A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Back in the rear courtyard of Lintao Pavilion.

Lü Zhong activated all the arrays. Then, just to be safe, he specifically set up several layers of Spiritual Qi Prohibitions around the room he had chosen as his Alchemy Room to prevent any accidents.

After finishing, he casually cast a Malice Detection technique, just in case.

At the Foundation Establishment Stage, the technique’s effectiveness was greatly diminished. It wasn’t that its power had weakened; rather, most Foundation Establishment True Cultivators knew of its existence, and various methods to block it had become easy to obtain. Thus, even if someone truly harbored malicious intent, the Malice Detection Technique would have an extremely difficult time detecting it and providing a warning.

’If only I could learn the Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil Skill,’ Lü Zhong thought.

Unfortunately, as a Tier Two Auxiliary Magic, the Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil Skill was incredibly useful, so its owners all treated it as a secret art, never casually passing it on. Some Sect Clans, concerned with maintaining regional stability, had long forbidden Commerce Associations from freely selling the skill. This was to prevent it from falling into the hands of Evil Cultivators and Demon Cultivators, which would make hunting and capturing them significantly more difficult.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he took out the sealed arm.

Unexpectedly, half a month after the arm had been severed from Lady Butterfly, the strange, sweet fragrance it emitted hadn’t weakened in the slightest. In fact, it had grown exceptionally strong, to the point that Lü Zhong had to circulate the Ice Heart Mantra just to resist the urge to eat it.

Once the furnace chamber was preheated, Lü Zhong tossed it into the Bronze Alchemy Furnace.

Under the heat of the Golden Sun Insect Fire, the arm began to melt and decompose. The impurities of flesh and blood were quickly incinerated, turning to ash that was blown out of the furnace. Meanwhile, he precisely extracted and purified the part that emitted the strange fragrance, gathering it into a droplet of pale, oily liquid.

The droplet was colorless and odorless, appearing completely ordinary on the surface.

Lü Zhong thought for a moment and decided to try touching it within the Gray Mist Space.

Using the Gray Mist Space’s ability to interfere with reality, Lü Zhong separated a small portion of the pale liquid and dripped it onto his palm.

In an instant, illusions flooded his vision.

He looked around and felt as if he were in a Paradise Realm, so captivating he couldn’t pull himself away. But then it would suddenly transform into an Asura Purgatory, brutally tormenting its deluded victim.

After being trapped for what felt like half a day, Lü Zhong’s face paled as he finally withdrew from the Gray Mist Space.

When he looked at the droplet again, he regarded it with the fear one would a tiger.

’This stuff is so potent. A Foundation Establishment True Cultivator would be completely helpless against it. Even a Golden Core Master would likely fall for it if caught unprepared. Its effect is on par with, if not greater than, the legendary ’Enchanting Fragrance’.’

’I’ll call you Enchanting Fragrance, then.’ Lü Zhong carefully sealed it in a jade box.

Then, his gaze shifted to the ashes in the furnace, and he couldn’t help but ponder, ’The Enchanting Fragrance is so powerful... perhaps these ashes have a great use as well!’

Immediately, he suppressed his disgust and ran a simulation in the Gray Mist Space.

A moment later, a look of pleasant surprise appeared in Lü Zhong’s eyes.

’Interesting. To think these ashes are actually the antidote to the Enchanting Fragrance. As long as I hold them in my mouth, I’ll be immune to its effects.’

After a moment’s hesitation, Lü Zhong took out a half-eaten packet of pastries, mixed them with the ashes, and added a good amount of the Cyan Grain Spirit Dew he’d made during practice. He then kneaded the mixture into pills.

Just like that, he had seventeen antidote pills.

’Corpse Oil, ashes...’ Lü Zhong had never been soft-hearted when it came to killing, but consuming these... ghoulish things still pushed the limits of his psychological endurance. He couldn’t help but feel a little sick to his stomach.

But then he thought of Lady Butterfly, still at large, who could show up at his door at any moment. With these antidotes, at least he wouldn’t be rendered helpless instantly.

Better to be safe than sorry.

With that thought, he felt much better.

...

In the days that followed, Lü Zhong focused on his cultivation.

The Thundering Grass he had planted was thriving under the nourishment of the Little Gui Water Thunder Array. It had already sprouted a new bud, and he expected it would grow into a branch given enough time.

The cultivation of the Substitute King Insect was also proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Sparing no Spirit Stones, he poured in a large amount of Spirit Liquid. Combined with the King Insect Nine Transformations Skill, the Substitute King Insect finally entered its first pupation stage and successfully completed its first molt.

The Thundering Grass and the Substitute King Insect were crucial for Lü Zhong to survive the Three-Nine Thunder Tribulation.

Having been at the Foundation Establishment Stage for so long, his understanding of the Three-Nine Thunder Tribulation was much deeper than before.

As far as Lü Zhong knew, the Three-Nine Thunder Tribulation consisted of three rounds, with each round containing nine bolts of Tribulation Thunder, hence the name ”Three-Nine.” The power of the Tribulation Thunder would increase with each bolt. Surviving the first eight bolts of each round wasn’t difficult; the true challenge lay in the final bolt, whose power would suddenly multiply several times over.

Essentially, most cultivators who failed their tribulation were defeated by these three bolts of Tribulation Thunder.

Of those who failed to cross the tribulation, not even one in ten was lucky enough to survive.

The fact that there were far fewer Golden Core Masters than Foundation Establishment True Cultivators was largely due to the Three-Nine Thunder Tribulation.

Without sufficient confidence, many cultivators would choose to live out their two-hundred-some-year lifespan at the Foundation Establishment Stage rather than pursue the Golden Core Dao and face the near-certain death of the Three-Nine Thunder Tribulation.

...

Time passed, and another year’s Lantern Festival arrived.

On this day, Lü Zhong specially came out of seclusion to celebrate the festival with Li Hejun.

The best place to view the lanterns in Changchun Immortal City was undoubtedly Changchun Street, which ran from the inner city straight to the gates of Changchun Valley. During the festival, the travel restrictions here were lifted, allowing everyone, from ordinary cultivators to common mortals, to enter Changchun Street and admire the lanterns.

The major powers would go all out, using this place as a stage to display their wealth and status. They would hang their prepared lanterns all along the street. Some of these colorful lanterns were exquisitely crafted, depicting legendary scenes from the Lantern Festival. Others were more innovative, using arrays to project Divine Techniques with effects like ”Dispelling Sickness” and ”Healing Wounds,” spreading blessings so that people could not only enjoy the spectacular view but also receive tangible benefits from the festival.