Noe began selling only one product: Energy Recovery Elixir Water (H?i n?ng th?y d??c) ??. He sat at the market stall all day, yet no one paid him any mind. His new product was simply too unfamiliar. For many days, all he heard was the loud hawking ??? and the faint aroma of food ?? from the neighboring stalls.

  One day, Hàn Th??ng ???♂? carried a man past, who was unconscious from energy depletion, his face pale ??. Seeing this, Noe quickly called out and, without hesitation, gave the man a bottle of the Elixir Water. Using his Human Body Penetration Eye ??, Noe clearly saw the blockage of energy flow in the man’s body. He focused energy into his fingertip and lightly pressed several key Acupoints (huy?t ??o), helping the energy circulate. A warm current ?? spread from the points of contact. The man on Hàn Th??ng’s shoulder immediately woke up, his eyes opening weakly.

  Hàn Th??ng was so happy he almost cried, stammering: "You... you're awake!" ??

  The injured man faintly smiled, his hand trembling as he patted Hàn Th??ng's head, softly saying: "I won't die, don't worry." Draining the last words, he drifted into a sound sleep.

  Noe: "Take him to a physician. He’ll be fine after a few days of rest." ??

  Hàn Th??ng bowed, profusely thanking Noe, and quickly carried the man away, the sound of his hurried footsteps ?? echoing between the stalls.

  Later, Noe learned that the man was Hàn Trung B?o, a member of the Profound Ice Sect (Huy?n B?ng), a renowned mid-level monster hunter. Due to carelessness while hunting, he was severely injured, and his energy was chaotic. If not for Noe’s timely intervention, he might have been partially crippled and faced a very slow recovery.

  Physicians in the Immortal City heard the news and came to meet Noe, purchasing some Elixir Water to assist in healing. However, as colleagues, they were reluctant to promote Noe’s product. Only Hàn Th??ng and Hàn Trung B?o actively promoted it to other monster hunters. Gradually, others became familiar with the product and bought a few small bottles to try. Seeing the good results, they bought more. Noe's business improved, and the clinking of Spirit Stones ?? echoed frequently in his pouch. The goal of buying Spirit Land for the Halflings was getting closer.

  Noe also made many new acquaintances in the city, his circle of friends grew, and his sense of loneliness gradually faded. However, Noe faced a new problem: the main ingredient for the Elixir Water was Dragon Immortal Grass (Long Tiên Th?o), a herb that grew very slowly. Noe lacked enough raw material to concoct the medicine, slowing down his plan to buy the Spirit Land for the Halflings. He considered many solutions and tried making other types of Elixir Water, but the sales volume remained slow. Although the effect was similar to Elixirs, Elixir Water had poor preservation and took up more space. Its only advantage was its fast absorption rate, making it perfect for combat ??. Even though Immortals primarily use energy and long-range attacks in battle, antidotes, anti-petrification, or anti-burn medicines remain crucial in special circumstances or when dealing with enemies that have unique techniques.

  Despite facing many difficulties, Noe had a good income. He did not deposit his money in the Spirit City bank but carried many Spirit Stones on him. This attracted the attention of greedy individuals. They knew Noe was a newcomer with no patron or protector; most of his connections were new customers, making him an easy target.

  ?? The Assassination and Heavenly Fire ??

  One day, Noe left the Immortal City, walking down a secluded road ??, hearing only the rustling of the wind ???. Noe saw an injured person slumped by the roadside and rushed over to help. This was also a new acquaintance, so Noe wasn't worried. After the person woke up, they parted ways. As Noe turned his back to leave, the other person suddenly pressed close from behind, drawing a cold knife and stabbing Noe through the abdomen ???, then kicking him forcefully, sending him tumbling to the ground.

  ?? The Scholar Noe, Stats Sheet (Level 405)

  Noe didn't understand what was happening. He looked back at the person he had just saved, his eyes filled with shock and extreme pain ??. He barely whispered: "Why... I just saved you?" ?? The attacker sneered: "You naive sheep, die." ?? He charged forward, aiming to finish Noe with a fatal blow.

  Noe suppressed the pain, focused energy into his hand, and pointed directly at the attacker, firing three beams of azure energy ?. Only one beam hit; the other two grazed the air as the opponent quickly dodged, missing the target. But the energy beam that struck the leg paralyzed him momentarily. Noe scrambled to his feet, pressing two acupoints in his legs, feeling a surge of heat run downwards, boosting his full leg potential to the maximum. He ran blindly, knowing this act would leave his legs nearly paralyzed for the next three days. Noe ran as fast as the wind ??, the whooshing sound of his footsteps loud in the air.

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  Reaching a clearing, he collapsed from exhaustion. Noe transmitted his thoughts to all the surrounding objects, from the rustling trees ?? to the hidden beasts: "Help me conceal myself." Immediately after, Noe entered an extremely deep meditative state called Samadhi (S?-ma-chi). His breath, vital energy, and all signs of life vanished. The wound on his abdomen stopped bleeding. Noe's soul instantly left his body, hovering overhead ??, looking down at his form. Dry leaves and dust flew, gradually covering him. In a flash, where Noe sat had become a small earthen mound, blending into the natural scenery, the smell of damp earth and dry leaves enveloping him.

  The pursuer arrived, his eyes darting frantically, his footsteps hurried ?? before suddenly halting. He had abruptly lost Noe's trace. Even the bloodstains on the ground had been licked clean by small animals. He walked around for a long time, his sharp eyes scanning everywhere without seeing anything, then ran off in one direction. A moment later, he returned, still seeing nothing. He hid behind a tree trunk to observe, occasionally checking, but found nothing unusual. For ten days, he didn't give up, his face clearly showing patience mixed with fury ??. Noe's soul floated near his body, witnessing everything.

  When the pursuer left, Noe returned to his body. He took the antidote and energy-recovery potions to heal himself, as the attacker's knife carried a powerful toxin. Noe was temporarily stable. He touched the sapphire gem on his combat ring, whispering: "Help me."

  A silent Water Spirit (Th?y h?n) ??, its form hazy, radiating a faint light like moonlight on water, suddenly appeared. Water Spirit: "Finally, you need me? You must deposit Merit (C?ng ??c) with me first, as before. Then I will help." ?? Noe hesitated, feeling the Water Spirit's waiting gaze.

  Water Spirit: (Half-human, half-fish, its voice echoing like running water) "Stingy! You know our rules. Merit is crucial; without Merit, there’s no discussion." ???♀? Noe condensed his Merit into sparkling gold dust, which dissolved into the air and flew toward the Water Spirit. She smiled in satisfaction, then pointed to two clear puddles nearby. Instantly, two Water Elementals (Ng??i N??c) ??, transparent as crystal with rippling bodies, rose from the puddles, bowed to Noe, and then returned to puddles, silent as if they had never appeared.

  Noe felt safe and rested in the original spot. The pursuer, after a day, returned. He was actually the son of a Garrison Lord (Thành ch?) but was an addict who wanted to quickly acquire Spirit Stones. Fearing exposure that would harm his family's reputation, he was determined to kill Noe.

  This time, Noe was not in the Samadhi state, so the attacker immediately spotted him, his eyes flashing with danger ??. He attacked by surprise. Noe was prepared and barely dodged. He instantly launched five sharp knives, the "whoosh-whoosh" sound cutting the air. The knives zipped past and turned back to stab Noe from behind, but he dodged them just in time. The pursuer continuously attacked, escalating from five knives to ten knives, which flew around like hunting birds, chasing Noe. Noe used energy from his two fingers to fire light beams, knocking down many knives, but the attacker constantly replenished or retrieved the old knives.

  The attacker was too focused on Noe to notice the puddle under his feet. The two Water Elementals suddenly emerged from the ground, firing countless Water Bullets (Th?y ??n) like hail at the attacker’s body. He tried to run but the two Elementals pursued, continuously attacking, knocking him unconscious, where he lay still on the ground. The ten knives also scattered, making a "clanking" sound.

  ?? HUMAN ASSASSIN Stats (Level 450)

  Noe rushed toward the attacker, placing his finger on his head, but he hesitated, unable to strike. The attacker suddenly woke up, his eyes wide open, controlling the ten fallen knives to plunge violently into Noe's body ??, saying in a hoarse voice filled with hatred: "Mercy to your enemy is self-harm. Die!" ??

  Noe lay face down on the ground, in extreme pain, his whole body trembling from the stabbing and the spreading toxin. Noe closed his eyes, his lips moving in prayer ??, then pointed his finger at the attacker, his voice weak but firm: "May the Supreme Deity judge right and wrong, between me and this person."

  A brilliant golden-yellow flame ??, flying as fast as lightning, descended from the sky with a rumbling sound ?? like thunder, illuminating the whole area. This flame, called Heavenly Fire (Thiên h?a), was extremely fast and blindingly bright. In an instant, it incinerated the attacker to ash ??, his body completely vanishing, yet his clothes remained intact, without a hint of scorching, leaving only a faint burning smell.

  Noe struggled to sit up, drank a few bottles of antidote, then lost consciousness, his body slumping to the ground.

  The Profound Ice Sect surveillance team, who were far away, saw the brilliant light of the Heavenly Fire and rushed over. This was a special flame that few could summon, also known as the ‘Finger of the Celestial Dao’ (Ngón tay c?a Thiên ??o), only capable of incinerating those who violated the Heavenly Law. Among those who arrived was Hàn Th??ng. Seeing Noe severely injured, he quickly administered first aid to save his life and rushed him back to the Immortal City.

  The Surveillance Team launched a special investigation. Although the cause was unclear, they roughly understood the situation—who was right and who was wrong. The difficulty lay in the fact that the attacker was the son of a Garrison Lord (Thành ch?). He was suspected of many issues, from murder to robbery. Even though his father was the Lord of a large city and lacked nothing, if the full information were reported to their superiors, Noe would certainly be implicated. His father might seek out and kill Noe, or order a secret assassination. The death of someone with no connections would likely disappear without anyone caring.

  After a conversation, Hàn Trung B?o decided to conceal the fact that Noe was found nearby, only reporting that a Heavenly Fire incident occurred, incinerating a person, and leaving it at that. Hàn Th??ng and the others all agreed.

  ?? The Path of Divine Cultivation (Th?n Tu)

  Soon after, Noe woke up. Hàn Th??ng visited and cautioned him carefully not to reveal information, as it would endanger his life. Hàn Th??ng even said: "Would you like to join the Profound Ice Sect like us? There, the sect will protect you; no one will dare to harm you anymore." ???

  Noe smiled, his voice weak but firm: "I apologize, I cannot. I have a mission here. I already have my path; I cannot take another." ???♂?

  Hàn Th??ng: "What is your path called?"

  Noe: "My path is Divine Cultivation (Th?n Tu). What I cultivate and accumulate is Merit (C?ng ??c), using external power from the Gods. This is different from your path of Law Cultivation (Pháp tu)—Immortal Cultivation—where you accumulate internal energy (n?i n?ng), power within yourself, to make yourself stronger."

  Hàn Th??ng was confused, so he went to ask Hàn Trung.

  Hàn Trung: (Hearing the explanation) "Divine Cultivation is a complex branch of cultivation. Instead of increasing personal power, Divine Cultivation increases the connection with the Gods. There are many types of Gods:

  - Human Gods (Nhan th?n), which are the spirits of deceased meritorious individuals who are worshipped in temples;

  - Spirit Gods (Linh th?n), which are Gods associated with natural elements (earth, fire, water, air); and

  - True Gods (Chính th?n) or higher, like the Celestial Dao (Thiên ??o). The power of a Divine Cultivator does not depend on their individual ability, but on the God they can summon.

  For example, the madam of our Profound Ice Sect leader is called a Heavenly Maiden (Thiên n?) because she can connect with the Celestial Dao."

  Hàn Th??ng: (Nodding) "I see." Hàn Th??ng asked innocently: "So, was that Heavenly Fire incident because Noe invited the Celestial Dao?" ??

  Hàn Trung: (Knocking Hàn Th??ng on the head) "Don't say something so foolish. The Celestial Dao is not something you can just invite." ???♂?

  Hàn Th??ng chuckled, scratching his head: "You're right. The Lord of the World is not easy to invite." ??

  Hàn Trung continued: "Noe is different from us. He is a True Immortal (chan tiên) or as he calls himself, an Elven Immortal ??. He is the child of parents who are both Immortals. So, he surely has many connections in the Immortal Realm. We are just the children of mortals, learning how to become Immortals. You don't need to worry about him. Don't be fooled by his youthful appearance. He might be 200 or 300 years old, too."