Eternal Life: I Can Harvest Demon Beast Talents

Hiss...

Lin Changheng was practically grinding his teeth. ’This woman is truly a handful,’ he thought. ’She won’t lift a finger without a guaranteed reward.’

But he truly did need that Essence Blood. He had to get his hands on at least ten portions to complete the Metamorphosis of the Fifth Layer Jade Horned Snake Treasure Seed.

Once he had the Concealing Breath Demon Technique in hand, the potential risks and threats that came with possessing the Jade Void Brilliance Scripture would be significantly mitigated.

As for the shortfall of Jade Horned Snake Essence Blood required for the Metamorphosis, the Xu Family would continue to provide it, so that wasn’t a problem.

Therefore, he still had to make an effort to secure it.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Changheng came to a decision. With a sincere expression, he said, "Bai Zhenchuan, to be perfectly honest, I have already reached the threshold of Tier Two Middle Grade Alchemy. The Cyan Rain Mist Toad Essence Blood I’m requesting is for the purpose of an Alchemy Tier Breakthrough."

"Otherwise, it would be extremely difficult to substitute the Medicinal Materials in an Ancient Formula so quickly with just a Tier Two Lower Grade Alchemy Dao."

Upon hearing this, Bai Hengwan stared intently at Lin Changheng, whose expression remained unchanged as he met her gaze.

After a long moment, Bai Hengwan suddenly let out a laugh like tinkling bells. "Alchemist Lin, oh, Alchemist Lin. They say a nickname is always earned! Hiding both your Cultivation and your Alchemy Dao... you truly live up to your reputation as the Tur— ’Steady Pill Master.’ I really thought you were just a Tier Two Lower Grade Alchemist who could refine a few Masterpieces!"

Lin Changheng merely smiled, unbothered. On the contrary, he chuckled and said, "I do, in fact, raise a turtle-type Spirit Beast. So my Fellow Daoists aren’t exactly wrong."

"In that case, I’m not an unreasonable person. Alchemist Lin, you helped me complete the task of ’substituting the Medicinal Materials,’ so I owe you a favor. This time, how about I give you some Cyan Rain Mist Toad Essence Blood as repayment?"

Bai Hengwan gave Lin Changheng a meaningful look, then clapped her hands and smiled.

’So she’s finally ready to relent?’

Lin Changheng nodded with a smile. "Then we’ll do as Bai Zhenchuan suggests."

"And how many portions of Essence Blood might Alchemist Lin want?"

Bai Zhenchuan tossed another question his way.

Lin Changheng considered for a moment, then announced in a clear voice, "Ten portions! How does ten portions sound?"

This question might have seemed like a test of his greed or a measure of his self-worth, but for Lin Changheng, the answer wasn’t difficult to come by.

Any less than ten portions would be useless, as he wouldn’t be able to complete the Metamorphosis.

Asking for a dozen or so would also be useless; the few extra portions would do him no good when there was no hope of gathering enough for Spirit Stealing Success.

That was why he had arrived at this answer so directly.

"Oh?"

Bai Hengwan was surprised by Lin Changheng’s quick reply. She had thought he would agonize over it for some time, torn by indecision...

After smiling in slight surprise, she said, "Ten portions it is, then. Just as Alchemist Lin requested."

As she spoke, she decisively took out ten vials of Essence Blood.

A jade-green light swirled within them, suffused with a hazy blue aura, creating a mesmerizing and eye-catching sight.

The vials of Essence Blood floated toward him. With a flick of his sleeve, Lin Changheng made them all disappear, having swept them into his Storage Bag.

Once the items were safely in his bag, Lin Changheng clasped his hands in thanks. "Thank you, Bai Zhenchuan."

Their purpose achieved, the two didn’t chat for much longer. Lin Changheng bid her farewell and flew off into the sky.

The White Robe Envoy from before was not present this time, so Lin Changheng made his own way back, retracing his original path.

Leaving the Array at Li Lake did not require an Array Flag Token, nor would it trigger any alarms. However, if one were to venture deeper, more powerful and sophisticated Arrays were in place that would expose an intruder instantly, leaving no loopholes to exploit.

Lin Changheng had no intention of doing so. He flew straight out without stopping, and the journey was uneventful.

...

The following month was a peaceful and untroubled one for Lin Changheng.

He followed his routine: practicing his Cultivation, advancing his Alchemy Dao, and determining the optimal blood-giving frequency for the Deep Lake Spirit Clam.

He also received three letters.

They all arrived at once, a coincidence that made Lin Changheng click his tongue in amusement.

The first was from Mo Zhaoli.

He gave his usual update on his recent circumstances.

He had been alternating between Cultivation and sect missions in an orderly fashion, and his progress was encouraging.

He also mentioned that the sect senior who possessed the Red-eyed Fire Demon still hadn’t sold the Mountain and Marsh Spirit. Clearly, no one was a fool, but the senior’s attitude of treating everyone as if they were had annoyed many people. They just had to maintain a veneer of politeness and couldn’t call him out to his face.

Because of this, Mo Zhaoli asked if Brother Lin would still be interested in buying it if the owner hit a dead end and decided to lower the price.

"If he takes the initiative to ask me about it, we can discuss it."

That was Lin Changheng’s reply.

He then used the Purple Extreme Sect’s exclusive delivery channels to send two bottles of cultivation-enhancing Elixirs.

These intra-Sect delivery channels were extremely secure; no one dared to cause trouble for the Purple Extreme Sect on its own turf.

At least, not at the moment.

...

The second letter was from Xu Fugui.

The last time Lin Changheng returned to the Black Water River Xu Family, Xu Fugui had not been in the clan but was stationed elsewhere.

Lin Changheng hadn’t stayed for long, so the two of them didn’t get to meet.

Xu Fugui expressed his regret over this in the letter.

He insisted that the next time they met, he and Brother Lin had to share some drinks and catch up!

Lin Changheng smiled at this and wrote back in agreement, promising that he would definitely wait for him to return so they could have that drink before he left again.

Fugui was one of the few friends he had left from his earliest days as a budding cultivator, a friendship worth cherishing.

At the end of the letter, Xu Fugui mentioned one more thing.

He said that the Elixir Brother Lin had given him last time was incredibly effective; he felt his body was much lighter and more energetic. Now that the pressure and expectations of the Foundation Establishment deadline were gone, his state of mind had improved a great deal.

He had even taken another concubine from the Xu Family and they’d made a baby...

She was already pregnant.

And he hoped that the next time Brother Lin visited, he could refine another such batch of medicine for him.

Hiss...

Lin Changheng stared at the words in the letter. They seemed so unfamiliar, yet so very familiar at the same time...

After several decades, that damned feeling of being obligated to give a celebratory gift had once again reared its head!