Longevity Starts With Dual Cultivation - Chapter 28 - Setting the Stage
In the dim depths of the ocean.
Ling Changqing gracefully leaped over a massive reef, silently trailing behind a blue-scaled sailfish as he slowly closed in. The Talisman pressed against his chest emitted a faint golden glow.
The large creature, measuring over ten feet in length, remained unaware of the impending danger, still swaying its vibrant body as it leisurely chased after small fish and shrimp nearby.
When he was close enough, Ling Changqing reached out and seized its broad fin. His short sword traced an arc through the water before plunging deep into the flat, vital area of its abdomen. With a forceful twist,
Squelch!
Under the pressure of the seawater, a torrent of blood gushed out, instantly staining the surrounding waters red.
The attacked blue-scaled sailfish struggled fiercely for a dozen breaths, but as its vitality rapidly faded, its strength waned. Ling Changqing sealed it with a Mystic Ice Talisman and stored the entire creature into his storage bag.
Another catch…
Ling Changqing mused silently, his gaze sweeping over the several storage bags hanging at his waist.
The meat of first-tier demon beasts like the blue-scaled sailfish was quite delicious. Catching a few more to hand over to Ling Zifeng would fetch a good price along with some Family Merit Points.
Continuing to scout for suitable targets, Ling Changqing no longer lacked storage bags. Each trip to the sea had to fill them all to be considered worthwhile.
About thirty feet away, a dark-red armored iron-thread velvet-claw crab, the size of a human head, stealthily extended its claw. Before it could act, a sharp blade shot forth, ending its life in a single strike. It was promptly stored into a storage bag.
A few more velvet-claw crabs hid at the base of the reef. Ling Changqing circled the area, leaving none behind, every one became his trophy.
Suddenly, without warning, Ling Changqing halted, suppressing all traces of his aura as he crouched and hid deep within a cluster of sea flowers nearby.
A few breaths later, the water churned violently as a massive dark shadow swept past. A sea monkey, caught in the midst of feeding, failed to evade in time and was swallowed whole by the colossal creature.
A tiger-striped rakshasa whale, a top-tier second-rank demon beast, nearly invincible in waters shallower than six hundred feet.
Watching the massive creature swim away, Ling Changqing sighed with regret. If he had Tang Qiuyao’s cultivation level now, he would surely have been able to take it down today.
After scanning his surroundings and concentrating his senses, Ling Changqing decided to move to another area to continue his search for resources.
Despite the vastness of this sea, the constant daily diving of so many pearl gatherers meant that the numbers of easily harvested resources were steadily declining.
Take the Jade Crystal Winterglow Pearl, for instance. It was said that over twenty years ago, these seabeds were teeming with them, anyone could find a few pearl-hiding bath-sand clams.
But now, aside from Ling Changqing, who still managed to find some on each outing, other pearl gatherers struggled to reap significant harvests. Finding one or two pearls per day was considered fortunate.
Fortunately, every month or two, the Ling family’s fleet would relocate to new waters, ensuring the pearl gatherers wouldn’t return empty-handed.
…
Zen Heart Island, the Ling family headquarters.
In the family head’s private chamber, Tang Qiuyao in a bright yellow dress with lightly furrowed brows was intently reviewing the Jade Slip Books on the desk, her expression grave.
Meanwhile, Ling Qiyue, dressed in snow-white robes with graceful and dignified bearing, stood by the carved lattice window, resting her chin in her jade-like hand as she gazed silently at the ever-changing clouds in the distant sky.
“…The resource gap is quite significant. Even if we mobilize all the family’s reserves, it still won’t be enough. This is quite unfavorable for our upcoming plans!”
After a long while, Tang Qiuyao’s melodious voice broke the silence.
Ling Qiyue turned her head and calmly responded, “The Ling family’s foundation is still somewhat small. Despite centuries of diligent management, we’ve only reached our current scale. This is indeed challenging.”
Tang Qiuyao sighed. “The family has never produced a Golden Core Grand Cultivator. If our assets were too extensive, we wouldn’t be able to protect them anyway.”
Though no explicit rules governed how much territory or how many industries a force could control, certain unspoken conventions existed.
If anyone crossed the line without matching strength, other forces would soon “teach them a lesson.”
The Ling family’s current industrial scale and sphere of influence basically matched their actual power. To advance further, they would have to wait until new Foundation Establishment experts emerged within the family.
If they wanted to annex surrounding families of various sizes, they would need a genuine Golden Core Cultivator to accomplish it.
Raising her head to look at Ling Qiyue’s picturesque silhouette, Tang Qiuyao softly asked, “How much longer until you can…”
After a moment of silence, Ling Qiyue replied, “If nothing unexpected happens, twenty years should be sufficient.”
These twenty years referred to the time Ling Qiyue needed to attempt golden core formation. Once she succeeded, the Ling family’s external circumstances would undergo transformative changes.
“Twenty years…”
Tang Qiuyao murmured, “That’s quite long. It’s unlikely we can avoid unexpected developments. Those scoundrels outside will certainly join forces to cause trouble.”
Ling Qiyue said, “Advancing the timeline isn’t impossible, but the key issue is that we haven’t gathered all the resources needed for core formation. This isn’t something that can be solved with just spirit stones.”
Tang Qiuyao nodded. “We can plan this carefully. If one or two new Foundation Establishment experts emerge within the family in the coming years, that would effectively enhance our high-level combat power.”
The Ling family’s two current Foundation Establishment experts were already advanced in years with limited time left. Without new Foundation Establishment cultivators emerging in time to fill the combat power gap, the family couldn’t rely solely on Family Head Ling Qiyue to maintain their standing.
After a long silence, Ling Qiyue’s voice turned slightly colder: “I have Foundation Establishment Pills here. The question is whether those individuals can prove themselves worthy. Having consumed so many family resources, it’s time for them to make their breakthroughs.”
Given this female family head’s cultivation level and alchemy skills, she could already produce genuine Foundation Establishment Pills, though her success rate remained unsatisfactory.
This was normal circumstances. The rarity of Foundation Establishment Pills stemmed from high market demand and the elevated probability of refinement failure, causing alchemists to waste considerable raw materials.
Tang Qiuyao said in a low voice, “Just yesterday, envoys from the Mo and Zhu families secretly visited me, expressing willingness to form an alliance with our Ling family on the condition that we sell them one Foundation Establishment Pill each.”
“What a wishful thought!”
Ling Qiyue couldn’t help but sneer, “If they actually get what they want, these two families would probably be the first to turn against us in the future.”
“Indeed.”
Tang Qiuyao nodded in agreement.
The trade of strategic resources had always been a highly sensitive matter. Even among close strategic allies with a high degree of mutual trust, extreme caution was exercised when dealing with such issues.
Both the Mo and Zhu families currently only had one Foundation Establishment expert each. If they were to gain another one in the near future, their strength and influence would be completely different.
“For now, let’s leave it at that. Urge those with potential for breakthroughs to work harder and not delay the family’s grand plans.”
Ling Qiyue continued, thinking that if the Ling family could gain two more Foundation Establishment experts now, many things would become much easier to handle.
Tang Qiuyao hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “That Ling Changqing has shown good performance, with both his fortune and talent potential having merits. I think… should we consider him as a core candidate for cultivation?”
Ling Qiyue shook her head, “He’s still far from reaching the late Qi refining stage and probably won’t make it in time. Even if we were to consider him, we’d have to wait until he approaches your cultivation level.”
The family’s resources were limited. Only a few core candidates could be supported for cultivation during the same period; any more would be difficult to sustain.
“Well, that’s reasonable then!”
Tang Qiuyao thought it made sense and didn’t insist further.
Ling Qiyue then smiled brightly, “The new batch of Foundation Establishment Pills is about to be completed. There should be three pills estimated. You’re about to reach the ninth level of Qi refining, right? I’ll allocate one to you first.”
“Thank you, senior sister!”
Tang Qiuyao looked pleased.
“Why be so polite between us?”
Ling Qiyue laughed, “If Ling Changqing performs well enough and brings back sufficient resources from the seabed, I might even try to refine a batch of Qingyang Marrow-Changing Pills.”