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

Chapter 62 Dislikes Women? (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Lin Changheng knew that Xu Xuzhong was doing this to arrange a marriage for him, in order to use family ties and emotional connections to completely bind him to the Xu family's big ship.

Moreover, his reasons are sufficient, after all, Lin Changheng is approaching forty years old, and it is time for him to find a Daoist partner and start a family.

He couldn't say for sure, though. Lin Changheng only had mixed spiritual roots, and even breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Refining was so difficult for him. The probability of him reaching Foundation Establishment in this lifetime was almost nonexistent, and his path to immortality was already visible to the eye. He still had to make plans for the future.

Mid-grade alchemists accumulate considerable wealth and resources, requiring offspring to inherit them.

But Xu Xuzhong could never have imagined that what they were seeing was exactly what Lin Changheng wanted them to see.

Whether it's the progress of alchemy, cultivation strength, or even spiritual roots, all have undergone earth-shattering changes.

Lin Changheng casually cast a [Spirit Observation Technique] on his own body.

The situation of the five elemental roots immediately appeared in his perception.

Fire Spirit Root, sixteen strands of spiritual essence.

The wood spirit root has fourteen strands.

The earth spirit root was upgraded to nine strands.

Water spirit root, metal spirit root, still five strands.

Lin Changheng pondered, resting his chin on his hand. Perhaps he should focus all his efforts on accumulating his fire spirit root to a mid-grade spirit root first.

To avoid reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining only to be stuck in the late-stage Qi Refining bottleneck and feeling like you're dying.

A mid-grade spiritual root can, to some extent, reduce the bottleneck in the later stages.

It will also be helpful for future foundation building.

While comprehensive development across all five systems is desirable, in the current context, there must be a distinction between priorities.

……

Early the next morning.

Lin Changheng was still eating breakfast when he received an invitation from a clansman sent by Xu Xuzhong, asking him to meet him at the Fengyu Pavilion outside the Guifeng Dojo.

"Fellow Daoist, please go ahead first. I will be there shortly."

Lin Changheng smiled and dismissed his clansmen. He finished the food containing spiritual energy on his plate before leisurely leaving.

Without a doubt, this was a scheme orchestrated by Xu Xuzhong, most likely to allow him to meet the beautiful Xu family woman he had described.

Lin Changheng was quite helpless. Who would have thought that even in the world of cultivation, one couldn't avoid the issue of blind dates?

But seeing him wouldn't hurt, and he certainly wasn't planning on finding a partner right now, so he'd just go through the motions.

Firstly, his path to immortality is not yet over, and there is still something he can do; forty years old is the perfect age to get things done.
Secondly, he has too many secrets, and having another Daoist partner by his side increases the risk of them being exposed.

Therefore, it is absolutely not advisable.

However, outsiders are unaware of these two points, so it is understandable that they would act as matchmakers, and he cannot use this as an excuse to refuse.

Soon,
Lin Changheng climbed the green mountain outside the Guifeng Dojo. There was a pavilion halfway up the mountain where people could rest and enjoy the view.

The distant river and nearby mountains, the river scenery and the mountain views, all are pleasing to the eye and have a unique charm.

"Changheng, over here."

Xu Xuzhong stood on the high pavilion, leaning against the railing, and greeted Lin Changheng with a smile as he climbed the mountain.

"Wait a moment, I'll be right there."

Lin Changheng looked over upon hearing the sound, cupped his hands in greeting from afar, and then saw two people walk out from beside Xu Xuzhong. One was a woman in green, about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a delicate nose and cherry lips, a beautiful face, a slender waist, and a graceful figure. She was truly a beauty in the making.

Behind her was a woman dressed as a maid, who curiously peeked out and looked down. She was quite pretty, but she paled in comparison to the woman in green.

Their eyes met, and the woman in green did not flinch. Instead, she smiled generously and gave a slight bow.

Lin Changheng naturally returned the greeting.

Seeing this scene from the side, Xu Xuzhong stroked his beard and chuckled, clearly quite pleased with the marriage. And now, witnessing this firsthand, it seemed to be a good start…

Soon Lin Changheng came upstairs. After exchanging pleasantries, the three of them sat down, with the maid standing behind the woman.

Xu Xuzhong also briefly introduced themselves to each other.

This woman's name is "Xu Hanyi". She is the granddaughter of a senior member of the clan. She is eighteen years old, possesses mixed spiritual roots, and has a cultivation level of Qi Refining Level 2.

After a brief exchange, Xu Xuzhong excused himself and gave the maid a meaningful look. The maid immediately understood and followed him.

Only two people remained sitting opposite each other in the room.

Lin Changheng was more than twenty years older than the woman, and naturally had his own way of dealing with people. In addition, the woman did not resist and even cooperated. Her big, curious eyes were fixed on Lin Changheng, a mid-grade alchemist, which made the two get along well and have a pleasant conversation.

Later, the two grew closer, and Xu Hanyi even took the initiative to pour tea and water, asking innocently with curiosity, "Brother Lin, are you really almost forty years old?"

"What? Doesn't it look like that?"

Lin Changheng smiled and asked in return.

“It doesn’t look like it at all. Brother Lin looks to be only in his early twenties, even younger than my elder brother.”

Xu Hanyi told the truth.

"Hehe, Miss Xu, you always say things that make me happy."

Lin Changheng shook his head and chuckled, then added as if he had thought of something, "But it's mostly because I spend most of my time refining pills in the alchemy room and rarely go out. Without the wind and sun, without the need for intrigue, I can relax and have a good mindset, so I naturally look younger."

Xu Hanyi showed an expression of realization, without any doubt.

Half an hour later, Lin Changheng took his leave first. As he went downstairs, he was surprised to find Xu Xuzhong and his maid still waiting downstairs.

"Brother Xuzhong?"

"How did the chat go?"

Xu Xuzhong gestured for the maid to go upstairs, then winked at Lin Changheng who was coming downstairs, pulled him away, and chatted as they walked.

"Brother Xu, you flatter me. Miss Xu is lovely, but there's still too much of an age gap between us..."

Lin Changheng started looking for excuses.

"Hey, that's not right!"

Xu Xuzhong immediately began to correct him, "A twenty-year age gap is not uncommon even in the mortal world, and it is common for older men to marry younger women, let alone in our world of cultivation where we pursue the enlightenment of our thoughts?"

"It is not uncommon for Foundation Establishment cultivators to find Daoist partners or take in concubines who are a hundred years apart in age. There was even an ancestor of a Foundation Establishment family who was on the verge of death and took in a concubine who was less than twenty years old, with an age difference of two hundred years."

"If this is the case for Foundation Establishment cultivators, then many Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators are even more different by three or four hundred years, or even nearly a thousand years... So what does age matter? Don't be bound by these worldly concepts."

"..." Lin Changheng was speechless.

"Moreover, Han Yi is indeed quite good. If Chang Heng marries her, he can not only gain a foothold in the clan, but also have access to the clan's core techniques and secret teachings. Moreover, her grandfather can provide corresponding support. It can be described as comprehensive cultivation, which is incomparable to his current situation."

"Isn't your good friend Xu Fugui just like that? He might even reach the Foundation Establishment stage in the future. They say it's about taking a roundabout approach to achieve your goals. Aren't you tempted?"

Xu Xuzhong continued to persuade him, even citing Fugui as a positive example.

Most people would be tempted by this, but Lin Changheng is no ordinary person.

In the end, Lin Changheng used the high-sounding and altruistic reason of "studying alchemy in order to break through to the first-grade superior level" to thwart Xu Xuzhong's endless "bewitching potion".

Watching Lin Changheng's retreating figure, Xu Xuzhong couldn't help but scratch his head, somewhat dazed.

Why aren't you tempted? Is Brother Lin really that clueless?
After a long while, a thought surfaced in his mind, startling him:

"Could it be... that he doesn't like women?"

(End of this chapter)