A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

”Master, there’s still some time before the food is served. Why don’t we go to the Waterside Pavilion first?”

”Whatever my dear daughter-in-law says.” Shuini put on the air of a mother-in-law.

After a warm family banquet.

To Lü Zhong’s surprise, Shuini announced that she had to return to the True Spirit Sect immediately.

She sighed and said softly, ”Sometimes, I envy how relaxed and free you two are, living here under the blue sky and by the azure sea. Although the situation in the True Spirit Domain is gradually stabilizing, I must personally oversee the setup of the Profound City Celestial Attraction Secret Array. Otherwise, I’d really love to stay here for a decade or two.”

”Master, I think it’s best that you prioritize your important duties!” Yu Feng’er said nervously.

Lü Zhong heard this and agreed.

Shuini felt a pang of frustration upon hearing this, but she didn’t let it show. She simply smiled faintly. ”There’s no need to see me off. I’ll just use Rainbow Transformation and fly away. Lü Zhong, my good disciple, I hope you succeed in your Nascent Soul Formation soon. Otherwise, when the Ten Thousand Witches Hall arrives, your master will have to fight all alone. And you, my dear daughter-in-law, you must also press on with your cultivation!”

She fussed over them for a while longer before reluctantly ascending into the sky and departing.

That night.

Lü Zhong had just finished ”disciplining” Yu Feng’er.

”Husband, what is the Ten Thousand Witches Hall?”

Yu Feng’er asked, still flushed and slightly out of breath.

Seeing that she’d brought it up, Lü Zhong recounted everything Shuini had told them earlier. Yu Feng’er’s expression turned to one of astonishment, clearly finding the matter hard to believe.

”Don’t worry, who knows when or if this will even happen.” Lü Zhong cradled the soft, fragrant body of the beauty in his arms, gently stroking her ink-black hair. ”The Ten Thousand Witches Hall is currently lost in the Void. Even if the Seven Sects use the Profound City Celestial Attraction Secret Array this time, the success rate probably won’t be very high. Not to mention, just setting up those thirteen Secret Arrays will take a hundred years. By the time the plan is actually implemented, several centuries will have passed.”

”Mm, I trust my husband’s judgment,” Yu Feng’er murmured softly. She then shifted her body and, before Lü Zhong could reply, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

...

After achieving the Star Source Spirit Body, cultivating the Star Devouring Technique was next on the agenda.

As it was related to his future success rate in Nascent Soul Formation, Lü Zhong naturally didn’t dare to be complacent. As soon as he finished his daily regimen of consuming pills for Qi Refining, he would begin cultivating this technique.

He had already completed the step of comprehending the Secret Skill.

The cultivation process for the Star Devouring Technique was simple: use the secret technique to devour Star Force, then gather it in the Dantian, nurturing a Star Core in the process.

This Star Core would act as a container to store the Star Force.

The prerequisite for nurturing a Star Core was having a Star Source Spirit Body, and the use of the Star Force within the Star Core was also related to the characteristics of this Spirit Body.

The Star Force stored in the Star Core was almost omnipotent in its applications. It could be used to heal physical injuries, restore Magical Power, and even be released externally to resist Celestial Tribulation.

Beyond these functions, there was another point that Lü Zhong valued immensely.

If he could cultivate a Star Core, then after successfully achieving Nascent Soul Formation, he could fuse it with the Nascent Soul born from his Flying Star Golden Core. This would imbue the Nascent Soul with a trace of the Star Source characteristic.

By doing so, he could obtain a ”Star Source Nascent Soul.”

Although the Flying Star Inheritance didn’t specify the benefits of achieving a Star Source Nascent Soul, he could infer from the Flying Star Golden Core that it would surely have miraculous uses. It wasn’t just about succeeding in Nascent Soul Formation, but also about being able to go further in the future. For this reason, Lü Zhong decided to put great effort into practicing this art.

Casting.

Threads of starlight.

Lü Zhong absorbed them all into his body. He then executed the secret technique, and the Star Force that should have permeated his limbs and bones was instead gathered entirely within his Dantian. After swirling for a while, it coalesced into a nebula, floating above his Golden Core.

And this was only the first step to condensing the Star Core.

He would need to wait until the nebula was dense enough and had gathered sufficient Star Force before he could activate the Technique to make it collapse inward, gradually transforming it into a Star Core.

...

In the days that followed, Lü Zhong was busy with his cultivation, and each day passed with a sense of fulfillment.

Six months later, the Seven Sects launched an evil-extermination campaign.

Lü Zhong sent nearly ten thousand Bihai Sect disciples to support Shuini. This was both to save on Spirit Stone expenses and to let the sect’s disciples go out and gain some experience, lest their isolated life in the overseas sect be too smooth-sailing, turning them into ”crippled” cultivators who only knew how to train but not how to engage in combat.

At the same time, Lü Zhong also sent the refined Soul Unification Pills to his three Incarnations.

The Soul Unification Pill was crucial, directly affecting his plan to obtain a Nascent Soul Secret Technique. After consuming it, his Incarnations could deceive methods used to identify clones and incarnations, such as the ”Divine Profound Mirror,” thereby avoiding exposure.

「One afternoon.」

Lü Zhong was feeling irritable from his training.

He decided to leave his Quiet Chamber, intending to chat with Yu Feng’er to relieve his boredom. He hadn’t expected that she too would be in seclusion, not to emerge anytime soon. So, he walked to the gates of the Bihai Sect, planning to check on his free-roaming Spirit Pet, Jiuying.

Unexpectedly, the place was packed with people.

A large group of Inner and Outer Disciples had gathered, surrounding a huge white figure in the center. One by one, they were feeding it, letting out cheers and shouts of approval from time to time.

”So amazing!”

”Lord Jiuying, have another piece!”

”Yeah, that’s the way!”

...

In just a few short years, Jiuying had already grown to be over ten feet tall. Compared to its previous yellow-dog-like size, its body had exploded in size nearly a hundredfold. And it still appeared to be in its juvenile form. If it continued to grow at this rate, it might even surpass its mother in size and become as large as a Flood Dragon.

”Ying ying ying!”

Jiuying sensed Lü Zhong’s arrival and immediately ignored the meat in front of it. Instead, it scrambled on all fours, barging its way out of the crowd while letting out a series of cries.

Only then did the disciples at the sect gate notice the arrival of Patriarch Lü Zhong.

”Disciples greet the Patriarch!”

Everyone saluted in unison.

But in their hearts, they were all a little uneasy, afraid the Patriarch would reprimand them.

Lü Zhong wasn’t about to get angry over such trivial matters, but a token punishment to maintain his authority was necessary. He released a bit of his aura to startle the disciples, then gave his customary exhortation on cultivation.

He kept it brief.

Then he took Jiuying and flew toward the Outer Sea.

They flew past numerous islands.

He saw Spirit Fields, villages, towns, and in the distance, the clan grounds of Cultivation Clans, as well as vast, sprawling Spirit Fields and numerous Spirit Medicine Gardens.

After so many years, the development of Bihai was finally showing its first results.

Starting with an initial population of one million, and with several supplementations along the way, Bihai’s population had now reached one hundred million after more than seventy years. This was far from the population limit of the Bihai Island Group, and there was still significant room for future growth.

Thanks to such a large population base, the Bihai Sect had a much easier time recruiting disciples.

After flying for close to an hour, he was now over the Outer Sea of Bihai. The ocean surface below had turned a deep azure, with waves cresting several dozen feet high.

Lü Zhong thought for a moment and let Jiuying out.

He let it play in the water.

Suddenly, a black shadow shot out from beneath the waves. It was a massive, scaleless Sea Beast, hundreds of feet long, exuding the aura of the Fake Pill Realm.

’A fish has taken the bait?’ Lü Zhong was already prepared.

He immediately swung his arm, hurling a Thunderous Spear.

When he was idle and felt bored, he would sometimes come out to ”fish” like this. The flesh of those ferocious Sea Beasts was often exceptionally delicious, and catching one would provide enough food for a while.

”Ying ying ying!”

Jiuying was only Tier One at this point. Sensing the Sea Beast’s attack, it immediately let out a cry for help.

But before it could even paddle a few times, a Thunder Spear fell with a WHOOSH.

BANG!

The entire surface of the ocean visibly trembled.

Immediately after, the once-azure sea began to turn dark as the scent of blood spread. A giant Sea Beast with a bloody hole in its head slowly floated to the surface.

Its form resembled a land-dwelling pigeon, but it had a fish’s tail.

”A True Pigeon Fish?” Lü Zhong’s eyes lit up. This was a famous species on the Sea Emperor List.

He couldn’t help but glance at Jiuying, thinking to himself, ’To catch a good fish, you really need the right bait. In the past, I always deliberately concealed my aura to lure Sea Beasts, which is why I never caught anything good.’

’From now on, I’m counting on you for my fishing trips!’ Lü Zhong thought excitedly. He quickly stored the True Pigeon Fish in his Storage Ring, then scooped up the bewildered-looking Jiuying and shot into the sky.

The ingredients were secured. Now, it was time for a feast.