Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Watching this elder, who had always doted on him, lying on the bed with a breath as faint as a silk thread, Song Changsheng felt his eyes sting. He gripped the elder’s withered hand, and a green glow emerged, instantly filling the room with vitality.

Having mastered the Light of Resurgence, his ability to heal injuries was now much faster and more convenient.

After half an ancient hour of treatment, Song Xianyun’s condition had improved considerably. His tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly, but he remained unconscious.

At this point, Song Changsheng could do no more. After all, Secret Techniques were not without their limits. The rest of the recovery would depend on conditioning with medicine.

After lighting a censer of Soothing Incense for him, Song Changsheng slowly withdrew and went to Song Xianming’s room.

The old man had no physical injuries; he was simply unconscious from extreme exhaustion. There was little Song Changsheng could do, so he could only transfer a bit of Spiritual Power to him before leaving to treat the other wounded clan members.

By the end of the day, Song Changsheng was utterly exhausted, both in body and mind. But he could not rest yet. He returned to the Minor Affairs Hall to deal with the pile of administrative tasks.

The request on top of the pile was from Song Luzhou. He was applying to requisition a batch of Spirit Medicine from the Treasure Vault. A quick glance told Song Changsheng that these were the supplementary ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill, and they were quite valuable. With a flick of his Vermilion Brush, he approved it immediately.

Right now, the clan desperately needed to cultivate new Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Fortunately, they had seized a Demon Pill in the battle, which could be used as the main ingredient to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Using a Demon Pill as the primary ingredient resulted in a pill of slightly lower quality compared to one refined using one of the three great Spirit Medicines: the Foundation Establishment Fruit, the Dragon Blood Ginseng, or the Star Tempering Fruit.

However, with the future in mind, Song Changsheng would only permit Song Luzhou to use the Demon Pill for this refinement.

Although they had the Pill Formula, Song Luzhou had never refined a Foundation Establishment Pill before. Therefore, no one was certain how many pills he would succeed in creating.

When judging an Alchemist’s skill, quantity was a major standard in addition to the quality of the pills.

Producing three pills from a single set of materials was considered the benchmark for a novice.

Song Changsheng’s personal expectation was three pills, which would roughly break even with the cost of the materials.

The second document was from Xia Yunxue. It concerned the pensions and rewards for the clan’s Cultivators, which totaled at least one hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

For the Song Clan in its current state, this was a massive expenditure.

But Song Changsheng approved it without hesitation. Whether for morale or for the loyalty of their people, this money had to be spent.

Immediately after, however, a headache began to set in. Once this sum was spent, more than half of the supplies and Spirit Stones they had wrung from the four-clan alliance would be gone.

Next, repairing the Array and nurturing the Spiritual Vein would require another huge sum of money.

Song Changsheng couldn’t help but toss his brush aside and slump into his chair. ’Money... Everything needs money. Where am I going to get it?’

’Those Demon Beast Materials are quite valuable. If I could liquidate them, they’d be worth no less than two hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones. But Luoxia City is still surrounded by Demon Beasts, and the Marketplace is gone. It’ll be difficult to offload them anytime soon.’

Song Changsheng sighed internally. If this batch of Demon Beast Materials couldn’t be sold now, their value would surely plummet once Luoxia City repelled the Beast Tide. That was a loss he was unwilling to accept.

Just then, a flash of inspiration struck him. He took out a silver token from within his robes. Peng Siying had given it to him in the Black Market. It would not only grant him help from the Wanlong Commerce Association but also a thirty-percent discount.

’That’s right! Why don’t I take a trip to the Wanlong Commerce Association?’ As he toyed with the VIP Card in his hand, Song Changsheng suddenly felt a sense of clarity. Given the Wanlong Commerce Association’s sheer scale, taking these materials off his hands would be a piece of cake.

The only problem now was that the nearest Wanlong Commerce Association branch was in Yuan Province, thousands of miles away. He needed to remain and oversee the clan, so he could not leave so easily.

The cultivation of the other clan members wasn’t high enough for him to feel at ease sending them, so he could only shelve the idea for now. He would have to wait until he had a free moment to go himself...

「Before dawn.」

Song Changsheng led the clan’s few remaining Array Masters to begin repairing the Clan Protection Array. To call it ’repairing’ was generous; in truth, they were merely patching it up.

After all, it was a Tier Three Middle-Grade Grand Array. Their mastery of arrays was simply not high enough...

For three days, Song Changsheng was like a tightly wound top, spinning without rest. He had practically shouldered the clan’s entire burden by himself, leaving him utterly exhausted in body and mind. He looked much more weathered for it.

「On this day.」

Someone brought him a piece of exciting news.

The messenger was a man named Song Qinghua. At only twenty-five, he was already a Tier One Top-Grade Alchemist, the most talented in alchemy among the younger generation. He was also the one who had been personally tending to the unconscious Song Xianming.

Song Qinghua was dressed in white robes, an air of pride filling his features. He walked with his gaze fixed straight ahead, not glancing to the side. Upon arriving at the Minor Affairs Hall, he bowed to Song Changsheng and announced, "Young Clan Leader, the Clan Leader has awoken."

Song Changsheng, who had been writing furiously, felt his spirits jolt. This was the best news he had heard in days. He immediately stopped his work and hurriedly followed Song Qinghua to the Hundred Arts Hall...

Song Xianming was already out of bed, listening to a Steward report on the clan’s situation. His eyes were rimmed with red, a clear sign that he had just been crying.

Seeing Song Changsheng arrive, he waved his hand to dismiss the Steward, then let out a long sigh. "It’s a good thing you returned in time. Otherwise, the clan would have been in grave peril."

Song Changsheng fell silent at his words, then said with sorrow, "I only regret that I wasn’t here to fight alongside our clan members during the crisis. If I had returned sooner, perhaps Ninth Aunt and Eleventh Uncle wouldn’t have..."

"Sigh... It was a matter of fate. What does it have to do with you? I only hate that I wasn’t strong enough. If I had reached Purple Mansion Cultivation, how could I have allowed that beast to run so rampant!" Song Xianming said, his voice filled with hatred.

Song Changsheng could only remain silent. This battle had truly come at the worst possible time.

"I’ve had some insights from this battle. I will be entering seclusion soon. Once I go, the outcome is uncertain. The clan is in your hands now. I’ve been told of the arrangements you’ve made, and you’ve done very well. Your grandfather is relieved to leave the clan in your care."

Song Xianming patted Song Changsheng’s shoulder, his tone filled with gratification. The brash young man from before had finally grown into a mighty tree, capable of shouldering even greater responsibilities.

"I will not fail your trust." This time, Song Changsheng did not hesitate. The clan desperately needed a Purple Mansion Cultivator. He couldn’t help Song Xianming with his breakthrough, but what he could do was manage the clan’s affairs, freeing his grandfather from any worries.

Song Xianming nodded in satisfaction and took two items from his Storage Bag: a net and a soft, verdant-green whip.

"I have already re-refined the Heaven-Encompassing Net for you. I barely managed to keep its rank at the Middle-Grade Spiritual Artifact level. This whip is called the Demon-Binding Rope. It was refined from the vine of the Law Spirit Fruit you brought back and is Tier Three Low Grade.

Because of its special material, it possesses a considerable Spiritual Attribute. Nurture it well, and when you break through to the Purple Mansion realm in the future, you can refine it into a Magical Treasure.

I know you have many treasures, but you must remember: they are merely aids. Do not mistake the means for the end and neglect your own cultivation..." Song Xianming continued to ramble on earnestly, as if he were arranging his final affairs.

A pang of sorrow struck Song Changsheng’s heart. He cupped his hands solemnly and said, "I will remember."

Song Xianming nodded, then said with a sigh, "You will have to preside over Luyao’s and Luhuai’s funerals in my place. They will be happy to see it, even from the underworld."

Hearing this, Song Changsheng felt his chest tighten. These two elders had doted on him the most, treating him like their own son. Now, they were separated by death, not even leaving a body behind.

"I... obey." Song Changsheng lowered his head and bowed...

After settling these final affairs, Song Xianming officially convened a meeting to announce that he would be entering seclusion to attempt his breakthrough to the Purple Mansion realm.

During this time, Song Changsheng would serve as the acting Clan Leader, overseeing all clan matters. If Song Xianming were to unfortunately fail in his breakthrough, Song Changsheng would formally succeed him as the Clan Leader and guide the clan forward.

No one objected to his decision. After all, everyone had witnessed Song Changsheng’s capabilities. Furthermore, his prestige within the clan was second only to Song Xianming’s, and everyone was willing to follow his commands.

「Two days after Song Xianming entered seclusion.」

Song Changsheng announced to the entire clan that a formal funeral would be held for Song Luyao, Song Luhuai, and all the other clan members who had fallen in the great battle...

...

(End of Volume)