A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Things had resolved themselves in an unexpected fashion.

Life returned to its former tranquility.

Lü Zhong considered that it would take some time for the Chengde Commerce Association to complete its cleansing and restructuring. The collection of Spirit Medicine would be severely impacted in the meantime, so he decided to shift his cultivation focus to the Barbarian Ancestor Heaven-Swallowing Mantra.

Only after experiencing its benefits did he truly understand the importance of a powerful physique.

At the same time, he didn’t neglect the Small True Yang Talisman.

As a Tier Three Secret Talisman, putting in the effort to master it was a worthwhile endeavor with no drawbacks.

He had a faint, persistent feeling that something major was about to happen in the Southern Barbarian lands. This feeling stemmed from the powerful Spiritual Sense unique to a Core Formation Cultivator, just a hair’s breadth away from a true premonition.

At this thought, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but wonder.

’What kind of crisis could it be?’

Recalling Qingding’s mention of an ”overwhelming catastrophe,” he felt that as one of Changchun Valley’s Nascent Soul Seeds, Qingding might have some inside information.

”Ah, well.”

There was no use overthinking it; it was better to prepare for a rainy day.

The incident with the Fang Family had also made him realize that the Chengde Commerce Association, with its shallow roots, was ultimately no match for the Noble Families that had been established for thousands of years. They only needed to pull a few strings to easily cut off the Commerce Association’s supply lines.

It was a lesson learned.

Lü Zhong decided to shift the focus of the Commerce Association’s development.

The Bihai Island Group had enormous development potential. Even before the Demon Hunting Order incident began, its revenue was already approaching that of the Changchun Domain. After a few more decades of management, its success would far surpass anything they could achieve in the Changchun Domain.

’I should have made this decision sooner...’

But changing course now wasn’t too late, either.

After thinking through the details and confirming there were no obvious flaws, Lü Zhong turned his attention back to his cultivation. This was the very foundation of his existence.

But limited by his supply of Pills, his cultivation progress remained slow.

This was especially true after breaking through to the Mid-stage Core Formation.

Even with the aid of Pills, his progress was as slow as a turtle’s crawl.

No, it was even slower than a turtle’s crawl!

’At this rate, when will I ever reach the late stage?’ Lü Zhong felt a wave of frustration at the thought. He figured that if it took another century or so, he could forget about ever reaching the Fake Infant Realm.

But on second thought, all the other cultivators at his level were stagnating.

His mood couldn’t help but improve.

’Indeed, happiness is built on the suffering of others!’

...

The clouds parted and the mists dispersed. As the storms subsided, the Sea Tide Stage concluded, heralding the arrival of a new year.

Early that morning, Lü Zhong emerged from his Secluded Meditation Chamber.

He patrolled the surrounding waters and picked out a few unlucky Sea Beasts, all of them rich in blood and vital energy, to serve as sustenance for his practice.

He had to hunt personally because the beast tide was over.

A while ago, Wanmu True Monarch had reached an agreement with a Transformed Demon Cultivator, bringing the years-long Demon Hunting Order to an end. Changchun Valley had even issued a notice forbidding cultivators from venturing more than ten thousand li into the Northern Great Forest Sea.

Lü Zhong, naturally, deeply regretted this.

After all, with the end of the Demon Hunting Order, his channel for earning Changchun Valley’s Merit was gone.

He had made a special trip to Changchun Valley to exchange all his earned Merit for Pills. The quantity was slightly more than last time—a total of twenty-five bottles, large and small—and the variety was as motley as ever.

It was thanks to these Pills that he had been able to cultivate in peace recently.

As he was lost in thought, he caught sight of a fleet of ships out of the corner of his eye.

The fleet’s condition could only be described as miserable.

The formation sails were tattered and torn, and several large holes gaped in the hulls. Spiritual Light flared from the holes from time to time, a clear sign that the ships’ formation arrays were also severely damaged. To have made it to the Ganquan Islands at all was a testament to the Celestial Dao’s favor.

Barring any surprises, the fleet was likely trying to enter Ganquan Commercial Harbor.

He turned and returned to Ganquan Prefecture.

In the afternoon, news arrived.

It turned out the fleet had run into bad luck and was attacked by a passing Water Flood Dragon.

A few days later, several more fleets were attacked in succession.

”Husband, something’s not right!”

In the central courtyard garden, Yu Feng’Er frowned as she looked through the case files on the attacks. ’This doesn’t seem like a passing Water Flood Dragon at all,’ she thought. ’It’s clearly taken up residence in that stretch of sea.’

”Indeed,” Lü Zhong nodded in agreement.

Judging from the files, the Tier Three Water Flood Dragon was lurking in a shoal called the Coral Sea. Almost all the attacks had occurred around this area.

Therefore, all ocean-faring fleets had recently been told to stay away.

On his end, since the home port for the Commerce Association’s fleet was Ganquan Island, they happened to avoid the Coral Sea and thus had not suffered any major losses.

Not only that, this might even be an opportunity.

North of the Coral Sea lay the Northern Great Forest Sea, which was overrun by Demon Beasts. If the East Sea Fleet chose to take a detour, their only option was to head south and pass through the Ganquan Islands.

Yu Feng’Er quickly realized this, and her face lit up with a smile.

Who wouldn’t want to earn more Spirit Stones?

...

The days passed one by one, marked by the steady patter of the spring rain.

Just as Lü Zhong had expected, the appearance of the Tier Three Water Flood Dragon brought great benefits to Ganquan Harbor. The commercial harbor grew more prosperous by the day, its vast port a forest of masts.

Sometimes there weren’t enough berths, and ships had to drop anchor out at sea.

Thanks to this, Ganquan Commercial Harbor’s recent income had increased significantly.

Seizing this rare opportunity, Lü Zhong launched a property initiative. He broke from the Workshop Market’s tradition of only renting and never selling, offering permanent deeds for houses and shops to the Great Commerce Associations, Noble Families, and some wealthy cultivators. For a sufficient price in Spirit Stones, one could even purchase a berth in the harbor.

He did this because he saw the situation very clearly.

Changchun Valley would never allow a Water Flood Dragon to lair on its doorstep. They would inevitably take action soon. Whether they expelled it or killed it, Ganquan Commercial Harbor would eventually return to its original state.