Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Song Changsheng and Zhuang Yuechan followed Bai Zicheng to the lodging that had been arranged for them.

Though called an inn, it was actually a series of independent cave-abodes. The facilities were all of the highest quality, and there were even a Child and a Maiden stationed at the door, awaiting their summons.

Since it was his first time in Fire Tripod City, Song Changsheng had originally planned to go out and explore. After all, the city’s market was renowned, and he was hoping to do some treasure hunting for a lucky find.

Unfortunately, with the recent incident, the city was no longer safe. He gave up on the idea of wandering around to avoid attracting trouble.

For the next few days, he split his time between cultivating the Five Beasts Body Forging Technique and feeding his Spirit Beast, making for a rather full schedule.

After devouring its eggshell, Jin Xuan had slept for a full half a month before waking. It had grown several times larger, and its cultivation had stabilized at Tier One Top Grade.

Turtle-like Demon Beasts generally prefer stillness to movement, and Jin Xuan was an extreme case. It would sooner retreat into its shell than even lie sprawled out. All day long, it just ate and ate.

The problem was, it only ate Spirit Fruits and drank from Spiritual Springs, turning its nose up at anything of low quality. It was an incredibly picky eater.

Inside the cave-abode, Song Changsheng tossed a fist-sized Purple Rhombus Fruit onto the table. Jin Xuan, which had been retracted in its shell, poked its head out and devoured it in an instant, leaving only a puddle of light purple juice.

Still not satisfied, it looked at Song Changsheng with hopeful eyes.

Song Changsheng reached out, grabbed Jin Xuan by the tail, and lifted it into the air. He ignored its wildly flailing limbs and sighed. ”How can a little thing like you eat so much? It’s fine for now, but you’re going to eat me out of house and home when you get bigger. The day I can’t afford to keep you, you’ll have to fend for yourself.”

Despite his words, he still took out a few more Spirit Fruits and fed them to the creature.

Raising Spirit Beasts has always been an extremely expensive endeavor. The average person simply can’t afford it. Throughout the entire Song Clan, very few people raised Spirit Beasts—not because they didn’t want to, but because they couldn’t bear the cost.

’That’s strange. If raising Spirit Beasts is so expensive, why are the Demon Beasts in the Hundred Thousand Mountains so rampant?’

There were many reasons for this phenomenon. First, the Hundred Thousand Mountains were bountiful, home to countless Spirit Plants, making them an ideal breeding ground for Demon Beasts.

Second, Demon Beasts and Spirit Beasts followed completely different paths of development.

The Demon Beasts of the Hundred Thousand Mountains were left to grow wild, subject to survival of the fittest. Though numerous, most were weak rabble that couldn’t withstand a single blow. They only posed a minor threat when they gathered into a Beast Tide.

Their strength was in numbers and nothing more. This was evident from the number of Demon Kings, which was just barely on par with the number of top experts in the Daqi Cultivation World.

Demon Beasts developed very slowly.

But Spirit Beasts were different. Cultivators raised them to be powerful allies on their cultivation path. If they were left to grow at a natural pace, it would take far too long to be of any use.

This required the owner to invest significant resources. Whether it was feeding them Demon Beast Flesh and Blood or giving them Miracle Pills, none of it came from thin air.

Song Changsheng was already a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator and not far from the Great Perfection stage. If he wanted his Spirit Beast to become a true asset, he would have to invest even more Spirit Stones into its growth.

Tossing Jin Xuan aside to eat, Song Changsheng stepped out of the cave-abode. He looked up at the bright, clear sky and stretched lazily. He hadn’t been outside for a breath of fresh air in several days.

’I wonder what Yuechan is doing?’

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the elegant, winding melody of a zither drifted over from nearby. Song Changsheng knew the tune well; Zhuang Yuechan had often played it for him on their journey.

He paused to listen for a moment when suddenly, an openly malicious gaze fell upon him.

Song Changsheng frowned and looked toward the source of the stare. It was a young Cultivator dressed in a red, crane-patterned robe, standing silently some distance away. With narrow eyes, a long face, and thin lips, he gave off a sinister air.

Seeing that he’d been noticed, the man didn’t back down. Instead, he shot Song Changsheng a cold smirk and beckoned provocatively with his finger.

The gesture baffled Song Changsheng. He didn’t believe in unprovoked kindness, nor did he believe in unprovoked malice, but he was certain he didn’t know this person.

Faced with the provocation, Song Changsheng’s first instinct was to give him the middle finger, but he was no longer an immature teenager. He couldn’t be bothered with such pointless actions.

’First, I’ll find out who he is. Then, I’ll figure out how to kill him.’

After giving the man an indifferent glance, Song Changsheng turned and left. Back in his cave-abode, he summoned the Child who attended to his daily needs. ”Do you know which faction is residing about a mile from here?”

Everyone staying in this area was qualified to participate in the Pill Tasting Conference. There weren’t many of them, so it should be easy to find out.

The Child thought for a moment before answering respectfully, ”Sir, that is the residence of the seniors from the Lieyang Sect.”

’Lieyang Sect?’ Upon hearing the name, everything instantly clicked into place for Song Changsheng. ’If it’s the Lieyang Sect, then it all makes sense. The Song Clan and their sect have always been mortal enemies.’

’He’d already killed a number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Lieyang Sect. What was one more?’

”Do you know who came from the Lieyang Sect?”

The Child immediately bowed. ”Forgive me, Sir, but I do not know.”

Song Changsheng had only asked on a whim, not really expecting a young attendant to know such details. He waved his hand to dismiss the boy and began to search his memory for recent information on the Lieyang Sect.

After the Song Clan had joined forces with the Rong Clan to ambush them, the Lieyang Sect had retracted its forces and laid low. Things had been quiet for a rare stretch of time.