Eternal Life from the Golden Needle Technique

Chapter 205: Chapter 202: Advancement and a Message

「Seven days later.」

「Half-Mountain Courtyard.」

BOOM!!!

A powerful aura erupted from within him, sweeping out in all directions. It stirred up a tangible current of air that blew across the courtyard.

Simultaneously, the aura of Shen Changchuan’s Cultivation Realm surged, reaching the Ninth Layer Middle Stage Peak in a single leap!

’It’s done!’

He stabilized his Cultivation Realm after the breakthrough and opened his eyes. A sharp light glinted within them for a long moment before he reined it all in and let out a long sigh of relief.

In just seven days,

his Cultivation had leaped past the Ninth Layer Early Stage to reach the Ninth Layer Middle Stage Peak.

He was now only a single step away from entering the Ninth Layer Late Stage Realm!

And all of this,

was naturally thanks to that thirty-year-old Spiritual Peach!

That’s right.

To advance his Cultivation, Shen Changchuan had performed Refinement on the Spiritual Peach—an item that could be considered a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, one that could provide a sliver of assistance to a Qi Introduction Realm Cultivator during their breakthrough to Soul Emergence!

’I don’t intend to use Elixirs for my Cultivation anymore. Taking them introduces certain hidden risks to one’s body and the Magical Power one gains. These risks can be gradually resolved with enough time spent polishing and refining them, but with the one-year agreement looming, I can’t afford to waste that much time...’

’But this Spiritual Peach is different. As a naturally grown Spiritual Object, it doesn’t contain the volatile Medicinal Power found in Cultivation-enhancing Elixirs, nor does it have the trace amounts of Elixir Poison that form when ingredients absorb fire and change during refinement... Using it to raise my Cultivation has virtually no side effects, aside from the possibility of my Magical Power foundation becoming a bit unstable...’

’As for it being a so-called Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object... as long as my Cultivation rises, will I really lack opportunities to find another?’

’Once I advance to the Ninth Layer Peak, I’ll polish my skills and enhance my techniques. Even if I can’t fight and kill an expert in the Soul Emergence Realm, I should at least be able to trade a few moves with someone at that level.’

’The stronger I am, the greater my chances of obtaining Heavenly and Earthly Treasures!’

’Take this time for example. Treasures were scattered everywhere. If I had the strength of a Soul Emergence Realm master, would I have just huddled in Dawan Village, satisfied with a single Spiritual Peach?’

’I might have even dared to explore those rumored ancient ruins.’

’It all comes down to a lack of strength!’

Numerous thoughts flashed through Shen Changchuan’s mind.

Any lingering regret he felt for consuming a Spiritual Peach that could be considered a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object vanished completely.

Admittedly,

consuming the Spiritual Peach directly was arguably the least profitable way to use it.

Whether it was refined into an Elixir or traded away,

the returns would have far exceeded what he gained by consuming it directly.

But clearly,

for the Shen Changchuan of now,

consuming it directly was, in fact, the best course of action.

With his Cultivation breakthrough complete,

Shen Changchuan did not stop there.

He continued to meditate and cultivate,

until two days later,

when he had completely mastered his explosively increased Cultivation Realm.

This,

might not be an easy matter for other Cultivators,

but Shen Changchuan’s Divine Sense was now strong enough for Soul Emergence and Body Separation.

For him, it was incredibly simple.

He quickly mastered his surged Realm Magical Power.

In fact, most of his time over those two days,

was spent stabilizing his Cultivation Realm and reinforcing his foundation.

In truth,

after performing Refinement on the Spiritual Peach,

the Spiritual Power and Spirit Charm it contained were enough to raise Shen Changchuan’s Cultivation to the Ninth Layer Late Stage.

However, he had considered that,

if he broke through from the Ninth Layer Early Stage to the Ninth Layer Late Stage in such a short time, his foundation might become unstable, which could hinder his future breakthrough to the Soul Emergence Realm.

For this reason,

he had directly used his profound Divine Sense—already on par with the Soul Emergence Realm—to forcibly suppress the remaining Spiritual Power. He converted this excess power into nourishment to solidify the foundation of his rapidly expanded Realm,

and this was why he hadn’t reached the Ninth Layer Late Stage,

but had instead stopped at the Ninth Layer Middle Stage Peak.

Still, this was more than enough.

Next,

Shen Changchuan decided to spend the next one to two months

slowly polishing his Ninth Layer Middle Stage Peak Realm, reinforcing his foundation, and strengthening his base before seeking another breakthrough.

It was a good plan,

but not long after,

a message arrived that completely derailed it.

...

「Two days later.」

Deep within a hidden, dense forest,

Nangong City sat cross-legged on a large boulder, his eyes closed in meditation, seemingly waiting for something.

Suddenly,

his brow twitched. He opened his eyes and looked up at the sky.

There, in the clear blue sky before him,

a black speck on the horizon rapidly grew larger,

until it flew right before him, landing in the clearing with a gust of wind.

”Brother Shen, that was incredibly fast!”

Nangong City stood and went to greet him. His eyes fell on the Gale Falcon Shen Changchuan was riding, its wingspan measuring several yards, and a flicker of envy crossed his face.

Although he had received the Beast Taming Secret Technique from Shen Changchuan,

he hadn’t managed to find a suitable Flying Demon Beast in such a short time.

Of course,

he wasn’t jealous.

’There will be opportunities later.’

Shen Changchuan jumped off Xiaofeng’s back and cupped his hands in a salute.

”I set out as soon as I got your message... Thank you for going to all this trouble to help, Brother Nangong!”

”We’re friends who’ve been through life and death together. Don’t say things like that!”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries,

Nangong City didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

”About those Shen Family members you asked me to find—I couldn’t locate all of them, but I did find a trail for two...”

”For some reason, those two have fallen in with the Qi Family. They’ve already returned with them to their stronghold in Qi Family Town.”

”They might just be resting with the Qi Family for a bit and could leave for Tian Nan City in a few days. Or, they might stay there to recover and use a Communication Talisman to report back to your Shen Family in Tian Nan City, getting your family involved in this mess...”

”What’s your plan? Are you going to ambush them on the road in a few days, or attack the Qi Family directly and kill those two to eliminate the threat for good?”

Nangong City looked at Shen Changchuan.

This was his problem,

and in the end, the decision was Shen Changchuan’s to make.

This all started more than half a month ago.

Back then, after Shen Changchuan had been taken away,

Nangong City, still shaken, had suppressed the panic in his heart and decisively made his own exit.

Worried about Shen Changchuan’s condition, he later found his way to Dawan Village.

Upon learning that Shen Changchuan was unharmed, Nangong City had been relieved.

During a later conversation,

Shen Changchuan learned that Nangong City was still shaken by the near-death experience with the Soul Emergence Realm Demon Cultivator. Seeing as he had no intention of getting involved in that mess again and had some free time,

Shen Changchuan asked him for a favor.

He asked him to find the same Shen Family members who had originally come chasing Shen Chong and then, upon seeing Dawan Village’s prosperity, had become greedy.

And that led to the current situation.