Lying Low While Cultivating Immortality in Two Worlds

Clatter!

Fang Qing opened his storage bag and casually overturned it, spilling out a small mountain of spiritual materials.

The most eye-catching among them were naturally the two Five Elements Spirit Fruits resting inside jade boxes.

Since Zhong Lingxiu would be returning them to him afterward anyway, he naturally needed to put on a convincing show for Zhan Hongxiu first.

Still, he understood the seriousness of the matter and deliberately concealed the true harvest from the Void-Stepping Hall, including the ancient exotic artifact ge and the Nine Abyss Stone.

As for so-called inspection methods?

Zhong Lingxiu’s divine sense merely went through the motions. Could she really dare overturn the heavens and expose him?

“Five Elements Spirit Fruits? And two of them?”

Zhan Hongxiu cried out in shock, her eyes seemingly unable to look away from the two multicolored fruits.

In truth, Fang Qing himself was not completely certain he could successfully refine a Core Formation Pill in a single attempt. Keeping two fruits was naturally insurance against failure.

If his first refinement failed, he definitely would not refine the second fruit again. He would simply eat it raw.

Although one furnace of Core Formation Pills could potentially produce several pills, and directly consuming a Five Elements Spirit Fruit offered a lower chance of forming a core than taking a proper Core Formation Pill, Fang Qing did not calculate things that way.

As long as it guaranteed successful Core Formation, wasting resources was acceptable.

“True Personage, do you intend to refine Core Formation Pills with these two Five Elements Spirit Fruits?”

Zhan Hongxiu took out her own storage bag but did not open it immediately. Instead, she cautiously asked the question.

“How this lord chooses to use them is none of your concern.”

Zhong Lingxiu clasped his hands behind her back. A powerful pressure lingered within his gaze as he replied with a faint smile.

“This little woman was merely curious. Please do not take offense, True Personage.”

Zhan Hongxiu bit her lip lightly.

This was likely the greatest Core Formation opportunity in the entire Minor Huan Sea cultivation world. Once missed, there might never be another.

Taking a breath, she continued, “True Personage once promised that this little woman could keep thirty percent of my harvest… However, I wish to exchange that thirty percent share for a single Core Formation Pill. Would True Personage permit it?”

“Oh? It seems you are quite confident in your harvest if you believe it can be exchanged for a Core Formation Pill.”

Zhong Lingxiu smiled faintly before suddenly uttering words that caused Zhan Hongxiu’s expression to change drastically.

“Are you not afraid this lord might simply kill you on the spot? If I kill you, every spiritual object in your storage bag becomes mine.”

In that instant, Zhan Hongxiu’s hairs stood on end.

‘Do not panic. This Core Formation junior is only trying to frighten you. He carries killing qi, but no true killing intent.’

At the critical moment, Old Turtle’s voice sounded within her mind.

‘This Core Formation cultivator was known as “Ice Soul Child” in his youth. He is arrogant by nature and likely would not stoop to something as disgraceful as murder for treasure.’

Zhan Hongxiu’s thoughts stirred. She immediately cupped her fists respectfully.

“This little woman joined Taibai Island precisely because I admired True Personage’s bearing. Surely True Personage will not disappoint your subordinate. If True Personage desires, this subordinate is willing to offer up all these spiritual materials without taking even a single share.”

“Haha, a mere Foundation Establishment junior dares probe me.”

Zhong Lingxiu laughed as he scolded her lightly.

“Still, this lord indeed will not grow fat by swallowing my own words.”

He glanced toward the two Five Elements Spirit Fruits.

“One of these fruits already has another purpose. It will be exchanged with fellow Daoists for other spiritual materials. As for the other one, this lord truly does intend to have it refined into Core Formation Pills.”

“I can promise you this. If more than two pills are successfully refined, one of them shall belong to you.”

“Many thanks, Island Master.”

Zhan Hongxiu finally relaxed and hurriedly bowed in gratitude.

‘Is the alchemist on your island truly reliable? Even Nascent Soul sects treasure Five Elements Spirit Fruits immensely. Back in the day, they were refined personally by peak third-rank alchemists or even fourth-rank grandmasters. Do not let the fruit be ruined and end up losing everything.’

Old Turtle sounded deeply worried.

‘The spiritual qi in this Minor Huan Sea is far too thin. There likely are not many good Core Formation opportunities here And without reaching Core Formation, crossing your so-called Ten Thousand Mile Sea Route would indeed be rather dangerous.’

‘It… should probably be fine, right?’

‘Taibai Island’s chief alchemist once refined Foundation Establishment Pills multiple times. His alchemy skills are said to be practically divine. Rumor claims he has already reached the third rank.’

The more Zhan Hongxiu spoke, the less confidence she seemed to have.

‘Heh. Let us hope he is not merely one of those “quasi-third-rank” alchemists. Otherwise you are truly finished.’

Old Turtle mocked her a few times before sighing heavily in regret.

“You little girl truly have narrow vision. Using lifespan-burning pills to forcibly mature a Myriad Longevity Turtle wasted enormous potential.”

“If your natal spirit beast’s foundation had not been damaged, this old man actually possesses several secret techniques specifically suited for Myriad Longevity Turtles. They could have increased its chances of condensing a demon core and advancing into a third-rank great demon by several degrees.”

“At that point, your natal spirit beast could have advanced first, then used the secret arts of the Tortoise-Crane Longevity Art to nourish you in return. Your probability of forming a core would absolutely exceed seventy percent. There would have been no need for any Core Formation Pill at all.”

“As things stand now, the only option is for you to advance to Core Formation first, then use the origin essence of your true core to nourish your natal spirit beast in return. Combined with this old man’s secret arts, perhaps there is still hope of repairing some of the damage suffered by that junior descendant.”

At the mention of this matter, Zhan Hongxiu’s expression dimmed.

She could only answer silently within her heart:

‘This is a debt I owe. If it truly causes my Core Formation to fail, or even prevents me from forming a Nascent Soul in the future, then that can only be called this little woman’s fate.’

‘Hmph, cultivators like us absolutely cannot believe in fate. Otherwise, why cultivate immortality at all?’

Old Turtle began rambling on again.

This exchange between man and turtle took place entirely through divine sense, so Zhong Lingxiu naturally noticed nothing.

Fang Qing, however, vaguely seemed to think of something. His heart stirred slightly and he cupped his hands in salute. “True Personage. I shall withdraw first.”

In Zhan Hongxiu’s eyes, this aloof sword cultivator clearly disdained coveting the great treasures she had obtained within the secret realm. His temperament, and even his social grace, seemed exceptionally refined.

Little did she know that after Fang Qing entered a side hall and concealed himself with array, the aura around him immediately changed.

From the [Lou Metal] Dao Foundation’s Sharp Edge Chapter, it transformed into the [Yi Fire] Dao Foundation of the Azure Luan True Flame Scripture—[Feng Seeks Huang][1].

The Feng cries atop Mount Qi, its voice piercing the nine heavens. The Huang rests upon the parasol tree, its resonance echoing through the spirit altar. The Feng is yang, the Huang is yin. Yang moves, yin responds in stillness. Yang speaks through the zither, yin answers through the heart. Only when Feng and Huang cry in harmony does it begin with listening to the heart.

In short, this Dao Foundation possessed the profound mystery of “a meeting of minds with but a single spark of understanding”—granting an extraordinary ability to perceive the hearts of others.

Over the years, Fang Qing had long since instructed Qingling, also known as Peacock Dumu, to completely gather the True qi cultivated through this technique, allowing himself to successfully begin cultivating it.

Now, after transforming his Dao Foundation, he took out the Mirage Pearl and used his third-rank body refinement to subtly shift the flesh and bones of his face, changing both his appearance and aura. Only then did he walk back into the main hall once more.

“Greetings, True Personage.”

“Mm, you’ve arrived.”

With the Dao-Genesis Pearl secretly providing reminders, Zhong Lingxiu immediately cooperated. “This is a guest elder of our island, skilled in appraising treasures. I specially invited him here. Zhan Hongxiu, continue.”

Though somewhat puzzled, Zhan Hongxiu obediently opened her storage bag and poured out item after item that would make outside cultivators red-eyed with envy.

Thousand-year spirit herbs, third-rank ores, and countless other treasures lay scattered across the ground like common gravel and broken tiles.

Among them was also a stone bottle, from which drifted an alluring milky fragrance.

“This is… Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Milk?!”

Zhong Lingxiu’s expression shifted slightly. “A fourth-rank spiritual object. Even Nascent Soul old monsters would covet such a treasure, yet you managed to obtain it. Your fortune truly runs deep.”

At the same time, Old Turtle was sighing inwardly.

“This item just happens to complement a certain secret art and can restore some vitality to your natal spirit beast.”

Nearby, Fang Qing’s disguised middle-aged form appraised the spiritual objects one by one while quietly pricking up his ears.

“This, could this be a supreme-grade spirit stone?”

He picked up a spirit stone and felt the immense spiritual pressure within it. The spiritual qi was so pure that without any guidance at all, it already attempted to flow into his body through his palm. He could not help but feel astonished.

“Correct. It is indeed a supreme-grade spirit stone.”

Zhan Hongxiu nodded, while inwardly speaking to Old Turtle: “Old Turtle… will the method you taught me really work? If this Core Formation cultivator discovers I’m still hiding something, I’ll definitely perish body and soul.”

“Hehe. When it comes to concealing aura, that is the signature specialty of turtle-type demon beasts. Not to mention this old man already advanced to the fourth rank long ago. You refined my natal turtle shell using the incantation I taught you and hid it on your body. Even if a Nascent Soul cultivator personally examined you, they might not discover it, much less a mere Core Formation cultivator.”

Old Turtle snorted disdainfully.

“Back in my prime, this old man could swallow plenty of Core Formation cultivators with a single yawn. I’m merely down on my luck now. If I truly fought this fellow, the last traces of my soul-force would be exhausted completely, which would hardly be worth it.”

“In truth, the spiritual objects within the turtle shell are merely bonuses. The important thing is my natal turtle shell itself. That is a defensive treasure material even Nascent Soul cultivators would find difficult to obtain. It also possesses countless wondrous uses.”

‘Oh… so there really is an old grandpa, and even a remnant soul of a fourth-rank spirit turtle?’

Fang Qing’s expression did not change in the slightest, but inwardly he felt rather strange.

It was like someone covering their ears while stealing a bell, or loudly discussing secret schemes right in front of another person’s face. It was honestly difficult not to laugh out loud.

‘And this is merely one minor mystery attached to the [Feng Seeks Huang] Dao Foundation. According to the Azure Luan True Flame Scripture, once this Dao Foundation is cultivated into a divine ability, one can hear the thoughts of others within a certain range without even consciously activating it. The moment someone harbors malicious intent, the divine ability immediately warns its master.’

‘It is essentially a greatly enhanced version of spiritual premonition. Or as the saying goes: “When sincerity reaches its utmost, one may know the future in advance.”’

‘How are other cultivators even supposed to compete against something like this?’

‘No wonder Qingling managed to survive the great calamity of the Azure Bird Tribe completely unharmed. The profundity of this Dao Foundation undoubtedly played a huge role. As expected of a true inheritance from Descending Phoenix Mountain. This is the weight carried by the direct divine abilities of the lord of the rightful Fire Virtue position.’

Clearly, there were enormous differences between divine abilities.

And this Feng Seeks Huang was unquestionably extraordinary, even among divine abilities. It was likely considered superior-grade, perhaps even supreme-grade.

‘Unfortunately, this divine ability happens to be countered by me.’

Back when Fang Qing had casually cultivated the Feng Seeks Huang” Dao Foundation, he had already harbored doubts. Fortunately, Qingling had been right beside him at the time, so while the two were cultivating their bodies together, he questioned her about it.

As expected, that girl had indeed harbored ill intentions.

Back during the Pu Clan birthday banquet transaction involving the Listening to Mysterious Cavern Spring Scripture, she had already attempted to secretly listen to his thoughts. Several later meetings included similar attempts as well, yet she never discovered anything unusual.

This proved that the Dao-Genesis Pearl’s [As If Within the Calculation] likewise granted immunity against this kind of divine ability.

Moreover, according to Qingling, throughout history there had still been Azure Luan descendants who cultivated this divine ability only to later be hunted down and perish. That meant this divine ability was not truly omniscient foresight and could still be countered.

Qingling truly deserved her title as the little princess of the Azure Bird Tribe. Whenever she sold out the demon race’s direct lineage secrets, she did so completely and thoroughly.

As for why a bluebird with such dense Azure Luan bloodline insisted on using the name “Qingling”?[2]

Fang Qing felt it was probably because a cheap name made for easier survival. Perhaps that contrast itself was part of the charm?

[1]:- 鳳 (Fèng) = male phoenix, 凰 (Huáng) = female phoenix.

[2]:- The idea is that “Qingling” is a rather plain and humble name compared to her prestigious Azure Luan bloodline. This comes from the old saying that children with humble or ordinary names are easier to raise, as overly grand names were believed to attract misfortune, while simpler names helped ward off calamity.

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