Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 171 Qi Refining Level 8 and Ambush

The following days.

While Zhou Ling was raising fish and farming at the Ziyun Sect, he also let Liu Yue'er collect second-tier spiritual items with the five elements and lightning attributes.

He then sold the bone artifacts he had collected from the Blood Beast Sect disciples, as well as the magic artifacts he had obtained from Li Yan and the others' storage rings.

Since the Ancient Cloud Realm primarily focuses on physical cultivation, the prices of these second-tier spiritual items are not high, and their quantity is quite considerable.

This also surprised Zhou Ling quite a bit.

Before he knew it, another month had passed. In addition to the second-tier spiritual items he had absorbed, he had also accumulated ten second-tier ores.

The speed at which the Five Elements Thunder Body is activated is also greatly accelerated.

However, upon closer inspection, it was already December in Qingyun Immortal City, and the Heavenly Crafts Bureau's assessment was scheduled for mid-December.

Therefore, he planned to stay for a few more days before teleporting back to Qingyun Immortal City.

Activating the teleportation array consumes three mid-grade spirit stones each time, but the gains from this trip have already far exceeded that value.

Therefore, Zhou Ling planned to return to the Ancient Cloud Realm after the Heavenly Crafts Bureau's assessment was completed.

Fortunately, I still have twelve mid-grade spirit stones on hand.

That's enough for two round trips.

At the beginning of this month, it was the day when the two affiliated families handed over the mineral veins.

The amount of second-tier ore collected will be considerable, which will be of great use to me.

This is also the main reason why Zhou Ling decided to return to Qingyun Immortal City a few days later.

······.

The Blood Beast Sect is located atop a mountain hundreds of feet high.

An elderly man with a square face walked slowly through the main hall with his hands behind his back, his brows slightly furrowed and his expression quite solemn.

About half a zhang away from him stood another middle-aged man with a rough appearance and a livid face.

These two middle-aged men are Du Sheng and Deng Hu, the sect leader and second elder of the Blood Beast Sect.

"Second Elder, are you sure that the one who made the move this time was not Fairy Ziyun?"

After a moment, Du Sheng sat down in the main seat and asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, Sect Master."

"The scouts report that during this period, they have only seen a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy who is a magic cultivator, and have not seen Fairy Ziyun."

Deng Hu said solemnly.

"A late-stage Qi Refining cultivator was actually able to kill the Third Elder!"

A glint of light flashed in Du Sheng's eyes, and his tone was filled with doubt.

"Perhaps the third brother was too exhausted after killing the elder of the Ziyun Sect, which gave this kid an opportunity to take advantage of the situation!"

"Sect Master must destroy the Ziyun Sect to avenge Lao San and Heng'er."

Deng Hu said with a face full of resentment.

His son was among those disciples this time.

"Second Elder, rest assured, the people from the Purple Cloud Sect killed my Blood Beast Sect disciples, and my Blood Beast Sect will make them pay for their crimes in blood."

Du Sheng said in a gloomy tone.

The Ziyun Sect has abundant resources. Originally, it was thought that Fairy Ziyun had died long ago, but unexpectedly, a successor has appeared.

He was furious to learn that the Third Elder and the other disciples had been killed, but he was wary of Fairy Ziyun's strength.

During this period, they dared not rashly invade the Ziyun Sect.

Instead, they sent people to secretly observe Ziyun Mountain to confirm whether Fairy Ziyun had appeared.

The news we have received so far is that Fairy Ziyun did not appear; instead, a young man claiming to be her disciple appeared.

He is a cultivator specializing in magic, and only at the late stage of Qi Refining.

He couldn't understand how the third brother could have died at the hands of this young man.

It should be noted that the spiritual energy in this realm is thin, and the strength of magic cultivators is generally lower than that of body cultivators.

"However, we cannot be careless about this matter; we need to rethink it!"

With a flash of sharp, hawk-like eyes, Du Sheng cautiously spoke.

The mystery of Fairy Ziyun remains, and he would never dare to go to Ziyun Mountain again.

Upon hearing this, Deng Hu's expression changed, and he fell silent.

He was also worried about Fairy Ziyun, but he absolutely could not let his son die in vain.

"Second Elder, can we think of a way to lure this new Sect Master of the Purple Cloud Sect down Purple Cloud Mountain and kill him halfway?"

Du Hu pondered for a moment, his eyes narrowed, and he said in a solemn tone.

In this way, even if Fairy Ziyun is really in the Ziyun Sect, she can't do anything to them.

No wonder he was cowardly and dared not directly attack the Ziyun Sect.

The reputation of Fairy Ziyun is truly astonishing.

Back in the Northwest Region, several third-tier cultivators died under Fairy Ziyun's sword.

Moreover, Fairy Ziyun is ruthless. If you really provoke her, the rest of the Blood Beast Sect will definitely not escape either.

As for the killing of the Third Elder, it did not have a significant impact on the overall strength of the Blood Beast Sect.

Although Deng Hu was also wary of Fairy Ziyun, his only son had been killed.

Therefore, he was eager for revenge and hoped to kill his enemy as soon as possible to avenge his son.

"Second Elder, we didn't target the Purple Cloud Sect this time because of that mine. So let's continue to work on that mine!"

Du Sheng turned his gaze and said in a deep voice.

"Alright! I will follow the sect leader's arrangements." Deng Hu clasped his hands in a fist salute, a gloomy expression appearing on his face.

······.

Ziyun Mountain, by Ziyun Lake.

[You are feeding the spirit fish. Farming Expert +1, Spirit Fish Growth +2]

[Effect: Farming expert reaches level two, farming effectiveness is doubled]

[Cumulative number of times spirit grains and herbs have been harvested, or spirit beasts have been captured: 101/1000]

On the wooden planks extending from the shore into the lake, Zhou Ling was scattering spirit bamboo leaves into the lake.

"what."

Zhou Ling scanned the lake surface with his divine sense and found that there were far fewer spirit fish.

That makes sense, considering how much he's eaten these past few days, plus the purple-scaled fish whose bloodline was activated.

If this continues, the spirit fish in the lake won't last more than a few months.

What needs to be done now is to get the spirit fish to give birth as soon as possible.

Then, raise the young fish. After all, with the help of the [Farming Expert] talent, you can personally feed the spirit fish.

Their growth rate has now doubled.

As long as the fish population remains stable, they will be able to grow rapidly.

Originally, only a beast tamer could make spirit fish and spirit beasts grow up quickly.

But now, Zhou Ling's use of the [Farming Expert] skill is even more effective than that of the Beast Tamer.

With this [Farming Expert] talent, he doesn't need to expend much spiritual energy. He can simply feed the spirit beasts and spirit fields, and the growth rate of the spirit beasts and spirit fields will double.

Therefore, the entire Ziyun Mountain will then enter a highly efficient cycle.

The growth rate of the spirit fields doubles, the growth rate of the spirit herbs doubles, and the spirit bamboo and spirit grains produced can be used to feed the spirit fish, which can double again.

In this way, it won't be long before my [Farming Expert] talent is upgraded again, and the effect will be multiplied.

From now on, the Ziyun Sect will be a treasure trove.

Zhou Ling was secretly delighted by this.

With this harvest, he no longer needs to worry about the excessive energy expenditure of entering the Ancient Cloud Realm.

Zhou Ling then scattered the remaining baskets of bamboo leaves into the lake.

Soon, dozens of spirit fish smelled the scent of the spirit bamboo and swam over quickly. In just a dozen blinks, they swept up all the spirit bamboo leaves.

[You are feeding the spirit fish. Farming Expert +1, Spirit Fish Growth +2]

"If we give them higher-grade elixirs, the effect will be even better."

Watching the spirit fish in the lake fight over the spirit bamboo leaves, Zhou Ling pondered in his heart.

"Haw!"

In the air, the Golden Fire Crow flapped its wings and landed on the wooden railing, cawing at Zhou Ling.

"Oh, Xiao Jin, are you hungry too?"

Sensing the message conveyed by the Golden Fire Crow, Zhou Ling smiled and said.

Then, pointing to the spirit fish in the lake, he said, "Go catch it yourself!"

In recent days, as Zhou Ling implanted the Blood Beast Seal into the bodies of the Golden Fire Crow and the Stone Rock Rat, they also entered the second stage.

The Golden Fire Crow, in particular, has grown several times larger, and now, with its pair of fiery wings spread, its body is nearly half a zhang in length.

"Haw!"

The golden crow cawed, flapped its wings, and flew towards the lake.

As the water splashed up, a blood spirit fish weighing several tens of kilograms was snatched up by its sharp claws.

Then the Golden Fire Raven flapped its wings and soared into the sky with an imposing air.

Zhou Ling also left Ziyun Lake.

······.

Five days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Purple Cloud Sect, Purple Cloud Courtyard, cultivation room.

"call!
"Finally reached the eighth level of Qi Refining!"

Zhou Ling, dressed in a black robe, sat upright on the stone bed, opened his eyes, and had a hint of joy on his face.

The Ziyun Courtyard on Ziyun Mountain is rich in the spiritual energy of the five elements, making the cultivation of the "Five Elements Qianyang True Technique" extremely smooth and suitable.

With the help of his innate talents such as [Born with Talent] and [Affinity for Spiritual Energy], his cultivation speed has increased significantly.

In the past month or so, the number of spiritual acupoints opened in his body has reached seventy-one, and he has naturally entered the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Originally, progress was slightly slow due to the cultivation of the "Five Elements Qianyang True Technique".

However, with the help of various talents, the speed was still able to catch up.

A quick calculation shows that it has only been half a year since he broke through to the seventh level of Qi Refining, and his cultivation has already broken through to the eighth level of Qi Refining.

This happened much faster than he had expected.

This speed is already comparable to that of cultivators with superior or even top-grade spiritual roots.

It took Zhou Ling quite a while to calm down.

Then, he opened his palm, and a ball of five-elemental flames, shimmering with vibrant light, illuminated the entire cultivation room with dazzling brilliance. As his cultivation level increased, the five-elemental flames also noticeably improved.

"The Five Elements Spirit Flame has now reached the mid-stage of the second rank, and is now able to cultivate the secret techniques of the Five Elements Qianyang True Technique!"

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

However, the "Five Elements Qianyang True Technique" is a mid-grade Xuan-level cultivation method, and its secret techniques are quite powerful.

Opening up the meridians of the secret technique for circulation is not easy, and since I now have sword formations and soul attacks, there is no rush.

After advancing to the eighth level of Qi Refining, Zhou Ling also felt a significant improvement in his strength.

The most obvious change is that the magical power within the Five Elements Meridians has more than doubled compared to before.

With the current abundance of the Five Elements spiritual power, Zhou Ling felt that dealing with a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator would be a piece of cake.

Even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, without relying on other means, can achieve this using only the Five Elements Sword Technique.

He can also put on a show of defiance.

Once he successfully masters the secret technique, his strength will increase even further.

At that time, it would be highly possible to defeat a Foundation Establishment cultivator using one's own magical power.

As for the spiritual aspect, it has also seen a significant improvement.

However, since his spiritual consciousness had already reached the first level of Foundation Establishment, his progress was relatively less obvious.

"Five days have passed, why haven't we received the ore yet?"

Zhou Ling got up, stretched, and looked puzzled.

According to the original agreement, the Qi family was supposed to hand over the ore they had mined over the past three months to the sect in the next few days.

But four or five days have passed, and there is still no news.

"If there's still no news in two days, then we'll head back to Qingyun Immortal City."

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

Then, he got up and left the cultivation room.

"Sect Master, we've received news from the Qi family that they're worried about encountering Blood Beast Sect disciples on the road and having their mines seized. They hope we can send people to the mines to collect the ore!"

Upon entering the courtyard, Liu Yue'er, dressed in a palace gown, reported to Zhou Ling.

"Go to the mine to collect it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling was taken aback.

"This purple fire crystal vein is located on the south side of our Ziyun Mountain, about sixty miles away from us."

“Occasionally, some of our disciples will go out to collect ore!”

Liu Yue'er continued.

"There are quite a few of these purple fire crystals, and many of them are second-tier, which will be of great use to me! I should take them first."

Zhou Ling pondered to himself.

Given the current situation, it's understandable that the Qi family is worried about encountering Blood Beast Sect disciples on the road.

"It's about sixty li; it won't hurt to go and collect it!"

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Ling smiled and said to Liu Yue'er.

I came to the Ancient Cloud Realm to collect resources, and I can't just stay cooped up in Purple Cloud Mountain all the time.

Moreover, with his cultivation greatly improved, he could even face a mid-stage second-tier body refiner from the Blood Beast Sect.

I might not be unable to handle it myself.

Even if he can't handle it, he can escape quickly by using the Beast Flame Divine Power.

The two then left Ziyun Mountain and flew south.

······.

A dozen miles away from Ziyun Mountain, there is a forest.

The two figures leaping through the air suddenly stopped.

[A second-stage Body Refinement cultivator is lying in ambush ahead; Crisis Response +1]

"Moon, wait a minute!"

Zhou Ling, who was walking behind, suddenly stopped and said with a furrowed brow.

"Sect Master, what's wrong!"

Liu Yue'er, who was walking quickly forward, stopped and turned around to ask.

"It seems we've been targeted since we left Ziyun Mountain."

Zhou Ling raised an eyebrow and said calmly.

With the notification from the [Crisis Response], he scanned the area with his divine sense and indeed discovered several powerful auras rapidly approaching them from within the jungle.

This place is still within the territory of the Ziyun Sect.

Even though the Purple Cloud Sect is weak now, with Master's illustrious reputation, no other cultivator would dare to offend them easily.

Therefore, Zhou Ling guessed that the other party was most likely a disciple of the Blood Beast Sect.

"We've been targeted!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yue'er was slightly taken aback.

However, her spiritual cultivation was not high, and she did not detect the person who came at first.

Of course, she had no doubts about what Zhou Ling said.

"Sect Master, what should we do?"

Liu Yue'er asked in a deep voice.

She has a calm and composed personality and remains calm under pressure.

"They actually dared to plot against us? Then we'll teach them a lesson!"

Zhou Ling remained calm and chuckled lightly.

He quickly grasped the other party's situation through his divine sense.

One is at the mid-stage of the second-tier Body Refinement Realm, and three are at the late-stage of the first-tier Realm.

Although their strength is not low, I am now able to handle them.

Both the Golden Fire Crow and the Stone Rock Rat have reached the second tier, making them more than capable of dealing with the three late-stage first-tier body cultivators.

As for that mid-stage second-tier body cultivator, I'll deal with him myself.

Upon hearing Zhou Ling's words, a look of surprise flashed across Liu Yue'er's pretty face.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Ling chose to confront the enemy head-on.

Although Zhou Ling is quite strong, the risk is still too great.

But since Zhou Ling was able to kill even the Third Elder of the Blood Beast Sect, she still had a lot of confidence in him.

Zhou Ling then quietly released the Golden Fire Crow and the Stone Rock Rat from the spirit beast bracelet.

Two beams of light flashed.

Golden Fire Crow and Stone Rock Rat appeared in front of Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling immediately gave them orders to lie in wait.

With a flap of its wings, the golden fire crow landed on a large tree.

The rock rat then hid behind a rock.

"Boy, I didn't expect you to find out. You truly are worthy of being Fairy Ziyun's disciple!"

With a few swishes, several powerful figures appeared like streaks of light, arriving a dozen feet behind Zhou Ling and his companion.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a rugged appearance and a strong, masculine aura.

It was Deng Hu, the second elder of the Blood Beast Sect.

Deng Hu's face revealed murderous intent as he looked at Zhou Ling, who was standing in front of him.

Zhou Ling remained calm, showing no signs of the panic one might expect.

"Are you from the Blood Beast Sect?" Zhou Ling asked calmly.

"You actually guessed my identity?"

Deng Hu's cold, fierce gaze swept warily toward the direction of Ziyun Mountain.

He didn't sense any other presence, so he breathed a sigh of relief and regained his composure.

Although avenging his son was important, he was also extremely wary of Fairy Ziyun.

"Master, you were right after all!"

Zhou Ling couldn't help but laugh.

But before he could finish speaking, he slapped his storage bag with both hands.

From the storage bag, the Fire罡 Sword and the Eight Paths Magic Sword emerged one after another, arranged in the air, and swiftly slashed towards the middle-aged man in front.

Although the other side only has four people now, Zhou Ling has learned in recent days that the Blood Beast Sect has three second-level body cultivators.

There might be reinforcements lurking behind them.

Therefore, to be on the safe side, he wanted to finish the battle quickly!
"Sword cultivator, sword formation!"

Upon seeing so many flying swords, Deng Hu was startled and exclaimed.

He could clearly sense that these nine flying swords exuded a powerful aura, with one of them even reaching the second rank.

Now he understood why the third brother had been killed by this kid.

Sword cultivators are inherently powerful beings.

This young man is so young yet capable of controlling a sword formation; he must be a disciple of Fairy Ziyun.

Therefore, he was greatly alarmed to see the current situation.

It seems that Fairy Ziyun is indeed still alive.

"Hundred Swords Formation, Slash!"

Zhou Ling had a sudden thought and shouted sharply.

He instantly activated his personal sword array and simultaneously sent commands to the Golden Fire Crow and the Rock Rat, instructing them to attack.

Nine flying swords slashed at Deng Hu simultaneously.

In an instant, the sword light roared and enveloped the void.

Led by the Fire罡 Sword, it condensed into a fiery sword furnace and pounced towards Deng Hu.

"Hey!"

At the same time, the Golden Fire Crow and the Stone Rock Rat also transformed into streaks of light, moving with lightning speed, and pounced on the other three Blood Beast Sect disciples.

The Golden Fire Crow opened its massive, flame-like beak and spewed out a scorching fireball, which struck the burly, bearded man on its right.

At the same time, a pair of sharp claws flashed with golden light and pounced down towards him.

The rock rat, like a rolling ball of dirt, hurtled towards the muscular man on its left.

One high, one low, both moving at lightning speed, their coordination was seamless.

(End of this chapter)