A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

She sensed the movement behind her and turned to face Lü Zhong as he walked in. A faint smile played on her lips. "What’s this? Are you not happy to see your master?"

Lü Zhong’s heart skipped a beat. ’Why is she here?’ But his expression remained unchanged as he smiled. "Of course not. Master, your presence makes Tide Cave shine with splendor. You are most welcome, naturally."

"’Shine with splendor?’" Shuini guessed the meaning of the phrase and couldn’t help but smile sweetly. She then glanced around, asking nonchalantly, "My good disciple, and where is my good daughter-in-law?"

"Feng’Er is still in seclusion. It will likely be another half a year before she’s finished." Lü Zhong personally poured Shuini a cup of tea, a gesture of respect for his master.

"In seclusion?" Shuini picked up the Spirit Tea and took a casual sip.

"Oh? Then isn’t this the perfect opportunity!"

Lü Zhong was speechless.

’This master of mine is as bold as ever.’

But of course, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse her.

After all, he was a lecher at heart.

...

Afterward.

Dusk was already falling.

Once Lü Zhong assimilated his gains, he would save several years of bitter cultivation.

He had just gotten out of bed and was about to get dressed when Shuini embraced him from behind. She pressed against him and whispered softly, "Don’t move. Let me help you get dressed this time."

Observed up close, she was as captivating as ever. Her waterfall of jet-black hair cascaded to the floor, and her every movement unintentionally revealed a stunning allure.

Perhaps it was because she had achieved Nascent Soul Formation, but her aura was truly like the Radiant Moon in the sky.

Truly transcendent and otherworldly, as if she didn’t belong to the mortal realm.

’Will I become like this after I achieve Nascent Soul Formation?’ Lü Zhong wondered.

They didn’t finish getting dressed until noon.

In the Waterside Pavilion, the two began to chat seriously.

Inevitably, the conversation turned to the Evil Spirits plaguing the Southern Barbarian lands. Shuini’s brow furrowed, and she couldn’t help but sigh. "If I had foreseen that the Southern Barbarian lands would face such a calamity, I never would have established the Sect in the Lingyue Domain. My disciple, you have no idea how chaotic it is over there now..."

It would not be an exaggeration to say that bodies littered the ground for miles.

Every day, thousands of mortals died at the hands of the Evil Spirits, either directly or indirectly. And this was with the True Spirit Sect already doing its utmost to slay the Evil Spirits and protect the populace.

To this day, the situation shows no sign of improving.

Lü Zhong listened as she poured out her grievances.

As a sect master himself, he understood a certain principle: as a grand elder, one could never show a cowardly side to outsiders.

Only when she came here to Bihai could Shuini vent the frustrations in her heart.

Shuini didn’t collapse into sleep until sunset.

Lü Zhong helped her to the guest room.

「A night passed.」

The next day, Shuini was radiant and glowing, appearing even more vibrant and captivating—clearly because a great deal of pressure had been lifted from her heart. When she saw Lü Zhong again, she said apologetically:

"I’m sorry for troubling you."

Lü Zhong shook his head. This was part of his duty as a disciple.

’How could this be a bother?’

Breakfast consisted of various meticulously prepared Spiritual Foods, but Lü Zhong, as always, loved eating Wontons.

They had thin skins and generous fillings, boiled in a broth made from aged Spirit Medicines. The filling was made from the finest cut of meat from a Sea Beast. Though he had been eating them for decades, he never grew tired of them.

Bowl after bowl.

Shuini watched him with curiosity. She tried a bowl and found that while the Wontons were tasty, they couldn’t compare to the other dishes on the table. She couldn’t help but ask:

"Is there something special about these Wontons?"

"No, I just like them," Lü Zhong answered honestly.

They lingered together for a while after the meal, allowing Lü Zhong to save several more years of bitter cultivation. Afterward, Shuini prepared to return to the True Spirit Sect, which could not be left without a Nascent Soul True Monarch to oversee it.

Sometimes, Core Formation Level Evil Spirits were too bizarre.

If a Core Formation Cultivator went to deal with them, the risk of perishing was extremely high.

At times like these, a True Monarch was needed.

"My good disciple, if you have time in the future, you must come visit the True Spirit Sect more often." Shuini held Lü Zhong’s hand, her tone tinged with a slight complaint.

Lü Zhong couldn’t withstand her gaze and had no choice but to nod in agreement.

He then pressed a Storage Bag into Shuini’s hand. Inside were the six Double-tailed Helical Crystals he had picked up in the Western Realm, which he figured could be of help to her.

The fortunes of master and disciple were intertwined.

Lü Zhong would have to rely on Shuini’s reputation in the future, so he couldn’t just stand by and watch the True Spirit Sect decline from the plague of Evil Spirits. A Nascent Soul True Monarch with the backing of a Sect had a completely different level of deterrence than one without.

When Shuini saw what was inside the Storage Bag, a mist of tears welled up in her eyes.

She said nothing, simply embracing Lü Zhong.

...

After Shuini left, Lü Zhong quickly assimilated the benefits gained from their dual cultivation. The Yin Yuan of a Nascent Soul Female Cultivator was extraordinarily effective, and his cultivation increased significantly.

Although he was still a long way from cultivating to the Fake Infant Realm, he had at least made some progress.

He cultivated peacefully in Tide Cave every day, living a calm and carefree life.

During this time, aside from his unfailing daily routine of Pill Refining Qi, he dedicated the rest of his time to studying the Transmission Array, hoping to master it as soon as possible.

However, Lü Zhong had underestimated the difficulty of the Transmission Array.

To master the Transmission Array, one first had to comprehend the nature of space itself. After all, the subsequent Array Formation process required using Technique Mantras to deduce spatial coordinates and perform other such tasks.

And at the Realm of a Core Formation Cultivator, this step was extremely difficult to achieve.

This was something typically only a Nascent Soul True Monarch could accomplish.

If one’s knowledge was inherited through unconventional means, they would inevitably get completely stuck at this stage. Without some fortuitous encounter, the chances of mastering the Transmission Array were exceedingly slim.