Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

At Ziyun Mountain, Zhou Ling's Nascent Soul Condensation Ceremony officially begins.

"Thank you all for coming to my Nascent Soul Ceremony."

On the jade platform, Zhou Ling cupped his hands in greeting to everyone.

In a glorious twenty-eight years, he became a Nascent Soul cultivator that everyone envied.

Even he himself was somewhat surprised.

This talent puts them among the top tier in the Dao Alliance.

Moreover, those who can reach this level are all scions of wealthy and powerful families, such as Feng Lan and Yan Yutian.

He was the only independent disciple left.

This is something he can be proud of.

Of course, such achievements are also the result of my unremitting efforts.

As for the system, it only provided a little bit of help.

He was extremely satisfied with this.

However, for those true aristocratic families within the Dao Alliance, this is only the beginning.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Zhou, on becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator!"

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Zhou, on becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator!"

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Zhou, on becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator!"

Everyone present bowed to Zhou Ling in congratulations, their tone filled with admiration.

Zhou Ling's deeds have already spread throughout the Dao Alliance.

Everyone knows that he rose from a second-rank Lingxia Immortal City to become the current head of the Dao Alliance's Xuanjun Division in a short period of time.

In Lingxia Immortal City, many of his peers with stronger backgrounds mostly stopped at the Foundation Establishment stage.

"A Nascent Soul cultivator in his twenties, this must be the youngest Nascent Soul cultivator in our Dao Alliance, right?"

“Son, I would be at ease if you had half of Zhou Zhishou’s talent.”

“Zhou Zhishou is the number one person in the Dao Alliance in a thousand years. Even if someone has half of his talent, their future achievements will be limitless.”

"It's definitely more than a thousand years. I feel that even five thousand years wouldn't produce such an amazing person. To be able to kill a fifth-order alien race at the Golden Core realm is something I've never heard of before."

"I wonder if Chief Zhou still accepts disciples."

"At such a young age, with such combat power, he will probably become the number one person in our Dao Alliance sooner or later."

Looking at Zhou Ling, the guests who came to congratulate him whispered among themselves.

If a Golden Core cultivator can kill a fifth-tier alien race, how terrifying will his current combat power be?

Everyone was speculating.

Of course, the cultivators who were invited by Zhou Ling were all prominent figures in Tianxia Immortal City.

Everyone knew that Zhou Ling's rise to power was now unstoppable.

Their future achievements will be absolutely astonishing.

They all naturally understood that they needed to maintain a better relationship with him.

After accepting everyone's congratulations, Zhou Ling said a few words of thanks.

The main purpose was to express gratitude to parents, teachers, and wife.

Their support is indispensable to my growth.

The banquet then began.

Zhou Ling first drank three cups with all the cultivators present.

Then they went from table to table toasting.

First, there was the table where Meng Sishou sat.

Everyone present—my master, father-in-law, Chen Zhenglei, Ji Siqing, Meng Sishou, and others—has been of immense help to me.

Zhou Ling also toasted each person to express his gratitude.

Meng Sishou and others also said some words of encouragement.

The second table then consisted of his parents, mother-in-law, wife, and others.

Zhou Ling also toasted with his family with great joy; this was probably his happiest moment.

He hadn't cared about such empty fame at first, but seeing his family members so happy gave him the motivation to move forward.

"Father, I wish you great progress in your cultivation!"

"Father, may you become a Nascent Soul cultivator soon!"

Zhou Ying'er and Zhou An also congratulated their father.

"Ying'er and An'er are such good girls."

Zhou Ling rubbed the child's head and said with a smile.

After having another drink with his mother-in-law, wife, and parents, Zhou Ling finally went to the third table.

This table mainly consisted of Qin Yi, Xia Ruohe, Wu Daoyuan, and others.

They were all young, outstanding cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, congratulations on becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator!"

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, congratulations on becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator!"

Everyone congratulated Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling also toasted and returned the toasts to everyone.

Among the young talents present, Qin Yi and the other two were already Nascent Soul cultivators.

Feng Lan and Zhang Yuhu are also Nascent Soul cultivators.

Therefore, Zhou Ling, having just entered the Nascent Soul stage, did not stand out much.

But everyone present knew just how valuable his Nascent Soul cultivator status was.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, we agreed to find an opportunity to have a match, so please don't disappoint me."

At this moment, Wu Daoyuan spoke up.

After completing the Youyun Starfield Trial, he was naturally unwilling to accept second place.

Moreover, this trial caused the Heavenly Palace to lose its say in the next four grotto-heavens, which also cast doubt on his prestige within the Heavenly Palace.

However, there were too many variables in this trial, and in his opinion, it was not that his combat strength was inferior to Zhou Ling's.

Rather, it's due to other reasons, such as Zhou Ling using weapon-refining techniques to create the Absorbing Stone, which gave him a huge advantage.

Otherwise, it would all depend on individual strength in combat, and he believed he could defeat Zhou Ling.

Therefore, only by defeating Zhou Ling can he defend his position.

After returning, he secluded himself to cultivate diligently, and with the assistance of the Xuan Yuan Sword, he finally entered the fifth realm of swordsmanship.

This gave him more confidence in defeating Zhou Ling.

"I wonder what stakes Fellow Daoist Wu has prepared?"

Zhou Ling originally had no interest, but now that his Nascent Soul Ceremony was under the watchful eyes of everyone, he naturally couldn't back down.

Moreover, Wu Daoyuan was clearly provoking them; his voice was extremely clear and resonant, and almost all the cultivators in the entire ceremony could hear it clearly in an instant.

All eyes turned to them.

"Who is this person? How dare he challenge Chief Zhou at such an important occasion? Isn't that a bit too arrogant?"

"I didn't expect there would still be people who don't believe in Chief Zhou's abilities?"

"I'm also very curious about Zhou Zhishou's true strength."

"Yes, it's all just a rumor that Zhou Zhishou killed several fifth-tier alien races, but not many people know the specifics."

"This person is actually Wu Daoyuan, the number one genius of the Heavenly Palace."

"Wu Daoyuan, the descendant of the number one swordsmanship family in the Heavenly Palace."

"Hiss! It's him. No wonder he dared to challenge Chief Zhou in front of everyone."

"This person was recognized as the master of a fifth-grade top-quality Xuanyuan sword from a young age, and his swordsmanship is extremely terrifying."

"Even in the Heavenly Palace, he was hailed as a genius seen only once in a thousand years."

"Looks like they're here to cause trouble."

Will Zhou Zhishou accept the challenge?

The words of Wu Daoyuan caused a great stir, and the cultivators present were all shocked and began to discuss them.

People quickly learned Wu Daoyuan's identity.

After all, the other cultivators who participated in the Youyun Starfield Trial with Zhou Ling also came to attend Zhou Ling's Nascent Soul Ceremony.

Moreover, given Wu Daoyuan's status, he is quite well-known even within the Dao Alliance.

Now, many people know that Wu Daoyuan came in second place because of the trial. Unwilling to accept this, he has come to challenge Zhou Ling.

People were also curious about Zhou Ling and Wu Daoyuan, one being the number one genius of the Dao Alliance and the other the number one genius of the Heavenly Palace.

If they were to actually compete, who would win in the end?
Meng Sishou and the others frowned as they looked at Wu Daoyuan.

Wu Daoyuan's proposal to challenge Zhou Ling during the Nascent Soul Ceremony was clearly an extremely provocative act.

However, given their status, they naturally wouldn't interfere in the situation between Zhou Ling and his partner.

Li Ru, Zhou Shan, and others, upon learning Wu Daoyuan's identity, couldn't help but show expressions of worry.

The identity of a direct descendant of the number one swordsmanship family in the Heavenly Palace is enough to demonstrate his strength.

Even a powerful family like the Wu family is a cut above the Liu family.

This naturally caused them some concern.

"A fifth-order Five Thunder Sword Formation is more powerful than the Five Elements Sword Pill."

Wu Daoyuan said calmly.

He immediately moved his hand, and five purple lightning swords appeared in front of him.

Each sword emanated an astonishing aura.

Knowing that getting Zhou Ling to take action this time would require a significant investment, they realized that getting him to invest heavily was essential.

So he went to great lengths to obtain this mid-grade fifth-tier Five Thunder Sword Formation from his family.

Each lightning sword is a mid-grade fifth-tier sword, and the combined power of the sword array is enough to deal with a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

This was only because the patriarch knew Zhou Ling's situation and that he himself had entered the fifth realm of swordsmanship, that he allowed him to do so.

Moreover, he was confident that he would not lose to Zhou Ling and would be able to return the Five Thunder Sword Formation intact to the family.

The reason I lost the Five Elements Sword Pill to Zhou Ling last time was entirely because of the Absorbing Evil Stone.

Now that it's a head-on battle, he naturally won't be defeated.

After all, having entered the fifth realm of swordsmanship and with the aid of the Profound Origin Sword, he was absolutely able to suppress Zhou Ling's Sun Immortal Sword.

The Xuan Yuan Sword is a top-grade fifth-tier sword, one tier higher than the Sunlit Immortal Sword, and it is much easier for me to control.

Unlike Zhou Ling, who needed to rely on spiritual flames to control it.

It cannot unleash the full power of the Sunlit Immortal Sword.

"Five fifth-order lightning swords, the Wu family has quite the grand scheme."

“Any one of these lightning swords is enough to be the treasure of a Nascent Soul family.”

"It seems that this number one prodigy of the Heavenly Palace is really going all out to compete with Zhou Zhishou."

"Even the number one sword-wielding family would never have a second set of this grade of thunder sword."

"Five mid-grade, fifth-tier lightning swords—what level of cultivation is required to control them?"

People were shocked by the astonishing pressure of the Five Thunder Sword.

Wu Daoyuan's courage is something that not everyone can achieve.

Everyone was curious about what treasure Zhou Ling would bring out that could rival the Five Thunder Sword Formation.
"Five Thunder Sword Formation!"

Looking at the Five Thunder Sword, Zhou Ling's interest immediately surged.

Under the [Advanced Observation], he discovered that the Five Thunder Sword Formation was not only a sword formation, but also contained the thunderous sword intent of the five realms.

Without comprehending the Thunder Sword Intent of the Fifth Realm, one simply cannot control this Five Thunder Sword Formation.

"It seems that Wu Daoyuan is still incorrigible and is preparing to dig a hole for himself again."

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

There are very few sword cultivators who can comprehend the fifth realm of Thunder Sword Intent.

Even now, the Dao Alliance probably doesn't have more than five members.

Wu Daoyuan was fully aware that he had comprehended the Five Elements Sword Intent.

Therefore, even if the Five Thunder Sword Formation falls into his hands, it will only be a decoration.

I have no control over it at all.

However, he possesses two lightning-attribute talents, which he can use to comprehend and absorb the fifth-order lightning sword intent contained within them.

Perhaps, I might even be able to comprehend the fifth-order Thunder Sword Intent.

Thinking this, his heart burned even more, but on the surface he smiled calmly and said, "Fellow Daoist Wu, this Five Thunder Sword Formation is not like the original Five Elements Sword Pill, it does not have the mark of your Wu family ancestor on it, is it?"

His tone was laced with mockery, implying that Wu Daoyuan couldn't accept defeat.

It must be said that this person has exceptional talent and comprehension, but he is a bit too clever for his own good.

If it weren't for the support of the Wu family's foundation, I might not have been able to reach the fifth realm of swordsmanship.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, rest assured, this Five Thunder Sword Formation is a sword formation created by my Wu family in this generation, and no one has been able to control it yet."

"So there is no trace of anyone."

Wu Daoyuan said in a deep voice.

"Alright, since that's the case, let's have a match today. I'll accompany Fellow Daoist Wu for a contest."

Zhou Ling immediately nodded.

"As for my wager, it is the Five Elements Sword Pill. However, I have already refined the Five Elements Sword Pill. If you win the contest, I will give it to you."

Zhou Ling continued.

After all, the Five Elements Sword Pill was extremely compatible with his Five Elements Sword Intent, and the power it unleashed was no less than that of the Sunlit Immortal Sword.

It is also a significant component of one's own combat strength.

Although it was the Nascent Soul Ceremony, Zhou Ling didn't care much about formalities. Since Wu Daoyuan had brought such a gift, he couldn't let him come for nothing.

"it is good!"

Wu Daoyuan nodded; he had come specifically for the Five Elements Sword Pill.

He doesn't care about anything else.

I lost the Five Elements Sword Pill to Zhou Ling, so naturally I have to win it back myself.

Moreover, being able to defeat him on the day of Zhou Ling's Nascent Soul Ceremony would be an unforgettable lesson for Zhou Ling.

"Boss, now is your Nascent Soul Ceremony, why not wait until tomorrow?"

"Sect Master, today is the Nascent Soul Ceremony, there is no need for such a competition."

At this moment, Qi Jianzhi and Zhang Yuhu both spoke up.

The others also looked surprised, not expecting Zhou Ling to agree to Wu Daoyuan's request.

They will proceed directly to the competition.

After all, the Nascent Soul Ceremony is an extremely joyous occasion.

This kind of competition is not very appropriate.

"It is a rare occasion for Fellow Daoist Wu to travel all the way from the Heavenly Palace to visit me today. I am here to offer my congratulations."

"A duel between me and Fellow Daoist Wu would add some fun to the ceremony."

Zhou Ling didn't take the reactions of the others to heart, but instead smiled and said...

Seeing Zhou Ling facing Wu Daoyuan without the slightest fear, and so calm and collected, the others also had different expressions.

Qin Yi and Xia Ruohe both looked on with anticipation, their expressions a mix of amusement and something else entirely.

Qi Jianzhi, Feng Lan, and others were relatively nervous.

After all, Zhou Ling's opponent this week is the number one genius sword cultivator of the four great grotto heavens.

Moreover, in Cloud Sea Immortal City, they all witnessed Wu Daoyuan personally kill a fifth-order Golden-Eyed Spirit Clan member, demonstrating his astonishing strength.

Zhou Ling then cupped his hands to Chief Meng and said, "I would like to ask Chief Meng to be a witness for this competition. Whoever loses will keep the treasure, and it cannot be reclaimed later."

He was also worried that Wu Daoyuan would continue to pursue the Five Thunder Sword Formation, which would be a never-ending problem.

Moreover, the Wu family is even more powerful than the Liu family, so there's no need for me to provoke them.

"We would like to ask Chief Meng to be our witness!"

Wu Daoyuan also bowed to Meng Sishou.

"it is good!"

Meng Sishou nodded calmly.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, please!"

Zhou Ling then led Wu Daoyuan to the competition square.

The others followed closely behind, all in high spirits.

Such opportunities are extremely rare. (End of Chapter)