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

Chapter 226 The Immortal Path is Unfair, Fire-type Talent

The treasure exchange continued, but Lin Changheng's mind was mostly focused on figuring out how to use this [Lightning Strike Grass] to strengthen his body.

Although the subsequent treasures were also eye-catching, they failed to arouse his great interest, or perhaps he did not have anything that could satisfy his desire to exchange them.

After all, he had only recently advanced to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Unless there was a special need that led him to the realm of alchemy, his foundation in other areas was still insufficient.

……

The treasure exchange event lasted until late afternoon before coming to an end.

The scholar surnamed Luo, as the host, stood up again with a perfectly appropriate smile on his face and raised his cup to toast the guests.

"Fellow Daoists, today is a day of dazzling splendor, with all sorts of rare and precious treasures on display. What's even more remarkable is that many of you have successfully obtained your desired items, which is truly a joyous occasion! I, Luo, would like to offer this cup to express my gratitude to all of you for gracing us with your presence and joining us in this grand event!"

In response, everyone at the table raised their glasses. Regardless of whether they had gained anything, everyone wore smiles, and the atmosphere was harmonious and pleasant.

"Fellow Daoist Luo, you're too kind!"

"Thank you, Brother Luo, for providing this platform!"

"It is we who should thank our master!"

A chorus of thanks and praise rang out from all sides.

The scholar surnamed Luo downed his wine in one gulp, a satisfied look in his eyes. He glanced at the crowd below and smiled, saying:
"Haha, I am honored to have your recognition. Today's success has further strengthened my resolve to continue holding this treasure exchange event."

"Hereby, I, Luo, shamelessly announce that every five years thereafter, I will send out invitations to friends from all directions to gather here again, exchange goods and seek what we need. I will strive to make this treasure exchange gathering a stable and reliable channel for communication among us cultivators!"

Upon hearing this, an even more enthusiastic chorus of agreement immediately erupted from the room.

"good!"

"Great!"

"Fellow Daoist Luo's actions are of immeasurable merit!"

"I will definitely come to bother you then!"

All the cultivators understood what a high-quality treasure exchange event, held regularly and backed by late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, meant for independent cultivators and family cultivators; it was undoubtedly a good thing.

Some people have even started looking forward to five years from now and are planning to collect items to exchange for treasures.

The scholar surnamed Luo smiled broadly and bowed once: "Then I, Luo, will be here five years from now to await your arrival! Today's grand gathering has concluded. If any of you fellow Daoists wish to stay for a simple meal and some spiritual tea, I, Luo, will gladly welcome you. If you have other important matters to attend to, please feel free to do so as well. I hope you will forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."

With the core objectives and procedures concluded, the atmosphere in the hall became more relaxed and casual.

Many cultivators did not leave immediately, but took the opportunity to chat with acquaintances or approach those who had performed well at the treasure exchange meeting and possessed valuable treasures, attempting to make friends and exchange some more.

Soon, a number of people gathered around Lin Changheng's desk. Some genuinely wanted to make friends, some subtly inquired about alchemy, and some simply wanted to become acquainted with him.

Lin Changheng smiled faintly, without the arrogance typical of a closed-off alchemist, and raised his glass in response to each person's toast.

Being kind to others was his initial code of conduct. Moreover, associating with cultivators of the same cultivation level and skill level was beneficial to him and could also broaden the market for his pills, as they were all potential customers seeking pills.

As the sun began to set, Lin Changheng finished dealing with the situation and prepared to take his leave.

He bowed to the scholar surnamed Luo.

"Master Lin, we should visit each other more often in the future."

The other party had already entered to see off guests and chat, and now stood face to face with Lin Changheng, a smile on his face.

Although the scholar surnamed Luo had no family ties with this promising alchemist, it did not prevent him from befriending him.

After all, given the speed at which Lin Changheng has grown in alchemy, he might be able to help him in the future.

It can be considered as planting a seed wrapped in good intentions.

"Of course, of course. I'll definitely come and bother you when I have time in the future."

Lin Changheng nodded, while the scholar surnamed Luo chuckled, and the two parted ways.

Just as Lin Changheng stepped into the courtyard, he suddenly heard an old voice transmitting in his ear.

"Hehe, I wonder if Master Lin is free tomorrow? I would like to pay him a visit."

The voice was familiar and came from the main hall of the cave. Lin Changheng immediately recognized it as the black-robed cultivator from before.

"Of course I'll be available. I'll be happy to welcome you when the time comes."

Lin Changheng quietly replied, and without stopping, he had already left the house.

……

After leaving the cave, we approached the corner.

Lin Changheng sensed a subtle gaze once again. He immediately tensed up, his magic power directly connecting to his storage bag and spirit beast bag, ready to take out spiritual artifacts, talisman plates, black-armored earth tortoises, and other items to deal with or defend against the attack.

That person must be a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Although this was outside the Immortal City Lake, with many cultivators scattered around, and under the watchful eyes of many, Lin Changheng was still making the worst-case scenario preparations.

With his late-stage Foundation Establishment strength, if the opponent suddenly attacks, he must go all out without reservation, otherwise he may be injured or even seriously injured.

If one is injured and unable to move, the probability of death will increase infinitely.

Fortunately, the other party hadn't lost their mind and acted recklessly. Violating the rules of the Immortal City would attract the arrival of law enforcement, posing a significant risk. After observing for a moment, they slowly withdrew from Lin Changheng.

"call……"

Lin Changheng still didn't relax, feeling that his back was soaked with sweat.

At the same time, he was also thinking rapidly about who this person was.

He had memorized a few scents at the banquet, but none of them seemed to match.

I don't know if I covered it up, or if I didn't dare to investigate further and missed something.

After all, he was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his spiritual sense was quite different from that of a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even though Lin Changheng's spiritual sense strength reached a range of four hundred feet, which was one hundred feet more than the three hundred feet range of an ordinary mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, his spiritual sense was still very strong.

But those in the late Foundation Establishment stage are a full six hundred zhang, or four li!
The gap remains enormous!

The precision of their perception is also incomparable; when the two collide, one is easily obscured or deceived by the other.

……

Seeing that the gaze had disappeared, Lin Changheng remained vigilant while accelerating at full speed, and soon returned to his cave.

"boom!"

Only after the gate closed and the restrictions were applied did Lin Changheng finally breathe a sigh of relief.

But his expression remained gloomy and unpleasant.

The outside world is still too dangerous. The sense of security he had just gained from breaking through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment was shaken and shattered once again.

In the eyes of high-level cultivators with malicious intentions, he is still just a dish.

"Ultimately, it all comes down to insufficient cultivation and lack of strength!"

Lin Changheng accurately grasped the key issue: "We must be more cautious and careful! Nowadays, the only ways to quickly improve our strength, besides the [Spirit-Seizing Transformation] of the Treasure Seed, are breakthroughs in body refinement!"

"As long as I break through to the sixth level of the 'Evergreen Body of Azure Wood' and reach the late stage of the second tier, although I may still not be able to defeat a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, at least I will have the ability to fight back and protect myself!"

Lin Changheng had already finished refining the Dragon Blood Fruit he had consumed, but it seemed to have encountered a bottleneck in breaking through, and was facing difficulties. Now that he had the [Lightning Strike Grass] in hand, perhaps he could use the power of lightning to break through it in one fell swoop.

Lin Changheng also vaguely sensed that he understood why the path of body refinement had been abandoned by the times and by cultivators, and was only valued and used to break through the Foundation Establishment stage.

It is costly, time-consuming, and labor-intensive, with average strength and a sturdy bottleneck.

Unless one truly learns the authentic body-refining methods of ancient body refiners and has the corresponding resources, one cannot cultivate innate physical supernatural abilities.

Only then will they be able to rival the ancient Qi cultivators!

But putting everything else aside, the ancient [body refining method] was lost and buried in the dust of the changes in the immortal path. The corresponding resources were also basically either extinct or almost completely exhausted.

Unable to obtain it. The "Evergreen Body of the Azure Wood" has six levels in total, and can be cultivated to the late stage of the second tier. It is only one step away from the final step. Once the barrier is broken, one can enter the next level. Naturally, Lin Changheng cannot give up halfway. He must cultivate it to the top before he can do so.

But before that, Lin Changheng had another important task to complete.

After giving a brief explanation to Yan Mingyi, who greeted him with a smile, he went directly to the secluded meditation room.

Extract the essence blood of the Three-Legged Fire Fox given to you by Deng Changsheng.

Reach out and communicate with the essence blood and the primordial cauldron to begin the initial process of seizing the spirit.

【Three-Legged Fire Fox - Spirit-Stealing Transformation in Progress】

[Spirit Stealing: 1/100]

[Effect: Bloodline of a turbid demon beast, naturally endowed with fire element, possessing innate talents of fire resistance, spiritual sense, and berserkness; upon successful spirit-seizing, one can choose to refine one of these.]

Lin Changheng had gained some foresight and understanding of these three talents through the information jade slip of the [Three-Legged Fire Fox] given to him by Deng Changsheng.

Among them, the [Fire Resistance] talent comes from the thick fur on its body, which makes it difficult for flames to penetrate. Its skin is often used to make special robes.

It also lies in its own flame affinity, achieving fire resistance both internally and externally.

It's not simply about heat resistance; it greatly enhances immunity to fire damage.

When ordinary fire spells strike the body, their power will be greatly weakened. If one's cultivation is profound, one can even withstand basic fire spells without being harmed.

This is a very useful life-saving trump card for any cultivator who frequently needs to deal with fire or may face enemies using fire-based techniques.

Especially for someone like Lin Changheng who also cultivates fire-based techniques, having strong fire resistance means having greater room for error and confidence in controlling flames and even dealing with flame backlash when refining pills, making it less likely for him to be injured by his own or his enemies' flames.

But Lin Changheng was still pondering, because with the [Fire-Repelling Technique] in hand, while fire resistance talent was important, were there any overlaps?
……

The "Sensory Awareness" talent is a common talent among this type of monster, giving it a special ability to sense fire-attribute spiritual objects and treasures.

It is beneficial for treasure hunting.

However, it can only be considered a support talent and cannot directly enhance oneself.

Moreover, many rodent-like and raccoon-like demonic beasts possess this ability, and many cultivators keep one as a pet.

If something can be supplemented by external means, choosing it would be a waste of seed space.

……

The [Berserk] talent is a desperate technique for the [Three-Legged Fire Fox] to temporarily enhance its physical strength and speed.

The jade slip records that once activated, the flames around the three-legged fire fox will suddenly surge, its body will swell slightly, its eyes will turn blood red, and it will fall into a state of irrational bloodlust.

In this state, its inner demonic power, the sharpness of its claws and teeth, its pouncing power, and its running speed will all be dramatically enhanced in a short period of time, almost doubling, enough to tear through defenses that are normally impenetrable, making it fearless of death.

However, this method also has significant drawbacks.

One lasts for a very short time, after which the person will fall into a prolonged state of weakness;

Secondly, they completely lose their rationality, leaving only the instinct to kill, making them extremely vulnerable to exploitation of their weaknesses or accidental injury to their communal companions.
Thirdly, it places a great burden on the physical body, and frequent use may even damage the foundation.

"This kind of talent can inflict a thousand damage on the enemy while also inflicting eight hundred on oneself..."

Lin Changheng frowned slightly.

Although this method could bring a temporary surge in strength, the risk of losing control and the subsequent weakness made him quite dislike it.

In his battles, he always sought to control the overall situation with absolute power, or to defeat his enemies with exquisite skills and powerful supernatural abilities, rather than relying on this kind of uncontrollable, savage outburst.

"For me, its practicality is probably the lowest."

He had already ruled out this talent in his mind.

Whether refining elixirs or fighting with others, he needs to maintain absolute clarity and precise control. The power brought by [Berserk] is not in line with the path he pursues.

……

After much deliberation...

Lin Changheng decided to choose the [Fire Resistance] talent provided by the [Three-Legged Fire Fox Treasure Seed].

He has mastered the true meaning of the [Fire Control Divine Power], the [Fire Repelling Demonic Technique], and the [Crimson Sky Profound Flame], and has also improved his body's fire resistance to a certain extent.

But these are all incidental improvements.

Now, the focus is again on improving [fire resistance], so that one can be more at ease when facing fire-wielding cultivators and fire-based environments.

"Then keep pushing it up! Push it to the maximum!"

Having made up his mind, Lin Changheng directly collected over a thousand portions of blood essence into a bucket.

The soul-stealing begins.

"Huh~"

The primordial cauldron in the center of the sea of ​​consciousness trembled slightly, with azure light swirling and crimson light rising.

Each seed is a new treasure, constantly solidifying and taking shape!
[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]

【Three-Legged Fire Fox Treasure Seed - Level 1】

……

[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]

【Three-Legged Fire Fox Treasure Seed - Double Level】

……

……

[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]

【Three-Legged Fire Fox Treasure Seed - Fifth Level】

Having successfully seized the spiritual essences one after another, and with each seed solidifying, Lin Changheng activated his will, and the five seeds were successively extracted into his soul and body.

[Already mastered: Fire Resistance Technique - Insight]

Not only was he filled with a sense of satisfaction, but the refinement of the precious seed also brought an incomparably comfortable warmth.

Then a tingling sensation came over me, as if there was another layer of feeling inside my body.

……

[Can continue refining the demon race's innate talent: Fire Resistance]

Lin Chang-heng continued to confirm.

[Already mastered: Fire Resistance Magic - Agility]

……

[Already mastered: Fire Resistance Technique - Advanced]

As one crimson seed after another fell into his body, Lin Changheng's eyes narrowed slightly, feeling a little tipsy, as he carefully sensed the changes within his body.

hum...

A strange warm current washed over me, not scorching, but a gentle, peaceful power that seemed to encompass all flames, quickly circulating throughout my body and seeping into my limbs, bones, meridians, and skin.

Lin Changheng could clearly feel that his body had become unusually sensitive to the fire elemental energy in the surrounding environment. It was as if an "invisible filter" had formed under his skin, and the originally slightly restless fire elemental particles had become much more docile.

This is the essence of the so-called "fire resistance".

However, this is not the end.

The insights and physical changes brought about by the blessing process are still deepening...

(End of this chapter)