Longevity Starts With Dual Cultivation - Chapter 12
On the front deck of the sea vessel.
Ling Zifeng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, expressionlessly examining the large group of rogue cultivators gathered before him.
Most were male cultivators, with cultivation levels ranging between the first and second layers of Qi refining. Those who had reached the third or fourth layers were relatively rare.
There was no helping it, working at sea was simply too dangerous. If these low-level cultivators had any other options, they wouldn’t be willing to attempt this.
Not to mention other possibilities, even jobs like mining in unregulated mines, serving as test subjects for medicinal trials, cultivating Spirit Rice, or raising Spirit Beast mounts were far safer than working at sea.
“Is this all the people available?”
After a long while, Ling Zifeng finally turned and quietly asked Tang Qiuyao standing beside him.
Tang Qiuyao nodded slightly: “Fifty percent of the rogue cultivators we could recruit from the family territory have been sent to you. The remainder have been assigned to mines, Spirit Fields, Herb Gardens, pastures, and similar places, those areas are also short on labor.”
“But this still isn’t enough!”
Ling Zifeng sighed: “If only we could dispatch a group from the family’s Slave Cultivator teams.”
Tang Qiuyao shook her head: “Impossible. They have more important tasks to handle!”
As the Wu family’s probing actions became increasingly frequent, undercurrents were surging through the Ling family territory. Many cautious and timid rogue cultivators had already quietly left Zen Heart Island to avoid being caught up in future conflicts.
Ling Zifeng remained silent for a moment before finally saying: “Never mind, we’ll make do with this for now! Anyway, we still have time. Let them work diligently and gather whatever resources they can.”
Tang Qiuyao acknowledged, then after a moment’s thought added: “That young fellow you’ve taken a liking to, he’s still in secluded cultivation at the family bank. I estimate that when he returns, he might bring you an even bigger surprise?”
“Let’s hope so!”
Mentioning Ling Changqing brought a slight smile to Ling Zifeng’s face. If this young man proved sufficiently capable, the pressure on his own shoulders might lessen in the future.
In the courtyard, a month of secluded cultivation passed quietly.
On the final day, Ling Changqing sorted through his belongings beside the cloud bed and sighed with a hint of reluctance.
In his sea of consciousness, mysterious messages imbued with profound meaning silently emerged:
[Lord of the Epoch Star Palace: Ling Changqing]
[Bone Age: 14]
[Cultivation: Qi refining Layer 3]
[Destiny: 17+90]
[Fortune: 17+68]
[Physique: 13]
[Bone Structure: 11]
[Comprehension: 12]
[Spirit Soul: 17]
[Primary Cultivation Technique: Xuanzhen Black Water Scripture (Layer 1) 1830/5000]
[Water Escape Technique: (Layer 1) 12/1000]
[Water Spirit Shield: (Layer 1) 20/1000]
Compared to before his secluded cultivation, Ling Changqing’s various physical attributes had all changed, with only his spiritual root grade remaining at the low human grade.
Spiritual roots were categorized into several levels: waste grade, mortal grade, human grade, earth grade, and heaven grade, with each grade further divided into upper, middle, and lower tiers.
Ling Changqing had a premonition that perhaps his spiritual root grade would only change after his cultivation broke through to the fourth layer of Qi refining?
Drawing from his life experiences across past and present lives, in Ling Changqing’s view, this spiritual root was roughly equivalent to a special kind of bloodline. Without bloodline, one cannot cultivate. With a poor bloodline, the path of cultivation becomes exceptionally difficult.
With a superior bloodline and ample cultivation resources, the future naturally holds great promise.
“Now, if I go back to working in the sea to earn resources, my efficiency should be much higher, right? After all, in terms of Soul Essence strength alone, even those Foundation Establishment cultivators might not compare to me, not to mention my luck and fortune…”
Ling Changqing pondered, this was his greatest confidence.
Although the Xuanzhen Black Water Scripture was not of high grade, its advantage lay in its downward compatibility with many water-based abilities.
For example, the Water Control Art, Water Escape Technique, Water Mirror Communication, Cloud Rain Art, Water Tornado, Water Spirit Shield, Profound Water Ice Arrow Technique, and so on.
These divine abilities were all recorded in the cultivation manuals collected by the Ling Money House. Considering Ling Changqing was now an official member of the Ling Family, the exchange cost was not too high.
After careful consideration, Ling Changqing chose the Water Escape Technique and the Water Spirit Shield, spending his last few hundred spirit stones on them.
One was for escape, the other for defense, both would significantly enhance his safety while working underwater. As long as he wasn’t ambushed by a late-stage Qi refining cultivator or a second-tier demon beast, he could almost always retreat unscathed.
If he could eventually acquire all those abilities and spells, with the assistance of the Epoch Star Palace, he should be able to master them quickly, significantly improving his combat abilities
“It’s a pity I don’t have enough spirit stones. Otherwise, if I secluded myself here for another three or four months, breaking through to the fourth layer of Qi refining would be entirely possible…”
Ling Changqing sighed. The Profound Yin Blood Essence Pill required spirit stones, and renting this courtyard also cost spirit stones. For a low-level cultivator without backing, such a burden was truly heavy.
Under normal circumstances, a cultivator at only the fourth or fifth layer of Qi refining would find it nearly impossible to earn so many spirit stones within three years, along with high interest and daily cultivation expenses.
With the help of the Epoch Star Palace, Ling Changqing found it much easier to earn spirit stones compared to other low-level rogue cultivators, but he couldn’t reveal his secret trump card.
That’s why, when Ling Yunfeng previously suggested he take out a loan of ten thousand spirit stones, Ling Changqing directly refused.
Initially, Ling Zifeng only thought this young man had some luck and talent, and since he found him agreeable, he was willing to offer some benefits to help him along.
But if Ling Changqing were to fail in the future and couldn’t repay the loan, the consequences would be hard to predict.
Even with the mysterious influence of the Epoch Star Palace’s benefactor ability, it might not be enough to prevent Ling Changqing from falling into slavery.
So, from Ling Changqing’s perspective, the only option for now was to lay low and prioritize stability, even if it meant his cultivation progress would temporarily slow down.
“…Is the young master leaving?”
When returning the jade token, the charming and lovely maid in a water-red dress gazed at the handsome, jade-like young man in blue robes, her bright eyes showing a hint of reluctance.
Ling Changqing smiled and said, “Yes, after all, I owe the family so many spirit stones. I need to hurry back to work.”
“Then… will the young master come back in the future?”
The maid carefully stored the jade token and couldn’t help but ask one more question.
Ling Changqing replied, “Definitely. Once I’ve saved up enough spirit stones, I’ll return to continue my cultivation.”
The maidservant smiled. This young master’s appearance and temperament weren’t bad. Perhaps… they could meet again in the future?
After bidding farewell to the maidservant, Ling Changqing stepped out of the money exchange’s main entrance and onto the bustling street outside.
The twelve-zhang-wide road was paved with solid blue granite slabs, flat as a whetstone. Carriages and pedestrians flowed like water, creating an extraordinarily lively scene.
“What a pity I don’t even have a single spirit sand left on me. How am I supposed to return to the sea now?”
Ling Changqing touched his completely empty pocket and couldn’t help feeling troubled.
Qi refining stage cultivators couldn’t yet fly through the air, and without the assistance of a flying artifact, going out to sea would be quite difficult.
The clan naturally had public large-scale flying artifacts and sea vessels, but these weren’t free. To ride them, one needed to spend spirit sand.
“Young master, please wait.”
A crisp voice sounded beside his ear.
Ling Changqing turned to see that it was actually the maidservant who tended the courtyard, chasing after him.
“Does the young lady have other matters?”
Ling Changqing stopped and asked gently.
The young girl approached, her gaze fixed on her toes as she spoke softly: “Young master currently has no remaining wealth, so traveling must be inconvenient. Therefore…”
She lowered her head and retrieved a small embroidered pouch from her bosom, silently offering it to him.
“……”
Ling Changqing remained silent for several breaths before gently accepting it. With a cultivator’s sharp spiritual awareness, he could tell there were ten pieces of spirit sand inside the pouch.
“Young lady is very thoughtful,” Ling Changqing said quietly: “By the way, I still don’t know your esteemed name. Could you tell me?”
“Song Xuelan,” the maidservant replied in a soft voice, her pretty face slightly flushed: “I should return to work now, otherwise the supervisor will punish me.”
With that, before Ling Changqing could say anything more, she lightly walked back up the white jade steps, her graceful figure disappearing deep within the doorway.
Ling Changqing, left standing in place, softly exhaled and unconsciously tightened his grip on the pouch.
Ten spirit sand wasn’t much, but for strangers who had met by chance, such willingness to help was already quite rare.
Song Xuelan… Ling Changqing silently committed this name to memory before turning to leave.
One day later.
On the foredeck of the sea vessel, when Ling Zifeng saw the blue-robed youth emerging from the flying boat, the tense expression on his face immediately revealed a hint of a smile: “You’re back? A month of secluded cultivation – it seems you’ve made considerable progress!”
“I must still thank the steward for your care!”
Ling Changqing said with a humble expression. Regardless of the considerations behind it, the other’s help to him was genuine.
Ling Zifeng nodded with satisfaction, saying: “Do you plan to rest for a couple of days, or continue working underwater?”
The collection of Jade Crystal Winterglow Pearls had now concluded, but the Ling family leadership had issued new resource gathering orders, so Ling Zifeng hadn’t a moment of leisure.
“I’ll work!”
Ling Changqing said: “Please allow me to borrow that artifact for now. If only I had a storage bag too, then I could bring back more each time.”
Rest was unnecessary. Having just incurred such a large debt of resources, he needed to quickly earn spirit stones to prepare for future repayments. Otherwise, he might lose his freedom and be reduced to slavery.
Ling Zifeng laughed: “That’s not a problem. As long as your future performance is sufficiently outstanding, you can keep using this artifact indefinitely.”
As he spoke, he took out the mid-grade artifact short sword and an empty storage bag, handing both to Ling Changqing.