Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

After much thought, he could only attribute it to Song Qingxi’s innate talent.

Talent was something you couldn’t see or touch, yet it undeniably existed. Some people were born for Body Refining, while others were natural-born swordsmen.

Song Qingxing, for instance, was a natural-born Swordsman.

So it wouldn’t be too surprising if Song Qingxi had some special talent of her own. ’It’s a good thing, isn’t it?’

Song Changsheng withdrew his hand and asked curiously, "What did you give it?"

"Do you mean this?" Song Qingxi asked, holding up the Jade Bottle in her hand and giving it a shake. "This is a Spiritual Liquid I mixed myself. It helps Spirit Plants grow."

Song Changsheng took the bottle and examined its contents. As he suspected, it was just a common Spiritual Liquid, not unlike the fertilizer used on crops in his past life. The Cyan Plum Tree’s transformation had nothing to do with it.

Unable to find the cause for the time being, Song Changsheng decided to set the matter aside. He would just have to observe for a while longer and see whether it was a fluke or truly because of Song Qingxi...

「The next morning.」

After finishing his cultivation, Song Changsheng boarded a small boat and began to patrol Bright Mirror Lake. The number of Spirit Fish in the lake had grown, but he couldn’t find any trace of the Fish King.

This puzzled him.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to ask Qingxi and Qingxing.

"Xi’Er," he began, "your uncle has a question. While you were on the island, did you notice anything unusual happening in the lake?"

Song Qingxi was in the middle of casting a spell to water the Spiritual Field. She tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said, "I don’t think so. The lake has been very calm."

Stroking his chin, Song Changsheng thought to himself, ’Very calm? A breakthrough, successful or not, would surely cause a fluctuation in Spiritual Qi. There’s no way it could have been calm. Don’t tell me it hasn’t even tried yet?’

Just then, Song Qingxing, who had been cultivating in silence, suddenly spoke up. "There was a disturbance in the lake a month ago."

Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow and asked, "Which direction?"

"The southeast. The lake’s water trembled for forty-five minutes."

’The water trembled... could there be something down there?’ Song Changsheng gazed at the calm surface of the lake. After a moment of thought, he decided to go down and investigate. The water wouldn’t shake for no reason. Something must have happened, and it might be related to the Fish King.

With that, he instructed the two of them, "There might be something down there. I’m going to go take a look. You two stay on the island and don’t enter the lake for the time being."

"You’re going into the water? That’s too dangerous!" Song Qingxi shook her head vigorously. Underwater, the abilities of Human Race Cultivators were severely limited. If he encountered a Water Demon, wouldn’t he just be serving it a free meal?

Song Changsheng smiled and ruffled her soft hair. "Don’t worry," he said. "Your uncle never fights a battle unprepared. I’ll be back before you know it."

In the past, he wouldn’t have dared to enter the water so rashly, but he had chanced upon a Water-Repelling Bead some time ago, and now it was time to put it to use.

He placed the Water-Repelling Bead in his mouth and plunged into the lake. The moment he entered the water, a transparent film enveloped him, instantly warding off all the water. His movement and breathing were completely unaffected.

Bright Mirror Lake was far deeper than he had imagined. It was pitch-black below, with extremely low visibility.

Song Changsheng activated his Eye of Truth again. The world beneath the lake immediately transformed into shades of gray, with the occasional glowing dot swimming past—the Spirit Fish.

After descending for a while, his feet finally touched the silt at the bottom. He cast the Water Manipulation Technique and sped off in the direction Song Qingxing had indicated.

As he drew closer, Song Changsheng keenly sensed that something was amiss. The current seemed to be gradually getting stronger.

His senses sharpened, and he immediately picked up his pace. The Treasure Gourd appeared in his hand as he prepared for Magical Combat. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

A moment later, he arrived at the specified area. The water here was indeed trembling slightly. The vibration was faint, which was why the surface had appeared so calm.

Song Changsheng activated his Pupil Technique to scan the area, but he found no trace of any Water Demons.

’If it’s not a Water Demon causing trouble, then what’s creating this vibration?’ Song Changsheng frowned.

He circled the area once and discovered that the current to his left was significantly faster. ’It’s as if something is pushing it... or devouring it?’

He swam against the current and, before long, discovered the source of the disturbance. There was a large hole in the lakebed, from which a ceaseless flow of groundwater was pouring into Bright Mirror Lake.

Song Changsheng was astonished. ’Could the lakebed be connected to an underground water vein?’

Staring at the pitch-black entrance, Song Changsheng didn’t hesitate. He swam straight in. Now that he’d found it, he had to figure out where it led.

’If this leads outside Little Cyan Mountain, it’s a massive defensive loophole. An enemy could use it to sneak into Bright Mirror Lake completely undetected.’

Song Changsheng swam against the current, cautiously making his way through the several-meter-wide tunnel. After about a quarter of an hour, his surroundings suddenly opened up as the waterway became incredibly wide.

He guessed he had entered an underground Dark River. He immediately began to ascend and, sure enough, broke the surface a moment later.

Song Changsheng looked around. The space was vast and pitch-black. Aside from the sound of flowing water, there was absolute silence.

He cast a Celestial Light Technique to illuminate his surroundings. By its glow, he saw that he was in the middle of a wide Dark River. The cavern ceiling was more than ten meters above his head.

"I never expected Bright Mirror Lake to be connected to such a wide Dark River. I wonder how long it is." Behind him, not too far away, was a smooth stone wall. The only way to explore was forward.

Having come this far, Song Changsheng wasn’t about to turn back. He continued his exploration, following the course of the Dark River.

After about an hour, just before a large bend in the river, Song Changsheng suddenly felt a fluctuation of pure Water Spiritual Power.

’Could there be a Water Spirit Vein beneath this Dark River?’ Song Changsheng’s expression lit up. A Water Spirit Vein was incredibly valuable!

His heart pounded with excitement as he quickened his pace. As soon as he rounded the bend, the space opened up even more. The dense Water Spiritual Power filled the air, making Song Changsheng feel exceptionally comfortable.

"So this is the end. This underground lake is probably as large as Bright Mirror Lake, isn’t it?" Song Changsheng scanned his surroundings, realizing this was the source of the Dark River: a massive subterranean lake.

What surprised Song Changsheng was that there were plants growing in this underground lake. On the eastern side, a vast patch of ink-jade-colored lotus pads covered nearly a third of the water’s surface.

In the center of these lotus pads sat a single, plate-sized seed pod. It was dotted with seeds that shone like black gems, emitting dense fluctuations of Spiritual Power.

Song Changsheng’s eyes went wide. "An Ink Jade Ghost Lotus?" he gasped.

He hurried forward, wanting to confirm his suspicion. But in the next instant, an immense sense of crisis washed over him. Song Changsheng’s expression changed dramatically as he rapidly retreated...

...