A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Soon, Lü Zhong met with Master Yongming.

To his surprise, the two had met once before. It was Shii Jingxuan, the one who had traded a Chaotic Blood Crystal for a Jade Bright Pill at the Moshi Secret Market all those years ago.

’I can’t believe that after all these years, he’s also formed a Golden Core.’

However, Master Yongming—Shii Jingxuan—clearly didn’t recognize Lü Zhong now. He was currently studying the stern-faced cultivator before him, his eyes revealing a hint of doubt.

After a long moment, Shii Jingxuan seemed to have confirmed something. He ventured, "If I’m not mistaken, you’re just a clone, aren’t you?"

"Oh? And what makes you say that?" Lü Zhong asked, inwardly reeling. ’He can tell?’

This was the first time a flaw in his Incarnation had been exposed.

This concerned his grand plan to steal techniques in the future, so Lü Zhong couldn’t help but feel nervous. He had poured a tremendous amount of effort and resources into this. If he were exposed, the loss would be catastrophic.

"Haha, I simply got a little clever," Shii Jingxuan said with a chuckle, stroking his beard. He lifted his teacup for a sip before continuing, "Your Cloning Technique is the most exquisite I have ever seen. The fact that it could even fool the Divine Profound Mirror at the city gate is the best proof of that!"

’Divine Profound Mirror?’

Lü Zhong secretly committed the term to memory.

If he guessed correctly, this must be an artifact used in the Cultivation Realm to detect clone techniques. The term had never appeared in any of the texts he’d read, which meant it was likely one of the Sects’ most closely guarded secrets.

Then, as if to build some goodwill, Shii Jingxuan explained.

Just as he’d said before, he had simply gotten a bit clever.

"Your Cloning Technique is exquisite, but perhaps you haven’t noticed something. When a powerful Divine Soul takes control of a body, the vessel is unable to bear the strain. This leads to numerous signs of ’physical decay,’ such as a faint, imperceptible dullness in the eyes, or an odor of decay from the body..."

"And how can that be solved?" Lü Zhong asked, his interest piqued.

"There are both easy and difficult solutions." Shii Jingxuan glanced at Lü Zhong, deliberately keeping him in suspense. His tone shifted as he smiled. "But before we get to that, I’d like to hear about your origins. Surely you won’t refuse such a small request?"

At this, Lü Zhong smiled.

"I’ve already told you. I’m from the East Sea Cultivation Realm. As for how I arrived in the Western Realm... that, I’m afraid, I cannot disclose."

A flicker of surprise crossed Shii Jingxuan’s face.

Clearly, he never imagined Lü Zhong would go off-script and state his origins so directly, without the slightest hesitation.

’No wonder the report dismissed that information as absurd ravings.’

At this thought, Shii Jingxuan couldn’t help but laugh heartily. He looked at Lü Zhong and said, "I never took you for such an interesting person, Mr. Chen!"

"Now, back to the topic at hand: how to conceal a clone. I can offer two methods. The simplest, which you’ve likely already guessed, is to raise the clone’s cultivation level. The closer the clone’s cultivation is to the original body’s, the harder it is to detect the signs of physical decay.

"The second method... is to take a Soul Unification Pill. This Pill is a Secret Medicine from the West Extreme Sword Valley, specifically used for practicing the Divine Secret Sword. It’s also extremely effective at treating your condition, where the Divine Soul and body are not one. It would be more than enough to fool something like the Divine Profound Mirror. However, if you were to come across the Soul Inspection Realm of a Central Earth Immortal Sect, well... I can’t make any promises."

As Shii Jingxuan spoke, he slid a Jade Scroll across the table.

Lü Zhong looked at him but didn’t reach for it. Instead, he asked, "I can’t accept something for nothing. What do you want in exchange? Spirit Medicine, Spirit Rice, Pills, or something else?"

"You’re a direct man, so I’ll get straight to the point." Shii Jingxuan’s expression turned serious.

"I swear on the name of my master, Flowing Sword True Monarch: any item a cultivator might need—no matter what it is, be it Spirit Stones or Pills—if you can bring it to Black Night City, we will buy all of it. Remember, *all of it*!"

’Are their resources that scarce?’

On second thought, it made sense. Maintaining a Cultivation Realm wasn’t as simple as finding a Spirit Vein. It required a massive amount of resources. Without them, the civilization would face a great regression, reverting to the state it was in a million years ago, before the Immortals first descended.

This was especially true for Pills like the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Golden Core Pill.

Without them, there would inevitably be a generational gap, with no new High-level cultivators to replace the old.

Of course, with their abilities, cultivators weren’t completely helpless to solve these problems. But doing so would require an immense amount of time—thousands of years, in fact.

Putting himself in the other’s shoes, it wasn’t hard to understand Shii Jingxuan’s current state of mind.

Anyone in a desperate situation would clutch at straws without a second thought. The analogy might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it was the best way to describe Shii Jingxuan’s mindset.

"And what’s in it for me?" Lü Zhong didn’t agree immediately.

’Business is business.’

Besides, cultivators were a profit-driven group. There was no reason to waste Spirit Stones on charity out of the goodness of his heart; at most, he might help if it was convenient.

"Please, take a look at this list of items for exchange," Shii Jingxuan said.

As Lü Zhong scanned the list, his eyebrows lifted in surprise. ’So the Western Border Alliance isn’t exactly poor,’ he thought. ’In fact, their coffers are quite full.’

Items like Spirit Ores, rare Spiritual Objects, and all sorts of Cultivation Secret Techniques were listed in vast quantities.

And yet, of all things, they were desperately short on basic sustenance.

To say nothing of the Spirit Medicine and Pills essential for cultivators to advance their cultivation.