A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

’The resale trade... Am I going to start again?’ Though Lü Zhong appeared calm, he couldn’t suppress the excitement bubbling up inside him. It was as if he could see a torrent of Spirit Stones rushing toward him.

’I have to stay calm!’

Being a middleman wasn’t as easy as it used to be.

The world in the Southern Barbarian lands had also undergone a great upheaval, so acquiring various Spiritual Objects and materials would undoubtedly be several times more difficult than it was before the Withered Tide.

More importantly, he still had to guard against the prying eyes of the Divinity Transformation Grand Venerable’s minions.

Although the last incident had occurred several decades ago, that was from the perspective of a Core Formation Cultivator. To a Divinity Transformation Grand Venerable with a virtually endless lifespan, it might have been no more than the time it takes to have a quick nap.

Lü Zhong had to be on guard, which meant the destinations for sensitive materials like Foundation Establishment Pills and Golden Core Pills needed to be plausible.

He decided he would figure out a solution later. People were adaptable; a way could always be found. For now, he had to agree to the trade.

Although his prospects for Nascent Soul Formation were promising, this concerned his very life and future path. There was nothing wrong with making extra preparations. After all, failing to form a Nascent Soul meant the end of his cultivation journey.

Besides, if he was fortunate enough to succeed in forming his Nascent Soul, he would eventually have to attempt the breakthrough to the Divinity Transformation Realm.

Therefore, he could never have too many cultivation resources.

At this thought, Lü Zhong put down the list.

"If there are no issues with this list, then the next time I return, I will bring a large quantity of supplies that I trust will satisfy your alliance. As for the price, your offer is more than generous. I’m not a greedy man, so I see no need to haggle.

My only concern is transport. Storage Bags are a bit conspicuous for this volume of goods. I was wondering if you might have any large-scale Storage Tools?"

Lü Zhong asked this because he hoped to bring the Mountain Shaking Ship back to the Southern Barbarian lands.

Hearing this, Shii Jingxuan was not offended, but pleased.

From what Chen Dong was saying, he clearly intended to transport a massive amount of goods. This was exactly what Shii Jingxuan wanted to hear. He thought for a moment before replying, "I do have a Fake Cave Treasure that can transport a large volume of items at once. However, for reasons I can’t easily disclose, it is on the verge of ruin. Unless we find the materials to repair it, it can only be used once or twice more."

’It’s actually possible?’

Lü Zhong was pleasantly surprised.

A Fake Cave Treasure.

He guessed it must be a replica of some Cave Heaven Treasure.

After some discussion, Lü Zhong learned the replica’s name. It was an imitation of the Cultivation Realm’s renowned Mountain and River Map and shared its name. The internal space was far from small; it was said to have originally been a thousand li across. Even now, on the brink of collapse, it still contained a space of ten li.

Ten li was more than enough to fit the Mountain Shaking Ship inside.

They then established a Spirit Contract.

As long as Lü Zhong could bring the Western Border Alliance one million jin of Spirit Rice and ten million Spirit Stones’ worth of various Spiritual Objects within a hundred years, he would gain the right to use the Mountain and River Map free of charge. Otherwise, he would have to compensate the Western Border Alliance for their loss, which was set at one million jin of Spirit Rice.

Exchanging a condition he could easily meet for a Mountain Shaking Ship.

He had undoubtedly struck an incredible bargain.

Lü Zhong had also wanted to ask about the Western Border Alliance’s progress with their Spiritual Energy Conversion Technology.

But on second thought, he decided against it.

Their relationship wasn’t deep enough yet, after all.

He likely wouldn’t get an answer even if he asked, and he might even be seen as harboring ulterior motives.

Over several more cups of tea, the two continued to subtly probe one another, each trying to glean the information they sought. By the end of their verbal sparring, both had made some gains.

He then stayed in Black Night City for half a month, waiting for the Mountain and River Map to be delivered.

Aboard the Mountain Shaking Ship.

Lü Zhong slowly opened his eyes.

He had to admit, conversing with a cunning Core Formation cultivator like Shii Jingxuan had put him under considerable pressure. Although he hadn’t revealed any weaknesses, dealing with the man had been exhausting.

Fortunately, the outcome was favorable.

He had not only secured a trade agreement but also found a way to take the Mountain Shaking Ship with him. Once he repaired the vessel, it might prove to be of great use.

Lü Zhong glanced out the porthole at the pervasive Crimson Spiritual Qi and the rock walls, which were corroded to resemble decaying matter. His heart leaped with excitement, and he let out a long sigh.

"I can finally leave this godforsaken place!"

However, there was one more thing he needed to do: collect Double-tailed Helical Crystals.

The Double-tailed Helical Crystals in the Western Realm were of extremely high quality, equivalent to those produced by Nascent Soul Level Evil Spirits. The Xuanyang Sect had recently spent a fortune to obtain a single one.

Now, all Lü Zhong had to do was go outside and "pick them up" to easily obtain such crystals.

What was there to complain about?

No sooner said than done.

Shii Jingxuan had said it would take half a month for the Mountain and River Map to arrive. Lü Zhong planned to use this time to venture out and see if he could run into any "Corrupt Beasts" and find some Double-tailed Helical Crystals.

Whether he succeeded would come down to luck.

...

「Half a year later.」

Lü Zhong returned safely from the Western Realm.

He stored the Mountain Shaking Ship in a huge, newly excavated underground dock beneath the Bihai Sect. In the future, an underground river would be dug to connect the dock to the open sea. The ship would remain berthed here for a long time.

To this end, Lü Zhong planned to assign one of his Incarnations.

This Incarnation would inherit all his knowledge of the Array Dao and be responsible for repairing the damaged Mountain Shaking Ship. The process would likely take a very long time. The ship involved numerous Tier Four Arrays, and due to the limitations of their Realm, a Core Formation Stage Cultivator’s understanding of the world was inevitably inferior to that of a Nascent Soul True Monarch. Thoroughly mastering Tier Four Arrays would be no easy task.

Meanwhile, the collection of trade goods was also proceeding steadily.

Thanks to the Bihai Sect’s large population and the Chengde Commerce Association’s growing trade volume, he only needed to adjust the "spoilage and loss" percentage. It wasn’t difficult to gather the necessary supplies; in fact, with the increasing variety of goods, it became exceptionally easy.

With these two matters arranged, Lü Zhong’s life returned to a state of peace.

Now that he was in the Late-stage of Core Formation, his cultivation progress slowed once again. Even with his Jade Vein Technique at the Great Success stage and taking Pills suitable for his level, the pace was still disappointing.

There wasn’t much he could do about it.

Limited by his natural aptitude, all he could do at this stage was gather enough cultivation resources and accumulate his cultivation by consuming Pills and refining Qi, day after day.

He would continue this until his cultivation reached the Perfection of the Core Formation Stage, also known as the Fake Infant Realm.

One day, Lü Zhong was in the Waterside Pavilion with Yu Feng’Er, eating and chatting idly.

They chatted about everything under the sun, saying whatever came to mind.

They spoke of major events in the Southern Barbarian lands, or of a new Secret Realm that had appeared somewhere and how many cultivators had died exploring it.

Just as their conversation was growing intimate,

a handmaiden arrived to announce that Su Caocao and Hex Luo were outside, requesting an audience.

Yu Feng’Er shot Lü Zhong a glare, straightened her disheveled clothes, and said in a huff, "I’m going into seclusion. Don’t come looking for me."

With that, she turned and walked out of the Waterside Pavilion.

But Lü Zhong clearly saw her walking in the direction of the bedroom.

’Women!’

He straightened up and sat properly, quietly awaiting their arrival.

He hadn’t seen them in some time. His eldest disciple, Su Caocao, had already reached the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. She was following Lü Zhong’s instructions to solidify her foundation, and as a result, her aura had become more composed and reserved.

As for his second disciple, Hex Luo, he had only reached the Qi Refining Third Layer. Considering his young age, this rate of progress was quite reasonable.

"Disciple Su Caocao greets Master!"

"Disciple Hex Luo greets Master!"

The two bowed in greeting.

Lü Zhong gestured for them to rise. Recalling a report Luu Baokui had submitted a while ago, he already had a good idea why they had come.

"You two wish to go out and gain some experience, I presume?

I approve."

Hearing this, the two disciples looked at each other in surprise. They clearly hadn’t expected this outcome; based on their prior assumptions, they had thought their Master would most likely refuse.

Seeing their expressions, Lü Zhong chuckled to himself.

’A genius who survives to maturity is a true genius.’

’And if they die...’

Of course, as their master, Lü Zhong wouldn’t neglect his duties. He would naturally provide the necessary protection.

He would send his Incarnation, Yinn Li, to protect them in secret.