A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

He couldn’t resist channeling a trace of Spiritual Power into it, and the blade immediately burst into a layer of flames.

Feeling the heat wash over his face, Lü Zhong’s expression grew even more joyous. He couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration:

”What a fine sword! A truly fine sword!”

He continued reading the instruction manual, which mentioned how to maintain the sword.

To preserve the properties of the Molten Fire Stone, one needed to periodically channel Spiritual Power into the sword or place it in a Fire Pool. Only then could the Shuo Jin Sword’s power be maintained without diminishing.

Outside, another new auction item was brought on stage.

”Five hundred and seventy Spirit Stones!”

”Five hundred and seventy-five!”

”Six hundred!”

Lü Zhong kept watching until, finally, the Foundation Establishment Pill made its appearance.

As the grand finale of the auction, its appearance instantly ignited the atmosphere of the entire venue. A frenzied bidding war immediately followed, with more than thirty people shouting out offers.

A Foundation Establishment Pill wasn’t strictly necessary to break through to Foundation Establishment, but the success rate of breaking through on one’s own was simply too low, and failure could easily result in damage to the heart meridians. Thus, given the choice, most cultivators would spend their entire fortunes to buy a Treasure Pill like this, which could increase the chance of success by thirty percent.

Watching the price skyrocket for a while, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but lament how many wealthy people there were.

Losing the desire to watch any longer, he stood up and left the auction house.

...

In the days that followed, Lü Zhong remained engrossed in his cultivation. He would occasionally go out to eat some Spiritual Food or spend some leisure time with Li Hejun. Life was peaceful and relaxed.

In the blink of an eye, the seasons turned, and another year passed.

Thanks to the powerful effects of the Secret Pattern Pill, his cultivation broke through smoothly, just as he had expected.

Compared to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, his total Spiritual Power had doubled once again.

Using his Divine Sense for Introspection now, he could see the vast, star-like whirlpool of his Qi Sea in his Dantian. Compared to the small cyclone from when he first started introducing Qi into the body, its scale had expanded nearly a hundredfold.

As his cultivation continued to increase, the size of his Qi Sea grew with each passing day.

This rapid expansion would continue until he reached Qi Refining Stage Perfection.

When that time came, a single thought would trigger the entire Qi Sea in his Dantian to begin collapsing, initiating the state of Foundation Establishment.

Not long ago, Lü Zhong had already saved up enough Spirit Stones to bid for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

However, considering that the passage of time would weaken the Pill’s efficacy, he ultimately resisted the urge to participate in the auction, deciding to honestly continue his cultivation until he reached Qi Refining Stage Perfection.

Just a few days after he had stabilized his new cultivation level, news came once again from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

Lü Zhong, having received the news, furrowed his brow.

Normally, after completing his last Sect mission, he should have been able to cultivate peacefully for three to five years.

But now...

’It’s highly likely the Golden Rainbow Sect and Luoyun Sect are making a move.’

Without thinking any further, Lü Zhong hurried toward the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall to confirm the specific details of the mission.

On the way, he ran into his master, Shuini.

”My dear disciple, take this Jade Talisman. I hope you never have to use it!” Shuini said, handing him a Jade Talisman.

The Jade Talisman looked somewhat similar to the Jade Token that Zhang Lingyi had given him that day, but the patterns on its surface were clearly far more complex. It was covered in pin-sized Runes that faintly emanated powerful Spiritual Qi fluctuations.

Lü Zhong took it and looked up, only to find that Shuini was already gone.

In the distant sky, an Escape Light receded into the distance.

After silently bowing in her direction, his expression instead grew solemn, and he continued on his way to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

...

The atmosphere in the square before the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall was tense and grim.

Squads of cultivators were assembling. Some who had already gathered were departing, either boarding the Flying Ships docked by the cliffside, leaping onto the Spiritual Beasts crouching in the square, or transforming into streaks of Sword Light alongside their Sect elders.

As Lü Zhong walked into the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, a Steward of his master’s generation approached him.

It was a middle-aged man with a long beard and a Sword Box on his back. After seeing Lü Zhong and confirming his cultivation level, the man’s expression eased considerably. In a serious tone, he said, ”Are you Lü Zhong? If so, come with me.”

Lü Zhong nodded and followed, soon arriving at a warehouse with Master Lin.

What greeted his eyes were mountains of Storage Bags.

They were packed in varying numbers into wooden crates, which were stacked on top of each other, filling the vast warehouse.

One could only imagine just how many Storage Bags were here.

”Senior Sister Mo, I’m here to pick up the supplies for Squad Twenty-Three,” Lin Nan said, walking to a corner of the warehouse and addressing a woman inside. She had her hair in a bun and the gentle, refined air of a girl from a good family.

”Junior Brother Lin, has your mission changed? Another supply list just came in.”

”Senior Sister, this is no time for jokes!” Master Lin’s expression turned grave. With such major events unfolding, a change in mission details midway through was almost certainly a bad sign.

Master Lin went back to the main hall of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall to reconfirm the mission details.

”Thank goodness, thank goodness...” He let out a sigh of relief.

It was just the addition of a few garrison targets, not a last-minute change to the mission itself.

”I’ll be taking these supplies now. I’ll have to trouble Senior Sister to confirm it.”

”No problem!” Senior Sister Mo made a mark in the ledger, confirming the items had been dispatched.

Just then, a group of eight people entered one after another, led by a heroic-looking young man. The aura he exuded was that of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, the highest among the eight.

”Master, including Junior Brother Lü, all team members have been assembled.”

”Each of you take a Storage Bag, then follow me to depart,” Master Lin said, pointing to the Storage Bags he had just collected.

Lü Zhong took one and found it filled with various support Pills: for healing, Replenishing Qi, and detoxification. There were also quite a few Talismans. There were a hundred Cleaning Talismans alone, as well as Featherweight Talismans and Golden Light Talismans.

In addition, there were a full three bottles of Fasting Pills.

’One Fasting Pill can keep you from hunger and thirst for a month. With so many Fasting Pills, don’t tell me we’re going to be out there for three whole years?’ Lü Zhong realized the situation was far more serious than he had imagined.

Fortunately, judging by the supplies provided by the Sect, it seemed they weren’t treating him as cannon fodder.

...

Soon, a Tier Two Red-tailed Eagle flew out from the Heling Sect.

The Tier Two Red-tailed Eagle had a wingspan of five zhang alone, so it wasn’t difficult for ten people to sit on its back.

After they set off, Lin Nan began to explain the mission details to Lü Zhong and the others.

They were to protect an important mine located in Little Yuan Valley. The place had been a target for enemy sect cultivators during the last conflict, and with the outbreak of war, the original defensive force was no longer sufficient. Therefore, their group was needed to reinforce it.

They would all have to be stationed there until the war was over.

After listening, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but sigh.

The sudden outbreak of war had caught him completely off guard.

But there was nothing to be done about it now. He could only hope that nothing happened to his printing workshop.

After the better part of a day, the lightning-fast Tier Two Red-tailed Eagle flew into Little Yuan Valley.

Although Little Yuan Valley had ”Valley” in its name, it was actually a massive rift canyon. On the surface, it appeared barren, but the interior was concealed by an Array. Inside was a huge mine, and to excavate the various minerals in the canyon, a city had even been built specifically to house the generations of mortal miners who worked there.

Under Lin Nan’s guidance, the group quickly and smoothly entered the Little Yuan Valley’s Grand Array.

It happened to be the miners’ shift change. A dense flow of people was either coming out of the mine shafts or shouldering Magical Pickaxes to go down into the mines, creating a busy but orderly scene.

Scenes like this were unfolding all over the mine, which spanned more than ten li.

The person in charge of the Little Yuan Valley Mine was a slender Female Cultivator with elaborate makeup. Despite her frail appearance, as if a gust of wind could blow her over, her cultivation was considerably higher than Lin Nan’s. He had to address her as Senior Sister.

This Female Cultivator, who introduced herself as Yuo Qing, first welcomed the group with a reception feast.

Then, she began discussing defensive matters with Lin Nan, while Lü Zhong and the others listened from the side.

”The disciples will patrol in groups. You and I will each take a shift, one for day and one for night. What do you think, Junior Brother Lin?” Yuo Qing said, coughing. She seemed to be in poor health, coughing intermittently whether she was eating or discussing matters.

”Senior Sister Yuo, let’s do that,” Lin Nan agreed without objection.

As for Lü Zhong, he was also satisfied after hearing the arrangements.

With this schedule, he would still have plenty of time to cultivate on a daily basis, so his cultivation progress wouldn’t be delayed.

Now, all that was left was to see how the situation would unfold.