Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

"I don't want anything else from you, just the Thunder Spirit Stones you just won from Fellow Daoist Qin will do as the wager."

Wu Daoyuan smiled and said.

There was nothing about Zhou Ling that he found appealing.

Such a competition is simply a way to demonstrate one's strength.

He declared himself to be one of the Four Great Grotto-Heavens, the number one genius of the human race.

"Then let's settle this."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling was somewhat surprised and immediately smiled.

In that case, wouldn't I be guaranteed to win?

Even if they lose, the Thunder Spirit Stone will be given to Wu Daoyuan, but he himself has already successfully activated [Thunder Amplification], so it's still a big profit.

If we win, it will be a fifth-tier Five Elements Sword Pill.

You can't lose money in this business.

"Ah."

Wu Daoyuan nodded slightly.

"Fellow Daoists, may I also join in this matter?"

At this moment, Qin Yi also walked over and said seriously.

He wasn't very confident in killing a fifth-tier alien, but since the two of them were gambling like this, if he didn't join them, wouldn't that show that he was weaker than them?

Even though he had just lost to Zhou Ling, he was unwilling to admit defeat so easily.

They still hoped for a chance to turn things around.

But the current situation seems to present an opportunity.

"Then I want to join too."

Xia Ruohe, who was standing to the side, looked at the three of them and said with a smile.

The other cultivators looked at the four as if they were monsters.

This is a fifth-tier alien race!
Even the life of a fifth-tier alien race is still a life!

They actually used it as a wager to see who could successfully kill him.

This is absolutely insane.

Even City Lord Chen and several other city lords felt that the young people of today were unbelievably strong.

But having this confidence is also a good thing for them.

Only when they actually encountered a fifth-tier golden-eyed spirit race did they realize just how strong they were.
"Okay, it'll be more fun if more people play."

"But what's the bet between you two?"

"And how should the betting proceed?"

As his gaze swept over the two, Fellow Daoist Wu spoke up.

"My wager is a fifth-tier Thunderwood!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Yi hesitated for a moment, then made a move.

A flash of black lightning appeared, followed by a purple lightning tree half a meter long.

Faint purple lightning occasionally surged across the Thunderwood.

"Millennial Purple Light Thunderwood!"

Looking at Lei Mu, a burning light flashed in Zhou Ling's eyes.

The "Intermediate Observation" and "Intermediate Analysis" sections just appeared.

He quickly learned about the Purple Light Thunderwood, which was a mid-grade fifth-order tree.

It contains incomparably pure lightning source power, making it the best material for forging a fifth-order lightning sword.

He immediately became extremely interested in this piece of purple lightning wood.

“Indeed, this Thunderwood is over a thousand years old.”

"Moreover, after I obtained it, I have been nourishing it with my own blood essence, which has enhanced its attributes and made it even more powerful."

"It's not cheap either."

Qin Yi said this.

Zhou Ling immediately nodded, accepting Qin Yi's bet.

It has to be said that this kid's Divine Ape Thunder Body is a treasure trove.

It can not only enhance one's own combat power, but also improve the treasures one cultivates.

"If I were to absorb a few drops of essence blood, my combat power would definitely increase."

"But now that I have [Thunder Amplification], I'm quite content."

Chen Ling thought to himself.

Then all three of them turned their gazes to Xia Ruohe.

Xia Ruohe thought for a while before awkwardly saying, "I have two bottles of fifth-grade Soul Cleansing Pills. Do you think that's alright?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a wooden pill bottle appeared in his hand.

His tone suggested he wasn't very confident.

The Fifth-Order Soul Cleansing Pill is a fifth-order soul-cultivating pill, which has a significant effect on the soul.

Although it is also quite valuable, it is still inferior to the Purple Light Thunderwood and the Five Elements Sword Pill.

As for the lightning-attribute spirit stone in Zhou Ling's hand, it should be stronger.

"It's passable, I guess!"

Wu Daoyuan said calmly.

He didn't care much about what their bet was.

After all, he never loses.

"Alright, then it's settled. Whoever kills the fifth-tier alien first among the four of us will win."

“All of these stakes will be won by the winner.”

Zhou Ling then said the same thing.

With four people participating at the same time, it's naturally impossible for it to be a one-on-one bet.

Whoever kills the fifth-tier alien first will be the winner.

They gained chips from the other three players.

"it is good."

"it is good."

"it is good."

All three nodded.

They then checked everyone's chips.

Zhou Ling possessed ten top-grade lightning-attribute spirit stones.

Wu Daoyuan's Five Elements Sword Pill.

Qin Yi's fifth-tier purple light thunderwood.

Xia Ruohe gave her two bottles of Soul-Clearing Pills.

Only after confirming the details did they leave.

As for how to determine who kills the fifth-tier alien first, it will be displayed on the individual's jade token score.

If you successfully kill the enemy, your score will increase significantly, and other cultivators participating in the trial will also be able to see it.

"These four guys are actually quite interesting!"

"I wonder who will win?"

"Wu Daoyuan's swordsmanship talent is a once-in-a-century talent in the Wu family. It is said that his future achievements may even surpass those of the Wu family's founding ancestor. It will not be easy for others to defeat him."

"That's not necessarily true. After all, given the combat power that Zhou Ling and Qin Yi just displayed, they would have a significant advantage in dealing with the Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan."

"As for Xia Ruohe, although her combat strength is obviously insufficient compared to the previous three, she is still a fifth-level array master. If she sets up a fifth-level array, she will still have a chance."

Watching the four figures depart, the city lords of the immortal city began to discuss with great interest.

In their view, Wu Daoyuan was undoubtedly the one with the highest probability of winning among the four.

As for the other three, they all have a chance, but only about 20% or 30%.

As for the final result, they were somewhat hopeful.

None of the four great grotto-heavens sent Nascent Soul cultivators to escort the trial cultivators this time.

Therefore, the city lords of the various celestial realms are actually the protectors of the cultivators undergoing trials.

They can also judge the situation of each person by the changes in their scores.

······.

"Boss, the combat power of this fifth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan is extremely terrifying and not easy to deal with."

After returning to the cabin of the warship, Qi Jianzhi spoke to Zhou Ling.

His tone seemed somewhat worried.

After all, this trial is somewhat of a team-based event.

If Zhou Ling were to encounter a fifth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan member, they would likely not escape either.

So we still need to be cautious.

Everyone else was also looking at Zhou Ling.

Their expressions also showed some worry, after all, this kind of trial already carried considerable risks.

Naturally, it's impossible to easily provoke a fifth-tier alien race.

"Don't worry about this. If we encounter a fifth-tier alien race, I will find a way to deal with it myself."

Zhou Ling said with a smile.

"Boss, that's not what I meant. I just mean that you have to know yourself and your enemy to win every battle."

Qi Jianzhi explained with a smile.

Zhou Ling nodded. "Everyone, just focus on the trial." He then took out the drawing jade token from his pocket and activated it.

Suddenly, a scene of light and shadow materialized before everyone's eyes.

The scene depicts a dark, bare expanse of rock, with only occasional sparse low-lying vegetation.

There is a human camp in the middle.

The camp didn't look very big, about a hundred feet in circumference, and it was surrounded by a defensive light shield.

"This is our third base on our journey to the desolate planet Shiyan."

"The area that has been opened up so far is only a few miles in radius."

"To meet the standards for establishing a celestial city, the area must be at least one hundred li in circumference."

"So, this is our task for the next six months."

"Please feel free to speak your mind."

Pointing to the screen, Zhou Ling addressed the group.

Large areas of this desolate planet are still covered by nebulae.

The so-called nebula is actually the malevolent energy on a desolate star.

These malevolent energies are extremely detrimental to humans; excessive inhalation can lead to stagnation of the meridians.

Therefore, the first thing to do when clearing land is to remove these evil mists.

There are alien races within the evil mist, and these alien races pose a huge threat to the cultivators in the stronghold.

"Chief, we can't determine the specific situation around us from the images alone, so we need to get to the base, figure out the surroundings, and then decide which direction to expand in."

Looking at the screen, Pei Qingshuang spoke slowly.

Of the eight, she knew the most about military formations and tactics, so she was the most qualified to speak on the matter.

To remove the evil mist, a protective array needs to be set up.

A third-order exorcism array can remove the evil mist within a radius of several miles.

However, setting up an array within the malevolent mist is an extremely dangerous undertaking.

Therefore, we still need to find out the specific situation and direction before making a decision.

"Alright, since no one has any other opinions, let's get some rest first. We'll discuss this again when we get to the base tomorrow."

The others, who had limited knowledge of the stronghold, remained silent, so Zhou Ling spoke again.

Then everyone returned to their respective rooms.

Zhou Ling also returned to her room.

He took the medicine and recovered.

The battle just now took a toll on us.

······.

The next day.

After everyone had made their preparations, cultivators from Cloud Sea Immortal City came to lead them to the Stone Rock Wasteland Star base.

The four warships left the Cloud Sea Immortal City Square almost simultaneously.

Xia Ruohe's warship was closest to Zhou Ling's and the others' warship.

Xia Ruohe stood on the deck of the warship, smiling and waving to Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling nodded in response with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, how about we cooperate?"

At this moment, Zhou Ling heard Xia Ruohe's voice transmission.

"cooperate?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling looked puzzled and then asked in a telepathic message.

“Yes, cooperation. I’m at Outpost No. 2. Our two outposts are 500 miles apart. If there is any crisis, we can support each other and fight against the alien race together to reduce casualties.”

"As for who will ultimately win the trial, that depends on their luck."

Xia Ruohe smiled and continued to transmit her voice.

Based on her observations yesterday, she knew that the overall strength of the Heavenly Palace was several levels greater than that of their Immortal Sect.

Moreover, there is also the existence of Wu Daoyuan, a genius in swordsmanship.

Defeating the Heavenly Palace this time won't be so easy.

So after some thought, she decided to secretly invite Zhou Ling to cooperate.

Although they are trial opponents, they must work together to fight against the alien race.

This will also enhance our strength and reduce casualties.

As for who gets the most points in the end, that depends on their individual abilities.

Moreover, the trial rules did not stipulate that people from different realms could not cooperate.

After all, being able to cooperate with other grotto-heavens is also a means to an end.

However, individual teams may not necessarily accept this.

Everyone is trying to get enough points, so it's not just a competition.

At the same time, they also need to be wary of each other.

After all, this trial will have a significant impact on the ranking of the four great grotto heavens.

Whoever achieves better results will have more say in the Four Great Grotto Heavens.

"Okay, that works!"

After a moment's thought, Zhou Ling nodded in reply.

Although there are two Nascent Soul cultivators in the Immortal Sect, whose strength is not low, this is not the reason why Zhou Ling chose to cooperate with them.

The main reason is that Xia Ruohe's talent is truly astonishing.

He is now a fifth-level alchemist and a fifth-level formation master.

This fifth-order formation will undoubtedly be of great use in the desolate star shrouded in malevolent mist.

Although there were two array masters among them, Bu Yang and Qi Xin.

However, the two of them can only set up a low-grade fourth-order magic array at present.

There is still a considerable gap between her and Xia Ruohe.

"Alright, once we get to the base and settle in, we'll discuss this in detail."

After Xia Ruohe transmitted her voice to Zhou Ling, she controlled the warship to increase its speed and flew out of the defensive shield in the sky above Yunhai Immortal City.

Zhou Ling and his men's warships followed closely behind.

······.

A few hours later.

"Zhou Zhishou, the third stronghold is just ahead."

The warship landed on a desolate star shrouded in nebulae. Commander Zhang, a cultivator from Cloud Sea Immortal City, pointed to the stronghold below and spoke to Zhou Ling.

He was at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage and was a cultivator sent by Cloud Sea Immortal City to assist Zhou Ling and his group.

I will be stationed at the stronghold to assist Zhou Ling in managing the movement of the stronghold's cultivators.

"Thank you, Commander Zhang!"

Zhou Ling bowed and thanked him.

"Zhou Zhishou is too kind; this is my duty."

Commander Zhang said with a smile.

Then he piloted the warship down.

The monks stationed at the outpost had already received the notification.

Upon seeing the warship land, activate the defensive shield.

Commander Zhang then had the warship land in a small square.

"Greetings, Commander Zhang, and Chief Zhou!"

A middle-aged man dressed in the robes of a deputy commander walked over, followed by several cultivators, each with an impressive aura.

"Zhou Zhishou, he is Gu Xing, the deputy commander of the stronghold, with a cultivation level of late Nascent Soul stage."

Commander Zhang introduced them to Zhou Ling.

"Vice Commander Gu!"

Zhou Ling bowed respectfully.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhou Ling and the others followed the two to a campsite.

How many people are currently stationed at the outpost?

After entering the central tent, Zhou Ling asked Commander Zhang for his opinion.

"Currently, the stronghold is garrisoned by a battle battalion of cultivators, totaling one hundred and fifty people."

"How is their combat strength?"

"Two Nascent Soul cultivators, three Golden Core cultivators, and the rest are Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators."

"There is also a fifth-order Golden Cloud Formation for defense."

"If activated, it will consume three top-grade spirit stones per day."

Commander Zhang was very familiar with the situation at the stronghold and explained it to Zhou Ling and the others in detail.

"With a fifth-order magic array for defense, safety is fairly guaranteed."

Zhou Ling nodded.

According to the information obtained, there are fifth-order golden-eyed spirit race members on this desolate rocky planet.

"This stronghold has been established for half a year and has been attacked three times by the Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan, but we have managed to stop them all with the help of the magic array."

Commander Zhang continued.

"Everyone, please settle in first, and we'll arrange the rest later."

Zhou Ling's gaze swept over Qi Jianzhi and the other six, and he spoke. (End of Chapter)