Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 148 Ancient Cloud Realm Passage and Rise to Fame in Lingxia Immortal City (Please Subscribe)
"They actually came in first place!"

Stepping off the competition stage, Zhou Ling felt a mix of emotions.

Excitement, exhilaration, and satisfaction all came rushing in.

It transformed into an indescribable feeling.

Perhaps this is what they call a sense of accomplishment!
"Zhou Ling, well done!"

He Zijian was the first to come over, patted him on the shoulder, and congratulated him.

His expression was quite emotional. Thinking back, when he first met Zhou Ling last year, he was just a rogue cultivator searching for herbs in the mountains to earn spirit stones.

They didn't take him seriously at the time, after all, a dozen or so spirit stones were enough to make Zhou Ling willingly risk his life to lead them in search of the Haoyang Bird.

In just one year, Zhou Ling became a first-grade inscription master and a Heavenly Craftsman.

Now, he has even defeated Jin Sheng, the number one prodigy of Lingxia Immortal City who possesses a sword body, and become the champion of this year's assessment.

The gap between Zhou Ling and him was originally enormous.

But in just one year, this kid has already surpassed him by a point, which is really beyond his expectations!

"It's all thanks to Brother He's guidance!"

Zhou Ling said with a sincere expression.

He knew in his heart that if he hadn't observed the battle between He Zijian and Jin Sheng that morning and used his [Intermediate Observation] and [Intermediate Analysis] talents to roughly understand Jin Sheng's sword intent and sword moves, he would have been in trouble.

He would have a hard time defeating Kim Sung.

Of course, it was this battle that greatly depleted Jin Sheng's resources, giving him his opportunity.

If it were Jin Sheng at his peak, even with the help of the beast flames, he would most likely still be no match for him.

After all, he had only just entered the seventh level of Qi Refining, and he was aware of that much.

However, to avoid provoking He Zijian, he phrased it more tactfully.

He knew in his heart that He Zijian was a person who cared a lot about his reputation.

Although he lost the competition to Jin Sheng, he was definitely not convinced.

"Zhou Ling, congratulations!"

He Lingyun also congratulated Zhou Ling with a smile.

Zhou Ling smiled and nodded.

"Congratulations, Brother Ling! Your practical combat talent is truly amazing!"

Wang Yu also came over, praising with a happy expression.

"Brother Ling is amazing!"

Wang Xin, who was standing to the side, also said excitedly.

Seeing everyone's praise, Zhou Ling felt a little embarrassed. He scratched his head and said sincerely, "I was able to defeat my opponent thanks to Aunt Wang's Zheng Yuan Pill!"

If it weren't for the Zheng Yuan Pill, he wouldn't have been able to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining today.

With his Qi Refining Level 6 cultivation, it would be difficult for him to control the power of the Hundred Swords Formation and contend with Jin Sheng's Burning Sword Intent, which was at the Lesser Completion stage.

Wang Yu nodded and smiled, "However, this is just an assessment and a new starting point in your life. Once you enter the Dao Academy, you will know the difference between the outside world and Lingxia Immortal City."

She also knew in her heart that Zhou Ling's achievements were the result of his talent and unremitting hard work.

I only helped him out occasionally.

However, Zhou Ling was born into a rogue cultivator family and had a limited perspective. If he didn't handle this situation well, he could easily become complacent and develop a problem with his mentality, which would be detrimental to his future cultivation.

Besides, Lingxia Immortal City is just an ordinary second-grade immortal city. The cultivation and aptitude of its disciples are incomparable to those of third-grade and fourth-grade immortal cities.

Not to mention the even higher-level immortal cities.

Therefore, she still needed to give Zhou Ling a proper reminder.

After all, Zhou Ling is, strictly speaking, still only an eleven-year-old child.

Their parents were just independent cultivators who probably hadn't left Lingxia Immortal City much since birth.

His perspective was naturally limited, and the help he could offer Zhou Ling was also limited.

"Yes, Aunt Wang!"

Zhou Ling cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and replied earnestly.

He felt a little proud, after all, he had defeated the number one genius of Lingxia Immortal City.

Doesn't that mean I'm the number one genius of Lingxia Immortal City?

That's way too ostentatious!

However, after hearing Wang Yu's reminder, he knew in his heart that his journey had only just begun and he absolutely could not afford to get carried away.

"Son, your Aunt Wang is right, there are always people more capable than you!"

Li Ru walked over, looked at her son, and her face was full of doting affection.

Without considering anyone else, he pulled Zhou Ling into his arms.

I never expected that my son would become the top student in the assessment of the six major academies in Lingxia Immortal City.

Standing behind Li Ru, Zhou Shan was also excited and somewhat at a loss.

My son is so impressive!

Winning first place in the martial arts competition among the six major academies—that's something I never even dared to dream of!
"Mother!" Zhou Ling broke free from his mother's embrace.

In front of He Zijian, He Lingyun, and Xin'er, Zhou Ling blushed and became somewhat embarrassed.

Just then, on the competition stage, Jin Sheng, after being healed by the spiritual energy injected by Instructor Wang, also woke up.

"I actually lost to a rogue cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining!"

Jin Sheng looked on incredulously.

Fortunately, upon seeing his clansmen arrive at the arena, he fainted again.

Only then were they taken away by their clansmen and removed from the arena.

Zhou Ling then went to the judges' panel.

"congratulation!"

"congratulation!"

Deacon Qin and Lu Yunxi also congratulated Zhou Ling with smiles.

Zhou Ling brought them so many surprises during this assessment.

Zhou Ling also bowed to each of them.

His humble and polite attitude satisfied the instructors.

It's clear that Zhou Ling has a very calm and composed personality.

After all, most disciples would inevitably become excited and boastful if they won first place in the competition.

"Zhou Ling, now that you are the champion of the magic duel in Lingxia Immortal City, you can choose any of the four major academies."

"My Flying Dragon Battle Academy primarily trains disciples to open up territorial battles, and has the most resources. So, how about it, would you like to come to my Flying Dragon Battle Academy?"

"With your practical combat talent, you are best suited for this kind of boundary-opening battle!"

"As long as you are willing to come to the Flying Dragon Battle Academy, I can make the decision on behalf of the Academy and give you a void passage to a level two development zone."

Instructor Xiao seemed to have been planning this for a long time. After congratulating Zhou Ling, he immediately bought at the bottom.

The goal is to recruit Zhou Ling into the Flying Dragon Academy.

"this!"

Zhou Ling never expected that the winner of the magic duel would have this right to decide which academy to go to!

In his view, being able to enter one of the four major academies was already a stroke of good fortune for the Zhou family.

"Your swordsmanship talent is quite good. When you sparred with Jin Sheng, the swordsmanship you displayed had the attributes of the five elements."

"If you join my Nine Heavens Sword Academy, you will be able to obtain a sword technique of the Five Elements with a high grade. Once you comprehend the sword intent of the Five Elements, you will be able to quickly enter the second realm of swordsmanship."

"I have a second-realm sword dao stone on hand, you can borrow it to comprehend it first."

Even the usually quiet Instructor Wang joined the competition for Zhou Ling, which made Zhou Ling feel somewhat flattered.

It seems that my talent in swordsmanship has also been recognized by this instructor from the Nine Heavens Sword Academy.

Could it be that my performance this time was really that impressive, attracting the attention of all four instructors?

However, the ancient instructor of Tianxia Taoist Academy didn't say much.

"Zhou Ling, don't forget that weapon crafting is your forte, and our Xuan Yuan Academy also has sword techniques, realm passages, and so on."

"Even some spiritual items that assist in Foundation Establishment require you to earn credits to exchange for them, which is the same in all Dao Academy."

Instructor Hu cleared his throat slightly and said with a smile.

These words were tantamount to reminding Zhou Ling that what the two had just said was nothing more than empty promises.

Once you enter the Taoist academy, everything is earned through academic credits.

Then, he turned his gaze to Deacon Qin and said with a smile, "Deacon Qin graduated from my Xuan Yuan Dao Academy back then, so he knows the situation best!"

The reason why they treated Zhou Ling with such special regard was partly due to the introduction by Steward Qin.

Now that several other instructors are vying for Zhou Ling's attention, he has to be cautious.

However, his caution was unnecessary.

Although the various Daoist academies were vying for his attention, Zhou Ling was delighted, as it was a recognition of his strength.

You should know that these instructors are all very picky, and only those with amazing talent like Jin Sheng and He Zijian can catch their eye.

I never imagined that I would become such a sought-after person in everyone's eyes.

As for which Taoist temple to go to, he never had any other ideas.

Since he had promised Aunt Wang, he would go to whichever Taoist temple Xin'er went to.

Therefore, the decision to go to Xuan Yuan Dao Academy will definitely not change.

No matter what conditions other Taoist academies offer, he will choose Xuan Yuan Taoist Academy.

Of course, if Xin'er chooses another academy, that would be a different story.

However, Xuan Yuan Dao Academy focuses on techniques, and even when it participates in realm expansion, its main role is logistics.

Therefore, this best suits my plan to lie low and slowly grow stronger.

"I still choose Xuan Yuan Dao Academy!"

Zhou Ling didn't think much before expressing her thoughts.

Upon hearing this decision, the other three instructors were all taken aback.

Among the six major academies, Xuan Yuan Academy is now at the bottom in terms of overall strength, and has rarely been able to cultivate high-level magic masters in recent years.

In terms of technique, their strength has long been surpassed by Tianxia Dao Academy.

Normally, the disciple who wins the first place in a martial arts competition is more likely to choose Tianxia Academy.

After all, it is the strongest academy in the Dao Alliance, and its location is the most prosperous Tianxia Immortal Realm in the Dao Alliance.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Ling chose Xuan Yuan Dao Academy without even thinking about it.

"There are still a few days left for registration, Zhou Ling. You can think about it some more and understand the differences between the various academies."

"After all, this relates to your future cultivation path, especially for a disciple like you who will need more cultivation resources in the future, so you should carefully consider our Flying Dragon Battle Academy!"

Instructor Xiao continued to remind him.

Hearing what Instructor Xiao said, Zhou Ling shook his head.

It goes without saying that Wang Xin and the others have helped me so much.

Why would I choose another Taoist academy just for the sake of temporary convenience in cultivation?

Besides, he wasn't the kind of person who was greedy; he was already quite satisfied with being able to enter the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy.

Moreover, if it weren't for Wang Yu's recommendation, he wouldn't even have had the chance to participate in the assessment.

"Okay, then it's settled!"

Instructor Hu said with a smile.

Then, he took out a jade token from his storage ring, handed it to Zhou Ling, and said with a smile, "This is a special recruitment jade token for Xuan Yuan Dao Academy. In September, take this jade token to Xuan Yuan Dao Academy in Qingyun Immortal City to register!"

"Thank you, senior!"

Zhou Ling thanked him respectfully and then accepted the jade token with both hands.

Both Instructor Xiao and Instructor Wang showed a hint of regret, while Instructor Gu remained calm.

In her opinion, Zhou Ling's performance is now perfect.

However, it is only a low-grade spiritual root after all. When it enters the Foundation Establishment stage, the disadvantages will become very obvious.

The cultivation situation at that time would probably be completely different.

For Tianxia Dao Academy, becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator and entering the inner courtyard is merely the starting point of cultivation.

"You little rascal, is it because Fellow Daoist Hu gave you a special admission test that you chose Xuan Yuan Dao Academy?"

Instructor Xiao asked, looking puzzled.

He could understand why Zhou Ling didn't choose either the Flying Dragon Battle Academy or the Nine Heavens Sword Academy.

However, in terms of weapon crafting, Tianxia Academy is now no less capable than Xuanyuan Academy.

Zhou Ling shook his head, thinking that Xin'er's admission to Xuan Yuan Dao Academy was still uncertain.

"The main reason is that my junior sister Wang Xin applied to Xuan Yuan Dao Academy, and I promised her that we would apply to Xuan Yuan Dao Academy together."

Zhou Ling thought that saying this would at least increase Wang Xin's chances of being admitted to Xuan Yuan Dao Academy.

Hearing this, Instructor Xiao and the others could only look helpless. This kid, at such a young age, is he worried about not having a Daoist partner in the future?
"Wang Xin!" Instructor Hu quickly glanced at Wang Xin, who was in the rest area, and nodded slightly.

Wang Xin also achieved a top-tier score in the skills assessment and entered the top eight in the combat competition. These results are perfect for entering the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy.

Zhou Ling then left the judges' panel.

Back in the rest area, Zhou Shan had already invited Wang Yu and her daughter, as well as He Zijian and his sister, to a banquet at the Zhou family home the next day to celebrate Zhou Ling's victory in the assessment.

Everyone happily agreed.

They then left the square.

Back home, Zhou Ling, having expended considerable energy, went to his room to cultivate and recover his internal magical power.

In the evening, neighbors began to come over for a visit.

The Zhou family's spirit-gathering array is now fully operational, and the courtyard is filled with abundant spiritual energy.

In the sweltering summer, the evenings are especially cool, and neighbors often come over to chat.

Moreover, Zhou Shan and his wife were hospitable and warm-hearted. When neighbors came over to cool off and chat, they would take out some spirit wine to entertain them.

So, the Zhou family's house was lively every night this summer.

Upon hearing that Zhou Ling had become the first in the six major academies' combat assessment, the neighbors congratulated Zhou Shan and Li Ru one after another.

“Ling Ge’er has been smart since he was a child. I know he will definitely be successful in the future.”

"That's right, Ru-mei, what about my niece's matter that I told you about last time? What have you thought about it?"

"Your niece is no match for Ling-ge'er. My cousin's daughter is much prettier!"

······.

Helpless, Li Ru could only find an opportunity to go to the kitchen to boil water and avoid the topic.

As for Zhou Shan, he was drinking spirit wine with Chu Xing, Xu Jiu, and a few other medicine seekers, chatting about things in the mountains.

"Recently, for some reason, there have been a lot of unfamiliar faces in the mountains, and they don't look like medicine seekers!"

Chu Xing broke open a peanut shell, put two peanuts in his mouth, and talked to the others while eating.

"I ran into Li Mu just a few days ago, he's definitely not looking for medicine!"

Xu Jiu picked up the earthenware bowl, took a sip of the spiritual wine, and said.

"The Li family has also gone into the mountains!"

Upon hearing their words, Zhou Shan's face showed surprise.

He then said to Xu Jiu, "Old Jiu, you'd better be careful if you run into the Li family."

This time, the son crippled Li Yinfeng. Although it was supposed to be a competition, the Li family dared not retaliate directly.

But if there are any underhanded tactics involved, then we must be on guard.

Xu Jiu nodded and smiled, "Brother Shan, don't worry, we brothers won't go too far, nothing will happen!"

······.

I got up the next day.

Zhou Ling was in high spirits.

His internal magical power has also recovered, and his Qi Refining Stage 7 realm has gradually been consolidated.

After breakfast!

He took several jars of fine spirit wine that his mother had brewed and headed to Maple Leaf Mountain.

I'm going to tell my master that I got first place in the assessment.

After all, without his master's guidance for about a year, he wouldn't have made such rapid progress.

"Entering the Six Great Dao Academies is just the beginning. I'll keep working hard from now on!"

Zi Ling gave a few perfunctory instructions and then took the spirit wine from Zhou Ling's hand.

He opened the seal, took a few sips, and then looked satisfied.

After thinking about it, he felt it was a bit unreasonable for him not to give any recognition for his disciple's achievements.

Immediately, with a thought, a crystalline light flashed in his hand.

Upon closer inspection, Zhou Ling saw that it was a square, fist-sized, ancient-looking jade seal.

"This is a jade seal for the spatial passage of the Ancient Cloud Realm. Consider it a gift to celebrate your first place in this assessment!"

Zi Ling handed the jade seal to Zhou Ling and said calmly.

"Thank you, Master!"

Zhou Ling thanked him, not expecting his master to give him such a valuable gift.

Boundary Space Passage!

"Normally, only those who have become Foundation Establishment cultivators are qualified to enter this kind of realm."

"After all, during interdimensional teleportation, the pressure of the spatial array will exert a considerable suppression on the body."

"In addition, each time this spatial passage is opened, it consumes a lot of resources, requiring several mid-grade spirit stones."

"Therefore, you don't need to rush to enter now. Wait until you enter the academy, advance your cultivation, and have enough spirit stones before you go."

After taking a few more sips of the spirit wine, Zi Ling continued to introduce it to Zhou Ling.

"Yes, Master!"

Zhou Ling replied respectfully.

Upon hearing that opening the spatial passage required mid-grade spirit stones, and several at that, his excitement immediately cooled down.

One mid-grade spirit stone is equivalent to one thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Moreover, the spiritual energy contained in mid-grade spirit stones is extremely pure, to the point that cultivators can directly absorb it.

Therefore, very few are available on the market.

Ordinary independent cultivators have even less access to mid-grade spirit stones.

"Sigh, we'll have to keep this interdimensional passage for now. We'll go check it out when we have enough spirit stones!"

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

“I remember that this Ancient Cloud Realm is an ancient realm with extremely thin spiritual energy.”

"However, there are some good mineral resources, and because of the scarcity of spiritual energy, most cultivators focus on body refinement, so many good body refinement techniques have been passed down."

"Many years ago, when I was still a Foundation Establishment cultivator, I entered this realm to search for resources."

"The Azure Lotus Seed was obtained in this realm."

"At the time, I just wanted to have some fun, so I even established a small sect in this region, the Purple Cloud Sect."

"This jade seal is the sect leader's token. Whenever you go in for training, go and see if this sect is still around!"

Zi Ling continued talking to Zhou Ling.

"Yes, Master!"

Zhou Ling replied earnestly.

After thinking for a moment, he asked curiously, "Master, this Ancient Cloud Realm has been discovered for so many years, why hasn't it been completely occupied yet?"

Zi Ling was lounging on the bamboo chair when she heard Zhou Ling's words. She smiled and said, "Conquering a realm is not that easy."

“Ancient realms like this are suppressed by the rules of heaven and earth. The higher the cultivation level of a cultivator, the greater the suppression they will experience when they enter.”

"Even Nascent Soul cultivators face the risk of perishing, so expanding one's domain is not as easy as one might imagine."

"This requires a significant investment of resources."

"Only large families and major sects can usually afford to support it."

"Of course, the rewards for conquering a realm are also quite astonishing!"

"Alright, you'll gradually come into contact with these things once you enter the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy!"

At this point, Zi Ling took a few more sips of spirit wine and stopped explaining to Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling didn't ask any more questions.

It seems that expanding territory is a risky business.

Given my current strength, it's best to focus on cultivating diligently.

Of course, even if he wanted to open this ancient cloud realm passage, he didn't have any mid-grade spirit stones!

He then bid farewell to his master.

Today, a banquet is being held at home to celebrate him winning the top prize in the assessment, and as the main character, he naturally cannot be absent.

After returning to the city, Zhou Ling first went to the Taoist academy, where he also gave Instructor Fang two jars of spirit wine and invited him to a banquet at the Zhou family home at noon.

Instructor Fang readily agreed.

Looking at Zhou Ling's current cultivation level and achievements, he was overjoyed.

Zhou Ling was arguably the most outstanding disciple he had ever mentored.

This made him feel proud.

After leaving the Taoist temple, Zhou Ling went to the Lu family workshop to invite Master Lu.

Upon arriving at the workshop, he learned that Master Lu had won first place in his assessment and had gone to the Zhou family early that morning to celebrate.

Zhou Ling then returned home.

He was startled when he arrived at his doorstep.

Two rows of benches were set up at the entrance, and many people were already sitting there.

Some were familiar neighbors, and some were strangers.

Upon seeing Zhou Ling arrive, they all stood up and cupped their hands in congratulations to him.

Zhou Ling returned the gifts one by one.

I really didn't expect this lineup.

But thinking about it, it's normal. Let alone getting first place in the assessment, even getting into one of the four major academies is an extremely rare thing.

This is especially difficult for independent cultivators like them.

Those who are able to enter the four major academies will have virtually no problem establishing their foundation.

After all, the success rate of Foundation Establishment in Daoist academies is generally over 70%.

Upon entering the house, one finds the aunties and grandmas from the neighborhood busily helping to prepare various ingredients and wash dishes in the courtyard.

Zhou Shan and Yuan Hu brewed spiritual tea to entertain the arriving guests.

Zhou Ling also met Master Lu, the He siblings, Wang Yu and her daughter, and others.

What surprised him even more was that some aristocratic families he had never even heard of sent visiting cards and gifts.

Not only were Li Ru and Zhou Shan at a loss, but Zhou Ling was also completely confused.

Since they're so kind as to send a gift to celebrate, I can't refuse.

But it feels a bit unreasonable to accept gifts from complete strangers.

"Zhou Ling, don't be surprised. As a rogue cultivator, you defeated Jin Sheng and became the first in this assessment, so it's natural that you'll attract a lot of attention!"

Seeing Zhou Ling's predicament, He Zijian came to his rescue and helped greet the representatives of the powerful families.

Fortunately, they didn't stay long. After giving their gifts and congratulating Zhou Ling, they took their leave.

"Brother Ling, you're a big celebrity in Lingxia Immortal City now!"

Yuan Hu poured Zhou Ling a bowl of spiritual tea and smiled with envy.

"celebrity!"

Zhou Ling shook his head.

Unexpectedly, in less than a day, the news of his victory in the assessment spread throughout Lingxia Immortal City.

He became the champion of this assessment as a rogue disciple.

Naturally, it becomes an inspirational story.

It is indeed rare for someone who came from a humble background to become the champion.

"Your reputation is probably not limited to Lingxia Immortal City."

"It won't be long before other immortal cities also know about you."

"After all, there are quite a few rogue disciples in the six major academies, but almost none of them can win the championship!"

"In that case, your performance in future assessments might be recorded in the history of the Dao Alliance's assessments."

He Zijian also said it with a slightly teasing tone.

At Zhou Ling's age, he will definitely be a target for some powerful forces to recruit in the future.

Zhou Ling drank the spiritual tea in one gulp, never expecting that he would become so famous in Lingxia Immortal City.

I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

However, considering that I would be heading to Qingyun Immortal City in September, I didn't take it too seriously.

Then they helped greet the guests!

More and more people arrived, making it extremely lively!

Moreover, most of them were people Zhou Ling didn't know; they had come to visit and send gifts because of his reputation.

Zhou Ling could only greet him with a smile!

(End of this chapter)