Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 364 - 223: Dao Pill!
Lu Chang’sheng didn’t like getting involved in trouble, but he knew sometimes you just had to fight for what you wanted.
If he hadn’t fought, he would have never gone from a poor country boy to a heavyweight in the Black Mountain Prefecture.
If he hadn’t fought, he’d probably still be suffering in the mundane world right now—even with a Golden Finger, his ceiling would’ve been stuck at the Qi Cultivation stage.
But now, with about half his lifespan left, he was already planning to become a second-grade alchemist, aiming for Foundation Establishment—all thanks to fighting for it.
Keep a low profile when you need to, and fight when fighting is called for.
To Lu Chang’sheng, it’s nothing more than a matter of pros and cons; adults care about gains and losses.
"Still, I should go find Xiao Feng. If I can get a clear answer from him, at least I’ll have a target."
Lu Chang’sheng made up his mind, shaking off his previous hesitation.
Night fell and the White Cloud Pavilion was aglow with dazzling lights; luminous pearls and jade reflected off each other, making the whole pavilion shine.
Even in the mundane world, bright lamps are common, let alone among immortals.
Lu Chang’sheng walked the corridors, nodding to a few disciples he passed by; before long, he arrived outside Xiao Feng’s residence.
He knocked on the gate, but it was neither an immortal servant nor Xiao Feng himself who answered—it was a woman.
"Greetings, Lady Xiao."
Lu Chang’sheng offered his respect.
After a few years in White Cloud Pavilion, there’s no way he hadn’t met Xiao Feng’s Dao companion before.
"No need for formality." Liu Yunxi let her gaze linger on Lu Chang’sheng for a moment, her curiosity piqued—he was the man who had left her husband conflicted more than once.
They talked briefly. When Lu Chang’sheng found out Xiao Feng was in secluded cultivation, he got up to leave, but just then, Xiao Feng finished his closed-door training and ran right into him.
Liu Yunxi turned away, leaving Xiao Feng and Lu Chang’sheng to sit and talk.
Once he heard why Lu Chang’sheng had come, Xiao Feng’s eyes flickered with hesitation.
"Let me think about it."
Xiao Feng took a small sip from a cup of spirit tea.
Seeing him like this, Lu Chang’sheng had a pretty good idea about where things stood. He made some small talk, then excused himself and left.
As soon as he was gone, Liu Yunxi came in carrying a pot of tea. She glanced at the spirit tea sitting untouched in Lu Chang’sheng’s old seat, still steaming, and couldn’t help but shake her head.
"Husband, what are you thinking?" Liu Yunxi asked.
Xiao Feng didn’t hide the worry from his face—he replied, "Lu Chang’sheng’s alchemy skills are indeed impressive, but the others have a point. The token that True Man left after his death, there’s only one. If we lose to the White Cloud Mountain Range, everything we’ve done will be for nothing."
Liu Yunxi stepped up behind and rubbed his acupoints gently. "So why are you so torn? If you’re really worried, just don’t let him compete with Fan Shou and the others for it."
Xiao Feng let out a deep sigh.
"Lu Chang’sheng may not fit, but compared to the other three, he actually has a sliver of a chance."
Liu Yunxi’s brow furrowed too.
She understood Xiao Feng’s dilemma. She didn’t want Lu Chang’sheng to win the final spot, but he was also the only one likely to take it from the White Cloud Mountain Range side.
It really was hard to decide.
"Also, Elder Li and the others aren’t too happy about Alchemist Lu being listed on the Contribution Board."
Xiao Feng sighed.
"If the other elders have concerns too, why not just drop the whole thing?" A hint of tenderness flashed across Liu Yunxi’s face.
She knew her husband didn’t like conflicts; it was only because of her he’d become this way. Otherwise, he might have stayed in White Cloud Mountain Range, peacefully making pills.
Liu Yunxi’s words held a weight in Xiao Feng’s heart that was obvious—he nodded almost instinctively.
But deep down, a trace of unwillingness lingered.
······
"Xiao Feng still seems to lack some confidence in me."
Walking out from Xiao Feng’s courtyard, Lu Chang’sheng noted to himself.
The fleeting hesitation in Xiao Feng’s eyes hadn’t escaped his notice.
Thanks to his Cyan Essence Immortal Technique and Puppetry Technique boosting his spiritual sense, his five senses were sharper than those of most late-stage Qi Cultivators.
"In that case, it’s time to turn up the heat."
His gaze hardened slightly. Thinking back to Xiao Feng’s past attitude toward him, he had a vague idea what was going on, so he planned to push even harder.
"Maybe this is my chance to step into the late Qi Cultivation stage."
Back at his own courtyard, Lu Chang’sheng chatted with Nangua through the Sound Transmission Shell for a bit.
Then he threw himself into alchemy.
This opportunity mattered to him, so he dared not get careless. He resolved to give it his all, even putting his daily pill-fueled cultivation on hold.
Single-minded focus on alchemy.
Any time there was a high-grade or higher alchemy assignment, he’d accept it right away, finishing each job in record time.
Before long, Fan Shou and the others took notice.
After all, White Cloud Pavilion was newly founded; many factions were wary of the former White Cloud Mountain Range, watching and waiting, hesitant to let them make pills for them.
As time went on and the two sides didn’t clash, more people started reaching out to White Cloud Pavilion.
But high-grade alchemy assignments were pretty rare; most pills were refined by White Cloud Pavilion itself and then sold in their own pill shop.
Still, due to limited materials, each month’s alchemy quota remained pretty much the same—if someone took more, others got less.
And just as Lu Chang’sheng expected, by the second month, his contributions were listed separately.
He wasn’t shown on the Contribution Board with Fan Shou and the others.
Lu Chang’sheng didn’t care; this move was within his expectations anyway.
He was no longer a low-level Qi Cultivator, but rather a patriarch with late Qi Cultivation combat power, paired with a Dao companion of the same rank, and in league with other veteran patriarchs at the late Qi stage.
As long as the elders supporting Fan Shou didn’t lose their minds, they wouldn’t resort to anything extreme against him.
But while this might fool those below, it certainly wouldn’t fool the higher-ups.
Lu Chang’sheng didn’t care what the lower ranks thought; they weren’t the ones with any real say in this.
He kept his head in the pill furnace, and with such intense alchemy practice, he began to sense a merger between the Profound Turtle Pill Master’s Turtle Shell Map and Master Baiyun’s Alchemy Dao Jade Scroll.
Months passed, and one day, while refining a batch of pills, he ended up with a pill inscribed with beautiful spirit patterns.
"This pill has a kind of harmony with nature!"
Covered in dust and fumes, Lu Chang’sheng set the pill before him, inspecting it closely.
It was just a Guiyuan Pill. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
He’d refined at least eight or ten batches of these over this stretch.
The real bottleneck was the material supply; otherwise he could have made more.
Habits become second nature.
He’d planned to grab the pills out of the furnace and toss them into the treasure vault’s immortal insects, but when he opened the pill furnace, there was only one pill inside.
Normally, with his current alchemy skills, he’d never get fewer than four pills out of a batch like this.
Looking closer, he saw what was special about this one.
The spirit patterns on the pill were exquisitely natural, as if formed by heaven itself.
The color was brighter than usual too.
"This pill looks extraordinary."
Lu Chang’sheng thought to himself—it was the first time he’d come across something like this, so he paid special attention, though nothing seemed off.
Actually, he realized the pill’s medicinal power was even more concentrated.
"I can put this pill into storage."
Lu Chang’sheng’s eyes sparkled.
He didn’t know exactly what this pill did, but judging by the signs, he was an experienced alchemist now; no way would he treat it as just another spirit-pattern pill.
"But just to be safe, I need to try again and see if I can capture that inspiration."
During that last batch, Lu Chang’sheng felt suddenly enlightened, gaining new understanding of flame control and intricate details.
He would cherish this epiphany, seize the inspiration, and turn it into real skill.
Several days later, inside the Alchemy Room, Lu Chang’sheng’s tired face broke into a slight smile as another exceptional pill formed in the furnace.
"This pill has a flavor of natural Dao; I’ll call it a Dao Pill!"
He murmured, putting one pill in the treasure bug, another in a jade vial for delivery to the storage room.
Soon, he arrived at the storeroom.
"Alchemist Lu, here to submit an assignment?" The manager greeted him with respect.
