Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Although he had already slain the Water Monkey, the old saying ’once bitten, twice shy’ held true. Song Changsheng activated his Pupil Technique, repeatedly scanning every corner. Only after confirming there was no more danger did he slowly approach the lotus seed pod.

’Its aura is cold and sinister, it resembles ink jade, and it bears thirty-six seeds at a time. This must be the Ink Jade Ghost Lotus, no doubt about it.’

Song Changsheng’s breathing grew heavy. Risking his life to fight a Tier Two Demon Beast hadn’t been in vain. It was all worth it!

The Ink Jade Ghost Lotus was a rare Tier Two Spirit Medicine that could only grow on a Water Spirit Vein. Its seeds were its very essence, each one suffused with Cold Nether Power. For specific types of cultivators, like those who practiced the Ghost Dao or possessed an Ice Spirit Root, it was a supreme tonic.

Although Song Changsheng didn’t fall into those specific categories, he also needed this Cold Nether Qi. This was because Cold Nether Qi was of the Yin attribute, and he required vast amounts of Yin and Yang Qi to form his Dao Foundation.

Although he could acquire a certain amount of Yin and Yang Qi each day, he could only do so for four ancient hours, so his progress was still a bit slow. That was why he was so excited to see the Ink Jade Ghost Lotus.

Thanks to the unique nature of his Heart Method, the Yin and Yang Qi could freely convert within his Dantian. In other words, Yin could transform into Yang, and Yang could become Yin.

Once he refined all thirty-six of these lotus seeds, he would surely save an immense amount of time.

After carefully harvesting the lotus seed pod, Song Changsheng dove back to the bottom of the lake. The Water Spiritual Power here was so rich, and a treasure like the Ink Jade Ghost Lotus grew here; there had to be a Water Spirit Vein underwater. He needed to investigate.

A Water Spirit Vein was similar to a regular Spiritual Vein, except that a Spiritual Vein emitted pure, attributeless spiritual energy, suitable for the growth of most Spirit Plants.

A Water Spirit Vein, however, was different. It emitted pure Water Spiritual Power, which could only be absorbed by Water Attribute Cultivators, and only Water Attribute Spirit Plants could grow near it.

The same was true for Fire Spirit Veins, Wood Spirit Veins, and others. The probability of their formation was far lower than that of ordinary Spiritual Veins, and each had its own miraculous properties, making them exceptionally precious.

After diving several hundred feet, Song Changsheng did indeed discover a Water Spirit Vein. To his disappointment, however, the vein had not yet fully formed. It was just a small segment; it would be a stretch to even call it Tier One, which greatly diminished its value.

Song Changsheng began to search along the Spiritual Vein for any other Spirit Medicines or treasures. A thorough search revealed nothing, but it did lead him to that Spirit Fish.

The little fellow had hidden itself in the source of the Water Spirit Vein. If not for his sharp Divine Sense, he almost would have missed it.

When the Spirit Fish first noticed him, it panicked. But after sensing a familiar aura, it calmed down and began happily blowing bubbles.

"What are you doing hiding here? Hmm, and you really broke through to Tier Two." Seeing the fish again, Song Changsheng felt a sense of warmth.

The Spirit Fish already possessed the Spiritual Wisdom of an eight-year-old child. Upon hearing Song Changsheng’s words, it immediately began to telepathically voice its grievances.

After listening, Song Changsheng had a sudden realization. It turned out the Spirit Fish had discovered the existence of the underground Dark River long ago. On the eve of its breakthrough to Tier Two Low Grade, it had entered the river and completed its advancement.

This was the direct reason why Song Qingxing and the others hadn’t sensed the aura of its breakthrough.

After its breakthrough, it grew curious about the Dark River, just as Song Changsheng had, and was eventually drawn by the Water Spiritual Power to this underground lake. At that time, the Ink Jade Ghost Lotus was in bloom.

The Spirit Fish had originally planned to wait for the lotus seeds to mature and eat a few, but it had unintentionally awoken the slumbering Water Monkey.

Although both were at Tier Two Low Grade, they weren’t in the same league at all. The Spirit Fish’s combat strength couldn’t even compare to one of the Water Monkey’s fingers.

Fleeing in a panic, it hid inside the source of the Spiritual Vein. Although the Water Monkey knew where it was, it couldn’t do anything. After all, if the Water Spirit Vein were destroyed, the Ink Jade Ghost Lotus would wither, which was not what it wanted.

"You’re lucky. If I hadn’t stumbled in here by chance, you wouldn’t have been able to escape in a few days after it devoured the lotus seeds."

The Spirit Fish nodded its head vigorously in a human-like fashion; it had been truly terrified.

"Come on out with me." Song Changsheng formed a sphere of water to envelop it and brought it back with him. The moment it returned to Bright Mirror Lake, it went wild with joy, proclaiming its dominance over the other fish.

When Song Changsheng returned to the island, Song Qingxi, who had been worried for a long time, finally breathed a sigh of relief. She pestered him to tell her everything that had happened at the bottom of the lake.

He omitted the part about his life-and-death battle with the Tier Two Demon Beast, but he didn’t hide the rest from the little girl. He told her about both the Ink Jade Ghost Lotus and the Tier Two Spirit Fish, drawing frequent gasps of amazement from her.

After sending the little girl on her way, Song Changsheng sent a message to the family. Although the Water Spirit Vein was only a small segment, as long as it was nurtured properly, its advancement was just a matter of time.

The family acted quickly, sending an Earth Master the very next day to transplant the Spiritual Vein. Upon seeing the lotus leaves, some questioning was inevitable. Aside from the part about the Tier Two Demon Beast, Song Changsheng reported everything truthfully.

Those were his private spoils, and the family had no right to interfere.

For turning in the segment of the Water Spirit Vein, the family rewarded him with eight hundred Contribution Points. Song Changsheng exchanged them all for cultivation resources, then announced he was entering seclusion to begin refining the Ink Jade Ghost Lotus seeds...

「A year passed in the blink of an eye.」

During this year, Song Changsheng had devoted himself to seclusion, focusing on forming his Dao Foundation. He had refined thirty-five of the thirty-six lotus seeds, leaving the last one as a seed in hopes of cultivating it in the future.

At this moment, within his Dantian, a distinct black and white Tai Chi Diagram was slowly rotating. This was the Yin Yang Dao Foundation he had painstakingly formed.

In just two years, he had completed a journey that took others a decade, or even several decades. Furthermore, he had formed a Dao Foundation of the Great Dao, a feat as rare as a phoenix feather. No matter where he went, he could be called a heaven-sent genius.

At this moment, Song Changsheng finally felt he truly had what it took to contend with the chosen geniuses of the great sects. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He stretched contentedly, and the bones throughout his body let out a series of CRACKS and POPS. Come to think of it, this was the first time he had ever been in seclusion for so long.

’Next is to prepare for Foundation Establishment. I should report this news to the family.’

The family had many Qi Refining Great Perfection Cultivators, but not many had formed a Dao Foundation before the age of sixty. Therefore, the family stipulated that anyone who successfully formed a Dao Foundation before sixty must report it. The family would then provide preferential treatment regarding cultivation resources, and Foundation Establishment Pills would also be distributed with priority.

But to Song Changsheng’s surprise, not long after he reported the news, he received a message from the Elder Council telling him to return to Vast Mist Peak immediately.

Song Changsheng didn’t understand why, but he still returned to Vast Mist Peak as quickly as possible. He had barely sat down before the Grand Elder summoned him to the Minor Affairs Hall.

When he arrived, four others had already beaten him there. A single glance was all it took for Song Changsheng’s brow to furrow. All four people present had reached Qi Refining Great Perfection Cultivation.

’What’s going on?’

...