A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Chapter 67: Chapter 66: Light Body Skill

”How much for this Evil Exorcism Talisman?”

”One Spirit Stone each.” Lü Zhong set down his Magic Technique Book and replied.

”That’s way too expensive...” A short-haired, middle-aged man with a slightly dark complexion and a collar shiny with grime, dressed like an adventuring Loose Cultivator, frowned upon hearing Lü Zhong’s price.

He picked up the sample talisman, looking it over from every angle.

After a long while, he couldn’t find a single flaw to criticize.

With no flaws to point out, he naturally had no reason to haggle down the price.

”Give me a fair price. I’ll...” The short-haired man trailed off, glanced at the people on either side of him, and switched to a voice transmission. ”I’ll buy ten at once. How about nine Spirit Stones? Deal?”

”This is a small business with thin margins. I’m really just making some hard-earned money. How about this... I’ll throw in three extra Arrow Avoidance Secret Talismans. What do you say?” Lü Zhong haggled back.

”The Seven Profound Arrow Avoidance Talismans?” The middle-aged man saw the sample talismans on the table, a look of interest on his face.

”That’s right.”

”Add one Cleaning Talisman, and you’ve got a deal.”

”Alright.”

Lü Zhong pulled a Cleaning Talisman from the table, then retrieved ten Evil Exorcism Talismans and three Seven Profound Arrow Avoidance Talismans from his Storage Bag before placing them all in an envelope.

After doing this, he didn’t hand the envelope over directly. Instead, he looked at the man and said:

”Old rule: payment before goods.”

The middle-aged man didn’t suspect a thing. After all, he was dealing with a Talisman Maker; it was unlikely he would be cheated out of his money.

He reached into his robes and took out ten Spirit Stones of varying colors.

Lü Zhong took the Spirit Stones and inspected them carefully, even using his Qi Observation Skill. Finally, he picked out two stones that were slightly dim and said expressionlessly, ”These two won’t do. Swap them.”

The value of a Spirit Stone comes from the Spiritual Qi it contains. Stones like these, which have changed color, have usually had some of their Spiritual Qi absorbed, and their value is discounted based on the remaining amount.

The remaining value of the two he’d picked out was only a little more than a single Spirit Stone.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man knew his trick had been seen through, yet his expression showed not a hint of embarrassment. He was clearly a slick, old Loose Cultivator. He calmly put away the two stones and replaced them with two others.

Lü Zhong checked again. Once he confirmed there were no problems with the Spirit Stones, he handed the envelope over.

...

The morning passed quickly. Lü Zhong had only sold thirty-one Evil Exorcism Talismans.

Although quite a few Loose Cultivators came to ask about the price, most were just looking for a bargain or a steal. Lü Zhong sent them away with just a few words. It was more practical to read a few more pages of his Magic Technique Book than to waste time haggling with them over a deal that might not even happen.

He was now reading about the Tier One Spell, Light Body Skill.

The Light Body Skill was an extremely useful Magic Skill. When cast successfully, it would summon a magical Spirit Wind to lift the caster, making their body as light as a swallow. This could be used to increase one’s running speed and also to protect oneself from injury when falling from a great height.

Basically, any cultivator who traveled high up in the air would make a point of learning this skill.

The Light Body Skill was also known as the ”bane of pressure-plate traps.” When used to explore various trap-filled Underground Palaces, it could effectively avoid such pitfalls.

Additionally, by using this skill to jump from a high place, one could glide through the air for a short while.

Although it was only for a short distance, when combined with other Magic Skills, it could produce unexpected results.

Just then, the surrounding clamor suddenly died down, and the vast stall area quickly fell silent.

”The Golden Rainbow Sect Disciples are here,” someone whispered.

Lü Zhong followed the voice and looked up.

Several squads of Law Enforcement Cultivators from the Workshop Market were clearing a path at the front. Following them was a large group of lavishly dressed people, whose cultivation was at least Mid-stage Qi Refining. The people on the outer edge wore attire similar to the Law Enforcement Team and appeared to be the senior managers of the Yanling Mountain Market. Right now, they were swarming like servants around a man and a woman who exuded a sharp, imposing aura.

The pair, a man and a woman dressed in golden Dharma Robes, had a dismissive attitude toward the fawning words of those around them. At most, they would offer a casual reply, which was considered giving the speaker a great deal of face.

’Is this how Sect Disciples carry themselves?’ Lü Zhong wondered.

Powerful, self-assured, and with an arrogance that seemed etched into their very bones.

Lü Zhong considered himself strong compared to the average Loose Cultivator, but if he were to face a Sect Disciple who was also at the Mid-stage of Qi Refining, he still had no confidence he could win.

’Even a sneak attack probably wouldn’t be enough to take them down.’

The Golden Rainbow Sect, capable of consistently producing new generations of Golden Core cultivators, would surely have a systematic cultivation education. Elite cultivators like these, chosen through layers of selection, would definitely train in complete sets of inherited Cultivation Techniques. They were in no way comparable to Loose Cultivators who learned things in a piecemeal fashion.

He had long heard that Sect Disciples were given specific Magic Skills, Secret Skills, and exclusive Magical Artifacts to complement their Cultivation Techniques. Every component was carefully matched and had been improved over generations.

Unlike Loose Cultivators, for whom one plus one might equal two, or perhaps even just one and a half...

...for Sect Disciples who trained in inherited Cultivation Techniques, one plus one could equal three, or even five.

The gap widened step by step, resulting in the general dominance of Sect Disciples over Loose Cultivators.

’Sigh... I wonder how long it will take for me to catch up to people like them?’

Lü Zhong murmured to himself as he watched the group walk away.

...

「At sunset.」

Lü Zhong returned to his small courtyard in the bamboo forest and began practicing the Light Body Skill.

The difficulty in casting this skill lay in the need to constantly divide one’s focus to maintain the magical Spirit Wind. If the Spirit Wind dissipated, the effects of the Light Body Skill would vanish along with it.

This couldn’t be rushed; mastery could only be achieved through long hours of practice.

Because he had already learned quite a few Magic Skills, he didn’t have many new spells to master for the Light Body Skill—only three.

Plus, since learning Magic Skills often involved applying principles from one to another, Lü Zhong quickly succeeded in casting the Light Body Skill.

A green Spirit Wind swirled around him, and he instantly felt weightless. With just a light leap, he could jump over fifty feet high, high enough to touch the top of the White Cloud Shield directly.

But when he landed, he lost control for a moment. The magical Spirit Wind dissipated, and he made a hard landing.

Instantly, his legs went a little numb.

He then tried a dozen more times before successfully casting the Light Body Skill again.

Carefully maintaining the Spirit Wind to keep it from dissipating, Lü Zhong began to run around the courtyard. As light as a swallow, his speed had increased dramatically.

If he could maintain a full sprint, he could even cover over sixty miles in a single ancient hour.

While running, he could clearly feel immense wind resistance, so strong it was hard to keep his eyes open. It was precisely because of this resistance, which required half his effort to overcome, that he couldn’t run even faster.

’Looks like I’ll have to buy a Dharma Robe with a Wind-Avoiding Divine Technique,’ Lü Zhong decided.

Speaking of Dharma Robes, they were also a type of Magical Artifact. They were typically woven from the hides of Demon Beasts or from the Spirit Silk produced by Spiritual Insects, and were also divided into Lower, Middle, and High-grades.

A Lower-grade Dharma Robe came with one Divine Technique, a Middle-Grade one had two, and a High-grade one had three.

The price of a Dharma Robe was much higher than an Attack Magical Artifact, but slightly lower than a Defensive Magical Artifact.

Therefore, being able to afford a Dharma Robe was often seen as a symbol of wealth.

However, it also tended to attract more malice.

At this thought, Lü Zhong habitually formed a hand seal and chanted a spell, casting Malice Detection on himself.

’No reaction. Good!’