Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Three days later, at a vast square.

This is the outer stronghold on the way to the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Ahead lay a vast, boundless star field.

At this moment, hundreds of cultivators had gathered in the square.

"Cultivators heading to the Sword Qi Great Wall, please board the Golden Light Warships first!"

"We are still tens of thousands of miles away from the Great Wall of Sword Qi!"

On the high platform in the square, Chen Zhenglei spoke loudly.

As the sound faded, the cultivators who were heading to the Sword Qi Great Wall to guard it gradually boarded a huge warship not far away.

"Zhou Ling, see you again at the Sword Qi Great Wall!"

Dean Gong waved to Zhou Ling and said.

"Dean Gong, be careful!"

Zhou Ling gave a word of advice.

Through Chen Zhenglei's explanation, he also learned that this trip to the Sword Qi Great Wall was quite risky.

Although Dean Gong is quite powerful, these alien races from the Star Sea are not easy to deal with.

You be careful too!

Dean Gong nodded with a slight smile.

Then, along with the other cultivators, they boarded the golden warship.

Zhou Ling only looked away after watching Dean Gong's tall and slender figure fly onto the warship.

Before long, only thirty prodigies remained in the vast square, heading towards the Sword Qi Great Wall for their trials.

Also standing on the high platform are Chen Zhenglei and Liu Zhengjia.

Chen Zhenglei's gaze swept over everyone, and he said solemnly, "Now, your trial will officially begin!"

"From here, Golden Rainbow Immortal City, to the Sword Qi Great Wall, it's tens of thousands of miles. Along the way, you'll encounter all sorts of star-sea monsters and the like."

"Once you traverse this star field and safely reach the Great Wall of Sword Qi, this will be the first battle of your trial."

"The first team to reach the Sword Qi Great Wall will each receive one thousand military merits!"

"Once you reach the Sword Qi Great Wall, a second trial will be arranged based on your performance in the first trial."

"As originally planned, form teams of three and then set off!"

As Chen Zhenglei's voice fell, the thirty trial cultivators, as originally planned, boarded the Dao Alliance's small warships in groups of three.

Zhou Ling and Qi Jianzhi, along with a handsome young man, boarded a warship that was six or seven zhang long and two or three zhang wide.

This young man was named Bu Yang, a good friend of Qi Jianzhi, and had a cultivation level of late Golden Core stage.

He ranked seventeenth on the list of prodigies.

He was also skilled in formations.

"Brother Zhou, Bu Yang, let's set off now!"

Qi Jianzhi and Zhou Ling said with a smile.

His tone was very relaxed, as if he were not going to the Sword Qi Great Wall for a trial, but rather to enjoy the scenery.

He also knew that among the three, Zhou Ling should naturally be the leader.

"Let's go!"

Zhou Ling also spoke with a relaxed expression.

From here to the Sword Qi Great Wall, a star field spanning tens of thousands of miles, lies the first trial for them.

There are many star field monsters in this star field.

They earned military merits by killing these monsters.

Furthermore, if the first team reaches the Sword Qi Great Wall, each member will receive a reward of one thousand military merits.

So the three of them didn't delay and Bu Yang piloted the warship, speeding towards the vast star field.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, I hope to meet you again at the Sword Qi Great Wall!"

At that moment, a warship caught up.

On the warship stood three figures: two women and one man.

It was Feng Lan, Tao Yue, and the other two.

Tao Yue looked at Zhou Ling and said solemnly.

Although he lost to Zhou Ling last time, he was not convinced.

Thinking about this first trial, I must strive for first place no matter what and regain my honor.

After all, among the ten teams, these three are ranked first in overall strength.

"Fellow Daoist Tao, if you still have military merits, I don't mind making another bet with you!"

Zhou Ling said with a smile.

Keep in mind that the first place winner of this first trial only receives a thousand military merits.

The last time I defeated Tao Yue, I earned 1,500 military merits.

"boring!"

Feng Lan said calmly from the side.

"I have no military merits, but I have something else! It's no less valuable than a thousand military merits!"

Tao Yue thought for a moment and then spoke up.

This was a team operation, and with Feng Lan and Pei Qingshuang assisting him, his confidence naturally increased.

Moreover, killing this kind of star-sea monster is more advantageous for him, a formation master.

That's why he dared to gamble with Zhou Ling.

"Oh, what?"

Zhou Ling said calmly.

He then added, "I don't care for ordinary things!"

Since Tao Yue was in such a hurry to give him such nice things, he naturally didn't mind.

"How about a fourth-tier attack formation, the Thunderfire Formation?"

Tao Yue's gaze sharpened.

"A fourth-order attack formation, that's acceptable."

Zhou Ling nodded and smiled.

"Alright, if we reach the Sword Qi Great Wall first, you will lose 1,500 military merits to me. If you arrive first, I will give you the fourth-tier Thunderfire Array!"

Tao Yue said solemnly.

"make a deal!"

Zhou Ling laughed.

A fourth-order thunder and fire array is quite powerful, enough to be the treasure of an ordinary Nascent Soul family.

"You two seem to be in high spirits. May I join you?"

Just then, a powerful voice came from behind.

Then another warship caught up.

Three men stood on the deck of the warship.

The person in the lead was none other than Yan Yutian, who ranked second on the list of prodigies.

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Zhou Ling's eyes again.

Another money-bringing boy has arrived!

With a smile, he said, "Competitions are naturally more exciting with more people."

His words implied that he was certain of victory.

Zhou Ling's words made everyone's eyes widen in disbelief.

That's incredibly arrogant!
Do you really think Yan Yutian is like Tao Yue and Du Huan, someone who can be easily defeated?
"How arrogant!"

Pei Qingshuang couldn't help but say something.

It should be noted that among the three, Yan Yutian ranked second.

The other two, Xu Jin (ranked seventh) and Qian Ruojun (ranked ninth), are not much weaker than them.

On the other hand, consider Zhou Ling and his two companions.

Zhou Ling ranked first, Qi Jianzhi sixth, and the other person ranked seventeenth.

Overall, their strength is significantly weaker than those two teams.

I don't know where Zhou Ling got his confidence from.

After all, the Dao Alliance's setup of the first trial wasn't just about individual combat strength.

Even in terms of individual combat strength, Zhou Ling might not be able to defeat Yan Yutian and Feng Lan.

Tao Yue dared to gamble with Zhou Ling again because he thought he could get them involved as well.

"Haha, that's more like it! Let's double the bet then, I'll offer three thousand military merits."

"Fellow Daoist Zhou will contribute three thousand military merits, while Fellow Daoist Tao will contribute two fourth-order magic arrays."

"Whoever wins in the end will get all the military merits or the magic array!"

Yan Yutian laughed and said.

He felt that since Zhou Ling's battle with Tao Yue and the others, his momentum had been suppressed by Zhou Ling, so it was necessary to regain it. Moreover, Zhou Ling's attitude showed that he and Feng Lan were not taken seriously at all, so it was also necessary to teach him a lesson.

"Okay, it's a deal!"

Zhou Ling nodded and said.

"it is good!"

Tao Yue also spoke up.

"Then we'll take our leave first!"

Zhou Ling said something and then gestured for Qi Jianzhi and the others to speed up.

Whoosh!
The warship instantly transformed into a streak of light, roaring towards the sea of ​​stars.

"How arrogant!"

"Who told them to have the right to be so arrogant!"

"After all, he is the number one genius of the Dao Alliance!"

"Do you think Feng Lan and Yan Yutian are pushovers?"

Zhou Ling's words were overheard by the other prodigies on the warships, and they were all astonished.

"Once you reach the Great Wall of Sword Qi, you'll know what true strength is!"

Watching Zhou Ling's departing warship, Yan Yutian's expression turned solemn.

Although Zhou Ling is quite strong, he may not be his match.

He glanced at Tao Yue and the others, then waved to the two people behind him.

The warships roared away.

"They're all so arrogant, do they really think we're weak?!"

Pei Qingshuang also said with considerable disdain.

"Let's go!"

Feng Lan waved her hand and said.

Tao Yue immediately steered his warship away with a whoosh.

······.

"Brother Zhou, here are the three jars of Shuiyun Wine you requested!"

On the deck, Qi Jianzhi took out three jars of spirit wine from his storage ring and handed them to Zhou Ling.

These were the only three jars of fourth-grade spirit wine left in his family, and he took them all.

"Thank you so much, Brother Qi!"

Zhou Ling didn't stand on ceremony. With a thought, he put the spirit wine into his storage ring and bowed to Qi Jianzhi to express his gratitude.

"There's no need for such formalities between us!"

Qi Jianzhi said with a smile.

He paused, then added, "However, Yan Yutian and Feng Lan are not easy to deal with. Defeating them won't be so easy!"

Qi Jianzhi was still self-aware; among the three, Zhou Ling was naturally the strongest.

As for himself, his sixth-place ranking is somewhat inflated.

Because he was cautious and careful, he always carried a lot of treasures and runes with him when he went out, so he basically never suffered a loss.

In addition, his family had a good relationship with a certain high-ranking official, so he was able to barely make it into the top ten of the Prodigy Ranking.

In addition, Bu Yang is an array master, and it is not easy for him to set up a small array without assistance.

Therefore, overall, the gap in strength between Yan Yutian's team and Feng Lan's team is still obvious.

He was also worried that if he held Zhou Ling back and caused Zhou Ling to lose three thousand military merits, that would be unacceptable.

After all, according to the family's opinion, Zhou Ling has a high probability of being able to enter the upper echelons of the Dao Alliance in the future.

Therefore, I need to take advantage of this trial to build a good relationship with him.

If they really hold us back, then things will get complicated.

"It doesn't matter, after all, I am number one on the Prodigy Ranking!"

Zhou Ling said with a confident expression.

He wasn't very confident if it were an alien race from the Star Sea.

After all, it's uncertain whether the [demonic beast pressure] will have any effect on these alien races.

However, when it comes to demonic beasts, unless they are fifth-tier demonic beasts, he can suppress fourth-tier demonic beasts with his [Demonic Beast Pressure].

This is where his confidence lies.

This star field belongs to the inner star field of the Dao Alliance, and there are no fifth-order demonic beasts here.

So he doesn't have to worry at all.

With those two fourth-tier magic arrays and three thousand military merits, he's guaranteed to win!

Upon hearing this, Qi Jianzhi immediately perked up; with Zhou Ling's words, he felt relieved.

"We'll take turns on guard duty, and if we encounter any monsters, we'll be on alert in advance!"

Zhou Ling spoke up again.

From here to the Sword Qi Great Wall, even at the speed of this small warship, it would take four or five days if all went smoothly.

But if we encounter monsters on the way, it won't be so fast.

Therefore, the three of them need to maintain a good condition.

One person piloted the warship, one patrolled, and one rested.

Only then can we respond quickly in case of danger.

Both Qi Jianzhi and the other person nodded.

······.

Two days later, around noon.

A murky, dark yellow starry sky, utterly silent.

There was neither starlight nor any demonic beasts appearing, making it seem somewhat lifeless.

Just then, a small warship shot out from a certain star stone, stirring up a burst of spiritual light.

Three figures stood on the deck of the warship.

"Brother Zhou is really amazing, he wiped out this flock of Blood Thunder Ravens!"

Qi Jianzhi bowed to Zhou Ling with a face full of admiration.

Just now, when their warship was flying at high speed, a blood-red thundercloud suddenly appeared in the starry sky. He hurriedly steered the warship away from the blood-red thundercloud.

Unexpectedly, the blood-red thundercloud continued to pursue them.

This surprised them greatly. When they got closer, they discovered that the blood thundercloud was actually a dense swarm of blood thunder crows.

They originally intended to maneuver their warships to avoid the Blood Thunder Ravens.

But the Blood Thunder Ravens were too fast, making it impossible for them to avoid them; they had no choice but to fight them head-on.

Faced with such a large flock of Blood Thunder Ravens, even though Bu Yang had already set up a small third-order magic array on the warship.

However, among this flock of Blood Thunder Ravens, there are quite a few third-tier and even fourth-tier Blood Thunder Raven Kings.

A third-order magic array simply cannot stop it.

This greatly shocked Qi Jianzhi and the other man.

Extremely frustrated, how could I have encountered such a terrifying flock of Blood Thunder Crows?

Even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would have no choice but to flee in panic if they encountered these Blood Thunder Crows.

Encountering a fourth-tier demonic beast on a star path spanning tens of thousands of miles is inherently a low-probability event.

Unexpectedly, they stumbled upon a group of demonic beasts, the Blood Thunder Ravens, as if they had struck gold.

Their combined lightning attack was so powerful that even a fourth-order magic array couldn't withstand it.

This warship is not only essential for this trial, but also for the entire trial of the Sword Qi Great Wall.

If their warships are damaged, they will fall far behind the other teams in the trials at the Sword Qi Great Wall.

But when the blood-red thunder crows, sweeping down like thunderclouds, swooped down from the starry sky...

But Zhou Ling let the two of them control the warship, while he himself charged headlong into the horde of Blood Thunder Ravens without hesitation.

Before Qi Jianzhi and the other two could stop him, Zhou Ling's body had already appeared outside the warship, facing the overwhelming swarm of blood thunder crows.

This horrified Qi Jianzhi.

There are thousands of Blood Thunder Ravens in this flock. No matter how terrifying Zhou Ling's strength is, he can't possibly be their match.

They had originally thought that if all else failed, they would have to abandon the warship and escape by other means.

But now Zhou Ling is facing the Blood Thunder Ravens alone.

They naturally couldn't abandon their warships and flee.

Although Qi Jianzhi was afraid of death, he would not abandon his teammates.

But what happened next completely convinced him of Zhou Ling's worth.

As Zhou Ling's body shone with the Five Elements Sword Light, more than a dozen second-tier Blood Thunder Crows that were rushing towards him were instantly killed.

The next second, Zhou Ling charged into the flock of crows and was completely enveloped by lightning.

But before he could figure out what was going on...
The flock of blood thunder crows quickly fled, but Zhou Ling pursued them relentlessly.

This rapid reversal of events completely exceeded his expectations. He could only hurriedly steer his warship, following Zhou Ling in pursuit of the Blood Thunder Crow flock. (End of Chapter)