A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

To this day, news from the Southern Barbarian lands still described the Western Realm as a perfectly normal place. ’So where exactly do those so-called ”special products of the Western Realm” come from?’

Hearing this, Qii Yun’s expression dimmed slightly, but he quickly recovered.

”My apologies, Senior. This junior has been unable to obtain a Passage Guide for Immortal Prison Pass, so I haven’t been back to my homeland in a very long time. My memories of its current state are from my childhood, which was over a hundred years ago.”

Over a hundred years ago was exactly when the strange changes in the Western Realm began.

Lü Zhong noted his change in expression and drew a silent conclusion. Changing the subject, he smiled. ”You claim to be capable of building a Flying Boat Workshop. How can you prove it?”

”Senior, I wonder if you have heard of the ’Profound Sky Ship Workshop’? This junior hails from that very Central Earth workshop. My shipbuilding skills were taught to me personally by Master Wugong.

The construction of a Flying Ship is an incredibly complex affair. It is impossible for me to build one alone. It requires the cooperation of at least a thousand Craftsmen, not to mention the support of various Artifact Refiners and Array Masters...”

At this point, Qii Yun hesitated for a moment before taking out a Jade Scroll.

”To be perfectly honest, this junior has obtained a copy of the Profound Celestial Ship Manual. If you are willing to provide support, Senior, it is indeed possible for me to use this manual to build a workshop from the ground up!

If you don’t believe me, Senior, please feel free to inspect this manual.”

”Oh?” Lü Zhong gave him a surprised look.

He covertly cast Malice Detection, then scanned the Jade Scroll with his Celestial Net Secret Eye. After confirming there were no issues, he drew it over and submerged his Divine Sense into it.

Based on its contents, the Jade Scroll did indeed record a shipbuilding technique.

It contained two volumes, an upper and a middle, which detailed the construction of large sea vessels and Flying Ships under a hundred zhang in length. As for the missing volume, Lü Zhong guessed it most likely contained the manufacturing techniques for large Flying Ships over a hundred zhang, or perhaps even for the Mountain Shaking Ship.

It wasn’t surprising that Qii Yun hadn’t obtained it.

He focused on the section about Arrays, especially the part concerning the pivots, and it all seemed legitimate.

All in all, it didn’t seem like a fake manual.

Qii Yun’s credibility rose a few more notches, but Lü Zhong didn’t make an immediate decision. Instead, he waved his hand and conjured a Water Mirror Technique, this one showing a Mystery Lock Array.

”Have you seen this Array before?”

Hearing this, Qii Yun looked up. His expression was one of utter astonishment as he gazed at the image of the Mystery Lock Array, which was supposed to be a top secret.

”The Cloud Dragon Maze Lock... Senior, you are...”

”You recognize it. Then do you have a way to break it?” Lü Zhong asked in a low voice.

”Break it?” Qii Yun shook his head with a bitter smile.

”This junior doesn’t have that ability. The Cloud Dragon Maze Lock is crucial for the preservation of the Mountain Shaking Ship, so the method to break it is only known by Master Wugong and a few others. However...”

He paused here, hesitating slightly before continuing, ”I do have a way to remove the Cloud Dragon Maze Lock directly. The price, however, is that some of the Arrays on the ship will be damaged. It might be a problem with the Floating Pivot, or the Primordial Cannon could be destroyed. The reason is that the Cloud Dragon Maze Lock was designed from the outset to be interconnected with all the other Arrays.”

Lü Zhong hadn’t expected to get such a pleasant surprise from a casual question.

Partial damage was fine.

’It’s a freebie anyway!’

If he could really obtain a Mountain Shaking Ship this way, it would be a massive windfall. If he could then somehow move it to the Southern Barbarian lands, its usefulness would be beyond words.

Soon, Qii Yun had refined a Token.

Judging by his Artifact Refining techniques, he certainly had the ability to build sea vessels.

Seeing this, Lü Zhong no longer had any doubts. Though he remained wary, he agreed to Qii Yun’s request, allowing him to find a spot on the island to begin constructing a ship workshop.

He also permitted the kinsmen Qii Yun brought with him to settle on one of the islands with a Spirit Vein.

As for the funding to build the workshop, Luu Baokui would be in contact with him.

...

Back in his Quiet Chamber, Lü Zhong reminded himself that cultivation was fundamental.

The development of the Sect and the Commerce Association were merely means for him to acquire resources. His ultimate goal was always to advance his cultivation.

He glanced at the Jade Shelf, where three more bottles of Spirit Ascending Honey had been delivered.

’One extra bottle. It seems the Spiritual Honey’s production has increased slightly. I wonder how the hive-splitting project is going. If we can split off a new swarm of Great Honey Insects, the production of Spirit Ascending Honey will no longer be a bottleneck!’ Lü Zhong thought as he sat on his cattail mat, pulling the three bottles of Tier Three Spirit Ascending Honey toward him.

He took one of the bottles and pulled out the wax-sealed Jade Barrier, and a sweet, honeyed fragrance immediately wafted out.

It was accompanied by a gush of dense Spiritual Qi.

Without hesitation, he drank it all in one go.

He then activated his Cultivation Technique to refine all the Spiritual Qi contained within the Spiritual Honey.

After the Spirit Ascending Honey was used up, he began consuming Pills to refine his Qi. He didn’t care what kind of Pill it was; as long as it could raise his cultivation and had no major side effects, he sent it down his gullet.

After more than an ancient hour, he had reached the limit of his technique’s operation.

”My cultivation has improved slightly again. I can clearly feel that I’m getting closer and closer to breaking through to Late-stage Core Formation.” A satisfied expression appeared on Lü Zhong’s face as he cleaned up the various bottles and jars on the floor.

He waited for the agitated True Essence in his body to calm down.

Only then did he continue his comprehension of the Star Devouring Technique.

...

The Withered Tide brought great upheaval to the Southern Barbarian lands.

After learning the purpose of the Double-tailed Helical Crystal, the Nascent Soul Sects of the Southern Barbarian lands, including the True Spirit Sect, all launched plans to acquire them. Some succeeded and some failed, but all of them obtained at least a few of the crystals.

On Shuini’s side, experimental results on the use of the Double-tailed Helical Crystal were already out.

If a Spirit Vein provided a continuous supply of Spiritual Qi, the coverage of the Double-Tailed Helix Barrier would be ridiculously large. Specifically, if powered by the True Spirit Sect’s Tier Four Spiritual Vein and combined with the large Double-tailed Helical Crystal Lü Zhong had provided, it could form a massive Barrier affecting an area with a radius of over ten thousand li.

Even the one the Barbarian Race possessed could protect a radius of a thousand li.

This was something Lü Zhong hadn’t anticipated.

However, this had its pros and cons.

Maintaining the Double-Tailed Helix Barrier would inevitably consume a massive amount of Spiritual Qi. This meant the Spiritual Qi supply for some cultivators would be reduced, and the cost of cultivating things like Spirit Rice and Spirit Medicine would also become much higher than before.

The result would be a further scarcity of resources.

It was foreseeable that the Southern Barbarian Immortal Cultivation World would undergo a great change. Perhaps in the future, all Sects and families would have to rely on the Double-Tailed Helix Barrier just to survive.

Spirit Veins, Barriers...

’Not much has actually changed.’

Cultivators still relied on Spirit Veins for Spiritual Qi; now there was just a Barrier added to the mix.

...

Once winter arrived, Bihai was beset by rain all day long.

The vast clear skies of the past vanished, replaced by a sky full of dark clouds. Raindrops pattered down ceaselessly. From time to time, cultivators practicing their Cultivation Methods would shuttle through the cloud layer, leaving behind multicolored trails.

On this day, Lü Zhong finished refining his accumulated Flame Essence using the Fire Cultivation Mantra.

Having absorbed the essence, the power of his Purple Nether Extreme Fire increased slightly, but there were no signs of Metamorphosis yet. He figured it was still a long way off.

He then turned and went to the Waterside Pavilion.

He planned to drink some tea to dispel the frustration in his heart.

Today, it was ”Jiaoman Secret Tea.”

This Spirit Tea could only be produced by the Barbarian Race. It was originally a tribute for the Great Witch, but after the Southern Celestial Tribes acknowledged Shuini as their master, only she could enjoy it.

When brewed, the tea shimmered with a five-colored Spiritual Light.

The tea’s aroma carried a hint of poison, just like everything from the Hundred Illnesses Plateau.

He picked up the cup and took a small sip.

The tea had an unusually harsh flavor, lacking any of the mellow or rich aftertaste one would expect from a Spirit Tea. But this was accompanied by a powerful burst of Spiritual Qi that was, for some reason, incredibly refreshing.

After another sip, Lü Zhong found that he had actually grown to like this tea.

’No wonder it’s a tribute for the Great Witch!’

As he was drinking, Yu Feng’er came over.

Influenced by the arrival of the Withered Tide, she, who had never been particularly concerned with cultivation, had finally become diligent. Without any prompting from Lü Zhong, she had entered secluded cultivation on her own. After consuming several bottles of Pills, she drew upon her long-term accumulation and finally had a breakthrough, reaching Mid-stage Core Formation.

Logically, this should have been a happy occasion worth celebrating, but Lü Zhong couldn’t bring himself to feel happy at all.

”My love, are you still worried about Master?”

”Yes, but that’s not all of it...” Lü Zhong sighed.

By his calculations, the Withered Tide should have reached Wangxiang Mountain three days ago. He didn’t know what the situation there was like now. If the Withered Tide truly consumed the entire Southern Barbarian lands, he would be forced to hide in Bihai forever.

At that point, he had no idea how he would acquire the various resources he needed.

Without resources, he would probably be stuck at the Core Formation realm for the rest of his life.

Just as he was thinking this, a handmaiden delivered a secret letter.

Lü Zhong took it and saw that it was from Shuini. With a feeling of unease, he broke the Prohibition on the letter and began to read it word by word.

After reading the entire letter, he let out a long sigh of relief.

”The Spiritual Energy Great Wall!”