A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Changchun Domain, Changchun Immortal City.

Lü Zhong had come to this coastal Port City to treat his injuries.

Changchun Immortal City was enormous, several times larger than Lingyue Immortal City. It was said that no fewer than a million cultivators gathered here. As a place where sea and land met, it was a chaotic mix of all sorts, divided into two major areas: the Inner City and the Port City.

The Inner City was adjacent to a stretch of misty mountains, where the mountain gate of Changchun Valley was located. The entire district was neat and orderly, divided into individual Workshop Markets that made it look like a chessboard.

The Port City was comprised of several port districts. This area was a chaotic melting pot, home not only to local Southern Barbarian cultivators but also to overseas cultivators from the East Sea Fleet. In addition, cultivators from the Western Realm and the Northern Border occasionally made an appearance. Even with cultivators from Changchun Valley maintaining order, stories of murder and robbery still spread from time to time, and the fighting in the shadows never ceased.

In the West District of the Port City stood a magnificent, resplendent building. Its main doors were cast from pure gold, and above them hung a glittering gold plaque inscribed with the three words: ”Golden Core Studio.”

This ”Golden Core” was a deliberate pun, not a reference to the cultivation realm. The studio’s owner, the Money Hermit, had always been fond of wealth. He was a moderately famous Medical Cultivator and Alchemist whose cultivation had reached the Mid-stage Core Formation. Rumor had it that he once served as an Honored Guest Elder in Changchun Valley but resigned because he couldn’t stand the sect’s stifling bureaucracy.

The Money Hermit loved wealth, but his love was not for Gold or jewels; it was for Spirit Stones.

As long as one was willing to offer the Money Hermit Spirit Stones, one could directly learn the art of alchemy at the Golden Core Studio—a craft that was extremely difficult to learn elsewhere. There was no need to go through the typical process of becoming an Alchemist’s apprentice and passing numerous trials before finally being taught the skills.

Furthermore, one never had to worry about paying Spirit Stones and not receiving genuine instruction.

His reputation was as famous as his love for money. He never swindled his apprentices or held back his knowledge. As long as it was within the agreed-upon learning period, he taught nearly everything he knew. Many of the Alchemists and Medical Cultivators in Changchun Immortal City had graduated from the Golden Core Studio.

Standing before the main door, Lü Zhong stepped inside.

His main purpose for coming here today was to heal his injuries.

Along the way, everything he saw glittered with gold.

Soon, he was led by a maid to a luxurious tea room.

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator dressed in brocade was already waiting inside. Seeing Lü Zhong, he cupped his hands with a warm smile and said, ”Fellow Daoist, how can I help you?”

Lü Zhong stated his purpose, and the brocade-robed cultivator’s smile grew even wider. ”You’re looking for our Master for treatment and to learn his craft? Not a problem. The Master happens to be free today. Fellow Daoist, please come with me.”

On the way, the cultivator in brocade added, ”Fellow Daoist, you’ve certainly come to the right place. The Golden Core Studio may be expensive, but we are known for our integrity. Once we accept a case, a cure is guaranteed. Our Master especially loves to tackle difficult and unusual ailments like yours!”

Hearing this, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but grumble to himself:

’He probably just likes the Spirit Stones!’

Seeing the man’s confidence, the anxiety Lü Zhong had been carrying finally eased a little.

Before coming to the Golden Core Studio, Lü Zhong had visited other Medical Cultivators, all of them highly skilled practitioners. But upon seeing his lightning-damaged meridians, every one of them had simply shaken their heads.

Obviously, the injury he had suffered was not easy to treat.

Now, he could only hope this time wouldn’t be another false dawn.

As for Spirit Stones, that was not a problem.

During his time in Lingyue Immortal City, Lü Zhong had already accumulated a hefty fortune. All told, he had 450,000 Spirit Stones, earned either from Talisman Making and sales, or from various windfalls.

This huge sum was more than enough.

Led by the cultivator in brocade, he passed through a corridor and arrived at the top floor of a pavilion.

Seated inside was a Golden Crown Daoist, dressed in a Dharma Robe covered in a pattern of coins. After listening to the cultivator in brocade explain Lü Zhong’s situation, his initially cold demeanor instantly warmed.

But he didn’t speak, as if waiting for something.

Lü Zhong knew the Money Hermit’s rule: the consultation fee was one thousand Spirit Stones. He respectfully presented a jade box.

The Money Hermit drew it toward him with a gesture and gently lifted the lid. Seeing the ten neatly arranged Mid-grade Spirit Stones inside, he nodded in satisfaction. ”Come, let me examine you.”

Without hesitation, Lü Zhong moved closer.

”Your meridians are covered in Thunder Patterns, an injury from a Huayi Temple Daoist Skill. Junior, how did you manage to provoke one of those ’bull-noses’? That wretched Daoist was willing to risk his own life just to use a Secret Skill and drag you down with him!” The Money Hermit lived up to his reputation. He identified the cause of Lü Zhong’s injury in an instant and even named the Secret Skill: Thunder Swamp.

He then looked Lü Zhong up and down. Seeing that he was wearing but a common Daoist Robe, he hesitated for a moment before saying, ”This injury is not easy to treat. Curing it here will cost one hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones. Do you have that much?”

For a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, one hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones was no small sum.

Hearing this, Lü Zhong’s mind raced.

Anywhere else, if a Golden Core Master had asked him this, he would never have dared to reveal his wealth. Otherwise, he would likely be followed and silently vanish from the world.

But before he came, he had made careful inquiries. This Money Hermit truly had a solid reputation; there were no rumors of him ever murdering anyone for their treasures.

So, putting on a pained expression, he handed over the Spirit Stones.

The Money Hermit took the money and got right to work, immediately beginning Lü Zhong’s treatment.

The lightning energy entrenched in his meridians, which Lü Zhong had been unable to grind away, was effortlessly dispelled by a Spirit Pill refined by the Golden Core Master. It offered no resistance. From now on, his healing would be unimpeded.

The Money Hermit also gave him a bottle of Pills, explaining that they would nourish his meridians and accelerate their recovery.

”Is there anything else?” the Money Hermit asked.

Lü Zhong had wanted to ask about learning Alchemy Skill, but after having just handed over one hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones, he was afraid that if he now proposed to learn alchemy, he would truly be suspected of carrying a massive fortune.

Faced with such a fat sheep, it was unlikely anyone could resist temptation.

So he took his leave.

Lü Zhong left the Golden Core Studio with a joyful expression.

’After this treatment, I can finally heal my injuries completely!’

Making sure no one was following him, he walked toward the Inner City.

Compared to Lingyue Immortal City, Changchun Immortal City offered far more opportunities to make money. With the convergence of sea and land routes, countless merchant caravans came and went. It was said that one never had to worry about finding a buyer for their goods; plenty of Commerce Associations were willing to purchase them at high prices.

Lü Zhong didn’t know if this was true, but he decided to return to his temporarily rented abode and focus on fully healing his injuries first.

...

「Three years flew by in the blink of an eye.」

After a period of recuperation, Lü Zhong had finally healed his injuries.

He hadn’t been idle during his recuperation. Under a different identity, he had spent one hundred thousand Spirit Stones to purchase a shop in the commercial sector of the Port City’s Central District. He hung up a sign that read ”Lintao Pavilion,” planning to run it just as he had in Lingyue Immortal City to earn the resources he needed for his cultivation.

Considering that Li Hejun was a mere mortal, running a shop would not be easy.

So, he took two concubines, named Mei Ning and Jade Fragrance, as well as four beautiful, virginal maids, to help Li Hejun manage Lintao Pavilion.

Toiling day and night, he was left quite exhausted.

Fortunately, now that these trivial matters were settled, he could relax for a good long while.

Early the next morning, Lü Zhong was busy as soon as he woke up.

Houses in the Port District weren’t particularly valuable, so Lintao Pavilion was attached to a large residence with five successive courtyards. He designated the first three as the front quarters for Li Hejun, the concubines, and the maids to live in. The rear two courtyards were reserved for his training and other special purposes.

He chose a shaded room, took out the Array Flag and Array Disc he had purchased in advance, and in one breath laid down a three-layered Array with Silencing, Spirit Gathering, and Defense functions.

He then lined the walls with spirit wood, and with that, a proper Insect Room was complete.

After doing all this, Lü Zhong took out a golden King Insect Egg.

He had high hopes for the Substitute King Insect, hoping it could aid him during his future Three-Nine Celestial Tribulation. Therefore, he was prepared to invest heavily in its development.

Placing the King Insect Egg into the Insect Paste to soak, it immediately began to absorb the Spiritual Qi from the paste.

Once the Substitute King Insect Egg had absorbed a sufficient amount, Lü Zhong began Chanting and forming a Finger Mantra. He executed the Nine Transformations of the King Insect Secret Technique, sending one Finger Mantra after another into the egg to guide its growth in a specific direction.

After finishing the Casting, Lü Zhong exited the Insect Room.

He continued his work, this time setting up a medium-sized Array. It was the Water Vibration Subduing Wave Array he had acquired previously. Its defensive power was already impressive, and empowered by the abundant water vapor in this area, its might would be slightly enhanced. Lü Zhong planned to use it as the estate’s defensive Grand Array to prevent harassment from Evil Cultivators.

After finishing the estate’s defensive Grand Array, he still didn’t stop.

He set up another Array, but this time it was a Thunder Array.

It was called the Little Gui Water Thunder Array.

The purpose of this Array was to plant the Thundering Grass. It had already been growing for over nine hundred years. Once it sprouted its tenth branch, the Thundering Grass would undergo a Metamorphosis, and its ability to resist Thunder Tribulation would increase dramatically. Thus, nurturing it was essential.

Choosing an empty plot in the courtyard, Lü Zhong painstakingly laid down a Spirit Gathering Array. He then scattered the Spiritual Soil and Spiritual Fertilizer he had prepared, thus creating a simple Spirit Field.

Only after the Thunder Array was in place did he finally plant the Thundering Grass.

...

In the days that followed, Lü Zhong once again busied himself with collecting materials.

The Spirit Puppet he had obtained from Li Qionghua had been heavily damaged in the Long-toothed Burrow. The Spirit Patterns inscribed within its body were so severely marred that it had completely lost all mobility, so it had to be repaired.

The silver lining was that the Spirit Puppet’s body was not badly damaged, and more importantly, its Spirit Core was unharmed.

The Spirit Core, as the control center of the Spirit Puppet, was as important as a cultivator’s Divine Soul. If it were ever damaged, Lü Zhong would be completely unable to repair it with his current abilities.

Repairing the Spirit Patterns, however, was not difficult. He just needed to fill in the previously engraved grooves with the right materials.

The only problem was that the materials for the Spirit Patterns were quite expensive.

It was only after dismantling the puppet that Lü Zhong discovered that the material used for its Spirit Patterns was actually Silver Essence, an ingredient normally used for refining Magical Treasures.

Considering the materials used for the rest of the Spirit Puppet’s body, he was no longer surprised.

Fortunately, not much Silver Essence was needed, and he was able to buy all of it for less than one hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

The structure of this Spirit Puppet was based on that of a living person.

Thus, the order of repairs for the Spirit Patterns was decided.

He started with the heart that housed the Spirit Core, then moved to the torso containing the Spirit Stone compartment, and finally to the complex and precise limbs. The step-by-step repair process nearly exhausted him to the point of collapse.

But the work wasn’t over. Li Qionghua had previously erased the Spirit Puppet’s facial features, and now Lü Zhong had to restore them. For a Mechanical Puppet Master, this was a matter of professional integrity.

He sculpted a new face, and once it looked right to him, he considered the job done.

He then installed the Spirit Stone compartment and the Spirit Core, and the Spirit Puppet ”came to life.”

Conducting a detailed inspection, Lü Zhong was pleasantly surprised to find something.

The Spirit Puppet’s strength had actually been restored to the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment!