Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 2: The New Talent - Searching for Treasure
half a month later.

Zhou Ling became more and more skilled at walking and was already able to jog.

His physical condition has also improved a lot.

At seven months old, apart from some nutritional deficiencies, he was almost the same as a normal baby.

Of course, compared to babies with special physical conditions, they are still far inferior.

"If I were born on the original Blue Star, I would definitely be a monster if I learned to walk in seven months."

"But this is a world of cultivation. Some children from noble families have been taking medicinal baths since they were young and have become incredibly strong. The gap between me and them is too big!"

Zhou Ling dared not relax in the slightest.

Keep walking.

Just then, the door creaked open, and Zhou Shan, a burly man, walked in.

Because he needed to buy enough spiritual food for Zhou Ling these past few months, he spent about twenty days in the desolate region almost every month.

Having endured wind and rain, his face already bore the marks of hardship.

After Zhou Shan entered, he put down the medicine basket he was carrying, which was full of medicinal herbs of unknown names, and then let out a soft breath.

His outer garment was stained with dried, dark blood, which meant he must have encountered a monster again.

Zhou Shan's brows were furrowed, his steps were heavy, and his expression was weary. Coupled with the bloodstains on his clothes, he gave off a sense of vicissitude and a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay.

But the moment he stepped into his home and saw his wife and children, his entire demeanor changed, as if he were an indomitable warrior returning to the home he had protected with his life.

Looking at Zhou Ling pacing back and forth, Zhou Shan, whose face was covered in dust from his journey, smiled gently, looking at the child with doting eyes, and said in a hoarse voice, "Ling'er has been able to travel so far. In a few months, he will be able to go into the mountains with his father to find medicine!"

Li Ru took the basket off him and handed him a damp cloth to wipe his face. "Ling'er is just a little restless, but otherwise very well-behaved. You don't need to worry!"

Seeing the medicinal herbs in the basket, he couldn't help but say, "Why are they all ordinary Seven Star Grass this time?"

Zhou Shan shook his head helplessly and said, "Winter is coming soon, and there are so many people coming into the mountains that it's impossible to find good medicine."

"I'll go into the mountains again the day after tomorrow. I'll try my best to find more before winter comes, so I can earn more spirit stones and buy more spirit beast meat for Ling'er to replenish her blood and energy."

Looking at the bloodstains on his clothes, Li Ru said worriedly, "Sigh, I need to stay home to take care of Ling'er. It's too dangerous for you to go into the mountains alone. Let's wait until the new year to go back!"

Zhou Shan sighed, "We can't go into the mountains for the next few months, so we won't have any income. The child is already weak, so he needs to be fed spirit porridge and beast meat to grow taller."

"In another two years, I may be entering the Dao Academy, so I need to save up more spirit stones."

As Zhou Shan spoke, he smiled at Zhou Ling and said, "Little Ling'er, come here and let Daddy give you a hug!"

Seeing the bloodstains on Zhou Shan's body, Li Ru stopped him and said, "Take a shower and change your clothes first, don't scare the child!"

"I didn't notice!" Zhou Shan nodded. "Get me something to eat, I'm starving!"

"You didn't take that fasting pill again!" Li Ru sighed, with a hint of complaint.

When they went into the mountains to collect herbs, enduring wind and rain, Li Ru also prepared some dry food for him, as well as two fasting pills.

One Bigu Pill costs thirty Fragments of Spirit Stones and can sustain you for two or three days.

After many years of marriage, she could tell from Zhou Shan's expression that he was definitely reluctant to take the fasting pill.

“I’m not hungry in the mountains!” Zhou Shan said with a smile.

Then he walked toward the washroom.

Li Ru shook her head, knowing that her husband was under a lot of pressure to support the family all by himself.

But the child was still too young to help right now, and she murmured, "I'll be able to help once the child goes to the Taoist academy."

Afterwards, she went to the kitchen to prepare food for Zhou Shan.

Zhou Ling unconsciously walked to the basket, hopped around, grabbed the basket, and picked up a few medicinal herbs with her little hands.

The basket was a head taller than him.

[Growth Talent, Mountain Treasure Hunt: Able to sense the aura of surrounding spiritual herbs and treasures. Requirement: Identify a total of thirty types of spiritual herbs.]

"Searching for treasure in the mountains? And identifying medicinal herbs?"

Zhou Ling was stunned for a moment when he saw the prompt that appeared on the panel.

Then he was overjoyed, because Zhou Shan and his wife were medicine seekers, and most of the people they usually interacted with were medicine seekers or demon hunters.

Lingxia Immortal City is just a small border town of the Dao Alliance. Outside, there are desolate mountains and wilderness stretching for thousands of miles, and there are countless spiritual plants, demonic beasts and minerals in the mountains.

However, treasures in the mountains are extremely difficult to obtain. Firstly, there are demonic beasts in the mountains, which pose a huge threat to human cultivators. Secondly, venturing deep into the desolate region will lead to encounters with evil mist.

Once a medicinal herb is tainted by the evil mist, it loses its essence and becomes extremely difficult to find.

Herbalists like Zhou Shan usually only find common herbs.

If you can find a first-grade high-quality spiritual herb, one of them will cost several low-grade spiritual stones.

If I possess such talent, finding medicinal herbs in the mountains will be a piece of cake in the future.

Combine that with a crisis response strategy, and you'll be set for life!

Zhou Ling thought to himself, "This seems to be Seven Star Grass, which is usually used to refine ordinary talisman paper."

Zhou Ling murmured.

During this time, he also became familiar with some medicinal herbs through exposure to them.

[Identify Seven-Star Grass, Search the Mountain for Treasure +1]

"That's great!"

Holding the Seven Star Grass, Zhou Ling felt that it was different from before.

It could be sensed that this spiritual herb had been growing for about three years, was full of vitality, and had just been picked recently.

"Ling'er, be careful not to fall!"

Li Ru, who was carrying a plate of stir-fried vegetables, came out of the kitchen and saw this scene, so she put the plate on the wooden table.

He rushed over and hugged Zhou Ling.

"Mother, what kind of magical herb is this?"

Zhou Ling asked in a childish voice.

Although only seven months old, Zhou Ling is extremely talented in language and can already speak short sentences.

“My good son, this is Seven Star Grass. One plant can sell for six or seven pieces of spirit fragments.”

"The medicinal herbs your father has been gathering these past few days could sell for seven or eight spirit stones!"

Li Ru said softly.

"what is this?"

Zhou Ling waved her fair and delicate little hand again, picked up another spiritual herb, and asked.

"Son, you're so young and you're already interested in spiritual herbs. You should become an alchemist someday."

"This is the Spirit Eye Grass, a rather uncommon spiritual herb. It has a remarkable effect on improving eyesight when consumed."

Li Ru said to Zhou Ling with a smile.

[Identify the Spirit Eye Grass, Search the Mountain for Treasure +1]

Seeing the heartwarming scene of Li Ru holding her child, Zhou Shan, after taking a shower and changing his clothes, immediately felt all the hardship and fatigue on his body disappear.

"Being an alchemist isn't that easy."

"Ling'er, are you hungry? Come and eat with us!"

Zhou Shan smiled broadly.

She quickly took a big gulp of the fragrant and sticky spirit rice porridge, and sighed with relief, "So comfortable!"

Although it was just ordinary rice cooked with the cheapest spiritual rice, Li Ru's cooking skills were excellent, and Zhou Shan ate with great relish.

"If our son really becomes an alchemist in the future, then we will be blessed!"

Li Ruyi, holding Zhou Ling in one arm and a medicine basket in the other, sat down on the bench next to Zhou Shan.

The midday sun shone into the room, casting shimmering shadows that fell upon Zhou Ling.

Zhou Shan turned to the side and pinched Zhou Ling's soft little face with his left hand, which wasn't holding the bowl, and chuckled, "We rogue cultivators have neither inheritance nor resources, so becoming an alchemist isn't very realistic."

"I would be very satisfied if Ling'er could become a talisman master or a weapon refiner in the future!"

"Yes, I hope my son can enter the Taoist academy in the future!" Li Ru ladled a bowl of meat soup for Zhou Shan and said with a smile.

This is the spirit beast meat soup that I stew every day to nourish Zhou Ling's body.

Zhou Ling had just eaten spirit rice porridge and wasn't hungry. He looked at the medicine basket in front of Li Ru.

The couple began discussing their child's future enrollment at Lingxia Taoist Temple.

From their conversation, Zhou Ling learned that the most popular professions in this world are array masters, alchemists, rune masters, and weapon refiners.

Generally, children between the ages of two and three need to have their spiritual roots tested at a Taoist temple.

Children with spiritual roots and cultivation talents can begin their pre-cultivation education at the Taoist academy and enter the preschool class.

A kindergarten similar to the one on Earth.

Of course, what is taught is the basic knowledge of cultivation.

The Taoist academy begins to separate students around the age of seven or eight. Different children choose different cultivation professions based on their different talents and abilities, and their status also changes at this time. They are considered to be outer disciples of the Lingxia Immortal Sect.

Of course, this process will filter out some people.

If they perform well later, they can become inner disciples or direct disciples.

That status is completely different, far beyond what ordinary rogue cultivators can compare to.

However, the probability of becoming an inner disciple of the Lingxia Sect is extremely low, less than one in ten each year.

(End of this chapter)