Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 248 The Competition Among the Four Great Academies Begins

In the training room.

Zhou Ling sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his expression solemn.

The spiritual flames within the Qi Sea boiled and rolled, circulating within the meridians.

The intense flames illuminated his body, causing his spiritual energy to radiate a mysterious five-colored light.

"call!"

Zhou Ling opened her eyes and gently exhaled.

"This Golden Core Spirit Flame Technique is truly mysterious!"

"Use the spiritual flame to condense the pill fire and store spiritual power."

"Moreover, the spiritual energy it stores is consistent with the attributes of the spiritual flame."

"When we prepare to form the Golden Core, the pill fire in the Spirit Flame will be integrated into the Golden Core, which will greatly improve the quality of the Golden Core."

Zhou Ling looked inward at the spiritual flames in his dantian and thought to himself.

Having just grasped the Golden Core Spirit Flame Technique, he tried practicing it for a while.

He found that the effect was much better than he had expected.

Lingyan absorbed spiritual energy extremely quickly, even faster than he could circulate the Five Elements Qianyang True Technique.

This secret technique directly increased his cultivation speed by more than double.

It's equivalent to having five spiritual flames simultaneously aiding his cultivation.

"This Golden Core Spirit Flame Technique is not only fast, but also has no bottlenecks in the cultivation process, and the progress will be faster the more you cultivate it."

"Moreover, since my five spiritual flames have different attributes, the spiritual power I condense can also possess some of the attributes of the spiritual flames."

"This is even more powerful than the spiritual energy I cultivate myself."

"At this rate, it won't be more than a month before we reach the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!"

"Moreover, cultivating five spiritual flames simultaneously provides a solid foundation, so when I break through to the Golden Core stage, I won't have too much trouble over the mana barrier!"

Feeling the aura of the spiritual flame, Zhou Ling couldn't help but exclaim excitedly.

What he was pursuing was a Heavenly Grade Golden Elixir, and given his own Five Elements attributes, obtaining a Heavenly Grade Golden Elixir would be extremely difficult.

Now that he has this Golden Core Spirit Flame Technique, the problem of his mana progress is easily solved.

With this Golden Core Spirit Flame Technique, his magical power is not only strong and solid, but also fast.

"Moreover, the spiritual energy is stored in the pill fire, and once it is unleashed, the overall combat power will increase several times!"

Zhou Ling thought to himself, then shook his head.

Now that he has established a family, and is both a Heavenly Craftsman and a Heavenly Guardian and a Taoist instructor, he has plenty of resources.

As long as the workshop is well-managed and has sufficient resources, there is absolutely no need for fighting and killing.

Of course, sometimes crises are unpredictable.

Moreover, if one wants to become the Chief Craftsman of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, the initial Foundation Establishment stage is indeed somewhat insufficient.

It should be noted that Qin Zhizheng is a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Even if the Heavenly Crafts Bureau intends to cultivate me with all its might, my cultivation level must be convincing enough.

Ideally, one should be able to form the core in the shortest possible time.

Of course, Zhou Ling also knew that it was a bit unrealistic for someone at the third level of Foundation Establishment to be thinking about forming the Core Formation.

However, since they have already begun cultivating the Core Formation Spirit Flame Technique, other necessary preparations also need to begin.

As far as Zhou Ling knew, the only pill that could help condense a Heavenly Grade Golden Core was called the Golden Jade Pill.

Moreover, he is of the Five Elements attribute and needs the Five Elements Gold Rejuvenation Elixir.

This makes the refining process even more difficult.

Fortunately, both of his current identities provide him with ways to obtain these elixirs.

However, it requires quite a few points.

Even if he were a Heavenly Guardian, he would still need 3,000 points to exchange for the Golden Jade Pill.

"At the current pace of cultivation, I should be able to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment within three years."

"Now I can earn more than 200 points a month, and it's not difficult to earn 3,000 points in three years."

Zhou Ling was making plans in his mind.

I originally thought it was a bit too early to be thinking about forming the Golden Core.

But if you do the math, it's only been three years, so we really should prepare properly.

In addition to his own cultivation resources, he also had to consider the situation of Xin'er and his mother's family.

This will require a lot of resources.

"Let's not think about that too much for now. Let's gather the other four spiritual items needed to condense the core fire for the Golden Core Spirit Flame Technique first."

Zhou Ling's gaze shifted, and he thought to himself.

This time, the Profound Origin Fire Lotus was integrated into the Qi Sea, fusing with the Qianyang True Fire.

The elixir fire, condensed into the True Yang Flame, allows it to absorb spiritual energy at a speed far exceeding that of the other four spiritual flames.

Therefore, we also need to find a way to gather the spiritual materials needed to condense the pill fire for the four spiritual flames.

According to the records in the Golden Elixir Spirit Flame Technique, a third-order condensed fire substance like the Profound Origin Fire Lotus can be fused and refined into a Spirit Flame Elixir.

Of course, not just any spiritual object will do; it must also be able to withstand the flames of the main spirit's fire.

"Go back and look for it at the Taoist temple or the Heavenly Crafts Bureau!"

At this moment, Zhou Ling stopped thinking about it. There were many things to do next, and he could only take it one step at a time.

After calming down a bit, he took out a third-tier inscription and, according to Wang Qingshang's request, searched for a suitable inscription.

It must possess both formidable magical defense and spiritual defense.

After searching for a long time, I found that none of the third-tier low-grade inscriptions met the requirements.

Zhou Ling could only choose to refine two low-grade third-tier inscriptions at the same time.

This significantly increased the workload, but there was no other way.

It is indeed not easy to find a high-level inscription that possesses both powerful magic and spiritual defense.

Zhou Ling quickly determined the two inscriptions and then began refining them on the spirit paper.

With the help of talents such as [Six Revolutions Transformation], Zhou Ling mastered the two inscriptions in no time.

However, we still lack some materials with third-tier attributes.

To construct an inscription with divine soul attributes, you will also need materials such as soul wood or soul stone.

Furthermore, materials such as golden silkworm silk are required between the two.

These can only be purchased by Yuanhu tomorrow.

Then, Zhou Ling yawned and looked outside. There were still one or two hours until dawn.

He then left the meditation room and went back to his bedroom to sleep for a while.

······.

On this day, inside the Zhou family workshop.

"These are two bottles of Qi-Gathering Pills with three-layered patterns. They will help you quickly recover your spiritual energy during tomorrow's assessment."

"Tomorrow is also the day of the competition between the four major academies, and I will not be able to go and watch it."

"Just give it your all, don't worry about anything else!"

Zhou Ling handed two bottles of pills to Bai Ji and Song Yue, calmly giving them his instructions.

Regarding the strength of the two.

Zhou Ling knew what was going on.

Although Bai Ji has good talent, he is limited by his cultivation level of only the eighth level of Qi Refining.

It will be very difficult to get into the top three.

Song Yue does have a chance, but Zhou Ling isn't sure if she can win the championship.

Although Song Yue has been able to refining second-tier low-grade magic weapons steadily, and even the success rate of refining second-tier mid-grade magic weapons exceeds 60%.

But we'll have to see how they perform tomorrow.

In the past few days, besides refining weapons, Zhou Ling also shared some of his experience with the two of them.

"Thank you, Master!"

"Thank you, Master! I wish you great success!"

The two bowed to Zhou Ling in thanks.

Then Song Yue happily told him some news.

"Master, I've reached the peak of Foundation Establishment. I feel confident I can take down the champion this time!"

Zhou Ling also showed a happy expression upon hearing this.

However, she still couldn't be careless. This year's class was already quite strong, especially considering that Liu Yu and the others had been delayed for a year in order to obtain the Heavenly Grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

The competition was extremely fierce. However, Song Yue was already quite talented, and with his help in recent days, she had corrected some of her weaknesses in weapon crafting.

They were already quite strong, and their strength has increased significantly since then.

Zhou Ling is more than 50% confident that she can win the championship.

Of course, performance on the spot is also a significant factor, so Song Yue should not be careless.

As for Baiji, it's making pretty good progress now.

It would be best to get into the top three, but it's okay if we don't.

If you make it into the top eight and become a Foundation Establishment Seed, then the mission is complete.

During this time, he also completed the refining of the five precious garments that Wang Qingshang wanted.

After deducting the cost of materials, I earned over a hundred mid-grade spirit stones.

The profit reached almost half.

Generally speaking, such high profits are not possible.

However, with the help of talents such as the [Six Transformations], Zhou Ling was able to successfully refine each treasure garment on the first try.

There is almost no waste in terms of materials, which is why the profit margin is so high.

In addition, the two weapon refiner puppets in the workshop are very efficient.

At the same time, Master Lu and one of his disciples also arrived.

Over the past few days, the workshop has completed more than ten orders.

The efficiency was much better than Zhou Ling had expected.

Of course, I've received some more orders these days.

However, since Bai Ji and the other person had to participate in the Foundation Establishment Seed Assessment, Zhou Ling did not accept any urgent orders.

After all, being able to become a Foundation Establishment seed in a Dao Academy is a completely different kind of treatment.

Although it has been less than ten days, given the current production efficiency, aside from the two large orders from Wang Qingshang and the Song family.

With the workshop's current efficiency, earning several dozen mid-grade spirit stones a month shouldn't be a problem.

In addition, he helps with the refining of several orders each month, which will earn him even more.

Zhou Ling felt that this was enough for the time being.

First, we need to maintain good relationships with our clients. Once the situation stabilizes, we can then seek further development.

You can't expect to get fat in one bite.

······.

Early the next morning.

On the square of Xuanyuan Taoist Temple.

Dozens of disciples gathered.

Eight of them went to Tianxia Academy, including Cang Zhi and Yuan Mu, to participate in this year's combat strength competition among the four major academies.

The other disciples went to observe and cheer.

Wang Xin and Sun Dajie were also among them.

"Alright, everyone's here. Now, let's board the spirit boat and head to Tianxia Dao Academy!"

Seeing that all eight disciples who were going to take the test had arrived, Dean Zhong, who was leading the group, smiled and spoke to everyone.

Zhou Ling and the others then boarded the spirit boat.

The spirit boat was about ten zhang long and five or six zhang wide, making it extremely spacious.

Inside the magnificent cabin, Dean Zhong explained the details of the competition to the eight inner court disciples.

"Each of the four major academies sent eight disciples this time."

"The opponent will be determined by the draw, but you won't meet a disciple from your own academy in the first round, but it's uncertain in the second round."

“The disciples of other academies mainly focus on practical combat skills, so their cultivation levels are slightly higher than ours.”

"Most of them are disciples in the late Foundation Establishment stage, or even the peak Foundation Establishment stage."

"So if you encounter a strong opponent, fight if you can, and if you can't, it's not shameful to admit defeat."

"After all, we are technicians, and our main skill is technique."

"Especially several sword cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment!"

Dean Zhong emphasized this to everyone.

Seeing that everyone was listening attentively, he changed the subject and said, "Of course, you cannot easily admit defeat in this opportunity to demonstrate the strength of my Xuan Yuan Dao Academy."

"As long as you can get into the top four, the academy will give you a generous reward."

All the disciples nodded in agreement.

For them, participating in such competitions is partly to showcase themselves and gain experience.

Of course, many people are also there for the rewards.

Moreover, after more than half a year of cultivation, the cultivation levels of everyone present have significantly improved.

Yuanmu has already entered the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and Xu Mo, Qianhuo, and others have also made progress.

Although their opponents were strong, they also had many tricks up their sleeves.

Even if someone in the late Foundation Establishment stage encounters someone at the peak of Foundation Establishment, they may still have the ability to cope.

After all, the main combat power of a magician is still reflected in the use of external objects.

The consumption is relatively small.

"Dean, I wonder what kind of reward there is for the champion?"

Zhou Ling asked Dean Zhong with a smile.

That's what he cares about most.

If we could get our hands on a top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, that would be great.

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze turned to Zhou Ling.

Although among the eight disciples present, Zhou Ling still had the lowest cultivation level.

He was the only one who remained at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

But no one dared to underestimate him.

After all, Zhou Ling was already the champion of the Inner Court Competition last year.

In the past six months, he has not only become a Heavenly Guardian, but has also established his own aristocratic family.

His status and position were quite different from those of the inner court disciples present.

No one expected that Zhou Ling, at only fifteen years old, would have already achieved a level that many cultivators could not reach in their entire lives.

Therefore, although the disciples present all seemed to have cultivation levels far higher than Zhou Ling's.

But when he asked Dean Zhong about the champion's reward, no one showed any surprise.

Of course, Zhou Ling also had some luck in the last battle.

"The leader!"

Dean Zhong, however, looked surprised when he heard Zhou Ling's words. With a wave of his hand, a recording jade appeared.

He then said with a smile, "This year, the other three academies each have two Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators participating in the battle."

"It will be no easy task for our academy to win the championship."

"Of course, if any disciple can win the championship, in addition to the rewards for this competition, I can even decide to give your academy a reward of one thousand points."

"One thousand points!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up, but they quickly realized just how difficult it would be to win the championship.

The happiest of them all was Zhou Ling.

It combines five third-tier swords as its natal sword and five spiritual flames as its natal flame, making it effective in defeating a Foundation Establishment peak cultivator.

He was still very confident.

Of course, he was not careless and looked at the image that appeared on the image-recording jade.

Information about the monks appeared on the screen.

These are the top two disciples from each of the four major academies who participated in the competition this time, and from the top two disciples from each academy in last year's competition.

All six were at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

The strength is impressive.

The various competition scenes showcased the formidable fighting power of the six individuals.

The disciples of Xuan Yuan Dao Academy all looked solemn.

Zhou Ling remained calm. With the help of [Intermediate Observation] and [Intermediate Analysis], he was able to roughly assess the combat strength of these six individuals.

Of course, these are scenes from last year; their cultivation levels are certainly different now.

(End of this chapter)