Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 134 - 112: Mid-Stage Innate Realm

Hong Yuan, Xu Zhuqing, Kong Yuzhen, and the others nearby held their breath, gazing up at the strange phenomenon in the sky, a little excited.

But right then—suddenly—a crisp crack split the air, like something shattering in an instant, and all at once everything fell silent, leaving only a pillar of smoke blasting upwards, piercing the heavens.

It failed!

Everyone here was at least a True Qi Realm martial artist, so they could handle the shock of the Immortal Worship Incense, but still, to see something they’d longed for all these years fail—it hit them hard inside.

Nighttime.

The group gathered together on that mountainside where they’d been living on Ancient Mountain.

Two teenagers watched the others huddled around the bonfire, not knowing what all the sorrow was about.

"Whew~" Hong Yuan took a deep breath and said, "Not succeeding—it’s normal."

He glanced at everyone, trying to lift their spirits a bit.

"After all, so many martial artists have spent years seeking immortality, worshipping immortals, some of them even top-tier like Innate Martial Artists—so, really, we have no reason to get discouraged!"

After Hong Yuan’s consoling words, everyone felt a little better inside.

Lu Chang’sheng had thought about telling Hong Yuan about Fu, hoping to ask for his advice, but after a moment’s hesitation, he decided to keep it to himself for now.

No need to have teacher tempted to try that kind of Immortal Worship Ceremony himself.

"At least not until my own strength has grown—then I’ll consider trying this method."

Soon enough, the group managed to shake off their highs and lows, and started looking forward to the future.

Especially Xu Zhuqing, Yu Hai, and the other five.

"At this point, the Immortal Worship Ceremony has basically hit a bottleneck. So, what’s everyone planning to do next?" Kong Fei asked.

"I’m heading back to keep learning alchemy from my teacher," Yu Hai said.

"Senior Yu Hai, your alchemy must be close to Great Success by now, right? Any interest in coming to Jinghua Prefecture for a visit?" Kong Fei smiled.

Yu Hai shook his head. "Maybe another time. The old man wouldn’t let me travel that far."

Lu Chang’sheng could see the shift in Kong Fei—she had more ambition now than when they’d last met, and this failed Immortal Worship pretty much made it all burst out.

Sure enough, Kong Fei asked the rest of them as well, but they didn’t care much for power or status, so they all just brushed her off lightly.

Only Xu Zhuqing, thinking of her father, promised that once things in Black Mountain Prefecture settled down, she’d visit Jinghua Prefecture.

The group split up.

Late that night, as Lu Chang’sheng was resting indoors, Yu Hai came over out of the blue.

"What happened today—it really shook everyone. Before, Kong Fei was even more diehard about seeking immortality than I was, but now—"

Yu Hai let out a long sigh.

Honestly, it didn’t weigh that heavy on him; he wasn’t as affected as some of the others.

Lu Chang’sheng thought quietly, then said, "Maybe that’s actually not a bad thing. Seeking immortality is so vague and distant—plus, even if you really meet an immortal, if you’re not what they want, it’s nothing but an empty dream."

What came to his mind was what Old Wolf’s avatar had said about "spirit root."

If you truly need a spirit root to cultivate immortality, then for those of us who’ve spent our whole lives chasing after it—how do we face that?

Sometimes, sticking stubbornly to your path isn’t always the best idea.

"You think so too?" Yu Hai was surprised—he didn’t expect Lu Chang’sheng to say that.

Lu Chang’sheng nodded.

Yu Hai sighed again. "Whatever, makes life easier, honestly."

"At least now there’s a goal, so I don’t just drift around aimlessly."

"What about you? Planning to stay here from now on?"

"Me? I’ll probably head back to Black Mountain Prefecture."

Lu Chang’sheng paused, then said.

Honestly, this place was too remote—a lot of supplies were hard to come by.

Besides, he’d grown attached to Black Mountain Prefecture. It just felt a lot more comfortable living there.

Another thing was—

In another decade or so, the kids would be grown up, and he couldn’t very well keep them here under his wing, never letting them out into the world, right?

"Sounds good. When the time comes, the old man and I will come by and keep you company—just don’t get sick of us!"

"Of course not! I’d love that!"

Lu Chang’sheng was also a little interested in Yu Hai’s family’s alchemy art.

He had mentioned to Hong Yuan before that he wanted to learn alchemy, but Hong Yuan was worried he’d get distracted and had turned him down.

Later, Lu Chang’sheng showed real talent, and while Hong Yuan wanted to teach him, other things got in the way and it just never happened.

And so, time just slipped by like that.

It’s not like Guan Hongxiu didn’t want to pass it on—his family’s alchemy had always been handed down "mouth to ear" and taught in person, and lately he just hadn’t had time for Lu Chang’sheng.

Once he thought of it, he acted on it.

When he got back, Lu Chang’sheng brought up moving back to Black Mountain Prefecture with his family. Everyone agreed right away.

Well, not everyone—Lu Chang’an, for instance, didn’t support the idea.

The little guy had been having a blast playing with the White Ape lately, plus he’d grown up in Fufeng Town. He didn’t feel a thing for Black Mountain Prefecture.

Still, a lone voice doesn’t hold much sway.

With all the adults in unanimous agreement, his vote didn’t count for much.

So, half a month later, when folks in Fufeng Town got up early, they saw the lively Lu Mansion completely abandoned—people and belongings gone.

A few days on, curiosity got the better of someone who climbed over the wall. It was empty inside, not a stick left behind.

Two days after that, word spread: a wealthy family nearby had bought up Lu Mansion’s property, and it was officially renamed Hua Mansion.

The family didn’t go straight back to Black Mountain Prefecture City—they returned first to Zhao Family Village.

But when they saw the ruined state of Zhao Family Village, everyone was overcome with emotion for a while.