Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Ten days later.

Dao Alliance, Tianxia Immortal City, inside an antique-style hall.

"Greetings, Chief Meng! Both Chiefs!"

Zhou Ling, along with seven other cultivators participating in the trial, bowed to the three chief officers present.

"Good good!"

"Zhou Ling, you did a great job this time, you have brought glory to our Dao Alliance!"

"First place in the trial, this is something the Dao Alliance has never achieved in all these years."

Meng Sishou said with great excitement.

Even though he had high hopes for Zhou Ling, he never expected that Zhou Ling would actually win first place in the trial.

This is something that has never happened in the tens of thousands of years of history of the Dao Alliance.

For many years, they have been suppressed by the Heavenly Palace and the Immortal Sect.

Sometimes it's even worse than the wilderness.

This time, Zhou Ling directly crossed the two great mountains of the Heavenly Palace and the Immortal Sect.

This fulfilled their long-cherished wish.

Most importantly, if they win this trial, the Dao Alliance will have the greatest say in the four great grotto-heavens for the next ten years.

"Refine the Absorbing Stone, kill two fifth-order Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan leaders, and break through the sixth-order Blood Eye."

"Such achievements in just six months, you truly deserve to be the head of our inspection department."

A middle-aged man in a dark yellow robe, with a dignified appearance, spoke up from the right.

"You flatter me, Chief Lin!"

"It's all thanks to everyone's cooperation, plus a bit of luck!"

Zhou Ling bowed to the man.

This person is Lin Zegong, the head of the Inspection Department.

This was also the first time Zhou Ling had met him.

"No need to be modest, the combat strength of a fifth-tier Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan member is not low."

Lin Zegong smiled and waved his hand.

"You have won great honor for our Dao Alliance this time."

"I will now announce your rewards."

"First of all, the military merits you gain in the trial will be doubled."

"In addition, the leader Zhou Ling will receive one Heaven-grade Nascent Soul Pill, thirty Earth-grade spirit stones, one fifth-tier treasure, and his clan territory can be expanded by fifty miles."

Meng Sishou glanced at Zhou Ling and said seriously.

"Thank you, Chief!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling's face lit up with joy.

Meng Zhisi is so magnanimous.

You should know that he earned 170,000 military merits in Cloud Sea Immortal City.

If this number doubles, it would amount to 340,000 military merits.

That's absolutely amazing.

You should know that a top-tier fourth-level treasure can be obtained for about four thousand military merits.

Of course, he wouldn't complain about having too many military achievements.

With an extra 170,000 military merits, he wouldn't have to worry about military merits for the next ten years.

Basically, you can exchange items you need with the Dao Alliance.

As for the other rewards...

It is also quite valuable.

I obtained one Nascent Soul Pill after the trial at the Great Wall of Sword Qi.

If I were to get another one now, I could keep it for my wife.

After all, Wang Qingshang and Wang Xin were already at the Golden Core stage.

Sooner or later, we will have to use the Infant Transformation Pill.

As for himself, he is now at the peak of the Golden Core stage.

I believe it won't be long before I'm able to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

Earth-grade spirit stones are even rarer, and are generally only possessed by Nascent Soul cultivators.

Of these thirty Earth-grade spirit stones, I'll give half to my master and keep the other half for myself.

Fifty miles of territory are also quite valuable.

After all, this is Tianxia Immortal City, where every inch of land is incredibly valuable.

Let alone fifty li, even five li would be enough to ensure you have enough to eat and wear.

As for that fifth-tier treasure, it must also be quite valuable.

"take it!"

With a wave of his hand, Meng Sishou sent a flash of light and a storage ring to Zhou Ling's front.

"Thank you, Chief!"

After accepting the storage ring, Zhou Ling bowed and thanked him again.

Qi Jianzhi, Feng Lan, and the others around him looked at Zhou Ling with envy on their faces.

With just this reward, Zhou Ling's net worth will far exceed that of an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.

However, everyone knew that Zhou Ling deserved it.

After all, they had all witnessed the battle between Zhou Ling and the Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan firsthand.

If it were them, they would have been dead long ago.

"The second place winner, Feng Lan, will receive an additional Heaven-grade Nascent Soul Pill, ten Earth-grade Spirit Stones, and a fourth-tier treasure."

"Third place in the Heavenly Mandate grants an additional Heaven-grade Nascent Soul Pill, five Earth-grade Spirit Stones, and a fourth-tier treasure."

Meng Sishou continued to announce.

The others also bowed and thanked them.

However, only the top three can obtain the Heavenly Grade Nascent Soul Pill.

Qi Jianzhi ranked fourth, which was somewhat surprising, as he also said that the difference in points between him and Tian was not significant.

There's not much that can be done.

Yan Yutian's strength is indeed far superior to his.

If we want to obtain the Heavenly Grade Nascent Soul Pill, we'll have to find other ways.

Fortunately, the family had already made preparations.

Moreover, based on this military achievement, he will be able to exchange it with the Dao Alliance on a priority basis.

After awarding everyone their prizes, Chief Meng gave a few words of encouragement before everyone left.

Zhou Ling was left behind.

"What are your instructions, Chief?"

Zhou Ling cupped his hands and asked.

Upon returning to Tianxia Immortal City, he went to the Dao Alliance headquarters to report to Chief Meng.

Now that the matter was settled, he was naturally eager to go home.

It's not that I miss my family.

I mainly wanted to see the newborn baby.

My child is over five months old, and I haven't even seen him yet.

This made him feel somewhat indebted.

However, he also guessed that Chief Meng must have something important to discuss with him if he asked him to stay.

It's most likely about Liu Zhengjia.

After all, Liu Zhengjia was killed by him, and the three original cultivators of the Zixiao Sect were directly sent to the Immortal Sect by City Lord Chen.

This matter is certainly extremely troublesome for the Dao Alliance.

“Tell us about Liu Zhengjia in detail.”

Meng Sishou asked Zhou Ling to sit down, and then personally poured him a cup of spiritual tea before asking him seriously.

"really!"

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

He then told Chief Meng about the ambush by Liu Zhengjia.

As for how to handle it, that's their business.

"Hmph, Liu Zhengjia was able to infiltrate Yunhai Immortal City without anyone noticing. How could he have done it alone without the secret assistance of the Liu family?"

After hearing Zhou Ling's words, Lin Zegong's expression changed slightly.

The Inspection Division has been relentlessly pursuing Liu Zhengjia, yet they allowed him to leave Tianxia Immortal City in this manner.

They even went to Yunhai Immortal City to ambush Zhou Ling.

This is a dereliction of duty by their inspection department.

"This time it was also by chance. We just happened to encounter the Fiend Mist Storm. After being continuously weakened, we managed to kill it with the help of the Spirit Flame."

Zhou Ling said this.

Judging from Chief Lin's tone, it seems he wants to investigate the Liu family.

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze swept over Meng Sishou and the other two.

Meng Sishou is someone I can trust.

Chief Lin shouldn't have any problems.

The other elderly man, with a gray beard, kept his eyes slightly narrowed.

She seemed to be asleep.

They didn't say a word.

Zhou Ling had never met him either.

However, under the [Advanced Observation], he knew that this person's strength was in no way weaker than Meng Si Shou's.

What's your opinion on the fact that three members of the Zixiao Sect were taken to a celestial sect?

Meng Sishou looked at Zhou Ling and said seriously.

"This was a decision made by Lord Chen himself."

"I only found out afterward."

"City Lord Chen means that Liu Zhengjia's ability to infiltrate Yunhai Immortal City and attack me clearly indicates that there are problems within our Dao Alliance, which is why he sent them to the Immortal Sect."

Zhou Ling didn't hide anything and directly relayed what City Lord Chen had said.

Of course, this is also a reminder to the three chief executives.

The Liu family will be going to deal with him next.

"Ah."

"I have met Lord Chen a few times; he is an upright and incorruptible man."

"In this matter, our Dao Alliance is also at fault."

"It makes sense that he sent the three of them to the Immortal Sect," Chief Meng nodded slightly.

As long as this wasn't Zhou Ling's own idea, it's not a big problem.

Then he smiled and said, "Alright, you don't need to worry about this."

"Go back and check on the child first; it's a boy."

"Yes, Chief!"

Zhou Ling cupped his hands and smiled.

It's a boy! He felt a surge of joy.

He then got up, said goodbye, and left.

"Chief Hu, Chief Lin, how do you intend to handle this matter?"

As Zhou Ling walked out of the main hall, Chief Meng spoke to the two of them.

“The Liu family has always been meticulous in their work. Now that Liu Zhengjia has been killed, he probably won’t have left any evidence.”

"It's unrealistic to think that we can completely bring down the Liu family through this matter."

The old man, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up.

He was Hu Yong, the head of the Dao Alliance Law Department.

"But we can't let the Liu family act so recklessly."

"Given Old Ancestor Liu's protective nature, how could he possibly let Zhou Ling off the hook in the future?"

Chief Lin said in a deep voice.

"The Liu family has now expelled Liu Zhengjia from their home, saying they are severing ties."

"It won't be that easy for us to investigate."

"But now the three disciples of the Zixiao Sect are already in the Immortal Sect's Law Enforcement Department."

"And Lord Chen and the head of the Immortal Sect's Law Division are fellow disciples."

"This is going to be a difficult situation!"

"After all, Cloud Sea Immortal City is under the jurisdiction of City Lord Chen, and he has the right to investigate the matter thoroughly."

Meng Sishou frowned slightly and spoke slowly.

The Liu family is quite powerful, and they have formed alliances with many other prominent families, making them deeply entrenched in the Dao Alliance.

Dealing with the Liu family won't be so easy.

We can only try to figure it out slowly.

Weaken it step by step.

The three of them supported taking action against the Liu family.

However, most of the other department heads maintained a wait-and-see attitude.

Of course, there were also two who were allies of the Liu family.

Moreover, the Liu family has now severed ties with Liu Zhengjia.

There is currently no evidence that other members of the Liu family joined forces to deal with Zhou Ling.

Given the current situation, it's difficult to do anything to the Liu family.

"Since that's the case, why not let the Immortal Sect's legal department investigate thoroughly!"

Lin Zegong said in a deep voice.

Their inspection team could target Liu Zhengjia.

After all, Liu Zhengjia was a wanted criminal by the Dao Alliance.

But right now there's no evidence, and they have no reason to target the Liu family.

As for Liu Zhengjia's journey to Yunhai Immortal City, finding out the details right now won't be so easy.

"This won't do. If we let the Immortal Sect's Legal Affairs Division investigate, what will become of the Dao Alliance's Legal Affairs Division's reputation?"

"Moreover, given Zhou Ling's performance in this trial, the higher-ups of the entire Four Great Grotto Heavens will all know about it."

"This matter still needs to be handled with caution."

Hu Sishou stroked his goatee and said.

After a moment's thought, Chief Meng said to Chief Hu, "I'll trouble you, Chief Hu, to continue investigating this matter."

"Let's see how far things go, we need to give the Liu family a warning."

Hu Sishou nodded slightly.

······.

Purple Cloud Peak, Zhou Family Hall.

"Little An'er, come to Grandma!"

Li Ruzheng clapped his hands and spoke with a smile to a child who had just learned to walk.

The child, wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, with fair skin and delicate features, was waving her little hand and walking step by step toward Li Ru.

"Little An'er is so amazing."

Li Ru picked up the child and said with a smile.

"Why are you holding the child? Let him continue studying."

Zhou Shan said with a smile.

“This little guy looks exactly like Ling’er when she was little.”

Holding her grandson, Li Ru beamed with joy.

"Grandpa, Grandma, my dad's back!"

Just then, a clear, childlike voice came from outside.

Li Ru and his wife were slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Then I saw my son, Zhou Ling, carrying Zhou Ying'er as he walked in.

"Father, Mother, I'm back!"

Zhou Ling greeted her parents with a smile.

"Ling'er, you're back!"

"Just come back!"

Looking at their son, both of them showed excitement.

"An'er, your father is back."

Li Ru smiled at the child again.

"father!"

The child looked at Zhou Ling and, under his grandmother's guidance, spoke up.

"Good boy!"

Zhou Ling immediately reached out her left hand and hugged her son.

I was also extremely excited.

Looking at my son, he really looks like me when I was a child.

"Ling'er, after Qingshang gave birth, your mother and I thought about it and came up with a name for the child: Zhou Xing'an. What do you think?"

Zhou Shan said to his son with a smile.

"Zhou Xing'an is capable!"

Zhou Ling nodded.

"Husband!"

"Husband!"

Knowing that Zhou Ling had returned, Wang Xin and Wang Qingshang also rushed over.

Looking at Zhou Ling, her beautiful eyes revealed joy and excitement.

My heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

After all, there had been no news of Zhou Ling for a full six months.

They were naturally worried about Zhou Ling's safety.

"Xin'er, Qingshang!"

Zhou Ling also greeted his two wives with a smile.

It feels so good to be back home.

Gong Yi, however, is at the Taoist temple and has not yet returned.

Zhou Shan then inquired about some matters concerning this trial.

Zhou Ling replied briefly, after all, the process was extremely dangerous, and he didn't want his family to worry unnecessarily.

Li Ru personally cooked spiritual food for Zhou Ling.

The two children, however, remained attached to Zhou Ling.

He was holding one in each of his arms.

"Ying'er, how about I take you to see our grandmaster?"

After chatting briefly with her family, Zhou Ling asked her daughter.

Killing Liu Zhengjia is no small matter; we need to let our master know.

From what Meng Sishou and others just asked about my situation.

He was certain that not many people in the Dao Alliance knew about this matter.

It's estimated that only a few high-ranking officials know about it.

Master definitely doesn't know.

Therefore, we should inform our master as soon as possible.

This will also allow us to discuss countermeasures.

"Father, I haven't seen my master for several days."

Zhou Ying'er said obediently.

She had no desire to leave Zhou Ling.

Seeing her older sister, Xiao An'er followed suit and was held in Zhou Ling's arms.

"An'er, come here to your mother, let's eat first."

Wang Qingshang clapped her hands and smiled at her son.

His eyes were filled with doting affection.

"Son, go eat first. After you finish eating, Dad will come back and play with you."

Zhou Ling handed the child to Wang Qingshang with a smile.

"I wonder if Master has been in seclusion these past few days?"

Wang Xin spoke up.

"Let's go and take a look first."

Zhou Ling smiled.

He then left the hall with his wife and daughter.

Heading to the Lingxiao Sect. (End of Chapter)