Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age

The person behind Luo Dong spoke with a look of relief.

Even from the direction of the breached North Gate, quite a few of the stationed cultivators who managed to escape didn’t escape disaster either.

If you could prove you only fled when the situation had truly become hopeless, you’d be fine; but if you couldn’t, then the only fate left was to be labeled an evil cultivator and wait for the inevitable purge.

If Supreme Profound Sect didn’t resort to thunderous methods, in the future, there would definitely be those who responded half-heartedly to conscription.

"Also, I heard something—Immortal Zhang Qing seems to be quite interested in Fellow Daoist Lu. But right now it’s still the aftermath stage, so the Immortals are all busy. Once they get a free moment tomorrow, they’ll most likely summon you!"

Partway through their drinks, Luo Dong suddenly spoke.

Lu Chang’sheng asked where this rumor had come from; Luo Dong replied, "Someone overheard Immortal Zhang Qing asking about you."

Seeing he didn’t seem to be making things up, Lu Chang’sheng immediately showed a strange smile.

He couldn’t help but wonder, when Zhang Qing found out he was that grade B alchemist from White Cloud Cave Mansion back then—what would he think?

······

The streets of Platinum Immortal City reeked of lingering magical power and dust. Accompanied by a sudden explosion, a mid-stage Qi Cultivation wolf demon got pierced straight through by a blast of magic, shattering even the thick stone floor beneath its feet.

Zhang Qing’s figure landed on a rooftop, prompting several cultivators hiding inside the building to quickly avert their gazes for fear of offending this Foundation Establishment expert from Supreme Profound Sect.

The aftermath work was nearly finished. Zhang Qing looked more and more at ease. He caught a faint series of booms from afar, realizing it was just some scattered demons still fighting a few cultivators handling cleanup. He was about to fly over to take a look, but at that moment, he sensed the Sound Transmission Shell inside the Treasure Vault Immortal Insect vibrating gently.

He opened it and saw it was a message from Du Xuan, immediately making his heart jolt.

Even among Foundation Establishment cultivators, there were differences—he himself was only third layer, while Du Xuan was at sixth layer. Don’t be fooled by just three minor stages—if he ever had to face Du Xuan, his only future would be death.

That was why this usually proud Foundation Establishment master was showing all the respect he could muster.

Du Xuan checked in about the cleanup progress, wanting not only the scattered demons eliminated, but also to track down those conscripted cultivators who’d run off in the wake of the demon calamity.

Once he got a satisfactory answer, Du Xuan abruptly brought something up: "Any news from the investigation of the people who guarded the South Gate earlier?"

"Already arranged for people to look into it, but it might take a while for the results."

Du Xuan wasn’t annoyed—after all, the city was still sealed, and whoever was at the South Gate couldn’t possibly escape.

The current focus was the aftermath for now—a tone Du Xuan had set immediately after quelling the demon calamity.

It wouldn’t take long—by dawn at the latest, things would basically be wrapped up.

"However, there’s one issue I wanted to ask Elder Du’s opinion on." Zhang Qing suddenly remembered the matter of Fellow Daoist Heishi and Zhou Fang.

So he briefed Du Xuan on it.

"Those two have openly declared a grudge with Lu Chang’sheng. This could complicate things for us."

Two loose cultivators at the Foundation Establishment level—even Supreme Profound Sect needed to be careful about how to handle them.

They themselves obviously didn’t fear a couple of Foundation Establishment cultivators; but if those two persistently opposed them, that would quickly become a major headache.

"I actually think we could do Fellow Daoist Heishi and Zhou Fang a favor." Seeing the other side stay quiet for a while, Zhang Qing spoke up.

"I’ve met Lu Chang’sheng a few times before; actually considered recommending him for the sect, but gave it up in the end."

Zhang Qing briefly explained—he’d been drawn to Lu Chang’sheng’s talent in alchemy and had planned to recruit him, but gave up due to Lu Chang’sheng’s terrible Root Bone.

Given Lu Chang’sheng’s current performance, quite honestly, he was already qualified to enter Supreme Profound Sect—actually, compared to the standard sect disciples, he even had some advantages. Within the new disciple ranks, he counted as a real standout.

Too bad, he sighed, the problem was this whole affair was now tied up with those two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"A pity." rang out the voice from the Sound Transmission Shell, apparently agreeing with Zhang Qing, but still not making a final call. "Just send over the investigation results for now."

Du Xuan said.

Zhang Qing surely wasn’t making things up, but, being the cautious type, Du Xuan still wanted to look into the matter in more detail.

Because of that, what he’d planned—calling Lu Chang’sheng over for a face-to-face observation—would have to wait until tomorrow.

Less than a day to wait—that was really nothing.

After Du Xuan finished his business, he returned to his lodgings at the Gu Mansion. In the chilly dawn, slants of sunlight cut through the cold wind.

Soon after getting up, Zhang Qing arrived with the detailed report about Lu Chang’sheng.

The information had actually been gathered since midnight, but Zhang Qing hadn’t wanted to bother Du Xuan in the middle of the night, so he waited until morning.

After hearing the rundown from the cultivator who gathered the intel, Zhang Qing was a bit surprised.

The surprise came from the fact that Heaven-Burning Valley had nearly recruited Lu Chang’sheng.

Zhang Qing was always on the move, so it was normal for him to miss some gossip. By the time he had returned from his travels, Lu Chang’sheng had already been replaced by Zhou Lin—he’d missed the update entirely.

So it was only now that he learned the grade B alchemist he had once dismissed had nearly joined Heaven-Burning Valley at their Mountain Gate.

Thankfully, Heaven-Burning Valley ended up picking Zhou Lin in the end.

Thinking of Zhou Lin, Zhang Qing felt a bit regretful—originally, he’d tried to recruit both Lu Chang’sheng and Zhou Lin, but the latter refused. Apparently, Zhou Lin had set his sights on Heaven-Burning Valley, a top-tier Golden Core Immortal Sect.

"If Heaven-Burning Valley took an interest in him, his alchemy must be outstanding—maybe even enough to overlook poor Immortal Dao Root Bone!"

Zhang Qing didn’t believe for a second that Heaven-Burning Valley’s people couldn’t tell the level of Immortal Dao Spirit Root a mere Qi Cultivator possessed.

Could it be that I really misjudged him?

Zhang Qing muttered, immediately heading out and using a body technique, unconsciously pushing his magical power to the limit. In less than thirty seconds, he found Du Xuan.

The nervousness in Zhang Qing’s behavior didn’t escape Du Xuan. Hearing Zhang Qing admit he might have gotten it wrong, Du Xuan immediately pulled out a Sound Transmission Shell to send a message to the people at Imperial Garden.

"He’s still here, can’t run off. Tell me exactly what you may have misjudged."

Du Xuan’s calm tone instantly soothed Zhang Qing’s nerves. He thought to himself: no wonder he’s Elder Du, his Qi Cultivation skill puts me to shame.

He immediately related everything he knew in detail.

······

Meanwhile—

As the time for the meeting with Good Beast Sect crept ever closer, Lu Chang’sheng was visibly affected, his spirits noticeably high-strung.

Early morning, as he stepped out of his courtyard, a few cultivators who noticed hurriedly made a point to skirt around him.

The rumors spread by Fellow Daoist Heishi and Zhou Fang were still gaining traction, rapidly boosting Lu Chang’sheng’s notoriety. Plenty of people were gleefully watching to see what would happen.

The two Foundation Establishment masters hadn’t made another move at this crucial juncture—like two dormant predators, silently waiting for their prey to appear.

Right then, they stood in a distant pavilion, staring at Lu Chang’sheng. Their faces twisted into mocking sneers.

But just as boredom was creeping in, suddenly a few figures appeared that instantly put them on high alert, like strings pulled taut out of nowhere.

"The Gu Family!"

Fellow Daoist Heishi’s face darkened, recognizing one of the newcomers—none other than Gu Feng.

But that wasn’t enough to make them truly angry—Gu Feng always associated with Lu Chang’sheng, and with the Gu Family’s influence, there was no need for him to feel so threatened he couldn’t even show his face.

What really enraged them was the presence of the Gu Family’s second daughter, Gu Yuan.

In their eyes, Gu Yuan had never interacted with Lu Chang’sheng privately, especially not at a time like this after they’d issued their warnings.

"Relax—it doesn’t mean anything just because they’re meeting. Who knows, maybe they’ve got some kind of illicit affair going on!" Zhou Fang snickered, eyeing Gu Yuan’s full figure with a hint of lechery in his eyes.

Ever since reaching Foundation Establishment, he’d grown bolder about men and women, and besides, Gu Yuan’s build was exactly his type.

But the grin didn’t last—a figure hurried over from behind, and as soon as he saw who it was, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.