Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 238 A Surprising Move
"This year's disciples are quite talented, much better than in previous years."

"There are sixteen people who can refine third-tier treasures. This is the strongest group I have encountered in recent years!"

On the judges' panel, Ye Zhishou looked at the information of the cultivators being assessed in front of him and said with a smile.

"Yes, he was able to refine third-tier treasures before the age of twenty. If nothing unexpected happens, his future achievements will not be lower than those of a fifth-tier mage."

"The abundance of outstanding technicians is a unique advantage of the Qingyang Immortal Realm."

Dean Shen, with a rosy complexion, took a sip of spiritual tea and spoke with a smile.

In his view, the fact that the Heavenly Crafts Bureau has so many elite Heavenly Crafts Guards is inseparable from the training provided by the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy.

"This is all thanks to the excellent teaching of Xuan Yuan Dao Academy!"

Ye Zhishou also spoke up with a smile.

Both of them were seventh-tier mages and had known each other for many years, so they still had some tacit understanding.

"Xuanyuan Academy has indeed cultivated many talents."

"But this time, many of these Heavenly Craftsmen are from our Tianxia Dao Academy."

The head of the He family, He Xiao, who had been squinting, smiled and said.

Besides being the head of the He family, he is also the dean of the Tianxia Dao Academy's Technical Court.

He has made significant contributions to the rapid progress that Tianxia Academy has made in its techniques over the years.

"Moreover, among these sixteen disciples who have refined third-tier treasures, three of the first five are from the Tianxia Dao Academy."

"This year there are only five Heavenly Guard slots. It would be difficult for the cultivators of your Xuan Yuan Dao Academy to get even two."

The head of the He family chuckled smugly.

Upon hearing this, Dean Shen, who had been all smiles, suddenly turned serious. Over the years, Tianxia Academy had put in a lot of effort to attract students.

They also used many underhanded tactics to secretly steal many disciples from Xuan Yuan Dao Academy.

He also held Tianxia Dao Academy's methods in utter disdain.

However, what the head of the He family said is also an indisputable fact.

In recent years, Tianxia Taoist Academy has indeed made rapid progress in its techniques.

Even among the top five disciples in this year's Heavenly Guardian assessment, three are from the Tianxia Dao Academy.

If they get three out of the five Heavenly Guard slots, then the reputation of Xuan Yuan Dao Academy will be ruined.

Especially He Yunshan of the He family, this young man has an amazing talent for refining weapons. At a young age, he has already mastered the He family's "Thousand Weapon Technique" and is also a Thousand Flame Spirit Body, which is a unique advantage.

This time, the one with the highest popularity is Tianwei, and is ranked first.

Of course, in the skill competitions between Xuan Yuan Dao Academy and Tian Xia Dao Academy in previous years, this young man almost always emerged victorious.

Their strength speaks for itself.

It would be difficult for others to compete with him.

Moreover, Bai Jing and Lu Yi are also quite talented.

One ranked second, and the other fourth.

The two cultivators from Xuan Yuan Dao Academy, Wu Huan and Lin Hao, are quite strong, but it will be difficult for them to defeat He Yunshan and Bai Jing.

"Although this batch of Heavenly Craftsmen is quite strong, they are all too conservative, and their future achievements will be limited!"

"Out of the sixteen people, only one dared to choose the assessment treasure provided by the Heavenly Crafts Bureau."

"At such a young age, if you don't even have this much courage, even if you become a Heavenly Guard, you'll be nothing more than this."

Qiao Daojian, a burly man standing to the side, played with his prayer beads and said with a slightly disdainful expression.

Upon hearing this, the other four realized what the sixteen exceptionally talented Heavenly Craftsmen had chosen to refine.

As my gaze swept across...

Sure enough, it was discovered that the sixteenth-ranked Heavenly Craftsman had chosen to forge the Triple Sword.

“Zhou Ling, fifteen years old, early stage of Foundation Establishment, I’ve never heard of this kid before.”

Ye Zhishou said with a smile.

Whether or not one can become a Tianwei is of great significance to Tiangongwei.

Choosing to refine treasures one is familiar with is a rule set by the Heavenly Crafts Bureau to allow cultivators to fully demonstrate their talents.

Therefore, most of the Heavenly Craftsmen choose to refine treasures they are familiar with, which allows them to showcase their talents and ensures a high success rate.

This is understandable.

Of course, in order to allow cultivators to fully demonstrate their abilities, the difficulty of crafting treasures is also increased.

It encourages courageous cultivators to take on challenges.

After all, the path of cultivation is like rowing against the current; it's impossible to be sure of everything.

Only those with unwavering courage can be fearless.

“I do know this little guy, Zhou Ling.”

"He is my Zhou family's son-in-law."

"Not bad!"

The head of the Wang family also saw Zhou Ling's information.

Although he was somewhat dissatisfied that Zhou Ling had married Wang Xin without asking for his opinion.

But now Zhou Ling is at least Wang Xin's husband, so he's practically a member of the Wang family.

He was quite surprised that someone of his age and cultivation level could forge a third-tier treasure.

When I looked at Zhou Ling's information last time, it didn't mention that he could refine third-tier treasures. His improvement speed is too fast.

This way, it doesn't count as disgracing the Wang family.

Therefore, he still felt it necessary to explain to everyone.

As for Zhou Ling's choice to forge the Triple Sword, it's likely because he knew that with his cultivation level, defeating others would be extremely difficult.

That's why I made this choice, aiming to gain extra points.

But how could the three-tiered sword be so easily obtained?

Of course, given Zhou Ling's age, this might just be a test to accumulate experience.

If things continue like this, he might be able to become a Heavenly Guardian next year or the year after.

After all, given his age, he can still participate for four more years.

"I never expected that he would be the son-in-law of the Wang family."

"Patriarch Wang has excellent judgment!"

"This kid has guts, he's interesting!"

"I am a Daoist priest," Qi said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the Wang family head was taken aback. He was also familiar with Qi Daojian.

Arrogant and talented, he might not even take Ye Zhishou and Dean Shen seriously.

Why would they speak up for Zhou Ling?
"To dare to forge a triple-layered sword in the early stages of Foundation Establishment is probably a sign of desperation."

"Knowing that even if we forge other magical artifacts, we still won't be able to win, we might as well take a gamble."

"Admittedly, the path of cultivation sometimes requires courage, but this kind of choice is more impractical!"

The head of the He family smiled calmly.

Among the current batch of Heavenly Craftsmen, He Yunshan, a direct descendant of the He family, ranks first. Qiao Daojian's words were nothing more than a mockery of He Yunshan's lack of courage.

Future achievements are limited.

Given He Yunshan's talent and the resources of the He family, he believed that He Yunshan would have no problem becoming a seventh-grade weapon refiner in the future.

He might even reach the eighth rank, leading the He family to a higher level and becoming one of the top ten families in the Dao Alliance.

"Indeed impressive. At such a young age, to be able to forge a third-tier treasure, and to be a rogue cultivator at that."

"He is still an inner disciple of the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy in Qingyun Immortal City!"

Upon seeing Zhou Ling's information, Dean Shen's eyes lit up, and he praised her.

Regardless of whether Zhou Ling can forge the Triple Sword.

But his experience is enough to show that Xuan Yuan Dao Academy can cultivate outstanding disciples.

In recent years, Lu Yi has been a representative of the independent disciples of Tianxia Taoist Academy, while He Yunshan has been a representative of the disciples from aristocratic families.

Both of them are quite strong, and they are definitely a step ahead of the disciples of Xuan Yuan Dao Academy.

This has also been one of the reasons why Xuan Yuan Dao Academy has lost many high-quality students in recent years.

Zhou Ling is a rogue cultivator, still quite young, with a Heavenly Rank Foundation Establishment, and capable of crafting third-tier treasures.

All of this was achieved after entering the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy.

This perfectly aligns with the image the Taoist academy is heavily promoting. Why didn't I discover a disciple like Zhou Ling sooner?
"Haha, they're all great!"

"To become a third-rank Heavenly Craftsman Guard before the age of twenty, they are all pillars of the Dao Alliance in the future!"

"Whether it's playing it safe or taking a gamble, as long as we can become a Heavenly Guardian, that's a victory!"

"As for the final results? We'll see how they perform!"

Ye Zhishou laughed heartily as he spoke.

It was clear that neither Dean Shen nor the head of the He family were willing to concede to the other, and there was a hint of hostility in their tone.

Add to that the unruly and arrogant Supervisor Qiao.

He couldn't control the situation, so he just laughed it off and smoothed things over.

And then the melodious and deep sound of the bell rang out.

Ye Zhishou then stood up and announced loudly, "The Qingyang Immortal Realm Heavenly Guard Assessment officially begins this year."

"All Tiangongwei personnel participating in the assessment must abide by the assessment regulations."

As Ye Zhishou finished speaking, a light shield condensed on each contestant's assessment platform.

Separate them from the other players.

With this protective shield, whatever happens during the refining process will not affect the other contestants.

Zhou Ling is on the assessment platform.

Zhou Ling slowly opened his eyes, looking calm and composed.

He never expected that simply by choosing to forge the Triple Sword, he would become the target of discussion among the five judges.

You should know that these five people are all very famous figures in Qingyang Immortal City.

If you can win the favor of any one of them, your future will be limitless.

Zhou Lingxuan immediately broke the seal and took out the materials for forging the Triple Sword from his storage bag.

Li Huo Jin Jing, Zi Xin Mu, Tai Yi Jin Shi, and Geng Jin, etc.

Each material is of tier 3, and there is only one copy available.

It means that if you fail once, you fail completely.

Although Zhou Ling was very confident, he was not careless. He took out the materials and examined them carefully, one by one.

Through intermediate observation and intermediate analysis, analyze the properties, advantages, and disadvantages of the material.

After confirming that there were no problems, he took out the Ziyang Furnace and placed it in front of him.

These materials were placed into the furnace one by one, and then the Qianyang True Fire was condensed and used to temper them with fierce fire.

[You are currently using Spirit Flame to refine materials. Sixth Transformation +1, Refining Material Shrinkage +2]

As the True Fire of Qianyang enveloped the materials inside the furnace, a notification appeared on the panel. Zhou Ling sensed that the materials began to melt quickly after coming into contact with the spiritual flame.

The Qianyang True Fire was originally a fourth-grade spiritual flame, which gave it a great advantage in refining third-grade materials.

With the activation of the [Six Transformations] talent, the hardness of these Tier 3 materials is now only at the level of Tier 2 high-grade materials.

This speed is naturally extremely fast.

A sudden raging fire tempers true gold.

However, there are quite a few materials, so it won't melt completely in a very short time.

However, as the difficulty of refining materials decreases, the consumption of Qianyang True Fire is not significant.

"Fourth-grade Spirit Flame!"

"A Foundation Establishment stage cultivator actually possesses a fourth-grade spirit flame!"

"Is this kid really a rogue cultivator?"

Dean Shen will be paying extra attention to Zhou Ling now.

He had a plan in mind: to make Zhou Ling the image ambassador for Xuan Yuan Dao Academy.

This little guy is perfect in every way.

What surprised him even more was that Zhou Ling used a fourth-grade spiritual flame right away.

Generally speaking, a Foundation Establishment cultivator absolutely cannot withstand a fourth-grade spiritual flame.

Moreover, an expert's skill is immediately apparent upon making a move.

Zhou Ling's skill in manipulating spiritual flames to refine materials is definitely not low.

He could sense that although the flames inside Zhou Ling's furnace were intense, the control of the heat was extremely precise.

This level of fire control is absolutely superb.

"Tsk tsk tsk! How did this little guy do that?"

"A fourth-grade spirit flame, no wonder he dared to choose the Triple Sword, interesting!"

Supervisor Qiao's eyes lit up as well.

As soon as Zhou Ling made a move, he could tell that this kid was quite strong.

There is also considerable anticipation regarding his ability to forge the Triple Sword.

He looked down on the other so-called prodigies on the field who didn't even have the courage to choose the Heavenly Crafts Bureau's assessment treasures.

He was young but lacked ambition and drive, and in his view, he was destined for greatness.

"A fourth-grade fire-attribute spirit flame?"

The head of the He family frowned slightly as he watched Zhou Ling manipulate the spiritual flames.

With He Yunshan's physique, which is now close to the peak of Foundation Establishment and the Thousand Flame Spirit Body, he only currently controls a mid-stage third-grade Obsidian Flame.

How did this kid, who is only in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, manage to control a fourth-grade spiritual flame?

Of course, even with the fourth-grade spirit flame, in his opinion, Zhou Ling's cultivation level was simply insufficient to forge the Triple Sword.

So he turned his gaze to the other people.

The Wang family head was even more surprised. He remembered that the last time Zhou Ling was at the Wang family, his spirit flame was only of the third grade.

But it's been less than half a year, and it's already a fourth-grade spirit flame?

It should be understood that the growth of a spiritual flame is extremely long, and some may not be able to reach the first grade even after decades.

Especially the transition from the third to the fourth rank, which requires a long time.

Moreover, this spiritual flame must be of a quality of at least the Xuan grade.

This truly shocked him.

If he knew that the reason Zhou Ling's Qianyang True Fire was able to improve so quickly was mainly because it absorbed the spiritual essence of the Wang family's ancestral flame.

He would probably find that even more unbelievable.

Ye Zhishou smiled, having discovered another genius.

"This is a fourth-grade spirit flame?"

"Who is that person? How can someone with only Foundation Establishment cultivation be able to control a fourth-grade spiritual flame?"

"How can this be?"

"And it's only the early stage of Foundation Establishment, am I seeing things?"

"And he chose the extremely difficult Triple Sword technique?"

Is this a case of exceptional skill and daring, or simply ignorance and recklessness?

"This person is Zhou Ling, a third-rank Heavenly Craftsman Guard from the Heavenly Craftsmanship Division of Qingyun Immortal City!"

"But with this level of cultivation, how long can one control a fourth-grade spiritual flame?"

······
The intense aura of the Qianyang True Fire in Zhou Ling's hand was clearly superior to the spiritual flames held by other cultivators around him.

It immediately attracted the audience's attention.

Every cultivator present knew that it was impossible for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to control a fourth-grade spiritual flame.

Many people exclaimed in surprise and started asking about Zhou Ling's situation.

After all, those Tiangong Guards who can participate in this kind of assessment are the elite of the elite.

However, his ability to control a fourth-grade spiritual flame caused quite a stir among the audience.

Zhou Ling, on the other hand, focused on refining the materials.

[You are currently using Spirit Flame to refine materials. Sixth Reincarnation Change +1, Refinement Material Scale +2]

About half an hour later, a notification sound rang out.

Once all the materials inside the furnace had melted, Zhou Ling began to infuse the furnace with incantations, using the spiritual flames to shape the sword embryo.

As the incantations for forging the sword blank were poured into the furnace, the shape of the Triple Sword slowly condensed.

(End of this chapter)