Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 90: Buddha Pill

"For now, focus on cultivating the Five Treasures True Skill. Once you’ve advanced to the True Qi Realm, you can go back and complete the Divine Power Stake. Luckily, you chose the balanced Flood Stake—if you’d picked one of the more advanced Pile Skills, you’d have to patch up the Divine Power Stake first, and that gets tricky!"

"Your Root Bone aptitude is still not quite enough. Come with me!"

Hong Yuan said.

As for Lu Chang’sheng, his heart skipped a beat, and a flicker of shock flashed across his face.

From the sound of it, did Dean Hong Yuan intend to improve his Root Bone aptitude?

No way—Is it even possible to boost Root Bone aptitudes?

And, if this thing really exists, it must be extremely rare. Why would Dean Hong Yuan give it to him?

······

Meanwhile, at the Xu Mansion.

Since returning from the bank of the Ruilong River, Xu Zhuqing kept thinking about that invitation that had arrived at Qingfeng Residence.

Her master, Daoist Ruyi, had always kept to herself, single-mindedly Seeking Immortality, and true friends were few and far between. Jixia Academy barely sent an invitation once in several years. So, was this one especially important?

As soon as she got back to the mansion, Xu Zhuqing found herself heading straight toward Qingfeng Residence. When she reached the courtyard, she saw her master, Daoist Ruyi, stepping out of the house, holding a purple-gold gourd in her hand, its contents unknown.

Xu Zhuqing was suddenly startled.

She knew that the purple-gold gourd was Daoist Ruyi’s favorite treasure; even she had only glimpsed it a few times, and everything inside was something her master valued greatly.

This kind of fanfare—who was worth all of this?

"Master, you’re..."

"Waiting for an old friend who’s come to collect a debt!" Daoist Ruyi replied calmly, as if the word "debt" meant nothing at all.

"How is your progress with the True Qi Martial Arts?"

Daoist Ruyi asked.

Xu Zhuqing froze for a moment. Daoist Ruyi usually only checked up on her training at set intervals—why ask about it suddenly this time?

"Almost there. I estimate I’ll grasp True Qi and enter the True Qi Realm within a year!"

"Make sure to hurry."

Daoist Ruyi spoke, sitting down at the nearby stone table, waiting quietly.

"Who is Master waiting for?" Xu Zhuqing finally couldn’t help but ask.

"Remember the few people I’ve mentioned to you?" Daoist Ruyi said.

Xu Zhuqing nodded.

Her master, Daoist Ruyi, had four close friends, all deeply obsessed with Seeking Immortality—each one of them had been searching for more than twenty years.

Though, she didn’t actually know who they were.

The only guess Xu Zhuqing could make was that one must be at Jixia Academy, though she had no idea which one.

Daoist Ruyi didn’t say, just pulled out tea leaves from the tea set and started making tea with great care.

Watching her for a while, Xu Zhuqing grew even more curious—her master was notoriously proud. To be making tea with her own hands like this was exceedingly rare.

Seeing the way her master brewed the tea, Xu Zhuqing could tell she’d never done this before.

"Master, let me help you!"

"Can you?"

"I know a little!"

"No need!" Daoist Ruyi shook her head, leaving Xu Zhuqing a little stunned, her anticipation of this old friend building to its peak.

Not long after, a haphazard pot of tea was born from Daoist Ruyi’s hands.

She looked at the teapot with a complicated expression, mixing gentleness with a touch of cool detachment.

"There’s only one reason he’d come to see me in person—and that’s having accepted a disciple. You’ve been at Jixia Academy for so long; have you seen anyone with better Root Bone aptitude than you in recent years?"

Daoist Ruyi asked.

Xu Zhuqing didn’t know why her master was asking, so she answered honestly, "I haven’t seen any so far!"

"Good! The old friend I mentioned, you know him—it’s the Dean of the Jixia Academy’s Martial Artist Institute."

Xu Zhuqing’s heart gave a faint jolt. "Dean Hong Yuan has taken on a disciple?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Most likely, otherwise why would he come to find me?"

Hearing that hint of grievance in Daoist Ruyi’s voice, Xu Zhuqing frowned slightly, but her attention quickly focused on those words: Dean Hong Yuan’s disciple.

"Who could possibly be worthy of being accepted as Dean Hong Yuan’s disciple?"

She went through the possibilities—probably only a few of the nobles, nothing that caught her interest.

Unexpectedly, in the next instant, she nearly jumped out of her skin, staring in disbelief at the newcomer.

Dean Hong Yuan walked in from outside the courtyard, with someone following behind—who else but Lu Chang’sheng?

"Is this your new disciple?"

Daoist Ruyi glanced at Lu Chang’sheng.

Lu Chang’sheng bowed respectfully; before coming, he’d already learned how to address her—Daoist Ruyi, also possessing top-tier strength in the True Qi Realm.

But what really surprised Lu Chang’sheng was that this place looked strikingly close to the site where he’d seen that pillar of smoke reaching the sky last time.

And—disciple?

Piecing all the hints together, Lu Chang’sheng instantly understood: this assessment wasn’t about becoming a student of the Martial Artist Institute, but to become Dean Hong Yuan’s personal disciple.

That was one prestigious status.

Lu Chang’sheng’s mind was in turmoil. He was thrilled, but also a bit nervous.

Dean Hong Yuan hadn’t said anything directly. So, was this disciple still under consideration?

Then, without warning, Dean Hong Yuan chuckled: "Getting old—gotta find the right successor for our legacies. We’ve spent half our lives Seeking Immortality; it can’t just end with us!"

"Glad you’ve come around. Here’s the Buddha Fruit you wanted."

Daoist Ruyi carefully tipped a fiery red fruit out of the purple-gold gourd, a trace of heartache in her eyes.

She gave Lu Chang’sheng another look, ignoring appearances entirely, and said, "You sure about this? That’s the last one—we’ll be out after this. His Root Bone—forget matching Guan Honglian’s apprentice—even the Daoist Niu’s disciples top him. Don’t let him end up holding the others back."