Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 236 Unexpected Rewards and Preparations
In Qingyang Immortal City, at the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, inside a lavishly decorated room.

Four people were sitting down.

They are Zhou Ling and his wife, Qin Zhizheng and Lu Yunxi.

Lu Yunxi took out a projection jade and then opened it.

A scene of other Heavenly Craftsmen refining treasures appeared before everyone's eyes.

"This is He Yunshan, a direct descendant of the He family, one of the four great families of Qingyang Immortal City. The He family mainly focuses on weapon crafting, and He Yunshan is also a Thousand Fire Spirit Body, which is extremely advantageous for weapon crafting. He is also the most popular candidate to win this championship."

"At eighteen years old, with the cultivation level of the late Foundation Establishment stage, he is now able to refine third-grade low-level treasures, and there are even rumors that he has successfully refined a third-grade mid-level treasure."

"The technique for refining magical artifacts comes from the 'Thousand Artifacts Manual' passed down by the He family, which is also one of the top ten artifact refining manuals in the Dao Alliance."

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"This is Bai Jing, a direct descendant of the Bai family, one of the four great families of Qingyang Immortal City. She is seventeen years old, has a late Foundation Establishment cultivation level, and possesses innate spiritual eyes that can distinguish the quality of spiritual herbs. She is already able to refine third-tier pills."

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"This is Lu Yi, a genius young man from the Heavenly Crafts Bureau of Qingyang Immortal City. He is seventeen years old and has the cultivation level of late Foundation Establishment. Although he was born as a rogue cultivator, he encountered a famous master. In addition, he has the Golden Fire Spirit Body, which allows him to refining third-grade low-level treasures stably."

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Through the visuals, Zhou Ling, with the help of [Intermediate Observation] and [Intermediate Analysis], was able to roughly discern the strength of these opponents.

Indeed, none of them should be underestimated.

The gap between the inner court geniuses of Xuan Yuan Dao Academy and these people is obvious.

These people can be considered the most outstanding group in the entire Qingyang Immortal Realm.

They will also be the personnel who control the Heavenly Crafts Bureau of the Qingyang Immortal Realm in the future.

After all, these people are now second or third-rank stewards of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

Of course, with his current strength, there's no need to worry too much.

there is always a solution to a problem.

"The competition for Tianwei this year is far greater than in previous years."

"With Zhou Ling's strength, he would have had a high probability of becoming a Heavenly Guardian, but given the situation this year, he will have to give it his all!"

Looking at the situation on the screen, Qin Zhizheng frowned slightly and said to Zhou Ling.

He was well aware of the strength of the Heavenly Guards appearing in the scene.

Although Zhou Ling was equally strong, he suffered from lower cultivation level.

They barely made it into the top ten.

Making it into the top five is quite a challenge.

"Zhizheng, the Tiangongwei personnel who participated in this year's assessment are all of very high caliber. Can't we add one or two more slots?"

Lu Yunxi asked.

Qin Zhizheng shook his head and smiled, "The rules set by the Heavenly Crafts Bureau can't be changed just like that."

Seemingly sensing their concern for him, Zhou Ling felt it necessary to say something.

"Zhizheng, Sister Yunxi, don't worry, I will do my best!"

Qin Zhizheng nodded, "Our Qingyun Immortal City hasn't had a Heavenly Guardian for several decades."

"Of course, this is also because the opponent is too strong."

"So, as long as you've done your best, even if you don't pass, you can try again next year."

"After all, your cultivation level is still somewhat lower compared to others!"

Qin Zhizheng felt it was necessary to reduce the pressure on Zhou Ling. Although this assessment was very important, Zhou Ling had a long road ahead of him and needed to take a long-term view.

Moreover, given Zhou Ling's level, if he were to spend another year honing his skills, his chances of becoming a Heavenly Guardian would undoubtedly increase significantly next year as his cultivation level improves.

Even if it doesn't pass this year, it's not a big deal.

However, to encourage Zhou Ling and put his mind at ease, Qin Zhizheng smiled and said, "If you can obtain the Heavenly Guard this time, there is a spiritual land in Qingyun Immortal City."

"Before I set off, Lord Li told me that this sacred land would be a reward for you, to be used as your family's land in the future."

Hearing this, Zhou Ling was also overjoyed. He hadn't expected that even the City Lord of Qingyun Immortal City would value this Heavenly Guard spot so much.

He immediately cupped his hands and said, "This disciple will certainly strive for it!"

My initial purpose in joining the Demon Slayer Clan was to gain military merits in exchange for sacred land.

However, the more than 1,000 military merits he earned from killing the Blood Soul Cult cultivators last time were already quite substantial.

You can also exchange it for a sacred land.

However, it is only a second-tier spiritual land, and its area is not large.

Therefore, Zhou Ling plans to accumulate more merits, reaching approximately three thousand military merits, in order to exchange them for a sacred land to establish his family.

Now, as long as you pass the Heavenly Guardian's assessment, you can obtain a spiritual land in Qingyun Immortal City to establish a family.

This naturally delighted him.

Now that he has started a family and established a career, he naturally wants to have his own family.

After all, it's not a good idea to always live in the houses provided by the Tiangong Company.

Hearing about the reward, Zhou Ling was greatly encouraged. No matter what, he was determined to pass the Heavenly Guardian assessment this time.

"Zhizheng, if we can win the championship, will this spiritual land be even larger?"

Zhou Ling added spiritual tea to Qin Zhizheng and Lu Yunxi's cups and asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhizheng and Lu Yunxi were both stunned.

I originally thought that Zhou Ling would feel a lot of pressure after seeing the commemorative photo.

Little did they know that Zhou Ling was actually thinking about the question of who would become the leader.

Is this kid really that confident in himself?
Perhaps because of the photo, Zhou Ling did not realize how powerful these opponents were.

Qin Zhizheng thought to himself.

However, since Zhou Ling was so confident, he couldn't discourage him further, since sometimes confidence can lead to great performance.

He nodded and said, "The reward will naturally be even greater if we can win the championship!"

"Alright, no matter what, I will fight for the championship for Qingyun Immortal City this time!"

Zhou Ling said calmly.

Hearing this, Qin Zhizheng felt a little regretful. He had only intended to motivate Zhou Ling, which was why he mentioned the reward for the spiritual land of Qingyun Immortal City.

If he doesn't become a Heavenly Guardian this time, it might be a significant blow to his confidence.

After all, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Having worked at the Tiangong Division for decades, he had met many geniuses.

Only those geniuses who truly grow up can be considered true geniuses.

Many people encounter setbacks and misfortunes along the way, and never recover.

Qin Zhizheng naturally did not want Zhou Ling to perish like this.

After thinking about it, I felt that it was necessary to put some pressure on Zhou Ling and not let him be blindly confident.

He then turned to Lu Yunxi and asked, "Yunxi, what treasures did the Heavenly Guards provide for this assessment?"

"This time, the weapon forging involves the creation of a triple-layered sword."

"As for pills, it's the third-tier Haoyuan Pill."

"The runes are third-tier sword runes."

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"Choosing to refine the above treasures will grant five bonus points."

Lu Yunxi said slowly.

Although she also felt in her heart that it would be difficult for Zhou Ling to win the championship.

From the first time I met Zhou Ling in Lingxia Immortal City until now, every time this guy competes, he seems to have no hope.

But he always comes out on top in the end.

Of course, this time the opponents are completely different; they are all absolute geniuses from the Qingyang Immortal Realm.

Therefore, it would be extremely difficult for Zhou Ling to become the champion.

On the contrary, Xin'er was very confident in her husband.

Of course, putting everything else aside, just hearing about the Haoyuan Pill told her how difficult it was to obtain.

This Haoyuan Pill is considered a difficult pill to make even among third-tier pills.

"It's actually the Triple Sword!"

Upon hearing Lu Yunxi's introduction, Qin Zhizheng's face showed surprise.

He then explained to Zhou Ling, "Although this Triple Sword is a low-grade third-tier sword, its difficulty is no less than that of a mid-grade third-tier sword."

"It contains three layers of sword seals, composed of three attributes." "Maintaining its stability is very difficult."

"The forging of the entire sword seal is difficult to be done in one go; it requires drawing individual attribute sword seals one by one."

"When drawing sword imprints with other attributes, if you are not careful, the previous sword imprints may be ruined."

"That would render the entire sword seal useless!"

"Moreover, it takes a lot of time just to master an unfamiliar sword seal."

"But this assessment only lasts for two hours."

"Although I am a fourth-grade weapon refiner, I have never been able to successfully refine this triple sword seal."

Hearing Qin Zhizheng's words, Zhou Ling and the others were also surprised.

I never expected Tianwei's assessment to be so difficult.

Although this triple sword seal is a low-grade third-order technique, its difficulty is far greater than that.

"Therefore, among the Heavenly Craftsmen who participated in this assessment, there are probably not many who will choose this Triple Sword."

"Although five bonus points is not bad, it's too difficult and not worth the risk."

"Zhou Ling, what do you think?"

Qin Zhizheng continued.

Zhou Ling hesitated for a moment.

According to the rules of this competition, the treasure to be refined must be determined today.

Undoubtedly, forging this triple-layered sword carries a much higher risk than forging a familiar artifact.

Moreover, Qin Zhizheng's analysis makes a lot of sense.

Mastering a third-tier inscription takes a considerable amount of time.

Some might not be able to master this third-tier inscription even in a single day.

Furthermore, this assessment is a one-off event, so the more familiar you are with the process, the better.
However, choosing this inscription will give you five bonus points, which is equivalent to the difference between a Grade A rating and a Grade A superior rating.

That's quite a lot.

If everyone can refine a Tier 3 treasure, then these five points will be the key to widening the gap between them.

Moreover, at his own speed, the Qianyang True Fire has now reached the fourth rank, and the [Restore to Original State] talent has also reached the fourth level.

Perhaps two hours will be enough to prepare and refine two tier-three treasures.

He immediately spoke up, "Zhizheng, can I choose this Triple Sword and also a magical artifact that I am good at crafting?"

In the past, he would naturally have preferred to play it safe and choose to forge the third-tier Fire Cloud Sword, which he was most familiar with.

But now, he needs to demonstrate his talent and gain sufficient status within the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

Even if he faces pressure from the Wang family in the future, he will not be without a way to deal with it.

Therefore, he chose to select the Triple Sword.

Winning the championship directly like this would have a completely different effect.

This might bring them to the attention of the higher-ups at Tiangongsi, which would then allow them to acquire more resources.

Their social status will also change drastically.

Zhou Ling hadn't taken these things to heart before, but now, with the pressure from the Wang family, things were completely different.

Qin Zhizheng and Lu Yunxi were both surprised to hear that Zhou Ling had chosen the Triple Sword.

In their view, Zhou Ling was not a blindly arrogant person.

He must have had his reasons for making this choice.

Qin Zhizheng thought Zhou Ling was just worried about the other opponents, who were too powerful.

So I decided to go all in and take a gamble.

He immediately said, "You can choose two magical artifacts, but the assessment will only last for two hours."

"You should think this through. Even I can't forge two third-tier magical artifacts within two hours."

"Moreover, I have tried this triple sword technique before."

"The preparation work, such as preparing the spirit ink, will take a lot of time. If you fail, even if you have enough spiritual power in your body, it will probably be difficult to try to refine another treasure."

"So you need to think this through carefully!"

Of course, this was just his advice to Zhou Ling.

Ultimately, it will depend on Zhou Ling's performance.

So whether or not to accept it is up to Zhou Ling to decide.

If Zhou Ling wants to take a gamble, he will support him, after all, following the established path is better.

Given the strength of these examinees, it will be quite difficult for Zhou Ling to enter the top five.

"Thank you for the reminder, Master, but I still want to take a gamble!"

Zhou Ling replied decisively.

"Good, it's good that you're confident!"

Qin Zhizheng nodded. Since Zhou Ling had already made up his mind, he would not try to persuade him any further.

Young people have their own youthful vigor, and naturally they cannot always seek to be cautious and steady.

Afterwards, Lu Yunxi left the room to register Zhou Ling.

Qin Zhizheng then explained the specifics of the three-layered sword seal to Zhou Ling.

These three stacked sword seals don't actually have any specific attributes; they can be composed of three different attributes.

It can also be one or two single attributes.

Therefore, even cultivators with a single spiritual root will not be affected when refining it.

Of course, for such an important test as the Heavenly Guard, this Triple Sword would be chosen.

That makes it quite difficult.

Not only in the refining of inscriptions.

This includes the forging of sword blades, the research and development of spiritual ink, and so on.

None of them are easy.

Take the forging of the sword body as an example.

It requires refining and fusing three different types of Tier 3 main materials, which is quite challenging in itself.

Moreover, to complete it in a short time, it would be very difficult to do so using only earth fire, even fourth-order earth fire.

Therefore, cultivators must circulate their own spiritual flames or use their magical power for assistance.

Moreover, after the three materials are refined, a third-order spirit fusion crystal needs to be added.

The three elements are fully integrated and then refined into shape.

This process requires extremely precise control of the flames and cannot be rushed.

Once the three-layered sword embryo is forged, it can be used to forge three-attribute sword seals.

The attributes of the sword seal must be the same as those of the material.

To prepare spirit ink with three different attributes, third-tier materials are also required.

This process is also extremely time-consuming.

Any deviation in this process will affect the refining results.

According to Qin Zhizheng, when he tried to refine it, the time spent refining the spirit ink alone was more than two hours.

Of course, the most important challenge lies in crafting the three-attribute sword seal.

The three sword imprints with different attributes must be drawn and connected without the slightest error.

After listening to Qin Zhizheng's introduction, Zhou Ling also felt that the difficulty of forging this triple-layered sword was somewhat beyond his expectations.

However, he had his own methods.

Now that he possesses the Five Elements Spirit Flame, he can choose materials with three attributes to refine the flame simultaneously.

It saved a lot of time.

In addition, he directly replaced the spirit ink with spirit flame, which was even more effective than spirit ink.

As for the three-attribute sword seal, that was something he was good at.

This analysis actually boosted Zhou Ling's confidence considerably.

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(End of this chapter)