Sure enough, the spirit beast cub was given to his junior sister, after she played with it for a few days…
Was thrown into the spirit beast enclosure behind the mountain.
Fortunately, Li Changshou was prepared, having built a small water cage for this “pink bamboo rat” that could devour most low-quality treasure materials, adding two layers of simple formations to restrict its activity area.
Ling E would visit the spirit beast enclosure three times a month, and most of these spirit beasts could absorb the world’s elemental energy, so they wouldn’t starve.
The earth spirit pearl given by You Qin Xuanya was placed by Li Changshou in a prominent position in the pill room, not carried with him.
This treasure was quite valuable;
In the future, if he obtained four other pearls of the same quality, he could create a formation plate for the “Five Elements Cycle Killing Formation.”
For now, though, it had little use.
Li Changshou still couldn’t understand why You Qin Xuanya…
Well, never mind;
One could only say she lived up to her poisonous reputation.
When You Qin came to their Small Jade Peak again, he would just rest in the pill room, letting Ling E accompany her to play, chat, and drink tea.
After this small interlude, Li Changshou settled in the pill room, immersing himself in pill refining.
Accumulating wealth was an urgent priority.
Last time, he had walked around “Linhai Town” and done simple market research.
The pills he was currently refining were several mainstream types in high demand among wandering cultivators—healing, recovery, cultivation enhancement, and breakthrough assistance pills at the immortal pill level.
These low-grade immortal pills could be used by Returned Void realm cultivators at the lower end, while also meeting the daily needs of “high-end wandering immortals” at the upper end.
Doing this meant high profits and high sales, ensuring returns.
With Li Changshou’s pill-refining techniques and methods summarized over many years, his success rate was indeed quite high.
The vast majority of cultivators refined pills based on feeling and experience, and words like “small amount” and “appropriate amount” in pill formulas were as annoying as those little spirits who often wandered in the mundane world of the South Continent…
Li Changshou had long since found ways to deal with this.
From when he first started pill refining, he would make summary notes, constantly exploring the exact quantities in pill formulas;
Using pill refining time as a line, he would record the changes in fire control, the order of adding medicinal materials, the age of materials and the size and shape of cut pieces, etc., separately, finding the perfect solution among them…
This was the guarantee of his success rate!
While mass-producing these several mainstream pill types, Li Changshou also planned to refine some high-grade pills at his current skill limit—
First-turn and second-turn spirit pills.
Ordinary immortal pills only had superior, medium, and inferior grades;
Medium-grade immortal pills sold best in town districts, with many sects not skilled in pill refining purchasing them in large quantities.
Pills surpassing immortal pills were called “spirit pills,” graded from first turn to ninth turn;
But anything that could be called a spirit pill was a treasure.
By the way, the Nine-Turn Golden Pill was the signature of Lord Laozi, the incarnation of the Human Dao Sect’s Patriarch!
Because of this, several Human Dao inheritances were skilled in pill refining, but Li Changshou now didn’t dare use formulas unique to the Human Dao, which inadvertently increased some difficulty…
For safety’s sake, there was no other way.
Li Changshou’s planned “pill refining for wealth” was quite simple—
[Reject the cost-performance route, prioritize improving immortal pill quality;
Initially lower prices slightly impacted the pill market in “Linhai Town”;
After long-term stability, ensure that once he appears in the future, his pills will be fought over by all pill shops!]
Though he could refine “spirit pill level” pills, the success rate of spirit pills couldn’t be guaranteed, and he didn’t dare purchase too many ten-thousand-year spiritual herbs;
Only after ensuring fixed profits from mid-range pills would he gamble with the remaining spiritual herbs.
Even in wealth accumulation, one must proceed steadily.
…
After refining this batch of treasure materials into formation bases and “fattening” a small part of Small Jade Peak’s compound grand formation;
Every twelve hours again was packed full of Li Changshou’s arrangements.
Three hours contemplating the Dao, two hours perfecting the paper-cutting human-divine ability, one-hour reading ancient texts to increase knowledge, and the remaining six hours devoted to the pill room, single-mindedly refining pills.
This batch of pills was all for external sales, so there was no need to worry about attracting attention within the sect…
This feeling was extremely similar to when he first encountered pill refining, making a bunch of “formulas,” forgetting to eat and sleep, and even holding the small medicine furnace while meditating.
Before the furnace, time passed unnoticed, the sun rising and setting.
When Li Changshou focused on pill refining and cultivation, he also didn’t notice the years flowing by;
Cultivation was just like this.
The years flowing around oneself seemed to become very slow, very slow, no need to be anxious and busy about three meals and lodging like mortals, nor worry about lifespan being only a hurried hundred years.
Occasionally when tired from focusing on pill refining, he would walk around the mountain, looking around, teasing his junior sister, checking on the spirit fish in the lake, spirit beasts on the mountain, and herbs in the fields…
He was extremely satisfied with this life.
Turning months into days.
Dissolving tranquility into his heart.
Carving steadiness into his bones…
Only the South Jambudvipa Continent in the primordial world had clear four seasons, apart from the North Uttarakuru Continent, most places were spring all year round.
By the time Li Changshou finished processing this batch of pills, it had taken him more than three years.
The paper puppet was more perfect, having improved three or four obvious flaws from before, such as the paper puppet’s face finally being able to change at will;
Moreover, through the crude method of thickening the paper person and adding formations, Li Changshou increased the strength the paper puppet could display to the early True Immortal realm.
This way, the safety factor of his assets also received more guarantees.
Li Changshou planned to wait for Master to emerge from seclusion, then discuss with Master about letting Master take a walk outside the mountain-protecting grand formation, while he used the paper puppet to make a second trip to Linhai Town.
This time out, the paper puppet would reveal late Element Immortal realm cultivation, a realm not easily robbed;
Of course, besides this, there were many other precautions…
Sitting in the rocking chair, organizing his thoughts for a while, Li Changshou took out a jade tablet and wrote down various treasure materials he needed to exchange for this time.
If this batch of pills could be successfully sold, not only could the compound grand formation’s core formation base be upgraded, but the maze-like chain formation around the pill room could also receive a wave of strengthening…
“Wonder when Little Master Uncle will emerge from seclusion, I miss her.”
Li Changshou looked at the treasure pouch he had prepared for Master Uncle Jiu Jiu, which contained good-tasting pills and the wine that Little Master Uncle liked.
The underground formation base he could bury himself, but for the surface formation, it would be more stable to borrow Little Master Uncle’s hand.
After completing the list, Li Changshou stood up and stretched.
‘Later, go visit Elder Wan Linyun, then prepare for the outing.’
Ah…
This fulfilling, tiring yet leisurely immortal cultivation life…
If it could continue like this forever, it wouldn’t be bad.
…
‘Hmph, these human cultivators who received heaven and earth’s great fortune, leisurely cultivating, discussing scriptures and Dao daily.’
On Golden Tortoise Island, in the treasure pool.
An azure dragon slowly swam in the pool water, its elongated dragon eyes carrying some helplessness.
Now he was no longer that teenage dragon youth;
But some shadows always lingered in his heart, never dispersing.
Gradually, Ao Yi developed a heart ailment where he became mentally unstable at the sight of human-form old Daoists.
He knew he had developed demonic obstacles but couldn’t overcome them.
His body also developed some problems because of this, but he consistently refused to face them.
Not far away were several Golden Immortals of the Severing Sect, explaining the great Dao of longevity to the many immortals who had not yet achieved longevity.
Ao Yi very much wanted to go listen, but there…
There were simply too many old Daoists.
Especially those who liked to maintain cold expressions, which inevitably stirred up some painful memories.
Through observing the human cultivators on the island over these years, Ao Yi discovered many issues and had more doubts.
Sometimes he also wondered… perhaps he had misunderstood humans?
Were those cold-faced old Daoists he encountered initially anomalies among humans?
No, impossible!
Don’t be fooled by these human cultivators, who daily appear harmonious and cheerful, mixing freely with demons, spirits, and ethereal beings without discrimination, calling the Severing Sect one family, speaking of teaching without class distinction;
In reality, they must each be…
Very calculating!
On the surface, most human cultivators called him “Junior Brother” or “Fellow Daoist”;
But secretly, they just treated him, the dignified East Sea Dragon Palace’s Second Prince, as a display dragon!
Was it so great to be the current protagonists of heaven and earth…
Over these years, there were several dragon spirits on Golden Tortoise Island who would occasionally converse with Ao Yi, which gave him some comfort.
Regarding cultivation, the Great Immortal Wu Yun transmitted some immortal methods to him in dreams, threw two spirit treasures at him out of nowhere, and then didn’t care much about him.
This master didn’t pay much attention to him, but Ao Yi held no resentment in his heart;
Because he had tried to escape once before, this was the price he had to bear.
Ao Yi, relying on constantly stimulating his Dragon King bloodline, had steadily reached the Element Immortal realm in cultivation, gaining more dragon clan divine abilities.
It wasn’t difficult for dragons to pass the immortal tribulation, they could directly transform into their true form and charge into the tribulation clouds, just right to use the lightning tribulation to complete a scale shedding and renewal.
‘When exactly will I be able to hear the Sage lecture on the Dao.’
Ao Yi sighed deeply in his heart.
The Severing Sect was divided into inner and outer gates, with inner gate disciples actually being few, specifically cultivating the Dao passed down by Patriarch Original Heaven;
Among Sage’s inner gate disciples, the four great disciples—Duo Bao Daoist, Golden Spirit Holy Mother, Wu Dang Holy Mother, and Turtle Spirit Holy Mother—were most respected, along with a small number of their disciples and grand disciples.
The Sage’s outer gate disciples were uncountable, truly too numerous.
The four great outer gate disciples were Zhao Gongming, Yun Xiao, Jade Void, and Jade Mist, who already had their own Dao when they became disciples of Patriarch Original Heaven, so they were classified as outer gate disciples.
Those who spread branches and leaves in the three thousand worlds were all Dao inheritances transmitted by the Original Heaven Patriarch’s outer gate disciples.
The original Heaven Patriarch and the four great inner gate disciples long resided in Azure Touring Palace.
Now, among the Three Schools of the Dao Gate, the Severing Sect, because of the phrase “teaching without discrimination,” had more and more Dao inheritances, with ten thousand immortals coming to court no longer being mere boasting.
Regarding the Human Dao School, Ao Yi now completely understood.
Azure Touring Palace was the Sage’s Dao inheritance, in a floating ethereal place, said to be findable only by Great Luo Golden Immortals.
There was a path to Azure Touring Palace on Golden Tortoise Island, but no one knew where that path was.
Anyway, Ao Yi secretly turned Golden Tortoise Island upside down but couldn’t find Sage’s small path.
This was just lacking karma.
Now, among the Three Schools of the Dao Gate, the Severing Sect, because of the phrase “teaching without discrimination,” had more and more Dao inheritances, with ten thousand immortals coming to court no longer being mere boasting.
Regarding the Human Dao School, Ao Yi now completely understood.
This great school itself had just one Sage and one Sage’s disciple, but it was one that neither the Enlightened School nor Severing Schools dared to provoke, and those few Human Dao inheritances in Central Divine Continent also remained undisturbed year after year, with none daring to move against them.
Supreme Clarity Old Master ranked first among the Six Sages, acclaimed as the strongest Sage below the Dao Ancestor.
‘If I had persisted somewhat back then, fought to the death to become a disciple of the Human Dao inheritance, perhaps I could have recovered some fortune for the dragon clan, found a way out.’
As for Degree Immortal Gate…
Ao Yi now looked down on it somewhat.
Degree Immortal Gate indeed belonged to the Human Dao inheritance and indeed had the Sage’s Dao inheritance, but its strength wasn’t considered strong, and there were no famous primordial experts stationed within the sect.
After listening to the scriptures lectured by those several Golden Immortals for a while, Ao Yi sighed in his heart and slowly sank to the bottom of the pool;
His dragon body coiled in the corner, cultivating quietly.
He couldn’t fall asleep, for sleep would bring nightmares of being treated as food ingredients.
The more he understood, the more Ao Yi realized how deep the waters of the primordial world were, how truly terrifying it was.
The Dragon Phoenix Great Calamity cost the dragon clan not only their fortune but also their true experts;
Now, with Sages dominating heaven and earth, the dragon clan could only retreat to the four seas, while humans and the Dao Gate were the protagonists of heaven and earth.
Some of his previous thoughts were indeed somewhat naive.
Reverse humiliation was useless;
No matter how many slaps, you can’t wake a dragon pretending to be drunk.
But to make the dragon clan prosper again, there was indeed only one path—having dragon clan children enter the Sage’s doors.
I, Ao Yi, what should I do next?
He had already had a good idea several years ago.
Make a name for himself.
If he could make a name for himself across the five continents and four seas as both Dragon Palace Prince and disciple of the Severing Sect, he could reversely influence his clansmen’s thinking, slowly getting them to lower their stance…
This was the chance to turn around the clan’s fortune and something he could accomplish.
While cultivating, Ao Yi suddenly heard two passing Daoists conversing by the pool.
“This time going to debate Dao at several immortal sects in East Victory Continent, according to these sects’ old customs, they might want young disciples to compete again, where would I find young disciples…”
At the bottom of the pool, Ao Yi’s spirit shook, his dragon tail swayed, and as his dragon body rapidly shrank, he had already rushed out of the water.
Azure dragon emerging from the water, blue scales gleaming with light;
Those two Heaven Immortal realm cultivators turned to look, seeing the azure dragon transform into a graceful youth, slowly descending in the air, making a Daoist salute to them.
“Fellow… Daoists,” Ao Yi said, “I would like to experience this.
Though my cultivation time is short, I do count as a young disciple of our Severing Sect.”
The two Heaven Immortals of the Severing Sect exchanged glances, hurriedly expressing approval.
Though my cultivation time is short, I do count as a young disciple of our Severing Sect.”
No choice, he was Great Immortal Wu Yun’s disciple, but there were too many cultivators on Golden Tortoise Island, and he often couldn’t figure out the generational hierarchy.
And this form appears like a thirteen or fourteen-year-old youth…
He also didn’t know what was going on, but ever since being schemed against by that group of old Daoists, his human form state, his body just…
Stopped growing.
The two Heaven Immortals of the Severing Sect exchanged glances, hurriedly expressing approval.