A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

As he briefly gauged the man’s aura, Lü Zhong identified him as a Nascent Soul Cultivator. His cultivation felt like a Sea Abyss—deep and unfathomable.

’I’m afraid he’s already at Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation!’

His heart tightened. He knew the middle-aged man before him must be the Nascent Soul Cultivator overseeing the fleet.

It was said that attacks by Sea Beasts were commonplace while sailing the Boundless Sea, but he hadn’t expected this fleet to be guarded by a Mid-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator.

This was not a good sign.

Though it might seem like only a single Small Realm separated the Early Stage and Middle Stage of Nascent Soul, the gap in power between the two was anything but small. A Mid-stage cultivator could typically defeat an Early-stage one without much effort. If the timing was right, there was even a significant chance they could kill an Early-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator on the spot.

Hiring a cultivator of this caliber to stand guard meant one of two things: either the fleet was transporting some priceless treasure, or they expected to face dangers that only a Mid-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator could handle.

As these thoughts churned, Lü Zhong considered numerous possibilities.

’He took the initiative to invite me, so he must want something. In that case... there’s no harm in hearing him out. If we can’t reach an agreement, finding another fleet is always an option.’

With this in mind, he glanced at Shuini. She gave a slight nod.

Obviously, she was thinking the same thing.

The two walked over to the middle-aged man. He spoke first, cupping his hands in a salute and smiling. ”I am Yuu Mingzi of the Celestial Origin Immortal Palace. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Lü and Fellow Daoist Shui.”

’He’s already investigated our backgrounds? He certainly did his homework,’ Lü Zhong thought to himself. Outwardly, he remained perfectly composed as he returned Yuu Mingzi’s salute with a faint smile.

”Greetings, Fellow Daoist Yuu Mingzi.”

Shuini did the same, offering a simple salute in return.

”There are too many eyes and ears here; it’s not a good place to talk.” Yuu Mingzi’s gaze swept over the crowd, his smile slowly fading. He gestured with a cupped-fist salute toward Lü Zhong and Shuini. ”Let’s adjourn to the ship. It’s quieter there. As it happens, I’ve recently acquired some fine tea and refreshments I can share with you.”

”In that case, please lead the way, Fellow Daoist,” Lü Zhong replied.

Seeing that Shuini remained silent, Yuu Mingzi seemed to confirm something in his mind. A faint smile touched his lips. He nodded, said nothing more, and led the pair toward the ship.

The three of them weaved through the crowd.

With a Nascent Soul Cultivator’s skill in Concealing Breath and Traces, they were practically nonexistent in the eyes of the many low-level cultivators. They crossed the gangplank and boarded the ship without anyone noticing. Then, they passed through a wide corridor and soon arrived in an elegant hall.

Soon, tea and cakes were served.

A single glance at the cakes revealed they were the work of a master, perfect in color, aroma, and flavor.

The tea was a superior grade of Spirit Tea, emitting a Spiritual Light visible to the naked eye. It was clearly extraordinary—just inhaling its fragrance seemed to make one’s cultivation rise.

”Why don’t you both have a taste? This Immortal Jade Cake and Divination Spirit Tea are delicacies that even I rarely have the chance to enjoy!” Yuu Mingzi said, breaking the silence in the hall as he invited them to sample the refreshments.

Having used True Retrospection to verify that the tea and cake were safe, Lü Zhong didn’t hesitate. He picked up a piece of cake and popped it into his mouth.

He had to admit, the ingredients used in the cake were incredibly extravagant.

The Spirit Rice must have been Contestant Immortal Jade, a variety that only bears grain when grown in areas with extremely high concentrations of Spiritual Qi. It was also filled with assorted candied fruits, which were themselves made from precious Spirit Medicines.

He ate a small piece and followed it with a sip of Spirit Tea.

The taste itself was secondary to the sensation of rich Spiritual Qi dissolving in his mouth, which felt like being enveloped in clouds. It was a wonderful feeling that greatly soothed the fatigue of his Primordial Spirit.

His cultivation was also slowly increasing, at a rate comparable to a full day of arduous practice.

Seeing Lü Zhong’s expression, Shuini, who hailed from Central Earth, also became curious.

Although she had long heard of Immortal Jade Cake and Divination Spirit Tea, she had never actually tasted them. Even the Nascent Soul Supremes of her Immortal Spirit Sect had never enjoyed Spirit Tea and cakes of this caliber.

The reason for this was simple: Immortal Jade Cake and Divination Spirit Tea were specialties of the Celestial Origin Immortal Palace.

After tasting them, Shuini found that their reputation was well-deserved.

After sampling the cake and Spirit Tea, Lü Zhong hadn’t forgotten the purpose of their meeting. He set down his cup, looked at Yuu Mingzi, and said, ”Fellow Daoist Yuu Mingzi, if you have something to say, please speak freely.”

”To be frank, something has happened along our route.” Yuu Mingzi sighed softly and explained, ”According to the intelligence I’ve received, the Demon Saint of the Boundless Sea has, for some unknown reason, recently lost control over the Demon Cultivators under his command...”

”Something like that happened? But he’s the Demon Saint of the Flood Dragon Race!” Astonishment filled Lü Zhong’s eyes.

’How could something like this happen again?’ he thought. ’First it was the Snow Saint, now it’s the old Flood Dragon of the Boundless Sea.’

’Who’s next?’

’The balance is slowly being shattered.’

’The Cultivation Realm is truly descending into chaos.’

”Whatever the reason, the seas have not been peaceful lately. Demon Cultivators have been frequently causing trouble, raiding fleets to acquire blood-food and advance their cultivation. This fleet I’m guarding is enormous, with nearly thirty thousand low-level cultivators. It will undoubtedly become a prime target for them,” Yuu Mingzi said, his voice heavy with worry.

As an Immortal Sect cultivator with a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, he might appear impressive to others, but in his heart, he knew the struggles he faced.

Loose Cultivators have their hardships, and sect cultivators are no different.

Yuu Mingzi still hoped to advance further on his path of cultivation, which naturally meant participating in the internal struggles for power and resources within his Sect.

Although the Celestial Origin Immortal Palace was massive and controlled a near-infinite amount of resources, the number of Great Cultivators it could produce was still finite. If he wanted to claim a spot for advancement, another faction would lose out.

This was the root of the conflict. Since no one was willing to back down, whichever faction made the fewest mistakes would gain the upper hand in the struggle.

If this fleet were to be raided by Demon Cultivators...

...then his hopes of advancing to the Great Cultivator realm would become slim.

Therefore, there was no room for error on this mission.

This was precisely why Yuu Mingzi had been so hospitable to Lü Zhong and Shuini—especially to Lü Zhong, the Star Sun True Monarch. This was a formidable individual with a history of slaying cultivators of his own rank.

As for Shuini, being Star Sun True Monarch’s master, he presumed she couldn’t be weak either.

’If I can get their help, we’ll be able to handle it easily even if we do run into Demon Cultivators.’ At this thought, Yuu Mingzi’s composure wavered, and a rare hint of tension surfaced.

On the surface, however, he remained perfectly calm. He stated his terms, placing two bottles of Pills on the table. In a low voice, he said, ”If you two agree to lend a hand should the need arise after we set sail, I am willing to offer these two bottles of Golden Qi Nourishing Truth Pills as compensation.”

The Golden Qi Nourishing Truth Pill was a famous Nascent Soul Secret Medicine from the Celestial Origin Immortal Palace, nearly impossible to find on the open market. It could increase the efficiency of nourishing one’s Nascent Soul, and its effects lasted for a full century. When taken during a cultivation bottleneck, it even had a slight chance of helping a cultivator break through.

For Yuu Mingzi to produce two bottles at once was a testament to how much he was willing to stake on this.

Lü Zhong, of course, understood just how precious the Golden Qi Nourishing Truth Pill was. Beside him, Shuini was also inwardly astonished, not expecting Yuu Mingzi to be so decisive.

The two exchanged a look, a silent consensus passing between them.

They were in agreement.

Clearly, the chance to obtain such a Pill for potentially intervening just once was a great deal. Compared to the risks of combat, the benefits were clearly far greater.

”You are too kind, Fellow Daoist. Since we’re traveling on the same route, it’s only right that we help if the fleet is attacked by Demon Cultivators!” Lü Zhong said with a perfectly natural expression. He accepted the two bottles of Pills without hesitation, handed one to Shuini, and then continued, ”Since you are being so generous, Fellow Daoist, we will be sure to spare no effort in our protection when the time comes.”

”Excellent! With your assurance, Fellow Daoist, I can finally rest easy!” Yuu Mingzi stroked his beard and laughed heartily. With this matter settled, he visibly relaxed.

The three of them then continued to eat and drink as they discussed the escort arrangements.

In the end, they agreed that Lü Zhong and Shuini would guard the rear of the fleet. The ships at the back were mostly mixed passenger and cargo vessels, making them less attractive to Demon Cultivators and thus easier to defend. Yuu Mingzi, meanwhile, would personally oversee the Celestial Origin Immortal Palace’s main contingent, protecting the passenger ships that carried the bulk of the cultivators.

As they spoke, the fleet weighed anchor and set sail.