Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 273 The Realm of Immortality and the Inheritance of the Nascent Soul
Qingyun Immortal City, Song Family.

The magnificent hall was bustling with activity.

"Instructor Zhou from Xuan Yuan Dao Academy presents the second-tier top-grade Qingyang Sword to congratulate the disciple on successfully establishing the Heavenly Foundation!"

Outside the gate, a loud voice proclaimed its promise.

Zhou Ling, along with his father and Yuan Hu, were outside the main hall.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, I have failed to greet you properly!"

A middle-aged man dressed in a red-gold cloud-patterned robe bowed to Zhou Ling.

The man was tall and strong, with a rugged appearance and piercing eyes.

This person was none other than Song Yue's father, Song Nian.

Beside him stood a beautiful woman.

She was dressed in a white dress, with a graceful figure, long legs, and snow-white skin.

It was Song Yue.

"Master, Grandmaster, you've arrived!"

Song Yue also bowed to the three of them.

After a few brief pleasantries, the three were led into the main hall.

Zhou Ling was then seated at the main table, while Zhou Shan and Yuan Hu were seated at the side table.

"Junior Zhou Ling greets all seniors!"

At the main table, four middle-aged men with distinguished bearing were already seated.

They were almost all late-stage or peak-stage Golden Core cultivators.

Zhou Ling recognized two of them; both were heads of Nascent Soul families: the Qi family and the Yue family.

The other two people who were seated at the head table must also be of high status.

"Instructor Zhou is so young, yet he has such skill in weapon crafting. It's truly admirable!"

"Instructor Zhou's teaching is excellent, and Song Yue has also achieved the Foundation Establishment of the Heavenly Rank!"

"My name is Meng Liang of the Meng family. Greetings, Instructor Zhou!"

"I am Huo Jin from the Huo family. Greetings, Instructor Zhou!"

The four of them smiled and returned the greeting to Zhou Ling with clasped hands.

Given Zhou Ling's current reputation in Qingyun Immortal City, most people know him.

After all, a fifteen-year-old Taoist academy instructor is extremely rare.

However, what is even more important is the title of the chief of the Heavenly Guards of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

This starting point is far superior to that of the instructors in the outer courtyard of the Taoist academy.

Regardless of which path Zhou Ling takes, his future is limitless.

In addition, Zhou Ling had no arrogance whatsoever.

Upon meeting, he would bow and offer assistance as a junior.

Therefore, everyone was happy to befriend him and returned his greetings politely.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Song Nian arrived with Song Yue.

Song Yue sat down next to Zhou Ling.

"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend my daughter's Foundation Establishment celebration!"

"My daughter is now an inner disciple of the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy, and is a disciple of Zhou Ling."

"Under the guidance of Fellow Daoist Zhou, I was able to achieve the Heavenly Rank Foundation Establishment."

"Here, I would like to offer a toast to Fellow Daoist Zhou, to express my gratitude!"

Song Nian stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his voice cheerful and his face full of smiles.

Zhou Ling also stood up, raised his glass and toasted with Song Nian, laughing, "It's all thanks to Xiaoyue's talent that she's achieved such success!"

Song Nian laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou is too modest. When Yue'er entered the Dao Academy and participated in the Foundation Establishment test, the probability of achieving Heavenly Rank Foundation Establishment was only 40%."

His words were filled with gratitude towards Zhou Ling.

It is clear that they believe their daughter's significant improvement was due to Zhou Ling's guidance.

Everyone else stared at Zhou Ling in shock.

No one expected that Zhou Ling, at such a young age, would have such teaching methods.

Among the cultivators present, most were from families, and many of their clans had younger members studying at the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy.

After Song Nian said this, many people began to think about how their own disciples could become Zhou Ling's disciples.
Zhou Ling, unaware of what the others were thinking, sat down with a smile.

After saying a few more words of thanks, Song Nian, along with his daughter, toasted the guests who had come to offer their congratulations.

A lively gathering ensued!
The banquet lasted for more than half an hour before the guests gradually left.

Zhou Ling and Yuan Hu stayed behind.

Song Nian arrived at the reception room.

Originally, the two had something to discuss, and Yuan Hu was not qualified to enter.

However, this discussion involves the workshop's situation.

Zhou Ling knew far less about the workshop than Yuan Hu did, which is why he asked Yuan Hu to come along.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, I have asked you to stay because I have important matters to discuss with you!"

Song Nian opened a jar of second-grade spirit wine that the Zhou family had given him before and personally poured it for Zhou Ling and the others.

"Please speak freely, Patriarch Song!"

Zhou Ling smiled.

"About ten days ago, we discovered a new fourth-order realm!"

"I have already contacted four other Nascent Soul families to jointly develop this realm. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Zhou would be interested?"

Song Nian said this.

It really is about developing the domain.

"Thank you for the invitation, Patriarch Song, but as you know, my Zhou family has only been established for a short time."

"With limited combat strength to offer, participating in this kind of boundary expansion would probably not be of much use!"

Zhou Ling said in a deep voice.

Although he was interested in expanding his territory, he also knew that with the Zhou family's current strength, it was impossible for them to send out as many cultivators as other Nascent Soul families to charge into battle and fight for territory.

After all, in the family now, he, his wife, and his mother have all reached the Foundation Establishment stage, while his father is at the second stage of Body Refinement.

The others, including Chu Xing, were all Qi Refining cultivators.

With this level of strength, participating in the fourth-order realm expansion is completely unrealistic; the risks are too great.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou has misunderstood me!"

"The four families participating in this boundary expansion already have enough cultivators."

"The key point is that a large number of magical artifacts will be needed at that time, such as the Heavenly Fire Thunder that your workshop refines."

"After my Song family cultivators used it a while ago, they found the effect to be really good."

"Therefore, my main purpose in inviting you is to hope that the Zhou family can provide a sufficient and stable supply of magical artifacts for this boundary expansion."

Song Nian smiled and said.

Zhou Ling is now Song Yue's mentor, and the two families have a close relationship.

By expanding his business and bringing the Zhou family into the fold, he could increase his own influence.

The Zhou family is a family specializing in weapon crafting, and a stable supply of magical artifacts is essential for expanding their territory.

Furthermore, given Zhou Ling's current status, even if the Zhou family's strength is relatively weaker, they will not have any objections.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling's eyes lit up. If it was just about providing magical artifacts and not having to participate in the battle, then there would definitely be no problem.

Of course, a single battle to expand a territory requires the consumption of a large number of magical artifacts.

The required quantity of ore is also a huge number, and if Zhou Ling chooses to cooperate...

These precious artifacts were all provided free of charge.

That is, his gift money.

Other families contribute labor and effort, while he contributes precious artifacts.

"What exactly is the situation with this realm?"

Zhou Ling hesitated for a moment, then asked again.

I asked Song Yue a couple of days ago, but she didn't know.

Therefore, he still needed to ask Song Nian for clarification.

Generally speaking, a fourth-order realm definitely has combat power at the Nascent Soul level.

It's just unknown how many there are. And with the four Nascent Soul families of Qingyun Immortal City forming an alliance, there must be at least eight Nascent Soul warriors, or even more.

Therefore, by uniting and expanding into the fourth-order realm, we can defeat their forces one by one.

However, expanding territory carries significant risks.

If any unexpected situation arises, the entire army might be wiped out.

Therefore, Zhou Ling also needed to ask clearly and weigh the specific situation.

Next, determine the risks between input and return!

Otherwise, if you invest blindly, you will not only fail to reap any benefits.

You might end up losing your underwear.

After all, such battles to expand territory can sometimes be protracted wars.

The consumption of those magical artifacts would be enormous, and the Zhou family simply didn't have the resources to afford it.

Only by asking clearly can we have a clear understanding.

"This realm is called the Longevity Realm. It is quite large. So far, four Nascent Soul level forces have been discovered, but they are all only guarded by Nascent Soul cultivators."

"Therefore, with the four of us joining forces, there shouldn't be any problems!"

Song Nian seemed to sense Zhou Ling's concerns and smiled.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling nodded. If that was the case, then there shouldn't be a big problem.

Then, with a serious expression, he asked directly, "How many magical artifacts will my Zhou family provide? And how will resources be allocated after we expand our territory?"

These two issues are related to the outcome of the battle and the Zhou family's profits.

Therefore, we cannot be careless in the slightest and must ask questions clearly.

Song Nian took a sip of the spiritual wine and slowly spoke to Zhou Ling,
"For this expansion of the realm, our four major families will deploy a total of more than three hundred cultivators."

"Among them, there were four Nascent Soul Ancestors in the early stage, and the number will be adjusted according to the changes in the situation."

"There are twelve Golden Core cultivators, sixty Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the rest are Qi Refining cultivators."

"For Nascent Soul cultivators and Golden Core cultivators, there is no need to equip them with magical artifacts for the time being, as they each have their own natal magical artifacts to assist them."

"But both Foundation Establishment cultivators and Qi Refining cultivators need to be equipped with magical artifacts."

"Sixty pieces of second-tier treasure robes are needed, and two hundred and thirty pieces of first-tier top-grade treasure robes are required."

"The more second-tier Heavenly Fire Thunder, the better."

"As for the other defensive and disposable magical artifacts, I'll have someone compile a list later and then give it to you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling couldn't help but gasp slightly, his expression showing some emotion.

More than three hundred cultivators—that's quite a lineup.

Moreover, according to Song Nian, every cultivator was already fully armed.

This is undoubtedly a huge test of the Zhou family's foundation.

"As for resources, based on the information we have obtained so far, these four Nascent Soul forces each possess a mid-grade fourth-level spiritual vein."

"There are also many sacred sites, and even one blessed land."

"Moreover, each faction has some decent lineages."

"Once we control these resources, the five families will divide them equally."

Song Nian then explained to Zhou Ling.

"Equally divided among the five families!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling nodded, thinking that this was the best possible outcome.

Of course, for such a major undertaking as expanding territory, a cooperation agreement will be signed when the time comes, rather than just empty words.

"In addition, there is a force in this realm called the Longevity Sect. This force possesses the Nascent Soul Transformation lineage. After we conquer it, this Nascent Soul Transformation lineage will belong to my Song family."

"This is the prerequisite for our Song family to jointly explore this realm with other Nascent Soul families!"

As they spoke, Song Nian added more spirit wine to Zhou Ling's bowl.

Zhou Ling nodded, a look of realization on his face.

No wonder the Song family was willing to cooperate with other families to develop this realm.

Normally, given the Song family's current strength, even if they cannot expand independently, they can hire other cultivators to participate in the expansion.

As long as you can afford the pay, it's possible to hire Golden Core cultivators or even Nascent Soul cultivators.

However, it seems that the Longevity Sect is definitely quite powerful.

The Song family probably also knew that, given their family's strength, they simply couldn't afford to take it all.

That's why they contacted several other companies to form an alliance.

The Song family's main goal is the inheritance of the Longevity Sect's Divine Transformation lineage.

This Nascent Soul inheritance is naturally too far away for Zhou Ling, who is currently only at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Therefore, it was no longer within his consideration.

His main goal this time was to obtain a fourth-order spiritual vein.

If you can't reach the fourth order, the third order is also acceptable.

In this way, the family will have its own true spiritual vein.

After hesitating for a moment, he asked Song Nian, "Have you confirmed the exact time for entering this Longevity Domain?"

With over two hundred pieces of precious clothing and numerous heavenly fire and lightning bolts, it would take the workshop at least a month to complete them, given its current manpower.

Of course, if time was of the essence, Zhou Ling would naturally find a few more weapon refiners from the Dao Academy to help.

In addition, refine two more weapon-refining puppets.

"The five main parties have completed negotiations and finalized the contract. Other matters will take about half a month to prepare."

"Based on the calculations, we can head to this territory in twenty days!"

Song Nian said directly.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling frowned slightly; the timeframe was still a bit tight for the workshop.

He then looked at Yuan Hu and asked, "Hu Zi, given the current state of the workshop, is it possible to forge two hundred top-grade first-tier treasure robes and six hundred Heavenly Fire Thunders within twenty days?"

As for the second-tier treasure armor, he plans to forge it himself, so there shouldn't be any problems.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Hu shook his head and replied, "In twenty days, we can probably refine one hundred and sixty pieces of treasure clothing and more than four hundred Heavenly Fire Thunders."

"That's not a big problem. I'll have Sun Dajie go to the Taoist temple and find a few people to come and help!"

Zhou Ling nodded.

"If we can't refine it, it's okay if we're a few days late!"

Song Nian looked at Zhou Ling and said something.

Zhou Ling shook his head. "No need. I will definitely deliver the required number of treasures you need in twenty days."

"Also, how much supply do you need each month? It would be best if you could inform the workshop in advance."

"Let's prepare more materials!"

The reason the Song family invited the Zhou family to participate in the boundary expansion was this time.

What I valued most was the capabilities of the Zhou family workshop.

If the Zhou family cannot provide the treasures on time and in good quality, then they will not be able to play a practical role.

"Okay, I'll tally these up in the next couple of days and have Yue'er give them to you!"

Song Nian nodded and said.

Afterwards, Zhou Ling inquired about the Changsheng Domain.

Song Nian also told him everything he knew.

It seems that he trusts Zhou Ling a lot.

After chatting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhou Ling got up to say goodbye and leave.

They then went to the market with Yuanhu to buy some ores, herbs and other materials.

Fortunately, the workshop made a profit during this period, and the tens of thousands of spirit stones spent on purchasing materials were entirely within its means.

Of course, Zhou Ling also had a considerable amount of savings.

If the workshop can't keep up with demand, he can also use the high-grade spirit stones he has.

However, it is unknown how long this expansion of territory will last.

It's impossible to keep consuming resources like this forever.

Therefore, Zhou Ling was planning to find time to enter the Ancient Cloud Realm and take a look.

It has been several months since I last entered the Ancient Cloud Realm.

The sect should have already collected a batch of ore!

(End of this chapter)