A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

The Storage Ring was packed with supplies.

Upon learning this, the Stewards of the Western Border Alliance were overjoyed. They had been worrying about how to make up for this year’s grain shortage and never expected such a pleasant surprise.

Through the trade, Lü Zhong obtained a good number of Spiritual Objects.

If he took them back to the Southern Barbarian lands for auction, they would be worth at least ten million Spirit Stones. However, very few of them were of any use to Lü Zhong himself. The main items of interest were a few pieces of pure Star Gold Stone. Refining them into the Star Mirror would enhance the Magical Treasure’s power.

The rest of the Spiritual Objects could only be exchanged for Spirit Stones.

This was to be expected. After all, as one’s cultivation rose, the Spiritual Objects required would naturally become increasingly rare.

Lü Zhong had long grown accustomed to this.

’All in all, this trip has been quite fruitful!’

Not only had he successfully completed his objective and obtained the materials to refine the Yellow Extreme Jade Exhausted, but he had also acquired an Exotic Beast Spiritual Pattern Map. On top of that, he had unexpectedly gained a Spirit Treasure and Baiyi, who held the ”Secret of the Spirit Treasure of Longevity.”

’If only every trip could be this rewarding,’ Lü Zhong thought, never quite satisfied.

He then brought Baiyi with him and returned to the surface.

To maintain the Western Border Alliance’s secrecy, Lü Zhong came to an agreement with Baiyi. He would erase all of her memories concerning the Western Realm.

In return, Lü Zhong would be responsible for her room and board until her Divine Soul withered away and perished.

Lü Zhong had thought this through quite clearly.

It was just a matter of supporting a freeloader. Even with the high consumption of his Incarnation Body, it would only cost a few extra pounds of Spirit Rice. For a sect as large and prosperous as the Bihai Sect, this amount was nothing.

In comparison, this was a ’win-win’ for him!

Lü Zhong had been wondering what excuse he could use to keep Baiyi around for future research. Now, she had proposed staying herself, which saved him a great deal of effort.

...

「Six days later.」

Lü Zhong finally returned to the Tide Cave.

As for Baiyi’s accommodations, he directly drafted an order granting her the status of an Inner Sect Disciple. He also assigned one of his Incarnations to her, both to care for the naive Baiyi, who knew nothing of the outside world, and to study the Spirit Treasure Longevity Skill.

He didn’t plan to inquire about the research’s progress in the future.

It would serve as a contingency plan.

Having taken care of these matters, Lü Zhong turned and entered the Alchemy Room.

It took him nearly half a year to process all the Yellow Extreme Jade Fruit into Yellow Extreme Jade Exhausted. The yield was slightly more than he had anticipated, resulting in a total of seven portions.

Next came the Alchemy.

The process was straightforward: he first simulated the process in the Gray Mist Space using True Retrospection. Only after he had mastered it did he begin the actual Alchemy.

Once he had refined the Yellow Extreme Celestial Dust Pills, it was time to consume them and cultivate.

...

Spring came and went.

Time trickled by.

With the source of the recent turmoil gone, the situation in the Southern Barbarian lands stabilized. As the Daoist Sect began to frantically buy up Spiritual Objects and other materials, the region’s recovering commercial trade was revitalized, as if it had been given a shot of adrenaline.

The turmoil in Central Earth had no effect here whatsoever.

The Spirit Tide had yet to reach its peak.

As the concentration of Spiritual Qi gradually increased, the natural world continued to flourish. The yields of Spirit Medicines and Spirit Rice grew year after year, and cultivators seemed to glimpse the dawn of a golden age for cultivation.

Meanwhile, Lü Zhong was still in seclusion.

The Yellow Extreme Celestial Dust Pill was indeed worthy of its status as a pill for Mid-stage Nascent Soul Cultivators. Its effects were quite remarkable. Compared to pills used to advance one’s cultivation at the Early-stage Nascent Soul realm, this pill was far more efficient.

By a rough estimate, it was at least ten times as effective!

Thanks to this, the pace of Lü Zhong’s cultivation progress finally picked up noticeably.

...

「Four years later.」

It was late at night, and Lü Zhong was still sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion, refining the last Yellow Extreme Celestial Dust Pill. As his Cultivation Body operated, the Pure Spiritual Energy within the pill was drawn out. After traveling through a Grand Circulation, it was finally converted into Magical Power.

Just then, he opened his eyes, a look of surprise and confusion on his face.

’The Artifact Spirit has awakened?’

Lü Zhong hurriedly opened his Storage Ring, took out the golden rock, and tried to immerse his Divine Sense within it. Almost instantly, he made contact with a hazy consciousness—it was the Spirit Treasure’s Artifact Spirit.

At the same time, a passage of text appeared in his mind.

’It’s the Spirit Communication Mantra!’

Lü Zhong was ecstatic.

He had thought it would take a great deal of effort to awaken the dormant Artifact Spirit. It now seemed that Baiyi’s presence had suppressed the Spirit Treasure’s original spirit. After she left, the Artifact Spirit had time to recover and had now awakened on its own.

Without hesitation, he began to decipher the contents.

’The Giant Spirit Mask... so that’s what this treasure is called!’

After reading through the entire Spirit Communication Mantra, Lü Zhong finally understood why the Spirit Treasure had turned into a rock as soon as Baiyi left: its Artifact Spirit had fallen dormant.

Once the Artifact Spirit recovered its strength, the Giant Spirit Mask would change from its rock-like state back into a golden mask.

As for the treasure’s function, Lü Zhong only had a vague understanding. According to the Spirit Communication Mantra, by wearing the treasure, one could unleash the mask and manifest the Giant Spirit Dharma Aspect.

’A Giant Spirit Dharma Aspect?’

Lü Zhong’s heart filled with anticipation at the thought.

But first, he had to use the Spirit Communication Mantra to refine it day and night, helping the Artifact Spirit recover its power more quickly.

This process would also refine the Giant Spirit Mask itself, gradually changing the Artifact Spirit’s mark until it was completely synchronized with the holder’s True Spirit Mark. Only then would the treasure be considered truly refined.

’It even involves the True Spirit Mark. Spirit Treasures truly are profound!’ Lü Zhong had practiced the Outer Body Incarnation Divine Techniques, so he naturally understood the significance of such a mark.

A True Spirit Mark is the proof of an individual’s unique existence. This indirectly confirmed the belief that every Spirit Treasure is one-of-a-kind.

It was worth mentioning that, if the owner of a Spirit Treasure encountered a powerful enemy during the refining process, there was a high chance it could be forcibly taken from them if it wasn’t fully refined yet.

Fortunately, even if the Spirit Treasure was stolen, the original owner wouldn’t be immediately killed by it.

After all, an outsider who seized the Spirit Treasure wouldn’t be able to use it right away. They would still need to use the Spirit Communication Mantra to refine it and alter the Artifact Spirit’s mark before they could unleash its power.

There was no time to waste. Lü Zhong began to study and comprehend the Spirit Communication Mantra.

...

Half a year passed quickly.

Just as dawn was breaking, Lü Zhong emerged from his Quiet Chamber. After many days of study, he had finally mastered the Spirit Communication Mantra. The refining process was going quite well; the Artifact Spirit’s mark had begun to change.

Considering that refining a Spirit Treasure was an extremely lengthy process, Lü Zhong prepared himself for the long haul.

Thus, another important task was added to his daily routine: using the Spirit Communication Mantra to refine the Spirit Treasure.

The reason he had emerged from seclusion today was for the Qian Nan Grand Assembly.

’Looking back, a hundred years have already passed...’ Lü Zhong mused.

He didn’t dwell on the thought for long.

He made his way to the Waterside Pavilion. Yu Feng’Er had also come out of seclusion today. After several years of quiet recuperation, her condition was much improved. The aura that had once fluctuated wildly had finally stabilized.

Seeing Lü Zhong arrive, she ladled out a bowl of wontons.

”Husband, I heard that people from Central Earth will also be participating in the Qian Nan Grand Assembly this time.”

”The Daoist Sect did inform us of that in advance.” Lü Zhong sat down and took the bowl of wontons from Yu Feng’Er. He scooped one up and savored it, finding the taste to be quite good.

Unfortunately, it was still a far cry from how they used to taste.

They must have hired a new Spirit Chef.

Returning to the previous topic, Lü Zhong ate his wontons while reassuring Yu Feng’Er, ”But you don’t need to worry too much about it, Feng’Er. The people from Central Earth are just attending normally. My Incarnation planted in Huayi Temple managed to snag the position of guarding the Transmission Array, so their every move is under my surveillance.”

Hearing this, Yu Feng’Er was finally able to relax.

After the two finished their breakfast, they set off for the Qian Nan Grand Assembly’s venue.

The Qian Nan Grand Assembly rotated its host every hundred years. This time it was the True Spirit Sect’s turn, so the event was being held in the True Spirit Immortal City.