Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 24 Enjoying the Spoils Alone
"No, retreat quickly!"

The burly Jie Xiu was initially pressing Xu Qianhuan's attack and was about to injure or even kill him, but when he heard commotion in the distance, he knew things were about to fall apart!
The Xu family discovered this and reinforcements arrived!

If we linger any longer, we'll probably have to stay here!
"go!"

Extremely decisive, he immediately fled far away.

The remaining cultivators also unleashed their power, then broke away from the battle and retreated together.

"How dare you act so insolently in front of my Xu family's gate! Leave your life behind!"

As the Dharma Ark rapidly approached, so too did a tremendous roar!

The Xu family cultivators, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, then saw a palm-sized bronze mirror fly up from the magic boat and shine it towards the fleeing figures of the tribulation cultivators.

"Hey!"

The bronze mirror trembled, and a hazy, earthy-yellow beam of light shot out and chased after it. The injured Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator was the slowest to run, and the beam of light pierced through his chest.

A bloody hole appeared, the man screamed, collapsed, and died.

The bronze mirror spun again, and the yellowish-brown beam of light continued to shoot out, about to kill the last Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator.

"Humph!"

The burly cultivator turned around, his eyes flashing with cold light. He swung his spear, unleashing a burst of blood that blocked the pillar of light.

Having narrowly escaped death after passing the third level of Qi Refining, his legs trembled violently.

He glanced coldly at the person on the Dharma Boat, then used his magic power to subdue him, leading the group of other cultivators into the mountains and disappearing from sight.

"Don't chase poor bandits."

Xu Qianhuan stopped the Xu family cultivators, whose morale had soared, from chasing after them, and went forward to meet the people from the Dharma Boat.

The newcomer was a middle-aged male cultivator who jumped out of the magic boat. He was at the ninth level of Qi Refining. Looking at the messy scene, he frowned and ordered, "Calculate the battle losses and take stock of the spoils."

"Yes, master."

With a resounding response, the two Qi Refining mid-stage cultivators, who were in good condition and uninjured, began to get busy.

At this moment, Lin Changheng stepped forward to offer his condolences to Master Mo and Manager Xu, receiving a slightly arrogant reply from Master Mo: "All is well." Manager Xu looked at him with admiration in his old eyes, muttering to himself that he was getting old and couldn't compare to the young people...

He was finally able to relax completely.

Then his gaze fell upon the newly arrived head of the Xu family, Xu Xuheng. Twelve years ago, Lin Changheng had met him at the welcoming banquet for the Immortal Seedlings.

At that time, he had already reached the eighth level of Qi Refining for quite some time, and now he has only just managed to solidify his ninth level of Qi Refining cultivation.

He is only in his early fifties and still has a chance to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, but the opportunity is not great.

Of course, Lin Changheng couldn't discern the difference in their cultivation levels. This information about their recent situation was given to him by Xu Fugui during the last banquet, and it wasn't exactly a big secret.

In a Qi Refining family like this, while young geniuses need to be concealed to avoid being ambushed, top-tier strength must be displayed openly within the family to increase a sense of security and cohesion.

Four more Xu family cultivators rushed over from a distance.

At this moment, the inventory of battle losses has been completed.

"Reporting to the patriarch, our clan has lost two mortal disciples, seriously injured one alchemy apprentice, and two mid-stage Qi Refining disciples with minor injuries."

"Can I take some medicine?"

Xu Xuheng interrupted.

"I took it and I'm resting now."

"How was the kill? What were the loot?"

"Three Qi Refining Level 3 cultivators and one Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator died. One of the Level 3 cultivators was killed by the Clan Head, two were killed by the Third Elder, and there was one more Level 3 cultivator..."

He paused here, clearly unsure.

At this moment, Xu Qianyou stroked his beard and chuckled, speaking up at the opportune moment, "That third-level Tribulation cultivator was killed by Changheng. The one who was killed by the patriarch was also injured by Changheng with my assistance."

"It was a lucky kill." Lin Changheng knew he couldn't hide it, so he shook his head and smiled faintly.

Suddenly, all eyes turned to Lin Changheng with surprise and curiosity.

It was not only because he killed someone of the same level, but also because of his identity... he was an entry-level alchemist!

Within the Xu family, almost everyone knew that there was a celestial seedling who had been an apprentice for twelve years and finally broke through to the next level. Unexpectedly, he also had considerable talent in combat... "Not bad."

Xu Xuheng looked at Lin Changheng, praised him, and then nodded to the male cultivator who had given the report.

Immediately, a storage bag was handed to Lin Changheng.

"This is?"

"The clan rules stipulate rewards and punishments: If a fairy seedling kills an enemy alone, he or she can keep all the spoils."

Xu Xuheng explained.

In his heart, however, he valued Lin Changheng's status as an alchemist even more. What did it matter if he killed someone of the same level, or if he had talent in combat? His mixed spiritual root limited his potential, which destined him to achieve limited success.

The reason the Xu family is so actively recruiting promising young talents who were eliminated from the Spirit Testing Conference, offering them generous treatment, is to discover their talents in various arts and to try their luck with the spiritual roots of their offspring.

It's unrealistic to expect these promising seedlings to grow into great talents...

……

This great battle has now come to an end.

The Xu family suffered some losses, but not significant ones. On the contrary, the side that raided the cultivators was severely damaged.

But if the Xu family head had arrived even a moment later, and Xu Qianhuan had been injured or killed, giving the burly Jie Xiu a chance to make his move, everyone present would have faced certain death.

Victory or defeat can truly be decided in an instant.

Lin Changheng realized this, which further strengthened his resolve to avoid conflict and infighting.

On the other hand, if it were just Xu Qianhuan who was killed, losing a top-tier combatant at the eighth level of Qi Refining, the Xu family would have suffered a truly devastating blow.

Unfortunately, there were no corresponding markings on the bodies or storage bags of those who died during the tribulation.

Therefore, it is impossible to know where this group of cultivators came from or why they came.

Clutching the storage bag handed to him, Lin Changheng did not open it immediately. Instead, he silently followed the group and soon crossed the Blackwater River, arriving at the tribe's residence.

This is a large area of ​​mountain villages built along the river, stretching for dozens of miles.

The Xu family members were all settled in ordinary towns.

Cultivators are distributed in various spiritual veins.

The Xu family possesses one high-grade spiritual vein and one mid-grade spiritual vein. The high-grade spiritual vein is supplied to core personnel such as late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

Clan members at the sixth level of Qi Refining can also apply to enter.

The rest of the people share a mid-grade spiritual vein, but there are also different levels.

Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators and guest elders reside in the main area, where the spiritual energy concentration is even richer, while the rest establish their dojos in the branches.

The original group of promising young immortals were assigned to a mid-grade first-level spiritual vein branch on the banks of the Blackwater River, called the "Listening to the Tide Dojo".

……

As soon as the team entered the camp, many people came to greet them with serious expressions.

They all asked about the situation.

Lin Changheng spotted a dark-skinned male cultivator in the crowd, grinning broadly and waving at him.

It is Xu Fugui.

He smiled and gestured in agreement.

Looking ahead, he saw a crowd of people surrounded, and no one paid him any attention. He simply walked over with Xu Fugui and began to talk and laugh in hushed tones.

Suddenly, a goddess-like girl floated in from afar.

Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, her eyes held a frosty luster, her face was like jade with crimson lips.
She wore a long, light purple dress that trailed on the ground, revealing her fair skin and delicate bones—what a refined and aloof noblewoman!
Those who had formed a circle readily made way for them, their faces showing respect or amazement.

"Who is that?"

Lin Changheng noticed the commotion and turned to ask Xu Fugui.

"Xu Hanji, the eldest daughter of the Xu family head."

(End of this chapter)