A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

The Spirit Stones were worth a total of 50,000.

It wasn’t a huge amount to him.

But many Core Formation Cultivators couldn’t earn that much even after toiling for an entire year.

Normally, aside from the designated Nascent Soul Seeds, newly advanced Core Formation Cultivators spent their first hundred years repaying debts. They might be repaying favors to their clan, or performing missions for their Sect to accumulate Merit.

He quickly finished taking inventory.

As expected, there was almost nothing of value.

The few items that had some value were all marked with the Yan Zhen Sect’s insignia and could only be offloaded in the Western Realm. All told, the miscellaneous items were worth around thirty to fifty thousand Spirit Stones.

The greater the risk, the greater the reward!

As Lü Zhong finished sorting through everything, he thought back on his trip. It was a perfect testament to that saying.

Leaving everything else aside, the three Magical Treasures alone were worth a million Spirit Stones.

’In the future... I still need to be more careful.’

’I was lucky this time—I dodged the Thunder Pillar and turned the tables on Yue Cang. But I might not be so lucky next time.’

’Safety is more important than anything.’

...

The following days were completely uneventful.

Lü Zhong led his crew and soon arrived at Ningwu Market.

With Lianjian dead and Yue Cang missing, the Allied Army Cultivators who had been besieging Ningwu Market lost their two Core Formation combatants. Upon hearing the news, they had already withdrawn on their own accord.

The siege on the Workshop Market was thus lifted.

The days passed one by one.

Lü Zhong was stationed at Ningwu Market, where he spent most of his days cultivating.

In his spare time, he would also perform Star Force Body Tempering.

The Star Source Spirit Body was difficult to form, so he held out little hope of succeeding.

Six months later, the situation outside changed, and Yui Xiaoqing was transferred away.

Lü Zhong was now the only Core Formation Cultivator left at Ningwu Market. He would have to remain stationed here for another six months until a replacement Master from Changchun Valley was dispatched, at which point he could return to Changchun Immortal City to rest.

During this time, Yu Feng’Er sent a letter from home via a Spiritual Eagle.

Everything was well on her end. While the Chengde Commerce Association had indeed suffered significant losses during the war, their profits from other ventures were more than enough to cover them. In fact, they had profited handsomely.

”...I’m fine here as well. Don’t worry about me too much.”

Lü Zhong finished writing his reply, placed several Prohibitions on it, and then stuffed the letter into the message tube.

The courier was a tamed Tier Two Storm Eagle.

Only this type of Spiritual Eagle could avoid being attacked by the Storm Eagle Swarms and pass safely through the Storm Eagle Territory to reach Ningwu Market.

He took out a Tier Two Pill and fed it to the Spiritual Eagle.

”SKREEE!” The ten-foot-tall Spiritual Eagle swallowed the Pill and let out a satisfied cry.

Then, it nudged Lü Zhong affectionately with its head.

”You greedy thing! Fine, you can have them all,” Lü Zhong scolded with a laugh, stroking its head.

He then fed the entire bottle of Pills to the creature.

He held out the message tube, and the Spiritual Eagle swallowed it in one gulp. Then, it leaped into the air, unfolded its wings, let out several clear cries, and sped off toward Changchun Immortal City.

Having done this, Lü Zhong walked out of the courtyard and into the main hall.

The Ye Brothers and Sisters were already waiting for him in the hall.

Lü Zhong sat in the main seat, picked up a steaming cup of Spirit Tea, and asked calmly,

”What is the matter?”

A proper Golden Core Master would not deign to manage the day-to-day affairs of a Workshop Market.

Lü Zhong wasn’t interested in petty profits, so he had left the management of Ningwu Market to the Ye Brothers and Sisters. While their performance left something to be desired, at least there had been no major incidents in the past six months.

”Senior, people have been inexplicably disappearing from the Workshop Market recently. These are my findings,” Ye Mei reported. Her face was a little pale, and the heavy scent of medicine, mingled with the faint odor of blood, clung to her.

As she spoke, she presented a Jade Scroll.

Lü Zhong drew it over with a flick of his wrist. As he read it, his expression grew grave.

”A Demon Monster is responsible?”

A so-called Demon Monster is a creature that forms when a Demon Cultivator suffers a Qigong Deviation and loses control.

According to the Ye Brothers and Sisters’ investigation, this Demon Monster had appeared quite suddenly, as if from thin air. From the very beginning, it already possessed the strength of Tier Two.

Having now devoured over a hundred lives, its estimated strength, according to the report, had already reached Tier Three.

That was precisely why the two of them had no choice but to ask Lü Zhong to intervene.

”I see. Where is the Demon Monster now?” Lü Zhong asked, his face devoid of expression. ’The Ye Brothers and Sisters are truly useless,’ he thought. ’They couldn’t even handle a mere Tier Two creature, allowing the threat to grow until it broke through to Tier Three.’

’They’re unworthy of being called Changchun Valley disciples.’

Sensing the sudden spike in pressure, Ye Yun kept his head bowed, not daring to even breathe.

Beside him, Ye Mei cupped her hands and said, ”I have already dispatched people to monitor it. The Demon Monster is currently still in Flowing Water Cave, located in the Lost Soul Forest to the north.”

The Lost Soul Forest was the source of the fog that enveloped Ningwu Market.

The fog there was unique; neither wind nor water could disperse it.

It also had the effect of slightly obstructing one’s Divine Sense.

Lü Zhong had already tested it. Influenced by the unique fog, the range of his Divine Sense Projection was reduced to less than eighty percent of normal, a distance of just over 1,200 yards.

As for Flowing Water Cave, it was located deep within the Lost Soul Forest.

He knew the place.

”You are dismissed. I will deal with the Demon Monster myself.” Lü Zhong spoke with such confidence because he possessed both the Purple Nether Extreme Fire and the Wood Thunder Skill, two methods that were extremely effective against Demon Monsters.

”Yes.” Seeing that Lü Zhong wasn’t blaming them, the Ye Brothers and Sisters both breathed a sigh of relief.

After the two had left, Lü Zhong sat alone in the hall.

He took out the Jade Scroll again, examining it from every angle. Finally, he conjured a Water Mirror Technique to project the images contained within it.

The projection revealed a shocking image: a pitch-black, humanoid monster. It scuttled forward on its back, belly facing the sky, its limbs flailing like a spider’s. Its head was twisted a full one hundred and eighty degrees, allowing it to stare forward. Black drool dripped from its gaping mouth, and its eyes glowed like red torches as it rapidly rushed toward the viewer.