A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

"Understood," the man with the thick beard said hastily.

All he got in return was a sour look from the Horse-faced Cultivator.

When the Horse-faced Cultivator saw Lü Zhong nod, he cast out the Token in his hand.

Instantly, a bowl-shaped shield formed, enclosing the two of them.

A moment later, the man with the thick beard was sent flying backward out of the shield.

The Horse-faced Cultivator, who had been watching from the side, stared at Lü Zhong on the stage with a strange expression. ’Even if anything goes,’ he thought, ’this guy’s methods are completely unexpected.’

Looking at the platform, one could see it was covered in Mechanical Beasts.

Aside from seven tiger-and-wolf-like Mechanical Beasts, the others weren’t very powerful. However, every single one of them was tough and resilient. Getting swarmed by them all at once would be overwhelming even for a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, let alone with another cultivator of the same rank attacking from the side.

And so, the man with the thick beard had suffered a miserable defeat.

The Horse-faced Cultivator, feeling like he had just learned something new, shook his head. He cupped his hands toward Lü Zhong on the stage and said, "Fellow Daoist, please put away your Mechanical Beasts. Your next match is on stage three. Please head over there."

Over seventy cultivators participating in the ranking battles took their turns on stage.

Match after match began, and match after match ended.

Soon, the ranking results were out.

With a final record of four wins and one loss, Lü Zhong was temporarily ranked twelfth. Then, with the bonus points for his status as a Talisman Maker, his rank was adjusted to fifth.

This was a result he hadn’t expected.

Originally, Lü Zhong had expected to rank seventh or eighth.

Wei Tie walked over, his face wreathed in smiles. "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Lü!"

"Congratulations to you as well!" Lü Zhong knew that Wei Tie ranked tenth and was also a winner in these ranking battles. To be honest, this was even more unexpected. It seemed that in this year’s ranking battles, quite a few Qi Refining Seventh Level cultivators had made the cut.

Counting him, Wei Tie, and two other Qi Refining Seventh Level cultivators, they made up almost half of the ten available spots.

The reason for this was largely due to the bonus points at the end of the ranking battles. Many cultivators were powerful in combat, but they didn’t have many bonus points to add, so they were surpassed by cultivators who had been ranked lower.

...

In the Golden Hall, the ten victors had gathered.

Some stood, some sat, scattered throughout the hall.

"Does anyone know what we’re waiting for?" a gorgeous Female Cultivator in a blue-green ruqun asked, cupping her hands to the others. "Would any Fellow Daoist be willing to enlighten me?"

"I know the answer to that. After winning the ranking battles, in addition to being accepted into the Heling Sect, we also have the chance to be noticed by one of the Sect’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators and be taken on as a disciple." The one who answered was a young man in white robes, an Array Master with a Ninth Level of Qi Refining Cultivation. He was the undisputed number one in the ranking battles.

Lü Zhong, who was off to the side, heard this. ’So there’s something like this, too,’ he thought.

The Female Cultivator asked again, "What are the benefits of being taken as a disciple?"

At this question, many people in the hall cast interested glances his way.

The young man seemed to enjoy the spotlight. A smile spread across his face as he became the center of attention, and he raised his voice to explain, "Of course there are benefits. I’m sure all you Fellow Daoists know the hardships of being a Loose Cultivator.

"The hardship of having no one to guide your cultivation, no one to provide resources, and the difficulty of finding a suitable Cultivation Technique.

"Once you’re taken as a disciple by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator—even if you only become an ordinary in-name-only disciple under a Rite Master—you’ll still enjoy benefits that surpass those of an Outer Disciple.

"From then on, you’ll have someone to guide you, someone to provide resources, and someone to grant you a Cultivation Technique."

"I see." The Female Cultivator nodded and cupped her hands toward the young man. "I wonder..."

Seeing the two begin to chat, Lü Zhong withdrew his gaze.

He had heard everything the young man said and had some thoughts about it.

A certain phrase came to his mind.

’There are no selfless gifts; everything has already been marked with a price.’

Just as he was thinking this, a set of footsteps sounded from outside the hall.

In a short while, six cultivators of varying ages walked in from outside.

The only thing they had in common was the powerful aura they all emanated; they were clearly all Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

At the forefront was a white-haired old man leaning on a Pigeon Staff. He showed no signs of mobility issues and was chattering nonstop, "The Sect Leader, honestly... I told him I wouldn’t take any more disciples in this life, yet he insisted I come. Isn’t this just a waste of my time?"

"Senior Brother Sha, don’t you know what the Sect Leader is like? He’s only doing it for the good of the Sect. Just bear with him," a burly man with a Jade Crown, a red face, and a long beard said from the side.

"Then why didn’t he ask Shui... that one to come over too?" the old man with the Pigeon Staff said agitatedly.

From the group, a Crane-Haired Daoist in a black Daoist Robe, who had an otherworldly air about him, turned his head and chuckled. "Hehe, none of us can afford to offend *that one*. Even the Sect Leader can’t order her around. Junior Brother Sha, if you have a problem with it, why don’t you go ask Senior Sister Shui to come over yourself!"

At these words, the old man with the Pigeon Staff was left speechless and could only stammer incoherently.

He had experienced firsthand how formidable Senior Sister Shui was on several occasions.

Just as the Fat Daoist had said, in the entire Heling Sect, no one could afford to offend her, aside from the three ancestors.

Seeing the old man with the Pigeon Staff so uncharacteristically flustered, the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the group who had remained silent couldn’t help but start laughing, but they were quickly silenced by his glare.

The three of them immediately wiped the smiles off their faces. This guy was no pushover, and they didn’t want to get on his bad side.

At that moment, the red-faced, long-bearded cultivator beckoned Lü Zhong and the others over.

"Those among you who wish to take a master, step forward and introduce yourselves." After speaking, afraid they wouldn’t know how, he added, "Speak of your good points, highlight your strengths. A little exaggeration doesn’t hurt."

’A real nice guy.’ Lü Zhong mentally slapped a label on this future Martial Uncle.

After this Martial Uncle’s reminder, the introductions from the group were quite presentable.

The first to be chosen was, without a doubt, the young man in white. After all, he was an Array Master and already had a Ninth Level of Qi Refining Cultivation. There would be little difficulty in nurturing him. Perhaps with just ten years of support, they could gain another assistant with a Foundation Establishment Cultivation.

The choice was obvious to almost everyone.

As for Lü Zhong.

"You... you really have Four Spirit Root Talent?" the Crane-Haired Daoist suddenly asked.

"Yes, Martial Uncle. I do indeed have Four Spirit Roots," Lü Zhong replied truthfully.

"Sigh..." The Crane-Haired Daoist looked regretful and sighed. "If only you had Three Spirit Roots. Let me... let me think about it."

It wasn’t that the Crane-Haired Daoist looked down on Lü Zhong’s talent. In truth, he had already taken on three disciples, two of whom possessed Four Spirit Root Talent. He simply couldn’t afford to nurture another. Otherwise, the fact that Lü Zhong could draw a Golden Light Talisman would have been enough for him to accept him.

In the Heling Sect, when one takes a disciple, they must allocate a portion of their own stipend and resources to nurture that disciple.

Only when the disciple matures in the future can one expect a return on that investment.

Given that Lü Zhong’s talent was truly mediocre, the Crane-Haired Daoist could only give up on him with great reluctance.

Among the others, two more people were also not chosen.

One was nearly sixty years old, his potential for a breakthrough already exhausted. The other had overdrawn his body’s vitality, his potential similarly depleted.

It was only natural that they were not chosen.

"Junior Sister Hann, why don’t you take him?" The red-faced, long-bearded cultivator, who had accepted Wei Tie and one other person, saw that Lü Zhong remained unchosen. He turned to a somewhat elderly-looking woman beside him who smelled strongly of herbs.

"Oh, my dear Senior Brother Lin, it’s really not that I don’t want to."

The woman took the arm of the Female Cultivator in the ruqun and explained with a wry smile, "You see, I’ve already taken one, haven’t I? Another disciple means another expense. I just don’t have the resources to train more."

"It’s fine. I’ll take him!"

A gentle female voice suddenly drifted in from outside the hall.

Following the voice, a Female Cultivator of refined beauty walked in.

She wore a crimson silk dress that shimmered with Spiritual Light. Tied at her waist was a ribbon embroidered with lifelike flower petals. Its fluttering ends accentuated the grace and lightness of her figure. Her unadorned face was wreathed in a smile.

"Ah... Senior Sister Shui, what are you doing here?" The red-faced, long-bearded cultivator was quite surprised to see her.

"That’s right! Lingjun Ancestor himself issued a decree for me to come and take on a disciple," the newcomer said, smiling brightly. Her gaze swept across everyone in the hall, pausing on the young man in white for a moment before her face twisted into a look of disdain.

The Female Cultivator curled her lip and looked at the others. When her eyes fell on Lü Zhong, they lit up, and she called out:

"My good disciple, what are you standing there gawking for? Hurry up and come over so your master can get a good look at you!"