Chronicles of the Green Vine: A Mortal’s Path to Immortality

Not knowing how long had passed, Zhang Ling slowly woke up, feeling weak all over and lying naked on the ground.

The wooden tub had also shattered into countless pieces, scattered across the floor.

As if sensing something, Zhang Ling raised his left hand, and the vine on his arm suddenly grew thicker and longer, instantly creating a large hole in the roof.

Silvery white moonlight scattered down, and the vine swayed eerily without any wind, twisting in a bizarre manner.

Zhang Ling looked at the vine, somewhat astonished, but with a thought, the vine swayed a few times and slowly shortened, returning to his left hand.

The vine's power seemed to be even stronger.

At the same time, he found that his control over the vine had weakened. Originally, after three years, he had been able to completely control this parasitic vine. But just now, sensing it, he found it somewhat difficult to control, and this vine had once again become a hidden danger.

Zhang Ling revealed an ugly smile. After retracting the vine, he began to check his body's condition. He felt a stinging pain all over his body, and his limbs were weak.

As for the changes in the Qi mass within his body, after careful consideration, he realized he had been too rash, using medicinal herbs that were too old in the medicinal bath.

After three years of cultivation, the Dragon-Tiger Bone Breaking Soup had little effect on him, so this time he had increased the age of the medicinal herbs. He had intended to use this to break through, but it had triggered the Qi mass within his body, leading to the previous changes.

Now, the meridians throughout his body were aching, and he wouldn't be able to recover in a short time. Moreover, he hadn't condensed soft force, so this breakthrough could be considered a failure.

However, sensing it, the Qi mass in his dantian was more than twice as strong as before, which was an unexpected gain.

But Zhang Ling couldn't predict whether this series of changes in his body was a blessing or a curse.

For the next month, he stayed in the residence to recuperate. As his body recovered, he discovered that the changes in his body were more than just that.

First, strangely enough, Zhang Ling found that his perception had greatly increased, and his five senses had been elevated to an incredible level. Things in his eyes became exceptionally clear, and he could observe details that he couldn't observe before.

Staring at an object for a long time, the details and textures on it were clearly visible.

This wasn't ordinary observation. Standing several feet away, he could clearly see the veins on the leaves, and even the small mosquitoes on the ground couldn't escape his eyes.

His hearing also became extremely sensitive, and countless sounds, both heard and unheard before, flooded into his ears.

For a time, he was a little unaccustomed to it. For example, when he was sleeping, he could hear the sound of mosquitoes flying in the room. And the rustling sound of rats digging holes in the next room.

His sense of smell also greatly increased, and countless scents that he couldn't feel before suddenly rushed into his nose.

In addition, with his eyes closed, he could also feel the movement within a range of ten feet around him.

Animals in his perception were like a ball of jumping light, and plants also had this kind of light, but it was much weaker.

Some tables, chairs, and other inanimate objects also had very weak light spots. In this perception, the plants and animals within a ten-foot range seemed to have their own unique aura. It was very wonderful, like suddenly having a sixth sense.

In addition to the changes in perception, his body was also much lighter than before. His spirit became very good, and he could maintain a whole day's energy with only two hours of sleep each day.

This change was like the legendary marrow washing, but the changes in his body could only be felt by himself. Without any reference, Zhang Ling didn't dare to tell others.

Another two months passed, and he had fully recovered, and he had a little control over the changes in his body.

The changes in his five senses could also be controlled freely. Along with it came a great increase in strength, and he didn't know what level his strength had reached now.

...

That day, Bright City welcomed the Lantern Festival.

At noon, the streets of Bright City were decorated with lanterns and colored hangings. This was an annual traditional festival.

As night fell, Bright City was brightly lit, and many young masters and misses were playing on the streets. Some were releasing river lanterns, some were guessing lantern riddles, and there were also floats and fireworks performances, a scene of joy.

Zhang Ling also rarely didn't cultivate, strolling on a street. Looking at the lively crowd, his mood also became very good.

After strolling for a while, he entered a restaurant, sat by the window on the third floor, ordered some food, and while satisfying his appetite, he looked at the street.

People came and went on the street, and some acrobats were walking around, causing cheers from the tourists.

Usually, he was learning martial arts, and he didn't have many acquaintances in Bright City. He rarely participated in such festivals, and it was rare to see such a prosperous scene.

After eating and drinking enough, Zhang Ling left the restaurant, preparing to go to some famous places in Bright City to take a look.

As he was crossing a street, there was a commotion ahead. For some reason, a crowd of people gathered. Zhang Ling was a little curious and looked over there.

"Someone is dead."

Someone shouted in the crowd. In the center of the crowd, there were two men in black lying motionless on the ground.

Two people died on the street, which immediately attracted some onlookers. For a time, the street was full of people, and Zhang Ling, like the crowd, looked at the two people on the ground.

In his special perception, these two people had no life, obviously really dead.

These two were both in their thirties, and they didn't look like they died of illness.

Zhang Ling subconsciously used his magical sixth sense and immediately found something wrong. There were no obvious wounds on these two people, but in his perception, he found that a little blood was flowing from the ears of the two, and there was a very small red dot on the back of their necks.

Given the circumstances, Zhang Ling concluded that these two were killed. If it weren't for the great increase in his five senses, he wouldn't have been able to discover these.

Then he carefully looked at the two of them. They were tall and had calluses on their hands, their arm muscles were developed, and their clothes didn't look like ordinary people. Based on his judgment, these two were both third-rate martial artists.

Being able to silently kill two third-rate experts on the street must be an expert. This kind of thing often happens in Bright City, usually Jianghu vendettas or gang fights.

It's just that killing people on this street is too ostentatious, but these things have nothing to do with him. Soon, several constables came and drove away the crowd.

The two corpses on the ground were also dragged away, and this matter didn't attract much attention.

People were still enthusiastically playing. Zhang Ling followed the crowd and strolled on various streets. In the blink of an eye, half an hour passed, and the crowd on the street gradually thinned out, and he was ready to go home.

Turning a few streets, he arrived at the place where he lived. Red lanterns were hung on the houses on both sides, illuminating the originally dim street, but there was no one on the street.

It was still as deserted as usual. Zhang Ling came to the front of the residence and was about to push the door open, when suddenly his brow furrowed, and the hand he raised in mid-air retracted.

"Someone is here."

Just now, he heard some sounds in the residence. He bought this residence, and usually only he lives there. He doesn't have any acquaintances in Bright City, and no one would come to him.

"Could it be a thief."

Zhang Ling guessed, came to the side of the wall, jumped up and jumped on the top of the wall, and his figure flickered again and landed steadily in the courtyard.

The two-丈 high courtyard wall was like nothing under his feet. This was the lightness skill he learned, Light Spirit Step. Since becoming a third-rate martial artist, he also practiced several other martial arts.

The most skilled of which is this lightness skill. This kind of light body skill can't be said to be a profound martial art, but it can make people's bodies flexible, flying over walls and walking on roofs.

Light Spirit Step was also obtained from the Confucian bandit. It recorded some body movement techniques. Taking himself as the origin, he transformed the positions within a few feet around him into points, and moved by relying on specific points.

Especially when moving in a short distance, it can often achieve rapid turning, body flipping and maneuvering, and can attack and avoid danger from strange angles.

With his current strength, under full exertion, his figure can also be transformed into several afterimages, and it is not difficult to jump two or three丈. Especially recently, with the great increase in his five senses, this set of lightness skills has become more and more skilled.

The sound in his ears became clearer as he approached, but Zhang Ling's face changed. "There are martial artists."

He heard the sound of metal clashing in the direction of the backyard. It seemed that someone was fighting.

The backyard was where he studied the mysterious beads, and there was a half-acre medicinal field with a large number of rare medicinal herbs. If others saw it, it would inevitably lead to speculation. Zhang Ling's face was gloomy as he went to the backyard.

In the backyard of the residence, a fierce scene was indeed taking place.

An old man in gray clothes and white hair held a long sword in his hand, with drops of blood dripping from it. Opposite him were four men in black, wielding weapons and besieging the old man.

The long sword in the old man's hand danced like a spirit snake. A direct stab forced back one of the men in front holding a short sword, then his body tilted and his wrist flicked, and the sword's edge turned to stab another man's neck.

That man only had time to use the steel knife in his hand to resist. He only heard a soft clang, and the man was forced to retreat several steps away.

After the old man's strike, he jumped up without hesitation, his figure several feet off the ground, dodging the sneak attack of one of the men behind him holding a dagger.

Then the long sword in his hand waved downward, and an invisible force hit the ground, forcing back the four men. This blow directly left a deep sword mark on the ground.

The old man who fell down tapped the ground with his long sword, his figure flipped up, and the long sword swept up, stabbing one of the men's faces from a strange angle.

The black-clothed man's weapon was two fist-sized small iron hammers, and he was about to give the old man who landed a blow. He rushed up just now and couldn't react in time. Instantly, a wound was cut on his face by the long sword, and he retreated.

The remaining three also surrounded the old man again at this time, and the weapons in their hands greeted him.

But the old man shouted loudly, and the long sword turned into a sword shadow, blocking many attacks, and his figure shook and escaped the encirclement of the three again.

It's just that the four black-clothed men who besieged him were also experts. The three chased after him, joining forces to resist the old man's attack, and for a time they entangled with the old man.

In an instant, several people exchanged dozens of moves. The old man's swordsmanship was superb, and the four black-clothed men who besieged him could not do anything about it for a while.