A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

At the same time, he secretly gauged the other man’s aura, discovering it was far more powerful than his own. He estimated the man possessed, at the very least, a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation.

The middle-aged man inspected the Guest Minister Token and handed it back to Lü Zhong. He said with a blank expression, ”According to clan rules, Fellow Daoist Lü may choose one Tier Two Spell for free. This is the list of Tier Two Spells available in the Library. Once you have made your choice, inform me, and someone will retrieve it for you shortly.”

As he spoke, he pushed a small booklet forward.

Judging from the booklet’s thickness, ’it probably doesn’t contain many Tier Two Spells.’

Lü Zhong was already used to this kind of thing.

In the Cultivation Realm, knowledge was precious. Even Tier One Spells couldn’t be obtained casually, let alone Tier Two Spells.

To be honest, the fact that the Tan Family had so many Tier Two Spells in their collection already exceeded his expectations.

He sat down at a tea table on the side of the main hall, and a serving girl quickly came over to pour him tea.

Lü Zhong began to flip through the booklet, considering his options.

The booklet, titled *Jiyun Mountain Tan Family’s Tier Two Techniques List*, recorded a total of thirty-one Tier Two Spells. They were divided into nineteen Attack Magic, four Defense Techniques, and eight auxiliary techniques.

’There are so few Defense Techniques!’

Lü Zhong thought for a moment and understood. ’Techniques with defensive effects are probably hoarded by the Major Sects and Clans. They’d never let them circulate unless absolutely necessary. That’s why defensive techniques are so rare on the outside, to the point that even Golden Core Clans have trouble obtaining them.’

In that case, the Defense Techniques were the most valuable.

’No rush. I’ll decide after I’ve looked at all the techniques.’

Lü Zhong possessed the Flying Star Inheritance, so he was rather unimpressed by ordinary Tier Two Spells. He hoped to find a rare technique, preferably one that would be of some benefit to him.

When he flipped to the section on auxiliary techniques, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Spirit Forging Fire.

After reading the technique’s description, Lü Zhong’s initial excitement gradually gave way to a strange expression.

’This is clearly a Secret Skill. Why would the Tan Family be willing to share it and let an Honored Guest Elder learn it?’ Lü Zhong didn’t believe the Tan Family was that kind-hearted. After all, judging by its effects, the Spirit Forging Fire could burn away the impurities in a cultivator’s True Essence, making it purer. It was also extraordinary when used against enemies, no less effective than a typical Spirit Fire.

Unable to figure it out, he decided to ask the middle-aged man at the desk for an answer.

The man looked as if he had been expecting this. Without a word, he simply handed over a piece of paper covered in writing. The paper was frayed, clearly having been read many times, and it outlined the rough cultivation requirements for the Spirit Forging Fire.

If what was written on the paper was true, then the cultivation requirements for the Spirit Forging Fire were exceedingly harsh.

First, to cultivate this Secret Skill, one had to master a Fire Control Technique called the Flame Manipulation Technique. This technique was divided into three layers. The difficulty of cultivating the First Layer was relatively low. Many talented cultivators in the Tan Family could achieve a preliminary mastery in just three to five years, provided they were diligent enough.

However, the difficulty of cultivating the Second Layer of the Flame Manipulation Technique increased sharply. In the several hundred years the Tan Family had possessed this technique, only their current ancestor, Tan Yuying, had managed to reach the Small Success stage. But the benefits of mastering the Second Layer were also obvious: she had relied on it to successfully reach Core Formation.

As for the Third Layer, the Great Success Realm, its difficulty was beyond ”hard.” It required the aid of a special Pill and another three to four hundred years of arduous cultivation, with only a possibility of success at the end.

When he glanced at the main Spirit Medicine ingredients for the Spirit Forging Fire Pill, Lü Zhong’s heart instantly went cold.

’Good heavens, the minimum age for the herbs was a thousand years!’

This meant that at most, he could only master the Second Layer of the Flame Manipulation Technique, which corresponded to the Spirit Forging Fire Small Achievement stage.

”’But that’s enough,’ Lü Zhong thought to himself. ’At least it will increase my chances of successfully reaching Core Formation.’”

’The most important thing is to be practical, not to aim for the impossible.’

As he continued reading, he felt greatly relieved.

Although the realm of the Spirit Forging Fire Secret Skill was directly related to the layer of the Flame Manipulation Technique one had mastered, it wasn’t necessary to reach the Great Success Realm in the latter to begin. One only needed to master the First Layer of the Flame Manipulation Technique to start cultivating the Spirit Forging Fire Secret Skill. The resulting Spirit Forging Fire would still possess the ability to purify True Essence.

The paper also listed the cultivation method for the Spirit Forging Fire.

The difficulty varied depending on the specific method used. The simplest approach only required finding any Yang Attribute Spirit Fire. The chosen flame determined the power of the Spirit Forging Fire; the more intensely Yang and unyielding the Spirit Fire, the more effective the resulting Spirit Forging Fire would be. This improvement was also reflected in its ability to purify True Essence.

After reading everything, Lü Zhong made his decision.

”Please register my choice, Fellow Daoist. I’ll take the Spirit Forging Fire.”

”Suit yourself,” the middle-aged man said indifferently.

He had been stationed here for many years and had seen countless cultivators trade for this technique. They included outside Honored Guest Elders like Lü Zhong as well as members of the Tan Family itself. At first, he’d had the motivation to try and dissuade them, but after seeing it happen so many times, he’d given up. After all, some people simply won’t turn back until they’ve hit a wall.

After the registration was complete, someone quickly delivered a Jade Tablet.

”A Dao Transmission Jade Tablet!” Lü Zhong exclaimed in surprise.

”Oh? Guest Lü knows of this item?” the middle-aged man asked curiously. His mind flashed back to the information he’d read from the Identity Jade Token, recalling that Lü Zhong was a Loose Cultivator who had once belonged to a Sect. ’So that’s why,’ he thought.

The Dao Transmission Jade Tablet was considered a substitute for the Dao Transmission Bead.

In terms of storage capacity, it couldn’t hold an entire inheritance, but it was more than enough to record a single Magic Technique. Moreover, its security was comparable to that of a Dao Transmission Bead, effectively preventing the technique from being leaked. For this reason, it was often used by Sects, clans, and Magic Shops as a medium for transmitting High-tier Spells.