Chapter 555: Welcoming the Mirage

Upon discovering the true state of the immortal mountains, some might have felt disappointed or desperate, but that person definitely did not include Su Xuan.

It could be said that for him, although this voyage took two years, it was worth it. Especially on the final Penglai Immortal Mountain, not only did he learn some truths about the heavens and earth, but the life essence left behind after the death of Chi You pushed his strength to an unprecedented realm. If he had to cultivate on his own, reaching such a state would have required at least decades of bitter effort.

But the existence of the life essence saved him a great deal of effort.

The trip to the immortal mountains could be considered the greatest fortune he had obtained since coming to this world. By comparison, the immortal spiritual energy absorbed during the trip to Many Loulan was not as significant as this.

It could be said that everything obtained from Chi You’s slaughter of millions of living beings in the ancient era ultimately benefited Su Xuan in a roundabout way.

Su Xuan did not tell Xun Zi about some of the encounters on Penglai Immortal Mountain.

The matter of the Nine Provinces Seal was of great importance. Except for Yan Fei and a few others who knew ancient scripts and glimpsed a trace of the truth from the lid of the Yellow Emperor’s tripod, Su Xuan had not told the other accompanying people, including Jing Ke, about this matter.

He picked a few things from the first few immortal mountains to tell Xun Zi.

Upon hearing that the immortal mountain named "Yingzhou" was buried with the ancient fierce beast Xiangliu, and that Xiangliu, after a thousand years, had not dissipated its resentment but turned into a fierce spirit and attempted to attack Su Xuan and the others, Xun Zi was filled with emotion. Later, learning that the immortal mountain was a tomb filled with the bones of fierce beasts, he gained a bit more understanding of the ancient era.

And another immortal mountain, Fangzhang, was buried with the weapons of ancient powerhouses, which also left Xun Zi astonished.

Su Xuan spoke of two of the three immortal mountains and even mentioned the Mount Liupo Mountain, which only appeared in the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, and revealed the existence of the Kingdom of Shaohao, but he alone did not mention the last immortal mountain, named Penglai.

Xun Zi could naturally guess that Penglai Immortal Mountain was somewhat special, which was why Su Xuan deliberately omitted it.

Although he was curious about what was hidden in the last immortal mountain, since Su Xuan was unwilling to say, even though Xun Zi was a Confucian grandmaster with a high status, he could not force Su Xuan.

Su Xuan’s visit to the Confucian school was of great benefit to Xun Zi.

Just as Su Xuan continued to stay in Sanghai City, occasionally going to the Youjian Inn opened by Pao Ding to appreciate the delicacies made by Pao Ding, the news of the Mirage’s return reached Xianyang.

Upon learning that the Mirage, which had been at sea for two years, had returned, many were incredibly shocked.

When Ying Zheng originally ordered the Mohist school and the Gongshu family to build the Mirage, there were not without opponents. Many pragmatic people had advised Ying Zheng against it on the grounds that it would waste manpower and money, but Ying Zheng was headstrong and determined to build the Mirage.

Later, when the Mirage was completed, Ying Zheng’s purpose for building it became known to many ministers. They all knew that Ying Zheng built the Mirage to seek the legendary immortal Dao.

Many people were skeptical about whether the Imperial Advisor Su Xuan could find the overseas immortal mountains and the immortals by riding the Mirage.

After all, throughout history, there had been many who went to sea to seek immortals, and no one had ever heard of anyone truly finding an immortal.

Even if Ying Zheng had first destroyed the six states and then the Regarding Baiyue, and was revered as the First Emperor, he presumably could not find a true immortal.

The quest to seek immortals at sea was destined to be like flowers in a mirror or the moon in the water, ending in nothing.

There were even those with ill intentions who, seeing Su Xuan ride the Mirage and not return for two years, concluded that Su Xuan had likely met with an accident at sea.

This Imperial Advisor might have died on the ocean.

As a result, no one expected that after two years, the Mirage would actually return.

Imperial Advisor Su Xuan returned on the Mirage; had he found the legendary immortal mountains and found the immortals?

Many people began to speculate.

Some firmly believed that the immortal mountains and immortals were illusory and that Su Xuan had gained nothing after two years at sea. Others, having witnessed Su Xuan’s power and knowing to what shocking level his strength had reached, guessed that Su Xuan might have truly reached the immortal mountains.

In the past, those who went to sea to seek immortals did not see the immortal mountains, likely because their strength was insufficient and their abilities were lacking, not because the immortal mountains did not exist. Su Xuan was different; his cultivation was profound, and his strength had reached an unprecedented level.

(Requesting flowers)

Perhaps he really did find the immortal mountains.

For a time, the court was stirred by the news of the Mirage’s return.

As the one who originally ordered the construction of the Mirage, Ying Zheng was not as concerned about the immortal mountains or the immortal Dao as one might imagine.

A long time ago, Su Xuan had told him that there was no such thing as an elixir of immortality in this world.

Even if there were true immortality, it was obtained through one’s own cultivation.

Ying Zheng agreed deeply.

If there really were an elixir of immortality, why had no immortal ever been seen throughout history?

It was evident that the elixir of immortality was merely an illusion.

But cultivation was not an illusion. Ying Zheng had cultivated; he could feel his own state. After stepping onto the path of cultivation, his state was excellent. In the past, he would be exhausted after dealing with a little government business, but after cultivating, even if he worked continuously for a day or two, he remained spirited. At the same time, he felt the hidden illnesses in his body disappearing.

If he used the path of cultivation through national destiny that Su Xuan had taught him, he might truly be able to reach immortality.

Regarding the return of the Mirage, what Ying Zheng cared about most was that Su Xuan, the Imperial Advisor, had returned.

For the past two years, he had also feared that something might happen to Su Xuan.

Now that Su Xuan had returned, he could not be happier.