Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation-Chapter 62 - 59: Half a Day of Leisure

In the Inner Garden Flower Hall.

"...Have those Elders successfully reached Foundation Establishment?"

Ling Changqing asked. Having just emerged from his Cultivation Chamber, he was naturally unaware of the situation outside.

Tang Qiu Yao smiled. "Of course. All five of them are Foundation Establishment Cultivators now."

Not only had they reached Foundation Establishment, but they had also successfully stabilized their new realms. This meant the Ling Family was now a power with ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators presiding over it.

Well, including the newly ascended Tang Qiu Yao, it should be eleven Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

"It seems the Wu Family won’t be able to close this power gap anytime soon!"

Ling Changqing muttered. No matter how capable the Wu Family was, it was impossible for them to acquire five Foundation Establishment Pills in a short time, unless they received massive support from Hanyue Gate.

Ling Qiyue’s cherry lips pursed slightly as she said thoughtfully,

"We still can’t let our guard down. According to a recent report from our clan’s informant, the Wu Family has already tapped into their strategic reserves. They plan to acquire Foundation Establishment Pills and related materials at any cost."

Ling Changqing said, "That’s to be expected. If they don’t do this, they might not get a chance to use those resources in the future."

’Why wouldn’t you spend your resources when it matters most? Are they supposed to save them for their enemies to take?’

The Wu Family’s Patriarch understood this quite well. The moment he realized the situation was dire, he immediately mobilized all of his clan’s assets to increase their strength as quickly as possible.

Tang Qiu Yao remarked, "That Patriarch is certainly decisive. Even if the Ling Family can defeat them in the future, we’ll surely suffer significant losses."

Unless the Ling Family could amass an even greater numerical advantage in Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they wouldn’t be able to crush the Wu Family without paying a heavy price.

Alternatively, Ling Qiyue’s cultivation could advance further, breaking through to the level of a Pseudo Core master.

Of course, with Ling Qiyue’s aptitude and temperament, she probably looked down on the mere Pseudo Core stage. She would likely aim to achieve the genuine Golden Core Realm in a single step.

However, the conditions for Core Formation were incredibly harsh. The required resources, in particular, were so rare and precious that they were beyond the reach of ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

For most cultivators from small clans and minor factions, just reaching Foundation Establishment in their lifetime was already a chance at defying fate. Thinking about anything higher was basically out of the question.

Ling Changqing turned to look at Ling Qiyue. "So, do we need to go out to sea again? If we can get a haul like last time, we can start opening the furnace and refining pills for a new batch of Foundation Establishment Pills."

"That’s a possibility,"

Ling Qiyue said with a beaming smile, "but we’ll have to wait a bit. I also need to enter cultivation in seclusion for a while! Once I’m out, we can go plunder the seas for resources together."

Ling Changqing’s expression faltered slightly. In the past, he had rarely seen his Patriarch and Senior Sister go into seclusion. She was either handling clan affairs or opening the furnace and refining pills.

After a moment’s thought, Ling Changqing didn’t press the matter and instead said,

"In that case, I’ll go to sea and help Steward Ling Zifeng for a few days. We can talk again after you come out of seclusion, Senior Sister."

"Mm, that’s a good idea."

Ling Qiyue nodded lightly. Reaching into her Storage Pouch, she took out a long, elegant sword shimmering with Spiritual Light. The faint, clean scent of plum blossoms filled the air.

She handed the longsword to Ling Changqing and explained,

"This is the Snow Shadow Sword, a Top Grade Magical Artifact. I used it myself before I reached Foundation Establishment. Now that you’re in the late stage of Qi Cultivation, you should have no trouble wielding it."

A flicker of joy crossed Ling Changqing’s face. He thanked her and put it away.

For a late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivator, having a well-suited Top Grade Magical Artifact was a significant boost to their combat power that went without saying.

Ling Qiyue and Tang Qiu Yao gave him a few more words of advice before Ling Changqing took his leave.

Returning to the plaza in front of the Clan Assembly Hall, Ling Changqing stopped in his tracks.

Fierce golden sunlight spilled down from the sky. Hundreds of clan guardian cultivators and Daoist Soldier Puppets stood silently all around. Exquisite carvings of thunderclouds and majestic stone statues of Divine Beasts were clearly visible.

The Protective Array of the clan’s headquarters was currently in a semi-active state. A faint golden light screen flickered gently over a hundred yards above, shimmering with iridescent light.

’Zenxin Island... is destined to prosper!’

The thought quietly surfaced in Ling Changqing’s mind.

’With Senior Sister and me here, in a few years, the Ling Family should become the most powerful clan in the Feiyu Sea Region, right?’

After pondering for a moment, Ling Changqing decided not to go to sea just yet. He would wander around the Marketplace first.

For example, the Celestial Fate Pavilion. He hadn’t been there in over a year. He wondered how many of those "Little Fairies" were still around and if there were any new faces.

Although he had grown somewhat tired of the Little Fairies’ attitudes, for the sake of continuously strengthening his Divine Soul Origin, Ling Changqing decided to go have a look. He would fleece them for as much as he could.

Before that, Ling Changqing first went to the Xianwei Pavillion. He got a semi-private room and ordered a table full of delicacies from land and sea, along with some Spirit Wine, and began to drink by himself.

Looking down from the ornate window facing the street, he could see the crowd below was much larger than before. From time to time, he could spot unfamiliar foreign cultivators.

Of course, their behavior was relatively orderly, with no one causing trouble. Thus, the Ling Family’s Law Enforcement Team on patrol turned a blind eye.

Ling Changqing was thoughtful. The clan’s strength had surged, so naturally, the outside world’s confidence in the Ling Family had also grown.

He heard that over the past month, envoys from small clans and minor factions, as well as some foreign merchant organizations, had been constantly arriving to seek an audience with Ling Qiyue.

Their objectives were all more or less the same: to form an alliance, to pledge allegiance, or to trade resources for mutual benefit.

Of course, the most common request was to ask Ling Qiyue to open her furnace and refine pills for them, with all remuneration being negotiable.

Ling Qiyue wasn’t opposed to this, but she limited it to Rank One Elixirs. For second rank elixirs, she would need to consider it. However, Foundation Establishment Pills were absolutely out of the question, no matter how high a price they offered.

From the standpoint of a Patriarch, it was better to have fewer Foundation Establishment Cultivators in this sea region. This applied even to allied clans.

Even the closest of allies could turn into bitter enemies due to uncontrollable factors. Alliances could crumble in an instant; such examples were all too common.

That was why Ling Qiyue stood firm on her principles, not budging an inch. She would rather earn fewer benefits than plant a hidden danger for her own clan.

At this moment, in another luxurious private room dozens of paces away...

"...Second Brother, the atmosphere here on Zenxin Island is indeed quite extraordinary!"

"Mm, they’re a major clan with over ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators, after all. Naturally, they’re not comparable to the small factions around here."

"Sigh! What a pity..."

"There’s nothing to pity. We can’t concern ourselves with this place for now. Besides, they have rivals to keep them in check. The situation won’t change much for a while!"

"That’s true..."

The ones speaking in low voices were a pair of young, foreign cultivators in gray Daoist robes. On the surface, they appeared to have a Fifth Layer Qi Cultivation.

The gazes with which they surveyed their surroundings were cold and mocking, containing a deeply hidden malice.

In his private room, Ling Changqing retracted his Spiritual Sense and continued to feast heartily, his expression unchanged.

There were far too many unidentified foreign cultivators like them in the Zenxin Island Marketplace. As long as they followed the rules and didn’t cause trouble, the clan’s upper echelons wouldn’t do anything to them, aside from keeping them under covert surveillance at most.

After eating and drinking his fill, Ling Changqing got up, settled the bill, and left the pavilion.

「A moment later, at the Celestial Fate Pavilion.」

"...Young man, you’ve come again?"

In the VIP room, the top matchmaker Wang Po looked the handsome, purple-robed youth opposite her up and down, a look of pleasant surprise on her face.

Ling Changqing nodded and said gently, "Bring over all the suitable female cultivators you have here for me to see!"

"Yes, yes! I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!"

Wang Po nodded hastily. She rose to her feet gleefully, swaying her full hips as she left the room.

Before long, a pair of identical twin sisters walked in, both at the Third Layer Qi Cultivation.

The meeting process that followed needs no detailed description. Ling Changqing unhurriedly sipped his Spirit Tea, coldly but politely rejecting one wave of female cultivators after another.

As evening approached, a fully-rewarded Ling Changqing placed a handful of Spirit Stones into Wang Po’s hand and left, thoroughly satisfied.

「The next day,」 he lingered at the Celestial Fate Pavilion again, leaving leisurely only after he had seen every single female cultivator who met his criteria.

He probably wouldn’t be able to come back to fleece them again for another year or two.

’...The Hanyue Continent Marketplace also has places that introduce Dao Companions to cultivators. I’ll have to go take a look next time I get the chance. The rewards should be even greater, right?’

Ling Changqing mused.

After all, the higher a person’s cultivation and the stronger their Divine Soul, the more intense their malice towards Ling Changqing would be, and the more Divine Soul Origin the Era Star Palace could harvest.

Unfortunately, this harvest was a one-time thing for any single target. Otherwise, Ling Changqing could have figured out even more ways to exploit loopholes and fleece them.

The Communication Jade Talisman in his robes began to vibrate slightly. Ling Changqing took it out and saw that it was, surprisingly, from Ling Bingyun.

"...Junior Brother, you’re out of seclusion, right? Why don’t you come over to my place today? You can taste the Spirit Wine I just brewed!"

With her mother, Qin Yun, being promoted to a Foundation Establishment Elder, Ling Bingyun’s status had also risen like a rising tide lifts all boats. Thus, she now also addressed Ling Changqing as "Junior Brother."

She still couldn’t forget this handsome, purple-robed youth, which was why she was so persistent in asking him out.

However, Ling Changqing had little interest in her. In fact, he had a much deeper impression of the elegant, dignified, and charming Qin Yun.

Ling Changqing mulled it over for a moment before replying, "I’m too busy these days. Let’s do it some other time!"

Ling Bingyun: "???"

’Didn’t you just come out of seclusion a few days ago? What could you possibly be busy with?’

She wanted to chat a little more, but Ling Changqing had already cut off the communication.

Since nothing was going to happen between them, there was no point in wasting each other’s time.

Releasing the Flying Ship from his Storage Pouch, Ling Changqing piloted it alone, flying out toward the open sea.

On the vast, boundless ocean, in a temporary camp formed by numerous large Sea Boats, Steward Ling Zifeng was still standing on the foredeck, directing a large group of Loose Cultivator Pearl Gatherers to work in the sea.