the Swordsmen Initiates, several Plum Blossom Swordsmen were not present. Wei Zhijie was absent as well, as he was currently in closed-door training.

Zhou Xuchuan's curiosity was resolved by You Riwen.

"It seems you'll have to return to the gangho soon, Xuchuan."

"To the gangho, sir?"

"The head of the Martial Alliance—ho, the Benevolence Clinic has requested your help specifically."

The Benevolence Clinic had no direct connection to Mount Hua, so it had to go through the Martial Alliance for this request.

"Sect Master, what do you mean by 'request'?"

"What you're about to hear is strictly for the ears of the parties involved, and it must not leave this room. Remember that," said You Riwen.

Zhou Xuchuan cautiously asked, "Even from my master, sir?"

"I'm moved by how devoted you are to your master, but no, you can't discuss it with Liu Zhengmu. He is trustworthy, yes, but the Benevolence Clinic wishes for the utmost secrecy in this matter. I hope you understand, Xuchuan." R̃

"Understood, sir."

What could possibly be going on here that required this level of secrecy?

"…The Divine Physician has gone missing?" Zhou Xuchuan frowned deeply.

Urgh. As expected, the events are going in a different way from the future I'm familiar with.

During the previous timeline, the Divine Physician had never left the Central Plains. Actually, it'd be more accurate to say that he couldn't leave. Conflicts, including the Seven Swords War, had forced him to behave himself and stay put.

Not too long afterward, the Divine Physician and the members of the clinic would meet their end at the hands of the Dark Heavens Association's latest recruit, the Sword Demon Wu Qu.

Things certainly had veered quite off course from the original fate.

"There can't be that many experts boasting the Thousand Poison Immunity like you, Xuchuan. No, I'm almost sure that you're the only one," said Ling Zhen, rubbing his beard.

I see now. I'm the perfect person for this job. Is that it?

Zhou Xuchuan finally figured out why he had been specifically requested by the Benevolence Clinic. No one was more suitable for the search mission than him, as the search location was the Southern Jungles.

"Child, I'm not sure what you'll make of this, but…"

Zhou Xuchuan abruptly replied, "I'll do it, everyone."

"…Huh?"

Xue Song was about to unleash his silver tongue to convince Zhou Xuchuan, but he was forced to stare at the latter in flabbergast. The others were also surprised by Zhou Xuchuan's prompt reply.

"This era needs the Divine Physician's expertise. Since that's the case, I must go," said Zhou Xuchuan.

That's right, we need him.

The Divine Physician was an eccentric individual, but he was no villain. If he had been around during the Era of War and Chaos, many heroes would have been saved from avoidable deaths.

The Benevolence Clinic was like an extension of the Divine Physician, so rescuing him would be the same as having access to countless medicines and talented physicians.

This mission would definitely not be a loss for him.

"Now I feel like a fool for worrying about how to convince him," said Shen Yulian in a slightly dismayed tone of voice.

From the perspective of Mount Hua, it didn't seem like a bad deal. The Benevolence Clinic was ranked number one among the Central Plains' clinics, wasn't it? Making such a place indebted to Mount Hua wouldn't hurt the sect at all.

More importantly, they also had to consider what it meant to rescue the Divine Physician—the head of the Benevolence Clinic. All in all, it sounded like a good deal.

Even if the Divine Physician had already passed on, Mount Hua still stood to gain substantial compensation for bringing his body or his personal articles back home.

Zhou Xuchuan asked, "Will I be going alone, sir?"

"Of course not," said the Destiny Hand, Zhao Wuyang, while making a slightly dismayed face. "Even if it's you, searching that gigantic ocean of trees by yourself will be impossible. The Tang Family will assist in the search, too."

Ah. Elder Zhao is here, too.

Zhao Wuyang was the only elder of Mount Hua with whom Zhou Xuchuan wasn't on friendly terms. The bad blood between them ran so deep that Zhou Xuchuan almost accidentally blurted out, "You were here, Elder?"

"The Diancang Sect will help as well," said You Riwen, looking slightly more at ease.

"I see. A guide, is it…"

The Southern Jungles were just a little further south from Yunnan. The Diancang Sect was based in Yunnan and had been interacting with the people of the Southern Jungles for a long time now.

That wasn't all. In the past, the Diancang Sect fought the hardest when the Southern Jungles invaded the Central Plain.

Zhou Xuchuan heard that the Diancang Sect had taken on the role of guiding and protecting the Divine Physician. Regretfully, though, their people also went missing at the same time.

I sometimes feel this, but… Is he really a young man who just entered his twenties?

Xue Song was about to explain further, only to stop and smack his lips. It felt like Zhou Xuchuan would see through what he and the other elders would say to him.

"Understood. I, Zhou Xuchuan, a proud fourth-generation member of Mount Hua, will head back to the gangho to carry out this mission. Are there any other circumstances I should be wary of?"

"No, none! There is nothing like that!"

Ling Zhen hurriedly waved his hand as if he had had enough of this exchange.

"Then, I'll return to my quarters now. Please excuse me."

Zhou Xuchuan politely bade goodbye to his elders and left the Violet Haze Pavilion.

"Huh. Well, I'll be damned."

"Indeed. Now I'm wondering why we were so worried about convincing him earlier."

***

In the middle of the third month of the year, the journey to the Southern Jungles was finally decided.

"Master, your disciple is heading out now."

Zhou Xuchuan managed to barely hold himself back from revealing the truth about his journey to the Southern Jungles to his master, Liu Zhengmu, as he respectfully performed nine kowtows.

Liu Zhengmu felt a bit embarrassed by his disciple's devotion, but he couldn't deny that he felt extremely proud as well.

"Very well. Have a safe trip, Xuchuan. I'll speak to your fellow disciple brothers and sisters in your stead later."

It had already been three months and two weeks since Zhou Xuchuan's return to Mount Hua, but Luo Xiaoyue and others had yet to emerge from their closed-door training.

Zhou Xuchuan found it regretful, but he still left the sect while promising himself to meet up with them later.

Since he wanted to avoid attracting unwanted attention, he headed stealthily to the nearby village before sunrise to join up with Little Ghost. It had been a while since he last saw her.

"It's been a while, but you still haven't grown up, Little Ghost," Zhou Xuchuan remarked.

Children were supposed to grow up fast to the extent that it'd be hard to recognize them in no time. Even more so if the child was a girl. For some unfathomable reason, though, Little Ghost hadn't gotten taller, piquing Zhou Xuchuan's curiosity.

Little Ghost emotionlessly replied, "It's one of the quirks of the Phantom Art, sir."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Zhou Xuchuan's brows shot up at the brand-new information.

"The Divine Phantom Art is based on the Great Tortoise Breath Technique, and the biological clock of its cultivators will flow slower than everyone else's, sir."

In other words, the deeper one's mastery over the Phantom Art, the further away they'd become from the confines of "humanity."

Just like the assassins' Great Tortoise Breath Technique, the heartbeat of the cultivator of the Phantom Art would slow down to a crawl as if their heart had stopped beating altogether. It was the same story for their breathing.

Even their blood circulation would resemble a corpse's. Since that was the case, it wasn't strange to compare the effects of the cultivation art to the biological clock ticking much slower than normal.

If an ordinary person were to cultivate the art, they'd experience various physical problems and suffer a premature death. However, the Phantom Art ensured that cultivators wouldn't have any issues with their everyday activities—no, forget issues, it even granted unique powers.

Huh. To think that it has such an effect… Slowing down the aging process was a feature all cultivation arts boasted, but it sounded like the Phantom Art was especially excellent at it.

Most people dreamed of achieving immortality, but Phantoms never really cared for nor desired such a thing. I have to admit, the Three-Eyed Godly Thief sure was an incredible individual.

The word "divine" attached to the cultivation art's name was well deserved, it seemed. That individual was indeed the world's—No, history's number one thief and assassin.

Mm? Then, how old is Little Ghost, exactly?

Just then, Zhou Xuchuan recalled that he had never asked Little Ghost about her age.

"Little Ghost, how old are you?"

"I'm seventeen, sir."

"Cough, cough! S-say what?"

Zhou Xuchuan's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. His jaw fell so much that drool threatened to trickle out of his mouth.

Since her biological clock was ticking slower than most people, he figured Little Ghost could be a little older than she appeared. Even then, she couldn't be older than fifteen, or so he thought, but she was actually seventeen!

The more I learn about the Phantoms, the more bizarre they become.

In his previous life, Zhou Xuchuan thought of the Phantoms merely as a group of mysterious assassins. Digging deeper, however, he learned that the organization was far more mysterious than he had imagined.

Starting from the inhumane method called "Mind-Kill" to the Three-Eyed Godly Thief being the first Phantom Sovereign—everything Zhou Xuchuan had learned about the organization so far had shaken him to the core.

At this point, he wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Valley of the Phantoms was the true power behind the Dark Heavens Association.

I'm so glad that I didn't make an enemy out of this organization.

Turning a tough enemy into his ally was probably the best move he had made so far!

***

The air in the southernmost point of Yunnan felt surprisingly hot, even though it was still the third month of the year. Perhaps it was because the Southern Jungles were practically just around the corner.

"To think you'd make a woman wait under the harsh sun! You're still as ill-mannered as ever!" a woman grumbled. She was wearing a conical bamboo hat meant to block out the sun. The shade from the hat veiled her face, but her gorgeous features still remained radiant.

The Mind-Qi Separator gleamed sharply as it reflected the sunlight.

"I ran here as quickly as I could from Yulin without taking a single break. Shouldn't you be a bit more welcoming? Geez, your mouth is still as foul as ever," Zhou Xuchuan retorted right back at Tang Hui instead of backing down.

"You still dare run your rude mouth against our mistress?!" Yuan Dashi growled. He was the personal guard of the Poison Phoenix.

Zhou Xuchuan casually replied, "Dashi, you're still the same as—Mm?"

The Tang Family had decided to mobilize thirty people, and there were some familiar faces in the group.

"It's great to make your acquaintance, Great Hero Zhou," said a middle-aged man facing the twilight of his years.

Zhou Xuchuan didn't know the middle-aged man, but his face seemed oddly familiar. In other words, he had to have seen the man somewhere before.

"My name is Tang Lian."

"Ah!" Zhou Xuchuan exclaimed. He finally remembered the man upon hearing that name. Some time ago, he paid the Tang Family a visit to ask for Tang Hui's assistance.

It was when the Tang Family had just opened their business. Tang Lian was a Tang Family Elder tasked with managing the business under the family patriarch—Tang Youqi's supervision.

"This junior greets the Tang Family Elder. My name is Zhou Xuchuan, a fourth-generation member of the Mount Hua Sect."

Zhou Xuchuan finally remembered Tang Lian, and he greeted the older man politely.

"Everyone in Murim is familiar with you, Great Hero Zhou. There's no need to introduce yourself so politely. It's been a while, though." Tang Lian nodded in satisfaction while standing tall with his hands behind his back.

"As you can see, I've been given the task to accompany Lady Hui and the search party. I'll be in your care."

"I see. I'll be in your care as well, Elder."

As expected, the Tang Family had a plan. Otherwise, they wouldn't have dispatched such a small group to the Southern Jungles. In fact, it was surprising to learn that they had agreed to dispatch Tang Hui.

What is the Poison King thinking?

Most of the Five Great Ancient Families cared deeply about their bloodline and offspring. Especially more so if the offspring in question was a direct descendant and a top talent among the younger generation, to boot!

Even if the requester was the Benevolence Clinic, why would the Poison King make his daughter participate in the Southern Jungles-bound search party? Zhou Xuchuan couldn't quite figure it out.

Since this wasn't the first time, his puzzlement intensified. However, he dared not pry casually, as it was the private affairs of the Tang family.

"Since our preparations are complete," Tang Lian said, "Shall we depart now?"

"I heard that the Diancang Sect is going to join us. Shouldn't we wait for them?" Zhou Xuchuan asked.

"They're already in the Southern Jungles, Great Hero Zhou. They informed us that they'll go there first and look for a safe passage for us to take."

"I see. How dependable."

The Southern Jungles were an unknown land even for Zhou Xuchuan. His knowledge of the Southern Jungles came from books he read as one of the Five High Elders of Mount Hua in his previous life.

However, there was a massive difference between visiting the place and reading about it from books.

Divine Physician, I hope you're still clinging to your life.