Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age

Except for Fang Yuan, the others were already starting to regret heading for the Great Domain.

After all, among the several Patriarchs, aside from Fang Yuan, none had reached the peak of Qi Cultivation. For them, the importance of going to the Great Domain wasn’t so absolute.

But Lu Chang’sheng understood the resolve of these Patriarchs; for them to regret, they must have encountered plenty of unpleasant things, though none of it was detailed in the letter.

"In that case, there’s no need to provoke them further." Lu Chang’sheng didn’t mention in his reply that he’d already entered Heaven-Burning Valley.

At the very least, he’d wait until Fang Yuan and the rest had settled down before bringing it up.

In the days that followed, guests came one after another to pay him a visit.

Lu Chang’sheng greeted them with a smile. In Platinum Immortal City, those who genuinely held grudges against him were limited to Zhu Qing of the Zhu Family and a handful of insignificant loose cultivators.

As for the other families—even the Gao Family—none were at the point of life-or-death enmity. If they were willing to come, bow their heads, and humble themselves, he certainly wouldn’t insist on vengeance in return.

"If it’s not necessary, never make enemies!"

For someone pursuing longevity, valuing harmony is quite wise.

Two days later, Lu Chang’sheng received news from Cao Wei and headed again to White Cloud Pharmacy. As soon as he approached, he saw a crowd waiting at the entrance.

Many faces were unfamiliar to Lu Chang’sheng—these were the true controllers of the White Cloud Mountain Range.

Liu Jiu was there too, watching that seemingly ordinary figure with an extremely complicated look on his face.

"Alchemist Lu has really brought me a world of trouble!"

He shook his head, his eyes carrying a bitter smile.

"If I’d known Alchemist Lu had such talent, I would’ve safeguarded him no matter what—even if it meant losing the entire White Cloud Mountain Range!"

As he spoke, he stamped his feet, eyes brimming with tears.

Lu Chang’sheng replied calmly, "Elder Liu, there’s no need for this."

To speak of his own affairs, Liu Jiu couldn’t have known, so how could he be blamed?

Aware of Lu Chang’sheng’s attitude, a look of embarrassment flashed across Liu Jiu’s face, and finally, a trace of regret emerged in his heart.

Lu Chang’sheng walked straight through the crowd—no one dared stop him. With the Immortal from Heaven-Burning Valley summoning, unless they were tired of living, who would dare obstruct his path?

Soon, Lu Chang’sheng arrived at Qingshui Pavilion, only to be surprised—he’d been summoned not by Cao Wei but by another Immortal, Zuo Lin.

"Greetings, Immortal," Lu Chang’sheng bowed.

Zuo Lin’s gaze carried a hint of scrutiny as he began to ask Lu Chang’sheng some questions.

Most were about alchemy knowledge, and Lu Chang’sheng answered each one.

As time passed, the scrutiny in Zuo Lin’s eyes gradually shifted, and he seemed faintly amazed.

"No wonder that guy chose you. Decent luck," Zuo Lin muttered to himself. He was just a step away from becoming a Second-Rank Alchemist—much stronger than someone like Cao Wei, who was so half-hearted about the Alchemy Dao—so his judgment was keener.

Lu Chang’sheng, in front of him, performed exceptionally well in his alchemy studies.

In the Alchemy Dao, he was a true talent!

Zuo Lin, proud and competitive, found himself testing Lu Chang’sheng with even harder questions, almost subconsciously.

Of course, he still never left the scope of a First-Rank Alchemist.

Yet Lu Chang’sheng continued to answer each one.

"At the level of First Rank, I’m nearly at the peak—you really can’t get much higher!"

Lu Chang’sheng understood his own skill in the Alchemy Dao perfectly. Short of the details of a specific pill formula, any universal knowledge, he could extrapolate flexibly.

In the end, Zuo Lin waved his hand, signaling that he could leave.

"Quite a promising seed, too bad his Root Bone is so poor—he’s fated not to go far." After Lu Chang’sheng left, Zuo Lin muttered quietly.

He’d thought Cao Wei would choose someone else, but unexpectedly, it had been Lu Chang’sheng.

This made him rather curious.

Hence why he’d summoned Lu Chang’sheng.

And Lu Chang’sheng’s progress in alchemy really was unexpected. In Zuo Lin’s eyes, he was at least as good as himself, but once he saw the Root Bone, all he felt was regret.

Root Bone determined one’s cultivation, and cultivation affected the foundation of alchemy. If your Root Bone was lacking, no matter how high your skill, it was hard to catch the eye of someone like him.

But, considering the Red Fire Lineage’s typical approach, he somewhat understood.

Looking out, he spotted Cao Wei’s figure entering the courtyard, and Zuo Lin’s lips curled with just a hint of mockery.

In the Red Fire Lineage, the standards for accepting disciples were much lower, so their numbers far exceeded those of other branches.

But the tradeoff was that since each lineage was allotted fixed resources, the more disciples in a branch, the fewer benefits any single one could receive.

For those at the bottom, that wasn’t really a good thing.

If that was all, it would be bearable—Heaven-Burning Valley had all kinds of powerful inheritances, and gaining access was a stroke of fortune. But the Red Fire Lineage’s seniors were unlike the rest: they kept the heritage tightly guarded, and anyone hoping to obtain it had to toil for resources and trade them for knowledge.

The other lineages—like Zuo Lin’s own—offered many inheritances for free, open for anyone to study.

That was what he most disdained about them.

······

In the blink of an eye, another month had passed. Suddenly, rumors started circulating in Platinum Immortal City that there was a True Man’s relic at Purple Ice Lake, attracting the attention of many.

Lu Chang’sheng still hadn’t received notice from Cao Wei.

Privately, he guessed Cao Wei had probably heard the rumors too and gone to investigate at Purple Ice Lake.

For no reason, Lu Chang’sheng was reminded of that exploration at Purple Ice Lake more than ten years ago. He wondered if there was any connection between the two events.

Soon enough, late autumn passed. One night, a biting cold wind began to blow. By the next morning, countless cultivators were wailing, hurrying to the markets to buy clothes for warmth.

The Cold Spirit Chill had come again, and colder than ever before.

Fortunately, Lu Mansion had prepared in advance. Everyone at home changed into very thick clothing, wrapping themselves up securely.

Lu Chang’sheng kept living as before, but there was something to be glad about—after years of searching, he’d finally acquired all the materials needed to make a top-grade puppet.

"Didn’t expect the main material would be so pricey!"

Lu Chang’sheng left the Liuyun Immortal City auction house, rubbing the back of his hand, his expression showing a hint of pain.

The peak puppet beast built with First-Rank Puppetry Technique was called ’Mountain Nether’; its main ingredient was a Second-Grade Nether Beast.

This creature specialized in assassination and stealth, rather tough to deal with, but in treasure-refining, it’d imbue a magical artifact with the same attributes. Therefore, during the auction, he’d competed against several Foundation Establishment cultivators, and only after spending a full six hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones did he win it.

"Sure enough, once you reach Second Grade, the price goes way up."

Lu Chang’sheng thought to himself. But thinking about the Mountain Nether puppet’s power, he couldn’t help but get a little fired up.

The Mountain Nether puppet would be his trump card in the Qi Cultivation stage, enough to handle the average Foundation Establishment threat.

However, his Puppetry Technique hadn’t yet reached perfection, so he was still a bit lacking in skill. He could only store the materials away for now, and wait until his technique was complete before refining it.

Lu Chang’sheng was satisfied, though his funds were getting tight again. He’d have to spend even more time making pills to restock his reserves.

Soon it was nearing the New Year. The Cold Spirit Chill grew even stronger. Around the year’s end, a dense fog enveloped Platinum Immortal City; rumor had it even Liuyun Immortal City, and the farther-off Supreme Profound Immortal City, were buried in this white mist.

The world was a vast stretch of gray. Many cultivators felt anxious just looking outside, and with the Cold Spirit Chill raging, they refused to step out, determined to ride out the winter at home.

"I wonder if the people exploring over there are in trouble?" Lu Chang’sheng, bundled up in thick cotton clothes, looked just like a dumpling.

He was starting to worry a little.

Cao Wei hadn’t left any kind of token. If something happened, he wouldn’t be able to enter the sect at Heaven-Burning Valley either.

"Father!"

At that moment, Lu Chang’an pushed open the door and entered.

"What is it?"

"An invitation from the White Cloud Mountain Range," Lu Chang’an said.

He held a letter in his hand.

"An invitation?" Lu Chang’sheng frowned.

At a time like this, what huge event was going on in the White Cloud Mountain Range, that they’d send him an invitation?

He opened it, and in the next moment, surprise flashed across his face.

Zhou Lin—Foundation Establishment!