Longevity begins with alchemy master

The waves in the sky are easy to thank, but the heat is hard to stay.

Time flies, and it passes by in the blink of an eye.

Twenty years have passed since Zhou Fuyou joined the Tiannan Dao Palace and became a disciple of the Azure Fairy of the Houtu Hall.

For twenty years, Zhou Fuyou never left his home and rarely interacted with others.

He doesn't need to interact with people much.

Although she had become an apprentice, Master Qinglan did not frequently instruct the many cultivators of the Houtu Hall. Her guidance was limited to the formally initiated Golden Core disciples. These Golden Core disciples then taught and passed on the teaching to the Foundation Establishment disciples below them.

Logically speaking, Zhou Fuyou should also receive similar guidance.

However, with the personal guidance of his ancestor Zhou Yunshen for more than half a year, he had already thoroughly understood the cultivation process from the Foundation Establishment stage to the Golden Core stage, so he didn't really need the ordinary teaching from his eight senior brothers and sisters.

Over the past twenty years, there have been occasional visits from fellow Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Houtu Hall.

Unlike the previous provocations, these visits were mostly well-intentioned, with people wanting to make friends with him.

However, Zhou Fuyou refused most of them, only accepting one party invitation from Zhou Yuwei.

That time was a little special!

The person who organized the gathering was his "cousin," Lin Qingtong, a female cultivator from the Qingtong Lin family.

The fact that the Lin family named the place after their family territory shows how much they value and regard this female cultivator.

She did not disappoint the Lin family's expectations. After cultivating in the Jade Balance Academy for twenty years, she successfully established her foundation at the age of thirty-two and became one of the disciples of the Azure Fairy.

After being allocated a cave dwelling, Lin Qingtong held a small Foundation Establishment celebration, which was that gathering.

This kind of "gathering-style celebration" is quite popular within the Taoist temple. It is an excellent place for fellow disciples to connect and also the best opportunity to expand their network of contacts.

The latter, in particular, allows people to participate in celebrations even if they don't usually have any contact with each other.

The most important guest at Lin Qingtong's gathering that time was not the well-known Foundation Establishment cultivators from Houtu Hall, nor her seventh senior brother who came to see her on the way, but the rarely seen ninth senior brother, Zhou Fuyou!
At the time, Zhou Fuyou's appearance was unexpected by many people, and no one expected that Lin Qingtong, who had just joined the Houtu Palace, would be able to invite Zhou Fuyou over.

It was only later that some of the inside stories gradually came to light.

Zhou Fuyou's mother, Lin Jingshu, came from the Qing Tong Lin family and was a half-sister to Lin Qingtong's father.

It sounds a bit convoluted, but in terms of closeness, the two are indeed cousins.

At the gathering, many people tried to befriend Zhou Fuyou, but unfortunately, almost none of them became friends.

Just as rumored, Zhou Fuyou, who possesses extraordinary talent, is aloof and does not like to communicate with others.

After the gathering, Zhou Fuyou rarely went out, focusing all her energy on seclusion at Chaoxi Palace.

Until the twentieth year was approaching.

That year, Zhou Fuyou was around forty years old.

And his level of attainment?
boom!
A thunderclap was heard in the mountains west of Tiannan Daogong.

Then came a continuous, deafening sound, as if someone's joints were trembling, or like thunder.

Dark clouds filled the sky, and silver snakes shimmered in the sunlight.

Tick ​​tock!

Suddenly, a raindrop fell.

Immediately, a torrential downpour began.

Before many people could react, a large amount of spiritual energy from heaven and earth converged towards Chaoxi Palace.

The winds and clouds suddenly gathered, and the dragons and tigers roared in succession.

Furthermore, a tornado formed by the reverse flow of spiritual energy spread in all directions.

A large number of second-tier spiritual veins in the surrounding area were attracted, releasing a large amount of spiritual energy, which was then added to the towering tornado.

Even the most oblivious cultivator would realize what was happening from such a scene.

"Energy formation!"

"Is someone about to condense their Golden Core?"

"But why am I here? This place is mostly a cultivation ground for Foundation Establishment cultivators. The highest grade of the spiritual veins here is only second-tier top-grade, which is not suitable for breaking through to the Golden Core stage at all!"

"That direction, could it be..."

"Chaoxi Palace!"

"Zhou Fuyou, he's actually about to form his core?"

Amidst the gasps of surprise, a voice rang out from the Houtu Temple atop the mountains.

"Reckless!"

His voice was quite angry, but also carried a hint of relief and joy.

Along with the sound, a green light descended from the sky.

After a green light descended from the sky, the earth shook violently!
The spiritual veins deep within the earth's crust seemed to be released from their shackles, and a massive amount of spiritual energy was immediately released.

These spiritual energies seemed to possess a living force, joining the spiritual energy tornado and propelling the person involved to further progress.

Inside the Houtu Hall.

Upon waking from her seclusion, Fairy Qinglan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this scene.

The eldest disciple, Shi Miaoyin, who rushed over, said the same thing: "Junior brother was too reckless. He forced himself to form his core without giving any notice. Fortunately, Master came out of seclusion to help, otherwise I'm afraid all his efforts would have been in vain!"

The Azure Fairy originally thought the same way, but after her divine sense covered an area of ​​a thousand miles, her thoughts changed.

She looked up through the window at the sky shrouded in dark clouds and murmured, "I'm afraid he wasn't just reckless!"

Shi Miaoyin was stunned for a moment, not understanding what her master meant.

The Azure Fairy didn't explain much, but frowned and continued to use her divine sense to examine her surroundings, her expression of doubt growing stronger.

The changes in the surrounding spiritual energy covered an area of ​​a thousand miles and were still expanding outwards.

This is too bizarre.

The spiritual vein restrictions that I lifted myself only served to accelerate the process; they were not the main cause.

In her observation, even without her help, Zhou Fuyou probably wouldn't have failed; at most, it would have just taken a little longer.

"Sensing the heavens and earth?"

"How is that possible? He's only just begun to condense his Golden Core!"

"Could it be because of the Xuanming Dao Body?"

"Even when Shi Ju, who possessed the Nine Yang Dao Body, condensed his Golden Core two hundred years ago, this situation never occurred!"

The Azure Fairy was puzzled, but that didn't stop her from making the best judgment.

We can no longer allow Zhou Fuyou to absorb external spiritual energy without restraint, otherwise the primary and secondary elements will be reversed, affecting the purity of the golden core formation.

With a thought, she cast a spell.

In an instant, a hazy green light slowly emerged from her palm.

As Shi Miaoyin watched the green light, she felt her magical power surge and her entire body radiate comfort.

Her eyes widened, and she exclaimed uncontrollably, "This is Master's divine power, the Great Creation Seal!"

The Azure Fairy seemed not to hear the exclamation, and after unleashing the green light, she suddenly flipped over.

Instantly!

The drastic changes in the external spiritual energy were immediately suppressed and began to slowly recede.

The influence of that spiritual energy tornado was limited to a range of a thousand miles.

"enough!"

Upon seeing this, the Azure Fairy made a quick assessment and nodded slightly in satisfaction.

Then she instructed, "Miaoyin, after Zhou Fuyou successfully forms his core, have him come to the Houtu Palace."

"Yes, Master!"

……

"enough!"

"Stop!"

Inside the Chaoxi Palace, Zhou Fuyou sat cross-legged in the void, his robes fluttering in the wind, his black hair flowing like a snake.

His body was like a bottomless pit, with a massive amount of spiritual energy surging in and disappearing completely.

Only within the Qi Sea, a massive golden elixir rose and fell, shimmering brilliantly.

He has successfully formed his core.

However, the mysterious connection with the outside world still exists, which means that the body's absorption of external spiritual energy can never stop.

Zhou Fuyou felt as if her body was about to burst.

But the Qi Sea, which was like a bottomless abyss, clearly told him that he could continue!
"We can't continue like this!"

"I have to stop!"

Zhou Fuyou controlled the golden core, using the derived magical power to seal the meridians and acupoints, blocking the outside world.

Such a "defying the natural order" action has had a very obvious backlash.

With a series of popping sounds, holes the size of a finger appeared on his body.

Just then, a hazy green light descended and enveloped his entire body.

Enveloped in green light, I felt incredibly warm, and my injuries began to heal rapidly.

"It was Master who made a move!"

Zhou Fuyou was stunned for a moment, then immediately focused her mind and began to deal with the situation inside her body.

Time passes little by little.

The dark clouds hanging over the Houtu Temple had thinned considerably, but a light drizzle continued to fall.

Everyone's attention was focused on Chaoxi Palace, and some even wanted to go and visit it, but with the Lord of Houtu Palace in charge, no one could get close to Chaoxi Palace.

After three days and three nights, a white figure stepped out of Chaoxi Palace.

Looking at the gloomy sky, the white-robed Taoist frowned at first, then smiled nonchalantly.

As he smiled, for some reason, the drizzling rain gradually stopped, and the dark clouds slowly dispersed.

The sky cleared up and the blue sky was as clear as if it had been washed.

"call……"

Exhaling a breath of stale air, the white-robed Taoist paid no attention to the growing number of gazes around him, and took a step, ascending to the mountain peak.

……

Zhou Fuyou arrived very early, but the gates of the Houtu Temple were still closed.

Only the eldest sister was waiting there, making a special trip to wait for her.

"Master wants to see me?"

"Correct."

"Perfect timing, I also want to thank my master for his help when I was forming my core."

Although Zhou Fuyou did not know what would happen if he continued to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth three days ago, he understood the principle that too much of a good thing is bad.

Even after forcibly stopping, he felt that his current situation was somewhat illogical.

"Before you see your master, here is a letter from your hometown."

"Oh?"

Zhou Fuyou took the envelope from her senior sister and used the unique Zhou family technique passed down from their ancestor to break the seal on it.

The content was skimmed over.

Then the senior sister next to her saw the young man's face light up with a smile he had never seen before, a smile even purer and clearer than the clear sky at that moment.

"What's wrong? Is there some good news?" Shi Miaoyin asked curiously.

Zhou Fuyou couldn't help but grin, "My little sister has successfully established her foundation."

Shi Miaoyin was taken aback, feeling a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

This junior brother himself wouldn't be this happy even after successfully forming his core, yet his little sister's successful foundation-building made him lose his composure.

Perhaps they have a deep sibling bond!
Shi Miaoyin said in a flattering tone, "Your younger sister is not very old. This letter was sent three years ago when you were in seclusion. It seems that she has excellent aptitude and was able to successfully establish her foundation so early."

Are their qualifications good?
Zhou Fuyou smiled slightly, but didn't make it clear.

I definitely felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

Judging by the time, the Danling Root was about to lose its effect, so it was extremely fortunate that her younger sister Zhou Qingyu was able to successfully establish her foundation before that.

Moreover, he has now formed his Golden Core.

Zhou Fuyou's heart stirred. "Senior Sister, I wonder if it would be possible for my younger sister to audit the classes at Tiannan Dao Palace?"

“This…” Shi Miaoyin hesitated.

Zhou Fuyou pressed her advantage, saying, "Although I missed the foundational training at the Seven Star Academy, I can now directly join the Houtu Hall and receive guidance from you and our master. You all did the same thing back then, didn't you?"

Shi Miaoyin thought about it and realized that there was indeed such a precedent.

However, as the Taoist temple system has gradually improved, this situation has become rare.

She thought for a moment, "This matter depends on Master's intention. But given how important you are to Master, Junior Brother, it shouldn't be a problem as long as you speak up."

Zhou Fuyou's mood became even happier.

He smiled and greeted all the other senior students who appeared later.

This surprised his senior brothers and sisters, who were used to Zhou Fuyou's indifference and aloofness, but they all sincerely congratulated him on his successful formation of the Golden Core.

After exchanging pleasantries, everyone started talking about the reason why their master had suddenly summoned them.

"Master summoned us here today, but we don't know why. It's not the day for our regular lessons!"

"Perhaps it's because my junior brother successfully formed his core?"

"In my opinion, it may also be related to the harassment by monsters along the coast."

As everyone chatted, the gates of the Houtu Temple slowly opened.

The group straightened their robes and filed in.

Zhou Fuyou fell to the back, and her good mood turned into a little apprehensive.

I wonder if Master will agree to his request?

Upon entering, Zhou Fuyou saw her master sitting above, elegant as an orchid and noble as a lotus.

"I've met Master!"

Everyone bowed and paid their respects in unison.

"Ah."

The Azure Fairy gave a soft "hmm," her beautiful eyes falling directly on Zhou Fuyou.

He scanned the area with his divine sense and suddenly let out a soft exclamation.

"what?"

The crowd was puzzled and looked at Zhou Fuyou.

At this moment, Zhou Fuyou did not deliberately hide his cultivation level, so the aura of the early stage of Golden Core was very obvious.

This is not surprising.

However, under everyone's watchful eyes, something unexpected was discovered.

That is his magical power fluctuations, which are not as chaotic and fluctuating as those of every cultivator who advances to the Golden Core stage. Instead, they are as calm and steady as an abyss, without showing the slightest impetuosity.

This scene drew gasps of surprise from those inside the hall.

"Alright, your junior brother is exceptionally talented and has achieved great success in his cultivation. What's there to make a fuss about!"

The Azure Fairy gave a reprimand, and everyone quieted down.

She continued to look at Zhou Fuyou, and then slowly said, "Too fast, Fuyou, you formed your core too quickly, so much so that you didn't have time to prepare for many things."

Zhou Fuyou respectfully asked, "Master, are you referring to the embryo of the Dharma Treasure?"

"Hmm." Fairy Qinglan nodded slightly. "The Sea-Stabilizing Pearl you wish to refine is a rare treasure that was once refined by the great sages of our sect. It has the power to suppress all heavens and pacify the vast oceans! Naturally, the materials required are extremely complex and precious. Even with my master's authority, I have only managed to obtain a portion of them so far."

Zhou Fuyou was not surprised, after all, he had also read the magic weapon encyclopedia and knew how precious and complicated the casting materials were for refining the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl.

With a thought, Zhou Fuyou took out several boxes and opened them one by one.

“Master, I still have some things here that might be helpful in refining my natal magic weapon.”

Everyone looked over, and then their expressions of surprise returned.

The most eye-catching thing was a perfectly moist lotus seed, which exuded an incredibly powerful aura.

Then came a transparent, dazzling red rhomboid crystal, a fist-sized iron ingot, and a handful of fine, sparkling sand.

"Top-grade water lotus seeds!"

"Top-grade Fire Spirit Diamond!"

"Could this iron ingot be Nine Yang Geng Metal? And this sand must be the legendary Star Sand!"

The Azure Fairy read out the names of these materials one by one, demonstrating her extensive knowledge.

But even later, everyone could still clearly hear the surprise in their master's words.

In fact, they hadn't expected Zhou Fuyou to possess so many valuable materials.

You should know that all of these things are top-grade fourth-tier materials, something that even Nascent Soul cultivators crave but cannot obtain!
Zhou Fuyou said frankly, "My ancestors loved me very much, so they left these things behind before they passed away."

"This isn't just showing extra affection, it's a complete sharing of knowledge!" Fairy Qinglan exclaimed, then put away all the materials. "With this batch of materials, refining the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl can now be put on the agenda. Don't worry, I will invite the best weapon-forging master of the Tianyuan Dao Sect to forge your natal magic weapon!"

"Thank you Master!"

Zhou Fuyou bowed deeply and paid his respects again.

After collecting the materials, Fairy Qinglan casually tossed her hand, and a beam of light landed in front of Zhou Fuyou.

Zhou Fuyou took a closer look and already knew what was going on.

It was actually a sequel to his natal martial art, the "Cicada's Dew Technique," that his master had found for him.

"Keep it safe, you can look at it when you have time later."

Before he could express his gratitude, Fairy Qinglan interrupted his thoughts and her expression turned serious.

"I have summoned you here today because of the demonic threat along the coast!"

Everyone straightened up, listening intently to what would happen next.

"Since the collapse of Zhongzhou, the demons of the East Sea have been stirring up trouble and have been frequently appearing in the sea."

"If that were all, it would be fine, but they are too audacious to even begin to encroach on the territory of my Tianyuan Dao Sect!"

"Moreover, some people have discovered that there are quite a few members of the North Sea demon clan among them!"

“In recent years, the sightings of demonic beasts along the coast have become increasingly frequent, and high-level demon kings have been causing trouble from time to time. Relying solely on the efforts of aristocratic families and commoners to exterminate and defend against them has become somewhat inadequate. Therefore, it is time for my Tiannan Dao Palace to take action.”

"This time, I will send five of you Golden Core disciples to join the other three halls, forming a force of twenty Golden Core experts and one hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, to the shores of the East Sea to subdue demons and eliminate evil spirits!"

These words cleared up everyone's doubts, and their faces lit up with excitement.

Clearly, this mission is not just about subduing demons and monsters; it also involves training them.

Top-tier experts cannot be cultivated solely through arduous training, accumulating resources, and receiving guidance from renowned teachers.

The true cradle of the strong is forged in the crucible of blood and fire!

Therefore, everyone had already made preparations.

Everyone waited for their master to call their name, hoping to become one of the five.

But the first name that Master called out next was beyond everyone's expectations.

"Zhou Fuyou, are you willing to go to war?" (End of this chapter)