A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

"Fellow Daoist Lü, you’re not going down?" Yan Ping asked after a deep breath, looking toward Lü Zhong and the others.

He wanted to go down into the Spirit Stone Vein and make a haul before the Sect officially claimed it. After all, even for a Sect Disciple, reaching Foundation Establishment was no easy feat. Without sufficient Spiritual Objects, one couldn’t build a foundation either.

But before he did, Yan Ping wanted to recruit an ally.

The chaos was rife with danger; venturing in alone was simply courting death. That made Lü Zhong—who, despite only having a Qi Refining Middle Stage Cultivation, had managed to sever an arm from the Late-stage Qi Refining Thousand-Faced Elder—the best possible ally.

At that moment, Bai Xiaohan was expressionless, rubbing a white ring on her left hand with her slender, pale fingers. Huang Shuyuan looked hesitant, but the way she kept glancing at the nearby fissure betrayed her thoughts. As for Lü Zhong, he appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly, he was also wavering.

’A Spirit Stone Vein... Going inside would be like picking up Spirit Stones off the ground.’

’Perhaps just by wandering around, I could find an astronomical amount of Spirit Stones, more than I could earn in decades.’

’Then, buying a Foundation Establishment Pill would be a trivial matter.’

But he could also hear the sounds of fierce battles coming from the fissure, punctuated by roars and blood-curdling screams. It was easy to imagine the scene below. If there were many cultivators, there were likely even more living corpses. ’It’s probably already a death trap.’

After a moment of hesitation, Lü Zhong decided against it.

For him, there was a stable path forward.

’If I just cultivate step by step to Late-stage Qi Refining, I can learn to draw the extremely profitable Golden Light Talisman. With the Gray Mist Space, there’s no fear of failure. And once I master that talisman, it means I’ll have multiple chances at Foundation Establishment before I turn sixty.’

’Anyone who reaches Foundation Establishment before sixty is still considered to have potential.’

’So, there’s no need to risk my life.’

’After all, what’s down there is just Spirit Stone Raw Ore, not ready-made Foundation Establishment Pills.’

’The potential reward doesn’t justify the risk.’

Only Loose Cultivators with no other options would jump down there to fight over Spirit Stone Raw Ore for that slim chance at Foundation Establishment.

After weighing the pros and cons, Lü Zhong shook his head. "The risk is too great."

"Such admirable restraint, Fellow Daoist!" Yan Ping remarked, his sincerity unclear, before jumping down without a second glance.

When Huang Shuyuan heard this, the hesitation in her eyes vanished. She lowered her head, lost in thought.

In an instant, only Lü Zhong and his two companions were left in the vast encampment.

"Your decision was rather unexpected, Fellow Daoist Lü," Bai Xiaohan said with a slight smile, a new light in her eyes as she looked at him. "I thought you would jump down without a moment’s hesitation."

"Only because I have other options," Lü Zhong replied coolly.

...

"Damn it! An opportunity right in front of me, and I can’t seize it!"

A horse-faced cultivator crawled out of the fissure, covered in blood and wounds. He beat his chest and stomped his feet in despair.

Hearing this from a distance, an idea sparked in Lü Zhong’s mind.

He strode over to the horse-faced cultivator, ignoring the man’s wary expression. Taking out a Golden Light Talisman, he said, "You are mistaken, Fellow Daoist. With this in hand, what’s to stop you from obtaining those treasures?"

The man’s eyes lit up when he heard this.

’A Golden Light Talisman!’

’With this, I can definitely beat anyone who doesn’t have one.’

’Then I can grab some Spirit Stone Raw Ore!’

’Damn it all.’

’Why did I have to use up all my Golden Light Talismans?’

His breathing grew heavy, his eyes turning red and bloodshot. "How many Spirit Stones?" he asked excitedly. "I’ll buy one!"

"Thirty Spirit Stones, non-negotiable!" Lü Zhong announced. When he saw the man hesitate, he goaded him, "What are you waiting for, Fellow Daoist? With this, you can get your hands on that Spirit Stone Raw Ore. A single piece will cover the cost! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Why not risk it?"

’He’s right!’

The horse-faced cultivator realized Lü Zhong was right. Without further hesitation, he took out his Storage Bag and, with a CLATTER, dumped out his entire net worth.

"Ah!" A pained expression crossed his face.

’Why... why are there only twenty-nine Spirit Stones?’

"Here," Lü Zhong said, handing over the Golden Light Talisman. "Just remember to pay me back the rest."

The man stared, stunned for a moment, before taking the Golden Light Talisman with both hands. His face beaming with joy, he charged back toward the fissure.

"You’re quite the shark, Fellow Daoist," Bai Xiaohan said, covering her mouth as she giggled. The teasing tone was unmistakable.

Lü Zhong collected the Spirit Stones and shook his head. "We’re both just getting what we want."

’He coveted the man’s Spirit Stones, and the man coveted the Golden Light Talisman’s power to help him snatch Spirit Stone Raw Ore. It was, in essence, a mutually beneficial transaction. There was no room to talk about fairness.’

He then stood his ground and waited to see if any more customers would appear.

Before long, the same horse-faced cultivator climbed out of the fissure again. His expression was euphoric, and he walked with a confident swagger. His robes bulged, a clear sign of a bountiful harvest.

He walked up to Lü Zhong and tossed him a blood-stained chunk of raw ore.

"Another one! No, give me two Golden Light Talismans!"

"No problem!" Lü Zhong accepted the ore and produced two Golden Light Talismans.

After taking the talismans, the horse-faced cultivator charged toward the fissure once more.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Lü. That ore is worth at least a Hundred Spirit Stones. A truly incredible profit!" Bai Xiaohan said, clapping. Her smile grew wider. "If another customer comes along, would you mind if I sold some Pills alongside you?"

"I don’t mind," Lü Zhong replied.

’Although I don’t know what kind of pills she plans to sell, it won’t conflict with my talisman business.’

A short while later, the man returned again.

Unlike the previous two times, the horse-faced cultivator now had an extra Storage Bag at his waist.

At the same time, his injuries were even more severe, and he was noticeably unsteady on his feet.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist!" Lü Zhong said proactively this time.

Another piece of Spirit Stone Raw Ore was tossed over, worth at least three or four hundred Spirit Stones. A severed hand was still embedded in it, leaving little to the imagination about how it was acquired.

"Give me five more!" the horse-faced cultivator gasped, using his sword as a crutch.

"No problem." Lü Zhong accepted the Spirit Stone Raw Ore with a smile, ignoring the severed hand, and produced five more Golden Light Talismans from his Storage Bag.

After taking the Golden Light Talismans, the man turned to head back down into the fissure.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait!"

Bai Xiaohan suddenly called out to the horse-faced cultivator. With a flip of her hand, she produced a dark red pill and introduced it with a smile, "This is a Blood Burning Secret Pill. It can restore you to your peak condition for forty-five minutes. Your body is injured and your strength is failing, Fellow Daoist. Why not buy one and give it a try?"

He hesitated for a moment, then took out a fist-sized chunk of ore and traded it for the pill. After swallowing it, his spirits soared, and he felt as if he had returned to his peak. With even greater fervor, he charged back toward the fissure.

’That woman is no saint!’

Lü Zhong watched Bai Xiaohan hand over the Blood Burning Secret Pill. ’This time,’ he thought, ’that man is probably never coming back.’ He had heard about the effects of the Blood Burning Secret Pill: it burned the user’s own Essence Blood to provide a temporary boost. While the Pill was active, one could return to their peak physical state, but severe aftereffects would follow.

’Given that man’s condition, he’ll likely drop dead the moment the pill wears off.’

But that was none of Lü Zhong’s business. The horse-faced cultivator was courting his own death; it had nothing to do with him.

’I made a huge pile of Spirit Stones so easily. There will probably be more to come,’ he thought, pulling a gray robe from his Storage Bag. It was the same one he had worn when assassinating Mo the Third; it would be perfect for this.

He also remembered to activate his Breath Concealing Skill to prevent anyone from memorizing his aura.

Lü Zhong even made a point to remind Huang Shuyuan, lest she become a vulnerability and render his efforts useless. Fortunately, Huang Shuyuan had also learned a Breath Concealing Skill and concealed her aura without any trouble.

Bai Xiaohan took similar, practiced measures.

An hour later, another figure crawled out of the fissure.

This time, it was someone new.