A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

By the time he reached Bihai Sect, it was already dusk.

After meeting with Sect Leader Luu Baokui and handling the aftermath of the Bidao Market incident, Lü Zhong then met with his two disciples.

Seeing that Su Caocao had already perfectly refined her Spiritual Power, he granted her request to attempt Foundation Establishment. As for his younger disciple, Hex Luo, he planned to hold him back a bit longer to curb his eagerness for quick success.

This wasn’t just to ensure Hex Luo could go further on his path, but also to prevent him from becoming arrogant and causing some major trouble, turning into the ”genius villain” from a novel.

When that time came, Lü Zhong, as his master, would be ridiculed if he didn’t intervene, but if he did, it would become a classic case of ”the old one showing up after the young one is beaten.”

’One problem would follow another. How would I ever find time to cultivate then?’

Returning to Tide Cave, another round of work awaited him.

The next morning, Lü Zhong emerged from his bedroom. After a simple but exquisitely prepared breakfast, he went to his Quiet Chamber. He first regulated his breathing to calm his state of mind, then began refining the Poisonous Flood Dragon Essence into a Flood Dragon Spirit Banner. The necessary materials had long been prepared, and he had more than one set.

This was his third time refining a Flood Dragon Spirit Banner, so ”second nature” was an understatement. With the aid of the Celestial Net Secret Eye Technique, the refining process went on without a single hitch.

During the process, he added a piece of Ancient Dragon Bone.

The name was a misnomer; Ancient Dragon Bone was not the bone of a True Dragon. It was a type of ore that could enhance the Spiritual Attribute of a Magical Treasure. It earned its name because its grayish-white body closely resembled skeletal remains and because of its powerful effects. It was a special treasure Lü Zhong had acquired from the Western Border Alliance during his last trip to the Western Realm.

Adding it during refinement brought significant benefits. It would make the Little Flood Dragon formed by the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner’s Transformation more agile, and in turn, make its protective effects more proactive and precise.

Time passed day by day.

Soon, the Poisonous Flood Dragon Banner was completely refined.

Thanks to his improved refining techniques and the addition of rare spiritual materials, the banner was already a Five-layered Restriction Magical Treasure the moment it was completed. Compared to the other three Flood Dragon Spirit Banners, which had only just been nurtured to the Fourth-Layer Prohibition, it was clearly a level stronger.

He placed the four Small Flags together.

In the presence of the Poisonous Flood Dragon Banner, the other three Flood Dragon Spirit Banners seemed to tremble in fear.

The face of the Poisonous Flood Dragon Banner was cyan, shrouded in a layer of illusory mist and covered with intricate patterns. Once activated, it could take the form of a little Poisonous Flood Dragon. Compared to the other three Flood Dragon Spirit Banners, the Little Flood Dragon formed by the banner with the added Ancient Dragon Bone was no longer rigid and dull, but possessed a touch of agility.

He ran some tests.

Compared to an ordinary Flood Dragon Spirit Banner, the Poisonous Flood Dragon Banner seemed to have the ability to discern the magnitude of a threat when protecting its master. When unable to defend against all attacks, it would first block those aimed at Lü Zhong’s vital points before dealing with secondary threats.

’It’s hard to imagine this is the effect of adding just a single piece of Ancient Dragon Bone.’

’It’s a good item, but it’s a bit expensive...’ Lü Zhong thought.

That piece of Ancient Dragon Bone had cost him five hundred thousand catties of Spirit Rice.

The value of the Spirit Rice itself wasn’t the issue. Even with the current soaring rice prices in the Southern Barbarian lands, it was only a little over one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. The main problem was that Spirit Rice was too difficult to collect. Otherwise, Lü Zhong wouldn’t have had to save up for so long just to trade in the Western Realm.

This was the case for Spirit Rice, and the situation with other Spiritual Objects wasn’t much better.

’It seems I’ll have to expand cultivation,’ Lü Zhong thought. He decided to issue a land-expansion decree the next day, offering free access to Spirit Veins to attract more cultivators and families to settle in Bihai. This way, all of Bihai’s unused Spirit Veins would be put to use instead of being left to grow weeds.

His thoughts then turned to the Nether Abyss Continent.

Although he had already obtained the technology for Transmission Arrays, the development of the Nether Abyss Continent could not be stopped.

As the saying goes, a sly rabbit has three burrows; it’s always good to have multiple escape routes.

Once he found a way to adapt to the environment there, the large-scale development of the Nether Abyss Continent could be put on the agenda. Although High-level cultivators had explored it for a long time, there were definitely still vast, undiscovered treasures.

If he could gain complete control over it, he might be able to turn it into Bihai Sect’s private backyard.

If this plan truly succeeded, it would provide more support for his future attempt to break through to the Divinity Transformation realm.

...

The following days were surprisingly peaceful.

Li Wuzhen’s death caused no ripples whatsoever. Huayi Temple even sent someone to the True Spirit Sect to formally apologize, which was a real eye-opener for Lü Zhong. A dead genius was no genius at all. Since Li Wuzhen had failed to emerge from his chrysalis, he was of no more value to his Sect.

And with no value, no one would come seeking revenge.

Life returned to its dull and tasteless routine.

At the end of the year, Lü Zhong sent his Incarnation to the Western Realm to sell off his accumulated supplies. The main goal was to trade for three pieces of Ancient Dragon Bone to refine into his Flood Dragon Spirit Banners. Along the way, it would also pick up some Double-tailed Helical Crystals. Although the number of Evil Spirits in the Southern Barbarian lands had greatly decreased, the defensive pressure on the Spiritual Energy Great Wall at the border was constantly increasing.

A stronger Barrier would further reduce that defensive pressure.

To cope with the treacherous environment of the Western Realm, he had specially prepared a Flying Ship for his Incarnation. It was specially treated to resist the corrosion of the Crimson Spiritual Energy. Furthermore, he had implemented multiple redundant systems for both its power source and protective arrays to prevent any mishaps along the way that might lead to the loss of the Incarnation.

This was a bold experiment.

If the experiment succeeded, Lü Zhong would be able to trade with the Western Border Alliance on a regular basis. He would no longer need to accumulate vast quantities of supplies at once, but could instead trade flexibly according to the situation.

At the same time, his true body would no longer have to venture into danger.

Lü Zhong hadn’t forgotten that he had discovered the secret of a Divinity Transformation Grand Venerable.

Another month passed just like that.

On the first day of the new year.

Lü Zhong held his customary Preaching Conference. Gazing down at the sea of Qi Refining Disciples in the square below, as well as the eleven Foundation Establishment True Cultivators of Bihai Sect, a sudden sense of accomplishment welled up within him.