A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

With the immense profits from the Western Realm’s trade and the potential gains from developing the Nether Abyss Continent, coupled with the Spiritual Energy Conversion Technology, Lü Zhong believed his cultivation speed would surely surpass that of Wanmu and Qingding. He might even be the first to reach the Mid-stage Nascent Soul.

If that were to happen, his victory would be assured.

The power gap between each small realm in the Nascent Soul Stage was enormous, and it only became more pronounced at higher levels.

According to the ancient texts, it was incredibly easy for a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator to crush those in the early or middle stages. With their immense strength, it was even possible for them to kill their opponents outright.

But there was a prerequisite.

His gains from exploring the Ten Thousand Witches Hall could not fall behind Changchun Valley’s. At the very least, he couldn’t let the gap widen. Otherwise, once Wanmu and Qingding obtained resources, their cultivation would advance by leaps and bounds.

’So, I really have no choice but to go to the Ten Thousand Witches Hall,’ Lü Zhong thought to himself.

...

Time holds little meaning in cultivation.

After reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, Lü Zhong found his sense of time had grown even more detached than during his Core Formation Stage. A single short session of seclusion was enough for the year to draw to a close by the time he emerged.

And yet, it had felt like only a day had passed.

He rose and left the Quiet Chamber.

Arriving at the Waterside Pavilion, he saw that Yu Feng’er wasn’t there.

It seemed that his successful Nascent Soul Formation had spurred her on. She, who had always been lazy about her training, no longer needed to be urged and had finally become much more diligent.

Right now, she was still in seclusion in her Quiet Chamber.

A short while later, a servant girl brought over Spirit Tea and pastries.

The tea was a fine variety from Central Earth, and the pastries were meticulously prepared by a Spirit Chef.

Lü Zhong took a light sip and found that compared to before, although it was the same Spirit Tea and the same Spirit Chef, the taste of the tea and pastries had changed dramatically.

Take the Blessed Cake in his hand, for example.

This pastry was made from a hundred types of Spiritual Honey and a hundred kinds of Spirit Rice.

When he ate it before, he always found its flavor rich and fragrant, leaving an endless aftertaste.

But now, it tasted somewhat bland.

’The reason is probably that after reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, my Six Consciousnesses underwent a qualitative change. My perception has improved dramatically, with the most obvious change being my sense of space...’

The space Lü Zhong had previously perceived through a clever trick was like a vast, undulating sea.

After reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, this perception suddenly became much clearer.

At this very moment, he felt as if he were immersed in an ocean, and he had a faint feeling that he could forcibly connect any two points within it.

’Perhaps this is the reason why Nascent Soul Cultivators can achieve Instant Teleportation!’

Lü Zhong had a sudden epiphany.

The prerequisite for achieving Instant Teleportation was to truly perceive space. Only with this as a foundation could one cultivate Divine Techniques like "Shrinking Inches" or "Heaven and Earth are Close."

Speaking of Divine Techniques, the Flying Star Inheritance Nascent Soul Chapter contained no Secret Skills to cultivate. Instead, it offered three Divine Power Techniques that could be learned in the Early-stage, Mid-stage, and Late-stage Nascent Soul, respectively.

Currently, Lü Zhong could cultivate the "Shooting Star Escape."

This Escape Skill was a type of Instant Teleportation technique.

Unlike the common Five Elements Escape Techniques in the Cultivation Realm, the Shooting Star Escape didn’t focus on maximizing teleportation distance. Instead, it emphasized the frequency of teleports in a short time, much like a twinkling star, allowing for more than a dozen shifts in an instant. It was a very flexible Escape Technique.

He thought as he drank his tea, and several more days passed unknowingly.

Just then, a servant girl came to report.

It was Lü Zhong’s two disciples, Su Caocao and Hex Luo, requesting an audience.

"Let them in," Lü Zhong said.

A moment later, the two were led inside.

After some time apart, Su Caocao’s cultivation had already reached Late-stage Foundation Establishment. Her Magical Power was pure and profound, and it was clear she was not far from the Fake Pill Realm. Hex Luo, next to her, was a little behind. He had only just broken through to Late-stage Foundation Establishment, and his aura was still slightly unstable, but his foundation was solid.

Seeing Lü Zhong, the two felt a storm of complex emotions.

There was joy, but also apprehension.

And a trace of terror.

Facing a Nascent Soul Cultivator with their Foundation Establishment Cultivation, even though Lü Zhong had long since retracted his aura and leaked not a shred of Spiritual Pressure, they still felt their Divine Souls tremble.

In a daze, the figure before them seemed to shoot upwards, transforming into a towering, mountain-like presence.

Unstoppable, irresistible!

They felt their legs tremble uncontrollably, on the verge of collapsing to their knees. Not a single thought of resistance arose in their hearts, their minds completely occupied by that figure.

At that moment, a stream of pure qi entered each of their bodies.

Su Caocao and Hex Luo finally snapped out of it.

Lü Zhong, who had just used his two disciples as "test subjects," acted as if nothing had happened and chuckled lightly. "Go on, what did you come to see me about?"

"Master, news has come from the Nether Abyss Continent. The Sect, in cooperation with the three Chief Stewards of the Chengde Commerce Association, has successfully occupied a Tier Three Spiritual Vein with the help of the Mountain Shaking Ship. Judging from the Memory Stone footage sent back from the site, it is definitely a colossal Spirit Vein. Your disciple is now preparing to migrate our people there..." Su Caocao trailed off, looking at Hex Luo beside her.

"Master, this is the list. Please make the final decision!" Hex Luo stepped forward and presented a Jade Scroll.

Lü Zhong took it and, after reading it, nodded in satisfaction. He didn’t hold back his praise. "Very good. You’ve both been diligent. Proceed according to the list."

"Yes!" Su Caocao nodded excitedly.

To her, gaining Lü Zhong’s approval was worth more than anything in the world.

Hex Luo, standing beside her, couldn’t quite understand this emotion, but he still supported the Nascent Soul Ancestor’s plan to develop the Nether Abyss Continent one hundred percent.

The reason, naturally, was that he saw an opportunity in it.

With his Wind Spirit Root aptitude, achieving Core Formation wouldn’t be difficult. As long as he consumed a Golden Core Pill, failure was almost impossible. But if he wanted to take the next step and succeed in Nascent Soul Formation like his Master, the difficulty was still as immense as ascending to the heavens.

In the end, it all came down to resources.

Currently, just supporting a single Nascent Soul Ancestor was already incredibly difficult for the Bihai Sect. The remaining resources might not even be enough to support the Golden Core cultivators, let alone nurture a Nascent Soul Seed.

If the sect didn’t nurture a Nascent Soul Seed, how would Hex Luo ever get a chance at Nascent Soul Formation?

It was precisely because he saw this that the Clan Faction, which he led, was united in its unconditional support for the Nether Abyss Continent development plan.

In contrast, the Master-Disciple Sect, led by Su Caocao, had quite a few internal complaints about it.

The development of the Nether Abyss Continent required an enormous investment of financial and material resources, which couldn’t just appear out of thin air. Where would these things come from? Naturally, they could only be drawn from the Sect Treasure Vault. They might even have to cut the stipends of the sect’s cultivators; otherwise, it would be impossible to gather such a huge amount.

In fact, if not for Su Caocao keeping them in check, the Master-Disciple Sect would have likely exploded into open revolt by now.

However, in front of Lü Zhong, Su Caocao acted as usual and did not report this matter directly, even though she felt her Master already knew about it.

Because there was no need.

The will of the Nascent Soul was the will of the Sect.

Once a decision was made, it could not be changed.

As his first disciple and the Vice Sect Leader, she only needed to steadfastly execute her Master’s will.

Afterward, Su Caocao handed over a Jade Scroll.

It detailed the Bihai Sect’s recent developments and other trivial matters, including the Master-Disciple Sect’s dissatisfaction with the development of the Nether Abyss Continent and the Clan Faction’s stance on the issue.

She had recorded everything on it.

After reading it, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

He then turned to look at Su Caocao.

"You’ve handled this very well. You are truly my first disciple!"

He said this, then changed the subject. "However, in the future, you can just handle matters like this yourself. There’s no need to report them to me specifically."

"Yes!" Su Caocao replied.

Afterward, as was customary, Lü Zhong gave them some guidance.

Both of them gained something from it.

Watching the two figures depart, the smile on Lü Zhong’s face quickly faded as he sank into deep thought. ’The Master-Disciple Faction and the Clan Faction are now at odds, almost like fire and water. This is detrimental to the Bihai Sect’s development. Even with Caocao keeping them in check, it’s just a temporary solution, like drinking poison to quench thirst. It seems it’s time to introduce a third faction...’

The third faction would be the Independent Cultivator Sect.

Before he had formed his Nascent Soul, he had almost no chance of attracting talented Loose Cultivators to join the sect.

But things were different now.

He estimated that even without holding an Ascension Conference, a large number of talented individuals would be clamoring to join the Bihai Sect.

’Once the three factions form a tripartite balance, the Bihai Sect should become much more stable,’ Lü Zhong thought.

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