Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation-Chapter 65 - 62: Buying Over

Inside the Alchemy Room.

An almost ten-foot-tall, dark gold Pill Furnace stood steadily in the center of the Array. On the walls and floor, intricate and dense Array Patterns and Restrictions flickered with a brilliant Spiritual Light.

As Spiritual Qi was continuously drawn from the Second Grade Spirit Vein deep underground, a deep blue Spirit Flame roared fiercely at the base of the furnace.

Dressed in resplendent purple robes, Ling Changqing sat before the Pill Furnace, his eyes as dark as lacquer. He occasionally formed a series of Spirit Techniques, his focus absolute as he controlled the subtle changes in the Spirit Flame’s heat.

In a corner of the Alchemy Room stood Ling Xueyu, Ling Bingyun, Qin Yun, Ling Yuzhu, Ling Yulu, and Tang Qiuyao—a group of several beautiful women quietly observing the Alchemy process.

"...This guy’s skill is pretty impressive. He doesn’t look like a newcomer at all!"

Ling Yuzhu, dressed in bright red with slender brows and elegant, upturned eyes, murmured in a low voice.

As a high-ranking clan Elder, her judgment was naturally sharp.

"Mm, this is my first time seeing this young man perform Alchemy, too. He’s really got some skill. It makes sense why the Patriarch chose him to be a Pill Master Apprentice."

Beside her, the voluptuous and tall Qin Yun, whose beauty held a fox-like charm, responded softly, her gaze profound.

Tang Qiuyao, dressed in a Bright Yellow Embroidered Phoenix Skirt that made her appear dignified, beautiful, and elegantly poised, smiled.

"The Patriarch never does anything without reason. I’m certain that as long as Ling Changqing doesn’t perish prematurely, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a Second Rank High Grade Alchemist!"

The women’s expressions froze for a moment, their first reaction being disbelief. The aptitude requirements and exaggerated cost of training a Second Rank Alchemist made them even rarer than Foundation Establishment Cultivators. How could one be nurtured so easily?

But upon further reflection, the women felt it wasn’t entirely impossible.

After all, Ling Changqing was exceptionally young and had plenty of time to grow. Moreover, his Cultivation was already at the Qi Cultivation 7th Layer, surpassing all the disciples of the Ling Family’s new generation.

Even in Sects presided over by a Golden Core Master, a performance like Ling Changqing’s would qualify him to become an Inner Sect Disciple, earning the attention and grooming of the higher-ups.

The cool and reserved Elder Ling Yulu, who rarely smiled, thought for a moment before speaking softly,

"If that’s true, wouldn’t the clan have two Second Rank Alchemists in the future? In that case..."

She didn’t finish, but all the women understood her meaning.

As long as the Ling Family made no strategic errors in the future, its rise to prominence was practically inevitable.

Perhaps in a few years, there would truly be only one ruling power in this Feiyu Sea Region.

Of course, this was contingent on Ling Qiyue successfully breaking through to the Golden Core Realm. Otherwise, no matter how many Foundation Establishment Cultivators they had, it wouldn’t be enough to support such a grand enterprise.

Ling Bingyun and Ling Xueyu watched the handsome youth in purple with complicated expressions.

Qin Yun glanced at her daughter and sighed inwardly.

’She had originally thought about matchmaking Ling Changqing with her daughter, but now it seemed their statuses were clearly no longer equal.’

’Not to mention the future. Ling Changqing was bound to achieve Foundation Establishment first. It would be far from easy for Ling Bingyun to ever catch up to him.’

An hour later, a low hum emanated from within the Pill Furnace. Billowing Spiritual Qi surged out, roiling upwards to gather at the ceiling into a massive, Lingzhi-shaped cloud.

His expression serene, Ling Changqing continued to form Spirit Techniques. As the heavy furnace lid slowly rose, more than twenty thumb-sized, glossy, and perfectly round Elixir Pills emerged, held aloft by the cloud of vapor.

"Success!"

Tang Qiuyao let out a breath of relief. She raised her hand and formed an Object Control Spirit Technique, drawing all the Spirit Revitalizing Pills over and storing them in an Azure Jade Pill Bottle.

"Am I just imagining things, or is this young man’s Alchemy success rate... much higher than normal?"

Ling Yuzhu hesitated for a moment before whispering to the other women.

She had observed Ling Changqing’s Alchemy more than once and couldn’t recall ever seeing him fail.

Elder Ling Yulu agreed. "That’s true. It must mean his talent and potential are exceptional. Doesn’t that mean he has a lot of room to grow in the future?"

Qin Yun asked Tang Qiuyao for two of the Spirit Revitalizing Pills. She placed them in her palm and examined them for a few moments before saying softly,

"The quality of this batch of Elixirs is also quite good. They can all be considered proper grade."

Ling Yuzhu turned to look at Ling Xueyu beside her and sighed inwardly.

’I can only blame the girl for her poor fortune, being unable to capture Ling Changqing’s interest.’

’But this young man is still all alone and doesn’t have much sense of belonging to the clan. We must use some gentle methods to subtly change that over time.’

’Perhaps we could consider arranging a few more of our clan’s women for him? Given his growth potential, it wouldn’t be unfair to Xueyu either.’

At this point, Ling Changqing had already extinguished the Spirit Flame, deactivated the Array’s Restrictions, and taken a Spirit Revitalizing Pill to regulate his breathing for a moment before getting up.

"You’ve worked hard, Little Junior Brother,"

Tang Qiuyao said with a radiant smile, "Take a break before you continue. There are still plenty of materials in the storehouse, more than enough for you to use."

Ling Qiyue was in seclusion, but the Clan Treasury received a steady monthly influx of medicinal ingredients from various sources: their own Medicinal Garden’s output, contributions from the sea’s Pearl Gatherer teams, external purchases by the clan’s merchant caravans, and more.

Since most of these were materials for Refining Grade One Elixirs, Ling Changqing, with his current skill level, could take and use them as he pleased.

"Alright."

Ling Changqing agreed. After greeting the female Elders, he left the Alchemy Room.

Ling Bingyun stared at Ling Changqing’s departing back, wanting to invite him to her residence as a guest, but ultimately, she didn’t dare to speak up.

Before long, the news that Ling Changqing was a Rank One Middle Grade Alchemist had spread throughout the entire clan.

In truth, Tang Qiuyao had never intended to hide it. After all, the young man had received exceptionally generous treatment from the Patriarch in recent years, causing many Ling Clan Members to murmur with discontent in private.

A disciple from a distant and obscure branch with humble origins was suddenly listed in the clan registry and became the Patriarch’s most trusted confidant. How could those self-important disciples from the Direct Lineage possibly tolerate that?

However, the speed of Ling Changqing’s Cultivation growth justified such preferential treatment. Coupled with Ling Qiyue’s consistently domineering style, no one dared to pull any petty tricks.

Now, of course, with Ling Changqing demonstrating his talent in the Alchemy Dao, many clan members began to get ideas, wanting to come and curry favor with him.

After all, advancing one’s Cultivation was inseparable from various Elixir resources. Patriarch Ling Qiyue’s status was too high; they couldn’t even find an opportunity to curry favor with her.

Therefore, for the young Ling Family disciples, building a good relationship with the newly-promoted Pill Master, Ling Changqing, was an extremely shrewd move for the long term.

For a time, an endless stream of clan disciples came to visit Ling Changqing.

Even some of the clan elders were among them. They were advanced in age and all desired a Rank One Longevity Elixir to extend their lives, making it a natural choice to seek help from Ling Changqing.

In response to these requests, Ling Changqing adhered to the principle of equivalent exchange. As long as the other party could pay the corresponding price, he didn’t mind helping them with Refining Elixirs.

However, for those shameless old fools who tried to pull rank with their age and get something for nothing, Ling Changqing decisively refused, not indulging them in the slightest.

Tang Qiuyao completely approved of his approach. She also couldn’t stand the sight of those useless old freeloaders. Even Patriarch Ling Qiyue had never made Ling Changqing work for free, so what right did they have?

One day, another Ling Family disciple came to his door.

「In the Inner Garden Flower Hall.」

"...Young Master Changqing, I’ve come on behalf of a certain power to discuss a big deal with you!"

Seeing that no one else was present, the visitor didn’t beat around the bush and stated his purpose directly.

Ling Changqing, who had been looking down and perusing a Jade Scroll, suddenly raised his head, a sharp glint in his eyes.

"Are you from the Wu Family? Or the Mu Family?"

The Male Cultivator, who was clearly in disguise, smiled and said,

"Young Master Changqing, the Ling Family already has a Second Rank Alchemist. Even if you stay here, your status can never surpass hers."

"Why not listen to my proposal? Leave the Ling Family. The position of Chief Pill Master of the Wu Family is reserved for you. We will also marry our most outstanding clan maiden to you. In the future, you will be able to have anything you desire. Wouldn’t that be much better than staying here?"

"..."