Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 187 Four Years in the Blink of an Eye, Cultivation Advances Again

Especially the robust male cultivator from the Fan family who had reached the peak of Qi Refining, at this moment, had no doubts whatsoever; he was only excited about the [Premium Foundation Establishment Pill] and eager to establish his foundation.

Lin Changheng was the biggest winner of this alchemy session. He not only obtained three thousand low-grade spirit stones, but also a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill and a recipe to accelerate the growth of spirit beasts.

It's worth mentioning that Deng Changsheng also wanted to store the Foundation Establishment Pill here.

Clearly, she had already completely come to regard herself as Lin Changheng's vassal in her heart.

After all, incomplete loyalty is utter disloyalty. And Deng Changsheng has already embarked on the path of complete loyalty.

But Lin Changheng refused.

"Being able to protect the Foundation Establishment Pill is also a skill. As for how to suppress one's joy and excitement and smoothly transition with the treasure, that is also true."

That's what they say, but in reality, Lin Changheng's thoughts are very simple, realistic, and cruel.

What use is a lackey who cannot stand alone or share the burdens of the Lord, but instead needs to rely on the Lord's wings?

"Yes, Changsheng has learned a lot."

At first, Deng Changsheng looked puzzled, but then he understood immediately after hearing Lin Changheng's point and bowed to thank him.

"Go. Come see me again after you have achieved Foundation Establishment."

He waved his hand, flicked his sleeve, and a wave of magical energy rose up, sweeping him out the door.

"boom!"

Deng Changsheng had just stood outside the cave and hadn't even reacted when he heard a muffled thud, and the door had already been closed.

"This is……"

Things happened so fast that Deng Changsheng was still a little dizzy and had not yet regained his focus.

How can my lord be so strong? I am utterly powerless to resist! Although I am injured, I am not so weak as to be this vulnerable. My lord... is this truly the strength expected of someone at the peak of Qi Refining?

As he slowly came to his senses, his small eyes revealed shock and disbelief, and an answer he had never considered before suddenly popped into his head.

No wonder the Lord didn't take any of the Foundation Establishment Pills he refined three times for the public; it turns out he was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
They hid it too well!

Then came a great surprise. He had finally found a powerful backer this time. A Foundation Establishment cultivator with a second-tier alchemy skill. Tsk tsk, my ancestral graves have been dormant for so many years, but they're finally going to start emitting auspicious smoke!
He immediately remembered Lin Changheng's instructions, forcibly suppressed his emotions, and left quickly as if no one else was around, disappearing in a flash.

……

It is worth mentioning that Lin Changheng received three letters in the past year.

They were sent from the Purple Extreme Sect's residence in the Immortal City, and also sent by the Immortal Post Station under the jurisdiction of the South Pole Palace.

The former, naturally, was the letter from Mo Zhaoli.

She mentioned two points in the letter.

Firstly, she finally broke through to the third level of Foundation Establishment ten months ago, which was particularly difficult and a few days later than expected, but still acceptable.

She spent more than nine years, almost ten years, in this stage. Although she took some detours, she managed to adjust in time. Wasting two or three years was not a big problem.

After all, she was only sixty years old and had already reached the third level of Foundation Establishment, which was far from the expected lifespan of 250 years for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Lin Changheng estimated that he would stay at the second level of Foundation Establishment for quite some time, because due to his spiritual root and cultivation technique, it would take him about seven or eight years to break through.

It was foreseeable that Mo Zhaoli's cultivation level would be surpassed by Lin Changheng.

Lin Changheng's fire-type spiritual root, which now possesses an even higher spiritual quality, has reached forty-three strands, only seven strands less than Mo Zhaoli's most outstanding spiritual root.

However, in terms of combat strength, the two are no longer comparable; Lin Changheng is more than capable of crushing him.

After all, "Senior Brother Feng," whose cultivation was higher than Mo Zhaoli's, did not survive five breaths in Lin Changheng's hands.

Secondly, there was a piece of information revealed by Mo Zhaoli: the senior in the sect who possessed the [Crimson-Eyed Fire Demon] had been selling his essence blood quite frequently recently, which made her suspicious and she felt that he was trying to "drain the pond to catch all the fish".

Since that was the case, she took advantage of the other party's attempt to extract her essence blood again to subtly probe the matter.

The intention was to inquire whether this senior intended to deal with the [mountain and marsh spirit].

As a result, she keenly realized that the other party really did intend to make a move. Although they did not say it outright, they were clearly interested.

So she immediately wrote to Lin Changheng to inform him of this.

If Lin Changheng needs it, she can try to communicate and interact to see if there is an opportunity to directly buy this [Red-Eyed Fire Demon].

Upon seeing this news, Lin Changheng was immediately tempted.

Buying this [Crimson-Eyed Fire Demon] is equivalent to directly gaining control of a channel for obtaining [Mystic Spirit Essence Blood].

It can be said that they can get whatever they want.

Instead of this, where we've been buying for so many years and still haven't extracted a single treasure seed, it's too slow!
Lin Changheng immediately wrote back, indicating that he did indeed need it and asked Mo Zhaoli to make initial contact. He said that if the price or requirements were not outrageous and the person was sincere in their offer, he could speak with the senior in detail.

Upon sending the letter, Lin Changheng couldn't help but feel excited. Although he had acquired quite a few essence blood of these "mountain and marsh spirits," which were independent of demonic beasts yet not outside their category, he had never actually seen one before, and he was extremely curious about them.

Mo Zhaoli will definitely do his best to mediate for him. Now, all we need to do is wait patiently for news.

……

The second letter came from the Xu family of Heishui River and was sent by Tantai Feiyue.

Besides the usual greetings and expressions of longing, the first thing mentioned was something else.

The pills that Xu Xujun brought back from Lin Changheng had already taken effect, preventing Xu Hanji's dantian from deteriorating further.

Xu Hanji has now fully recovered from his other injuries. Apart from being unable to cultivate and needing to take medicine monthly, he is no different from an ordinary person.

To Tantai Feiyue's surprise, Xu Hanji did not become too depressed after this blow. He seemed to have let it go and began to re-engage in the family's leadership affairs, take on responsibilities, and continue to contribute to the family.

At the same time, this woman is also exploring various arts and crafts, trying to find a skill that suits her or that she has a talent for.

Meanwhile, the clan is also doing its utmost to search for precious medicines or miraculous pills that can heal the cracks in the dantian.

In fact, some time ago, Xu Xujun had already quietly left his clan and gone to the [Sunrise Immortal City], which was under the control of the Beast Taming Sun family, to search for medicine.

Lin Changheng nodded in agreement. He approved of Xu Hanji's character; such a person was not prone to having distracting thoughts, which would be helpful for Foundation Establishment.

At the same time, he recalled that when Xu Xujun was in [Floating Life Immortal City] last time, he was not idle during those days. In addition to him, he also visited many alchemists, doctors and pharmacists.

However, all the attempts were unsuccessful, and the results were no better than the methods proposed by Lin Changheng.

Moreover, his asking price was significantly higher than Lin Changheng's, which is why Xu Xujun was so emotional when he finally took his leave.

……

It is worth mentioning that, according to Tantai Feiyue, the Xu family was hit hard by the Qiu family patriarch last time, and the blow was dealt to the successor. This made the Xu family's strategy more conservative, and they began to focus on digesting the resource points they had already occupied.

This also gave the Qiu family a chance to catch their breath.

Tantai Feiyue was aware of this, but did not express any opinion.

……

In addition, Tantai Feiyue also mentioned that she was already feeling the strain of cultivation during the Foundation Establishment stage.

Although she managed to acquire a decent cultivation technique in and around Qinglingfang thanks to her status as a second-tier talisman master, which was said to allow for rapid cultivation, her actual cultivation speed was not as satisfactory as she had hoped.

Lin Changheng also sensed a hint of pessimism in his words.

He had no other choice but to sigh inwardly.

When this woman was establishing her foundation, he happened to have some leftover inferior foundation-establishing pills and foundation-establishing spiritual items, which could have helped her. However, after she established her foundation, apart from helping her refine a few batches of pills, there was really nothing else he could do to help her.

Weakhearted.

Moreover, although Tantai Feiyue's second-tier talismanic arts are not as sought-after as alchemy, their money-making ability is not much different, and she will not lack resources. Ultimately, it is still due to her low-grade spiritual root.

It's still playing a role, but it's a hindrance.

If he still had a mixed spiritual root, it's questionable whether he could even reach the bottleneck between the third and middle stages of Foundation Establishment...

Objectively speaking, if Tantai Feiyue could break through to the second level of Foundation Establishment within twelve years, her future would be promising.

In response, Lin Changheng could only reply with encouragement.

……

The third letter was sent by Xu Fugui.

They merely chatted about everyday things, and the writing lacked its former sharpness and ambition.

He also mentioned that his grandson, who possessed superior spiritual roots, ultimately decided to join the Purple Extreme Sect.

They believed that with Mo Zhaoli, an acquaintance, involved, they would definitely take care of him.

He also asked Lin Changheng to put in a good word for him.

Upon seeing this, Lin Changheng couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that Fugui had really "gotten old." Now that he had passed the age of sixty and had completely given up the chance to establish his foundation, he had actually started to have such thoughts as "it's easier to get things done by making connections" and "it's easier to take care of acquaintances."

Lin Changheng naturally wouldn't refuse, and mentioned it to Mo Zhaoli.

Providing some guidance is perfectly acceptable; at the very least, others will know that this kid has a Foundation Establishment cultivator behind him, which will make his life and cultivation much more comfortable.

……

Time, like a white horse galloping past, slips silently through our fingers.

Four years is but a blink of an eye, especially for a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Lin Changheng who has ample lifespan.

That year, Lin Changheng was seventy-four years old.

His concubine, Yan Mingyi, remained youthful and beautiful, with a face like that of a young girl, and delicate, smooth skin that felt like silk to the touch, and even moisturized the skin.

This woman lived a very comfortable and pleasant life. Her cultivation level successfully broke through to the late stage of Qi Refining and reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. Her progress in puppetry slowed down a bit, but she still touched the edge of refining a first-grade mid-level exquisite puppet.

The only regret is that her elder brother Lin always adhered to the original lineage and did not spread his lineage.

The woman often sighed because she could not bear children for Brother Lin.

Her beautiful eyes turned back to the tightly closed meditation room, where Brother Lin was inside. The stone door had not been opened for seven days.

"Tweet-"

An affectionate voice came from beside my feet.

Yan Mingyi looked down and saw a Black-Armored Tortoise, three-tenths the size of one four years ago, crawl to her feet and call out to her.

"Okay, I knew you had the biggest craving. Come on over."

Yan Mingyi squatted down and tapped the hard shell on the turtle's back. She smiled indulgently and stood up to greet it.

"Chirp!"

The Black-Armored Tortoise suddenly became excited, its voice becoming much higher-pitched, and it took small, hurried steps, huffing and puffing as it followed behind.

"Open your mouth."

Yan Mingyi used her jade fingers to take out a [Thick Earth Spirit-Nourishing Pill] and threw it into the mouth of the Black-Armored Earth Turtle.

"Gulu gulu..."

The sound of licking the pills could be heard, and the turtle was so pleased that it kept purring inside its cavity.

If someone with a keen eye were present, they would notice that the crystallization of the shell on this turtle's back has already covered most of the area.

The growth rate is much faster than before.

These are all effects of taking the premium [Hou Tu Si Ling Dan] for many years.

……

Meanwhile, Lin Changheng was still in seclusion.

Inside the secluded cultivation room, the [Spirit Gathering Array] rumbled and operated, gathering spiritual energy like smoke and mist, making one feel as if they had stumbled into a fairyland.

Lin Changheng, sitting cross-legged on the stone bed, which was also the center of the formation, had a solemn and calm expression.

The dense spiritual energy was guided into the body in an orderly manner. The Jade Void Bright Scripture circulated and roared continuously, refining it into magical power and gathering it in the dantian.

At this time, the Jade Void Bright Scripture had undergone a complete transformation.

Whether in terms of intensity, strength, or efficiency, there has been an improvement, and it has actually broken through the [Mastery] realm and entered the [Minor Success] realm.

Moreover, it seems that he has already made a considerable progress in the [Minor Success] realm.

If the patriarch of the Huang family branch who bestowed this technique upon Lin Changheng were to see it, he would surely show an expression of disbelief.

Even horrified...

This technique is extremely difficult, mysterious and complex, and it is very difficult to quickly break through its limits.

There are quite a few people in their clan who have switched or changed their cultivation methods.

The fact that Lin Changheng was able to reach the fourth realm so quickly is not only astonishing but also mind-blowing.

"Whoo~"

The stone chamber has no day or night, only the spiritual energy rises and falls like the tides.

Suddenly, Lin Changheng took a deep breath, sensing an opportunity for a breakthrough. The magical power within his dantian abruptly condensed into a vortex, each rotation causing his meridians to tremble, and then guiding the vortex of magical power to surge forward.

"Crack!"

With a sound that was almost inaudible, yet seemed to resonate in one's heart, it was as if something had been shattered.

Instantly, the magical power within Lin Changheng's body surged forth like a flood, sweeping and accumulating entirely in his dantian.

Foundation Building, Three Levels!
It took eight years of accumulation to achieve this!
Lin Chang-heng had anticipated this, but the result was less than satisfactory.

"This time, my magical power has increased slightly, by about 30%!"

Lin Changheng carefully sensed it and made some distinctions.

No wonder there was no qualitative change; compared to the first level of Foundation Establishment, it was only improved by 70%.

"But according to Li'er, the mana of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator is three times that of an early-Foundation Establishment cultivator. They can easily fight two opponents at once, defeat two ordinary early-Foundation Establishment cultivators with ease, and handle three early-Foundation Establishment cultivators with ease."

"This means that the boost to mana from passing the mid-Foundation Establishment stage directly exceeds the overall boost from the first to the third stage, almost doubling it!"

"This is a real improvement!"

Lin Changheng's eyes showed anticipation.

Only the early to mid-stages of Foundation Building constitute a true breakthrough; the smaller layers within them are merely traceable positive feedback loops.

He looked inward again at the center of his dantian, where the second-tier high-grade [Crimson Sky Profound Flame] was fluctuating, indicating some progress.

However, there is still a long way to go before it can be transformed into a third-tier flame comparable to the [natal flame] of a Core Formation cultivator.

"Brother Lin..."

As soon as Lin Changheng emerged from seclusion, a familiar and delicate figure appeared gracefully, dressed in a revealing, openwork palace dress.

(End of this chapter)