Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 373 - 230: Barbarian Armor Technique

With the pills ready, Lu Chang’sheng delivered them to Xiao Feng’s hands. Xiao Feng hadn’t expected Lu Chang’sheng to refine the Purifying Pill so quickly, and his face was full of surprise.

"This time, I truly owe you a debt, Fellow Daoist Lu."

Over the course of a month, Elder He’s injuries had already deteriorated to a critical point. Fortunately, when they had previously discussed treatment strategies, they had anticipated this, so they used some Healing Elixirs as a backup, preventing the injuries from becoming irreparable.

Of course, if another ten days or half a month went by and the Purifying Pill still didn’t work, things would become quite dire.

So Elder He still felt some gratitude toward Lu Chang’sheng.

"No need for courtesy. We are all members of the White Cloud Pavilion—naturally, we should look out for one another."

Lu Chang’sheng’s words made everyone present feel at ease, especially Elders He, Guo, and Li.

They had invested heavily in Fan Shou and the others, so shifting their support to Lu Chang’sheng left them somewhat conflicted and uneasy.

On one hand, they regretted their earlier investments; on the other, they worried that Lu Chang’sheng might hold a grudge against them for what had happened before.

If, in the future, he really was chosen during Heaven-Burning Valley’s scheduled assessment, the person sent forth would need both capability and the right temperament.

As the ones making the recommendation, they certainly hoped their beneficiary would remember their goodwill.

Now, a lot of those worries suddenly eased.

"The scheduled day is in half a year, so Fellow Daoist Lu, you’ll need to make ample preparations."

Xiao Feng said.

"Wasn’t it supposed to be in two months?"

Elder Li furrowed his brows, displeasure flickering in his heart.

They hadn’t just made contact with the Heaven-Burning Valley envoys; there had been an earlier communication, when they said they’d arrive at Platinum Immortal City in two months.

This sudden change of timing irritated Elder Li—who was used to smooth sailing—more than a little.

But he could see things as they were: there was no winning against a stronger force, so, despite his private misgivings, he chose to endure.

"In half a year, let’s see how Fellow Daoist Lu performs."

Xiao Feng looked at Lu Chang’sheng.

Lu Chang’sheng nodded and said, "I’ll do my best."

No one dared make guarantees; to be selected by the Heaven-Burning Valley, one must pass a test, but just what that test would be, no one could say for sure.

However, they all agreed on one thing: they needed to boost Lu Chang’sheng’s strength as much as possible, be it cultivation or Alchemy Dao.

"Since we’ve decided to place our bets on Fellow Daoist Lu, there’s no need to hold back our support,"

After Lu Chang’sheng left, Elder Li and the others met privately to discuss matters concerning him.

Investing necessary resources was a must; otherwise, how could Lu Chang’sheng truly give his allegiance?

In particular, Elders Li, Guo, and He secretly regretted the pressure they’d placed on Lu Chang’sheng earlier. Thankfully, they hadn’t pressed too hard, or it would’ve been much more awkward now.

After some deliberation, they decided that all sect resources would be significantly shifted toward Lu Chang’sheng for the next half year, until the selection; whatever he asked for, he would receive.

Regarding this, Lu Chang’sheng felt a measure of emotion—Elder Li and the others were certainly generous this time.

Of course, he wasn’t especially moved. Their support was nothing more than an exchange of benefits; if he hadn’t displayed a talent they found irresistible, they never would’ve abandoned Fan Shou and the others and placed their hopes on him instead.

It could be said he had earned this.

And, if things succeeded, he would be sure to return their kindness in kind.

With the elders’ blessing, Lu Chang’sheng could finally go all out. Before, he would still strategize how to use his resources; now, he had fewer such concerns.

There was, of course, some measure of restraint on this influx of resources—otherwise, in this half-year window, he could simply amass wealth for himself and walk away loaded.

Only the resources that would truly be put to use would be claimed.

Xiao Feng and the rest originally meant to pool their efforts and map out a reasonable training regimen for Lu Chang’sheng, but after talking with him, they quickly abandoned the idea.

During their conversations, Lu Chang’sheng answered all of their probing questions with ease and offered his own thoughtful perspectives.

Their own so-called wealth of experience, which they thought would be to Lu Chang’sheng’s advantage, quickly became irrelevant under his responses.

Moreover, they were shocked to realize that they themselves benefited from the exchange, furthering their own progress in the Alchemy Dao.

This proved that Lu Chang’sheng already had a ’Dao’ of his own.

Such ’Dao’ was the spiritual signature of a Second Rank Alchemist; what kept them in the First Rank for so long was their inability to grasp the essence of the Dao.

Seeing this, they felt both amazed and somewhat helpless, looking at Lu Chang’sheng now with undisguised respect in their eyes.

And so, the intention to map out Lu Chang’sheng’s six-month cultivation plan faded away.

Whatever Lu Chang’sheng needed or required for the next six months, he only had to let them know.

"Sadly, my cultivation base is now bottlenecked at the late stage of Qi Cultivation—my Alchemy Dao as well,"

Lu Chang’sheng thought to himself.

Breaking through was key to advancing to Second Rank; as long as his strength grew, his Alchemy Dao would similarly progress.

After all, Alchemy Dao was a technique; generally, as one’s power advanced, training in the Dao of alchemy would become somewhat easier as well.

Because a cultivator’s Spiritual Sense also played its part in alchemy cultivation.

Right now, Lu Chang’sheng was stuck at the threshold of his Spiritual Sense, along with several other subtle conditions—only further improvement would let him overcome them.

So, for now, he could only focus on acquiring new pill formulas and honing his spells.

"Red Cloud Daoist is running rampant around Platinum Immortal City—there must be a reason. Things won’t stay peaceful for long; learning another magic might just help me survive."

A notorious Evil Cultivator lingering in one place for so long was pure foolishness, yet Red Cloud Daoist did just that. There had to be a deeper reason—no question about it.

Thankfully, as long as he stayed within the Immortal City, unless he encountered a Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivator, his safety was not in danger.

The Immortal City had Gu Family patrol cultivators; any Tribulation Cultivator below Foundation Establishment caught here would have almost no chance of escape.

Take Red Cloud Daoist, for example—though he slaughtered upwards of eight hundred, possibly a thousand, cultivators near the city in recent times, he never dared stir trouble within the walls, or even get within fifty miles of the city itself.

Partly, this was because of the Immortal City’s sheer number of cultivators, but an even more critical reason was the advanced spirit array set by the Gu Family, giving their cultivators a decisive advantage here.

In the White Cloud Pavilion’s Library, Lu Chang’sheng found a rather special magic technique—a body technique.

Barbarian Armor Technique.

This body technique was a Warrior’s art; among such techniques, it was considered high-grade, far superior to the Elephant Armor Technique he had previously learned.

Elephant Armor Technique was a Root Source Technique—not even true Qi Cultivation, while the Barbarian Armor Technique was a genuine Immortal Technique, ranked as a first-grade, mid-tier skill.