Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 310 - 194: Mirage Demon

"I didn’t expect you to have grown so much."

Lu Chang’sheng felt a bit dazed.

Everyone around him was already getting on in years; time seemed to barely touch them. Only with young people like Guan Ming did he feel its passage.

Guan Ming nodded obediently, clearly still somewhat reserved.

"How come you’re the one that came? Where’s Elder Guan and Old Yu Hai?"

Lu Chang’sheng asked.

Guan Hongxiu had a child late in life and naturally cared deeply for Guan Ming, and Yu Hai also doted on the boy. If he was traveling far, there was no way they’d let him go alone.

Niu Xi’s eyes flashed a wry smile.

Seeing he was hesitant to speak, Lu Chang’sheng realized they were worried someone might overhear, so he led Niu Xi to a quiet room and set up a Sound Insulation Spirit Array.

Only then did Niu Xi begin to explain.

Just as Lu Chang’sheng had suspected, after Yu Hai returned last time, he angered the Zhu Family elders. Still, whether it was because of Lu Chang’sheng’s standing, or Yu Hai’s Celestial Spirit Body, they didn’t go too far.

They only placed some restrictions on resources.

It was the same with Guan Hongxiu; the Zhu Family woman he’d married had left the Guan Family, not even coming back for weeks at a time.

Guan Hongxiu had been gloomy ever since.

The worse things got, the deeper the rift with the Zhu Family grew.

They came this time hoping to see if Guan Ming could develop along the path of alchemy.

"This child has no Spiritual Body, so he’ll have to take another route—walk the path of the Four Arts."

Lu Chang’sheng nodded at Niu Xi’s words.

"I stay in seclusion cultivating most of the time and don’t have much free time. If Guan Ming passes the assessment, great; if he doesn’t, we’ll discuss it then."

Yu Hai and Niu Xi brought Guan Ming mainly to broaden his horizons, but more so to ask for Lu Chang’sheng’s guidance.

It wasn’t that Lu Chang’sheng was unwilling; as he’d said, his own cultivation time was precious, let alone teaching a disciple.

So, he made things clear up front, to avoid future hard feelings.

"No, no, don’t worry. The boy’s talent is average—if he picks up even one skill, we’d thank the heavens,"

Niu Xi hurried to say.

Lu Chang’sheng glanced at Guan Ming, who stood quietly, not daring to look around—a decent sort.

That was why he agreed; if Guan Ming had been fickle, he’d have had no interest.

"This kid, his temperament’s a bit soft—probably has to do with his environment. Letting him stay here is just settling an old debt with the Guan Family."

Back then, Guan Hongxiu and Yu Hai had freely taught him their alchemy techniques; he owed them for passing on their craft.

Sure enough, as Niu Xi had said, Guan Ming’s aptitude was poor—even with Guan Hongxiu and Yu Hai pouring resources into him, he couldn’t pass the test.

During the alchemy assessment, Lu Chang’sheng watched him closely. To sum up his alchemy in one word—mediocre.

"This is what most grassroots cultivators are like,"

People like Zhou Lin, like himself, were definitely the exceptions.

Lu Chang’sheng brought Guan Ming back to the Lu Mansion and had Lu Ziyou help look after him.

If he found time, he’d teach him a bit about alchemy, and leave the rest to Guan Ming’s own fate.

Nothing much worth mentioning happened during this alchemy assessment, except for one thing—

A person he’d met once had completed the assessment and scored an Upper Grade C.

It was one of those two brothers he’d run into in the wilderness.

"Well met, Alchemist Lu."

As Lu Chang’sheng was about to leave with Guan Ming, he ran into Cheng Wu, who was receiving his White Cloud Alchemist Robe.

"Fellow Daoist Cheng, you know Alchemist Lu?" the steward asked in surprise.

"I met Alchemist Lu once out in the wild. Even then I felt he was extraordinary—never thought he’d be so renowned," Cheng Wu said with a cupped-fist salute.

"You’re too kind. The name ’Chang’sheng’—it’s just folks flattering me," Lu Chang’sheng replied, curiosity stirring. By his estimate, Cheng Wu was at least late-stage Qi Cultivation—why would he take the alchemy exam just to join White Cloud Pharmacy?

At that level, a cultivator could make a name for themselves anywhere; entering White Cloud Pharmacy would almost be a waste of time.

Perhaps sensing Lu Nan’s confusion, Cheng Wu sighed, "To be honest, we’re left with no choice. Like many others, sure, you could support a clan, but when disaster strikes—you can’t stand against it. Centuries of hard work could go up in smoke. That’s why, instead of risking it all, it’s better to join a power protected by a True Man, so we can cultivate in peace."

Cheng Wu spoke helplessly.

For some reason, Lu Chang’sheng was very sensitive to that word, ’disaster,’ and gave Cheng Wu a long look.

Unfortunately, Cheng Wu seemed not to notice, and just kept shaking his head and sighing.

That night, Cheng Wu settled into White Cloud Pharmacy.

"You seem pretty interested in Alchemist Lu?" said Cheng Nan, who was seated beside him.

"That Alchemist has a big secret,"

Cheng Wu sat back in his chair and casually tossed out a Sound Insulation Spirit Array.

A faint ripple of magical power severed their connection to the outside world.

It was a mark of any well-trained disciple of the Immortal Sect.

"At first, I just wondered why he was being protected by several late-stage Qi Cultivators. Now, I’m realizing his path in alchemy is going way too smoothly."

"Doesn’t seem too strange. We can see his cultivation is somewhere around mid-stage Qi Cultivation. If he were truly possessed by a major demon, he’d stick out like a sore thumb."

Cheng Nan replied.

They dealt with monsters all the time—they knew how demon possession usually worked.

If a demon possessed a low-level cultivator, it was usually easy to spot its magical traits.

To seasoned cultivators like them, it wasn’t hard to pick out such clues.

"This demon’s no ordinary kind—maybe it’s better at hiding than we think?" Cheng Wu shrugged. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Who do you think the demon is hiding in?"

Cheng Wu suddenly asked.

"The Demon-Revealing Mirror traces it to the White Cloud Mountain Range. But the Mirage Demon is careful—even with us releasing Sacred Heart Spring Water, a treasure medicine, it’s hard to catch its trail."

"Let’s hope it’s not Master Baiyun. If so, we’re in trouble."

Cheng Nan replied.

Still, he didn’t look particularly worried.

Evidently, this so-called Master Baiyun wasn’t somebody he feared.

"Hey, maybe it really is Master Baiyun!" Cheng Wu chuckled.

The Demon-Revealing Mirror was an Immortal Sect Golden Core Realm artifact, able to show traces of monsters.

Of course, the stronger the monster, the better it could resist the mirror. The Mirage Demon they were tracking could only be caught in glimpses.

If they spooked it, they might not even catch a trace—unless they had the Demon-Revealing Mirror itself.

Clearly, with the brothers’ power and rank, there was no way they could get their hands on the real mirror.

"We watch and wait—try not to alert the Mirage Demon."

Speaking of this, Cheng Wu’s face grew serious.

The Mirage Demon was a major Foundation Establishment Realm monster—though it had been wounded by their sect’s Foundation Establishment masters, it was still far beyond the reach of ordinary Qi Cultivators.

The two of them had the ability to face such a demon, but if it went berserk or escaped, things would get ugly fast.

"Sigh, no idea what’s been happening lately—monsters are showing up more and more. I heard there was even a Golden Core demon king in the Tongming Sea."

"Don’t overthink it. If the heavens fall, the tall ones hold them up. There’s plenty of Golden Core cultivators guarding Tongming Sea—we’ll be fine."

The news of a Golden Core demon king appearing in Tongming Sea had been circulating among the sects for ages. As far back as two centuries ago, it caused quite a stir in the Immortal Sect, but even now, the Golden Core masters remain firmly stationed at Tongming Sea.

······

Time slipped by quietly.

The Supreme Profound Sect’s auction was held on schedule, a grand event for Guangnan Domain. Many cultivators headed to Supreme Profound Immortal City to join in the excitement.

The recent demon calamity had gripped the region for years—plenty of cultivators came from all corners to help with the monster purge and earn Supreme Profound Sect Contribution Points.

As long as their Contribution Points met the threshold, they could enter the official auction.

Those with too few points could only trade goods at the Supreme Profound Sect’s steward’s office.

The event was talked about all over Platinum Immortal City; the clever ones even hosted pay-to-enter tea gatherings, using Sound Transmission Shells to spread updates—as a business, it thrived, with every seat filled.