A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Meeting the requirements for either ranking was enough to trade for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

”Oh, it’s Nephew Lü.” Sha Baoren glanced at Lü Zhong, swallowing the words he had been about to say. He picked up his brush and scribbled in the ledger before him. ”Chronological rank: twenty-seventh. Contribution rank: nineteenth. The Treasure Hall will post a notice in half a month. If it’s your turn, just come to make the exchange. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for the next round. The notice will specify the exact rankings.”

”Thank you for the information, Master Sha!” Lü Zhong said with a cupped-fist salute.

...

After returning from the Treasure Hall, Lü Zhong stayed quietly in his bamboo house. His days were spent studying the Gathering Element Technique, meditating, training, and occasionally exploring the Yin-Yang Dao with Li Hejun.

He kept busy the rest of the time as well.

He never neglected his practice of drawing Golden Light Talismans.

With the income from his story pamphlets dwindling, this had become his main source of revenue. Thanks to his proficient Talisman-Making Skill, he could earn eight hundred to a thousand Spirit Stones a month.

The days passed, peaceful and fulfilling, and soon it was the day the Treasure Hall would post its notice.

When he arrived at the Treasure Hall plaza, he found it already crowded with disciples, as it always was on the day a notice was posted. Only a few were actually qualified to apply; most were just there to watch the spectacle. Some were hoping to find a powerful backer, while many Kun Cultivators were dressed to the nines, as if attending a royal consort selection.

After politely declining the advances of two Female Cultivators, Lü Zhong scanned the list on the notice board and quickly found his name among those qualified for the exchange.

”Huh, I’m actually qualified!”

He couldn’t contain his joy, and a smile broke out on his face.

Everyone knew that Foundation Establishment Pills were hard to come by.

Even in Central Earth, where the Immortal Dao flourished, competition for such a treasure was exceptionally fierce. Most major sects in Central Earth could cultivate the primary Spirit Medicines needed for the Foundation Establishment Pill. The problem was that the number of cultivators there was also immense, making the pill even harder to obtain than in the lands of the Southern Barbarians.

Obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill was no small feat within the Heling Sect, either.

For starters, the ten thousand points of Merit were not something an ordinary disciple could gather.

Typically, disciples received them as rewards from elders, or they were purchased with the wealth a family had painstakingly accumulated over several generations, given to a promising descendant who would then be tasked with the heavy responsibility of revitalizing the family’s fortunes.

Someone like Lü Zhong, who had gathered all the Contribution Points by himself, was a different story.

Such cases weren’t unheard of, just exceedingly rare.

Congratulations followed him one after another as he walked. Lü Zhong smiled, returning each cupped-fist salute as he made his way through the crowd and into the Treasure Hall. All the Heling Sect disciples who had qualified for the exchange were gathered inside.

All eyes were fixed on a Jade Table, upon which sat twenty jade boxes.

The surface of the jade boxes was affixed with Yellow Paper to prevent Spiritual Qi from leaking, and a Sealing Prohibition had also been placed upon them. The Prohibition was not of a low grade; it was clearly the work of a Golden Core Master.

”Congratulations to all the nephews who have qualified for the exchange. Please come up one by one in the order listed on the notice to trade for your Foundation Establishment Pill,” Lin Zhenghe said with a smile, stroking his beard from behind the Jade Table. ”If you are still slightly short on Merit, you may still make the exchange as long as you gather the remaining amount before the end of the day.”

Gazing benevolently at the twenty disciples below, he couldn’t help but wonder how many new Foundation Establishment True Cultivators this batch of pills would add to the sect. Would it be the usual three or four, or, if the ancestors were smiling upon them, as many as six or seven?

’Heh, I’d be happy if even half of them succeed...’ Lin Zhenghe thought to himself.

The disciples went forward one by one. Soon, it was Lü Zhong’s turn.

He handed over his Identity Token. After ten thousand points of Merit were deducted, a jade box was placed in his hands, just as he had hoped.

With a light touch, the Prohibition on the jade box automatically disengaged. He then tore off the two sheets of Yellow Paper stuck to the surface. A dark green, longan-sized Pill, radiating an astonishing amount of Spiritual Qi, appeared before his eyes.

Not daring to be careless, he began to inspect it, comparing it to the descriptions he had read in the ancient texts.

Quite a few others were doing the same thing.

Lin Zhenghe saw all this but didn’t say a word to stop them. After all, he had done the same thing back in his day. A Foundation Establishment Pill was far too precious; no one would feel at ease accepting it without first confirming its authenticity on the spot.

’It’s real. This is the Foundation Establishment Pill!’

Once Lü Zhong had confirmed it was genuine, he gleefully closed the jade box and stuck the two sheets of Yellow Paper back on to prevent the Pill’s Spiritual Qi from leaking out and weakening its effect.

’It’s a shame Master Shuini is still in seclusion. If she were here to guide me, I’m sure I could progress much faster and attempt Foundation Establishment sooner.’ With the pill in hand, Lü Zhong was practically buzzing with impatience, wishing he could return to seclusion and break through immediately.

Fortunately, he managed to restrain himself.

After bidding farewell to Master Lin, Lü Zhong stepped out of the Treasure Hall.

’Next, I need to enter closed-door cultivation with all my focus. I have to get my cultivation to Qi Refining Perfection and master the Gathering Element Technique. Once those two conditions are met, I can take the Foundation Establishment Pill and attempt my breakthrough.’

With his plan set, he made a stop at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall to register that he was preparing to enter seclusion for Foundation Establishment.

After completing the registration, he was granted five years for his seclusion.

...

Time passed day by day.

Lü Zhong rarely left his home, dedicating himself to his practice. His cultivation grew steadily, and he continued to make progress in understanding the Gathering Element Technique. Everything was heading in the right direction.

Meanwhile, a major event shook the Heling Sect.

Following the destruction of the Golden Rainbow Sect and the Luoyun Sect, the Nascent Soul Sect, Lingyue Sect, sent an ultimatum.

As if worried the Heling Sect would not submit easily, they had also deliberately spread news that their Supreme Elder had emerged from seclusion. It was under this immense pressure that the three Golden Core Ancestors came to an agreement: they would dissolve the sect.

The banner that had symbolized the Heling Sect for over three thousand years was lowered.

The Three Spirits Unification Seal was broken, splitting the sect into three independent entities: the Profound Moon Sect, the Flying Star Sect, and the Tuoyang Sect. Henceforth, the Heling Region would belong to the Tuoyang Sect, the conquered Yanling Mountain Region would go to the Profound Moon Sect, and Luoyun’s former land would become the new home of the Flying Star Sect.

「Two years passed in the blink of an eye.」

The door to the Quiet Chamber, long sealed by dust, was slowly pushed open from within.

Lü Zhong walked out, his expression gloomy. His first attempt at Foundation Establishment had failed. He had anticipated this in his heart; after all, it was no simple matter for a Four Spirit Root Cultivator to achieve Foundation Establishment.

Fortunately, the failure had at least given him a better understanding of the process.

’My second attempt will probably end in failure as well. Perhaps I’ll succeed on the third try...’ he thought to himself, preparing to go to the Workshop Market to bid on two Foundation Establishment Pills at an auction.

But at that very moment, a group of cultivators approached.

Their robes seemed somewhat familiar. Each man was powerfully built, with the broad back and thick waist of a bear.

’Has the sect been divided already?’ Lü Zhong wondered.

Glancing down at his Heling Sect disciple robes, he was struck by a strange feeling of unreality. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was now the last disciple of the Heling Sect.

’No, that’s not right. Master Shuini is probably still in seclusion.’

’That means there are still two of them left in the Heling Sect: him and his master.’

Out of the corner of his eye, Lü Zhong saw the group of cultivators draw near. Their leader was a dark-faced man, far taller than average at a full ten feet high. He sized Lü Zhong up for a moment, and after confirming he wasn’t from the Tuoyang Lineage, he smiled and gave a cupped-fist salute.

”Fellow Daoist, the former Heling Sect has been dissolved. We must ask you to pack your belongings and leave the Tuoyang Sect.”

Hearing himself addressed as ”Fellow Daoist,” the last shred of hope in Lü Zhong’s heart vanished. He looked at the dark-faced cultivator and said after a moment’s thought, ”Could you possibly grant me an extension? My master is still in seclusion. As her disciple, it is my duty to remain by her side and attend to her needs.”

”Is that so?” the dark-faced cultivator said in surprise.

He already thought it was unbelievable that Lü Zhong had been in seclusion for so long.

But now, it turned out his master was in seclusion as well.

Just then, one of the men from the group behind the dark-faced cultivator stepped forward and whispered something in his ear.

”I see!” The dark-faced cultivator’s expression cleared. He turned back to Lü Zhong. ”Fellow Daoist Lü, your master has already returned to Central Earth. However, she left something for you in Wangxian Town. So...?”

”Thank you for the information, Fellow Daoist,” Lü Zhong said with a nod, and started walking toward the mountain gate.

There was nothing in his bamboo house that needed packing, so he could leave the Tuoyang Sect immediately.

The only reason he didn’t just jump off the cliff as he usually did was because of the sect’s Mountain-Protecting Grand Array. Without an Identity Token to grant him passage, a reckless leap would only provoke a deadly counterattack from the array.

So, he had no choice but to walk down the mountain.