A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Lü Zhong watched the person disappear into the distance. He had a vague idea of what they were thinking, which paradoxically brought him a sense of relief. ’It’s for the best if we don’t interact again.’

Soon after, Wanmu True Monarch made his appearance.

The content of the meeting was just as Qingding had described.

Anyone, regardless of their status, could hunt Demon Beasts in exchange for Merit. This Merit could then be used to redeem treasures from the Changchun Valley Sect’s Treasure Vault. This was the ”Demon Hunting Order.” However, the part about Golden Core Masters being able to redeem items from a secret vault was not mentioned.

Lü Zhong quickly understood why.

’Most likely, it requires cooperation with the Changchun Valley cultivators.’

...

The moment the Demon Hunting Order was issued, the Changchun Domain erupted in excitement.

The Loose Cultivators, in particular, were ecstatic. With major powers like Sect Clans monopolizing all the resources, they could usually only survive on scraps. An opportunity like this was a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Many saw it as their chance to ascend the social ladder.

So they gathered their friends and companions and set off for the Changchun North Domain in droves.

At Lü Zhong’s direction, the Chengde Commerce Association took action. It announced a new, dedicated travel route: any cultivator heading north to hunt demons could take a Flying Ship to the Changchun North Domain for free.

In the North Domain, fully-equipped camps would be waiting for them.

A Sect-level Mountain Grand Array would keep them safe and sound during beast tides.

A continuous supply of hot water for all twelve ancient hours of the day, delicious Spirit Rice and spiritual flesh, warm beds, and cleaning services—it was a level of comfort these Loose Cultivators had certainly never experienced before.

Inside the camp, all supplies, including Pills and Talismans, were offered at low prices.

All of this could be exchanged for and enjoyed with just a small amount of Merit.

This was Lü Zhong’s plan: to exchange Spirit Stones for Merit.

He planned to seize this opportunity to redeem every last Tier Three Pill in Changchun Valley’s Treasure Vault, especially the Cultivation Pills suitable for Late-stage Core Formation cultivators.

...

While the Demon Hunting Order was in full, roaring swing, Lü Zhong was still in seclusion, cultivating.

With his supply of Pills running low, he spent his time practicing Secret Skills when not performing his basic daily cultivation exercises. Recently, he had made considerable progress.

Just now, for instance, Lü Zhong formed a Hand Seal.

Instantly, the True Essence in his Dantian boiled as if it were on fire. His meridians swelled with an immense feeling of power. In this state, he unleashed a Palm Thunder.

BOOM! The Black Steel Stone he was using as a target was blasted to smithereens.

’The power increased by a little over five percent...’ he estimated internally.

At the same time, however, the True Essence consumed had increased by a full fifty percent.

Were the gains not worth the cost?

Lü Zhong didn’t think so.

In combat between cultivators, fights rarely lasted until one’s Magical Power was depleted. The outcome was usually decided in the initial exchange. The purpose of the Star Burning Technique was to tip the scales of victory.

It made the loser lose faster.

It turned a narrow victory into a comfortable one.

With his abundant Magical Power, which far exceeded that of his peers, the Star Burning Technique had countless wonderful applications.

At the very least, it could also make his Meteor Escape faster.

Sometimes, being just a fraction faster was enough to make an enemy give up the chase, granting him a chance to survive. That was why President Lü considered it an excellent Secret Skill.

He might not have even bothered learning it if it were purely an offensive Secret Skill.

After all, at the Core Formation Stage, the strength of one’s offensive capabilities depended almost entirely on Magical Treasures. Things like Magic Secret Techniques were mostly supplementary, with very few exceptions.

Speaking of Magical Treasures...

Lü Zhong took out the piece of Star Iron Stone.

This material could enhance the effect of the Star Mirror’s Divine Techniques. Since the Star Mirror was nearly ready, it was time to refine the stone.

To refine it, Lü Zhong had specially prepared an Earth Fire Chamber.

He left his Quiet Chamber and walked down a corridor decorated with Moonlight Stones. A few dozen feet away was the Earth Fire Chamber. He cast a seal at the door, causing the Prohibition on it to dissipate. The door rumbled to one side.

Inside the Earth Fire Chamber, various materials were scattered about.

They were all leftovers from his repairs on the Spirit-Hosted Puppet. Unfortunately, despite spending nearly one hundred thousand Spirit Stones, he had only managed to restore its strength to the Fake Pill Realm. It remained one step short of its theoretical maximum potential: the Early-stage Core Formation.

With a wave of his sleeve, he gathered the materials and placed them in a Storage Bag.

Lü Zhong began refining the Star Iron Stone.

The reason he needed the Earth Fire Chamber was because Star Iron Stone was extremely difficult to melt. Furthermore, it required calcination and purification after melting. Supplying the Spirit Fire with his own True Essence would have been utterly draining.

He pushed all other thoughts aside and focused on the refinement.

...

「A year passed in the blink of an eye since the Demon Hunting Order was issued.」

More and more camps like the ones provided by the Chengde Commerce Association were popping up across the Changchun North Domain. Some were exact copies, some were slightly modified, and others had their own unique characteristics.

As the pioneer of this model, the Chengde Commerce Association’s camp was the largest and attracted the most cultivators.

Consequently, most of the Merit earned by the cultivators in the camp ended up in the pockets of major powers like the Chengde Commerce Association, collected through housing rentals, commissions on trades, fees for healing services, and so on.

Changchun Valley was aware of this, as were the cultivators in the camps.

But no one thought anything of it.

After all, every transaction was consensual.

Occasionally, a cultivator might complain in private that they risked life and limb, but a single careless injury could mean all their hard work had just been lining someone else’s pockets.

While the Changchun North Domain was buzzing with activity, Lü Zhong was still refining the Star Iron Stone.

After a year of hard work, the process was finally nearing its end.

As the final drop of Spirit Liquid merged with it, the Star Mirror began to shimmer and glow as if cheering in delight. The Star Force it drew down was now significantly stronger than before.

Feeling the Star Force Body Tempering, Lü Zhong thought to himself, ’At this rate, with the help of the Barbarian Ancestor Heaven-Swallowing Mantra, I might actually be able to acquire a Star Source Spirit Body while still in the Core Formation Stage.’

’A Spirit Body!’

He had seen firsthand the benefits of such a thing with Yu Feng’Er.

Unfortunately, they were exceedingly difficult to acquire if one wasn’t born with one.

He turned and walked to the Central Courtyard.

Cultivation was one thing, but a man still had to eat.

Thanks to the recent increase in the supply of Demon Beast meat, the spread on the dining table was far more lavish than before. An entire table was laden with rare beast meats that were once hard to come by.

He had just taken his seat when Yu Feng’Er handed him a heaping bowl of beast meat, her smile as bright as a flower.

”Here, Husband, you must eat up and replenish your strength!”

Lü Zhong looked closely. It was all *that kind* of meat.

’Good grief!’

’Does she think I’m that worn out?’

”Just one bowl! No more,” Lü Zhong said, accepting it with a sigh. He didn’t want to refuse Yu Feng’Er’s kind intentions. He finished the meticulously prepared meat before moving on to the dishes he actually preferred.

He had to admit, the new Spirit Chef’s skills were much better than the last one’s.

He ate bowl after bowl of Spirit Rice.

He didn’t stop until he was completely full.

While circulating his power to digest the meal, he chatted with Yu Feng’Er, mostly about the Demon Hunting Order. The Chengde Commerce Association had profited handsomely from the event, which was naturally breeding resentment.

Recently, they had been facing increasing resistance, both overt and covert.

After some discussion, they decided on a simple countermeasure: they would simply continue to increase their own strength. With a Mid-stage Core Formation Cultivator like Lü Zhong present, those with covetous eyes wouldn’t dare to make a direct move. At most, they would face more minor troubles and encounter some inexplicable boycotts.

...

After a tender moment with Yu Feng’Er, Lü Zhong made his way to the Bihai Sect.

The Bihai Sect had recently run into trouble. A strange type of Spiritual Insect had appeared within its territory, causing considerable harm to the disciples. With casualties nearing double digits, the Vice Sect Leader had no choice but to send a plea for help, requesting their ancestor to come and resolve the crisis.

In Bihai Hall, Lü Zhong sat at the head of the main chamber.

Below him, Vice Sect Leader Yanyi and a row of Stewards stood in their designated places. They all wore uneasy expressions, terrified that their ancestor would hold them responsible.

”Explain the situation.”

He was puzzled himself. What kind of Spiritual Insect could cause the Bihai Sect to suffer such a significant loss? He had watched the projection from Yanyi’s Water Mirror Technique, but even with his knowledge from the Identification Books, he couldn’t recognize the species.

’Is it a mutation?’ Lü Zhong wondered.

It wasn’t an impossibility.

Spiritual Insects reproduced so quickly that mutations were bound to occur from time to time. Every year, countless new species of Spiritual Insects were born, and some of them possessed exceptional innate talents.

Their strength sometimes surpassed that of existing Insect Swarms, and they would often supplant them.

This was precisely why the Spiritual Insect Rankings were constantly changing.

According to Yanyi, they had sent disciples to exterminate these Spiritual Insects the moment they appeared. Unexpectedly, the more they killed, the more numerous the insects became, as if their numbers were infinite.

He suspected that the size of the swarm they had seen was merely the tip of the iceberg.