Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 276 - 178: Peach Blossom Banquet, Perfect Qi Storage Pill!
The steward smiled as he spoke.
"Is it some kind of flying boat?" Lu Chang’sheng imagined a massive flying boat soaring through the sky.
That would indeed be quite the spectacle.
"So you know about flying boats? Seems you’re not just some ordinary fellow." A hint of surprise flashed in the steward’s eyes.
Flying boats are magical artifacts only found within the great Immortal Sects, and sometimes centuries pass without one being deployed. So, many cultivators don’t even know such things exist.
In his heart, his estimation of Lu Chang’sheng rose a notch.
"Not someone from the Gu Family after all—most likely from another power with Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed. Worth befriending."
The steward mused to himself.
The Glazed Glass Trading House thrived on business, so naturally they favored expanding their network with useful connections.
This intrigued other members of the Trading House; they kept glancing at Lu Chang’sheng, trying to discern what made him stand out.
A Qi Cultivation mid-stage bodyguard was no big deal to people who’d seen far grander scenes. Why was their steward taking him so seriously?
It made no sense.
"Of course it’s not a flying boat. Those things burn through resources by the ton every time they’re fired up. We’re merchants—how could we possibly use something so extravagant? A single miscalculation and we’d lose everything in a heartbeat."
Lu Chang’sheng pictured a gigantic flying boat racing through the sky and completely understood the concern.
The two of them exchanged names.
The steward introduced himself as ’Liu Yun’, the person in charge of Platinum Immortal City, saying, "If you ever need to do business here, just look for me—I’ve got a few connections."
Lu Chang’sheng nodded in agreement.
While traveling away from home, he naturally didn’t use his real name, but went by ’Lu Kun’ instead.
As for those so-called grand scenes, Liu Yun went on to explain a little further.
Water routes used Dragon-Head Ships for transport, while on land, people and exotic beasts were the main options.
The human option was typically Qi Cultivation mid-stage or above, using Treasure Vault Immortal Insects as transportation to travel between Immortal Cities.
Exotic beasts came in two varieties: those that traveled by land, and those that soared through the skies.
The Good Beast Sect specialized in raising such creatures.
Some days later, the Dragon-Head Ship reached Liuyun Immortal City. After handing Lu Chang’sheng a Sound Transmission Shell, Liu Yun and he parted ways.
Once off the ship, some Qi Cultivation mid-stage cultivators from various families looked at Lu Chang’sheng with curiosity.
Even though the steward from the Glazed Glass Trading House greeted everyone with a smile, getting a Sound Transmission Shell directly from him was rare.
Among the various families, only ancestor-level figures could obtain such things.
"Steward Liu’s eyes are sharp. He must have spotted Alchemist Lu’s alchemy talent," someone guessed.
In fact, that’s exactly what happened.
After parting with Lu Chang’sheng, Liu Yun noticed his years-long subordinate looking puzzled and explained, "Outwardly, nothing about him stands out—but I caught the scent of a pill on him."
"You know how sensitive my nose is when it comes to medicine—that was the aroma of a first-grade superior pill on him."
The subordinate was even more confused. "But even a first-grade superior pill isn’t special enough to deserve your Sound Transmission Shell, right?"
Plenty of alchemists in White Cloud Cave Mansion could make first-grade superior pills, yet few gained Liu Yun’s favor.
"No, it’s not the same! The pill fragrance on him was nearly at the level of first-grade perfection."
Instantly, the subordinate was taken aback.
Achieving mastery in a first-grade pill meant the alchemist had perfected their craft with that formula, and could easily pick up other first-grade recipes with ease.
Even if one’s alchemy skills didn’t improve further, this alone could generate immense wealth—enough to dominate a region.
"Steward, you have a discerning eye," the man said, completely convinced.
Liu Yun shook his head. "There’s never a hundred percent certainty. Maybe this guy’s already reached his limit, but so long as there’s more than a fifty percent chance, it’s worth the investment. Too bad he didn’t give me his real identity, or else I’d have a stronger grip."
"Is the gift ready?"
"All prepared."
"Good. That young lord from Heaven-Burning Valley is a true talent. Wonder if this will catch his eye."
Liu Yun sighed.
The Glazed Glass Commerce Association wielded vast influence, stretching across dozens of territories, and minor stewards like Liu Yun who managed a single Immortal City were countless.
If he wanted to advance, he’d have to be more strategic.
Thus, when secret channels reported a Heaven-Burning Valley up-and-comer was visiting Liuyun Immortal City, he rushed over immediately.
Heaven-Burning Valley was a Golden Core-level power; making connections there could skyrocket his pill business several tiers, giving him a real shot at overseeing an entire domain.
······
Lu Chang’sheng had no clue his pill aroma had been detected.
And in such detail, too. Had he known, he definitely would’ve been more cautious from now on.
He wandered around Liuyun Immortal City for a few days, selling off all the pills he had on hand.
The family bodyguards only ensured nothing went wrong on the road—inside the Immortal City itself, it was plenty safe.
So, they didn’t stick by Lu Chang’sheng every moment.
Sparing only a small portion of pills for his own cultivation, he sold everything else, converting it to spirit stones. Afterward, Lu Chang’sheng began purchasing jade scrolls on alchemy.
Soon enough, the spirit stones he’d just gotten his hands on were gone before they even warmed up in his pocket.
"Spirit stones really do burn a hole in your pocket," he muttered.
Stepping out of a market shop and checking the Treasure Vault Immortal Insect, he saw that the pile of spirit stones that once formed a miniature mountain was now down to just a few dozen pieces.
Of course, alchemy jade scrolls aren’t consumables—he could always resell them later—though every shop’s buyback price was much lower.
Still, it wasn’t impossible to make back some of the loss in spirit stones.
Bringing those alchemy jade scrolls to Platinum Immortal City could net a decent return, too.
Over there, buyback prices remained high, mainly because he’d bought up so many copies locally.
With that in mind, Lu Chang’sheng decided against lingering further in Liuyun Immortal City and immediately contacted local traveling merchants to see if anyone was heading back to Platinum Immortal City.
If there were no trade caravans, this eight-hundred-li journey wouldn’t be exactly safe.
Lu Chang’sheng had no urge to take reckless risks with his own safety.
Fortunately, luck was on his side. A month later, a ship bound for Platinum Immortal City was scheduled, so after paying the spirit stones, he booked a few seats.
"Liuyun Immortal City is definitely more prosperous than Platinum Immortal City," Lu Chang’sheng sighed, gazing at the vast city as he boarded the ship a month later.
A cultivator from the Huang Family nearby chuckled, "Of course. Platinum Immortal City is backwater, the poorest place in the Guangnan Domain. I heard that at the Peach Blossom Banquet, Supreme Profound Sect disciples never admit they’re from Platinum Immortal City."
Lu Chang’sheng smiled faintly.
Rumor had it that the Peach Blossom Banquet was held once every hundred years, hosted by several Golden Core Immortal Sects.
Entry requirements were strict—even most Foundation Establishment cultivators didn’t qualify.
Platinum Immortal City, Liuyun Immortal City, and other Supreme Profound Sect territories only had a handful of Foundation masters eligible to attend, and nearly all of them were from Supreme Profound Sect itself.
Even someone like Master Baiyun couldn’t get an invitation to the Peach Blossom Banquet.
Though Supreme Profound Sect ruled over several Immortal Cities, in reality, they’d started out from Platinum Immortal City. Back then, many of their disciples used to claim affiliation with it.
Only after the past couple Peach Blossom Banquets did that habit start to fade.
As for whether it was by design or something else, that’s up to interpretation.
······
"With all these alchemy jade scrolls, I should be able to master the Qi Storage Pill within a year or two."
Lu Chang’sheng considered to himself.
The Peach Blossom Banquet was a major event across domains, but for now, someone at his level had no way to get involved.
For the time being, focusing on quickly elevating his alchemy abilities was the main thing.
Back at the White Cloud Pharmacy, Lu Chang’sheng settled down to cultivate.
With so many new alchemy jade scrolls, the progress variable for Qi Storage Pill on his Light Curtain Panel shot up, and the time needed for mastery shortened by the day.
"Whether it’s alchemy or cultivation, the time originally displayed for advancing through the stages on the panel was huge—but that’s assuming none of the variables were maximized,"
"If all those variables are maxed out, the time to master a skill drops dramatically."
Lu Chang’sheng felt a sense of inner calm.
At first, the time required for Qi Storage Pill mastery was over fifty years.
Now, thanks to continually increasing those variables, the time left was almost nothing.
"Today is the day for mastery." He glanced calmly at the panel and murmured.
