A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

”You know, you might have a point!” Lü Zhong couldn’t refute her.

He was now keenly aware of just how formidable the Ice Soul Spiritual Energy was.

Without the aid of the Vein Tempering Formula’s medicinal power, his mind would have been as still as a placid lake.

The medicinal power was becoming difficult to endure, so Lü Zhong stopped refusing.

...

Lü Zhong didn’t emerge from the medicinal bath chamber until dawn.

With Yu Feng’Er’s help, he had absorbed every last bit of the Vein Tempering Formula, Great Cycle Chapter’s medicinal power. This brought him immense benefits. His cultivation speed increased by a full one-thousandth compared to before the bath—an outcome he hadn’t anticipated at all.

This small increase was not to be underestimated.

If Lü Zhong were to undergo this medicinal bath a hundred times, the cumulative effect would be a full ten percent increase in his cultivation speed. Combined with his previous boosts, his cultivation speed alone would rival that of a cultivator with Three Spirit Roots.

’Perhaps the Ice Soul Spiritual Energy played a huge role!’

Lü Zhong thought to himself as he walked toward the door.

Today was the day Master Dongbu was holding his lecture. Learning Alchemy was crucial for his future path, so he couldn’t afford to miss it.

Only after his footsteps had faded into the distance did Yu Feng’Er cautiously peek her head out.

Recalling the previous night, she felt her body grow weak. At dawn, she had forced herself to walk out on her own just to save face. She couldn’t help but regret that now. Still driven by pride, she had no choice but to support herself against the wall as she walked.

As she walked, she sensed the changes in her cultivation.

’I can’t believe the medicinal bath benefited me this much!’

Yu Feng’Er was secretly astonished.

Her Ice Soul Spirit Body was both a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because it allowed her to reach Qi Refining Stage Perfection before the age of thirty, making her a renowned genius in her youth. But it was also a curse, as it had prevented her from ever reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage. Her numerous attempts to break through had all ended in failure. If not for the Foundation Establishment Pills that protected her each time, along with vast quantities of rare Spirit Medicines to restore her body, she would have likely died long ago during one of those attempts.

But now, a powerful impulse to attempt Foundation Establishment surged within her.

Yu Feng’Er understood. This was the long-awaited opportunity she had been yearning for!

...

「Dongbu House.」

Lü Zhong had just stepped out of his carriage when someone greeted him.

”Brother Lü, long time no see!” A middle-aged man in fine clothes, flanked by two servants, walked over.

The man’s name was Lu Zhongzheng. He was the second son of a branch family from a Golden Core Clan. He had begun studying Alchemy in order to become self-sufficient in the future, and over time, he and Lü Zhong had become well-acquainted.

”Greetings, Fellow Daoist Lu. Shall we head in together?” Lü Zhong said with a smile, cupping his hands and gesturing toward the entrance.

”Yes, let’s go in together.”

On the way, Lu Zhongzheng asked, ”Brother Lü, regarding the ’Structure-Efficacy of Medicinal Spiritual Qi’ that the master discussed in our last lesson, what is your understanding of it?”

On the path of the Alchemy Dao, if one wished to go far, it wasn’t enough to simply bury one’s head in the practical act of Alchemy.

Most alchemists out in the world were essentially ”hedge” alchemists. They relied on either a fortuitously discovered alchemy legacy or the crude, incomplete Alchemy Skills passed down through their family or Sect. With these, they might master the refining methods for one or two types of Pills and grasp some partial alchemy theory, thus gaining a foothold in the Alchemy Dao. However, if asked to concoct a new type of Pill, they would typically have to pay an enormous price to learn how.

However, alchemists who received a formal education, such as those from Dongbu House, were different.

As the saying goes, they not only knew how things were, but also *why* they were so.

After a series of systematic studies, a formally trained Alchemist could, as long as they had the correct Pill Formula, use their accumulated knowledge to deduce the refining method step by step. After a few low-cost attempts, they could usually succeed in concocting the new Pill.

Furthermore, only this type of Alchemist was capable of innovating and creating new Pill Formulas.

”Ah, the Structure-Efficacy of Medicinal Spiritual Qi... I only have a rough understanding myself. My interpretation is this: within a series of Medicinal Spiritual Qis that share the same fundamental properties, the law that governs the changes in those properties is called...” Lü Zhong shared his understanding without reservation.

Their relationship could be described as mutually beneficial.

When it came to theoretical understanding, Lü Zhong had a slight edge thanks to the memories of his past life. Lu Zhongzheng, on the other hand, was more skilled in the blending and transformation of Medicinal Spiritual Qi. His thought process was often astonishing, and he could consistently achieve the desired output of a target Medicinal Spiritual Qi with incredibly high conversion efficiency.

A person like him could truly be called a genius in Alchemy.

Lü Zhong clearly gained more from their exchanges.