A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

In the days that followed.

Besides his unwavering daily routine of meditation and cultivation, Lü Zhong also began setting aside half a day to study the Artifact Refining insights he had obtained from Huo Yezi, hoping to improve his skills.

Life was as dull and monotonous as ever.

Fortunately, having lived for over a century, he had long since grown accustomed to this state of being.

As another day of cultivation came to an end, Lü Zhong slowly withdrew his power, a faint hint of joy on his face.

The Bone Jade’s assistance with his cultivation was remarkably effective, allowing him to once again experience the feeling of his cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds. Now that his Realm was at the Mid-stage Core Formation, such an experience was precious.

This was especially true on the path to the Late-stage Core Formation. The amount of Pill Liquid that needed to be accumulated was enough to make the average Core Formation Cultivator shrink back in despair.

If a cultivator had difficulty obtaining resources or lacked the support of a powerful faction, then countless days and nights of bitter training would likely result in no progress at all.

It was in this state of despair that many gave up on their practice, turning their energy to other pursuits instead.

But Lü Zhong was different. Although the speed of his cultivation improvement was slow—so slow that even ”a turtle’s crawl” was too generous a description—his progress was still visible to the naked eye after a period of accumulation.

’It really takes a comparison to feel a sense of accomplishment,’ Lü Zhong thought.

Unfortunately, even at the Mid-stage Core Formation, the number of times a cultivator could circulate their energy each day was still limited. Even though he practiced the Jade Vein Technique and the Barbarian Ancestor Heaven-Swallowing Mantra, the increase was only slight.

He was, after all, no true genius.

However, Lü Zhong was already quite satisfied with this.

After all, he was merely someone with Four Spirit Root Talent, placing him in the lower-middle tier among cultivators. Yet his current achievements on the Immortal Path had already surpassed the vast majority of them.

This was definitely something to be proud of!

Lü Zhong then concluded his session.

He took out a Magical Artifact, a Flame Absorption Bead. Inside, small flames leaped about, looking quite lively and full of Spiritual Attribute. This was the extracted Flame Essence, or ”Fire Spirit” for short.

He sent a few Technique Mantras into it, causing the Flame Absorption Bead to tremble and emit pulses of red light.

At the same time, he extracted wisps of the Fire Spirit.

He examined it for a good while before spitting out the Purple Nether Extreme Fire. The moment it saw the Fire Spirit, it conveyed a feeling of joy and excitement, which slightly eased Lü Zhong’s apprehension.

He formed a Prohibition with a flick of his fingers to prevent the Fire Spirit from dissipating, then let the Purple Nether Extreme Fire go.

A tongue of fire licked out and swallowed the Fire Spirit in one gulp.

Nourished by the Spiritual Attribute within the Fire Spirit, the Purple Nether Extreme Fire seemed to become a little more agile and lively.

Lü Zhong observed it carefully. After confirming that there were no abnormal changes, he allowed the Purple Nether Extreme Fire to devour the remaining Fire Spirit in the Flame Absorption Bead.

’The effect is just as I expected. The Fire Spirit is indeed effective on the Purple Nether Extreme Fire, serving to enhance the Spirit Fire’s power. If I continue to cultivate it like this over the long term, its Spiritual Attribute will also increase significantly. Perhaps it might even undergo some unexpected Metamorphosis in the future.’

’It seems I’ll have to increase my collection of Fire Spirit from now on.’

He studied it for a while longer before contentedly retracting the Purple Nether Extreme Fire into his body.

He rose and walked out of the Quiet Chamber.

A salty sea breeze greeted him. Outside, it was already the height of summer.

Lü Zhong could still clearly remember that it had been early spring when he began his seclusion. He hadn’t expected the season to change in the blink of an eye. The Lantern Festival was not far off.

Arriving in the main hall, he picked up a cup of Spirit Tea and took a few sips.

Soon, the sound of footsteps approached. It was Yu Feng’Er, carrying a large basin of meat. She placed it on the large solid wood table in front of him, gave him a smile, and said in a sweet, coy voice:

”Husband, I stewed a pot of good meat for you. Quick, try it and tell me how it tastes!”

”Er...” Lü Zhong subtly glanced at the ”good meat” in the pot. He had no idea what kind of Demon Beast it came from, but its shape felt a little suspicious.

He glanced at Yu Feng’Er beside him and couldn’t help but wonder, ’Do female cultivators also go through a ”mid-life” phase? She’s been getting clingier lately.’ Seeing her watching him with a face full of anticipation, he had no choice but to bite the bullet, pick up his chopsticks, and put a piece of the ”good meat” into his mouth.

It didn’t taste bad, but the ingredients were a bit strange.

”Mm! Don’t just stand there, eat with me.” Lü Zhong smiled, took the bowl from Yu Feng’Er’s hands, and served her a portion of the meat as well, causing her to blush slightly.

Seeing her husband watching her with a wide grin, Yu Feng’Er’s face turned even redder.

Sharing piece by piece, the two of them quickly finished everything, right down to the last drop of broth.

After his Body Refining, Lü Zhong’s digestive ability had greatly increased. Several pounds of meat were merely an appetizer for him, easily digested with a slight circulation of his energy. Afterwards, a servant girl began to formally serve the main dishes. There was no Flood Dragon Meat, however; he had eaten so much of it he’d grown sick of it, so he had ordered it to be replaced with Tier Two Sea Beast Meat.

The dishes were exquisitely prepared by a Spirit Chef.

Their presentation was excellent, but he always grew a little tired of them after eating them too often. They couldn’t compare to Yu Feng’Er’s ”dark concoction,” where you couldn’t tell what any of the ingredients were before they entered your mouth.

It was just a bit heavy on the palate, clashing with his usually light diet.

After they finished their meal, just as Lü Zhong had expected, Yu Feng’Er cozied up to him, claiming that she had gathered the ”Vein Tempering Formula.” That phrase had practically become their code word.

”Don’t you go begging for mercy later!” Lü Zhong said in exasperation.

This wife of his was always the one to initiate things, but even with her Core Formation Cultivation, she acted like a low-level female cultivator and was always the first to beat the retreat. It always left him hanging, which was an extremely uncomfortable feeling.

”Who’s afraid of who!” Yu Feng’Er retorted, unwilling to be outdone. She puffed out her chest and talked tough.

But then she remembered Lü Zhong’s prowess, and her bravado instantly deflated. She stole a glance at him and said timidly, ”Husband, please... be gentle with me...”