Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 359 The Competition with the Purple Cloud Sect and the Fifth-Rank Azure Cloud Immortal City
The secluded courtyard where Fairy Ziling resides in the Lingxia Sect.

"Master, the late-stage fifth-tier Thunderhorn Dragon has been severely injured this time and will not dare to invade Five Spirits Immortal City again for some time!"

Zhou Ling poured a large bowl of spirit wine for Fairy Zi Ling, handed it to her, and described the battle situation in Five Spirit Immortal City to her.

"Although you killed the Fire Dragon Sparrow in this battle with the help of the Purple Cauldron Warship, you still made your master proud!"

Fairy Ziling picked up the earthenware bowl, drank the full bowl of spirit wine in one gulp, and said with a rather gratified tone.

She was also very surprised that Zhou Ling was able to kill the fifth-tier Fire Dragon Sparrow.

Of course, they also knew that Zhou Ling's success was due to the Purple Cauldron Warship.

However, it was clear that Zhou Ling's cultivation aura had improved considerably after his return.

"Of course, Master is renowned in Five Spirits Immortal City. He once killed several fifth-tier demon kings."

"Now I have killed another one, and this time the reputation of our Lingxiao Sect has spread throughout the Five Spirit Immortal City."

“It wasn’t a cultivator from Five Spirits Immortal City who came to visit me, hoping to join the Spirit Cloud Sect.”

"But considering the current situation of the sect, I declined!"

Zhou Ling said to Fairy Zi Ling with a smile on his face.

This wasn't just him making things up. During his time in Five Spirits Immortal City, quite a few cultivators actually visited him, hoping to join the Lingxiao Sect.

However, he rejected them all.

Master's meaning is to focus on quality, not quantity.

I don't have the energy to teach my disciples right now.

Even the four disciples they currently have cannot spare enough time to teach them.

Then how dare they take on more disciples?

Although he has a talent for being a teacher, taking on more disciples would certainly not be a loss for him.

But you have to find the right one.

Otherwise, if you don't have time to teach others, you'll be misleading them.

But having a master teach you is simply unrealistic.

"We don't need many disciples now, except for the four disciples on your side."

"Your two senior sisters have each taken on several disciples. If they return to the sect, they'll have over a dozen disciples!"

"It's not small in scale either."

Fairy Ziling nodded and said.

"Are the senior sisters going back to the sect?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling was taken aback.

Having spent so many years with his master, he had only heard his master mention the two senior sisters once.

It was last year when my master was about to pass on the position of sect leader of the Lingxiao Sect to me.

As for whether the two senior sisters are beautiful or ugly, and what their cultivation level is.
The master never mentioned it.

That's why Zhou Ling was surprised to learn that his two senior sisters were coming to Qingyun Immortal City.

"They are still in Tianxia Immortal City."

"Now that the Lingxiao Sect has been rebuilt, they naturally need to return to the sect!"

"It was Zi Ling Fairy who said calmly."

"Master, when will the two senior sisters arrive?"

Zhou Ling asked again.

"It should be in the next few days."

"Once they arrive, we'll head to the Purple Cloud Sect together!"

Fairy Ziling gestured for Zhou Ling to pour her some spirit wine, and then continued, "Now that you are the sect master of Lingxiao Sect, you need to go to Zixiao Sect to retrieve some cultivation techniques and some treasures."

"Master, it is said that the Zixiao Sect has a Void Refinement cultivator in charge."

"There are several Nascent Soul cultivators in the sect, and they specialize in lightning techniques that are known for their offensive capabilities. Why would they easily hand over their cultivation techniques and treasures to us?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling couldn't help but look worried.

The Zixiao Sect is now one of the top sects in the entire Dao Alliance.

The Grand Elder of the sect is one of the nine people who control the highest power in the Dao Alliance.

Moreover, there were also several Nascent Soul cultivators, whose combat power was extremely terrifying.

Given the current strength of the Lingxiao Sect...

The strongest fighter is Master, Fairy Ziling, who is at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, but Master's injuries have not yet healed.

The combat power he can currently unleash is estimated to be only at the late Nascent Soul stage.

There are also two senior sisters whom he has never met. According to his master, Zhou Ling estimates that they should be at the Nascent Soul stage.

With his own abilities and all his methods employed, he would be able to deal with a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

The other disciples certainly can't be relied upon.

All things considered, there are only four Nascent Soul level warriors.

They are on a completely different level from a behemoth like the Zixiao Sect; they only need one Nascent Soul cultivator to make a move.

Even if the four of them joined forces, they probably wouldn't be a match for him.

Although Zhou Ling killed the mid-stage fifth-tier Fire Dragon Sparrow, he knew that he mainly relied on the Spirit Flame to activate the Purple Cauldron Warship.

They formed a battle formation of warships, blocking the demonic domain of the Fire Dragon Sparrow.

Otherwise, within the demon realm formed by its demon core, even with the assistance of five spiritual flames, it would be difficult to withstand it relying solely on one's own cultivation.

"You don't need to worry about this. You are the sect master of Lingxiao Sect, and your cultivation level is Golden Core."

"Although the old Taoists of the Zixiao Sect are stubborn, they also care about their reputation and would not bully the weak."

"With your cultivation level, they can only send a Nascent Soul cultivator to fight you at most."

"As long as I don't make a move, they definitely won't dare to use their full strength against you!"

Fairy Ziling finished the spirit wine in her bowl and said with a smile.

"Master, do you mean we're going to the Purple Cloud Sect just to compete with them?"

Hearing this, Zhou Ling breathed a sigh of relief.

If it's a competition, then there shouldn't be a big problem.

After all, given his cultivation level, the Zixiao Sect couldn't possibly send a Nascent Soul elder to compete with him.

As for late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators...

If all else fails, then I'll unleash the Purple Gold Thunder Seal myself.

They might not necessarily be unable to deal with the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Zixiao Sect.

"This trip to the Purple Cloud Sect is naturally to compete with them!"

"It was mainly you and your two senior sisters who took action."

"Each of the cultivators from the Zixiao Sect will fight one match, best of three."

"If we win, the cultivation techniques and magical artifacts must be returned to our Lingxiao Sect."

Fairy Ziling continued.

"Best of three?"

"Master, do you know how strong our opponents are?"

Zhou Ling asked cautiously again.

"I don't know anything about the Zixiao Sect either."

"Both of your senior sisters are Nascent Soul cultivators. The eldest senior sister is in the middle stage of Nascent Soul, and the second senior sister is in the early stage of Nascent Soul."

"At that time, the Zixiao Sect will naturally send out disciples of the same cultivation level to fight against them."

"That's what Fairy Ziling said."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling's face lit up with joy, and he asked, "Master, does that mean my opponent is only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm?"

If it were a cultivator in the early stage of the Golden Core realm, he would naturally not be afraid.

"Look at your pathetic self! You're now the sect master of the Lingxiao Sect, and you even killed a fifth-tier fire dragon sparrow in the Five Spirits Immortal City. You're quite renowned. Why would they let a Golden Core cultivator fight against you!"

Fairy Ziling shook her head.

"this?"

Zhou Ling was helpless; he didn't care about these empty titles at all.

However, as long as it wasn't a Nascent Soul cultivator who made the move, he wasn't too worried.

"However, this battle is the first battle in the reconstruction of our Lingxiao Sect, and we absolutely cannot fail!"

Fairy Ziling spoke with a rare solemn expression.

"Master, rest assured, your disciple will certainly not let you down!"

Zhou Ling immediately spoke with great confidence.

"Ok!"

Fairy Ziling nodded with a satisfied expression, "This is the demeanor a sect leader should have."

"As for the situation at the Zixiao Sect, you can ask your two senior sisters when they arrive!"

"Disciple understands!" Zhou Ling replied, cupping his hands in greeting.

Only then did he leave the courtyard.

As soon as he returned to the hall, Yuan Hu delivered an invitation. "Brother Ling, City Lord Weng has sent an invitation, inviting you to the City Lord's Mansion for a meeting!"

"Lord Weng has invited me to a meeting?"

Upon receiving the invitation, Zhou Ling looked surprised.

I wonder what brings Lord Weng here?
Although their relationship with Lord Weng is now quite good, such a formal invitation is rare.

Even if something happens, they just ask Weng Lanyue to pass on a message.

This can actually bring the two families closer together.

Sending an invitation by special means makes it seem more formal.

"Okay, I'll go take a look right away!"

Zhou Lingxuan immediately spoke up.

······.

Qingyun Immortal City, City Lord's Hall.

"I've met the city lord!"

Zhou Ling walked into the main hall and was slightly taken aback when he saw many familiar figures there. He then bowed to Lord Weng, who was sitting in the main seat.

"Zhou Zhizheng, please take a seat!"

Lord Weng said with a smile.

Zhou Lingxuan immediately sat down in a grand chair on the right.

At this moment, a dozen or so figures were sitting in the main hall.

Zhou Ling knows almost everyone.

Among them are Dean Zhong, Dean Gong, and several other deans of the four major academies.

There were also officials from the Xuan Ting Si and the City Guard Si.

It seemed that all the high-ranking members of the Dao Alliance in the entire Qingyun Immortal City had gathered.

Zhou Ling smiled and bowed to everyone in turn.

Everyone returned the greeting with smiles.

"Zhou Zhizheng, this is Wang Xuan, the envoy of the Dao Alliance!"

"Wang Xuanshi, this is Zhou Ling, the number one weapon refiner in our Qingyun Immortal City!"

At this moment, Lord Weng introduced the situation to Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling looked to the right of City Lord Weng, where a square-faced middle-aged man was sitting.

The man had piercing eyes and an extremely powerful aura, clearly more formidable than everyone else present.

"Greetings, Envoy Wang Xuan!"

Zhou Ling stood up and bowed to the middle-aged man.
"You must be Zhou Zhizheng, a truly promising young man!"

The middle-aged man returned the greeting with a cupped hand and a smile.

"You flatter me, Envoy Wang!"

Zhou Ling replied with a smile.

He hadn't expected that Wang Xuan would flatter him so much on their first meeting, so he naturally had to be polite in return.

"Zhou Zhizheng, your reputation in Tianxia Immortal City is currently at its zenith!"

Wang Xuanshi laughed.

"this?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling was taken aback, as he had never been to Tianxia Immortal City.

When did you become so powerful in Tianxia Immortal City?
"The news that Zhou Zhizheng killed a fifth-tier fire dragon sparrow in the Five Spirits Immortal City has already spread throughout the Heavenly Summer Immortal City."

"To kill a fifth-tier fire dragon sparrow with the Golden Core realm, you are the only one in the hundreds of thousands of years of the Dao Alliance's history!"

"He deserves the greatest credit in this battle of Five Spirit Immortal City!"

"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he's the number one young talent in the Dao Alliance!"

Wang Xuanshi said with a look of admiration.

Upon hearing this, everyone present looked at Zhou Ling in shock.

Many of those sitting in the audience were people who knew Zhou Ling very well.

Dean Gong and Dean Zhong were among those who watched Zhou Ling's cultivation level improve step by step.

Upon hearing this, they were all utterly shocked.

Everyone knows that Zhou Ling possesses five Five Elements Spirit Flames, giving him the strength to deal with Nascent Soul cultivators.

But to say that he killed a fifth-tier demon beast would be a bit of an exaggeration.

If Wang Xuanshi said so, then he must be right.

After all, these achievements are to be recorded as military merits of the Dao Alliance, and cannot be faked.

It can't be faked.

Moreover, Wang Xuanshi is a Xuanshi of the Dao Alliance, and his words represent the will of the Dao Alliance's higher-ups.

For a moment, everyone, including City Lord Weng, looked at Zhou Ling with some confusion.

Zhou Ling returned from Five Spirit Immortal City in just two days.

I've been staying home dealing with workshop matters and spending time with my family.

He didn't mention the battle situation in Five Spirit Immortal City to anyone else, except his master and family.

However, the distance between Qingyun Immortal City and Wuling Immortal City is simply too far.

People don't pay much attention to things in the Five Spirit Immortal City.

So nobody knows the specifics of the Five Spirits Immortal City.
But Tianxia Immortal City is a different story.

Five Spirits Immortal City is located in the eastern part of the Heavenly Xia Immortal Realm, serving as a barrier against the monsters of the endless eastern sea.

Therefore, Tianxia Immortal City is fully aware of every move made by Wuling Immortal City.

Moreover, as soon as the battle ended, Chen Zhenglei and Gu Xingdao reported Zhou Ling's merits to the higher-ups of the Dao Alliance.

Therefore, news of Zhou Ling's feat of killing a fifth-tier fire dragon sparrow had already spread throughout Tianxia Immortal City.

"You flatter me, Envoy Wang. I was only able to block and kill the Fire Dragon Sparrow by controlling a fifth-tier Purple Cauldron Warship."

"Without the Purple Cauldron Warship, even a hundred of us wouldn't be a match for the Fire Dragon Sparrow, given my cultivation level!"

Seeing the surprised expressions on everyone's faces, Zhou Ling hurriedly explained.

He didn't care about such empty fame.

The key is to maintain a low profile and pursue steady development.

"Being able to control the Purple Cauldron Warship is a strength in itself!"

Wang Xuanshi was somewhat surprised by Zhou Ling's humble attitude.

So young, yet he is the sect leader of the Lingxiao Sect, as well as the head of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau and the head of the Inspection Bureau.

He even personally killed a fifth-tier demon king.

It's unbelievable that he had absolutely no airs.

This also made him quite fond of her.

Upon hearing this, the others finally looked enlightened.

While they were equally shocked that Zhou Ling had used a fifth-tier warship to kill a fifth-tier demon king, they were able to accept it.

After all, Zhou Ling had already demonstrated amazing talent in weapon crafting.

Of course, being able to kill a fifth-tier demon king is an absolutely great event in Qingyun Immortal City.

Its effect was even stronger than when the Nine Heavens Sword Domain won the championship in the main academy competition.

Seeing Wang Xuan's polite manner, Zhou Ling could only smile and sit down.

This matter is getting more and more mysterious, so it's best to handle it discreetly.

"The main reason for coming to Qingyun Immortal City this time is to announce that Qingyun Immortal City has been upgraded to a fifth-grade immortal city!"

Seeing Zhou Ling sit down, Wang Xuan glanced at everyone and said with a serious expression.

"Excellent! Qingyun Immortal City has become a fifth-grade immortal city!"

"It's true, Qingyun Immortal City has reached the fifth-grade immortal city level!"

Upon hearing this, everyone exclaimed in delight.

Even Lord Weng looked both surprised and delighted.

Clearly, Wang Xuanshi was unaware of this matter even by his own knowledge.

However, he quickly realized that Qingyun Immortal City's entry into the fifth rank was definitely closely related to Zhou Ling's killing of the fifth-rank demon king!
Sure enough, Wang Xuanshi spoke up again, "The reason why Qingyun Immortal City was able to enter the fifth rank this time is mainly due to Zhou Ling's achievement in killing a fifth-rank demon king!"

"With this achievement, coupled with the existing resources of Qingyun Immortal City, we have qualified for promotion!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Zhou Ling.

They all wore expressions of admiration and gratitude.

(End of this chapter)