Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 153 Intimate Encounters with a Beauty, Gaining Demonic Power Again

"Thank you for your help, Li'er."

Lin Changheng turned his gaze to the female cultivator and said sincerely.

It should be noted that Mo Zhaoli, being a Foundation Establishment cultivator, did all this and helped him out of their previous friendship, which is extremely rare.

The story of "the first sword after landing" in my previous life was driven by my pursuit of a career in government after completing my postgraduate studies; at most, it was just a preliminary opportunity that might allow me to cross social classes.

So cold-hearted!
Mo Zhaoli's breakthrough to Foundation Establishment was a qualitative change, with his personal strength, status as a cultivator, lifespan increasing dramatically, and his progress in the path of immortality all undergoing tremendous changes, yet he still valued friendship.

Even more remarkable!

Now that Lin Changheng has broken through to the second level of alchemy, he can finally offer some financial benefits in return.

……

"Brother Lin, please take a look."

Mo Zhaoli smiled.

"it is good!"

Lin Changheng responded and reached out to open the box.

Suddenly, a box full of essence blood was placed and sealed inside, displaying a dazzling array of items.

The topmost layer of [Mysterious Spirit Essence Blood] is an incomparably deep red, shimmering with spiritual energy, profound and deep, easily recognizable at a glance.

There were more than sixty bottles.

"It should be the essence blood of the Crimson-Eyed Fire Demon obtained from that sect's senior."

Lin Changheng thought to himself.

At this moment, Mo Zhaoli saw Lin Changheng rubbing the essence blood in his hand and introduced, "After I replied to you, that senior from the sect contacted me again and asked if I wanted the essence blood of the Crimson-Eyed Fire Demon."

"That senior has already developed a path dependency. Seeing that I accepted everything and paid for the spirit stones readily, he didn't need to find a buyer and simply asked me directly first."

"Of course I'll buy them, another thirty bottles."

Lin Changheng immediately smiled and said, "Such essence and blood, the more the better."

Then, looking down to the next level, the essence blood shimmered with an earthy yellow light.

It's all the essence and blood of the Mountain-Moving Ape!

He couldn't help but gasp, "Could the [Mountain Moving Ape] have been wiped out by the Purple Extreme Sect?"

Mo Zhaoli chuckled upon hearing this: "Of course not. The wilderness is endless, and so are the demonic beasts. It's just that the sect has maintained a consistent demand for the long tail of the Mountain-Moving Ape, so it has been producing this kind of essence blood."

"It just so happens that I am familiar with the fellow Qi cultivator who has been carrying out this task for a long time. Since I wanted to buy them, I basically got them all."

A quick calculation revealed that it was worth nearly two thousand spirit stones.

After Lin Changheng accepted all the essence blood, he also took out a bag of spirit stones and handed it over.

Who would have thought that Mo Zhaoli would block it with her bare hand?

“Li’er…” Lin Changheng frowned.

Emotions and interests can be entangled, but when it comes to spirit stones, it's best to keep things separate.

Mo Zhaoli smiled gently, then reached into her storage bag and took out a pile of medicinal herbs for alchemy and a jade slip containing a recipe.

“Brother Lin, I also have a request, as I stated in my previous letter. Could it be that you are unwilling to help me refine pills?”

“Of course not.” Lin Changheng understood what Mo Zhaoli meant.

"Here are ten portions of medicinal herbs and the recipe for the second-tier [Watery Jade Dew Pill]. Please help me start the furnace to refine it, Brother Lin."

Mo Zhaoli's eyes were like water as she smiled lightly, "As for the collected essence blood, it's equivalent to Li'er's furnace-opening fee. By that calculation, Brother Lin's contribution as a second-tier alchemist should be worth more. Li'er actually got a good deal from Brother Lin..."

"Very well, then I'll listen to Li'er."

Lin Changheng was speechless after hearing this, and could only sigh and get up to agree.

"That's good."

To everyone's surprise, Mo Zhaoli smiled mischievously, looked at Lin Changheng, stuck out her tongue, and said those words.

This is completely at odds with Mo Zhaoli's Foundation Establishment status and her mature, gentle appearance.

"You little brat!"

Lin Changheng was somewhat dazed, as if he were seeing Mo Zhaoli from forty years ago, and immediately smiled with a touch of emotion.

As if possessed, he stepped forward and stroked the Foundation Establishment Fairy's hair, just as he remembered.

Mo Zhaoli's delicate body stiffened instantly, clearly not expecting that Brother Lin, who had always treated her with courtesy and kept his distance, would suddenly make such a move...

This intimate gesture does seem rather familiar...

A brief recollection reveals their resemblance.

As a result, she did not immediately avoid or refuse.

With the blessing of the [Sevenfold Origin Treasure Seed], Lin Changheng reacted almost instantly. His hand paused slightly, realizing it was inappropriate. He was about to pull away and explain when he saw that the Foundation Establishment Fairy not only didn't push him away, but instead leaned her head closer to Lin Changheng's hand, even gently rubbing against it like a cat...

"This……"

Lin Changheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart and suddenly realized that his past feelings for Mo Zhaoli must have held a significant place in her heart.

After a long time, the two parted ways as if nothing had happened.

Mo Zhaoli also talked about some cultivation practices after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

She had spent more than six years building her foundation before finally breaking through to the second level of foundation building not long ago. Her cultivation speed was considered average among the foundation building cultivators in the sect, but she was not satisfied and believed that she could be faster.

Because she has a very clear goal: to achieve the Core Formation!
But to cultivate faster and go further, resources are indispensable.

Therefore, after careful consideration, she decided to no longer live the leisurely cultivation life she had after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, but instead, like before she reached the Foundation Establishment stage, she would work hard to complete more tasks and earn sect resources.

Feedback to cultivation.

When she told her grandfather, Master Mo, about her decision, she received his firm support, which gave Mo Zhaoli a strong boost of confidence.

At the same time, Master Mo also decided to return to the Xu family.

Since Mo Zhaoli has been away from the sect for a long time, there is no point in him staying alone in a cave. He might as well go back.

In a familiar environment, with friends and family by my side, life is more interesting.

Mo Zhaoli had no choice but to agree.

Just then, Mo Zhaoli also received a letter from Lin Changheng containing good news: Lin Changheng had broken through in alchemy and become a second-level alchemist.

Mo Zhaoli was immediately overjoyed, thinking to himself that this was a timely help.

She is currently short of resources and urgently needs to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. Increasing revenue means doing a lot of tasks, and reducing expenditure means...

They would have relied on this good news.

Asking Brother Lin to refine pills will always save some spirit stones.

This feeling is the satisfaction of seeing your "brother" succeed!
Of course, Mo Zhaoli also informed her grandfather, who was tidying up the herb garden, of the news as soon as possible.

Master Mo was stunned, and the spirit hoe in his hand fell to the ground. Second tier?

Chang Heng has advanced to the second-tier alchemist?
This was an ideal he had long ago buried in the earth.

In the end, it was one of his former alchemy apprentices who accomplished it?

Overwhelmed with mixed emotions and in turmoil, his old eyes seemed to lose focus for a moment. After a long while, he exclaimed with deep emotion, "In this world, there truly are those who achieve great things late in life, and those who accumulate knowledge and experience before unleashing their full potential..."

"Changheng, this pearl covered in dust, has finally shone after being polished and refined..."

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, his old eyes gleamed, and he looked thoughtfully at Mo Zhaoli.

"Grandpa, why are you staring at me? What's wrong with my face?"

Mo Zhaoli looked puzzled and asked softly, but did not receive a direct answer.

……

"Li'er, you just said you are at the second level of Foundation Establishment? Isn't everyone saying you are at the early stage of Foundation Establishment?"

Lin Changheng asked in confusion.

"Just like the Qi Refining stage, the Foundation Establishment stage is roughly divided into three stages: early, middle, and late Foundation Establishment. This is mainly to correspond to the bottlenecks in the Foundation Establishment stage at each of the three stages. Of course, the strength also changes significantly."

"When you break through from the early stage of Foundation Establishment to the middle stage, there will be a small bottleneck. Similarly, there will be a bottleneck when you move from the middle stage of Foundation Establishment to the late stage."

"Although it is called a minor bottleneck, it is only in comparison to the major bottleneck of breaking through from the Foundation Establishment stage to the Core Formation stage. In reality, each bottleneck can hold back many cultivators."

"Later, with the development of the cultivation world, some powerful beings discovered that there seemed to be certain differences in each Foundation Establishment stage, which could be divided into three, thus giving rise to the saying of Foundation Establishment Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. However, since there was no bottleneck between them, they were ignored for a long time."

"This latter interpretation was accepted, leading to this classification, which can aid in judging cultivation level. However, it has no meaning for cultivators outside the Foundation Establishment stage. Without breaking through the bottleneck and undergoing a transformation, those who can defeat others will still defeat others, and those who cannot will still not be able to defeat others. They are still referred to as early, middle, and late Foundation Establishment cultivators..."

Mo Zhaoli was gentle and charming, and her red lips moved quickly, dispelling Lin Changheng's doubts.

"I see. This knowledge has a motivating effect on me, making me even more eager to explore the Foundation Establishment stage."

Lin Changheng nodded in realization and smiled.

Upon hearing this, Mo Zhaoli suddenly glanced at Lin Changheng a few times, "Huh? Brother Lin has reached the peak of Qi Refining?"

"good."

Lin Changheng did not fully activate the "Qi Concealing Technique" at home. Moreover, he was going to crowdfund the refining of Foundation Establishment Pills soon. How could he crowdfund if he was not at the ninth level of Qi Refining? This would only increase others' suspicions and would be bad.

"In that case, Brother Lin really does have a considerable chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage! This point just happens to be before the sixty-year limit."

Mo Zhaoli's eyes shone brightly; he was genuinely happy for Lin Changheng.

But then she frowned, "It's just a Foundation Establishment Pill..."

She naturally knew how big the gap was between trying to break through the Foundation Establishment stage and actually breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage!

It's not just a matter of chance, but a difference between serious injury, death, and a successful breakthrough!
Ultimately, all the chances boil down to either success or failure. Breaking through without a Foundation Establishment Pill is truly dangerous. Even geniuses with top-grade spiritual roots in sects need a Foundation Establishment Pill to initiate the Foundation Establishment process.

"To gain it is my fortune, to lose it is my fate; it all depends on chance and destiny."

Lin Changheng spoke calmly, without revealing much.

"Well then, I wish Brother Lin good luck."

Mo Zhaoli understood the situation and did not press the matter.

After that, the two agreed on a specific time to retrieve the pill, which was that Mo Zhaoli would come and collect it after completing the task.

This sect mission is highly random; it could take anywhere from a month to two or three months. By then, Lin Changheng will have finished refining it.

Lin Changheng treated Mo Zhaoli to a meal at the [Huangliangju] Spirit Wine Restaurant, where she tried some local delicacies and specialties of the Immortal City, before watching her ride away in her escape light.

Within the Immortal City of Floating Life, besides the extremely strong anti-flight formations extending for several miles around the city walls, the only other anti-flight formation is located on Floating Life Lake.

These are physical no-fly zones, which even Foundation Establishment cultivators must abide by.

Although there is no anti-flying formation within the city, flying is still prohibited by the rules, except for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

……

After returning home.

Lin Changheng immediately closed the restriction and returned to the room to deal with the essence blood.

First and foremost is the essence blood of the [Crimson-Eyed Fire Demon], a Xuanling-level being.

There are sixty bottles here, plus the eight bottles that Mo Zhaoli gave me last time at the Ziji Sect, making a total of sixty-eight bottles.

His [Flame-Tailed Spirit Fox Treasure Seed] has been stuck at the fifth level for quite some time.

Now we can finally transform successfully!
However, Lin Changheng also noticed that, although both were [Mysterious Spirit Essence Blood], the essence blood of the [Crimson-Eyed Fire Demon] was still inferior to that of the essence blood of the [Azure Wave Spirit Turtle].

The main difference lies in quality and intensity.

"This is because the Azure Wave Spirit Turtle is a second-tier demon beast, while the Crimson-Eyed Fire Demon is still a first-tier beast. The transition from first to second tier not only represents a change in strength but also a transformation in the level of life. Naturally, the quality and concentration of the demon beast's essence blood are different."

"This is the fundamental difference that one part of the essence blood of the Azure Wave Spirit Turtle can steal one point of spirit, while two parts of the essence blood of the Crimson-Eyed Fire Demon can only steal one point of spirit. However, this difference is not obvious among those of the same level."

Lin Changheng had already made related inferences.

The aforementioned logic is also confirmed by the fact that the essence blood of second-tier demonic beasts is more valuable than that of first-tier demonic beasts of the same kind.

……

Lin Changheng took out twenty bottles of essence blood and directly absorbed and transformed them.

[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]

[Biochemical Life: 10/10]

……

[With essence and blood fully absorbed, the transformation is complete!]

【Flame-Tailed Spirit Fox True Core - Supreme】

Instantly, the "Flame-Tailed Spirit Fox Core," which had been dormant for a long time, solidified and took shape.

[Can be refined into a demonic technique that reverts to ancestral form by incorporating the bloodline of demonic beasts: Disguise and Teleportation]

"Refine it directly!"

The true core suddenly transformed into a streak of crimson-gold flame and fell into the body. Wherever it passed, the muscles and bones felt numb as if they were being soaked in warm water, while the skin felt as if it were covered with a layer of scalding gauze, with every inch of the skin trembling slightly.

It was as if a fox spirit was gently sweeping its furry tail through his very marrow.

"Hmm...it's strangely itchy."

He has gained a deeper understanding of [Disguise].

It's not something acquired later in life, but rather something innate, ingrained in one's bones and blood, almost an instinct.

With a slight thought, Lin Changheng looked at himself in the mirror.

One could see that the face rippled like water, with high-arched eyebrows, upturned eyes, and a prominent nose...

Taking a step back, the body also changes in the mirror, stretching or shrinking, becoming fatter or thinner, all with extreme ease.

It was clearly a face I had never seen before, yet I felt connected to it by blood and flesh. I raised my hand to stroke its cheek and body, and the warmth I felt with my fingertips carried a strange sense of control, as if I could mold its shape at will.

Then a bold idea popped into my head, and I gave it a try.

"Wow! That's really good?!"

Lin Changheng looked down through the defined abs and was momentarily stunned, then smiled. "But I'm naturally gifted with a small belly, I don't need it. What a pity..."

At the same time, a kind of illusory instinct, carrying the cunning and agility of the spirit fox, has flowed into the depths of the soul through the bloodline.

It can be layered on top of another layer!
It can be said that under the blessing of this sorcery, the true appearance is so vivid that it is extremely difficult for outsiders to detect.

He had a vague feeling that even a late-stage second-order divine sense couldn't discern anything when it swept over him!
In other words, below the Core Formation stage, nothing can be detected; one can be deceived!
(End of this chapter)