A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

「Ganquan Cave」

In the Alchemy Room.

A faint aroma of pills filled the room. Inside the chamber of the Gui Water Phoenix Wing Furnace, a purple flame burned fiercely.

Lü Zhong sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his Celestial Net Eye between his brows glowing with a five-colored spiritual radiance. He closely watched the changes in the medicinal liquid inside the furnace, his hands continuously forming one technique mantra after another, striking them against the alchemy furnace.

HUMMMMM!

A low-frequency noise arose. The pipes delivering Spiritual Qi had begun to resonate strangely due to the excessive flow rate.

As a large amount of Spiritual Qi flooded in, an even richer medicinal aroma wafted from the furnace.

After a long while, the Pill Furnace suddenly shuddered, then quickly grew still again.

”Withdraw!”

Lü Zhong performed a technique mantra, drawing out a mass of emerald-green Spirit Liquid from the Alchemy Furnace. It emanated an extremely dense Spiritual Qi, no less than that of a typical Tier Three Pill.

’With the help of the Celestial Net Eye, my Pill Formation Rate is getting higher and higher.’

Suppressing his excitement, he carefully stored the newly refined Tier Three Creation Liquid in a jade bottle. He didn’t forget to seal the surface with several layers of Prohibitions to prevent the Spiritual Qi from escaping and degrading the Creation Liquid’s potency.

He then took a Replenishing Qi Pill and took a moment to regulate his condition.

Once he recovered, he began refining the next batch.

He repeated this cycle over and over until he had used up all the Spirit Medicines he had brought with him.

In the end, Lü Zhong had obtained three bottles of Water Clearing Pills, seven Jade Brightness Transformation Pills, five packets of Fire Rock Powder, and eleven portions of Tier Three Creation Liquid. All were Pills suitable for an Early-stage Core Formation Cultivator to consume to advance their cultivation.

Only he, having mastered the Spirit Forging Fire Technique, would dare to consume such a wide variety of Pills.

If any other cultivator were to take them, their cultivation would indeed increase, but the accumulated Pill Poison would be unbearable. It would take a very long time to purge, making the endeavor not worth the cost.

’I’ve taken too many Pills recently. The Spirit Forging Fire is starting to have trouble keeping up.’

Lü Zhong stroked his chin and decided to pick up the Flame Manipulation Technique again. It was better to prepare in advance than to scramble at the last minute. The Third Layer of this Technique required the aid of a Spirit Forging Fire Pill. Although he couldn’t gather the materials any time soon, he at least needed to figure out how to begin cultivating it.

As for the Spirit Forging Fire Pill, he decided to substitute it with Creation Liquid.

Although gathering the materials for the Creation Liquid was also a daunting task, sourcing the five-hundred-year-old Spirit Medicines for it was still easier than finding the thousand-year-old Spirit Medicine listed in the Pill Formula. For the former, there was at least a chance; the latter, Lü Zhong didn’t even dare to think about.

Every time a thousand-year-old Spirit Medicine appeared, it would attract the attention of Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

A mere Core Formation cultivator getting involved in such matters wouldn’t even know what killed them.

...

「Dusk」

A thunderstorm had driven away the high temperatures of the past several days.

Lü Zhong, having changed his clothes, walked the streets of the Port District. He held a freshly baked meat pie in his hands, its filling packed with camel bone and beef. One bite sent juices bursting forth, making for a deeply satisfying snack.

Sometimes, he would come to the bustling city streets like this to experience life.

He might buy some strange new snacks or sip tea at a roadside teahouse... Doing so made Lü Zhong feel more like a person and not just an energy being possessed of immense Spiritual Qi.

He walked to a street corner.

There, he saw groups of two and three Loose Cultivators gathered by the roadside, chatting idly.

One of them glanced around, and seeing no Changchun Valley cultivators nearby, lowered his voice. ”Have you guys heard? Another family has disappeared.”

”Which one this time? This is the seventh time this month. The number of missing cultivators has to be at least ten thousand. Hasn’t Changchun Valley found anything yet?” a Loose Cultivator with a Sword Box on his back asked while polishing the longsword in his hand with oil.

”Nope. They’re still saying it’s the work of Demon Cultivators.”

”Hmph, Demon Cultivators? What a load of crap!” a large man pulling a cart couldn’t help but stop and retort.

”Fellow Daoist, do you know something we don’t?” Lü Zhong was quite interested in the matter—so many missing cultivators was no small thing. He clasped his hands in a salute to the burly Body Refiner and asked.

”Uh, I don’t know!” The large man shook his head.

He understood all too well that disaster comes from a loose tongue.

Besides, members of the Law Enforcement Team were already walking down the street. If they were overheard gossiping here, he’d be fined at least ten Spirit Stones.

There was no need to lose a month’s wages just for a moment of sharp-tongued satisfaction.

”You lot over there, what are you doing all clustered together!”

A member of the Law Enforcement Team shouted at the group from a distance. At his words, the Loose Cultivators on the corner scattered in an instant. The large man pulling the cart also hastily righted it, turned, and disappeared into a small alley.

Although Lü Zhong had no fear of the Law Enforcement Team, he decided it was best to avoid trouble.

He soon returned to Lintao Pavilion.

In the courtyard, Yu Feng’Er was drinking a cold beverage.

Although cultivators were not bothered by heat or cold, their tolerance was simply higher than that of mortals; they weren’t truly immune. Besides, drinking something to cool off on a hot day was a way to break the monotony of a tedious life.

”Husband, come quickly and try this Yangzhi Spirit Dew!” Seeing Lü Zhong return, Yu Feng’Er quickly stood up and brought over a large, milky-white, chilled drink that gave off the fresh scent of willow branches.

GULP, GULP.

Lü Zhong chugged the cup and found that it tasted surprisingly good.

”So? It’s good, isn’t it!” Yu Feng’Er said with a smile.

As she spoke, she poured her husband another glass.

Lü Zhong accepted it and sipped it slowly this time. He realized it was very different from the cold drinks he’d had before. It contained many ingredients with a salty, fishy taste, which was likely why the willow branches were needed to cover it up.

He couldn’t help but feel curious, so he asked:

”Where is this cold drink from?”

”The Western Realm. I hear it’s the most popular drink there right now,” Yu Feng’Er said, pouring herself a glass as well.

She drew out a wisp of Ice Soul Spiritual Energy, and soon, thin streams of white vapor rose from the cup as she chilled the Willow Branch Spirit Dew to the perfect temperature. Only then did she cup the glass in her two jade-like hands and begin to savor it with delight.