A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

One day, after restoring his Incarnation, Lü Zhong appeared in the Quiet Chamber of Tide Cave. He first sat cross-legged and meditated for a time. Once his mind was completely tranquil, he began the task at hand.

He had just been through two Six-Nine Great Celestial Tribulations and one Transformation tribulation.

He now knew full well that a Tribulation Crosser had to face not only the tribulation of their breakthrough but also natural disasters or man-made calamities. One of the two was inevitable; the process would never be perfectly smooth.

Therefore, Yu Feng’Er was bound to encounter trouble during her tribulation.

As a precaution, Lü Zhong had already assembled nine Incarnations to be ready for any contingency.

Now, he prepared to refine a Flood Dragon Spirit Banner.

The value of the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner had already been demonstrated in previous combat.

In future combat, having one more Flood Dragon Spirit Banner would be an undeniable advantage. It would surely catch his enemies by surprise and produce an unexpected, decisive result.

Lü Zhong brushed his Storage Ring, and a miniature Flood Dragon appeared. Its body was covered in Sealing Talismans and bound by Magical Power. It was clad in exquisite, ink-jade-like Scale Armor and floated motionlessly in the air, its eyes shut tight as if it were asleep.

Gazing at the Little Flood Dragon, Lü Zhong’s face remained expressionless as he opened his mouth and exhaled a ball of purple-gold flame.

The Purple Gold Extreme Fire then flared, engulfing the Little Flood Dragon.

He knew the process of refining a Flood Dragon Spirit Banner by heart. He immediately began forming hand seals, casting one Prohibition after another while simultaneously fueling the Purple Gold Extreme Fire to begin refining the Black Flood Dragon Primordial Spirit.

Lü Zhong’s expression was calm, but inwardly, he felt a flicker of anticipation.

This refinement was vastly different from his last. The main material for the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner was not a Flood Dragon’s Essence, but the Primordial Spirit of a Flood Dragon that had achieved Transformation.

Thanks to the wondrous nature of a Primordial Spirit, the resulting Flood Dragon Spirit would surely be different from the previous one.

As for *how* it would be different, he couldn’t say, as he had no prior experience. Furthermore, the refining method for the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner made no mention of such a situation.

’No point overthinking it. I’ll know once it’s done!’

He refocused his mind on the refinement.

Once the Artifact Embryo had taken its initial shape, Lü Zhong took out the Subtle Shadow True Water he had obtained from Jingming. This was another type of Treasure Material, one even more precious than Silver and Gold Essences, but he had no immediate use for it. Rather than let it sit idle, he might as well refine it into the Black Flood Dragon Banner to amplify its power.

Without hesitation, he began refining the true water into the Artifact Embryo.

...

Nearly half a year later, Lü Zhong’s eyes snapped open, a flash of surprise in their depths. He stared at the ball of purple-gold fire before him, his expression growing serious as he slowly raised an arm.

His hands flew through a series of seals, quickly forming a Prohibition.

But just as he was about to cast it, he hesitated.

’Refining a treasure with a Primordial Spirit... the results are far beyond my expectations.’

The Flood Dragon Spirit Banner he was refining from the Black Flood Dragon Primordial Spirit had actually produced an Artifact Spirit.

This was something Lü Zhong had not anticipated.

And the Prohibition he had just formed was one designed to obliterate that very Artifact Spirit.

It wasn’t that Lü Zhong was being wasteful of a precious treasure.

He was willing to give up an Artifact Spirit—something others would kill for—for a simple reason.

The Artifact Spirit’s consciousness came entirely from Jingming, retaining nearly all of his memories. The grudge for being killed was a blood feud that could never be reconciled. Thus, once the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner was complete, even if the Artifact Spirit didn’t rebel on the spot, it would inevitably become a ticking time bomb—a massive hidden threat.

Compared to the benefits an Artifact Spirit could bring...

Lü Zhong felt it was better to deal with the problem decisively now rather than let it fester.

Besides, this wouldn’t be the first Artifact Spirit he had snuffed out.

The Artifact Spirit of the Thunder-Attracting Needle, the ill-timed spirit born within the Star Mirror during his tribulation... Erasing one more now would barely cause a ripple in his emotions.

’Still... perhaps I can salvage this.’

An idea suddenly struck Lü Zhong. He could use his Outer Body Incarnation Secret Technique to modify the Black Flood Dragon’s Primordial Spirit Mark, thereby altering the consciousness of the nascent Artifact Spirit.

’The risk isn’t small, but compared to the reward of gaining an Artifact Spirit, it’s worth a shot.’

With this in mind, Lü Zhong began the procedure.

He was already well-practiced in modifying True Spirit Marks.

What to keep, the risks involved, which marks to excise, and the potential hidden dangers that might arise—he had already experimented with all of this on his Incarnations. Now, he performed the operation with practiced ease.

The process was an immense drain on his Divine Sense, no less taxing than a major combat.

This was because, as a precaution, he used the Gray Mist Space to run a true-to-life simulation before every modification, allowing him to circumvent potential risks.

...

「More than half a month later.」

Lü Zhong cast the final Prohibition. Gazing at the Small Flag enveloped in the Purple Gold Flame before him and sensing the waves of emotion emanating from the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner, he could finally let out a long sigh of relief.

’It seems my modifications were indeed effective.’

He had managed to preserve the Artifact Spirit while simultaneously erasing the marks left behind by Jingming.

As for whether this would truly result in a benevolent Artifact Spirit, he would have to wait until the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner’s refinement was complete and run a series of tests to know for certain.

’As for now... I should rest for a while.’

Lü Zhong replenished the Purple Gold Extreme Fire with a bit of his Magical Power. This was to prevent the flame from running out of fuel and losing its intensity, which would cause irreparable damage to the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner’s refinement.

He rose and left the Quiet Chamber, following a path lined with blooming flowers until he soon reached the Waterside Pavilion.

At the Waterside Pavilion, maidservants were still waiting in attendance.

Lü Zhong sat in the Waterside Pavilion, his gaze sweeping absently over the maidservants’ faces. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. ’Year after year, the flowers remain the same, but year after year, the people are different...’

He searched his memories and realized the maidservants had been replaced thirty-nine times.

And with each replacement, their cultivation was higher than the last.