A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Judging by the sound of the footsteps, there weren’t many people, so Lü Zhong told Yu Feng’Er not to be overly nervous.

Heavenly treasures belong to the worthy, not to whoever finds them first. If the other party insisted on taking them, a conflict would be inevitable. At that point, it would all come down to who was stronger.

He wasn’t afraid of being trapped in the cave. Cultivators were exceptionally skilled at tunneling, so without a pre-set Trapping Array or some Divine Secret Technique, it was virtually impossible to be blocked in. In fact, it was the newcomers who should be worried about walking into a trap.

The footsteps drew near, and two figures appeared.

The pair was a man and a woman, their faces initially etched with caution. But when they saw the two people in the cave, the middle-aged man in fine clothes got a clear look at Lü Zhong, and his expression became a sight to behold.

Lu Zhongzheng hadn’t expected the one who beat him to it to be Lü Zhong.

Beside him, the expression of an older Female Cultivator changed as well. She instantly recognized Lü Zhong as the Master of Lintao Pavilion, the very man who had recently caused a sensation in their circles. Any thought of attacking, which had just begun to form, instantly evaporated, replaced by deep apprehension.

She subtly took several steps back.

She was only at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment. ’How could I possibly be a match for such a ruthless man?’

”Ahem. Lu Zhongzheng, of the Qinghe Lu Family. I greet you, Fellow Daoist Lü.”

Lu Zhongzheng announced his affiliation, hoping it would make Lü Zhong hesitate to attack for fear of repercussions. Otherwise, if Lü Zhong truly decided to act, he would have almost no chance of survival. To be killed in a Secret Realm was to die in vain.

”Oh, greetings, Fellow Daoist Lu.”

Since Lu Zhongzheng had greeted him respectfully and Lü Zhong had no intention of killing him in the first place, he simply returned the salute.

’Those who kill will be killed in turn. If you can’t control your greed, you’ll die because of it sooner or later.’ Besides, he wasn’t short on resources at the moment, so there was no need to take the risk of killing someone.

’Furthermore, they’re both Family Cultivators. They probably don’t have many valuables on them anyway.’

The atmosphere in the cave instantly eased.

His gaze swept over the signs of harvesting on the ground, and Lu Zhongzheng remembered why he had come—for the Black Gold Insect Grass. Now that all the mature Cordyceps were gone, how was he going to report back to his ancestor?

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he had an idea. He saluted Lü Zhong and said, ”Brother Lü, I know you collected three mature stalks of Black Gold Insect Grass. I wonder if you could spare one for me? I’m willing to trade a Pill Formula for it!”

Lu Zhongzheng took a Jade Scroll from his Storage Bag and continued, ”The Pill Formula is for something called the Insect Tripod Pill. One of its main ingredients is none other than this Black Gold Insect Grass. It enhances the herb’s effects by seventy percent. I’m sure Brother Lü can understand its value!”

Lü Zhong’s interest was piqued.

After breaking through to the Late-stage Foundation Establishment, he had started preparing for Core Formation.

Naturally, he had learned about the specific process of Core Formation.

It involved two major hurdles: Solidifying the Pill and surviving the Three-Nine Celestial Tribulation. Only by successfully overcoming both could a cultivator be considered to have achieved Core Formation and become a Golden Core Master revered by all.

Of the two, the Pill Formation Stage alone thwarted ninety-nine percent of all Foundation Establishment True Cultivators.

In fact, after a cultivator achieved Foundation Establishment, the process of gradually expanding their Sea of True Essence could be considered preparation for Solidifying the Pill.

Due to limited aptitude and resources, most Foundation Establishment True Cultivators never made it past the Early-stage. Of the remainder, most either perished during the Middle Stage or became trapped in the Late-stage, unable to cultivate enough True Essence to advance.

Less than one in a hundred True Cultivators ever managed to reach Perfect Foundation Establishment, also known as the Fake Pill Realm.

Only those in the Fake Pill Realm possessed a sufficient amount of True Essence. With it, they could attempt to use their Divine Sense or an external object to trigger a qualitative change, causing their Sea of True Essence to collapse and condense into an Original Pill.

This process was known as the Pill Formation Stage.

If the Insect Tripod Pill was truly effective, the difficulty of the Pill Formation Stage would be greatly reduced for him.

Building on that, Lü Zhong could even take things a step further and attempt to form an Exotic Golden Core.

The Flying Star Inheritance contained a Pill Condensation Skill capable of forming an Exotic Golden Core known as a Flying Star Golden Core. Compared to the ordinary Five Elements Golden Core, forming a Flying Star Golden Core would grant the cultivator a Divine Power Technique.

This was not a technique inherent to a Magical Artifact, but a true Daoist Divine Technique, similar to the one used by Li Wuzhen.

And the benefits of an Exotic Golden Core didn’t stop there.

According to the Pill Condensation Skill, a Flying Star Golden Core could also draw upon Star Force for Body Tempering, continuously increasing one’s physical strength. Over time, it could even facilitate a transformation into a Star Source Spirit Body.

’A Spirit Body! A constitution countless cultivators could only dream of possessing.’

At this thought, Lü Zhong couldn’t suppress his excitement.

It couldn’t be helped; the benefits of forming an Exotic Golden Core were simply too alluring.

He looked at Lu Zhongzheng, careful not to reveal his true feelings. Instead, he frowned and said, ”A mere Pill Formula, and an unverified one at that, in exchange for a Black Gold Insect Grass worth tens of thousands of Spirit Stones? Fellow Daoist Lu, do you take me for a pushover? Are you trying to take a mile after I’ve given an inch?”

At his side, Yu Feng’Er drew her sword and stepped forward, looking ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

Seeing their actions, the older Female Cultivator grew even more tense and couldn’t stop herself from taking out a Wood Talisman.

It was a Wood Spirit Gang Protection Talisman bestowed upon her by the Lu Family’s ancestor. When crushed, it would instantly cast the Wood Spirit Gang Technique to form a protective shield. While not as powerful as the Tier Two Spell, Golden Gang Shield, it could still block a single blow from a Golden Core Master. Its value was self-evident.

Now, to save her own life, she had no choice but to use it, despite the pain of losing such a treasure.

Lu Zhongzheng felt immense pressure, something he had never experienced in his previous conversations with Lü Zhong.

’You really can’t judge a book by its cover.’ He had initially thought Lü Zhong was just a studious upstart, never imagining he was hiding such deep strength. To think he was a powerful cultivator on par with the Sword Cultivator Ma Cheng.

His mind raced as he considered various countermeasures, but he quickly realized none of them would be of any use.