Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Several days later, Zhou Ling had almost fully recovered and went to the Dao Court.

He paid his respects to Envoy Wang Xuan.

"Congratulations, City Lord Zhou, on obtaining the rightful position of the Lingxiao Sect!"

Upon entering the Dao Court's Mysterious Division, he saw the ruddy-faced and robust Wang Xuanshi and greeted Zhou Ling with a joyful gesture.

In just a few days, news of Lingxiao Sect's victory over Zixiao Sect in the written exam spread throughout Tianxia Immortal City.

No one expected that the Lingxiao Sect, which had been dormant for many years, would suddenly reappear.

They actually have the strength to defeat the Zixiao Sect, one of the top ten sects in the Dao Alliance.

Of course, this is just a competition.

It does not represent the overall strength of the sect.

However, it is an indisputable fact that Lingxiao Sect will inherit the Daoist tradition of the original Zixiao Sect and gain recognition from the Daoist Alliance.

In particular, in this battle, Zhou Ling defeated Liu Polei, the future sect leader of the Zixiao Sect and sixth on the Heavenly Ranking.

This propelled him directly into the top five.

In addition, there was the matter of killing a fifth-tier demon king.

His reputation in Tianxia Immortal City soared for a time.

Many aristocratic cultivators came to visit.

Fortunately, Zhou Ling has been recovering these days, so Wang Qingshang has been receiving them on his behalf.

Wang Qingshang, coming from a prestigious family, was naturally adept at handling these matters.

"This time we were somewhat lucky!"

Zhou Ling smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

"To be able to defeat Liu Polei, who is in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, I believe that only you in the Dao Alliance can do it now!"

Wang Xuan praised with a smile.

He naturally wanted to befriend this promising young man.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Wang Xuanshi spoke to Zhou Ling.

"Lord Zhou, Chief Xuan Si Meng wants to see you. Please come with me!"

"Thank you for your trouble, Envoy Xuan!"

Zhou Ling cupped his hands in greeting.

The main purpose of this trip to Tianxia Immortal City is to accomplish the first two tasks, which have already been successfully completed.

Next, I will meet with Genji, the head of the organization.

This Chief Meng is one of the nine high-ranking members of the Dao Alliance, in charge of the Xuan Division.

All personnel changes in Tianxia Immortal City must be handled through the Xuan Si (Mysterious Division).

To Zhou Ling's surprise, Wang Xuansi did not take him to the main hall of Xuansi.

Instead, they arrived at a courtyard.

The courtyard looked no different from any other ordinary courtyard, and it wasn't very big.

But the spiritual energy was abundant, and a large tree grew in the middle.

Looking at the big tree, Zhou Ling could sense a mysterious aura.

Through [Intermediate Observation], he discovered that it was actually a fifth-level spruce tea tree.

The tea leaves that grow on it can aid in cultivation and enhance one's understanding.

It is also called Five-Step Spirit Tea.

A middle-aged man dressed in a white Taoist robe with an ordinary face was sitting on a stool under a big tree, sipping spiritual tea.

Upon seeing the man, Wang Xuanshi hurriedly bowed and said, "Greetings, Chief Meng!"

"Your humble servant has brought Zhou Ling here!"

"Greetings, Chief Meng!"

Zhou Ling also bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

He was taken aback.

According to the Dao Alliance's regulations, those who can become one of the nine high-ranking members are basically at the Refinement of Emptiness realm.

But this Chief Meng looked to him like an ordinary middle-aged man.

Even though his [Intermediate Observation] talent is already quite high, he still can't see through the depth of the other's abilities at all.

Of course, with his current talent and abilities, he can only observe mid-stage fifth-order demonic beasts at most, which is roughly equivalent to the mid-stage Nascent Soul stage of the human race.

This was also the first time Zhou Ling had ever seen a cultivator at the Refinement of Void realm.

"Please sit down."

The middle-aged man's gaze swept over the two of them, and he smiled and waved.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuanshi sat down at a slightly worn tea table nearby.

Zhou Ling then took a seat.

I was also surprised.

If I hadn't come with Wang Xuanshi, I wouldn't have known that this middle-aged man, of ordinary build and appearance, with a kind manner of speaking, was one of the nine high-ranking officials.

He still thought he was just an ordinary person.

It's really quite inconspicuous.

"This is freshly planted spruce spirit tea. You've come at the perfect time, please have a taste!"

As Meng Zhishou finished speaking, two teacups floated to the front of the two men.

"Thank you, Chief!"

"Thank you, Chief!"

The two bowed and thanked him.

Then Zhou Ling picked up the teacup, took a sip, and the spiritual tea was fragrant and sweet. It made him feel as if a clear spring was bubbling in his mind, making him feel extremely comfortable.

He could feel that this spiritual tea was of great help to his soul.

"Young friend Zhou, how does this spiritual tea taste?"

Meng Zhishou asked again with a smile.

"It feels like a spiritual spring has appeared in my mind's eye; it's truly wonderful!"

Zhou Ling spoke frankly.

Upon seeing this ancient tree, he could immediately sense its extraordinary nature.

"That's right, this Spruce Spirit Tea is also called Enlightenment Tea!"

"It will be of great help to the cultivator's soul."

"Sometimes taking it can even lead to a sudden enlightenment!"

"Since we are destined to meet, I'll give you the tea leaves I picked today!"

Meng Zhishou smiled, waved his hand, and an exquisite jade box landed in front of Zhou Ling.

"Thank you, Chief!"

Zhou Ling naturally wouldn't refuse such a good thing, and hurriedly cupped his hands in thanks.

Through his intermediate observation, he learned that this spruce tea tree could only be harvested once every ten years or so.

I never expected that Meng Zhishou would give me such a valuable gift on our first meeting.

It seems they're trying to win me over!
Zhou Ling secretly speculated in his heart.

After all, the higher-ups of the Dao Alliance represent their respective factions.

Now that he has inherited the Lingxiao Sect, he will eventually need to find a powerful backer among the higher-ups.

Otherwise, even if they obtain the legitimate status of the Zixiao Sect.

The subsequent procedures were not so easy to complete.

It is now more difficult to obtain resources.

But with a powerful backer, things are different.

Watching Zhou Ling put away the jade box, Meng Zhishou smiled and said, "Young friend Zhou is not old, but his talent is enough to rank him among the top three in the Dao Alliance today!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling cupped his hands in greeting and replied, "You flatter me by offering your head!"

"That's the truth!"

Meng Zhishou took a sip of spiritual tea and continued, "Now the Dao Alliance needs talented juniors like you to demonstrate your strength."

"In the next ten years, the Dao Alliance will cultivate several leaders who are most suitable to lead the development of the Dao Alliance for the next few hundred years."

"Now it's settled, there are eight people in total, and you are one of them."

"With your current cultivation level, you wouldn't normally be qualified."

"But you defeated Liu Polei this time, and you also killed a fifth-tier demon king in Five Spirits Immortal City, which is why you are qualified!"

"From now on, you will receive the strongest support from the Dao Alliance. If you can become one of the nine supreme figures who will be in charge of the Dao Alliance in the future, that will be the greatest achievement!"

Meng Zhishou's words made Zhou Ling quite happy.

He hadn't expected that defeating Liu Polei would bring this benefit.

Perhaps I will take this position from Liu Polei.

Moreover, he was quite interested in becoming the leader of the Dao Alliance.

However, given his current situation, he seemed to be quite far from that point, so he quickly cupped his hands in thanks and replied, "Thank you for your guidance, Chief!"

He didn't inquire about what resources he would receive.

After all, just the prospect of being the future leader sounds prestigious enough. These aren't his primary concerns right now.

The key issue, however, is the matter of establishing the Lingxiao Sect's legitimacy.

After all, this is the real benefit.

He then asked, "Chief, when will the matter of my Lingxiao Sect inheriting the Daoist lineage of the Zixiao Sect be completed?"

This is related to the cultivation resources of all the disciples of the Lingxiao Sect.

You should know that now, as Master's injuries gradually recover...

There are also two senior sisters and two Nascent Soul cultivators.

In addition, their eight disciples, four of whom are at the Golden Core stage and four at the Foundation Establishment stage, require a considerable amount of cultivation resources each month.

Therefore, we must get our hands on these benefits from the Dao Alliance as soon as possible.

"Don't worry, your master has already reported to the Dao Court. It's just a matter of going through the procedures, and it should be completed in less than half a month!"

Meng Zhishou's words immediately put Zhou Ling's mind at ease.

It seems that the future leader of this alliance is quite influential.

It seems that Chief Meng is quite fair in handling matters.

They are not afraid of the strength of the Zixiao Sect.

It should be noted that the Zixiao Sect now has an ancestor at the Refinement Void Realm.

Of course, Zhou Ling also knew that the smooth progress of this matter was definitely related to his victory over Liu Polei and the killing of the fifth-tier demon king.

"Furthermore, the leadership of the Dao Alliance involves not only cultivation level, but also control and other factors."

"There will be some operations against alien races in the future, along with the other three major grotto heavens, and you may be required to participate."

"So you need to be mentally prepared."

"At that time, we may have you few prodigies each lead a team to test your abilities in this area!"

Meng Zhishou then said the same thing.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling was startled.

I never expected this to happen.

But it’s normal to think about it.

Even with ample resources, it's impossible to cultivate any truly talented individuals.

Only by facing such life-or-death struggles can one forge confidence and true courage.

However, he was still somewhat worried about dealing with the alien race.

But since he had enjoyed the benefits, he naturally had to be prepared for the risks. He immediately cupped his hands and said, "Yes, take charge!"

"This is a young Enlightenment Tea Tree seedling. I'm giving it to you to see if you can cultivate it into a fifth-tier divine tree!"

Meng Zhishou nodded and then took out a small sapling.

The saplings looked less than three inches tall and were not much different from ordinary saplings.

"Thank you, Chief!"

Zhou Ling bowed again in thanks.

If we can cultivate an Enlightenment Tea Tree in the family in the future, that would be a huge success.

Moreover, now that their parents have entered the Foundation Establishment stage, their cultivation progress is slow, even though they have been provided with enough pills and other resources.

But given his own talent, there's nothing he can do about it.

If we had this Enlightenment Tea Tree, it would definitely be of great help in the future.

Although he was not a spirit plant master and did not know how to cultivate spirit trees.

However, he possesses the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame, which greatly aids in cultivating the spirit tree.

It can accelerate the growth of spiritual plants, making it perfect for cultivating Enlightenment Tea Trees.

Afterwards, Meng Zhishou chatted with Zhou Ling about everyday things for a while.

He also instructed Zhou Ling to focus on cultivation and improve his cultivation level as soon as possible.

Afterwards, Zhou Ling and Wang Xuan took their leave.

After bidding farewell to Meng Zhishou.

Wang Xuanshi then helped him complete the relevant onboarding procedures for the City Lord of Qingyun Immortal City.

With Wang Xuanshi personally leading the process, the speed was extremely fast, and the procedures were completed in no time.

The monks he met chatted and laughed with him.

This also made Zhou Ling realize that, without realizing it, he seemed to have gained a certain status within the Dao Court.

After completing all the tasks, Wang Xuanshi took him to meet the array master who had gone to Qingyun Immortal City to set up the fifth-order spiritual vein.

To Zhou Ling's surprise, this formation master turned out to be an old acquaintance.

Wu Rong of the Zixiao Sect.

Wu Rong was actually a fourth-tier top-grade array master.

In terms of array formation skills, she is even a notch above her second senior sister.

This was completely unexpected by Zhou Ling.

It's no exaggeration that he was able to be as famous as Zhang Yuhu within the Zixiao Sect.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, we meet again!"

Upon seeing Zhou Ling, Wu Rong greeted him with a smile.

They did not have any dissatisfaction because Elder Wu's marriage proposal had been rejected.

"I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Wu to be a fourth-tier top-grade array master. My apologies for my disrespect!"

Zhou Ling also bowed and said.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou is joking. It is something that no one expected that you would be able to defeat Senior Brother Liu!"

Wu Rong remained calm and composed, exuding an elegant demeanor.

He then asked Zhou Ling, "When do you plan to go back?"

"I've finished dealing with things here, and I'll be heading back in the next couple of days!"

Zhou Ling replied.

"Alright, I'll go to Qingyun Immortal City with you!"

Wu Rong nodded slightly.

"I wonder if any other items are needed to assist in setting up this fifth-tier spiritual vein?"

Zhou Ling asked again.

Setting up a fifth-order spiritual vein is a major project, and naturally requires a lot of auxiliary spiritual objects.

Moreover, many of them are definitely fifth-tier spiritual objects.

This is hard to find in Qingyun Immortal City, so he asked first.

He has prepared everything that is needed.

Avoiding it would be troublesome.

It would be a waste of time to buy more.

"In addition to the fifth-tier Spirit Gathering Pearl, we also need some fifth-tier auxiliary treasures, which the Dao Alliance has already provided."

"As for the other items, we will need to examine the specific locations of the spiritual veins in Qingyun Immortal City before making a decision!"

Wu Rong said this.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling nodded. Since the Dao Alliance had the resources, things would be much easier.

If any other missing items are not available, you can exchange them at Qingyang Immortal City.

"I wonder how long it will take to set up this fifth-order spiritual vein?"

"What do you need our Azure Cloud Immortal City to do this time?"

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Ling asked again.

"As for the timeframe, it depends on the specific arrangements of Qingyun Immortal City. Generally, it can take as little as three months, but it's also normal for it to take several years."

Wu Rong replied with a slight smile.

"As for what Qingyun Immortal City needs to do, just mark out the locations where branch veins will be set up for me!"

"Okay, no problem!"

Zhou Ling nodded.

Afterwards, Zhou Ling inquired briefly about the attributes of the spiritual vein.

Then he said goodbye and left.

Before leaving, he thanked Envoy Wang Xuan for his help.

Wang Xuanshi also flattered him, explaining that he would inform Zhou Ling about the matter concerning the Lingxiao Sect as soon as it was approved by the higher-ups.

Zhou Ling also bowed and thanked him.

After leaving the Dao Court, Zhou Ling returned to his courtyard at the Lingxiao Sect.

Upon learning that the matter concerning the Lingxiao Sect had been resolved and that Jin Yun and Fang Yuyun had almost fully recovered, they were relieved.

Fairy Ziling decided to return to Qingyun Immortal City in three days.

As for this courtyard, two disciples were left to guard it.

This serves as the Lingxiao Sect's stronghold in Tianxia Immortal City. (End of Chapter)