A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Chapter 374: Chapter 219: Bihai

「In the days that followed.」

Aside from a trip to the Western Realm to complete his transaction with Master Flowing Sword and to shift the Chengde Commerce Association’s focus toward the Bihai Island Group,

Lü Zhong did not venture out again.

He had been in secluded cultivation in his Quiet Chamber.

Five months passed in the blink of an eye.

He only emerged from the Quiet Chamber after he had used up all his Pills.

His cultivation had risen slightly, but he was still quite far from reaching the Mid-stage Core Formation. Still, the progress was noticeable, enough to keep him from despair. For someone of his aptitude, this speed was actually quite good.

In the courtyard, Lü Zhong was training.

Relying solely on absorbing blood and qi made for slow progress with the Barbarian Ancestor Heaven-Swallowing Mantra.

It had to be supplemented with martial arts to hone his physique and temper his body.

As usual, he was bare-chested, wearing only a pair of shorts.

Even though he intentionally held back the force of his punches, the air still cracked and snapped. As the vigorous blood and qi in his body were continuously stimulated, his entire form became enveloped in a red Cloud Qi.

BAM!

With his final punch, Lü Zhong failed to restrain his strength, and the courtyard’s flowers and plants immediately suffered for it.

CRASH!

The force from his fist plowed a deep trench several yards long.

His arms fell to his sides as Lü Zhong exhaled a long breath of Dense Qi.

’All this Star Force Body Tempering, on top of my progress with the Barbarian Ancestor Heaven-Swallowing Mantra... my strength is getting ridiculous. I can lift over one hundred thousand pounds with my physical body alone. If I were to use Magical Power and Magic Skills, that number would be even more absurd!’

’I’m becoming less and less human!’

’A cultivator’s pursuit of Longevity is, in essence, the process of becoming a being of energy. They use Immortal Spiritual Qi to transform their bodies step by step. From the Qi Refining Stage to the later stages of Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul, each is a step toward this goal, culminating in the final step: Crossing Tribulation.’

Just as he was thinking this, hunger pulled Lü Zhong back to reality.

Lü Zhong slapped a few Cleaning Talismans on his body, got dressed again, and a maidservant immediately brought him the prepared Demon Beast meat. All of it came from freshly slain beasts, having lost very little of their innate blood and qi.

’Ugh, this texture is awful!’

Lü Zhong wondered if he should hire a Spirit Chef.

Honestly, his maidservant’s cooking wasn’t bad, but she was no true Spirit Chef. She hadn’t mastered the multitude of culinary techniques, nor did she understand the art of balancing Spiritual Qi in food.

’Forget it. Hiring someone is easy, but the background check is a hassle. I’ll just make do with this.’

The Demon Beast meat was tough, but fortunately, his teeth were more than a match for it.

Bite after bite, it was essentially no different from a mortal eating stew. Once the meat reached his stomach, it would quickly be refined by the Barbarian Ancestor Heaven-Swallowing Mantra and converted into nutrients and blood qi that nourished his body.

Lü Zhong only stopped eating after he had devoured over a hundred pounds of beast meat.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t eat anymore, but rather that this kind of purely functional eating was just too boring.

Everything has diminishing returns.

Seeing the refining effect getting progressively worse, he simply ended his Body Refining for the day.

’My strength has increased again.’

’This feels really good!’

Lü Zhong never envied the protagonists of popular tales, those whose cultivation soared with every step. Their progress was bought with their lives, time and again getting swept into conflicts far beyond their abilities. They were hounded by crisis like dogs, driven forward against their will. No matter how you looked at it, they were never in control.

He much preferred his current method: growing stronger, little by little, in comfort.

A sound of footsteps approached, and a maidservant entered, holding a Storage Bag.

"Master, the materials you requested are ready."

"Mm," Lü Zhong nodded.

He summoned it to his hand and inspected the contents. They were the materials for the Spirit-Hosted Array he had requested.

’The quality is a little disappointing,’ he thought. ’The maximum control range is only a little over 250 miles. Still, I can’t be too picky. Rare spiritual materials are always hard to find; I’m lucky to have gotten these at all.’

He turned and went to the Quiet Chamber.

’This place is still a bit small. I suppose it’s time to put the construction of a proper immortal’s cave on the agenda,’ Lü Zhong mused, already planning how he would build one on Ganquan Island.

’Ganquan Island’s location is perfect, too. It’s a necessary stop on the way to the Bihai Island Group.’

’It’s time to build a commercial harbor on Ganquan Island!’

’Times have changed. I’m no longer a fresh Core Formation cultivator. My strength is now on par with a veteran’s.’

’Once this year is over, I’ll start construction. That way, by the time the Sea Tide Stage arrives in the second half of the year, the basic defensive facilities will be complete. Then, as long as I personally oversee Ganquan Island and prove it can withstand a Sea Beast Tide, the Ganquan Commercial Harbor will earn the recognition of Changchun Valley.’

He promptly stopped dwelling on it and began to study the Array Map for the Spirit-Hosted Array in his mind.

The array wasn’t particularly difficult to set up. It consisted of thirty-six parts, with each part containing a minimum of three and a maximum of eighty-one Prohibitions. As long as he followed the steps, failure was virtually impossible.

With a wave of his hand, Lü Zhong released the Spirit Puppet.

Considering the need for concealment, he had also prepared a Thousand-Change Stone. Refining it into the Spirit Puppet’s body would grant the Puppet the ability to Disguise itself.

Adding a Life Spirit Stone gave the Spirit Puppet the ability to simulate the aura of a living being.

As a result, unless a Core Formation Cultivator made a deliberate effort to inspect it, not even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator would be able to tell it was a Puppet.

The investment in these two Spiritual Objects cost tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.

’Fortunately, a single trip to the Western Realm will be enough to earn it all back.’

He set up the Spirit-Hosted Array in one go, finishing in less than a day. When he tried to control the Spirit-Hosted Puppet, his commands were executed instantly, as if it were an extension of his own body. There was no lag in its movements whatsoever.

Gazing at the faceless Spirit-Hosted Puppet, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but think of Li Qionghua.

After severely injuring the current True Monarch of the Lingyue Sect, there had been no news of the woman for a long time. Rumors abounded: some said she had succumbed to her own wounds, while others claimed she had fled far away, fearing retaliation.