Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 290 Acquiring a Mid-Grade Third-Order Spiritual Vein
The Heavenly Works Bureau, Council Hall.

Zhou Ling was discussing with others the matter of providing assistance to the Jin family.

"Zhizheng, all the other magical artifacts, elixirs, and runes are now ready!"

Lu Yunxi reported to Zhou Lingbing.

His expression showed some hesitation.

More than half a month has passed, and she still doesn't know if Zhou Ling can forge the Fire Fiend Sword.

Although she was concerned, she didn't dare to ask.

Everyone else turned to look at Zhou Ling, wanting to see what he would say.

Of course, most people don't think Zhou Ling is capable of forging a fourth-tier Fire Fiend Sword.

Let's see how Zhou Ling handles this.

After all, this was the first major issue Zhou Ling had dealt with since taking office.

The failure to forge the Fire Fiend Sword delayed the Jin family's expansion into new territories.

That would have a significant impact on Zhou Ling's reputation.

The prestige of the Tiangong Company will also be greatly diminished.

"Alright, then send it to the Jin family as soon as possible to avoid affecting the expansion of the territory!"

Zhou Ling nodded and said.

Seeing Zhou Ling's relaxed expression, Lu Yunxi breathed a sigh of relief. Since Zhou Ling didn't mention the Fire Fiend Sword, she naturally didn't ask either.

As long as the Jin family doesn't press us, we won't bring it up for now.

This way, Zhou Ling wouldn't feel embarrassed.

At this moment, He Shen cupped his hands to Zhou Ling and said, "Reporting to the magistrate, the main item ordered by the Jin family this time is the Fire Fiend Sword. Other items can be delayed without much impact, but the Fire Fiend Sword absolutely cannot be delayed!"

He was originally the one with the best chance of becoming the Chief Justice, but Zhou Ling suddenly appeared, causing him to miss the position.

And it wasn't because of a lack of ability that they lost.

It was Zhou Ling's amazing talent that led the higher-ups of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau to designate him as a key talent for development.

So they were promoted to the top position very early on.

It made him somewhat unwilling to accept defeat.

Undeniably, Zhou Ling's talent and strength are truly astonishing.

But he is still young and may not be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of upholding justice.

He had previously vowed to accept the Fire Fiend Sword, but now he remains silent about it.

He naturally wanted to ask Zhou Ling for an answer.

"Fire Demon Sword!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling rubbed his forehead and laughed, "I already forged this Fire Fiend Sword, but I've been so busy these past few days that I almost forgot about it!"

"Buzz!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a buzzing sound followed.

A vast aura of fiery energy emanated from Zhou Ling's hands.

"Huh!? This is the Fiery Fiend Sword!"

"It was already forged?"

"That's the power of a fourth-tier sword!"

The other deputy leaders were immediately surprised when they saw this scene.

The next moment, a crimson sword appeared in Zhou Ling's hand, with wisps of fiery sword energy rising from its blade.

It appears extremely intense and sharp!

Upon seeing the Fiery Fiery Sword, everyone else present immediately looked at Zhou Ling with expressions of surprise, astonishment, and disbelief.

"I was in good condition this time, so I was lucky enough to successfully forge the Fire Fiend Sword!"

Seeing everyone's expressions, Zhou Ling smiled and said.

The purpose of forging this Fire Fiend Sword was to establish authority.

There is naturally no need to hide one's strength.

Apart from Lu Yunxi, everyone else present was a Tier 3 top-tier or Tier 4 technique master.

It's easy to see the high quality of this Fire Fiend Sword.

Lu Yunxi, standing next to Zhou Ling, glanced at him, her eyes widening in disbelief.

In just a few short years, Zhou Ling has made such rapid progress!
It's truly astonishing that someone could progress from level one to level four in just three years.

If it weren't for some extraordinary stroke of luck, then this talent is truly astonishing.

But when she thought about how Zhou Ling's wife, Wang Xin, was a member of the Wang family, she felt that this was a great opportunity.

After all, Lu Yunxi was well aware of their relationship.

"A fourth-tier Fire Fiend Sword!"

"Zhizheng, you have truly forged a fourth-tier Fire Fiend Sword!"

He Shen stared at the Fire Fiend Sword with a look of shock and disbelief, scrutinizing it closely.

Even though he could clearly feel the oppressive aura emanating from the Fiery Fiend Sword.

It's still a bit hard to believe.

It's unbelievable that Zhou Ling actually forged a fourth-tier Fire Fiend Sword.

After all, he was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

A fourth-tier swordsmith in the late Foundation Establishment stage? Nobody would believe that.

"Hmm, that's not easy!"

Zhou Ling spoke, and as he spoke, a wisp of magical power flowed into the Fire Fiend Sword.

Instantly, the Fiery Sword shone with fiery light.

"Good good!"

"Zhi Zheng's talent is truly admirable!"

He Shen coughed awkwardly a few times and then exclaimed "Good!" repeatedly.

The fact that Zhou Ling, with his level of cultivation, could forge a fourth-tier sword demonstrates just how terrifying his potential is.

Future achievements will definitely not be limited to upholding justice.

He certainly wouldn't completely offend Zhou Ling because of a temporary win or loss.

This is really not a wise move.

Besides, Zhou Ling is now his direct superior.

The others also looked at Zhou Ling with very different expressions.

In their view, it was still somewhat difficult for Zhou Ling to gain the respect of the people in assuming the position of chief executive.

But at this moment, everyone had a new recognition of Zhou Ling's strength.

Qin Zhizheng's judgment was far superior.

"Congratulations to Zhizheng on becoming a fourth-tier weapon refiner!"

Luo Qin was the first to offer his congratulations to Zhou Ling with a cupped-hand salute.

Zhou Ling hadn't expected to be able to successfully forge a fourth-tier Fire Fiend Sword.

After all, he was a peak third-tier array master and knew how difficult it was to advance to the fourth tier.

But Zhou Ling, at such a young age and with such cultivation, has already accomplished this.

This is beyond what can be described as mere genius.

It seems that becoming a guest retainer of the Zhou family was a very wise choice.

"Congratulations on your appointment!"

"Congratulations on your appointment!"

Everyone else also offered their congratulations.

Zhou Ling smiled and agreed.

If it weren't for the ceremony celebrating the official's inauguration just last month...

Becoming a fourth-tier weapon refiner is certainly something to celebrate.

Then, Zhou Ling handed the Fire Fiend Sword to Lu Yunxi.

He didn't forge this Fiery Sword out of thin air.

A fourth-tier sword is enough to earn 800 points.

The group then continued to discuss other matters.

After the meeting, Zhou Ling asked Deacon Luo and Lu Yunxi to stay behind.

Mention the matter of acquiring a third-tier spiritual vein to him.

Deacon Luo nodded in agreement.

He also informed Zhou Ling that collecting the spiritual veins required setting up a spatial array.

Furthermore, only Five Elements Formation Diagrams with spatial attributes can be collected.

He does have spatial arrays and Five Elements array diagrams, but they require spirit stones with spatial attributes.

This is where Zhou Ling will provide it.

Zhou Ling agreed immediately.

Space-attribute spirit stones are hard to find, but they can still be obtained through the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

I just happened to get several hundred contribution points from forging the Fire Fiend Sword this time, which I can use to exchange for it.

They then arranged with Steward Luo to go to this realm of immortality three days later to collect the spiritual veins.

As for the passage to the spiritual veins of the Longevity Realm, Patriarch Song has already handed it over to him.

"Sister Yun, if there are any changes needed to the selection of stewards for the major halls, you can make the arrangements accordingly."

Watching Deacon Luo's departing figure, Zhou Ling withdrew his gaze and spoke up, following Lu Yunxi's words.

If someone had just become the Chief Administrator and made personnel changes, others would definitely be dissatisfied. But after forging the Fire Fiend Sword, the situation is completely different now.

"Qin Zhizheng had already made some reshuffles, and now these stewards have a pretty good relationship with each other!"

Lu Yunxi said with a faint smile.

The implication is that there is no need for a transfer at the moment.

Although she was busy during this period, she was having a very pleasant time.

Zhou Ling became the Chief Administrator and took charge of the Heavenly Works Bureau.

And her status rose sharply.

Although she was nominally still a second-rank steward, she handled all of Zhou Ling's affairs.

It could be said that he had even more power than Deacon Luo and the other deacons who controlled the hall.

Zhou Ling nodded. "You handle it as you see fit!"

He had absolute faith in Lu Yunxi's character and abilities.

"it is good!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yunxi nodded with a smile.

······.

"This is the Flame Light Island that Patriarch Song spoke of!"

Two figures hovered high in the sky, looking down cautiously.

Below them lay a vast island, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The soil surface is reddish-brown, making it look like a bright red patch.

"Zhizheng, the spiritual vein on this island is in the southwest!"

One of the two men, a burly man, spoke.

The two were Zhou Ling and Luo Qin from the Tiangong Division.

This is the newly established Realm of Immortality by the Song family.

After Zhou Ling obtained the spatial teleportation jade from the Song family head, he brought Luo Qin to this place.

He also learned this from what the Song family head said.

Why is this expansion into the realm of immortality progressing so smoothly?

This is mainly because several major forces within the Realm of Immortality are currently at war.

Both sides suffered heavy casualties, which gave the Song family an opportunity to wipe them out completely.

That's why they were able to seize a large amount of resources from several Nascent Soul sects in just a few months.

The island below is called Flamelight Island, which was captured by the three allied forces some time ago.

"The island is also planted with a large number of Nine Yang Bamboo, which can purify fire-attribute spiritual energy and make the spiritual energy more refined."

As the two flew towards the spiritual vein, Luo Qin pointed to the fiery red bamboo on the ground and introduced it to Zhou Ling.

These Jiuyang bamboos are growing very vigorously, and they are planted in rows in a very orderly manner.

Looking at the Nine Yang Bamboo, the [Intermediate Observation] and [Intermediate Analysis] skills appeared.

Zhou Ling also learned about the uses of these Jiuyang bamboos.

It can absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth of other attributes in the surrounding area and exhale pure fire spiritual energy.

This attribute is extremely useful for weapon refiners or alchemists.

After all, most weapon refiners or alchemists are fire-attribute cultivators.

"Steward Luo, could you please transplant these Nine Yang Bamboos to my Zhou family?"

Zhou Ling asked.

There weren't too many requirements; just planting some outside the weapon-refining workshop would greatly enhance the fire-attribute spiritual energy within the workshop.

"There's no problem with that. These Nine Yang Bamboos are extremely active. Even if you uproot them, they can survive for a long time. Transplanting them won't have any impact."

Luo Qin replied with a smile.

Zhou Ling nodded, planning to collect the Nine Yang Bamboo after collecting the spiritual veins.

Before long, the two landed on the ground at the Song family cultivators' residence.

Because of the presence of spiritual veins and other resources, after seizing the island, the Song family also sent several cultivators to garrison the area.

From the air, this is a long and narrow city.

The city was densely packed with houses, and the streets were bustling with people, making it look lively and prosperous.

However, these people are basically ordinary people.

Clearly, the battle between cultivators taking place here has little impact on these mortals.

However, the dim magic array on the city wall indicates that a battle had taken place.

"Junior Song Ping pays respects to Zhou Zhizheng and senior."

Several cultivators wearing Dharma robes saw Zhou Ling and his companion fall from the sky.

The leader, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, was a robust middle-aged man who recognized Zhou Ling at a glance.

He bowed to Zhou Ling with his hands clasped in greeting.

Although his cultivation level was no weaker than Zhou Ling's.

But Zhou Ling, as the head of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, has a much higher status than him.

Given Zhou Ling's relationship with the Song family, his tone was quite respectful.

"Fellow Daoist Song, I have come here to collect the spiritual veins on this island!"

Zhou Ling stated his purpose directly.

"Zhou Zhizheng, just collect the money. The patriarch told me to stay here and wait for your arrival!"

Song Ping cupped his hands in greeting.

Zhou Ling nodded, then said to Luo Qin, "Deacon Luo, I'll leave the rest to you!"

"it is good!"

Deacon Luo nodded slightly.

"Zhizheng, Senior Luo, please come with me!"

Song Ping then led the two men and sped off towards the outskirts of the city.

Soon, the three arrived at a hollow area filled with nine-yang bamboo.

The entire depression is nearly a hundred feet in circumference.

The densely packed Nine Yang Bamboo swayed in the wind, like a sea of ​​flames.

The temperature around here was a few degrees higher than in other places.

"Zhizheng, this is the location of the spiritual vein eye of Flamelight Island!"

Song Ping pointed to the depression in the ground and said to Zhou Ling.

"Thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Song!"

Zhou Ling bowed and thanked him.

Deacon Luo landed on the ground.

They began to survey the area around the depression.

At the same time, a compass appeared in his hand, and he would chant incantations every time he traveled a certain distance.

He channeled his magic into the compass, stood still, and observed the changes in the compass.

Zhou Ling and Song Ping waited patiently on the side.

Song Ping's main task in guarding this island was to wait for Zhou Ling to collect this spiritual vein.

After a stick of incense had burned, Deacon Luo came to Zhou Ling's side and introduced it to him, "Deacon, this is a mid-grade third-tier fire-attribute spiritual vein."

"It also contains a small amount of metal and earth elemental energy."

"It belongs to a medium-sized spiritual vein!"

"The main vein extends underground for several dozen feet, and its surface length is about three hundred feet."

"Is it possible to collect it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling's face lit up with joy; a mid-grade third-tier spiritual vein was still a medium-sized one.

Moreover, the fire attribute perfectly matches his and Xin'er's attributes.

"Yes, but setting up the collection array will take seven or eight days!"

"Moreover, it is a fire-attribute spiritual vein, so the process of collecting it must be extremely careful. If an accident occurs, the fire spiritual vein may burst forth."

"That would be extremely dangerous!"

Deacon Luo replied with a solemn expression.

He didn't dare to be too definitive, lest unexpected situations arise and he wouldn't be able to explain it to Zhou Ling.

"There are no issues with the timing!"

"You can accept it without worry!"

Zhou Ling nodded.

He had already surveyed Flamelight Island with his divine sense and found no potential danger.

Even if it takes a long time, there won't be any risks.

"Alright, then I will begin setting up the array flags and the array core!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a set of array flags and array plates appeared in Deacon Luo's hand.

As he chanted the incantation, the array flags were shot into the ground under his control.

Accompanied by wisps of flame light flashing.

An hour later, the twelve magic flags fell into the depression.

······.

(End of this chapter)