Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

The middle-aged cultivator placed the fragment into his bag and stood up. He glanced toward the Minor Affairs Hall with an unreadable expression, then transformed into a streak of lightning and vanished into the distance.

Inside the great hall, Song Xianming, who was meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped his eyes open. Then, to the astonishment of everyone present, he transformed into a streak of light and shot out of the hall.

”Young Clan Leader, this…”

Seeing the panicked looks on everyone’s faces, Song Changsheng, though he also had no idea what was happening, forced himself to remain calm. He broke into a smile and said, ”There is no need for concern, everyone. It is merely a small matter. Let us continue our previous discussion. All Spiritual Veins of Tier Two and above that belonged to the Martial Spirit Sect are to be absorbed by our clan.

However, the remaining mineral resources can be allocated according to the method we’ve agreed upon today. I assure you that none of you will be shortchanged.”

Seeing Song Changsheng’s calm and composed demeanor, the crowd’s taut nerves suddenly loosened. The atmosphere in the hall returned to its previous harmonious state.

Only Liu Hongye remained hesitant.

In Ling Province, the only truly prosperous areas were the three mountain ranges: Moon Viewing, Liuyun, and Wutong. They possessed a great number of ore veins and Spiritual Veins.

Originally, all three of these mountain ranges were already claimed. Liu Hongye’s ideal place to establish his sect was the Liuyun Mountain Range. However, the powers occupying the range were too strong, so he had to settle for second best and make his home in the area of the former Liuyun Marketplace.

That place was barren. It had no mineral deposits nearby and very few Spiritual Veins. As a result, the Liuyun Sect’s development had been severely limited over the years.

’Originally, I thought that after the Martial Spirit Sect was destroyed, I’d be in the perfect position to claim the Liuyun Mountain Range for myself. Who would have thought that Song Changsheng would demand all the Spiritual Veins the moment he opened his mouth? This is like carving flesh from my own body!’

If not for his fear of the Song Clan’s power, Liu Hongye would have flipped the table long ago.

He pleaded humbly, ”Young Clan Leader, my sect can forgo any rewards. I only hope that you can set aside a piece of land in the Liuyun Mountain Range for my sect to preserve its lineage.”

’The Liuyun Mountain Range is so rich! Even just a third of it would be far better than that place at the former Liuyun Marketplace.’

Song Changsheng’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he gently rolled his fingers together. Anyone familiar with him would recognize this as a sign of his impending anger.

He sat up straight and looked directly into Liu Hongye’s eyes. ”Sect Leader Liu,” he said with a humorless smile, ”do you wish to put down roots in the Liuyun Mountain Range... and become the next Martial Spirit Sect?”

The words sent a chill down Liu Hongye’s spine. Song Changsheng’s remark was nothing short of devastating. After all, everyone present had witnessed the Martial Spirit Sect’s fate—some had even participated in bringing it about.

He quickly bowed his head. ”I have no such intention! I defer entirely to the Young Clan Leader’s decision!”

”Hmm...”

Song Changsheng concealed the cold glint in his eyes and nodded slightly. ”Then the matter is settled.”

Just as everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, Song Changsheng’s next sentence made the atmosphere in the hall freeze over once more.

”I believe it is also time to renegotiate the shares of the Spirit Stone Vein and the allocation of slots for the Wutong Secret Realm. What does everyone think?”

The words stunned the entire assembly.

Ling Province had only one small Spirit Stone Vein, which produced Low-Grade and Middle-Grade Spirit Stones. Its annual yield was in the tens of thousands. If mined sustainably, it could last for at least another century—it was a true cash cow.

In the past, the Spirit Stone Vein had been carved up by the Six Great Influences. The Song Clan originally held the largest share, but after the successive founding of the Martial Spirit Sect and the Liuyun Sect, the distribution of its resources had grown chaotic.

Still, at least everyone got some meat to eat, and some soup to drink.

But now things were different. The Song Clan reigned supreme, and the Martial Spirit Sect was gone.

For Song Changsheng to bring this up now... it carried an ominous undertone. ’He’s trying to carve flesh from all of us!’

...

Meanwhile, after sensing the aura of a cultivator at his own level, Song Xianming had given chase at top speed. But after pursuing him for thousands of miles, the trail of aura he was following abruptly vanished, disappearing without a trace.

Song Xianming stood amidst the clouds, his brow deeply furrowed.

’Who could this person be? What is their objective?’

He was certain the man was not Hex Tai, nor any other Purple Mansion Cultivator he knew. He couldn’t even be sure if the stranger was friend or foe.

The only thing he knew for sure was that this person was powerful. ’I’m not confident I could take him down,’ he admitted to himself.

Just then, a thought stirred in Song Xianming’s mind. He called out in a deep voice, ”Friend, you’ve come a long way. Why not show yourself? Or do you find my hospitality lacking?”

His dignified voice, carried by his Mana, spread in all directions. But apart from the roaring wind, he received no reply.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Song Xianming remained perfectly still amidst the clouds.

After a long moment, a voice tinged with surprise sounded from beside him. ”I wonder, where did I give myself away?”

Following the sound of the voice, Song Xianming turned and carefully sized up the middle-aged cultivator before him.

He had a slender build, his long hair tied back casually. His face was rather square, with two thick, straight eyebrows above a pair of bright, piercing eyes. Within their depths, a faint glimmer of lightning seemed to stir.

There was a mole the size of a mung bean about half an inch above the left corner of his mouth.

He was dressed in an exquisite purple robe, the front embroidered with a golden dragon soaring amidst silvery-white auspicious clouds. The skin visible beneath his robes was wheat-colored, speaking of robust strength.

But what drew Song Xianming’s gaze the most were the man’s large hands, which glinted with a metallic sheen. They must have been tempered through some special process; his hands themselves were likely a rare Magical Artifact.

These features didn’t match the description of any known Purple Mansion Cultivator in the Daqi Cultivation World.

”Friend, from where do you hail, and what business brings you here?” Song Xianming asked calmly. He had to know whether this man was an enemy or an ally.