Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

Three months passed quickly. Liu Xing raced against the clock, completing nearly a thousand Green Ox Talismans, each worth twenty spirit stones. Meanwhile, Jiao Jiao had also solidified his status as a Level 2 demon beast, its overall strength more than doubling. It now danced joyfully around Liu Xing, expressing its inner joy. Liu Xing happily reached out and touched its head as a gesture of encouragement. He silently assessed Jiao Jiao's strength. Its magical power was comparable to his own, and it should be capable of challenging Level 3 demon beasts. Furthermore, although Jiao Jiao was a level higher than Liu Xing, and the spiritual seal between master and servant had weakened somewhat, Jiao Jiao showed no signs of resistance or rebellion, demonstrating its genuine willingness to accept him as its master, intending to follow him for life. He was truly moved. In his time of weakness and need, Jiao Jiao had offered herself wholeheartedly and unwaveringly. Regardless of whether he was truly the reincarnation of the Flute Immortal, Jiao Jiao's affection was something he cherished. He silently vowed to spare no effort in the future to help Jiao Jiao achieve even greater success.

After master and servant played around for a while, Liu Xing removed and put away the restrictions outside the cave, sealed the entrance, and then jumped into the pet bag. Jiao Jiao led him westward. This was still the heartland of the demon clan, and the presence of his humanoid aura would attract endless pursuit. It was best to fly with Jiao Jiao. After Jiao Jiao's advancement, her flying speed had more than doubled, and now at full power, she could rival his speedboat.

The Jiao King's status proved to be quite effective. The leader of the land demon tribe had instructed them not to embarrass the little dragon, and in the past year or so they had been traveling through the demon realm, no high-level demon beasts had troubled them. They had sensed the lower-level demon beasts well in advance and quietly circumvented them. Even if one or two foolish little demons came out to harass them, they were torn apart by Jiao Jiao's steel claws. As a result, they had made it through safely, and even collected many ripe medicinal herbs.

That day, they reached the westernmost edge of the land and saw a boundless expanse of water, known as the West Sea. It was a place rarely visited by humans or demons. However, they dared not venture into the deep sea. Countless deep-sea monsters, some level four and five, teemed with them. With their strength, entering the waters would be a death sentence. Following the West Sea coastline northward, tens of thousands of miles further, they reached the human cultivation area.

Arriving here, finally out of the demon-controlled area and no longer needing to hide, Liu Xing finally breathed a sigh of relief. His next goal was clear: to find the Earth Fire to refine the elixir, then retreat to build his foundation. This was more important than anything else. Jiao Jiao had been flying non-stop for the past year, weighing down from exhaustion, yet she never complained about the fatigue. He felt a little sorry for her. So, Liu Xing decided to take over the journey while Jiao Jiao rested in the pet bag.

He launched the assault boat, replaced the boat with a brand new spirit stone, and sped off to the north at full speed.

Months later, a dusty Liu Xing finally sighted a massive human city, over ten times larger than the mortal kingdoms he'd previously visited. He'd been flying along the coastline, a straight line might have saved him a third of the time. But he didn't dare cross the ocean, as he could easily become a meal for the Kraken.

Three miles from the city gate, he folded up his flying boat and arrived on foot. Based on his past experiences visiting the city, he knew flying was prohibited within the city walls. Arriving at the gate, the words "Seaside City" were hung high above it. The entire city was enveloped in a massive barrier, powerful both offensively and defensively. He had never seen a human cultivator city this large. The largest gatherings of cultivators he had ever seen were at the Qi Refining stage, but now he looked like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, completely inexperienced.

Arriving at the city gate, in the pavilion, a fat old man reclined on a throne. His thick chin and round belly made him look like a mountain of flesh. The fat old man, who had reached the initial stage of foundation building, was not to be underestimated. He was resting with his eyes closed.

"Excuse me, senior, I want to enter the city, but I don't know what procedures to go through?" Liu Xing walked forward and asked softly.

The old man slowly opened his eyes and glanced at Liu Xing. He saw that he was a Qi Refining cultivator, dusty and tired, an outsider who had come a long way. So, he deliberately didn't answer and continued to close his eyes and pretend to sleep.

Having lived two lives and seen a lot, Liu Xing understood the old man's behavior and realized he was just trying to get some benefits. Liu Xing was not angry either. He was very smart and could solve the problem with a small amount of money, as long as he could improve efficiency and achieve his goal.

"I'm new here and don't know the rules. Senior, please teach me." Liu Xing took out ten spirit stones and gently placed them on the table, addressing the old man respectfully. After all, he was a realm higher than him, and guarding a key city gate. This lucrative position wouldn't be possible without sufficient connections. Giving gifts is also very particular; it must be consistent with the other person's status and strength, as well as your own. Giving too much could easily arouse covetousness, while giving too little might discourage the other party from doing the work. So, after careful consideration, he decided ten spirit stones was just the right amount.

"Haha, hello young friend, welcome to Seaside City." The old man put away the spirit stone, immediately changed his expression, and greeted him warmly.

"Where are you from, young man? Do you have an ID card? Are you coming to the city temporarily, or are you living here permanently?" asked the old man.

"I have been practicing outside for many years. This is my first time in the city and I plan to live here permanently. Please help me with the formalities." Liu Xing answered sincerely, full of admiration for the old man's quick face-changing skills.

"You want to stay here permanently? That's great." When the old man heard that Liu Xing planned to stay here permanently, he actually smiled happily, as if he was going to get rich.

"Permanent resident ID card, one hundred spirit stones, no bargaining." The old man said with a smile, extending his palm.

"One hundred spirit stones? That's so expensive?" Liu Xing exclaimed in mock surprise, looking overwhelmed. It wasn't that he couldn't afford the spirit stones, but he couldn't appear too lavish to avoid being noticed by those with ulterior motives.

"It's not expensive, not expensive. This is the only coastal city within a hundred thousand miles. You need a permanent resident ID card. I will even guarantee you, but it's a big risk." The old man said slyly.

"Senior, can you give me a discount? I..." Liu Xing was deliberately hesitant, looking like he was short of money.

"My friend, we hit it off right away. I'll give you a 10% discount. Ninety spirit stones, not a cent less." The old man said with pretended pain, as if he was taking good care of Liu Xing.

"Okay, thank you very much, senior." Liu Xing reluctantly took out ninety spirit stones and handed them to the old man with great pain.

The old man snatched it away, smiling happily, and slaughtered another fat sheep.

"Name?" The old man took out a jade token and a pen and asked.

"Liu Xing."

The old man wrote Liu Xing's name on the jade token, threw it to Liu Xing, and waved goodbye.

Liu Xing, feeling contemptuous, took the jade token and saw "Seaside City" written on the front and "Liu Xing" on the back. He bowed to the old man and walked towards the city gate.