Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

It was about the size of an adult’s palm and shaped like a land turtle. Its shell was extremely thick and covered in profound patterns. Its entire body was a brilliant golden color; if it held still, one might mistake it for a decorative piece forged from gold.

Song Changsheng watched the little creature eat with great interest, suddenly remarking with a sigh, "To have a Tier One Top Grade Cultivation right after hatching... Truly worthy of being a Divine Beast’s descendant."

Everything about a Demon Beast stemmed from its bloodline. The more powerful the bloodline, the higher their starting point.

For example, the offspring of a legendary True Dragon are born with the Cultivation of a Demon King, and their subsequent growth rate far surpasses that of Demon Beasts with ordinary bloodlines.

This world was just that simple and realistic. Some beasts could strive their entire lives and never reach heights that others possessed from the moment of their birth.

This phenomenon also existed among the Human Race. The higher a Cultivator’s Cultivation, the more talented their offspring would be. If a Cultivator could reach that legendary step, their bloodline would even undergo a sublimation, and their descendants’ bloodlines would benefit endlessly.

Although this little creature was the reincarnation of Golden Armor, it was, in fact, a new and independent individual. It had inherited the bloodline of the Ancient Divine Beast, the Golden Land Turtle, which was only a notch below that of a True Dragon.

But compared to the offspring of a True Dragon, this little one was in a much more pitiful state, not even having reached Tier Two.

The blame lay with Golden Armor, who had not fully matured and whose Cultivation was too weak. For the little creature to be at Tier One Top Grade was already quite impressive, proving its bloodline was of high purity.

This brought Song Changsheng great joy.

As he was thinking, the little creature finished devouring its entire eggshell, not wasting a single scrap. Its body seemed to have swelled slightly compared to before, and the patterns on its shell had grown a bit brighter.

"You’re quite the eater, little one." Song Changsheng, beaming with joy, couldn’t help but reach out and poke its shell.

The little creature showed no sign of rejection, merely staring at him with its round, glistening eyes.

Due to being fed with his Essence Blood, it felt an immense closeness to Song Changsheng’s aura, as if... ’A feeling of being connected by blood?’

This feeling made it stretch out its neck and affectionately nuzzle its head against Song Changsheng’s palm.

Song Changsheng was overjoyed. He placed it in his palm, brought it closer, and teased, "From now on, your official name will be Jin Xuan. I’ll usually call you Little Gold."

The name showed a complete lack of creativity, but Song Changsheng felt quite pleased with himself.

It was a good thing the creature had just been born and its Spiritual Wisdom was low, with no concept of names. Otherwise, it would have definitely rolled its eyes at him.

This was very much like some parents naming their children—they either chose something terribly old-fashioned or went for an unconventional, maverick name that was just plain embarrassing.

Having just devoured a large amount of its eggshell, it played with Song Changsheng for a while before falling into a deep sleep to begin refining the shell.

Song Changsheng knew a bit about this. Most oviparous Demon Beasts would devour their eggshells after hatching; some would even snatch the shells of their own siblings.

This was because the eggshells contained a large amount of Essence Qi, and consuming them was highly beneficial for newborn Demon Beast cubs, aiding their growth.

’When it wakes up, its Cultivation should be completely stabilized.’ Song Changsheng thought to himself as he placed Jin Xuan, who had fully retracted into its shell, inside his sleeve.

Although the Cultivation was innate, it was currently just a facade. It would take some time to stabilize, and devouring the eggshell was a way to accelerate this process.

’Hmm, I should also find some time to craft a Spirit Beast Bag.’

A Spirit Beast Bag was similar to a Storage Bag; both were Magical Artifacts that contained an inner Space. The only difference was that a Storage Bag could not hold living creatures, while a Spirit Beast Bag could.

Although Jin Xuan had just hatched, its features were distinctive and could not be hidden from discerning eyes. It was better to hide it in a Spirit Beast Bag to avoid attracting the covetous gazes of others.

By his calculations, the Pill Tasting Conference was less than a month and a half away. It was time to prepare for his departure. It would be a real shame to miss such a grand event.

He had already found out where to board the Cross-Boundary Flying Ship while sparring with Niu Dazhuang and the others. According to the information Xing Zhao had gathered for him, a Flying Ship bound for Meng Province was scheduled to depart in the next two days.

He was about to embark on a long journey, but for a moment, Song Changsheng didn’t know who to say goodbye to.

A few days ago, the first Allied Army organized by the Daqi Cultivation World had already set out from Luoxia City, advancing toward the Black Water Marsh.

This Allied Army was primarily composed of forces from the Golden Crow Sect, the Celestial Vein Sect, and Luoxia City, supplemented by the Celestial Sword Sect, Hundred Herbs Hall, and the Huansha Sect. They had assembled nearly ten thousand elite troops.

Among them were two accompanying Golden Core Masters, one from the Golden Crow Sect and one from the Celestial Vein Sect, while the Great City Lord was responsible for guarding the Allied Army’s rear.

Yinn Shang, Niu Dazhuang, and Xing Zhao were all in this Allied Army, following Zhan Tianxia, Bai Zhengchun, Shen Qingxiu, and other Purple Mansion Cultivators who were leading the disciples of Luoxia City into battle.

When Xu Yunhe learned of this, he went with them as well. As a Loose Cultivator, he had to fight harder than anyone else to achieve his ambitions.

Although Zhuang Yuechan hadn’t gone to the battlefield as he had worried, she was in deep seclusion, and he certainly couldn’t disturb her at a time like this.

"Sigh... I’ll go pay my respects to Master and then prepare to leave." Song Changsheng sighed softly and walked toward the peach blossom forest on the mountain peak.

Thanks to the Waist Token given to him by Muu Guibai, he met no obstacles and soon arrived outside a magnificent grand hall.

This grand hall was located right next to the peach blossom forest, but Song Changsheng hadn’t seen it on his first visit. According to Xing Zhao, the palace was a Magical Treasure that was normally hidden from view, only revealing itself when the Great City Lord was handling official duties.

"Disciple pays his respects to Master." Song Changsheng stood outside the palace and bowed respectfully.

"Come in." Muu Guibai’s voice was as gentle as ever.

This was not his first time visiting Muu Guibai recently, so upon hearing the invitation, he navigated his way to his master’s location with ease.

Muu Guibai stood with his hands clasped behind his back, quietly gazing at a huge Map hanging on the wall. Familiar place names like Black Water Marsh and Thundering Mountain were clearly marked on it.

Sensing Song Changsheng’s arrival behind him, Muu Guibai said faintly, "According to the news sent back by Shang’Er and the others, the Allied Army split into two forces after entering the Hundred Thousand Mountains. They have already swept through the outer-region Demon Beasts, and their spearhead is pointed directly at the Black Water Marsh.

If all goes smoothly, we should be able to conquer Black Water Marsh and Thundering Mountain within the month. At that point, the second Allied Army can be sent in."

Song Changsheng was taken aback by this. He felt a strange sense that something was wrong. ’Although the Black Dragon Demon King has fled and the Thunderous Demon King has fallen, isn’t the Allied Army’s campaign progressing a little too smoothly?’

’There are still several other Demon Kings in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Would they really just stand by and watch the Human Race’s army run rampant through their territory?’

As if sensing Song Changsheng’s thoughts, Muu Guibai chuckled lightly and asked, "Do you feel it’s all going a bit too smoothly?"

Song Changsheng nodded honestly.

Muu Guibai smiled faintly, turned around, and said, "According to our intelligence, three Demon Kings have already colluded to ambush our vanguard."

Hearing this, Song Changsheng’s expression remained calm as he waited for what was next.

"Soon, we will achieve an unprecedented victory." Muu Guibai didn’t explain further, simply stating the outcome of the battle with absolute confidence.

"Congratulations to you, Master! And congratulations to Daqi!" Song Changsheng said with a smile, offering his felicitations. ’Since the Great City Lord said so, it seems the preparations for this battle are more than adequate.’

Muu Guibai simply waved his hand at the praise and looked at him. "Are you here to say your goodbyes?"

"Replying to Master, yes, I am."

"Daqi is currently at war with the Demon Race, and many of our experts have been dispatched. Whenever our internal defenses are weakened, there are always those who wish to stir up trouble. The journey to Meng Province is long, so you must be careful and cautious," Muu Guibai said, his words seemingly carrying a deeper meaning.

Song Changsheng’s heart warmed. He bowed deeply and said, "This disciple will remember."

"I have faith in your abilities. Don’t be in a rush to leave today. I’ve found a companion for you. You two can set off together tomorrow; it’s always good to have someone to watch your back on the road."

Song Changsheng was taken aback for a moment, then bowed formally. "As you command!"

...