Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 301 - 190: The Three-Thousand Spirit Stone Humiliation!
Staring at Li Nangua in front of him, Tong Huan couldn’t help but recall the scene when he’d first brought her up the mountain.
He’d always thought highly of Li Nangua.
There aren’t many Foundation Establishment seeds out there.
As a guide, he wasn’t one to just wait in the sect for talented disciples to show up on their own; he had to travel far and wide, seeking out prodigies.
This was the long-standing tradition of Fuyun Mountain—Fuyun’s way to survive in the Spirit Realm.
Some sects that once stood shoulder to shoulder with Fuyun Mountain, or even surpassed it, have vanished into the river of time, while Fuyun persists, precisely because of traditions like this.
"Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?" Tong Huan looked at Li Nangua.
"I’ll do what Chang’sheng says."
Li Nangua replied.
Before Tong Huan could answer, Lu Chang’sheng spoke up: "Fellow Daoist Tong, Nangua has wasted decades here. If Fuyun Mountain truly valued her, would it really be like this?"
Tong Huan sighed, knowing it was the truth.
Over ten years ago, when he returned from traveling, he’d heard about Li Nangua being abandoned by Fairy Yunxia—he’d brought her here himself, so he’d gone out of his way to learn what happened.
"If she were just ten years younger, I’d have accepted her myself—even if it meant offending Fellow Daoist Yunxia."
So said a Foundation Establishment cultivator Tong was on fairly good terms with.
Clearly, they found Li Nangua too old—her age would seriously hinder her advancement to Foundation Establishment.
It just wasn’t worth crossing Yunxia over it.
And now, so many years later, without enough resources to cultivate, Li Nangua’s potential had already plummeted to the lowest point possible.
"Enough. This has all been arranged. You just need to go pay the art learning fee."
Once the others left, Tong Huan felt a sense of regret expand inside him—overwhelming, as though he’d truly missed something precious.
Almost against his own wishes, he fished out his Sound Transmission Shell and sent a message to Fairy Yun.
Few people knew he had a past with Fairy Yunxia. Back then, they’d cultivated together at Fuyun Mountain—but due to differences in talent, he’d been stuck at Qi Cultivation, while Fairy Yunxia had achieved Foundation Establishment.
Which was why he had a way to contact Fairy Yunxia. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
Unfortunately, the one who replied wasn’t Fairy Yunxia, but her steward, Ziyun.
Tong Huan sighed inside, knowing this was a dead end once again.
By letting Ziyun answer instead of doing it herself, Yunxia clearly guessed he might try again—a way to spare his pride, at least.
Still, recalling the look on Lu Chang’sheng’s face before leaving, Tong Huan, committed to his duty as a guide, voiced his thoughts anyway.
"Sister Nangua’s talent is solid—she’s still a Foundation Establishment seed. If someone was willing to invest the resources into her, it’s not impossible for her to break through."
The other side fell silent for a moment.
"Fellow Daoist Tong, there are plenty with C-grade Spirit Root Talent. Not all of them reach Foundation Establishment."
"Besides, she angered the Fairy. That’s unforgivable. I’m only letting it go this time for your sake, but if you insist, don’t blame me for being rude."
A voice full of displeasure came through.
"I’ve said too much," Tong Huan said quickly, about to cut off the connection—but the other side beat him to it. Even the shell’s imprint disappeared.
From now on, if he wanted to contact Cloud Mist Cave Mansion, he’d have to rely on sending messages by hand.
At that, Tong Huan’s heart chilled. So many years of camaraderie with Yunxia, so easily ended.
For a long moment, he felt utterly discouraged and dejected.
······
Cloud Mist Cave Mansion.
"Who picked up the Sound Transmission Shell?"
Fairy Yunxia’s voice sounded.
Ziyun hurried to answer honestly. She’d followed Fairy Yunxia for years and knew exactly what could and couldn’t be hidden.
The thing Fairy Yunxia hated most was deceit. Anyone caught covering things up would be expelled without a hint of mercy, history be damned.
"Tong Huan just doesn’t have the eye for talent—that’s why, after all these years as a guide, he’s made so little of himself. If he were sharper, maybe he’d have reached Foundation Establishment already."
Fairy Yunxia gave a little laugh.
She didn’t dwell on the matter further, but grew serious: "In the next couple days, prepare well. We have an important guest arriving."
"May I ask who the distinguished guest is? If I know, I can make better arrangements," Ziyun responded promptly.
It wasn’t that she was nosy—knowing the guest’s identity helped her prepare the right accommodations and focus the details.
Yunxia was well aware of this, so she wasn’t displeased. She smiled: "You’re right to be thorough. The visitor is a Heaven-Burning Valley genius—talented not only in Alchemy Dao, but also quite accomplished in cultivation. He’ll be coming for a serious exchange this time."
Ziyun nodded at once, understanding what she needed to do.
Heaven-Burning Valley was an Immortal Sect dedicated to Alchemy Dao. Every disciple from there was highly sought after by others.
Wherever they went, they were in the spotlight. Fairy Yunxia, due to old wounds, was devoted to cultivating disciples. To have gifted disciples gather around a talent from Heaven-Burning Valley would be immensely beneficial for her.
"This prodigy from Heaven-Burning Valley is said to have received a Grade A potential rating in the alchemy assessment. He’s only cultivated for a few years and is already a top-rank alchemist."
Yunxia spoke, pride coloring her features.
To socialize with a Heaven-Burning Valley prodigy was an honor—even for a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like her.
Someone like that would no doubt become a Second-Rank Alchemist in the future—at the very least, reaching the level of a Profound Turtle Alchemist.
