Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Ziyun Mountain, Zhou Family Council Hall.

Zhou Ling sat in the main seat.

On the left and right sides are Lu Yunxi, Qi Jianzhi, Feng Lan, He Zijian, and others.

"Boss, in the Star Glory Legion, the Zixiao Sect has the most cultivators in the Breaking Star Camp. The Grand Commander is Gu Zhantian, who is in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm and is a disciple of Ancestor Liu."

"In addition, there are three commanders, all of whom are at least at the late Nascent Soul stage, and the other disciples add up to more than a hundred people."

Qi Jianzhi held a roster and spoke slowly to Zhou Ling.

This roster contains information on the cultivators of the Zixiao Sect and the Liu family currently serving in the Xuanjun Division, including their cultivation levels, positions, and other details.

Qi Jianzhi is now determined to follow Zhou Ling.

Moreover, the strength Zhou Ling has demonstrated makes him worthy of following him.

Zhou Ling nodded, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and said in a deep voice, "As you all know, the Liu family has attacked me many times, and we are already irreconcilable enemies."

"Now that I am about to take over as the leader of the Starshine Legion, the current situation presents me with considerable difficulties, and everyone should be prepared."

Those present could be considered his current core group.

The situation we're about to face needs to be known to them so they can be mentally prepared.

"Chief, the Star Glory Legion doesn't belong to the Liu family or the Purple Cloud Sect. As their leader, do you think they'd dare to act recklessly?"

Feng Lanxiu frowned and said.

Compared to the more than two thousand members of the Breaking Star Camp, the more than one hundred cultivators of the Purple Cloud Sect were indeed nothing.

"They certainly wouldn't dare to do it openly, but they'll probably use all sorts of underhanded tactics, which is what's so troublesome."

"What methods do you all have to deal with this?"

Zhou Ling said calmly.

He was naturally not afraid of these disciples of the Zixiao Sect.

The main reason is that many of them occupy important positions.

If they outwardly comply with his military orders but inwardly defy them, then he will be effectively sidelined.

Wanting to control the Star Legion is a joke.

Therefore, these people need to be eliminated.

"Boss, now that we have the list, why don't we just give him a thorough purge and be done with it?"

Qi Jianzhi immediately spoke up.

"Don't talk nonsense. They are all members of the Dao Alliance's Xuan Army. How can we attack them if they haven't done anything wrong?"

Pei Qingshuang glared at Qi Jianzhi and spoke up.

"That's not what I meant either."

"Just hand it over to me, and I'll naturally have a way to deal with them."

Qi Jianzhi said confidently.

He was helpless against Nascent Soul cultivators, but he dared to charge into battle against Core Formation cultivators.

"What can you do?"

Pei Qingshuang looked puzzled.

In her opinion, Qi Jianzhi seemed to have no other skills besides taking sides and flattering others.

"Hehe, you wouldn't know this, would you?"

“Take Commander Su as an example. He kept two concubines behind his wife’s back, and one of the concubines’ sons is no good.”

“He has done a lot of swindling and cheating by taking advantage of Commander Su’s power.”

"And then there's this Commander Xiao. He's ruthless and vicious, falsely reporting his military achievements. He's done a lot of underhanded things in secret."

“If you investigate the others, you can find some shady things about them, so it’s not difficult to take action against them.”

Qi Jianzhi looked confident and chuckled.

Upon hearing this, Pei Qingshuang was speechless for a moment. Undoubtedly, if these things were true, they would have a significant impact on these two commanders.

"Keep this evidence."

Zhou Ling spoke up.

Qi Jianzhi was able to find out about these things, which shows that he has many sources of intelligence.

Of course, these things alone are not enough to take action against them; at most, they can only be punished.

If I were to take drastic measures, it would only cause panic within the Star Glory Legion.

After all, these problems exist to varying degrees among cultivators.

However, it can also be used as a supplementary method.

When will it be available?

"Chief, I think we can find a pretext to establish a new war camp separately in the early stages."

"Gradually absorb the forces of the Star-Breaking Battalion and the other two battalions."

"This way, we won't be sidelined, and we can gradually weaken the Star-Breaking Camp."

"Take down the rest one by one."

After a moment's thought, Pei Qingshuang spoke seriously.

"Establish a new military camp?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling's eyes lit up; this was indeed a good idea.

With this new military camp, I no longer need to worry about the other three battalions' double-dealing.

Moreover, it can also absorb some cultivators from the other three camps.

However, building a new military camp requires numerous reviews from the Dao Alliance.

"Then let's establish a personal guard battalion first. Brother Qi and Qing Shuang, you two will be in charge of this."

"Feng Lan will serve as the commander."

After careful consideration, Zhou Ling spoke decisively.

The personal guard battalion is not part of the Dao Alliance's official organization; it is the personal guard of the leader.

The number of people is usually less than two hundred.

The decision can be made by the leader himself, without needing to apply to the Dao Alliance.

This makes it much faster.

Moreover, for Zhou Ling at the moment, a personal guard of two hundred men is enough.

"Yes, take the head!"

"Yes, take the head!"

"Yes, take the head!"

Feng Lan and the other two bowed and said.

"Yunxi, you also need to cooperate with the three of them on the matter of the personal guard battalion. You need to make a clear account of how much the expenses are and what resources are needed."

Zhou Ling then spoke to Lu Yunxi.

Within the Dao Alliance, this personal guard battalion is considered to have only the treatment of an ordinary soldier.

However, Zhou Ling's goal was to build the strongest personal guard, and he needed to bear some of the costs himself.

"Yes, take the head."

Lu Yunxi cupped her hands in reply.

Afterwards, Zhou Ling continued to discuss the matter of the personal guard camp with everyone.

Feng Lan and Zhang Yuhu were each appointed as commanders.

Each person led a hundred men.

Everyone present, except Zhou Ling, was assigned to the personal guard battalion.

There are also recruitment requirements for the personal guard camp, the minimum being late Foundation Establishment cultivation level.

Basic benefits, basic equipment, etc.

Fortunately, having many people makes things easier.

After two or three hours of discussion, a set of rules was basically established.

As for the specifics, Zhou Ling left it to Qi Jianzhi and Lu Yunxi to handle.

······.

A few more days passed.

The day of Zhou Ling's Nascent Soul celebration has arrived.

Ziyun Mountain was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, making it a very grand occasion.

After all, Zhou Ling's current identity is the head of the Xuan Army Division, and those who are invited to attend the celebration are all important figures.

Early in the morning, the Zhou family home was already bustling with people.

Jin Yun, Zhou Shan, and Zhou Ling's two disciples, Bai Ji and Luo Xuan, greeted the arriving guests outside the mountain gate.

Zhou Ling, Wang Qingshang, Fang Yuyun, and others received guests in the hall.

"Deputy Director Lin and Director Chen of the Inspection Department have arrived."

Outside the hall, a loud announcement of names rang out.

Zhou Ling then went over to greet him.

Led by Bai Ji, the elegant Deputy Chief Lin and the dignified and composed Chen Zhenglei entered the hall.

"Deputy Chief Lin, Senior Chen, welcome!"

Zhou Ling cupped his hands in greeting.

"Congratulations to Zhou Zhizheng on reaching the Nascent Soul realm."

"Brother Zhou, your cultivation is progressing at a rapid pace. You'll catch up with me soon."

Deputy Chief Lin and Chen Zhenglei greeted Zhou Ling with smiles on their faces.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhou Ling led them to the main seats.

In the main seat, Fairy Ziling and four Nascent Soul cultivators, Wu Shihong, Zhao Xiu, and Ji Siqing, were already seated.

In addition, there were two other people, Deputy Chief Lin and another person.

In addition, Zhou Ling arranged for Chief Meng and his father-in-law.

He himself was at the table below.

"The head of the Wang family from Qingyang Immortal City has come to offer his congratulations!" Another announcement rang out.

Zhou Ling and Wang Qingshang immediately came out of the hall to greet them.

Then, the Wang family head and Wang Yu entered the hall.

"Greetings, Master of the House, Mother-in-law!"

Zhou Ling bowed to the two of them.

It had been more than a year since they last met, but neither of them had changed much.

However, their cultivation levels have all improved significantly.

The Wang family head is already at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. Under the [Advanced Observation], his aura is robust, and it won't be long before he breaks through the bottleneck of the Divine Transformation stage.

Meanwhile, his mother-in-law became a Golden Core cultivator.

However, it's clear that he's only at the Profound Grade Golden Core level, and his chances of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage are only 30% to 40%.

"No need to be polite!"

The head of the Wang family smiled broadly at Zhou Ling.

He was extremely satisfied with this son-in-law.

In just ten years, he went from a Foundation Establishment cultivator to a Nascent Soul expert.

That's quite a talent.

I had even made a ten-year agreement with him to cultivate the Golden Elixir, and things almost went wrong.

They not only achieved the Golden Core stage in ten years, but also directly reached the Nascent Soul stage.

Even more terrifying is that before reaching the Nascent Soul stage, he was already able to kill mid-stage fifth-tier alien races.

This is something even our ancestors couldn't do.

Moreover, Zhou Ling is currently the head of the Xuanjun Division.

These achievements were things he could never have imagined before.

Moreover, Zhou Ling's future prospects are limitless.

Wang Yu also had a big smile on her face.

They were also extremely surprised by their son-in-law's achievements.

She had recognized Zhou Ling's extraordinary talent long ago, but she never expected that he would reach such an astonishing level in just over a decade.

After a brief chat, Zhou Ling led the Wang family head to the main table.

Wang Yu then followed Wang Qingshang to another table.

Li Ru and Wang Xin, among others, were at this table.

"Ying'er, do you miss your grandma?"

After sitting down next to Wang Xin and her son, Wang Yu smiled and asked her granddaughter.

"Grandma, Ying'er misses you the most!"

Zhou Ying'er smiled sweetly, revealing two dimples on her face.

Because of the fusion with the Flame Soul, Zhou Ying'er's cultivation has progressed rapidly, and she is now at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

"Ying'er, be good! Grandma will send you something nice later."

Wang Yu said with a smile.

"Thank you, Grandma!"

Zhou Ying'er replied.

Li Ru poured Wang Yu a cup of spirit wine and said with a smile, "In-law, why don't you move in here? That way you can see Ying'er every day."

Wang Yu had previously stayed at the Zhou family's residence in Qingyun Immortal City for a period of time.

I've never stayed at Ziyun Mountain.

Therefore, she extended a warm invitation.

"Yes, Grandma."

Zhou Ying'er echoed this.

"Okay, Grandma will stay for a while and keep Ying'er company."

Wang Yu nodded and said.

"Okay, after dinner I'll tidy up Grandma's room."

Zhou Ying'er said with a face full of joy.

Wang Yuxuan immediately started chatting with her daughter and Li Ru.

"Qin Yi from the Wilderness! I've come to offer my congratulations!"

"Xia Ruohe from the Immortal Sect has come to offer her congratulations!"

"Wu Daoyuan of the Heavenly Palace has come to offer his congratulations!"

Three more famous singers rang out.

"Why are they here?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

Then it dawned on him that when he left Yunhai Immortal City, he had made an agreement with Wu Daoyuan that four months later, Wu would come to Dao Alliance Tianxia Immortal City to challenge him to a sword duel.

I did not agree at the time.

He was just giving a perfunctory answer; he would only agree if Wu Daoyuan could offer a suitable wager.

I never expected it to actually happen.

Moreover, they didn't arrive early or late; they just happened to arrive during their own Nascent Soul celebration.

Are they planning to cause trouble?
But since they've already come, we definitely have to go and greet them.

He then walked out of the hall.

"Is this Wu Daoyuan the same Wu Daoyuan who is hailed as the number one genius of the four great grotto-heavens of the human race?"

"The other two are also the number one genius in their respective worlds."

"This is going to be interesting. The number one genius of the four great human grotto heavens has all arrived."

"Who do you think is the strongest among the four?"

"Is that even a question? Back then, when the Four Great Grotto Heavens Trial was held, our Dao Alliance came in first place, so naturally Zhou Zhishou was the strongest fighter."

"But I heard that this Wu Daoyuan has already comprehended the four realms of swordsmanship at a young age."

"Moreover, he was recognized as the master of the fifth-tier divine sword Xuanyuan Sword from a young age, making him extremely powerful."

The other cultivators also showed curiosity at the sudden arrival of these three geniuses from other caves.

"Fellow Daoist Qin! Fellow Daoist Xia! Fellow Daoist Wu! We are so sorry for not greeting you sooner!"

Upon seeing the three figures, Zhou Ling smiled and bowed respectfully.

The three people were Qin Yi and his two companions.

However, in just a few months, the three of them showed a significant improvement in their aura.

Qin Yi was tall and imposing, and his aura was even more terrifying.

Xia Ruohe wore a purple dress, her stunningly beautiful face displaying a half-smile.

Wu Daoyuan, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, as if no one could sense the presence of any aura emanating from him.

"You've entered the fifth realm of swordsmanship?"

Zhou Ling's gaze swept over Wu Daoyuan, and he slightly tensed up.

Under [Advanced Observation], he was able to detect the aura of the fifth realm of swordsmanship on Wu Daoyuan's body.

I never expected him to improve so quickly in just a few months. He truly deserves to be called the number one swordsman.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Zhou, on reaching the Nascent Soul realm!"

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Zhou, on reaching the Nascent Soul realm!"

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Zhou, on forming your Nascent Soul!"

The three of them also cupped their hands in congratulations to Zhou Ling.

Their eyes also revealed surprise.

It should be noted that when the Youyun Starfield Trial began, Zhou Ling was only at the late Golden Core stage.

There is a clear gap between them and the other three.

However, in just over a year, he successfully entered the Nascent Soul realm.

His cultivation speed is simply terrifying.

Even with their talent, it usually takes them two or three years to reach the peak of the Golden Core stage.

“Fellow Daoist Zhou, I originally wanted to learn a new divine ability from you, but it seems I won’t have the chance now.”

Qin Yi laughed heartily.

After returning home, he reflected deeply on his mistakes and went into seclusion to cultivate himself.

I hope I can have another match with Zhou Ling this time and regain some face.

But now that Zhou Ling has successfully entered the Nascent Soul realm, his combat power will definitely increase greatly.

He's probably just asking for trouble.

Some of them immediately lost their spirits.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, you flatter me!"

Zhou Ling also cupped his hands and smiled.

He's too busy to spar with Qin Yi right now.

The three were then ushered into the hall and seated at the third table, where Qi Jianzhi and Feng Lan sat with them.

"Chief Meng has arrived!"

At this moment, a loud voice rang out again.

Meng Sishou, the top figure in the Dao Alliance, has arrived.

Zhou Ling came out of the hall again to greet him.

Generally speaking, the Chief of the Sage's Office will not attend the Nascent Soul Ceremony.

But Chief Meng was clearly giving Zhou Ling face by coming in person. (End of Chapter)