Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age

"Holding out for a hundred years is impossible, but twenty or thirty years shouldn't be a problem."

Lu Chang'sheng looked at Yan Yu's smiling face, inwardly filled with dark suspicions.

Yan Yu needs to keep everyone's spirits up, so there's no way she'd tell the whole truth— exaggerating a little is obviously necessary.

Twenty or thirty years; Lu Chang'sheng felt that he still had enough means to stay alive.

And in the coming two or three decades, he could increase his bargaining chips.

Like, should he finally put Foundation Establishment Pill refining on the agenda?

So far, nobody in the sect knew that he could refine Foundation Establishment Pills.

Once he could refine them, he'd become the true core of the Good Beast Sect. Even if things got as bad as the sect's Spirit Array failing, Yan Yu would never toss away someone who could keep the sect's flame alive; she wouldn't just find another alchemist.

The small gathering at the Alchemy Institute ended, and Lu Chang'sheng returned to his quarters.

"Name: Lu Chang'sheng"

"Age: 110/305"

"Root Bone (Primary): 1/10 [Immortal Dao Spirit Root, Grade D Upper, next stage, Grade C Lower]"

······

"Technique: Cyan Essence Immortal Technique·Foundation Establishment Chapter (First Layer)"

"Skills: Foundation Establishment Pill (Entry), Second-Grade Sword Control Technique (Entry), Cyan Spirit Pill (Great Success), Spirit Needle Technique (Entry),······"

······

"Immortal Technique: Cyan Essence Immortal Technique Foundation Establishment Chapter:

First layer needs 120 years.

Second layer needs 300 years.

Third layer needs 600 years.

······

"Like the Foundation Establishment Chapter, every layer matches a small level within Foundation Establishment. With my current Grade D Upper aptitude, to finish cultivating the first layer, reach true completion, I'd need a full 120 years."

Lu Chang'sheng had seen the cultivation times for the Cyan Essence Immortal Technique Foundation Establishment Chapter before, but every time, he got that feeling—time flows like water.

"No wonder so many cultivators are stuck at the early Foundation Establishment stage."

Most Foundation Establishment cultivators in Guangnan Domain have Grade C Lower talent; even reaching Grade C Middle is as rare as phoenix feathers.

Judging by the Golden Finger's projection for Cyan Essence Immortal Technique cultivation times, their path's only even harder.

The first layer is a struggle to finish; the second, likely their limit.

Unless, of course, they have the resources.

This displayed time didn't even factor in variables—if you used second-grade True Essence Pills, your speed would definitely go up a lot.

"Entered Innate at just over twenty, hit Foundation Establishment at around one hundred and ten."

Lu Chang'sheng felt a measure of satisfaction deep down. As his talent kept getting better, his cultivation speed picked up.

But—he still needed to be cautious with cultivation ahead.

"I'll have to set up more concealment techniques in the future too."

It's still possible to find other reasons for now, but by the time his talent hit Grade B, or even Grade A, how was he supposed to explain then?

I'd definitely get noticed by certain people then.

Best to prepare and prevent that early.

"Nangua's already over a hundred and ten too."

Lu Chang'sheng sighed.

Late-stage Qi Cultivation usually gives about a hundred and fifty years of lifespan, and Nangua hasn't taken many Longevity Pills; bumping that up to one hundred seventy isn't an issue.

But for Foundation Establishment, it's best to try within thirty years before the final limit.

In the last thirty years of life, you step into true old age. The odds of making Foundation Establishment don't drop to zero, but they do go down somewhat.

And as time passes, those odds only shrink further.

"At most, thirty years left."

Lu Chang'sheng thought to himself.

No matter what, within at most ten years, he needed to head to the Greater Domain, see if he could find Nangua a higher-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

······

The next day, news shocked countless cultivators.

The Three Immortal Sects of Guangnan Domain— something happened, well, to two of them anyway.

Word was, yesterday, a few Supreme Profound Sect elders were waiting in Good Beast Immortal City after the Good Beast Sect's Mountain Guardian Spirit Array faded, when their Sound Transmission Shells started rattling.

Their mountain gate had been invaded—losses were catastrophic!

Turns out, the attackers were Supreme Profound Sect's temple priest clan, plus a bunch of random Foundation Establishment cultivators, working together inside and out. While everyone's attention was focused on Purple Ice Lake and Good Beast Sect, Supreme Profound Sect was hit hard.

Another of the Three Immortals, the Yellow Sand Sect, was also hit—same story, temple priests plus loose Foundation Establishment cultivators struck.

Now, both sects couldn't even enter their own mountain gates.

Because they'd activated the Mountain Guardian Spirit Array, but inside it was now under the control of the temple priest clan and those loose cultivators.

"It was a planned invasion."

Once the cultivators heard the news, their expressions all changed; almost every Immortal Sect, more or less, employed some temple priest clan members to help collect incense.

If this wasn't a one-off, then this storm could sweep up a mind-blowing number of Immortal Sects.

But Sound Transmission Shells capable of long-range messaging are really rare, so other domain sects couldn't be sure their own sects were also affected.

So, only Supreme Profound Sect and Yellow Sand Sect were in full-blown panic, rushing home.

At the same time, one question hung in the air—why was the Good Beast Sect, one of the Three Immortals of Guangnan Domain, the only one not struck like this?

"If only the Good Beast Sect had been raided too—then they wouldn't be able to get into their own mountain gate, and without that, they'd lose control of their own Spirit Array."

Some Foundation Establishment cultivators from other domains left; others stuck around.

The Crystal Pill's main ingredient was simply too tempting—nobody wanted to give up so easily.

······

"Chang'sheng! The Sect Leader and the others are here."

Nangua and Gu Chan walked in from outside.

Soon enough, Yan Yu, Ning He, Huang Yun and a few other Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived together.

Dai Chun marched up front, excitement all over his face.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, I really can't thank you enough." He strode right over, grabbing Lu Chang'sheng's hand, honestly overwhelmed with emotion.

The others were just as grateful.

Lu Chang'sheng was still scratching his head about the reason, until Yan Yu started explaining what happened today.

The Good Beast Sect is a top Immortal Sect in one of the minor domains; of course it has eyes and ears. News this huge, like Supreme Profound Sect and Yellow Sand Sect's bases being breached—how could they not know?

If it hadn't been for the Sound Transmission Shell limit, the news would've hit Good Beast Immortal City ages ago.

"If Fellow Daoist Lu hadn't been reticent and cautious, our Good Beast Sect would really have been doomed."

Yan Yu looked genuinely shaken. When she'd chosen to leave Lu Chang'sheng to guard the gate, it was because he was an alchemist and hadn't been in the Good Beast Immortal Sect for long.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators escorting the Crystal Pills had all been in the sect for over a century—naturally, that made them more trustworthy.

Who could've guessed the sect would get hit like this? Luckily, they'd left Lu Chang'sheng behind; if it had been anyone else, they probably would have faced disaster.

"I heard the Yellow Sand Sect's base had three Foundation Establishment cultivators left guarding it, including one at middle Foundation Establishment stage—overall, stronger than our Good Beast Immortal Sect's leftover forces, and even they couldn't hold out."

"They were caught off guard and ambushed—only that mid-stage Foundation Establishment guy made it out alive; the other two early-stage ones died."

Ning He said with relief.

That's why they all rushed over to thank Lu Chang'sheng the moment they heard the news.

If it had been anyone else—even Yan Yu herself—they might not have been able to save the mountain gate. Only Lu Chang'sheng could have managed it.