A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

In the following days, Lü Zhong continued to live a leisurely life.

Every day, aside from taking pills for his cultivation, he would study Secret Skills and research the refinement of the Soul Unification Pill. In his leisure time, he enjoyed listening to the wind and admiring the moon at the Waterside Pavilion. Life was exceedingly pleasant.

「Time passed.」

Several more months passed in the blink of an eye.

This winter in the Southern Barbarian lands was not a peaceful one.

Although the Withered Tide was held back by the Spiritual Energy Great Wall, the influence of the Evil Spirits still spread. Widespread chaos erupted throughout the Land of the Seven Domains, especially in the Mortal World where the presence of cultivators was weak. Entire villages and counties began to report mass deaths, gravely threatening the very foundation of the Cultivation Realm.

Even Bihai was no exception, as Evil Spirits were also causing trouble there.

Lü Zhong dispatched an Incarnation to specifically handle the matter.

Even though they were powerful Evil Spirits, they were all invariably reduced to ashes before his Purple Nether Extreme Fire—which he had cultivated for a long time—without so much as making a ripple.

The days stumbled along like this.

At the end of the year, Master Long Qing of Array Sword Mountain came to visit.

The two exchanged greetings and the usual pleasantries before getting down to business.

”I hope Brother Lü will forgive my presumptuous visit if I’ve disturbed you!” Long Qing said with a smile, showing none of the haughty airs he had put on when they first met.

He had even taken the initiative to call Lü Zhong ”brother” to close the distance between them.

Times had changed.

A wave of emotion washed over Lü Zhong.

’Back when I first reached Core Formation...’

’Sigh, it’s better not to dwell on it.’

”You flatter me, you flatter me! We are both Core Formation Cultivators; a difference of a single Small Realm is nothing. We should address each other as peers,” Lü Zhong said, pulling his thoughts back to the present and waving his hand with a light chuckle.

Afterward, a serving girl brought out Spirit Tea, fruits, and pastries.

The two chatted idly for a while, their conversation drifting from the current situation in the Southern Barbarian lands to the recent changes in the Changchun Domain.

Lü Zhong could guess the reason for Long Qing’s visit, but since his guest didn’t bring it up, he certainly wasn’t going to. In this era of great change, controlling resources meant controlling the power dynamic.

As for ancient texts and legacies?

They were important, yes, but unfortunately, they couldn’t be used to advance one’s cultivation.

A Clan Leader from a Cultivation Family would naturally possess an extraordinary degree of composure, able to remain unperturbed in any situation. Unfortunately for Long Qing, he was dealing with Lü Zhong.

After three rounds of tea refills, he finally could not sit still any longer.

Due to the rampage of Evil Spirits, the production of Spiritual Objects at the Long Family’s Array Sword Mountain had plummeted. To ensure a continuous supply of cultivation resources for the family’s cultivators, Long Qing had already visited many places. Although he wasn’t turned away, thanks to the reputation of the Long Family of Array Sword Mountain, he had gained very little.

And so, he had no choice but to brace himself and come to Bihai.

Across the entire Southern Barbarian lands, only the Bihai Sect could currently sell Spiritual Objects in large quantities.

At any other time, Long Qing might have had other ideas—like rallying his various allied families by marriage, or even Changchun Valley, to put pressure on the isolated, overseas Bihai Sect.

But things were different now. Lü Zhong was Radiant Moon True Monarch’s only disciple.

Moreover, when they met today, Long Qing had been secretly astonished. He saw that Lü Zhong’s aura was steady and his Magical Power fluctuations were even greater than his own—a clear sign that he had already broken through to the Late-stage Core Formation.

A cultivator of such a Realm was not someone to be trifled with, no matter the circumstances.

At this thought, Long Qing had no choice but to state his purpose honestly.

”To be perfectly honest, the purpose of my visit is to purchase a batch of Spirit Ascending Honey. I was wondering if your esteemed Sect could spare a portion for us?”

Lü Zhong was not the least bit surprised; he had long expected this was the reason for the visit. He smiled and said, ”We do have Spirit Ascending Honey, of course. Unfortunately, I just received a message from my master not long ago. As you know, Mr. Long, a master’s command is difficult to defy. The Bihai Sect’s current stock of Spiritual Honey is nearly depleted...”

Seeing the flicker in Long Qing’s eyes, Lü Zhong pretended not to notice and continued, ”However, since it is you who has come, Mr. Long, I must naturally show some courtesy. How about this? You can trade the legacy of the Transmission Array, valued at 300,000 Spirit Stones, and in exchange, I’ll provide an equivalent value of Spirit Ascending Honey.”

”This...” Long Qing hesitated.

The legacy of the Transmission Array... Before the great change, let alone 300,000 Spirit Stones, you couldn’t have obtained it even if you quadrupled that price.

After all, this was a true foundational legacy!

Previously, when he had demanded the Nether Flame Purple Iron, it was partly with the intention of making things difficult for Lü Zhong.

But now, it was payback time.

Lü Zhong didn’t say a word, just waited quietly.

He held all the cards now and wasn’t afraid that Long Qing would refuse his terms.

Besides, even if Long Qing refused the trade, it didn’t mean Lü Zhong had no other way to obtain the Transmission Array legacy.

In fact, he already had another method to acquire it.

That was to trade for it with the Western Border Alliance.

The Western Border Alliance had gathered nearly all the essential legacies of the Western Border Sects, so it naturally included one for the Transmission Array. Compared to getting it from the Long Family, trading for it with the Western Border Alliance would simply be much more troublesome.

In the end, Long Qing chose to accept the terms.

As a Clan Leader, he naturally knew how to choose between a mere inanimate object and the future of his family.

The two then signed a Spirit Contract, quickly sealing the deal.

In the days that followed, visitors came one after another in waves.

But regardless of their status, Lü Zhong used Shuini as an excuse to refuse them all. It had to be said, this excuse was incredibly effective. The moment the name of a Nascent Soul True Monarch was mentioned, not a single person dared to find fault.

This affair made him yearn even more to achieve Nascent Soul Formation.

In late spring, an unexpected guest arrived.

Shuini, dressed in a plain gauze robe, stood in the Waterside Pavilion. Bathed in the moonlight, she looked even more transcendent and otherworldly, truly like a fairy who had descended to the mortal world.