Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

The Zhou Family Hall.

Zhou Ling and the He siblings took their seats.

Zhou An was brought back to the hall, where he became restless and kept wanting to go outside to play.

Zhou Ling asked his mother to take him out to play.

"Brother He, what's the matter?"

After taking a sip of the spiritual tea, Zhou Ling asked again.

"Patriarch, my cultivation has now reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, and I plan to break through to the Golden Core realm in a few days."

He Zijian cupped his hands in greeting to Zhou Ling.

He then explained his intentions to Zhou Ling.

Because he was originally a low-grade Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was no longer possible for him to condense a Heaven-grade Golden Core.

However, one can strive to obtain a Grade Earth Golden Elixir.

It requires the assistance of a low-grade Jade Rejuvenating Elixir.

In addition, he is of the lightning attribute and needs the auxiliary item lightning essence.

This Thunder Essence Dew is an extremely rare substance.

Like the Spiritual Spring, it is an aid for breaking through ranks.

However, it is even rarer than Lingxia True Spring.

This Thunder Essence Dew can only be condensed in the Thunder Pool.

Such dangerous places are extremely perilous, and ordinary cultivators dare not even approach them.

Not to mention going to collect the essence of thunder.

Moreover, even if one obtains Thunder Essence Dew, it still does not have the effect of assisting in breaking through to the next level.

It also requires the refinement of the inner energy by a Golden Core cultivator with lightning attributes to achieve the effect of assisting in breaking through the cultivation level.

Therefore, this Thunder Essence Dew is extremely rare and cannot be bought on the market at all.

Even in the Dao Alliance's treasury, it might not be possible to obtain it.

He Zijian has been cultivating in the Zhou family for years, and his cultivation has progressed rapidly.

However, their main role is as guards, and the family contribution points they earn are not enough to exchange for the Jade Rejuvenation Pill.

Lei Jinglu is even harder to find.

That's why he asked Zhou Ling.

Keep in mind that he is only thirty-six years old, yet he is already preparing to condense his golden core.

This speed has already surpassed that of 99% of the cultivators in the Dao Alliance.

He's only slightly inferior to top geniuses like Zhou Ling and Wang Qingshang.

He also knew that the rapid progress was due to the Zhou family's abundant resources.

"Brother He, I happen to have a Heavenly Grade Jade Rejuvenation Pill on me. You can take it first."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Ling moved his hand, and an exquisite wooden elixir bottle landed in front of He Zijian.

This Jade Rejuvenating Elixir was a reward I received during a competition in Qingyun Immortal City.

He originally intended it for his disciple or mother.

But now that He Zijian has taken the lead and is going to break through to the Golden Core stage, then let him use it.

Although He Zijian could no longer attempt to reach the Heavenly Grade Golden Core, the higher quality of this Jade Return Golden Core could still increase the probability of him forming a core.

As for needing the Jade Returning Golden Pill later, we can exchange it with the Dao Alliance.

He now has enough military merits.

Over 300,000 military merits are enough to last for a while.
To obtain a single Heavenly Grade Jade Rejuvenation Pill, one would need approximately four to five thousand military merits.

There's still a queue.

"Heavenly Grade Jade Rejuvenating Golden Pill!"

"This is too valuable!"

Upon receiving the elixir bottle, He Zijian looked surprised and delighted.

Over the years, he has personally witnessed Zhou Ling's growth.

From a medicine boy to the head of Tianjian Division, the difference in their status is like night and day.

To his relief, Zhou Ling's attitude towards them, the cultivators of Lingxia Immortal City, remained unchanged.

People like Yuan Hu and Chu Xing, who originally had great difficulty establishing their foundations, all succeeded in doing so after following Zhou Ling.

If they had stayed in Lingxia Immortal City, they would never have been able to reach this level of cultivation.

Now, as soon as he mentioned it, Zhou Ling gave him the incomparably precious Heavenly Grade Jade Golden Elixir without even considering it.

He Lingxiu, standing to the side, also showed surprise in her beautiful eyes.

But it quickly turned into a faint smile.

Over the years, she has always harbored feelings for Zhou Ling.

But I don't know exactly what I like about him.

If it's because of his current high cultivation level and status, this goodwill already existed back in Lingxia Immortal City.

Perhaps Zhou Ling's actions now are the reason why I like him.

"It's nothing valuable, as long as it ensures the successful condensation of the Golden Core."

Zhou Ling smiled.

After a slight pause, he added, "This Thunder Essence Dew is probably not easy to obtain."

"I'll see if I can get it for you later."

"In addition, I will prepare a portion of Five Elements Pure Yang Elixir Qi for you, which can also help increase your elixir success rate by 10%."

Now he can condense a portion of pure Yang Qi of the Five Elements each month, mainly for his family to use.

Now, let's give one portion to He Zijian.

"Thank you, Master!"

He Zijian said with gratitude.

What kind of concept is a Heavenly Grade Jade Rejuvenating Golden Elixir and a Five Elements Golden Elixir Qi?

Even a Nascent Soul family would find it difficult to obtain.

It's not a matter of how many spirit stones there are.

Without sufficient military merit, even a family of the Nascent Soul stage cannot obtain it.

That's why He Zijian was so agitated.

With the help of these two treasures for forming the Golden Core, his success rate and quality in forming the Golden Core will undoubtedly be greatly improved.

Over the years, there has been no risk in working as a guard for the Zhou family.

His contributions to the Zhou family were arguably less than those of Yuan Hu.

"Brother He, we're brothers, there's no need for such formalities."

"As for when to prepare for the tribulation, you should tell Qingshang in advance and let her prepare in the family."

Zhou Ling added his instructions.

"Now that I have this Jade Golden Elixir, and with the assistance of the Five Elements Pure Yang Elixir Qi, even without Thunder Essence Dew, I have a 50% chance of condensing a Grade Earth Golden Elixir."

"So I plan to attempt to break through to the Golden Core realm in three months."

After a moment's thought, He Zijian spoke seriously.

"it is good!"

Zhou Ling nodded.

He then shared his experience in condensing the Golden Core with He Zijian.

After all, in addition to the Five Elements Golden Core, he had also condensed a Thunder Attribute Golden Core.

This experience is perfect for He Zijian.

Of course, because he has the Five Elements Thunder talent, he is not afraid of thunder tribulation.

Therefore, the specific circumstances are still somewhat different.

He mainly told He Zijian about the power of the lightning tribulation and how to deal with it.

After all, the stronger the lightning tribulation, the stronger the power of the repayment rules.

This is extremely important for comprehending the rules and condensing the Dan Domain later on.

"Patriarch, I plan to go out and undergo some trials after I condense my Golden Core."

"I'm too comfortable in the Zhou family; it's not suitable for improving my swordsmanship."

Before taking his leave, He Zijian spoke to Zhou Ling again.

His main skill is lightning-attribute swordsmanship, which emphasizes decisiveness in killing.

If one does not engage in actual combat for a long time, it will be extremely detrimental to one's understanding of sword intent.

"This isn't urgent!"

Zhou Ling nodded; he was naturally aware of He Zijian's sword intent.

Without undergoing trials in major battles, it's actually harder to improve.

Since he had this idea, Zhou Ling was also considering whether he could pass the Xuanjun Division's competition and become its leader.

It would be convenient to arrange a position for He Zijian within the Xuanjun Division later.

Hearing Zhou Ling's words, He Zijian didn't say anything more.

He Zijian and his sister then took their leave.

In the afternoon, Zhou Ling went to the Dao Alliance headquarters to see if he could exchange for Thunder Essence Dew.

Also, ask Chief Meng about the upcoming competition for the chief of the Xuanjun Division.

It seems the location for the competition should be decided by now.

After all, there are only five days left.

To his disappointment, he did not manage to exchange for the Thunder Essence Dew. The Dao Alliance's treasury had no stock.

Zhou Ling had no choice but to give up.

However, with the assistance of the Five Elements Pure Yang Elixir Qi, it should be no worse than this Thunder Essence Dew.

Next, Zhou Ling went to pay his respects to Chief Meng.

"sit down!"

Upon seeing Zhou Ling arrive, Meng Sishou smiled.

Zhou Ling immediately sat down to the side and then asked directly, "Chief, has the location for the Xuanjun Division's competition in the Void Realm been confirmed?"

"It's settled, and I was just about to tell you."

Meng Si nodded.

He then handed a jade slip to Zhou Ling and continued, "This Void Realm is somewhat different from the Void Realms of the past, which were dominated by alien races."

"This is the territory of an ancient immortal dynasty of our human race, which we call the Mountain and Sea Void Realm."

Meng Sishou then introduced Zhou Ling to the situation regarding the Xuanjun Division's competition in the Void Realm.

This virtual realm is called the Mountain and Sea Virtual Realm.

It is different from other alien realms.

This illusory realm was a domain of the ancient human immortal dynasty.

Although it is said to be the realm of humans, ghosts and demons roam freely, evil spirits abound, and the people live in misery.

There are also various heretical practices, forbidden spells, etc.

Killing these evil spirits and monsters is equivalent to killing alien races and gaining military merit.

"Because this is the virtual realm, and you are entering it with your divine soul, the risks are still considerable, so you must be extremely cautious."

After briefly introducing the situation of the Mountain and Sea Void Realm to Zhou Ling, Chief Meng gave further instructions.

"Junior understands!"

Zhou Ling cupped his hands in reply.

He then bid farewell to Meng Sishou.

I'll go back and study this Mountain and Sea Realm more carefully.

······.

Evening, in the Zhou family hall.

The whole family gathered for a meal.

Zhou Ling told everyone that Gong Yi was pregnant.

Wang Qingshang and Wang Xin both congratulated Gong Yi.

"Dad, I'm going to have a younger brother or sister again."

Zhou Ying'er, eating a large chicken leg and showing her two canine teeth, spoke to Zhou Ling.

"Does Ying'er prefer a younger brother or sister?"

Zhou Ling said with a smile.

"My sister is better; my brother always steals my things."

Zhou Ying'er happily ate her chicken leg and smiled.

"Ying'er, you're the eldest sister. If your younger brother wants to play with something, just let him."

Wang Xin said to her daughter with a smile.

"But he tries to take everything from me."

Zhou Ying'er looked at Zhou An sitting next to Li Ru and muttered something under her breath.

"Ying'er, let's eat. Your little brother was just playing around with you. If he tries to take your things, Grandma will teach him a lesson."

Li Ru then placed a large chicken leg on her granddaughter's plate and said with a smile.

She was happiest when there were two children in the house, making it lively and fun.

"Thank you grandma!"

Holding the chicken leg, Zhou Ying'er finally smiled and said...

After dinner, Zhou Ling and his three wives drank tea in the hall.

He then told the three about the Xuanjun Division's competition.

"Husband, wouldn't it be very threatening to enter the void realm using one's divine soul?"

Wang Xin couldn't help but say with some concern.

Wang Qingshang and Gong Yi also looked at Zhou Ling with concern.

"We'll only know the specifics once we enter this virtual realm, but you don't need to worry."

Zhou Ling took a sip of spiritual tea and said with a smile.

From the jade slip given to him by Meng Si, he also learned that in this virtual realm, everything seemed to exist in the form of souls.

It's not a soul; that's abnormal.

However, the specifics will only become clear after we enter the premises.

Zhou Ling didn't want his wives to worry about him.

It wasn't explained very clearly either.

“My lord, there are three other Nascent Soul cultivators who have entered the Void Realm for this competition.”

"The Liu family and my Zhou family are now mortal enemies, and we must be wary of them."

Wang Qingshang spoke up, her tone sounding somewhat worried.

She knew more about the personnel situation of the Dao Alliance than Wang Xin and Gong Yi.

Knowing that the position of the head of the Xuanjun Division was extremely important to Zhou Ling was also crucial.

After all, with Zhou Ling's current strength, he needs to have his own team within the Dao Alliance.

Only in the Xuanjun Division can the true power of the Dao Alliance be grasped.

However, she also knew that competing with three other Nascent Soul cultivators this time, and entering the Void Realm, was too risky.

After all, no matter how strong Zhou Ling is, he is only a Golden Core cultivator.

Moreover, they all knew that their husbands were able to kill fifth-tier alien races mainly by relying on the Sunlit Immortal Sword and the Spirit Flame.

If you condense your soul and enter the void in this way, you'll lose all of that advantage.

"Yes, I've already made preparations for this."

Zhou Ling smiled and said.

He then made arrangements with his wives regarding family affairs.

······.

The main hall of the Liu family in the Zixiao Sect.

"I never expected that Master Meng would actually let Zhou Ling participate in the competition for the position of leader of the Xuanjun Division this time."

"This is precisely the opportunity for my Liu family to get rid of him."

A middle-aged man with a square face, sitting in a grand wooden chair, spoke up.

Beside him stood a man in a dark yellow robe, his gaze deep and intense, giving one a sense of awe and reverence.

He was none other than Liu Zhengshang, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Liu family.

Because of Zhou Ling, the Zixiao Sect lost its status as the orthodox sect.

Now Liu Zhengjia has been killed, and Liu Zhengsheng has been taken away by the Immortal Sect.

This dealt a significant blow to the Liu family.

Nowadays, every cultivator in the Liu family harbors deep resentment towards Zhou Ling.

"Sixth Elder, we must not be careless about this matter."

Sitting in the main seat, the Liu family head narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice.

The pressure on him as the head of the family is now immense.

Knowing that the current situation of the Dao Alliance is extremely unfavorable for both the Liu family and the Zixiao Sect.

If not handled properly, this large family could face annihilation at any moment.

This was something he had never expected.

A mere Golden Core cultivator was actually able to shake the foundation of their Void Refining family.

They even sent the head of the Immortal Sect's Legal Affairs Department to the Liu family to demand the release of the person.

The Liu family is still unable to fully resist him.

He then continued, "Old Daoist Meng is a very shrewd man. The fact that he allowed Zhou Ling to participate in the competition means he must have some trump cards up his sleeve."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhengshang raised an eyebrow and said loudly,
“Patriarch, what other trump cards does he have? From the information I have obtained, whether it was killing a fifth-tier Star Sea alien or a fifth-tier Golden Eye Spirit, this boy relied on the Sun Immortal Sword and the spiritual flame in his hand.”

"This time, we can only enter the Mountain and Sea Void Realm in our soul form, so we can't bring these two treasures with us."

"Killing this kid would be a piece of cake."

He was extremely confident in his spiritual cultivation.

It is sufficient to deal with a cultivator at the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage.

Zhou Ling is currently only a Golden Core cultivator. Even if his soul is strong enough, it will not exceed the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

Therefore, we must seize this opportunity to eliminate this potential threat to the Liu family.

Otherwise, if this child were allowed to grow up, he would definitely be a huge hidden danger for the Liu family.

"Ah."

The head of the Liu family nodded, looked at Liu Zhengshang, and instructed him, "Regardless of whether you can kill him or not, you must win this competition."

"The position of head of the Xuanjun Division is of paramount importance to us."

Liu Zhengshang nodded. (End of Chapter)