Longevity Starts With Dual Cultivation - Chapter 14
It didn’t take long.
The news that Ling Changqing had earned a huge sum today quickly spread among the pearl diver community, naturally causing quite a stir.
“…That bastard’s luck is just too outrageous, isn’t it? A single day’s work underwater actually equals what we slave away for a whole month!”
“A month? More like two or three months! When have you ever earned one hundred and fifty spirit stones from a month of diving?”
“This kid is really unbearable! Why didn’t he just die at the bottom of the sea?”
“Watch your words. I heard he’s cultivated the Xuanzhen Black Water Scripture, and his status is already equivalent to a formal Ling family disciple.”
“Hmm, the steward values him highly. Who knows how far this kid… will go in the future?”
“Hmph! Let’s hope he doesn’t meet with disaster along the way. The seabed is extremely dangerous. Even if he has some luck, can he guarantee smooth sailing every time?”
…
All kinds of envious, jealous, and hateful discussions inevitably reached Ling Changqing’s ears, but he simply paid them no mind.
According to Ling Zifeng’s view, these low-level rogue cultivators were expendable, their opinions never mattered.
The future Ling Changqing was destined to walk a different path from them.
In the dining hall.
With the steward’s permission, Ling Changqing could now eat alongside the many Ling family disciples, no longer needing to squeeze into the pearl divers area with those fellows.
Genuine Spirit Rice, various first-tier demon beast meats, and spiritual wine specially supplied to the Ling clan members, all were available in ample portions.
Both the taste and the Spiritual Energy contained within far surpassed the garbage food Ling Changqing used to eat.
“…I’ve saved up three hundred spirit stones again. Should I go buy some Elixir Pills later? Accelerating cultivation progress is what really matters!”
Ling Changqing pondered while eating heartily.
Every bit of strength gained meant another chance at survival, so he still didn’t dare slack off in the slightest.
Although he might seem prosperous now, certainly more so than those pearl divers, this status was quite unstable.
Suffer just one setback, like being injured by a powerful sea monster, and what would happen next went without saying.
Those jealous of Ling Changqing would absolutely seize the chance to kick him while he was down, ensuring he never recovered.
Therefore, every resource he obtained now had to be converted into tangible cultivation progress as quickly as possible, only then could Ling Changqing feel at ease.
After eating and drinking his fill, Ling Changqing got up and headed to the trading area inside the ship.
“…Young master Ling, what would you like this time?” The pill shop owner greeted him cheerfully. Whenever this blue-robed youth saved some spirit stones, before they even warmed his pocket, most would end up here.
“Six Profound Yin Blood Essence Pills, twenty Spirit Returning Pills, some healing pills, and a few Qi Replenishing Essence Pills as well.”
Ling Changqing said, pulling out all the spirit stones from his storage bag, not keeping a single one.
“Very well, please wait a moment.”
The owner’s tone carried a hint of admiration. In the past, most of the pearl divers he had seen lived for the moment, spending the majority of their hard-earned spirit stones in brothels and taverns, with no thought for the future.
Someone like Ling Changqing, with such a resolute Dao heart, sparing no effort to purchase resources like Elixir Pills to enhance his cultivation, was truly rare.
A moment later, the efficient shop assistant had already counted and delivered the pills.
After verifying that everything was correct, Ling Changqing politely expressed his thanks and turned to leave.
“…Keep working hard. In another month, I should be able to move to a better place, right?”
Entering his cramped, pigeon-coop-like cabin, Ling Changqing silently pondered.
Ling Zifeng had said that if he could work diligently for another month without any mistakes, he would be allowed to move to the cabins on the upper decks.
That was the living area for the Ling family’s younger generation, not only more spacious, with dedicated maids to attend to their needs, but also equipped with small Spiritual Energy arrays in the rooms.
Naturally, Ling Changqing was quite looking forward to it, as everyone strives for better conditions.
Sitting slowly on the bed, he took out a Profound Yin Blood Essence Pill and swallowed it, then continued his all-night cultivation.
The night passed quietly.
The next day, Ling Changqing opened his eyes once more and silently reviewed his cultivation progress over the past month.
In his consciousness, a message imbued with profound Dao charm silently appeared:
[Lord of the Epoch Star Palace: Ling Changqing]
[Bone Age: 14]
[Cultivation: Qi refining Level 3]
[Destiny: 18+93]
[Fortune: 18+70]
[Physique: 14]
[Bone Structure: 12]
[Comprehension: 13]
[Soul: 19]
[Primary Cultivation Technique: Xuanzhen Black Water Scripture (Level 1) 2970/5000]
[Water Escape Technique: (Level 1) 912/1000]
[Water Spirit Shield: (Level 1) 930/1000]
All his physical attributes were steadily improving, including his primary cultivation technique and divine abilities and spells. Moreover, his cultivation level was not far from breaking through to Qi refining Level 4.
“I wonder what the Destiny and Fortune of those Foundation Establishment experts are like, and how much of a gap there is between them and me…”
Ling Changqing muttered to himself. His daily dives into the sea always yielded far greater harvests than other pearl divers. Aside from his extraordinary soul perception ability, his strong Destiny and Fortune played a crucial role.
Unfortunately, he had yet to meet a true Foundation Establishment expert, so he had no basis for comparison.
In any case, even Tang Qiuyao and Ling Yunfeng, both at Qi refining Level 8, combined could not compare to Ling Changqing in terms of Destiny and Fortune.
Thus, Ling Changqing’s efficiency in searching for and collecting resources on the seabed was almost absurdly high. Setting aside cultivation level, even Foundation Establishment experts might have to admit defeat?
Of course, Ling Changqing’s unusually large harvest from the previous day still had an element of chance.
Under normal circumstances, his current daily harvest ranged between fifteen to twenty-five low-grade spirit stones.
This referred to the portion he handed over to Ling Zifeng, excluding the valuable ingredients he secretly consumed on the seabed, which were naturally converted into his cultivation progress.
It was foreseeable that, with time, Ling Changqing’s breakthrough to Qi refining Level 4 would come naturally, and Level 5 would no longer be an unattainable dream.
Pulling back his wandering thoughts, Ling Changqing rose from the bed, straightened his clothes and tools, and stepped out of the room.
A moment later, he appeared on the foredeck. By this time, all pearl divers had assembled. After Ling Zifeng finished his briefing, they each boarded small boats and entered the water, continuing their daily routine of diving for pearls.
Ling Changqing was naturally the last to arrive, as he had deliberately planned it this way. In any case, Ling Zifeng didn’t mind at all.
“I’m heading down!”
After his customary greeting, Ling Changqing waved to the supervisor and turned to descend the rope ladder onto his small boat, heading toward the distant sea.
It was nearly half an hour later when he found himself back in the familiar marine environment.
A deep blue luminous barrier manifested around him, completely isolating the bone-chilling cold and crushing pressure of the seawater.
Ever since he began practicing the Xuanzhen Black Water Scripture, Ling Changqing’s adaptability to the marine environment had significantly improved.
For instance, he could move more flexibly underwater, consume less physical strength and spiritual power, remain submerged for longer periods, and his soul perception had become more acute. Additionally, his cultivation of water-based spells and abilities had accelerated considerably.
Reaching the seafloor at a leisurely pace, Ling Changqing drew his short sword and gripped it firmly, beginning to search for suitable targets.