A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Watching through the Gray Mist Space as the newcomer easily passed through the Array, Lü Zhong’s brow furrowed even deeper.

The aura the other person emitted was not weak; in fact, it was even stronger than Huoyaozi’s.

He wasn’t confident he could kill even Huoyaozi without getting injured. Facing this man, he’d likely suffer at least some minor wounds.

He sat cross-legged on the ground and thought for a moment with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

”So what?”

At this moment, Lü Zhong was not the least bit afraid.

’Who’s to say who will win or lose!’

He brought out the Flood Dragon Spirit Banner and his other treasures. The newcomer was acting with extreme caution; one glance was enough to tell he was not to be trifled with. Trying to ambush someone like that could easily backfire.

It would be better to just face him head-on in an open fight.

A moment later, the intruder appeared in the room’s doorway.

When Xu Jiao saw Lü Zhong waiting calmly, he was visibly stunned. A look of astonishment crossed his face. He glanced down at himself, and after confirming he hadn’t forgotten to use his Secret Skill, he blurted out,

”How strange. How could you possibly see me?”

After all, the Concealing Breath Secret Technique he used was no simple matter. It was a Divine Power Technique—the Burial Breath Technique. Once cast, it could conceal every trace of his aura. Not even a Divinity Transformation Grand Venerable could be guaranteed to detect him, so deceiving the senses of a cultivator in the same Realm should have been effortless.

As if he had thought of something, Xu Jiao formed a Technique Mantra and his eyes began to glow faintly. His gaze swept around before finally settling between Lü Zhong’s brows, the look of astonishment returning to his face.

”No wonder. It’s actually the Celestial Net Secret Eye Technique!”

Normally, the Celestial Net Secret Eye Technique was an unteachable secret of the Celestial Net Sect in the Western Realm. With the Mysterious Dao Sect having sealed the borders, it was nearly impossible for it to be in the possession of a Southern Barbarian Cultivator.

And yet, the truth was right before his eyes.

Xu Jiao grew even more curious about Lü Zhong’s origins. At the same time, he inconspicuously glanced at the cocoon behind Lü Zhong and abandoned his original plan of taking it by force.

A sense of apprehension had taken root in his heart.

Across from him, seeing that the man was making no move to attack, Lü Zhong also began to hesitate.

At the Nascent Soul Stage, every battle was extremely taxing. Just in terms of Magical Power, while a Core Formation Stage cultivator could fully recover in two or three days, a Nascent Soul Cultivator’s recovery was much, much slower.

If one were to carelessly deplete their Magical Power completely, they couldn’t dream of fully replenishing it in less than three to five months.

If they were injured in a fight, a Nascent Soul Cultivator’s wounds would also heal very slowly.

Even with the aid of Pills, it would take at least three to five years. If they were unlucky enough to suffer a severe injury, it might even be impossible to heal, leaving them only with the option of suppressing it.

Once that happened, a cultivator would often have no energy left to focus on their path of cultivation.

This was why Nascent Soul Cultivators were often extremely hesitant to fight.

The only ones who could fight without a second thought were those who possessed Treasure Pills and didn’t fear injury, or those facing an irreconcilable conflict of interest. A desperate, life-or-death struggle usually only happened when one was backed into a corner with no way out.

According to ancient records, Nascent Soul Cultivators who launched a desperate counterattack did so with the resolve to die, trading blow for blow. Their strength would often be significantly greater than normal, leading to many cases where they turned the tables and killed their opponents—sometimes even a lower-Realm Nascent Soul killing a cultivator one Small Realm above them.

This was also why he had been unwilling to hunt down Huoyaozi.

For one, he wasn’t entirely confident of success.

For another, he was worried that any injury he sustained would be difficult to heal.

’If we can avoid a fight, that would be for the best,’ Lü Zhong thought.

Little did he know, Xu Jiao across from him was thinking the exact same thing. He glanced at Lü Zhong and said tentatively, ”Fellow Daoist, what if we were to make a deal?”

Hearing this, Lü Zhong’s interest was piqued.

’Is he trying to trick me into lowering my guard, or does he genuinely want to make a deal? Judging by his tone, the latter seems more likely.’

’Interesting!’

’Barging into someone else’s home and then having the gall to propose a deal.’

Lü Zhong pondered for a moment. He decided to hear what the man had to say. Since they were both Nascent Soul Cultivators, for this Daoist to dare propose a deal, he must have some sort of leverage.

”I’m listening.”

”Judging by your reaction, Fellow Daoist, it seems you are unaware of the identity of this Spiritual Insect... How about this: I will tell you everything about this insect’s origins and its uses, and I’ll even throw in a secret Feeding Insect formula that can increase its chances of successfully Crossing Tribulation. In exchange for these two things, I want one portion of the Spiritual Honey produced after it completes its Crossing Tribulation and Transformation. What do you say?”

Xu Jiao stated his terms with complete confidence.

”You certainly are sincere, Fellow Daoist,” Lü Zhong said, his smile not reaching his eyes.

At the same time, he wondered, ’Could the Spiritual Honey from a Great Honey Insect Queen that successfully undergoes Transformation have some kind of heaven-defying effect? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have proposed such a trade. After all, no matter how I look at it, I’m the one who stands to profit the most. Would a Nascent Soul Old Monster really do something that benefits others at his own expense? Preposterous!’

After thinking for a moment, Lü Zhong composed himself and said, ”Why don’t you start by telling me what effects this Spiritual Honey has? If you can do that, I can overlook the matter of you trespassing here. As for the deal... I’ll need to think it over.”

”There’s no harm in telling you.” The plump Daoist, Xu Jiao, smiled, his eyes narrowing as he explained, ”I wonder, Fellow Daoist, if you have ever heard the term ’Jade Dew’? The ’Dew’ part of that name refers to this very Spiritual Honey. When refined into a Jade Pill and consumed, it has the effect of ’opening the spirit.’ As for what ’opening the spirit’ means... I shouldn’t need to explain that, should I?”

’Opening the spirit?’

Lü Zhong racked his brain and finally recalled seeing the term in a travelogue he had once read. It was written by a Nascent Soul Independent Cultivator from over 300,000 years ago, and the entire text was filled with observations of the Cultivation Realm of that era. One Chapter had specifically mentioned the concept of ”opening the spirit.”

This so-called ”opening the spirit” was merely an esoteric turn of phrase.