Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

The competition has only just begun, and the scores are not very meaningful yet.

Moreover, points are only one part of the assessment; the ability to lead troops must also be considered.

This aspect was criticized by several high-ranking members of the Dao Alliance based on the outcome of the competition.

At the same time, the locations of everyone were also displayed on the Soul Jade.

The approximate distance is several hundred miles.

After all, it's the same teleportation array.

It's also impossible for us to be too far apart.

"Liu Zhengshang is about seven or eight hundred li away from me. That distance isn't too far, but we still need to be careful."

Zhou Ling stroked his chin, thinking to himself.

This competition is also extremely important for the Liu family.

As long as they can retain their position as the head of the Xuanjun Division, it means they have stabilized their position.

The Dao Alliance's weakening of them will become extremely disadvantageous.

"The main mode of combat in this realm is to use mystical artifacts."

"Although one's own spiritual power can play a significant role, it consumes too much energy and is not suitable as a means of prolonged combat."

"Fortunately, I have a talent to help me make up for this deficiency."

"Similarly, Liu Zhengshang and the others have higher cultivation levels, so their recovery is slower."

"But it won't be so easy for them to obtain the Celestial Dynasty's mystical artifacts."

"If I can transform the Golden Eye into a Mystic Weapon, I will have a tremendous advantage."

Zhou Ling was making plans in his mind.

Now that I have control over the Xuanwen, that is my greatest advantage.

After all, it would be difficult for the other three to become city lords of the immortal city like him.

No one else can enter this celestial official's jade seal.

He himself absorbed Mu Yang's soul because of the Golden Eye.

Therefore, it is possible to avoid the perception of the Immortal Official's Jade Seal.

"However, this only works if you have mastered fifth-order profound runes."

"I need to acquire more immortal skills to exchange for fifth-order profound runes."

Zhou Ling's eyes flashed as he thought to himself.

Based on the calculation of the five hundred immortal skills required to exchange for third-tier profound runes.

A fifth-order profound rune likely requires more than 1,500 immortal cultivation points.

After that, Zhou Ling stopped thinking about it and focused on understanding the situation in Bamin Xiancheng.

Enhance the Xuan Army's combat power and slay demons and evil spirits.

He then sat cross-legged and continued to recover.

·····

The next day.

Council Hall, City Lord's Mansion of the Eight Min Immortal City.

Zhou Ling sat upright in the main seat.

On the left and right sides are Wu Jia and Lu Zhubu, respectively.

"Reporting to the City Lord, there have been a total of ninety-three incidents involving evil spirits in the Eight Min Immortal City over the past three years."

"Most of these cases are caused by people being possessed by evil spirits after they go out to sea."

"The main source of these evil spirits is some battlefield ruins at sea."

"Another type is the evil creature like the black dragon."

Wu Jia reported to Zhou Ling.

"Maritime battlefield remains?"

Zhou Ling raised an eyebrow.

In Mu Yang's memory, the dragon boat accidentally entered the sinister place of the sea battlefield.

That's what led to his murder.

"Commander Wu, are there any relics of a naval battle in the sea area under the jurisdiction of the Eight Min Immortal City?"

Zhou Ling inquired.

"Reporting to the city lord, this naval battlefield ruin is extremely strange, with no specific location."

"Sometimes, when a dark fog appears at sea, these ruins will appear mysteriously, causing great damage to our immortal city."

"If the immortal city were to be breached by this evil mist, it could become a living hell."

Wu Jia said with a solemn expression.

"Is there any pattern to identify this kind of ominous fog?"

Zhou Ling narrowed his eyes and asked.

There is no specific method of judgment, but it will generally appear when the fog at sea becomes dense enough.

"Five years ago, when the Immortal City of Fujian first appeared, it encountered a baleful fog. Fortunately, it was blocked by the city's defensive array, but the casualties were heavy."

Wu Jia explained.

"Oh, I encountered the evil fog at sea this time, and several of my attendants were killed."

"This situation seems somewhat abnormal."

Zhou Ling picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said this.

The place where we encountered the ominous fog is hundreds of nautical miles away from the Immortal City of Fujian.

Say whether it is far or not, say whether it is close or not.

"Lord City Lord, is this really true?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Jia and the other man looked at Zhou Ling with solemn expressions.

Every time the evil mist appears, it is a huge disaster for the immortal city.

If Zhou Ling encountered this, it means that the evil mist is approaching their Eight Min Immortal City.

This is an extremely dangerous signal.

Zhou Ling nodded solemnly, then asked, "How many Xuan Army soldiers are there in the Immortal City now?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, there are a total of three thousand Xuan soldiers in the Immortal City, divided into three guards, each with a thousand men."

"They are the Rocket Guard, the City Guard, and the Evil Slayer Guard."

Wu Jia cupped his hands in reply.

He then carefully explained the situation of the Xuan Army of the Eight Min Immortal City to Zhou Ling.

This includes the magical artifacts they possess and the specific combat capabilities of their personnel.

There is also the case of the fourth-order Xuan Array of the Immortal City.

The defensive array of the Eight Min Immortal City is a fourth-order Immortal Lotus Array, which also requires the Immortal Official Jade Seal in Zhou Ling's possession to activate.

After listening to Wu Jia's introduction, Zhou Ling stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and said in a deep voice, "Based on my experience of encountering the evil fog at sea..."

"This ominous fog will probably reach the Immortal City of Fujian in about ten days."

"Ten days!"

Wu and Jia were both horrified. They looked at each other, seemingly at a loss for what to do.

"You don't need to worry too much. Even if there is evil mist, it doesn't necessarily mean that there will be any sinister or strange attacks on the Immortal City."

Zhou Ling said calmly.

However, he knew in his heart that, judging from the circumstances of Mu Yang's death...

The sinister creature within this malevolent mist is definitely not weak.

However, the two were not informed to avoid causing unnecessary panic.

"Commander Wu, during this period, the Immortal City has strengthened its defenses, and the people of the Immortal City are advised not to go to sea for the time being."

Zhou Ling gave Wu Jia some instructions.

"Yes, City Lord."

Wu Jia cupped his hands in reply.

"Registrar Lu, how many mystical artifacts are currently in the warehouse?"

Zhou Ling then asked Lu, the registrar.

"Reporting to the city lord, there are ordinary Xuan weapons, 5,300 arrows, 2,000 knives, swords, and spears each, and 1,500 sets of armor."

"There are 110 second-tier Xuan artifacts, 13 third-tier Xuan artifacts, and only the Immortal Lotus Array Plate as a fourth-tier Xuan artifact."

Registrar Lu replied respectfully.

"Prepare these magical artifacts; they may come in handy at any time."

"Also, go and fetch me both the third-tier and fourth-tier mystic artifacts."

Zhou Ling spoke up.

He planned to modify these high-level Xuan artifacts to enhance the Xuan army's combat power.

"Yes, City Lord."

After bowing, Registrar Lu left the council hall.

"This is the Xuan Blade I modified for you. Try it and see how powerful it is."

Zhou Ling then took out the Xuan Blade and handed it to Wu Jia.

Upon receiving the Xuan Blade, Wu Jia's eyes lit up, and a look of delight appeared on his face. "City Lord, you've truly improved."

Having held the Xuan Dao for many years, he knew its condition as soon as he got his hands on it.

There is a clear difference compared to before.

"It took me a lot of energy to upgrade the Xuan Blade to the middle grade of the third rank."

Zhou Ling said calmly.

"Mid-grade, third tier!"

"Thank you City Lord!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Jia became even more excited and said...

Unexpectedly, Zhou Ling was willing to expend his own vital energy to enhance his Xuan Blade. This is an immense favor.

Zhou Ling waved his hand and said, "Next, we will need Commander Wu to lead the Xuan Guards to strengthen the patrols of the Immortal City. We must not be careless."

"I understand."

Wu Jia replied respectfully.

"My lord, this is a third-tier Xuan artifact from the Immortal City's treasure vault."

Before long, Clerk Lu returned to the hall. Behind him were several Xuan Guards, each carrying several Xuan artifacts.

Zhou Ling glanced at them and nodded. "Place these mystical artifacts here with me for now. I'll refine them before distributing them."

"My lord, upgrading these mystical artifacts is not so easy."

"There is a malevolent mist appearing right now, so we must conserve our strength."

Wu Jia spoke up to remind him.

Once your vital energy is depleted, it won't be able to recover in a short time.

As the city lord of the Immortal City, Zhou Ling is the city's most important fighting force.

His strength determines the life and death of the Immortal City.

"I know."

Zhou Ling nodded.

He can still afford this level of expenditure.

At the same time, it's also an opportunity to learn more about Xuanwen and Xuanyin, and improve my skills.

This is in preparation for drawing the fifth-order mystic patterns.

This Immortal Lotus Array Plate is especially crucial for the Eight Fujian Immortal City.

If it can be improved, it will greatly enhance the defense of the Immortal City.

Seeing Zhou Ling's confident expression, Wu Jia didn't say anything more.

If the city lord can truly upgrade these mystical artifacts, it will undoubtedly greatly enhance the combat strength of the immortal city.

Then, Zhanli had the two of them take him on a tour of the immortal city.

Take a look at those areas that need to be reinforced.

With the help of [Advanced Observation] and [Advanced Analysis], Zhou Ling also discovered many loopholes in the Immortal City's defenses.

He pointed it out to the two of them one by one.

Upon arriving at the training ground, Zhou Ling pointed out several shortcomings in the Xuan Army formation being practiced.

The Xuan Army of the Eight Min Immortal City is divided into three major battle camps.

Each combat battalion has a thousand units, with each team consisting of one hundred men.

The formation consists of 50 people per team, arranged in square formations.

Set up a chief guard and a thousand guards.

Both the Guard Chief and the Thousand Guards are equipped with second-tier Xuan weapons.

Two Tier 3 Mystic Ships.

Eight second-tier ships.

These mysterious boats are also extremely important magical artifacts in the Immortal City.

Under Zhou Ling's guidance, the power of some formations was significantly enhanced.

Zhou Ling carefully inspected the area for more than two hours before returning to the city lord's mansion.

"Commander Wu ordered the Xuanwei to increase patrols."

Zhou Ling gave Wu Jia a serious plea.

He carefully observed the situation in the open sea while inspecting the dock.

Under the [Advanced Observation] and [Advanced Analysis] tools, some signs of the ominous fog have been detected.

It's just unknown how many more days it will take for this ominous fog to reach the Immortal City of Fujian.

"Yes, Lord City Lord!"

Wu Jia cupped his hands in reply.

Zhou Ling had only been in the Eight Min Immortal City for two days, but his personal combat prowess and other military command and management abilities had greatly impressed him.

Wu Jia and Lu, the registrar, then took their leave.

After this inspection, Zhou Ling had a general understanding of the strength of the Eight Fujian Immortal City.

With three thousand Xuanjia soldiers and more than a thousand other miscellaneous troops, their overall combat strength was not bad.

If it's just dealing with third-tier evil spirits, then there's no problem.

However, blocking a fourth-tier evil spirit would be quite troublesome.

As for whether fourth-tier evil spirits will appear in the evil mist, that is beyond their ability to determine.

"If it is a fourth-order evil spirit, I should be able to deal with it without any problems, thanks to my combat power with the Soul-Devouring Flame and the Golden Eye."

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

According to Wu Jia and his group, the Eight Min Immortal City has been attacked by evil fog seven times in the past hundred years.

There were two instances of fourth-order evil spirits appearing.

I have not encountered any fifth-order evil spirits.

Therefore, it's unlikely that you'll encounter a fifth-tier evil spirit.

However, thorough preparations should be made for everything.

If it really happens, I will be able to handle it.

He currently possesses four types of attack methods that he can condense.

The Soul-Devouring Flame, the Golden Eyes, and his own divine soul abilities, plus the Immortal Official Jade Seal.

If he fully activates his divine soul abilities and the Immortal Official Jade Seal, he will have fourth-tier combat power.

Soul-Devouring Flame and Golden Eye can reach the fifth rank.

If all methods are used, it will be enough to deal with evil spirits at the early stage of the fifth rank.

As for mid-stage fifth-order evil spirits, then they are in danger.

However, considering that no fifth-order evil spirits have appeared in the past hundred years, it shouldn't be that I would encounter one like this.

Without much thought, Zhou Ling took out those third-tier Xuan artifacts and began to examine them.

······.

The next few days.

In addition to learning Xuanwen, Zhou Ling also modified third-tier Xuan artifacts and Xuan boats.

His role was to inspect the immortal city and guide the Xuanjia Army.

As for other matters within the Immortal City, he left everything unchanged.

After all, these things don't have much impact on him.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

"These mystical artifacts have finally been upgraded!"

Looking at the mysterious artifact before him, Zhou Ling showed a satisfied expression.

Of the dozen or so mystical artifacts, eight can be upgraded.

Its power is enough to raise it by one level.

Moreover, they are all third-tier Xuan weapons, which will undoubtedly greatly enhance the overall strength of the Immortal City.

Just then, a thunderous roar erupted, and the once brightly lit hall suddenly plunged into darkness.

Outside, the wind howled, accompanied by the sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling.

The entire immortal city seemed to suddenly fall into a state of utter darkness.

Fortunately, the Immortal City's defensive array has already been activated.

These malevolent and chilling energies did not enter the immortal city.

"coming!"

Zhou Ling's expression darkened.

At this moment, a Xuan Guard rushed into the hall. He knelt down in front of Zhou Ling and said, "The City Lord has discovered the approaching evil mist. Commander Wu sent me to report this!"

"Let's go and have a look!"

Zhou Ling quickened his pace and left the city lord's mansion.

Clang!

Within the immortal city, the warning bells echoed in all directions.

Pedestrians fled in panic on the streets.

Clearly, they were extremely afraid of this malevolent mist.

Upon arriving at the city wall of the Immortal City, Wu Jia, Lu Zhubu, and several other high-ranking officials of the Immortal City were ready to take their positions.

Squads of Xuanjia soldiers, clad in black armor, wielding spears and carrying arrows, gazed at the sea with an imposing aura.

"Lord City Lord, the Fiend Mist has arrived!"

“There are many evil spirits in this malevolent mist.”

"Should we launch an attack or rely on the Immortal City's defenses?"

Wu Jia pointed to a thick, black fog that stretched for miles on the sea and reported this to Zhou Ling.

At the Immortal City Wharf, more than a dozen Xuanzhou ships were already ready to set sail.

It would be best if these evil spirits could be eliminated on the sea.

It will not cause any casualties to the people of the Immortal City.

However, the evil mist possesses a strange suppressive power.

Fighting in the Fiery Fog is also extremely disadvantageous for the Xuanjia Army.

That's why Wu Jia asked Zhou Ling for his opinion.

"These malevolent mists possess a strange and sinister aura, capable of stagnating blood and qi, and disturbing the mind. Entering the malevolent mists is extremely detrimental to us."

Under the [Advanced Observation], Zhou Ling's gaze sharpened, and he spoke slowly.

Although still quite far away, he could already see numerous evil spirits roaring within the malevolent mist, their aura extremely eerie. (End of Chapter)