Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

a few days later.

Inside the main hall of the Cloud Sea Immortal City.

Monks gathered there.

"In this battle against the Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan, our human race achieved a great victory in cultivation."

"We killed five fifth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Race members, more than fifty fourth-tier members, and over a thousand members below the fourth tier."

"As for the casualties among our human cultivators, there was one Nascent Soul cultivator who died in battle, ten other Core Formation cultivators, more than two hundred other cultivators, and more than three hundred injured."

"The Cloud Sea Immortal City will provide the highest level of reward to these human cultivators who were injured or killed."

"In addition, it destroyed the sixth-grade superior blood eye, the ancestral artifact of the Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan, removing a major hidden danger for our human race."

"Otherwise, if the Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan successfully condenses an altar, it will be a huge crisis for our Cloud Sea Immortal City."

"Overall, this is the biggest victory since the opening up of the Youyun Starfield."

City Lord Chen's gaze swept over everyone, his expression a mixture of solemnity and delight.

After this battle, the Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan was severely weakened, making it much easier to completely eliminate them.

"Now, I will reward those who have made contributions."

Seeing that everyone looked solemn, City Lord Chen spoke again.

The human cultivators suffered considerable casualties this time, and the atmosphere inside the hall was somewhat heavy.

However, if Zhou Ling hadn't broken through the Blood Altar in time, it would have been a huge crisis for Cloud Sea Immortal City.

"The credit for this should go to Zhou Ling."

"He killed a mid-stage fifth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan Grand Commander and destroyed the Blood Altar, which is why we were able to achieve this great victory."

"Otherwise, once the altar is successfully formed, our Cloud Sea Immortal City will likely be completely wiped out."

"Therefore, this time, I will give him the greatest credit and reward him with 100,000 military merits."

Lord Chen spoke slowly.

Upon hearing this, the other cultivators all looked at Zhou Ling with admiration in their eyes.

No one expected that Zhou Ling, who was only at the Golden Core stage, would be able to kill a mid-stage fifth-order Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan member.

There is still enough energy left to break the Blood Altar.

This is even more difficult than killing two fifth-tier golden-eyed spirits in succession.

Everyone knew that Zhou Ling had killed a fifth-tier early-stage Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan member, but most of the people present did not witness it.

It's unclear what methods Zhou Ling used.

However, all the Nascent Soul cultivators witnessed the killing of the fifth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan leader.

Zhou Ling's success was entirely due to his own formidable strength.

The Sunlit Immortal Sword and the Five Spirit Flames merged seamlessly.

Even Wu Daoyuan, Qin Yi, and the others were speechless when they looked at Zhou Ling.

After this battle, they had no choice but to submit.

Qin Yi and Xia Ruohe were completely convinced.

After all, the gap between him and Zhou Ling is widening, and there are no more opportunities left in the remaining half month.

There is still a gap of more than 40,000 points between them and Zhou Lingjiang, making it impossible for them to catch up.

Only Wu Daoyuan did not think this way, mainly because the environment of the Youyun Starfield was extremely favorable to Zhou Ling this time.

If Zhou Ling hadn't possessed the evil-absorbing stone to remove the evil mist, he wouldn't have had such a huge advantage in the early stages.

He will absolutely not lose to Zhou Ling.

But now there's no chance of catching up in points, so he has no choice but to accept it.

"Thank you City Lord!"

Zhou Ling immediately stood up and bowed to Lord Chen to express his gratitude.

Although these 100,000 points are not counted as trial points, they are still military merits, which can be exchanged for other resources upon returning to the Dao Alliance.

Adding the military merits he earned from the trial, he could earn 170,000 military merits on this trip.

There were also tens of thousands of military merits left over.

He accumulated a total of 220,000 military merits, which, if exchanged for resources, would even be enough for him to cultivate to the Nascent Soul realm.

However, he is not alone now, he has the Zhou family, so the more military merits he has, the better.

"No need to be so polite."

"If it weren't for your trial in the Youyun Starfield, my Yunhai Immortal City would probably be lost. Giving you more military merits wouldn't be too much!"

Lord Chen smiled and said.

"This great victory is also thanks to the full cooperation of all the cultivators stationed in Cloud Sea Immortal City."

"I just happened to be there."

Zhou Ling said modestly.

City Lord Chen nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Wu Daoyuan and smiled, "In addition, Wu Zhizheng killed a fifth-order Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan member and assisted Chief Zhou in breaking the Blood Altar. He is rewarded with 30,000 military merits."

"Xia Zhizheng and Qin Zhizheng have both made significant contributions, and are awarded 20,000 military merits!"

Lord Chen then spoke to the other two in the same manner.

"Thank you City Lord!"

"Thank you City Lord!"

"Thank you City Lord!"

The three of them bowed in unison.

City Lord Chen nodded and said with a smile, "In addition, your trial can be considered officially over now."

"After this great battle, the Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan of Stone Rock Wasteland has been wiped out."

"There's no need for you to go back in the remaining two weeks."

"We have no objections!"

All four of them spoke up.

"Very well, then I will announce the rankings for this trial."

Lord Chen glanced at the four people and nodded.

"Zhou Ling, the champion of this trial, has a total score of 71,000. His personal achievements include killing two fifth-order golden-eyed spirit race members, establishing the immortal city, breaking the blood altar, and creating the evil-absorbing stone."

"Especially the evil-absorbing stone, which is a great achievement that will benefit future generations, and no reward is too much."

Lord Chen announced Zhou Ling's achievements in a cheerful tone.

The Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation cultivators from Cloud Sea Immortal City present all looked at Zhou Ling with admiration.

None of these achievements were something they could easily accomplish.

It can be said that even a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator stationed in Cloud Sea Immortal City for ten years would not have such military achievements.

After all, defeating a fifth-tier golden-eyed spirit race member is possible, but killing them is extremely difficult.

Always be on guard against the other party suddenly revealing their bloodshot eyes.

One wrong move and it could end in mutual destruction.

Therefore, without an absolute advantage, one can only let the opponent escape.

Just like how Lord Chen dealt with that Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan patriarch this time.

They clearly held an absolute advantage.

They still managed to escape.

This further demonstrates just how impressive Zhou Ling's kill of these two fifth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Race members truly was.

Moreover, during this time, Zhou Ling was also pursued by Liu Zhengjia, who was in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and even managed to kill him.

This strength is truly terrifying.

"Second place: Wu Daoyuan from the Heavenly Palace, with 36,000 points. He killed one fifth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan member and twenty-three fourth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan members in battle."

"Third place: Xia Ruohe from the Immortal Sect, with 33,000 points and 27 fourth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan members killed in battle. Second place: Establishing an Immortal City."

"Fourth place: Qin Yi from the Desolate Domain, with 28,000 points and 28 fourth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Race members killed in battle."

"As for the specific rewards, you will receive them from the higher-ups of your respective grotto-heavens once you return."

"And the cave that ranked first this time will have the greatest say among the four major caves in the next ten years."

Lord Chen slowly announced the four men's battle results.

It can be said that the strength of the cultivators participating in the Four Great Grotto Heaven Trials this time is astonishing.

In just the past six months, they have killed three fifth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Race members and more than a hundred fourth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Race members.

Besides the four of them, there were more than twenty other trial cultivators, some of whom had also killed fourth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Race members.

This can be said to have greatly relieved the pressure on Yunhai Immortal City.

The points are now quite clear.

Zhou Ling ranks first with 70,000 points.

He has a lead of 35,000 points over Wu Daoyuan, who is in second place.

As for Wu Daoyuan, he killed a fifth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan member and several fourth-tier members in this final battle, surpassing Xia Ruohe in points and ranking second.

As for the third place, it is Xia Ruohe with 33,000 points. Qin Yi is fourth with 228,000 points.

As for the rewards, they will mainly depend on how much influence each of the various grotto-heavens gains within the human race.

These are what the higher-ups of each grotto-heaven value most.

As for the rewards that the trial disciples receive, each grotto-heaven will arrange them themselves.

Upon hearing this ranking, Zhou Ling smiled. Putting everything else aside, the 170,000 military merits were the best reward.

"It's time to go back."

"It's been half a year, and we still don't know if Chang'er gave birth to a boy or a girl."

Zhou Ling couldn't help but feel homesick.

After all, when he left his family, his wife was only a month away from giving birth.

This made him feel somewhat guilty.

The other three fell silent.

For Wu Daoyuan, coming in second place was a failure.

Although Xia Ruohe and Qin Yi were unwilling, they had both witnessed Zhou Ling's terrifying combat power and were convinced of their defeat.

This can be said to have completely changed the ranking of the strength of the four great grotto heavens over the years.

Originally, it was always the Immortal Sect and the Heavenly Palace vying for first place.

The Dao Alliance and the Immortal Sect are vying for third place.

But this time, Zhou Ling's appearance completely disrupted the original situation.

Dao Alliance became number one in one fell swoop.

This is also the first time in history.

"Congratulations to Zhou Zhishou for winning the trial!"

"Congratulations to Zhou Zhishou for winning the trial!"

The other cultivators all bowed and thanked Zhou Ling.

This time, Zhou Ling did more than just kill two fifth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Race members.

Refining the evil-absorbing stone will reduce their casualties in the future.

Therefore, their respect for Zhou Ling was genuine.

Zhou Ling returned the greetings with clasped hands.

"Brother Zhou, the investigation into the three traitors within the Zixiao Sect will yield results soon."

"At that time, the people from the Immortal Sect's Law Enforcement Division will go to the Dao Alliance."

"The head of the Law Division is my junior brother. I will send him there personally. If you have any complaints, you can go to the Immortal Sect with him."

At this moment, Lord Chen secretly transmitted his voice to Zhou Ling.

"Thank you, Lord Chen!"

Zhou Ling replied calmly via telepathy.

Although he was quite disappointed with how the Dao Alliance handled Liu Zhengjia's situation.

However, it is also clear that there are significant internal conflicts among the Dao Alliance's top leadership.

I wouldn't leave the Dao Alliance because of this.

Of course, the specifics will depend on how we deal with the Liu family going forward.

If they still intend to treat Liu Zhengjia the same way, without making any changes.

For safety's sake, it's really necessary to make some backup plans.

Going to the Immortal Sect is also an option worth considering.

Afterwards, Lord Chen continued to explain the details of the military merit rewards to everyone.

······.

In the following days, everyone began preparing for their journey back to the Dao Alliance.

Many cultivators, such as Commander Zhang, came to say goodbye to Zhou Ling.

Wu Daoyuan, Qin Yi, Xia Ruohe, and others also came over.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, remember to return this lightning-attribute spirit stone to me later!"

Zhou Ling patted Qin Yi on the shoulder and reminded him.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, do you think I, Qin Yi, am the kind of person who would renege on a debt?"

"Don't worry, I'll use my military merits to get it back, and then I'll find a chance to return it to you."

Qin Yi patted his chest and said with a confident expression.

He's trying to renege on his debt.

Given Zhou Ling's current strength, even if he wanted to renege, he probably wouldn't be able to.

"Ok!"

Zhou Ling nodded; he wasn't fixated on those spirit stones.

After all, Qin Yi's Thunder Ape physique has a significant effect on his [Thunder Amplification] talent.

He was also wondering if he could get even better lightning-attribute treasures from him in the future.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, once you've recovered, if we have the chance, let's have another match. What do you say?"

At this moment, Wu Daoyuan also spoke up.

He didn't need to say goodbye to Zhou Ling.

However, he came here because he had made an appointment to have a match with Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling couldn't help but glance at him, knowing that Wu Daoyuan had lost somewhat frustratingly this time.

But Zhou Ling naturally had no interest in this kind of competition.

Unless Wu Daoyuan can offer something that interests him.

He immediately shook his head and said, "Fellow Daoist Wu, you are unaware of this, but I have expended a great deal of energy this time, and I am afraid it will be difficult for me to recover in a short period of time."

"Difficult to recover?"

Upon hearing Zhou Ling's words, Wu Daoyuan frowned.

Although he admitted that Zhou Ling had suffered a great loss in this battle.

Of the four, he was arguably in the best condition.

He actually said it was difficult to recover, and I immediately realized that Zhou Ling had no interest in competing with me.

After a moment's thought, he said, "My Wu family has a fifth-order lightning-attribute sword stone. If you are interested, I will use it as a wager."

He had also figured out Zhou Ling's personality to some extent; he was extremely greedy for money.

If the stakes are right, I believe Zhou Ling won't refuse.

Hearing that Wu Daoyuan had actually taken the initiative to challenge Zhou Ling to a duel, Xia Ruohe and Qin Yi both looked at Zhou Ling with great interest.

I want to know if he will agree.

Without a doubt, the two are the most sought-after sword geniuses among the four great human grotto heavens.

They also wanted to know who would win if the two fought.
Not only them, but everyone else shared this idea.

"Fifth-order Thunder Sword Stone".

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling looked surprised, then shook his head casually and said, "I need to see your Thunder Sword Stone first."

If it's useful to me, then it doesn't matter.

If it's useless, then there's naturally no need for him to agree.

It's a waste of time and mana.

I'd rather go home and spend time with my wife and kids.

"Alright, I'll come to Tianxia Immortal City to find you in three months and bring you the Thunder Sword Stone to take a look."

Wu Daoyuan said in a deep voice.

"It's up to you!"

Zhou Ling said nonchalantly.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, I will return the Thunderstones I owe you in Tianxia Immortal City in three months. It would be best if I could see you two have a match."

Qin Yi laughed heartily, enjoying the spectacle.

"If it's so lively, I'll come and join in too."

Hearing the two say this, Xia Ruohe also spoke up.

"Of course you're welcome!"

Zhou Ling nodded and smiled at the two of them.

Although this trial was a competition, cooperating with Xia Ruohe was quite pleasant.

Moreover, she had many pill formulas and was very generous with her money.

If we could get some more pill formulas from her, it would be much easier than exchanging them with the Dao Alliance.

The four then agreed to meet again in Tianxia Immortal City three months later, before bidding each other farewell and departing. (End of Chapter)