Free Web NovelChapter 280: Chapter 278: Becoming an Immortal
Bai Zhou led Mo Ling to a clean room and invited him to sit down. Then, he took out some tea leaves and started brewing tea with freshly boiled water.
The tea leaves were incredibly fragrant. The moment the hot water submerged them, a fresh, almost ethereal aroma filled the air.
"It’s hard to grow other crops on this island, but the tea we cultivate is quite special. The fragrance is exceptionally rich..." Bai Zhou explained to Mo Ling, seemingly lost in his own world.
Mo Ling responded softly, though his head was currently a Block, making it impossible for him to drink the tea. He could only silently watch the hazy, drifting steam.
"Why do you seem so much more reserved?" Bai Zhou asked, puzzled.
After a moment of silence, Mo Ling found a suitable reply. "It’s been a long time since I’ve been this relaxed."
"Ah, I get it. The Abyss is too dangerous; you always have to be on edge. When you finally get a rare chance to relax, you really should just empty your mind."
Bai Zhou started complaining to Mo Ling again.
"When we first arrived, we had no idea the things in the sea were so dangerous. We went through hell just to escape to this island."
"Thankfully, everyone became an immortal. Otherwise, many more would have died..."
’Becoming an immortal...’
Mo Ling’s heart skipped a beat.
"How did you all become immortals?"
"You’re curious too, aren’t you?" Bai Zhou’s eyes lit up as he looked at Mo Ling. "I’m about to teach a class for the Chali Race in a little while. Want to come and listen in?"
"Okay..."
After some more pleasantries, Bai Zhou led Mo Ling to the front of a wooden house.
The wooden house was identical to the one Mo Ling had seen in the mountains of Fishman Island. Every detail was the same. Apart from the different surroundings, it was as if the house had been forcibly ripped from its original location and moved here.
"Not bad, right? Come on in." Bai Zhou urged Mo Ling, heading inside.
The interior layout was also exactly as Mo Ling remembered, except this time, the small tables were filled with people.
There were members of the Chali Race and young human children. Seeing a stranger like Mo Ling, they all looked over curiously.
"This is Teacher’s friend. He’s here to observe today, so you all need to be on your best behavior."
"We will!" the students replied in unison. The Chali Race members also began waving their roots in welcome.
"Have a seat." Bai Zhou guided Mo Ling to a spot at the long table, then took his own seat beside it.
The Chali Race students voluntarily connected everyone with their roots. Bai Zhou began to organize the items on his table, and the human children stopped fooling around, sitting properly at their small tables.
’Looks like the class is about to begin...’
"Today, we’ll continue our lesson on how to become an immortal. Do you all remember what we covered last class?"
"We remember!"
"Then you answer this: what is an immortal?" Bai Zhou asked, pointing to a particularly energetic member of the Chali Race below.
The Chali’s voice traveled through the network of roots.
"Someone who ascends to the sky!"
"What else?"
"And... I forgot." The Chali’s roots suddenly drooped.
"I explained so many meanings of ’immortal’ last class, and you only remember that one?" Bai Zhou asked with a wry smile.
"I remember the others, I just forgot them for a moment," the Chali student argued.
"Never mind. Whichever one you remember is the one for you. The fact that you forgot all the others and only remembered this one means this explanation left the deepest impression on you. As long as you hold onto the immortal in your heart and don’t change, that’s all that matters."
Hearing that Bai Zhou wasn’t criticizing him, the Chali perked up again.
"Yes, Teacher!"
Bai Zhou sighed and continued the lesson.
"Last class, I explained many definitions of ’immortal.’ Those are all just the experiences and conclusions of our predecessors. The immortal in each person’s heart is different."
"Some people believe in becoming their own immortal, while others believe in becoming an immortal for others. There is no right or wrong in this."
"Our emperor at the time, in his quest to rule the empire forever, believed that being an immortal meant achieving eternal life."
"Someone who wants to save the world, to bring the dead back to life and mend broken bones, would see an immortal as a Medical Immortal. Someone who desires immense power, enough to move mountains and overturn seas, would see an immortal as having boundless Mana..."
Just as Bai Zhou was earnestly explaining, one of the young children below raised a hand.
"Teacher! What do you think an immortal is?"
"Me?"
Bai Zhou was suddenly stunned.
Under the curious gazes of his students, Bai Zhou fell silent for a long time. He looked at them, his mouth slightly open, but no words came out.
"The immortal I believe in..."
He repeated the student’s question, but it was as if he was suddenly tongue-tied, unable to speak.
After a long while, he averted his gaze as if dodging the question and looked down at the long table.
"For this class, I will continue to teach you how to become an immortal."
He had completely skipped the student’s question and returned to the lesson’s main topic.
"Becoming an immortal is the pursuit of the immortal that you have defined in your own heart."
"If you want to ascend to the sky, you find a way to ascend to the sky. If you want eternal life, you find the method to achieve it."
"Becoming an immortal is a process, not a result. The immortal is the goal itself."
"Why did I teach you what an immortal is last class?"
"Because you must first know what an immortal is before you can know how to become one. Since the immortal in everyone’s heart is different, the method of becoming one is naturally different as well."
Bai Zhou looked again at the Chali he had questioned first.
"Say it again, what is an immortal?"
"Someone who ascends to the sky..."
"Good. Now, think about it. How can you ascend to the sky?"
The Chali student thought for a moment, then answered, "Get grabbed by a canyon hawk, get bitten by a bubble fish, eat a jet fruit, use a relic..."
"Mm," Bai Zhou nodded. "Now think, if you get grabbed by a canyon hawk, will you still be alive?"
"No."
"So you can eliminate one method of becoming an immortal."
Bai Zhou’s fingers tapped lightly on the long table.
"If one path is blocked, you try another. Keep trying. If there are no more paths, you go and find one. You continue until you achieve your goal and become the immortal you’ve defined for yourself. Understand?"
"I understand, Teacher! I’ll go look for a bubble fish after class!"
Hearing this, Bai Zhou’s expression immediately darkened.
"If you get bitten by a bubble fish, don’t even think about coming to class until the bubble disappears!"
"Before you put it into practice, you must first think about whether the path is viable, not just try things randomly. I can’t think through these things for every single one of you. You have to figure it out for yourself," Bai Zhou said helplessly.
The Chali realized his mistake and nodded weakly.
Bai Zhou then questioned the other students, guiding them step-by-step to grasp the method of "becoming an immortal."
"I am only providing a starting point. If you want to become immortals, you have to work for it yourselves. Only you truly know what kind of immortal resides in your heart; no one else will ever know."
"During the process of becoming an immortal, you must constantly re-evaluate whether the immortal in your heart has changed or deviated. Only by doing so can you stay firm in your direction and become a true immortal!"
"That’s all for today’s class..."
"Class dismissed!"
