A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

First, there was intelligence gathering. Major intelligence organizations, such as the renowned Celestial Secret Tower, all sold relevant information. This included intel on the whereabouts of Flood Dragons. The accuracy of the information varied with the price, and some powers had even been known to directly sell the location of a Flood Dragon Nest.

Lü Zhong read through it. ’It’s nice to have the backing of a major power,’ he thought.

’I don’t have to run all over creation myself. I just have to ask, and someone else will do the legwork.’

In the end, he settled on a target.

It was a Crystal Rock Flood Dragon.

This Flood Dragon was an unusual species, similar to the Molten Earth Dragon and the Poisonous Flood Dragon. It had a natural affinity for devouring crystal rock.

While it sounded similar to the dirt-eating Earth Flood Dragon, the Crystal Rock Flood Dragon was a rare exception among its kind, one that excelled at Magic Techniques. Its innate Crystal Rock Magic was devastatingly sharp, with a might rivaling an attack from a cultivator’s Magical Treasure.

It was a powerful creature, its strength second only to the Golden Flood Dragon, ranking it number two among all Flood Dragon species.

He didn’t choose it because of some collector’s obsession with gathering seven different types of Flood Dragon Spirit Banners.

Rather, the whereabouts of the Crystal Rock Flood Dragon could be bought with Spirit Stones, unlike information on other Flood Dragons, which often required completing additional conditions.

”Celestial Blade Domain...” Lü Zhong murmured to himself.

...

「Black Sand Continent.」

It was one of the most famous oases in the Celestial Blade Domain, stretching for over three thousand miles at its widest point. Originally a collection of many smaller oases, they had gradually merged into one large oasis thanks to proper soil and water conservation.

Lü Zhong arrived just as morning broke.

Using Concealed Breath to appear as a Qi Refining cultivator, he paid a one-Spirit-Stone entrance fee and entered the city smoothly.

Seeing that it was mealtime, he wasn’t in a rush to head straight for the Black Sand Tower, the city’s intelligence broker, to buy the specific location of the Crystal Rock Flood Dragon. Instead, he turned onto a side street and found a stall selling breakfast.

The culinary customs in the Celestial Blade Domain were quite different from the other six domains of the Southern Barbarian region.

There was little rice to be seen; most dishes were flour-based.

Though the sky had only just begun to lighten, the small stall was already filled with customers. Some were hunched over, heartily devouring their food, while others chatted about recent interesting events.

Yet, even those who were talking seemed distracted, glancing toward the stall owner from time to time. They couldn’t help but swallow, their faces full of anticipation.

Seeing this, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but feel curious.

”Waiter!”

”Coming!” The young waiter hurried over. He ignored the sweat on his brow, first wiping the table clean with a white cloth from his shoulder, then skillfully setting out a jade cup and pouring a cup of tea, before saying with a slick smile, ”Esteemed Immortal Master, what can I get for you today?”

”What do you recommend?” Lü Zhong asked.

”Oh, we have plenty... but my top recommendation is the fresh meat wontons. The wrappers are made from the finest spiritual wheat flour from the Black Sand Continent, giving them a first-class chewy and springy texture. When combined with the incredibly savory muscle of the White Sandworm, the two create a wondrous reaction! An Immortal Master from the East Sea once praised them, saying that not even the meat of the Sturgeon Dragon Emperor could compare to the flavor of Black Sand City’s fresh meat wontons!” the waiter rattled on.

”Oh?” Lü Zhong’s interest was piqued.

The Sturgeon Dragon Emperor was an exotic beast ranked in the top ten of the Sea Emperor List.

On par with its terrifying strength was its meat, universally acknowledged as the most delicious in the world. He had always wanted to buy some to try, but unfortunately, the Sturgeon Dragon Emperor was not known to appear in the Southern Barbarian region, so he had never gotten the chance.

Now, to hear that these fresh meat wontons could surpass the meat of the Sturgeon Dragon Emperor...

’Whether it’s an exaggeration or not, for the waiter to have the confidence to say such a thing, there must be some substance to it. Otherwise, someone would have smashed the stall long ago. How could it still be in business and so popular?’

”Alright, then bring me three... no, ten bowls!”

Hearing this, the waiter’s face immediately fell.

”Hahaha!” Someone nearby burst out laughing. The sound came from a group of travel-worn adventuring cultivators whose auras were slightly strange. Their leader, a man with a thick, curly beard, said teasingly, ”My friend, you must not know the rules of this stall. No need to trouble the young waiter; let me explain it to you. The White Sandworm is rare and hard to find—it can only be caught in the depths of the Desert Sea. Therefore, each person is limited to one bowl of fresh meat wontons per day.

Even the True Cultivators follow this rule! They say something about how too much of a good thing is bad, and that good things should be savored slowly... And if you ask me, they have a point. I’ve eaten these fresh meat wontons time and time again, and I’ve never once gotten tired of them.”

’So that’s how it is. These High-level cultivators on the Black Sand Continent are certainly interesting...’ Lü Zhong thought to himself.

He immediately cupped his fists towards the man in thanks.

Since that was the rule, he had no choice but to follow it. He couldn’t very well cause a huge scene on the Black Sand Continent just to satisfy a craving.

A gourmand ought to have some self-control.

However, while the wontons made with White Sandworm were limited, the wontons made with Gray Sandworm had no such restriction. So, Lü Zhong ordered nine bowls of those.

Before long, the ten bowls of wontons were brought out.

Outwardly, there was no difference between them.

The difference was only apparent upon tasting them. The wontons made with Gray Sandworm meat were also savory, but they weren’t much different from the Spiritual Food Lü Zhong usually ate. There were only subtle differences in flavor; the overall taste wasn’t that far apart.

Full of anticipation,

Lü Zhong scooped up one of the special wontons and brought it to his mouth.

The savory flavor exploded!

The waiter was right. A truly wonderful reaction occurred between the wheat-flour wrapper and the White Sandworm meat. They blended together perfectly, creating an exceptionally delicious wonton.

Before he knew it, the bowl of wontons was empty.

”Not bad!” Lü Zhong said with satisfaction.

He glanced at the remaining bowls of ordinary wontons. Having just tasted the exquisite flavor of the special one, he was still savoring the memory and found he had no desire to even lift his hand. In the end, driven by the principle of not wasting food, he reluctantly forced himself to eat them all.

Leaving the stall, Lü Zhong walked towards the Black Sand Tower.

The morning sun was just rising, and the Black Sand Continent seemed to have come alive. Mortals and cultivators each went about their duties. Some headed in groups to the Spirit Fields outside the city to summon clouds and rain for the Spirit Plants. Others drove ox-carts, doing the dirty, hard, and tiring jobs that cultivators wouldn’t. Despite the labor, every face was beaming with a smile.

Everything was neat and orderly.

Lü Zhong strolled on, soon arriving at the central avenue.

This area was clearly more prosperous than the others. Shops lined both sides of the street, their colorful Banner Flags fluttering in the wind. The variety of goods was impressive; there were not only various Pill and Talisman Shops, but also stores specializing in exotic treasures from outside the region, their counters displaying wares from all over.

There was even a shop selling Spirit Ascending Honey.

However, compared to the ”Exit Sect Price,” the price here was significantly higher—more than three times as much.

Even so, large numbers of cultivators were still paying to buy it.

He didn’t know if they just wanted to try it or if they had some other use for it.

After stopping to watch for a moment, Lü Zhong gave up on the idea of going into the shop to ask about it and continued toward the Black Sand Tower. His purpose on this trip was the Crystal Rock Flood Dragon; there was no need for unnecessary complications.

His time was limited, after all.

If he couldn’t complete the Flood Dragon hunt within a year, he would give up. By that time, the Spirit Medicine required for the Evergreen Pill would have a year’s growth on it. He could then harvest it, take it to the Western Realm, and have the Western Border Alliance process it into the necessary ingredients. Then, he could finally refine the Pill.

In that way, the Evergreen Seal could be completed.

After that, it would be time to search for an opportunity for Nascent Soul Formation.

Even if he still wanted to hunt a Flood Dragon later, it would have to wait until after he successfully achieved Nascent Soul Formation.

Lost in thought, he arrived at the Black Sand Tower.

Contrary to what Lü Zhong had expected, the Black Sand Tower wasn’t a towering building hundreds of feet tall, nor was it constructed from any subtly luxurious materials, despite being a place that sold high-level intelligence like information on the Crystal Rock Flood Dragon. It was just a simple, three-story wooden building that even looked a bit run-down.

’A peculiar taste?’ Lü Zhong shook his head and was about to go inside.

But unexpectedly!

BANG! The door exploded into a shower of wooden splinters.

Immediately after, several figures emerged from within.

They were clearly two opposing groups. One side was dressed entirely in blue and white Daoist Robes. Both men and women wore ornamental crowns, differing only in their height and quality. Judging from the three individuals’ undisguised auras, they were clearly Core Formation Stage cultivators. The one with the highest cultivation was a man at the Late-stage of Core Formation.

Searching his memory, Lü Zhong recalled the origin of this group.

’Qingxu Temple. What are they doing here?’