Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 91 - 90: Buddha Pill

The Buddha Fruit was something they stumbled upon while searching for strange artifacts together. This fruit could be used to enhance a Martial Artist’s Root Bone talent, and it’s no exaggeration to say their rise to the peak True Qi Realm owed a lot to it.

Though the better one’s Root Bone, the less effective it gets, it’s still an exceptionally rare treasure.

"I’ve always trusted my own judgment!" Hong Yuan declared.

Daoist Ruyi scoffed coldly and handed the Buddha Fruit over.

"Thank you, Elder!" Lu Chang’sheng quickly responded.

He sensed there was something unsaid between Hong Yuan and Daoist Ruyi, and decided not to probe deeper.

Leaving Qingfeng Residence, Hong Yuan spat out his bitter tea, gave a wry smile, and said, "She and I have our misunderstandings. She knows you’re my newly accepted disciple, so she’ll be a bit strict. But she’s a good person—if I’m ever not around, help keep an eye out for her."

Lu Chang’sheng nodded.

"To get the best medicinal effect out of the Buddha Fruit, it needs to be refined with other herbs into a pill. If you’ve got nothing pressing, come leave Black Mountain Prefecture with me."

"I’ll head back and get things sorted!"

Lu Chang’sheng replied.

The next day, the two left Black Mountain Prefecture.

A few days later, they arrived in a small town in Nanyang Prefecture and sought out a wealthy household to meet their contact.

The man was short and a bit chubby, with a rosy face and the look of a well-off gentleman, topped with a Wealth Hat.

Apparently word had gotten out ahead of time, and a sturdy, honest-faced young guy stood beside him—about the same age as Lu Chang’sheng.

The short, chubby man was Guan Hongxiu, and the guy next to him was his disciple, Yu Hai.

The two went inside to do alchemy, leaving Lu Chang’sheng and Yu Hai to chat outside.

With Lu Chang’sheng steering the conversation, talk shifted over to Daoist Ruyi and Hong Yuan.

But instead of answering directly, Yu Hai asked, "Say, Lu, what’s your current Martial Dao cultivation?"

"I haven’t started on True Qi Martial Arts yet."

"Good!" Yu Hai let out a sigh of relief.

Meeting Lu Chang’sheng’s odd gaze, he said, "You know, it’s not a big deal. Our masters all came out of Jixia Academy—except for your master and mine, the rest were women. When women spend too much time together, drama just... happens. They get kinda petty!"

He glanced around, made sure no one was nearby, and spoke up.

"It’s complicated, but bottom line, now they have to compete at everything. Especially your master and Daoist Ruyi, back then they were a real pain in the ass—"

"Ahem, Yu Hai, come give me a hand!" a voice called from inside. Yu Hai’s expression shifted in a flash, muttered an apology, and dashed away.

By evening, the alchemy was done. As Yu Hai sent Lu Chang’sheng and Hong Yuan off, the footprint on his face still hadn’t faded.

Lu Chang’sheng frowned, thinking: Elder Guan is a bit much.

On the road home, he asked about it, but Hong Yuan just shook his head and laughed, "A True Qi Realm master can hear way better than normal folks. So, don’t casually talk smack about anyone like that, especially in their earshot. As for Yu Hai—don’t worry about him. Guan Hongxiu loved his wife to death. After she passed away, he changed his son’s surname to hers, so his son is Yu Hai."

So they were father and son. Turns out, a dad beating his kid is about par for the course.

Lu Chang’sheng remembered meeting Yu Hai—he hadn’t seemed depressed at all, just cheerful. Guess I was overthinking it, Lu mused.

"Dean, I overheard Yu Hai talking about Seeking Immortality. What’s up with that?"

"Seeking Immortality? You’ll find out in a year. When the time comes, I’ll take you to see it," Hong Yuan said with a note of wistfulness and emotion, then added, "I want you as my disciple. How do you feel?"

"I’d be honored," Lu Chang’sheng said, knowing that if he refused, Hong Yuan’s pill would likely be off the table.

Besides, clinging to Hong Yuan’s thigh was clearly better than sticking with Xu Yuan or those noble brats.

Hong Yuan smiled. He’d waited to ask until now, partly because he was conflicted, partly to observe Lu more on the trip. Luckily, things turned out fine.

He handed a mottled pill to Lu Chang’sheng, saying, "This pill will boost your Root Bone. Take it while it’s fresh!"

Lu Chang’sheng nodded. He wasn’t worried about being poisoned—if Hong Yuan wanted to hurt him, he wouldn’t bother with all the theatrics.

The pill went down. Moments later, a look of surprise flashed in Lu Chang’sheng’s eyes.

On the Light Curtain panel, the Root Bone attribute was pulsing.

"It’ll take a few days for the medicinal effect to kick in. Don’t rush it. Who knows how much your Root Bone talent will grow?" said Hong Yuan.

Pills refined with Buddha Fruit could raise your Root Bone, but results varied wildly. Hong Yuan himself had almost no change, naturally, thanks to his already-great Root Bone.

When they arrived back at Black Mountain Prefecture, Lu Chang’sheng suddenly felt a chill and glanced at the Light Curtain panel, seeing his Root Bone had risen a bit.

"Name: Lu Chang’sheng"

"Age: 24/56"

"Root Bone (Main): 4/10 [Unknown]"

······

"Root Bone (Side): 4/5 [Blade Art, Genius, Next Tier Talent: None]"

······

On the journey, they didn’t rush; Hong Yuan personally taught him to cultivate True Qi Martial Arts.

Finally, with his Martial Arts Root Bone stepping into the upper tier, the Five Treasures True Skill’s progress showed up on the panel.

"Root Bone (Side): 4/5 [Martial Dao, Upper Grade, Next Tier Talent: Gifted]"

"Five Treasures True Skill: (Technique)"

"Entry Requirement: 6 years (Entry)"

"Minor Achievement: 12 years (Minor Achievement)"

"Great Success: 19 years (Great Success)"

······

"Shame the Buddha Fruit can only be taken once—a second dose does next to nothing. Your innate Root Bone is a bit weak; even with the Buddha Fruit, catching up to Zhuqing is out of the question. If you want to reach the Innate Realm, you’ll need to bring up your True Qi, fast!"

Hong Yuan stepped off the carriage—not bothering to closely observe Lu Chang’sheng’s changes.

The changes in his Root Bone were subtle; even Xu Yuan would need to examine him for some time to spot anything, unless he personally felt his bones.

But the dragon spine was just one outward manifestation of talent—it wasn’t absolute, especially in people who took Buddha Fruit. Finding signs in the dragon spine might take years.

So, Hong Yuan headed straight back to Jixia Academy.

Lu Chang’sheng stood there, staring at Xu Yuan’s departing figure, a warmth rising in his heart.

This was something no noble or government official could ever give him.

On the way home, he happened to see some scholars passing by and paused.

He glanced at his Light Curtain panel, and joy welled up inside him.

"The Child Scholar exam should be about done. Not long now, I’ll be twenty-five. Time really flies!"

Five years for one Root Bone point—pretty soon, another bump is on the way.

Back home, Lu Chang’sheng started living a quiet life. News of him becoming Hong Yuan’s disciple began drifting through the Black Mountain Prefecture higher-ups, leaving many completely stunned.

The watchers posted around the Lu Family’s businesses quickly vanished.

No one wanted to mess with a top-tier True Qi Realm fighter—someone who could face a thousand foes alone.

Lu Chang’sheng enjoyed this long-awaited peace. Most days, besides heading to the Martial Artist Institute, he devoted himself to cultivation at home.

Occasionally he’d get reports from the Martial Artist Council, learning the situation outside was getting more dire. The turmoil had already spread from Red Water County to Beiyu County, less than 200 li from Black Mountain Prefecture, and only 100 li from Zhao Family Village in Dayu Town.

"Good thing I brought the family over. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be sleeping easy!" Lu Chang’sheng thought.

Bit by bit, he started figuring out tricks for True Qi Martial Arts.

"One is herbal cuisine—Dragon and Tiger Eight Treasures Herbal Cuisine, plus daily maxed-out training—can shave time off the process!"

Just like that, he cut the entry time down from six years to four!

"And with upper-grade Root Bone talent, you can do that—I wonder what being Gifted can achieve?"

Lu Chang’sheng could hardly wait.

Before he knew it, a month had passed.