Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 264 Potential Dangers

"Mother, let's hold a Foundation Establishment celebration for our family!"

Zhou Ling said to his mother with a big smile.

"Ling'er, there's no need for that. Our family just had a housewarming celebration, and it seems a bit too frequent to have another one so soon!"

"Just our family and Brother Chu and the others, a simple celebration will suffice!"

Li Ru smiled and said that she hadn't expected that she could also achieve the Earthly Grade Foundation Establishment.

It all felt like a dream.

Even though she was full of spiritual energy at this moment, she still felt somewhat insecure.

Moreover, she has always been low-key and doesn't want to cause too much trouble.

If it's about her son, then she'd naturally love for things to be lively.

But she didn't want to publicize her own affairs.

"Mother, it's up to you, but we definitely have to invite the guests!"

Zhou Ling nodded and spoke with a mysterious expression.

Seeing her son's somewhat strange expression, Li Ru couldn't help but ask, "Why is that?"

"Xin'er, tell your mother!" Zhou Ling said to Wang Xin with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xin blushed slightly, then whispered, "Mother, I'm pregnant!"

"pregnant!"

"Good good!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ru excitedly took Wang Xin's hand and said with a face full of joy.

He seemed even happier than when she successfully established her foundation.

We've been waiting for this day for ages, and it's finally here!

Zhou Shan, standing to the side, was also filled with excitement.

"Congratulations, Miss Ru, on successfully establishing your foundation!"

"Congratulations, Aunt Ru, on successfully establishing your foundation!"

Chu Xing, Yuan Hu, and the others also came over to congratulate Li Ru.

"well!"

Li Ru replied to everyone with a smile.

She hadn't expected such a joyous occasion after leaving the country, and was so excited that she was at a loss for what to do.

"Mother, since we're not planning to invite any outsiders, let's have a proper celebration today."

Zhou Ling said with a smile.

"Tiger, let everyone in the workshop rest today. Go to the market and buy some spiritual food."

Zhou Ling then spoke to Yuan Hu.

"it is good!"

Yuan Hu smiled, nodded in agreement, and then left.

Based on the experience of the last housewarming celebration, if we invited more guests this time, we could get more orders for precious items.

But the workshop is not short of orders now.

There are orders from the Nine Heavens Sword Academy, plus orders from several other aristocratic families.

The workshop is simply too busy.

Therefore, there is no need to rush to accept new orders for the time being.

He built a good reputation by fulfilling his orders and leveraging his own fame.

The workshop will only receive more and more orders in the future.

Although Zhou Ling's family planned to celebrate Li Ru's Foundation Establishment in a low-key manner, some acquaintances still received the news and came to offer their congratulations.

People like Qin Zhizheng, the Song family, and Wang Qingshang.

Because of Song Yue, the Song family quickly learned about Li Ru's foundation-building.

Although Zhou Ling did not host a banquet, the Song family still sent a congratulatory gift on behalf of Song Yue.

The arrival of Qin Zhizheng and Wang Qingshang was perfectly timed.

The two men came to Zhou Ling with something to discuss.

Seeing Chu Xing and the others busy decorating with lanterns and colorful decorations, they realized that they were celebrating Li Ru's successful foundation building.

So they all sent a congratulatory gift.

When Wang Qingshang learned that Wang Xin was pregnant, she first went to congratulate Wang Xin.

Zhou Ling then led Qin Zhizheng into the reception room.

He personally brewed spiritual tea for Qin Zhizheng.

"Zhou Ling, the date for my departure to take up my post in Golden Light Immortal City has been set for October of this year."

"There are still two months left."

After taking a sip of spiritual tea, Qin Zhizheng got straight to the point and explained his purpose to Zhou Ling.

"I had already recommended you to the higher-ups at the Heavenly Crafts Bureau for this position of Chief Executive."

"However, after discussion, the higher-ups felt that you were too young and your cultivation level was too low."

"So they didn't accept my recommendation directly, but instead proposed to select someone from within the Heavenly Crafts Bureau of Qingyun Immortal City."

"Finally, it was decided that you and the other two deputy chief executives would compete, and whoever wins will take over the position of chief executive."

Qin Zhizheng spoke slowly.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling also showed a look of realization. He naturally knew that if he were to become a Zhizheng with his current cultivation level, it would be difficult for people to believe him.

After all, according to the standards of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, to become a Master Executor, one needs to be a late-stage third-rank technician and have late-stage Golden Core cultivation.

This is the bare minimum standard.

The reason he was able to get Qin Zhizheng's recommendation was mainly because of his identity as a Heavenly Guard.

As the most important personnel cultivated by the Tiangong Division, Tianwei has this privilege.

Moreover, Zhou Ling was the top performer in this year's Tianwei assessment.

Afterwards, Qin Zhizheng introduced him to the other two participants in the competition.

The two, Li Feng, who was at the late stage of the Golden Core realm, and He Shen, who was at the peak of the Golden Core realm, were both weapon refiners.

They are already able to refine high-grade third-tier treasures.

This would be very difficult for Zhou Ling.

Although he was able to refine mid-grade third-tier treasures with the help of the [Six Transformations], refining high-grade third-tier treasures still posed a considerable challenge.

Moreover, given the cultivation levels of both opponents, they might already be capable of crafting top-grade third-tier treasures.

The two were quite famous in the Tiangong Division.

Moreover, both of them are swordsmiths and have comprehended the three realms of sword intent.

This meant that Zhou Ling did not have a clear advantage in swordsmanship.

"Of course, you don't need to worry. As long as you do your best, losing won't have any impact. With your status as a Heavenly Guard, even if you can't become the Chief Executive this time, it's a sure thing for you in the future."

Seeing Zhou Ling's slightly furrowed brows, Qin Zhizheng smiled at him.

As a Heavenly Guardian, the Heavenly Crafts Bureau would certainly ensure he had sufficient cultivation resources.

In Qingyun Immortal City, no matter who is in charge, Zhou Ling will not lack cultivation resources.

Of course, if he could become the executive, he would have even more control over resources.

Zhou Ling nodded, knowing that Qin Zhizheng was telling him not to put too much pressure on himself.

Of course, if it were in the past, he wouldn't have cared.

He had no interest in matters of upholding justice.

I'd love to find a job with free time, no administrative duties, enough cultivation resources every month, and nothing else to worry about—that would be wonderful.

But now, not only do I need to ensure I have enough cultivation resources, but there's also Xin'er, whose mother has now entered the Foundation Establishment stage.

The cultivation resources needed will only increase in the future.

Therefore, if it is possible to win this bid, we should do our utmost to win it.

Then, Qin Zhizheng gave him a jade slip containing information about the competition.

After giving him a few words of advice, Qin Zhizheng left without staying for dinner because he had other things to do.

The house was bustling with activity at lunchtime.

Chu Xing, Yuan Hu, Master Lu, Bai Ji, Song Yue, and others all offered their congratulations to Li Ru.

Li Ru also happily toasted with everyone.

She is already quite content with the current situation.

She didn't have high requirements regarding cultivation level.

Instead, they have higher expectations for their grandson.

Zhou Shan, along with Chu Xing, Xu Jiu, Master Lu, and the others, drank heartily.

With these old buddies around, his life became much more comfortable.

Of course, he wasn't idle either; he was either helping out in the workshop or going to the winery.

After drinking a few glasses of wine, Zhou Ling went to the reception room with Wang Qingshang. Wang Qingshang wouldn't have come without a reason.

Moreover, she had told him a while ago that she had discovered traces of the remnants of the Blood Soul Cult and asked him to come and help.

However, due to having too many things to do, he didn't have time to deal with the matter of the Demon Slayers.

Therefore, he knew that Wang Qingshang must be very busy, and that she must have something important to tell him if she stayed for dinner.

"Sister Qingshang, what are your instructions?"

Zhou Ling didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the point.

Congratulations on becoming a father!

Wang Qingshang smiled faintly.

She naturally opposed Wang Xin getting pregnant so early, as it would more or less affect her cultivation.

After all, Wang Xin is also a potential Nascent Soul cultivator in this generation of the Wang family.

Now that she's pregnant, it won't be so easy for her to reach the Golden Core stage before she turns twenty.

This will also be extremely detrimental to the future development of the family.

But there was nothing she could do.

This is entirely up to Zhou Ling and his partner.

Although Zhou Ling was outstanding in all aspects of talent, he was, after all, a disciple of a rogue cultivator, and his vision was limited.

Therefore, we can't ask too much of him.

"Thank you, Sister Qingshang!"

Zhou Ling cupped his hands in greeting.

He knew in his heart that the Wang family would definitely not be happy about Xin'er's pregnancy.

But now, he naturally doesn't care about that anymore.

"I came to see you today mainly to remind you about the Blood Soul Cult."

Wang Qingchang picked up her teacup, took a sip of tea, and then spoke to Zhou Ling with a solemn expression.

"Have you discovered traces of remnants of the Blood Soul Cult?"

Zhou Ling asked seriously.

He was also very wary of the Blood Soul Cult.

After all, he had made a great contribution in the last annihilation of the Blood Soul Cult.

However, the Blood Soul Cult is not so easy to mess with.

Moreover, hiding in the shadows, once they retaliate, it's impossible to guard against them.

The key point is that Zhou Ling is not alone.

If the Blood Soul Cult were to deal with him, he would not be afraid in Qingyun Immortal City.

But dealing with family members would be a huge problem!

“Indeed, we have discovered traces of the Blood Soul Cult these days, and it seems to be led by a Golden Core cultivator.”

"Because this person's whereabouts are mysterious, we have not been able to find him, and can only speculate based on the information we have obtained!"

Wang Qingshang said in a deep voice.

"Golden elixir monk!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling frowned.

With the remnants of the Blood Soul Sect's Golden Core stage entering Qingyun Immortal City, how could the higher-ups of the Xuan Ting Division let it go unchecked?
Otherwise, with the current manpower of the Demon Slayer Clan, they would be no match for Golden Core cultivators.

Among the five members of the Demon Slayer Corps, Wang Qingshang undoubtedly has the highest cultivation level, but she is only at the late Foundation Establishment stage. How could she be a match for a Golden Core cultivator?

Of course, Wang Qingshang comes from the Wang family, so she must have some trump cards to deal with Golden Core cultivators, or even Nascent Soul cultivators.

But others might not be so.

"Are the higher-ups of the Xuan Ting Division just going to let these remnants of the Blood Soul Cult enter Qingyun Immortal City like this?"

Zhou Ling asked, looking puzzled.

"The Xuan Ting Division has dispatched two Golden Core Xuan Guards to hunt down this person, but his cultivation method is strange, and the two of them have difficulty finding his whereabouts."

"Therefore, we, the Demon Slayer Division, must fully cooperate!"

Wang Qingshang explained to Zhou Ling.

Hearing this, Zhou Ling breathed a sigh of relief. With two Golden Core cultivators assisting, dealing with the Blood Soul Sect's Golden Core cultivators shouldn't be a problem.

Then she asked, "Sister Qingshang, is there anything I can do for you?"

The original purpose of joining the Demon Slayer Division was to gain military merit, purchase spiritual land, and establish a family.

Now that the family has been established, it would be too risky to join the Demon Slayer Clan.

He decided it was better to withdraw.

After all, he wasn't afraid of risks, but he didn't want his family to be in any danger.

"This Blood Soul Cult Golden Core cultivator seems to be here because of the Blood Soul Cult's stronghold being destroyed last time."

"I suspect he's very likely to target our Demon Slayer Clan, so you need to be careful!"

Wang Qingshang reminded Zhou Ling.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling's expression changed, and he slowly exhaled. It was exactly what he feared had come to pass.

Then, looking helpless, she said, "Sister Qingshang, what do you think I should do?"

He had absolutely no confidence when facing a Golden Core cultivator from the Blood Soul Sect.

"Just don't go out during this period."

"We will also be patrolling this area."

"Besides, this place isn't far from Xuan Yuan Dao Academy, so I imagine they won't dare to make a move rashly!"

Seeing Zhou Ling's somewhat worried expression, Wang Qingshang looked surprised.

In her opinion, Zhou Ling was not such a timid and cowardly person.

Although Zhou Ling usually appears cautious, he can be more ruthless than anyone else when it comes to actually taking action.

The killing of those Blood Soul Cult remnants in Nameless Valley last time is the best proof of that.

"Could it be that now that he has achieved some success and fame, he has become timid and afraid of trouble?"

Wang Qingshang thought to herself.

"Is this okay?"

Zhou Ling frowned and asked.

You can't guard against thieves for a thousand days if you're a thief yourself.

He realized that Wang Qingshang's main purpose in coming was to inform him of this news.

Perhaps this remnant of the Blood Soul Sect's Golden Core stage was after me.

Logically speaking, he had done a clean and efficient job killing the Blood Soul Cult disciples last time, leaving no survivors.

The credit was primarily given to Wang Qingshang afterward.

The Blood Soul Cult should not target itself for retaliation.

Moreover, given the current state of the family, it's impossible for them to stay cooped up in the family compound every day.

He was going to the Taoist temple to cultivate and give lectures.

These are also unavoidable.

"During this period, we have narrowed down the search area and will do our best to find this person as soon as possible."

Wang Qingshang said seriously.

What could Zhou Ling say after hearing this?

Suddenly, I felt a little heavy-hearted.

We can only hope that the Demon Slayer Division will find this person as soon as possible.

"You don't need to worry. I will arrange for a Golden Core cultivator to patrol this area in the coming days, so there shouldn't be any risks."

Wang Qingshang then gave Zhou Ling some more instructions.

He then informed Zhou Ling of some information about the Blood Soul Sect's Golden Core cultivator.

Fortunately, it was only the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

However, due to the strange nature of the Blood Soul Sect's techniques, other defensive measures are also necessary.

After Zhou Ling learned about the situation carefully, Wang Qingshang took her leave.

After seeing Wang Qingshang off, Zhou Ling returned to the banquet.

The family members were all drinking happily. Although Zhou Ling felt heavy-hearted, his face was full of smiles.

Feeling helpless, he thought, "The family had finally gotten back on track, and then this happened!"

It seems my training plan will have to be changed.

However, a slower cultivation pace won't have much of an impact; the key is to kill this Blood Soul Cult Golden Core cultivator and eliminate the threat.

Otherwise, he can't sleep soundly.

"Given the current situation, we have no choice but to ask Master to come and stay for a few days!"

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)