A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Anything out of the ordinary is cause for alarm.

But even after analyzing all the information he had, Lü Zhong couldn’t make any sense of it.

"Perhaps it has something to do with the Ten Thousand Witches Hall!" Yu Feng’Er reminded him.

As far as she knew, while the Daoist Sect and Changchun Valley were fighting fiercely all over the Southern Barbarian lands, the construction of the Traction Towers within their territories hadn’t slowed in the slightest. In fact, it had suddenly accelerated.

Her words were a wake-up call.

Lü Zhong felt she was probably right.

This was not a good sign.

An outside force might have intervened in the Southern Barbarian lands, sparking this war over their own interests.

’As for my master...’

Lü Zhong had a good idea of what Shuini would choose, but he couldn’t be certain. After all, establishing a third faction was like dancing on the edge of a blade. Although it could bring significant benefits, the potential risks were enormous.

...

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.

The bleak autumn wind returned, heralding the season of decay.

With Changchun Valley embroiled in the war, they had no time to spare for the Bihai Sect. Seizing the opportunity while the two True Monarchs were occupied, Lü Zhong spent six months setting up a chain of Transmission Arrays. It stretched from Bidao Market to the Outer Sea beyond Changchun Immortal Harbor, creating a convenient path for his Incarnation to travel to the Western Realm.

If he’d had more time, he would have extended the chain all the way to Poisonous Insect Valley.

The locations for the Transmission Arrays were all carefully selected, situated either hundreds of feet deep on the seafloor or far underground. Unless someone was specifically searching for them or stumbled upon them by sheer luck, it was nearly impossible to find them. Furthermore, each Transmission Base Palace was fitted with security measures. Anyone entering from the outside would trigger a Prohibition, causing a subtle change in the array’s own Prohibitions.

This would either disable teleportation entirely...

...or cause the transmission to fail.

Either outcome would prevent his Incarnation from falling into enemy hands.

Lü Zhong emerged from his Quiet Chamber.

After half a year, Shuini had made her choice.

Just as he had predicted, Shuini, who originally came from Central Earth, had evidently used her own secret channels to secure the support of the Immortal Spirit Sect. Behind the Immortal Spirit Sect stood another power, reportedly a branch of the Gui Miao Immortal Sect, with strength on par with Changchun Valley.

’Is this letting the wolf in the door, or using a tiger to devour a wolf...?’

Lü Zhong didn’t know what to make of his master’s decision. However, judging by the current chaotic situation, her options had been limited. If she hadn’t brought in an outside force, her only choice would have been to join one side of the war, which would have completely upset the balance of power in the Southern Barbarian lands.

Then, either the Daoist Sect would reign supreme, or Changchun Valley would claim final victory.

From his own perspective, he didn’t want to see either side win.

’But life as a third power won’t be easy... She must be waiting. To be precise, she’s gambling—gambling that I can successfully achieve Nascent Soul Formation. If I do, the True Spirit Sect will have the Bihai Sect as its powerful backer. At that point, we’ll have a real voice, and no one will dare to offend us,’ Lü Zhong thought to himself.

’You really think highly of your disciple, don’t you!’

As things stood now, it would take him at least twenty to thirty years just to reach the Fake Infant Realm. And once he got there, he couldn’t just immediately attempt Nascent Soul Formation. He would have to polish his Magical Power and practice a Nascent Soul Secret Technique, which would take another decade or more.

And that wasn’t even mentioning the wait for the right moment for Nascent Soul Formation.

This "moment" wasn’t something clearly defined. It could be a sudden whim or a feeling of profound accumulation; both could be considered the "opportune moment." Qingding had spent nearly fifty years in seclusion before his finally arrived. It wasn’t that one couldn’t succeed in Nascent Soul Formation without this moment, but having it significantly increased the chances of success.

When the moment arrived, one’s confidence would soar.

Boosted by that powerful self-assurance, the success rate would naturally be higher.

Casting aside these distracting thoughts, Lü Zhong forced himself to stop overthinking.

After finishing his daily cultivation exercises, he began practicing the Star Devouring Technique. The more he mastered this technique, the more it would help him during Nascent Soul Formation, so it was essential to spend time on it.

At the same time, to save time, he also needed to make comprehending the Yue Spirit Unification Mantra a part of his daily routine. After all, such Secret Techniques were known for being incredibly abstruse and difficult to cultivate.

One should always be prepared in advance; it was the technique that should be waiting for the cultivator, not the other way around.

...

「In the days that followed.」

Lü Zhong seized every moment to cultivate. To prevent bottlenecks, he focused on practicing the Third Layer of the Spirit Forging Fire. At the same time, he ordered his subordinates to accelerate the collection of Fire Spirits to continue strengthening his Purple Nether Extreme Fire. This was to prevent his Magical Power from becoming impure due to the accumulation of Pill Poison.

The days passed, one after another.

The war on the continent raged on, with thousands of cultivators dying every day. The powers backing the two warring factions finally came to light. They were also forces from Central Earth: Qingxu Temple and the Eternal Life Hall. And behind both of these great powers were shadows of certain branches of the Gui Miao Immortal Sect.

At this point, the conflict had become a full-blown proxy war.

Seeing that all the Southern Barbarian True Monarchs were tied down by the war, Lü Zhong took a bold step one day and went out to clear his head with a tour of Bidao Market.

To avoid any trouble, he deliberately concealed his aura and altered his appearance. As long as a Nascent Soul True Monarch didn’t show up, it was practically impossible for anyone to discover his true identity.

His first stop was the "Candlefire Ruins" outside the Workshop Market.

The idea of using Evil Spirits to temper one’s Divine Sense was undeniably bold. But once word got out that it was effective, it attracted a flood of cultivators eager to try. After they experienced the benefits for themselves and spread the news, entry to the Candlefire Ruins became highly sought-after. Even when the price soared to Ten Spirit Stones per visit, participants paid without batting an eye.

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