A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

In a way, this was also a reflection of the Bihai Sect’s growth.

After all, the handmaidens serving in Tide Cave weren’t just some female cultivators recruited off the street. At the very least, they were elite juniors from their respective sect clans, talented enough to be called geniuses.

Take the current group of handmaidens, for instance.

While they only possessed Three Spirit Roots, each had her own unique talents. They were all outstanding among their peers, and reaching Foundation Establishment in the future would be no issue for them.

Lü Zhong picked up a cup of Spirit Tea and cleared his mind.

He sipped the tea leisurely, taking an occasional bite of a pastry or some Spiritual Food meticulously prepared by a Spirit Chef.

Day after day passed.

By the time Lü Zhong registered the passage of time, a full seven days had gone by. To him, however, it felt like only an instant.

’The Flood Dragon Spirit Banner should be just about done refining...’

So, he rose and walked toward the Quiet Chamber.

On the way, he passed a Quiet Chamber where Yu Feng’Er was in seclusion.

Using his scene regression ability, Lü Zhong confirmed her condition. Just as he’d observed before, Yu Feng’Er’s aura was still steadily rising. Clearly, things were developing in a positive direction.

Barring any accidents, she was bound to succeed this time.

This set his mind at ease.

After watching silently for a moment, Lü Zhong turned and entered his own Quiet Chamber. A faint smile finally graced his lips when he saw the small black flag floating above the flames, constantly absorbing and expelling Spiritual Qi.

With a flick of his sleeve, he drew the small flag into his hand.

Sensing it carefully, he discovered a true consciousness within the Black Flood Dragon Banner. Though it was incredibly faint, like a newborn fledgling, it was undoubtedly an Artifact Spirit.

Moreover, when it sensed Lü Zhong’s Divine Sense probing it, the Artifact Spirit even approached affectionately.

It took the form of a miniature flood dragon.

Compared to the ferocious Jingming, the Artifact Spirit seemed far more adorable.

It had only been a moment, but its clingy nature was already on full display.

Reaching this point, Lü Zhong thought to himself, ’Thank goodness I didn’t choose to erase the Artifact Spirit. Otherwise, even if I gathered all seven Flood Dragon Spirit Banners and successfully refined the Flood Dragon Banner, the absence of an Artifact Spirit would have meant it could never be upgraded into a Spirit Treasure.’

He quickly finished the refinement process.

Information about the Black Flood Dragon Banner surfaced in his mind.

As expected of a Magical Treasure refined from a Flood Dragon, it had become a Sixteen-Layered Forbidden Treasure the moment its creation was complete. And because it had birthed its own Artifact Spirit, it seemed remarkably animated. When he released the other Flood Dragon Spirit Banners, the five smaller banners spontaneously gathered around the Black Flood Dragon Banner, clearly treating it as the master flag.

He ran some tests.

Lü Zhong tried letting the Black Flood Dragon Banner command and control the other Flood Dragon Spirit Banners.

At first, the Artifact Spirit’s control was still naive and clumsy. It repeatedly let attacks slip through or failed to distinguish the magnitude of a threat, leaving the defense riddled with holes.

However, after his patient tutelage, it quickly grew proficient.

If things continued this way, once the Black Flood Dragon Banner had accumulated enough experience, all the Flood Dragon Spirit Banners under its command would surely be able to defend against attacks far more effectively.

’If this really works, it’s like I’ll have a complete set of defensive Magical Treasures!’

The thought thrilled Lü Zhong.

A defensive net formed by six flawlessly coordinated Flood Dragon Spirit Banners would be virtually impenetrable.

In addition, the Black Flood Dragon Banner was a powerful Magical Treasure in its own right.

Because it had been refined with Subtle Shadow True Water, it gained an additional Divine Technique: the Subtle Shadow Waters Barrier. When cast, it could release a Subtle Shadow Waters Curtain to envelop the wielder, providing a considerable defensive effect.

This pleased Lü Zhong even more.

First the Flood Dragon Spirit Banners, then the Cangwu Shield, and now the Subtle Shadow Waters Curtain.

Layer upon layer of defense.

In the future, he feared that even a Mid-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator wouldn’t be able to do a thing to him.

After putting away the Black Flood Dragon Banner,

Lü Zhong moved on to his next task.

The True Flood Dragon Sword.

Combat always brought rewards. Having dispatched several opponents of the same rank, he had profited handsomely each time, and his battle with Jingming was no exception.

Lü Zhong had a faint feeling.

The greatest prize from this endeavor would likely be this very sword.

”True Flood Dragon Sword...”

What made it a ”True” Flood Dragon?

It was clearly more than just a simple Flood Dragon.

Lü Zhong surmised it likely referred to a pure-blooded Flood Dragon—an incomparably powerful Innate being from an era predating antiquity.

If his guess was correct, then the Flood Dragon Bone used to forge this True Flood Dragon Sword must have an extraordinary origin.

’But... how do I activate it?’

Lü Zhong tried infusing it with Magical Power, but each attempt was like a clay ox sinking into the sea—the True Flood Dragon Sword gave no feedback whatsoever. He then mimicked Jingming’s previous actions, using a Demon Pill to pour a large amount of Demon Qi into it, but again, there was no reaction.

Seeing as he couldn’t figure it out for the time being,

Lü Zhong put it away in his Storage Ring and turned his attention to the Black Flood Dragon’s corpse.

Most of these Flood Dragon Materials, like the Flood Dragon Claw and Flood Dragon Tendon, had no immediate use.

He planned to process the Flood Dragon Skin and refine it into a Treasure Level Dharma Robe. It would replace his current Flood Dragon Scale Robe, which could no longer keep up and had shown its limitations in his recent combat.

...

「Seven years passed in the blink of an eye.」

During this time, everything was calm and peaceful.

After their Nascent Soul cultivators had recovered their Primordial Qi, both the Daoist Sects and the Xuanyang Sect kept to themselves, showing no intention of stirring up trouble.

Furthermore, the Spiritual Energy Great Wall had been completely repaired.

The perpetually turbulent Southern Barbarian lands became unusually stable, and conflicts at the Core Formation Level grew rare. Commerce, which had been devastated before, finally had a chance to recover, especially with resource production resuming in various regions.

The various domains traded amongst themselves, and the Southern Barbarian lands grew more prosperous by the day.

In such an environment, the Bihai Sect, which controlled Bihai Immortal Harbor, was undoubtedly the greatest beneficiary.

They made a fortune from the East Sea trade.

Thanks to the ample supply of resources, Lü Zhong’s young disciple, Hex Luo, successfully achieved Core Formation. Including another cultivator who had broken through a while ago, the Bihai Sect now had four Core Formation cultivators in its direct lineage.

With this, they had met the initial conditions for ensuring a new generation could reach the Nascent Soul realm.

They were one step closer...

...to becoming a true Nascent Soul Sect!

...

「In the Quiet Chamber.」

Lü Zhong was meditating with his eyes closed.

He was currently in contact with his incarnation in the Western Realm.

The vast amount of resources he had provided had not been in vain.

A short while ago, his Western Realm contacts had finally made another breakthrough in Spiritual Energy Conversion Technology. They had improved the Creation Secret Array, increasing its original conversion efficiency.

Now, adding Red Ocher Stone as a catalyst could double its efficiency.

And Red Ocher Stone was derived from Double-tailed Helical Crystals.

It could be produced by processing the crystals in the Secret Array.

After their trade a few days ago, Flowing Sword True Monarch from the Western Realm had sent a request for a large quantity of Double-tailed Helical Crystals.

The purpose was twofold: first, to begin purifying their living environment and prevent corrupted spiritual qi from further eroding the ground beneath them, and second, to meet the needs of the next phase of their research. His next plan was clear: while improving the base conversion ability of the Creation Secret Array, he would continue to search for even more efficient catalysts.

Lü Zhong had no issue with Flowing Sword’s plan.

He now presided over a vast territory.

Doubling the supply of materials would not be difficult to manage.

Besides, this was a form of investment.

Now that it was showing results, increasing that investment was only natural.

The problem, however, was how to provide enough Double-tailed Helical Crystals.

After the Spiritual Energy Great Wall was repaired, the Double-tailed Helical Crystals were given a new purpose: maintenance. The process involved principles that the Southern Barbarian Immortal Cultivation World couldn’t comprehend, but it did indeed work to repair the massive wall.

As a result, Double-tailed Helical Crystals had become a strategic resource, making them extremely difficult to purchase on the open market.

Lü Zhong didn’t plan on hunting Evil Spirits himself—not because he found it too troublesome, but because as the embodiment of the Bihai Sect’s will, there were plenty of other ways for him to obtain Double-tailed Helical Crystals if he wanted them.

For instance, he could issue acquisition quests in the Bihai Sect’s Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

”HUUU...” Lü Zhong let out a long breath.

He had truly worried himself sick over this Spiritual Energy Conversion Technology.

He then calmed his Heart and Spirit.

He took another Pill and resumed his meditation and Qi Refining.