A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Hearing this, Lü Zhong suspected Shuini was doing it on purpose, yet this silly woman seemed to believe it wholeheartedly.

’No, she’s probably just playing dumb!’

Seeing Yu Feng’er’s firm stance, he had no choice but to drop it.

He was just about to lie down and sleep when she wrapped herself around him again.

”Didn’t you say...”

”It’s true we should rest for a bit, but... but we have to wait until we’re finished this time,” Yu Feng’er said, lowering her head. The blush that had just faded crept back up her cheeks, her voice full of shyness.

They kept at it until dawn.

The next day, Lü Zhong woke up feeling more refreshed and clear-headed than ever before.

Not only that, but the progress of his Barbarian Ancestor Heaven-Swallowing Mantra had also surged forward. He was not far from breaking through to the next Acupoint.

’Huh? The Blood Qi Pill has this effect, too?’

He was tempted to go for another round, but he thought better of it. After all, an ordinary person couldn’t withstand the exertions of a Core Formation-level Body Refiner.

Resigned, Lü Zhong went to his Quiet Chamber and completed his daily cultivation routine as usual.

His cultivation advanced slightly, a significant improvement from before his Jade Vein Technique reached the Great Success realm. However, breaking through to the Late-stage Core Formation would still take a considerable amount of time.

He was already used to this.

After breakfast, he returned to the Quiet Chamber.

Before beginning his practice, Lü Zhong contacted his Incarnations one by one.

In short, aside from his Incarnation, Wang Lin, at the Ancient Dragon Temple and the one sent to the East Sea, the other three Incarnations were progressing according to plan. They had successfully joined their target Sects and were now entering a period of growth.

To avoid exposure, Lü Zhong would not provide them with any help. However, equipped with the Artifact Refining, Alchemy, or Talisman-Making Skills he had bestowed upon them, it would not be difficult for these Incarnations to earn enough cultivation resources—in fact, it would be quite easy—as long as they kept a low profile and avoided discovery.

He would only initiate the next phase of his plan once the Incarnations reached the Foundation Establishment Stage.

As for his Incarnation, Wang Lin, he was still struggling to survive.

After disconnecting from his Incarnations, Lü Zhong decided not to practice the Barbarian Ancestor Heaven-Swallowing Mantra. The technique had just experienced a massive leap in progress yesterday, and continuing to force it could lead to an unstable foundation. He figured it was better to practice some of his other Cultivation Secret Techniques instead.

So he began to comprehend the Star Devouring Technique.

He studied it until nightfall, then stopped and went out for dinner.

He handled some affairs and then went to bed.

Another simple day passed.

...

「In March.」

Lü Zhong took on another disciple, a fourteen-year-old male cultivator from a clan named Hex Luo. He had a Wind Spirit Root, a masculine and martial appearance, and a natural air of righteousness about him.

After joining the Bihai Sect in accordance with its rules, he naturally became the personal disciple of the Patriarch.

Taking a Sect’s geniuses as personal disciples was a common practice in the Cultivation Realm. It allowed a leader to keep the most promising individuals close. One side would invest resources into their development, and the other would repay them with loyalty—it was a mature system that greatly contributed to the stability of a Sect’s power.

Su Caocao was thrilled about this.

Because of her exceptionally distinguished status, the other disciples usually kept their distance. Only sycophants would try to cozy up to her, so she was almost always alone.

Now that she had a junior brother, she was absolutely over the moon.

Lü Zhong offered him some guidance and bestowed a large amount of resources upon him.

”Cultivate well, and don’t disappoint me,” Lü Zhong encouraged.

”Yes, Master!” In the hall below, Hex Luo performed a deep kowtow, his attitude reverent.

”Alright, Caocao, you can take him. If your junior brother has any questions later, you, as his senior sister, must guide him well,” Lü Zhong said, smiling at Su Caocao.

She nodded happily, then pulled the reluctant Hex Luo out of Bihai Hall.

After taking care of the matter, Lü Zhong went to the Tide Cave Waterside Pavilion.

Yu Feng’Er was there as well.

Perhaps because they’d taken a break for a while, she seemed even more supple and alluring, radiating a seductive charm. When she saw Lü Zhong approach, she gave him a peculiar eye-roll before saying sullenly:

”Husband, Master sent a request for reinforcements. This time, she specifically asked for you.”

Uh...

Lü Zhong froze for a moment. ’Isn’t Shuini’s intention a little too obvious?’

”...Has the fighting over there become that desperate? I seem to recall the True Spirit Sect winning a major victory not long ago. I heard they even managed to injure a Barbarian Race Great Witch. A Great Witch is equivalent to an Immortal Cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm. An injury to a cultivator of that level should take at least thirty to fifty years to heal.”

”I heard... he apparently took some kind of Secret Medicine...” Yu Feng’Er said, sounding a little unsure.

”A Secret Medicine? That’s not out of the question.” Lü Zhong’s attention shifted.

Immortal Cultivators also had Pills that could help a Nascent Soul Cultivator heal quickly; the famous Nine Revolutions Rejuvenation Pill of the Cultivation Realm was one such example.

Under normal circumstances, however, no one would be willing to use such a Pill.

One would only be willing to consume a Pill worth millions in gold when faced with a life-threatening injury. For wounds that could heal on their own, they would almost always choose to recuperate slowly.

’Did something happen to the Barbarian Race?’

’Otherwise, they could have simply ceased hostilities for a while, waiting for the Great Witch to recover before staging a comeback.’

’According to historical records, this has always been the Barbarian Race’s method. After a period of rest and recuperation, their population would boom until their resources could no longer sustain them. At that point, they would deliberately provoke border disputes, using war to cull their population and alleviate internal conflicts.’

’Once they’d fought enough, they would voluntarily retreat back to the Evil Miasma Land.’

’Unfortunately, only the Barbarian Race can adapt to the Evil Miasma Land. The environment there is no less treacherous than the mutated Western Realm. Once those Barbarians hide inside and start playing cat and mouse, even at great cost, the cultivators can’t inflict any real damage on them.’

’The Barbarian Race repeats this cycle endlessly, sticking to the same old strategy.’

Lü Zhong pondered for a moment, but he had too little information. He couldn’t verify any of his theories with pure speculation, so he returned to the topic of the reinforcements with Yu Feng’Er.

”You should go,” Yu Feng’Er said. ”Master said she wants to help you improve your cultivation.”

”Improve my cultivation? Don’t tell me she’s planning a direct transmission...” Lü Zhong looked suspicious.

...

「Wangxiang Mountain, the former terminus of the Human Race’s southern campaign.」

Today, a full million years later, the mountain still served as a border between the Human Race and the Barbarian Race. Shuini’s temporary palace was established here, surrounded by layers of Grand Arrays that blazed with a dazzling Spiritual Light.

At the foot of the mountain lay the True Spirit Sect’s main camp, similarly protected by a Grand Array. Squads of cultivators could be seen changing shifts and patrolling, their defenses airtight.

After reassuring the Bihai Sect disciples in the camp, Lü Zhong rushed nonstop to the palace on the summit.

”Continue to execute the plan... Alright, that’s all for now. You are dismissed!” Clad in a bluish-purple greatcloak, Shuini’s demeanor had taken on much of the majesty of a True Monarch, her words carrying an intimidating force of will.

Upon seeing Lü Zhong arrive, she concluded the high council.

”Yes!” All the Elder Stewards below, along with the vassal Core Formation cultivators under the True Spirit Sect’s rule, bowed in unison and exited the great hall in an orderly fashion.

As they passed Lü Zhong, they couldn’t help but throw strange glances his way.

Lü Zhong could only feel resigned.

’He’d never expected Shuini to dismiss everyone so abruptly. Fortunately, they had the official relationship of master and disciple, so a certain level of intimacy was justifiable.’

”My dear disciple, what are you still doing standing out there?” Shuini’s voice drifted from within the hall.

Hearing this, Lü Zhong could only sigh. He quickened his pace into the hall, performed a formal bow, and said, ”Disciple Lü Zhong pays his respects to Master!”

”Pfft!” Shuini stifled a laugh, a look of mock reproach on her face. ”How long has it been since we last met? Not even ten years, I believe. Have we really grown so distant in that time, master and disciple?”

”Come, sit here next to me. It’s been so long since you’ve visited the True Spirit Sect. I’ve missed you terribly!”

”Sigh... alright.” Lü Zhong shuffled over to Shuini’s side.

It had to be said, a Nascent Soul True Monarch naturally exuded a pressure that affected a Core Formation Master.

Sitting beside Shuini, even though she held no ill will and had completely restrained her aura, he still felt a sense of agitation, an urge to get as far away as possible.

To put it simply, it was like a mouse seeing a cat.

’There’s only one Great Realm between us, but I never expected the gap to be this enormous!’

’This must be one of the reasons I’ve been so reluctant to visit the True Spirit Sect,’ Lü Zhong thought to himself as he sat beside Shuini, noticing the desk before them was piled high with scrolls.

Remembering the strange situation with the Barbarian Race’s Great Witch, his curiosity got the better of him. ”Master, did you summon your disciple specifically because there was an unexpected turn in the war? I heard the Great Witch took a Secret Medicine and has already recovered from his injuries. Is it because of that...?”

”That’s not it,” Shuini said, shaking her head.