Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 166 A Letter from Home and a Secret Technique of the Divine Soul (Please Subscribe)
Half a month later.

On a training plaza, an ancient black longsword danced in the air like a serpent, flashing streaks of lightning as it moved nimbly.

The sword energy surged and condensed, instantly forming a several-foot-long thunderous sword beam that blazed with intense lightning.

"boom!"

Then, the thunderous giant sword slashed down with a thunderous roar, instantly covering a distance of seven or eight zhang (approximately 33-40 meters), and struck the jade pillar standing in the square, bursting forth with a dazzling burst of lightning, its power astonishing.

[You are currently unleashing the Thunderous Sword Intent. Sword Control +1, Thunderous Sword Intent +1]

"The Thunderous Sword Intent has finally been formed!"

Standing not far away, Zhou Ling, his hands forming hand seals, was filled with excitement.

However, at this moment, a tearing pain suddenly came from within his meridians, causing him to clench his hands tightly and endure the pain.

This is caused by the exhaustion of the lightning-attribute spiritual power in the body, which compresses the meridians.

[You are currently cultivating the Thunderous Sword Intent, your resilience increases by 1, your lightning attribute spiritual power increases by 2, and you have acquired the Five Elements Thunder Body, which grants you a lightning attribute increase of 2.]

As the system notification sounded, Zhou Ling felt the stinging pain in his meridians gradually subside.

With the reward of the "the more setbacks you get, the stronger you become" talent, he felt that this stinging pain was completely worth it!

Then, with a thought, the black sword, like a black lightning bolt, streaked across the void and fell back into his hand.

He exhaled softly, walked to the jade pillar, and checked the effect of the attack.

A clear sword mark appeared where the lightning sword struck, with wisps of lightning flashing within it.

It should be noted that this is a jade pillar made of second-grade high-quality glazed jade, which is extremely hard.

Even cultivators in the early stages of Foundation Establishment may not be able to leave a mark when they use their spells.

After carefully examining the sword marks, Zhou Ling showed a satisfied expression.

"The Thunder Sword Intent that I just comprehended already has such power that it is no less than a second-tier low-grade technique, which shows how powerful the Thunder Sword Intent is."

After all, in the past half month, his Hao Lei Sword Intent was only at the entry level.

For the past two weeks, apart from going to the Daoist temple to listen to Instructor Hu's lectures, Zhou Ling spent most of his time in the meditation hall, studying the inscriptions on the Thunder Gang Sword and comprehending the intent of the Vast Thunder Sword.

Through the [Illusion Simulation], I went to the training square to train again, simulating various combat scenarios in the illusion.

Now that he has grasped the intent of the Hao Lei Sword and, with the help of the [Sword Control] talent, the power he unleashes is enough to reach the level of a second-tier low-grade spell.

However, since the Five Elements Thunder Body is still in the activation stage, the thunder attribute spiritual power in the body is limited, which also restricts the power of the Vast Thunder Sword Intent.

Moreover, each time he uses it, it consumes a huge amount of spiritual energy, causing him excruciating pain that feels like his meridians are being torn apart.

Fortunately, he has the talent of "the more setbacks, the stronger he becomes", which not only enhances his lightning attribute spiritual power, but also accelerates the activation of the Five Elements Lightning Body.

With a thought, the scene before him suddenly changed, and he was sitting cross-legged in the cultivation room.

[You are currently performing the Thunderous Sword Intent. Illusion Simulation +1, Thunderous Sword Intent +1, Divine Soul +3]

"I've comprehended another sword intent. Although my lightning-attribute spiritual power isn't enough yet, its power is absolutely astonishing. In the future, when combined with the Hundred Swords Formation or the Five Elements Sword Formation, its power will increase significantly!"

Zhou Ling's face lit up with joy.

"However, the lightning attribute spiritual power within my body is still a big problem. The lightning spiritual power I have condensed is probably not even at the third level of Qi Refining."

"Fortunately, I've improved very quickly during this period!"

As for the power of the Hao Lei sword intent just now, it was mainly a result of the illusion simulation.

This greatly deepened his understanding of sword intent.

Besides the Thunder Sword Intent, during this period, the Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique has also reached the Great Perfection of the first level, and it won't be long before it enters the second level.

At this moment, Zhou Ling was about to activate the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique" to restore his spirit.

After all, each activation of [Deriving Illusion Simulation] consumes a great deal of spiritual energy.

suddenly.

The sound transmission jade on his body vibrated.

Zhou Lingxuan immediately took out the communication jade and infused it with spiritual power.

"Hello Zhou Ling! I am Steward Lu from the Heavenly Crafts Bureau!"

A gentle voice came from the sound transmission jade.

It was actually Deacon Lu! Zhou Ling was somewhat surprised, but quickly replied, "Greetings, Deacon Lu!"

"The main reason I'm contacting you today is to inform you that your Dao grade has passed the review at the Heavenly Crafts Bureau."

"The assessment will be held in mid-December this year, and you must attend!"

A moment later, the communication jade vibrated slightly, and Lu Yunxi's voice continued to ring out.

Hearing this, Zhou Ling smiled; Deacon Qin's recommendation had finally been approved.

Next, as long as I pass this assessment, I will be considered a person within the physical category.

This is the greatest expectation my parents had for me in their entire lives!
Although he was said to have joined the Heavenly Crafts Bureau in Lingxia Immortal City, that was only the Heavenly Crafts Bureau of Lingxia Immortal City.

They are not true members of the Dao Alliance's Heavenly Craft Division.

This time, as long as I pass the assessment, I will become a member with Dao rank within the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

That is, the real Tiangongwei.

Their treatment and status will be very different.

He then transmitted his voice again, "Thank you, Deacon Lu. May I ask what preparations I need to make next?"

"As long as you focus on improving your inscription skills and strive to refine a second-tier spiritual weapon, you will have a chance to pass the assessment!"

A moment later, Lu Yunxi's voice rang out again.

"Yes, Deacon Lu!"

Zhou Ling replied quickly.

It's only October now, and there are still two and a half months until the assessment. If I consolidate my skills a bit more, my success rate in refining second-tier low-grade inscriptions will increase significantly.

At noon, Zhou Ling, who had just finished his cultivation and felt his stomach rumbling, walked out of the cultivation room.

I was just about to grab something to eat.

Two figures walked in through the door.

Upon seeing the two, Zhou Ling was taken aback for a moment, then said with a delighted expression, "Aunt Wang, what brings you here?"

The two who walked in were Wang Xin and Wang Yu.

More than a month had passed since I last saw Wang Yu, and she hadn't changed much. She was wearing a light blue dress, and her temperament was peaceful, dignified and beautiful.

"Ling-ge'er, congratulations! You've become the top Foundation Establishment seed!"

Wang Yu sat down in the hall, glanced at Zhou Ling, and smiled.

"It's all thanks to Aunt Wang's Spirit Sealing Technique!"

Zhou Ling poured Wang Yu a cup of spiritual tea and bowed.

If it weren't for the addition of a spirit-sealing restriction to the Crimson Sun Inscription, his Crimson Sun Sword would hardly have reached the level of a mid-grade second rank.

Therefore, they would not be able to win the championship.

"You're getting better and better at talking, kid!"

Wang Yu took a sip of tea and praised it with a smile.

He then took out a storage bag from his person and handed it to Zhou Ling, saying, "This is what your mother asked me to bring you. It contains some spirit wine, beast meat, medicinal herbs, and other things!"

“Your parents know that you have won the title of the top seed for Foundation Establishment in the Dao Academy. They are complaining that you didn’t tell the family about such a big thing.”

"It was only when the instructors from the Taoist academy came to offer their congratulations that they found out!"

"Thank you, Aunt Wang!"

Zhou Ling took the storage bag, her eyes filled with warmth.

I've been busy cultivating the Thunder Sword Intent and the Five Thunder Seal these days, so I haven't been able to send a message home.

The Five Thunder Inscription was the inscription he chose for forging the Thunder Sword for He Zijian.

The second-tier low-grade inscription is composed of five stacked inscriptions of twenty-six characters each, making it very difficult to obtain.

At the same time, Zhou Ling also planned to draw a lightning-attribute spirit-sealing restriction, so even after half a month, the Five Thunder Inscription could not be successfully drawn.

Instead, the two sword blanks that Xu Qiang was entrusted to forge were completed first.

In just ten days, Xu Qiang sent him a telepathic message, instructing him to go to the weapon-refining room to retrieve the Thunder Sword.

However, the two sword embryos are different in size.

The sword was nearly twelve feet long and weighed over three hundred kilograms.

The other sword was three feet long and weighed only about forty pounds.

The former was a sword blank made according to He Zijian's requirements, while the latter was a sword that Zhou Ling instructed Xu Qiang to make if there were any extra materials.

Since Zhou Ling's reputation has spread throughout Xuan Yuan Dao Academy, Xu Qiang is extremely polite to him.

Later, all the tools that needed to be crafted with inscriptions were also obtained from Zhou Ling.

Forging a single magical artifact can earn him a considerable amount of money.

Therefore, he also wanted to maintain a good relationship with Zhou Ling.

After all, there are plenty of weapon refiners in the Dao Academy, but someone like Zhou Ling is one of a kind.

Zhou Ling still highly approves of Xu Qiang's skill in crafting utensils.

The quality of the two lightning swords was even higher than he had expected.

Next, by refining it with spirit flames for a period of time, the purity and power of the Thunder Sword can be increased.

As for the Thunder Sword Stone, it must be incorporated into the Thunder Sword during the refining process.

"Consider this Soul Essence Pill my congratulatory gift to you."

Wang Yu took out another exquisite pill bottle, handed it to Zhou Ling, and smiled.

"Soul Essence Pill, Aunt Wang, this is far too precious!"

Zhou Ling hurriedly declined.

The Soul Essence Pill is a second-tier pill containing abundant soul power.

It is the main elixir for Foundation Establishment cultivators to cultivate and restore their spiritual power.

Zhou Ling's soul has now reached the first level of Foundation Establishment, so the effect of the Soul Nourishing Pill is not very obvious.

Fortunately, the Soul Nourishing Pill refined by Wang Xin was of good quality, so Zhou Ling took one every six or seven days and the effect was quite good.

"Why are you being so polite with Aunt Wang!"

Wang Yu smiled, placed the pill bottle in his hand, and then said, "Besides, if I'm going to thank someone, I should thank you!"

"Xin'er mentioned to me that you can use the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame to help her repair the Dark Fire Meridians in her body!"

"This is far superior to a bottle of pills!"

As she spoke, Wang Yu's tone became somewhat excited.

Over the years, she has inquired everywhere and spent a lot of spirit stones every year to buy all kinds of spiritual herbs and materials.

He wanted to repair the meridians in his daughter's body.

But the results were minimal and all efforts were in vain.

But to my surprise, when I saw my daughter this time, I sensed that her Dark Fire Spirit Body meridians had recovered somewhat.

Her daughter told her that this was the effect of Zhou Ling using the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame to aid in healing. This excited her greatly, and she found it hard to believe.

I never imagined that the solution to the mental illness that has plagued me for so many years would be right beside me.

Perhaps this is the cause and effect of fate.

"It is my duty to help Xin'er heal her meridians!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling put away the pill bottle and replied.

Moreover, healing Wang Xin would also be of great benefit to him, not only enhancing his spiritual flames but also strengthening the fire meridians of his Five Elements Thunder Body.

Currently, the fire meridian is condensing at the fastest speed, mainly to heal Xin'er's meridians and absorb the energy of the dark fire spirit body.

"Aunt Wang, did you just arrive in Qingyun Immortal City today?"

Zhou Ling asked again.

"Yes, I just arrived recently!"

"Aunt Wang, let's go out for a meal!"

"No need, I have other things to take care of, I just came to see you!"

"Now that you're all in this situation, I'm relieved. You go ahead with your work, I'll sit with Xin'er for a bit, then I'll leave!"

"From now on, I will rent a courtyard near Xuan Yuan Dao Academy and stay there. I will come to visit you whenever I have time!"

Hearing Wang Yu say this, Zhou Ling nodded.

Knowing that Xin'er and her mother had something to say, he returned to the cultivation room first.

After sitting cross-legged in the cultivation room, Zhou Ling first took out the Soul Essence Pill given to him by Wang Yu.

Upon opening the elixir bottle, two black pills were found inside, each with a faint pill pattern on its surface.

The rich aroma of the herbs indicates their potent medicinal properties.

"Even if you exchanged for this Soul Essence Pill at the Dao Academy, you wouldn't get one of this quality!"

Zhou Ling murmured with a look of delight on his face.

Soul Essence Pills are quite valuable, selling for thousands of spirit stones in the market, and even those are of ordinary quality.

This kind of Soul Essence Pill with a single-layered pattern is not only expensive, but also rare.

Even within a Taoist temple, it would take dozens of Taoist points to exchange for it.

"Two Soul Essence Pills are enough to completely stabilize my rapidly improving divine sense these days, and may even allow my divine soul cultivation to make some progress."

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

Now, with the help of [Divine Soul Like a Blade], his divine sense can now condense into divine soul attacks, but the power is still not very strong.

However, as long as the spirit is enhanced, the power will gradually increase.

However, he did not rush to take the pills, but instead took out the storage bag that his mother had asked Aunt Wang to send him.

There were no markings on the storage bag.

Zhou Ling's divine sense entered directly into it.

In a short while, the contents were taken out.

Suddenly, all sorts of items were placed around him.

More than twenty jars of spirit wine, a large pile of dried animal meat, more than a dozen plants, and some local specialties from Lingxia Immortal City...

"Mother, she thinks I've fled the famine!"

Zhou Ling smiled and shook his head. Qingyun Immortal City is rich in resources; it has everything.

Of course, the items are also expensive.

His mother sent so many things to help him reduce his daily expenses.

He then reached out and picked up a piece of dried beast meat, and opened a jar of spirit wine.

Following his master's example, he picked up the jar and drank and ate meat in large gulps.

"The spirit wine brewed by Mother is still the best!"

After taking several large gulps, Zhou Ling put down the wine jar.

He then took out a jade slip for recording audio and infused it with spiritual power.

"Ling'er, are you getting used to life at the academy?"

“There’s no need to rush cultivation. Just take it slow. You’re already doing very well, so there’s no need to put pressure on yourself.”

"I heard things are very expensive over there. You don't need to be frugal; just buy what you need."

"You child, you won first place in the assessment and didn't even tell us."

"Quite a few people around here know about this!"

"Your dad is overjoyed!"

"Nowadays, many restaurants are buying spirit wine from our family's winery. Your father and I are busy all day long."

“Your father hired two more people, both acquaintances from the original medicine-finding team, to help deliver the wine.”

"Also, Tiger's marriage has been arranged; they'll be getting married at the end of the year!"

······.

Zhou Ling sipped the spirit wine while listening to his mother's rambling.

A warm feeling filled my heart.

The family's situation is now quite good; at least they no longer need to risk going into the mountains for spirit stones.

However, the slow progress of his parents' cultivation is also a significant problem.

But he also knew in his heart that everyone's cultivation situation was different, and there was no way to rush it.

After a short while, he finished listening to the recording on the jade slip. His mother said a lot, mainly concerned about whether he was getting used to his daily life.

"We still need to bring our parents to Qingyun Immortal City. The spiritual energy here is abundant, which will be more helpful for their cultivation!"

Zhou Ling put the jade slip and other items back into his storage bag, pondering what to do.

However, we should discuss this matter properly with them when we get back.

After all, they had never left Lingxia Immortal City in their entire lives.

After finishing a large piece of dried beast meat, he walked out of the training room to see if Wang Yu was still there.

Wang Xin was seen eating pastries alone in the small hall.

"Aunt Wang is gone?"

Zhou Ling asked.

“My mom said she has a lot to do, like looking for a house, so she should finish these things first and come see me in a few days!”

"Do you want some? This is a spirit cake my mother brought me!"

Wang Xin said with a delighted expression.

Zhou Ling also picked up a piece of spirit cake and ate it.

······.

[You have truly cultivated your meridians, Spiritual Flame Cultivation +, Azure Lotus Spiritual Flame Grade +1]

[Your Azure Lotus Spirit Flame has absorbed and nourished your Dark Fire Spirit Body, increasing your Five Elements Thunder Body by +1 and your Azure Lotus Spirit Flame grade by +1.]

That evening, after circulating the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame and helping Wang Xin nourish her meridians, Zhou Ling returned to his room and took out a Soul Essence Pill.

Circulate spiritual energy and absorb the medicinal power.

[You are absorbing the medicinal power of the Soul Essence Pill. Herbal Stress +1, Soul Essence Pill Power +2]

The Soul Essence Pill is a second-tier pill with a single pill pattern, and its medicinal power is already extremely powerful.

At this moment, under the effect of the [Medicinal Stress], the medicinal power has increased even more dramatically.

Zhou Ling felt a surge of clear water flowing into his sea of ​​consciousness, cleansing it.

His newly opened, yet not fully formed, Purple Mansion began to shine brightly.

The soul seed is growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At the same time, the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique" started operating automatically, and the second imprint of the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique" in the sea of ​​consciousness also lit up.

As his spirit grew stronger, the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique" also entered its second level.

The previously dim mark began to shine brightly, and obscure characters appeared in Zhou Ling's mind.

Zhou Ling continuously infused the mark with his divine sense, rapidly comprehending the second level of the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique".

As he absorbed the medicinal power and his soul seed grew, he comprehended the teachings with ease.

Some profound and obscure concepts, which are difficult to grasp at first, can be mastered through repeated attempts, thanks to the "the more setbacks, the stronger the will" talent.

This continued for more than two hours.

Only then was the medicinal power of the Soul Essence Pill fully absorbed and refined by Zhou Ling.

The greatest gain during the absorption and refining process was that the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique" opened up the second level of the meridian system.

"I have finally comprehended the secret technique of the Soul Path!"

Zhou Ling exhaled, opened his eyes, and a sharp glint flashed in them.

His aura became exceptionally strong, making him a completely different person from before.

He clearly felt that his divine sense had more than doubled at this moment.

It is large enough to reach more than two hundred feet, which is beyond the reach of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Level 1 cultivator.

Furthermore, the purity of the soul has been significantly improved.

This will be of great help to him in the future when he refines inscriptions, sets up sword formations, and controls puppets.

The key point is that he comprehended a secret technique of the soul, the Soul Blade.

According to what his master said when he taught him the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique".

The secret techniques condensed in "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique" do not have specific attributes.

This is mainly related to the objects that practitioners visualize.

"What I originally visualized was mainly the Fire Spirit Maple Tree, and I always had the [Divine Soul Like a Blade] talent to assist me."

Zhou Ling murmured.

He guessed that the Soul Blade Secret Technique he had comprehended might be related to the [Soul as Blade] technique.

Zhou Ling immediately activated the "Qinghui Nourishing Spirit Technique".

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the soul seed condensed into a phantom of a fire-spirit maple tree, upon which several red maple leaves had already grown.

As the maple leaves shone brightly, a red light spread across his sea of ​​consciousness, as if flames were rising.

Then, a red soul blade quickly condensed.

It releases a powerful aura of divine soul.

Zhou Ling sensed that if this strike were unleashed, coupled with the assistance of [Divine Soul Like a Blade], it could even kill a cultivator in the early stages of Foundation Establishment.

Zhou Ling was satisfied with the effect, and then the Soul Blade in his Sea of ​​Consciousness slowly dissipated.

(End of this chapter)