Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 178 Parents' Cultivation Plan and the Activation of the Five Elements Thunder Body

Lingxia Immortal City, West City, a bustling street with people coming and going.

Li Ru stood in front of the tavern, glancing at the intersection from time to time, her expression filled with anticipation.

"Ling'er won't be back so soon!"

"Let's come in first."

Zhou Shan said with a smile inside the tavern.

"Miss He came back a couple of days ago and said that Ling'er will be back in the next couple of days!"

Upon hearing Zhou Shan's words, Li Rucai entered the tavern.

"Auntie, Brother Ling is a big shot now, you don't need to worry!"

Yuan Hu, who was carrying a wine jar, said with a smile.

"Yes, Sister Ru, Brother Ling is now a steward of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau. You'll be enjoying a life of luxury from now on!"

Aunt Xu chimed in with a smile.

"Sigh, Ling'er didn't tell us about this either, so we don't know if it's true or not?"

Li Ruqian said modestly.

"That kind of thing can't be fake."

"Sigh, if my two sons had even half of Ling-ge'er's abilities, I'd be content!"

Aunt Xu said enviously.

Hearing Aunt Xu praise her son, Li Ru smiled broadly.

"Is that Brother Ling?"

A moment later, Yuan Hu said with a surprised tone.

Upon hearing this, Li Ru quickly put down the brewing materials in her hand, hurriedly ran out the door, and sure enough, she saw her son.

She hadn't seen her son for several months, and he was already half a head taller than her.

"Mother! I'm back!" Zhou Ling said with a smile.

He was also overjoyed. His mother's complexion was rosy and she looked very healthy. What made him happiest was that his mother's cultivation level had actually reached the sixth level of Qi Refining.

"Those two bottles of Qi-Melting Pills that Xin'er gave me might help Mother break through to the late stage of Qi Refining!"

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

"Ling'er! You've grown taller!"

Li Ru's face was filled with undisguised joy as she carefully examined her son.

Seeing that her son had not only grown taller but also become more handsome, looking every bit the man, and exuding a completely different aura than before, she was overjoyed.

Then, a pang of concern struck her. "Are you finding the food at the Taoist academy altar?"

"Yes, the food at the academy is very good!"

Zhou Ling walked into the tavern with a smile.

"father!"

"Auntie, Tiger!"

"Brother Ling, you're back!"

"Ling-ge'er is getting more and more handsome!"

After chatting with Yuan Hu and his group for a while, the tavern gradually became more crowded.

Because it's close to the end of the year, these days are the busiest for taverns.

Zhou Ling then left the tavern and returned home.

"Are you hungry? Mom will make you some food right away."

Back home, Li Ru smiled.

Zhou Ling nodded. Although the spiritual food at the academy was quite good, he still preferred his mother's cooking.

Soon after, Zhou Ling enjoyed a delicious meal, took a shower, and changed into a brand new set of clothes.

Seeing that it was still early, he asked his mother for a few jars of spirit wine, planning to go and wish Deacon Qin and Instructor Fang an early New Year.

The two of them were also a great help to him.

First, he went to the Taoist temple to visit Instructor Fang.

Instructor Fang was overjoyed at Zhou Ling's arrival.

Chatted for a while.

Instructor Fang also praised him highly.

Although I had always thought highly of Zhou Ling, I never expected this.

Zhou Ling, who was only thirteen years old after the New Year, was already a second-rank steward of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

Moreover, his current inscription cultivation level is completely superior to his.

With this talent, he could potentially become a third- or even fourth-grade inscription master in the future.

Of course, he also reminded Zhou Ling that cultivation should be grounded in reality and not rushed.

Zhou Ling respectfully agreed.

He then went to the Heavenly Crafts Bureau and paid his respects to Steward Qin.

He was also quite surprised that Zhou Ling had become a second-rank steward.

In his view, Zhou Ling should have no problem passing the first-rank Daoist qualification assessment.

But his rapid rise to the rank of second-grade steward greatly surprised him.

Deacon Qin also inquired about Zhou Lingming's cultivation level in terms of seals.

They learned that Zhou Ling was now able to forge a mid-grade spirit sword.

His face was also full of relief.

My recommendation this time was correct!

After leaving the Tiangong Division, Zhou Ling went to the Lu Family Workshop to visit Master Lu.

Master Lu couldn't stop smiling at Zhou Ling's arrival.

Zhou Ling's fame in Lingxia Immortal City is now at its peak.

This also brought considerable profits to his workshop.

After all, Zhou Ling had been crafting tools for the workshop for several years, which was the best advertisement for him.

After visiting several elders, I returned home at dusk.

Li Ru had already prepared a table full of delicious spiritual food and had also hosted a banquet for Yuan Hu and the others.

After finishing their meal, they chatted for a while longer before bidding farewell and leaving.

"Mother, this is the Qi-regulating pill that Xin'er asked me to give you."

"Also, this is the 'Qingyuan Technique' that I exchanged for you, which is enough to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage!"

Zhou Ling took out two pill bottles and a jade slip containing cultivation techniques, handed them to his mother, and said with a smile.

"You two children are so thoughtful!"

Li Ru smiled radiantly, knowing that her son had grown up. "Next time I see Xin'er, I must thank her properly!"

"Mother, don't go to the tavern these next few days. Take the pills and cultivate at home to see if you can break through to the late stage of Qi Refining."

"We will strive to successfully establish the foundation within the next five years!"

Zhou Ling continued speaking to her mother.

After all, my mother is already thirty-five years old. In any case, we must try to establish a foundation before she turns forty.

Otherwise, it will become increasingly difficult later on.

"Foundation building?"

Upon hearing this, both Li Ru and Zhou Shan were taken aback.

"Ling'er, do you think your mother can achieve Foundation Establishment before she turns forty?"

Li Ru asked, still somewhat disbelieving.

Li Ru was already content with her current life and cultivation level, but she hadn't thought about reaching the Foundation Establishment stage in the future.

In her view, as long as her son achieves the Foundation Establishment stage, gets married, and has children, she will be content with her life.

As for her own foundation building, she had never seriously considered it.

After all, obtaining Foundation Establishment Pills and Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects is very difficult for independent cultivators.

"Of course."

"Not only will you successfully establish your foundation, but my father will also enter the second stage of body refinement!"

Zhou Ling said confidently.

He then took out the jade slip of the "Three Yang Technique" and several second-tier blood crystals from his storage ring and handed them to Zhou Shan, saying, "Father, this is the 'Three Yang Technique,' a follow-up technique to the Great Yang Technique. It contains annotations and explanations. If you cultivate according to this, your progress will be faster!"

"In addition, these blood crystals can also help in cultivating the Three Yang Technique."

Now that my father has reached the ninth level of the first-order body refinement, he can begin to cultivate the "Three Yang Technique".

"Three Yang Technique!"

Looking at the jade slip and the blood crystal, Zhou Shan swallowed hard, his face filled with surprise and delight.

The couple exchanged a glance, never expecting their son's return to bring them such a big surprise!

The "Three Yang Technique" and "Azure Origin Skill" alone are both incredibly valuable cultivation techniques. Not to mention rogue cultivators, even ordinary Foundation Establishment families might not be able to obtain them. "In addition, the Heavenly Crafts Bureau in Azure Cloud Immortal City gave me a small courtyard. During this time, you all take care of things here."

"After the New Year, you will come with me to Qingyun Immortal City. The spiritual energy there is abundant, which will greatly help your cultivation!"

Zhou Ling picked up the teacup, took a sip of the spiritual tea, and continued.

"We must head to Qingyun Immortal City!"

Li Ru said in surprise.

The couple had never left Lingxia Immortal City, nor had they originally intended to.

He was also very surprised to hear his son say that.

It should be noted that Qingyun Immortal City is a fourth-grade immortal city, rich in spiritual energy, making every inch of land extremely valuable.

A house with a second-tier mid-grade spiritual vein will definitely not have a low monthly rent.

"Mother, the spiritual energy here is too low. That over there is a mid-grade second-tier spiritual vein. The spiritual energy there is not only abundant but also pure, more than ten times more abundant than here!"

Zhou Ling smiled.

"We'll listen to our son on this matter."

Zhou Shan took a sip of the spirit wine and said with a happy expression.

"Okay." Li Ru nodded happily. "But what about the winery?"

"We've finally reached this scale; if we leave now, won't we have to close it down?"

"Moreover, Tiger and the others are now all living off the distillery!"

Li Ru's tone was tinged with regret and worry.

Through years of hard work, the winery is now a household name in Lingxia Immortal City.

Of course, this is mainly due to the effect brought about by Zhou Ling becoming the top scorer in the assessment of the four major academies!

In addition, the spirit wine was also refined by Li Ru and the others, and its quality was indeed quite good.

“That’s easy!” Zhou Ling said after a moment’s thought. “We can let Hu Zi run the distillery from now on.”

Although Yuanhu became a son-in-law who married into the family, he did not leave the distillery and was very familiar with its situation.

It would be perfect if he took over the business!
"That's a good idea!" Li Ru and Zhou Shan both nodded.

I discussed it with my parents for a while.

After telling his father some key points about cultivating the "Three Yang Technique," Zhou Ling returned to his room.

······.

The next day, Zhou Ling went to Maple Leaf Mountain.

The snow and ice on Maple Leaf Mountain have just melted, leaving the entire mountainside bare of maple trees.

Inside the Maple Leaf Courtyard, the two Fire Spirit Maple Trees are no longer there.

The courtyard was somewhat messy.

It seems that Master has been gone for some time now.

Afterwards, Zhou Ling tidied up a bit, cleaning up the fallen leaves and rainwater in the yard.

Soon after, they left the courtyard.

So many posts?

Back home, Zhou Ling was surprised to see a large pile of visiting cards and invitations on the table.

You should know that he only got home yesterday.

These invitations and visiting cards mostly came from aristocratic families in Lingxia Immortal City or from cultivators in the Heavenly Craft Bureau, Xuanting Bureau, and other similar organizations.

"Brother Ling, you're now a second-rank steward of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, and at such a young age, that's unprecedented in Lingxia Immortal City!"

"This will definitely be recorded in the annals of our Lingxia Immortal City in the future!"

Yuan Hu said with an envious look on his face.

"Sigh, what's the use of all this empty talk!"

Zhou Ling shook his head.

After he returned to Lingxia Immortal City, the news that he had become a second-rank steward of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau spread throughout the city.

At the age of twelve, he became a second-rank steward in the Heavenly Crafts Bureau!
This is extremely rare!
Even within the entire Qingyang Immortal Realm, this is extremely rare.

Moreover, Lingxia Immortal City is merely a second-grade immortal city with scarce spiritual energy.

Of course, Zhou Ling is now quite well-known not only in Lingxia Immortal City, but also in Qingyun Immortal City.

In particular, those with the cultivation level of Qi Refining Level 8 are capable of forging mid-grade spirit swords.

If one can successfully establish a foundation, their future achievements will definitely be remarkable.

He might even become the number one person in Lingxia Immortal City!
Zhou Ling ignored the invitations, as he didn't even have enough time to cultivate.

Why waste time meeting people who have little to do with you?

Afterwards, he chatted with Yuanhu about the distillery.

Upon hearing that Zhou Ling wanted to give him the distillery, Yuan Hu hurriedly shook his head and said, "Brother Ling, I can't accept a reward without having done anything for you. I can manage the distillery on your behalf."

"I'll send you the spirit stones I earn later!"

Hearing this, Zhou Ling was taken aback. Had this kid changed his personality and become kinder after getting married?

To everyone's surprise, Yuan Hu scratched his head and said, "I am now a son-in-law of the Zhao family. If this winery comes into my hands, it will eventually belong to the Zhao family."

"So, I'll be the manager and run this distillery well for you."

Zhou Ling nodded, finally understanding Yuan Hu's thoughts.

Afterwards, the two talked about some cultivation-related matters.

Yuan Hu is currently at the fifth level of Qi Refining. As long as he has enough resources, he will still have the opportunity to reach the Foundation Establishment stage in the future.

······.

With the arrival of the New Year, the Zhou family's home was bustling with activity every day.

People come to visit every day.

Some were familiar, and some were not.

Some sought to befriend him, some asked him to refine weapons, and others sought his guidance...

Some were Foundation Establishment families in the city who invited Zhou Ling to serve as a nominal retainer; others were large shops that invited him to be a guest advisor.

This left Zhou Ling exhausted from dealing with it.

However, all of these visitors brought gifts.

Over the course of a few days, Zhou Ling acquired numerous spiritual items out of thin air, including quite a few second-tier spiritual items.

It made him feel a little embarrassed.

In addition, many people also sought out Zhou Ling to refine spiritual artifacts.

Zhou Ling did not refuse these offers, as refining low-grade spiritual weapons was no longer a significant challenge for him.

Refining two pieces a day is no problem. If the pay is good, I can even manage three pieces by staying up all night.

······.

Late at night, Zhou Ling sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, holding a black thunderstone in his hand.

[You are absorbing a Thunder Crystal Stone. Your physique has been enhanced by +1. You have acquired a Five Elements Thunder Spiritual Body, and your Thunder attribute has been increased by +3.]

[Effect: Physique sublimation reaches level three, physique evolution is doubled]

[Cumulative number of times spiritual items have been absorbed: 1000/10,000]

[Note: The Five Elements Thunder Spiritual Body has been successfully activated.]

"Boom!"

As the lightning from the thunderstone entered Zhou Ling's body, a series of booming sounds resounded within him.

The next second, the Five Elements Thunder Body meridian circulation within his body, which had been faintly visible, gradually became clear.

Zhou Ling was excited, knowing that the Five Elements Thunder Body was about to be successfully awakened.

As the lightning surged, the circulation of the Five Elements Thunder Meridian became increasingly clear, releasing a mysterious aura.

Shortly after.

"Buzz!"

A vast aura emanated from Zhou Ling's body.

At this moment, the circulation of the Five Elements Thunder Body meridians within his body was clearly visible.

It gave him a feeling of endless vitality and boundless power.

The surrounding spiritual energy seemed to be extremely compatible with him, and even without practicing any cultivation techniques, it quickly flowed into his body.

It was even faster than when he practiced his cultivation technique.

Fire and wood elemental energies surged toward him like clearly visible ripples.

It absorbs effortlessly.

"This is the Five Elements Thunder Body!"

Zhou Ling opened his eyes, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement. He had finally successfully activated the Five Elements Thunder Body.

It's important to know that over the past few months, he has invested a huge amount of resources.

Fortunately, the activation speed was accelerated after the [Constitution Enhancement] grade was improved.

(End of this chapter)