Longevity by Grinding Skills

As she spoke, she pressed one of them to his waist. The icy touch instantly transformed into a warm current that enveloped his entire body.

When the guards at the city gate saw the token, they skipped the questioning entirely, kneeling on the ground to respectfully welcome the three into the city.

Along both sides of the Bluestone Slab streets, vendors lowered their heads and began packing up their stalls. A curious child who peeked out was immediately yanked inside by his mother.

’The might of an Immortal is as oppressive as a prison.’

Xu Yunfan gazed at the token in his hand, reminded of the common folk in the Divine Martial Realm who feared Martial Artists. The moment ordinary people saw someone carrying a sword or a saber, they would avoid them if at all possible.

No matter the world, the fate of ants was always the same.

Xu Yunfan let out a soft sigh, suppressing the thoughts that had surfaced in his mind.

Hua Ling led the two with practiced ease through several deep, narrow alleys, arriving at a secluded courtyard in the southern part of the city.

She pushed open the mottled wooden gate. The courtyard inside, though slightly old, was clean and tidy.

"You two Senior Brothers can rest here for the night. We’ll set off at dawn. I’ve been to the place where the Celestial Heart Snow Lotus grows before, so I still have some memory of it."

In response, Hua Ling’s face broke into a smile, the tension in her brow easing slightly. "This is just a mission to pick a Celestial Heart Snow Lotus. Compared to fighting those Righteous Cultivators to the death, it’s much more relaxed. The Contribution Points are quite generous, too. I can finally catch my breath and steal a bit of leisure time."

Xu Yunfan’s gaze flickered, and he suddenly asked, "Junior Sister, how many Contribution Points did you borrow from the Joyful Courtyard?"

Hua Ling’s expression froze, and a trace of bitterness flashed in her eyes. "Senior Brother, you may not know this, but in the Primordial Sect, just starting on the path of Cultivation and condensing the first wisp of True Essence costs a staggering amount. If I hadn’t borrowed from the Joyful Courtyard, I’m afraid..."

She paused, her voice growing softer. "Fall behind once, and every step after becomes a struggle. You end up wasting your years, never even glimpsing the true path in your entire life, only to become an expendable resource in someone else’s hands."

The Primordial Sect had always placed great importance on the value of its human resources. If a disciple defaulted on a loan, once the deadline passed, Law Enforcement Disciples from the Joyful Courtyard would come to collect.

Not only would they collect the owed Contribution Points with interest, but if the debtor was completely unable to pay, they would be squeezed dry of their very Essence Blood, flesh, and soul.

Extracting marrow and flaying skin were commonplace; Soul Refining and spirit seizing were their true methods.

In the eyes of the Primordial Sect, a Cultivator’s entire body was a precious material. Not a single bit could be wasted.

As Hua Ling spoke, she looked down and brushed non-existent dust from her sleeve, complaining lightly, "Dealing with those Cultivators from the Profound Talisman Sect today got me all dirty. I’ll have to take a good bath later."

Xu Yunfan nodded slightly and didn’t ask any more questions. Having a place to stay was naturally far better than spending the night in the wild.

The fact that she had such a secret base in a mortal city controlled by Righteous Cultivators was enough to show that Hua Ling definitely had a backer supporting her.

Although this courtyard had no Spiritual Qi fluctuations whatsoever, in the perilous Cultivation Realm, who could say that such a place wouldn’t be useful?

Hua Ling pushed open a gilded and lacquered door, revealing a hot spring steaming in the center of a garden full of withered lotuses.

As Hua Ling began to loosen her robes, she suddenly glanced back, a sly glint in her flowing gaze. "Senior Brother, you must be dusty from the road. Why not bathe together? This spring water is drawn from a geothermal spring a hundred zhang deep. While it’s not useful for Cultivation, it can relieve fatigue and soothe the spirit."

Her fingertip traced a line across the water’s surface, sending out a ripple. "It seems Senior Brother cultivates a Pure Yang art... A soak in this hot spring might just... stir things up a bit."

As she spoke, her fair hand gently tugged, and her dress slipped from her shoulders, revealing skin as smooth as jade.

Amidst the steam from the hot spring, the Silver Bell at her waist remained eerily silent. Only the sound of water droplets sliding down her collarbone was clearly audible.

She stepped into the pool barefoot, her form-fitting white underdress turning transparent as it met the water.

As for Li Ergou, he had already fled as if he’d seen a ghost the moment Hua Ling pushed open the door.

Meeting Hua Ling’s slightly provocative gaze, Xu Yunfan’s lips curled into a slight smile. "Then it would be rude to refuse."

His right hand rested on the Jade Belt at his waist. His black outer robe slid off like flowing water, revealing the dark gold Dragon Scale Armor underneath.

The Armor Leaves chimed like jade and metal striking one another, gleaming with a cold luster in the twilight.

With a soft rustle as the Armor Leaves shifted, the Dragon Scale Armor began to disassemble from his shoulders like a living creature. The individual plates fell and piled into a small mound on the ground, revealing a physique that looked as if it were cast from Refined Iron.

Hua Ling’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, shimmering as if they were about to overflow with water.

"Senior Brother is quite... straightforward."

Before she could finish her sentence, Xu Yunfan had already stepped into the pool.

The hot spring instantly began to boil. Amidst the billowing steam, gilded patterns unique to the True Martial Demon Suppression True Essence appeared on his bronze skin, making the pool water glow like molten gold.

"Ah—"

Hua Ling let out a soft cry, suddenly realizing the truth behind her silent Silver Bell.

The Emotion Threads condensed by her Hundred Desires Devouring Essence Technique were being severed inch by inch by the True Essence traveling along his spine.

His strength was far greater than she had imagined.

’This is bad,’ Hua Ling thought. The bewitching expression on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a grave one.

As she tried to retreat, her toes scraped thin marks on the bluestone at the bottom of the pool, but she bumped into Xu Yunfan’s outstretched arm.

"Junior Sister’s Thousand Emotions Threads is quite well-practiced. You must have put in a lot of hard work. If I may be so bold, I would like to experience it for myself."

As Xu Yunfan spoke, his right palm pressed against her seemingly slender waist.

"..."

In the faint light of dawn, Xu Yunfan sat cross-legged. Thirty-six acupoints along his spine glowed with a crimson light, like thirty-six miniature suns.

As the True Martial Demon Suppressing Scripture circulated, dark gold patterns resembling a Turtle Shell and snake scales appeared all over his body.

The Silver Bell at her waist finally made a sound, but it was a faint, fragmented tremor, like the buzzing of a dying bee.

The signs of the backlash from the Hundred Desires Devouring Essence Technique were clearly visible. The Thousand Emotions Threads brand beneath her collarbone had turned pitch-black, and the once-full vortex of True Essence in her Dantian was now completely dry.

Her almond-shaped eyes were wide with disbelief as she stared at Xu Yunfan.

Moreover, the Essence Qi inside Xu Yunfan’s body was like a solid block of iron. No matter how she tried to draw it out, he remained as steady as a mountain, impossible to move.

Instead, the mouthful of pure Primordial Yin Qi she had painstakingly refined for so long was absorbed by Xu Yunfan while she was trembling.

’That bastard!’

’He’s like a Pixiu—takes everything and gives nothing back! This could have been a win-win situation!’

Hua Ling was furious. Ever since she embarked on the Dao, she had used her looks to prey on plenty of men with a thing for her youthful looks, sucking them dry.

She was also an excellent judge of character, always investigating her target’s background before making a move. If they were lone wolves with no backing, she would show no mercy.

Xu Yunfan was obviously an excellent target, but he seemed to have entered the Dao through body cultivation, which made it impossible for her to continue.

Xu Yunfan exhaled a breath of Dirt Qi. The True Martial Grinding Disc within him, formed from the acupoints along his spine, spun and crushed the last trace of impure desire.

Using his Martial Arts Celestial Eye for Introspection, he could see that the pure Primordial Yin Qi he had absorbed during last night’s Dual Cultivation had already transformed into the purest Essence Qi, nourishing his own body.

Even the Skill Level of his True Martial Demon Suppressing Scripture had increased by several points.

’True Martial Demon Suppressing Scripture (Minor Achievement, 38/1000)’

It went up by three points!

Xu Yunfan was elated. One must understand that Immortal Dao Scriptures were extremely difficult to cultivate. Even though he had entered the Dao through martial arts and was practicing a continuation of the Martial Dao with True Martial techniques, progress was usually slow.