Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 119: Mid-stage Foundation Building

Gu Hong and Cai Chao were in a secret discussion about a transaction. This kind of situation had become commonplace for Li An in recent years.

He wouldn't touch the most core and precious resources, but anything else, such as talismans, talisman paper, formation materials, spiritual medicines, etc., as long as he took a liking to them, he would "snatch" them in this way.

The higher-ups in the pavilion were well aware of this, but no one said anything.

This was the advantage brought by background and relationships. Those who could be caught for their misdeeds were simply lacking in strong connections.

"Successfully reaching the mid-stage of Foundation Building, I can now strive for the late-stage of Foundation Building..." Li An watched Gu Hong's figure from afar and took a sip of tea.

Gu Hong's cultivation progress was still faster than Li An's, but it had clearly slowed down.

Her aptitude was only a middle-grade yellow-level spiritual root. It was already commendable for her to reach this point.

If there were no other opportunities, reaching the late-stage of Foundation Building in this lifetime would be the limit.

Nascent Soul stage?

Extremely slim chance!

"Have her refine a longevity pill for me, the higher the grade, the better." Li An beckoned and gave Wang Zi an order.

He was currently 141 years old, which was still quite young. After all, with the advantage of the Immortal Life Cultivation Technique, his lifespan had reached nearly 600 years, with more than 400 years of good health remaining.

But for ordinary early-stage Foundation Building cultivators, more than half of their lives had already passed.

He still needed to stay in the Treasure Pavilion for a long time. If he continued to not age or weaken, it would definitely arouse suspicion.

So, he needed to prepare the longevity pill in advance, which could also serve as a cover-up when the time came.

"Alright!" Wang Zi immediately left.

...

At this moment.

"Reporting to the Pavilion Master, Vice Pavilion Master Zuo has obtained two Clear Spirit Pills, and he also wants Gu Hong to help him refine a longevity pill..." In a quiet room filled with formations and an ancient atmosphere, Cai Er was reporting to the Pavilion Master Qin Xuan.

Qin Xuan was lying on a beautiful bed, completely naked. Her face and every inch of her skin were covered in a "skin garment" made from various skincare treasures.

After a long time, she finally got up and put on her clothes.

"Even this second-grade skin garment doesn't have much effect on me anymore. It's loose... sigh..." She sighed, "The frequency of the Lord summoning me to serve him has decreased recently."

She lamented in front of the mirror, "Serving others with my beauty, my beauty will fade... When I truly grow old, I will definitely be abandoned."

"At that time, what will happen to my son?"

Qin Xuan had been married and had a son named Guo Ling. However, her husband had died unexpectedly early, leaving her as a beautiful widow struggling to make a living. Fortunately, she was extremely beautiful and caught the eye of the Lord, which led to her current position.

Now, Guo Ling was nearly a hundred years old and worked as an ordinary appraiser in the Treasure Pavilion.

When Senior Appraisers Zhou Ying or Mo Rong retired, she would push for Guo Ling to become a Senior Appraiser.

But that wasn't enough...

Her goal was to become the Chief Appraiser!

She knew very well that relying on the wealth and glory she brought wouldn't be a long-term solution. Her son didn't have her advantages and couldn't gain the Lord's complete trust, so he couldn't inherit the position of Pavilion Master.

The best future she could arrange for him was to become the Chief Appraiser!

So, she had already started laying the groundwork.

Removing obstacles!

She didn't care about anyone else, only Li An...

Because he had connections on the Lord's side!

So she paid close attention to him.

"If he breaks through to the mid-stage of Foundation Building and successfully extends his lifespan, the threat to my son will only grow..." She worried.

But for a while, she couldn't find a good way to deal with Li An.

...

In the evening.

Li An received two Clear Spirit Pills.

After activating the second-level formation that protected him, he swallowed them directly and then began to impact the mid-stage of Foundation Building...

...

Three months later.

Li An walked out of the closed-door cultivation room.

His aura had changed, and he appeared more introverted. Although his body seemed old, there was a sense of purity and transcendence.

He had reached the mid-stage of Foundation Building!

With a sweep of his divine sense, he could perceive everything within a five-mile radius of his residence.

"My divine sense range has reached five miles!" He was very satisfied.

Ordinary cultivators in the mid-stage of Foundation Building could only sense within about one mile, and the exceptional ones wouldn't exceed two miles.

He had doubled it!

In battles and escape situations, this is a huge advantage, to observe the enemy first.

"The second branch of the Life Seed is also taking shape..."

Breaking through to the mid-stage of Foundation Building did not cause the second branch of his Life Seed to grow, but only added a small bulge, as if a tender shoot was about to emerge from it.

Initially, his first branch only appeared when he broke through from Qi Refining to Foundation Building.

The branches of the Life Seed are very important to him, as they can strengthen different parts of his body one by one.

"In addition, the Dantian Pool has expanded threefold, and the spiritual power is barely enough for me to cultivate the ultimate skill 'Three Elements Slash'..."

"Three Elements Slash" is the most powerful offensive skill he possessed in his previous life. It only has three moves, but its power is extremely strong, and its grade is even as high as the top-grade Profound level.

In his previous life, he only started practicing it after reaching the Foundation Building stage because the spiritual power and physical strength of the Foundation Building stage couldn't sustain the requirements of the Three Elements Slash.

However, he decided to start practicing it from today because it would be his trump card against future dangers.

He repeatedly practiced, trying to exert some power of the Three Elements Slash during the Foundation Building stage...

"The Cold Yin Finger's poison, even the mid-stage of Foundation Building can't withstand it, but unfortunately, it still poses no threat to the Core Formation cultivators..."

He glanced at his hand, which flashed with a deep blue light.

If he could find a third-grade poison to refine into his hand, it might be useful against Core Formation cultivators.

But this couldn't be forced. Third-grade elixirs were already extremely rare, and poisonous elixirs were even rarer.

"In addition to the Three Elements Slash and the Cold Yin Finger, in terms of Body Refining, I also need to continue advancing. After mastering the 'Iron Tree Art,' I can cultivate the 'Golden Treasury Art.'"

The Golden Treasury Art is a further advancement from the Iron Tree Art, tempering the five viscera and six bowels of the cultivator.

The Golden Treasury Art was a fragment that Li An accidentally obtained in his late years in his previous life. Its grade was unknown, but Li An speculated that even if it was a fragment, it was at least a top-grade Profound level treasure.

If it was a complete scroll, it was unimaginable, at least an Earth grade!

Moreover, he carefully checked and found that both the Iron Tree Art and the Golden Treasury Art seemed to be Body Refining techniques from a glorious sect. After the Golden Treasury Art, it was very likely... the Golden Body Art!

The Golden Body Art was well-known wherever the cultivation world flourished. It was said to be of the highest grade, Heaven grade!

The fragment of the Golden Treasury Art in Li An's hands could only be cultivated in three parts: the heart, the kidneys, and the stomach.

Even so, the resources needed to cultivate these three parts were enormous. Even with the support of a cultivation family in his previous life, Li An only managed to cultivate his kidneys.

"The Three Elements Slash and the Golden Treasury Art are long-term plans..."

"For now, I need to cultivate some powerful spells for self-defense."

"The Seventy-Two Steps of Earthly Demise," a middle-grade Profound level spell of body movement!

"The Five-Colored Flower Burst," a lower-grade Profound level spell of wood element attack. It can use wood element spiritual power to create five-colored flowers that float and explode everywhere, and I can also imbue them with poison, increasing their power!

Li An decided to cultivate these two first.

...

In the blink of an eye, another five years passed.

Li An was already 146 years old.

"Next month, there will be a treasure in the pavilion that needs to be auctioned in Baihu City..."

On this day, the pavilion master Qin Lan and the steward of the Wang Family, Jiang Cheng, personally came and summoned Xu Changkong, Li An, Mo Rong, and Zhou Ying.

"This auction is extremely important, and it must be presided over by a vice-level or higher appraiser."

Qin Lan said, "I wonder which of the four of you can go?"

The four looked at each other.

A vice-level appraiser is the core of the Treasure Pavilion.

They rarely go out.

What kind of treasure could be so important?

"It's no harm to tell you. It's a fourth-grade medicinal herb."

Jiang Cheng said casually.

Upon hearing this, the four were shocked!

A fourth-grade spiritual herb!

This level of item can be said to be extremely rare. Generally speaking, it would never appear on the market.

Because a fourth-grade spiritual herb is useful even for Nascent Soul experts, let alone Foundation Building cultivators who are desperate for it!

How could the Treasure Pavilion put such a thing up for auction?

Li An frowned even more. He instantly thought that the Wang Family was the headquarters of the Yin-Yang Demon Sect!

And the White Tiger City's White Tiger True Immortal is now a Gold Core expert.

Could it be that this herb is another plot by the Demon Sect?

Is the Demon Sect planning to target White Tiger City and White Tiger True Immortal?

After thinking for a long time, Xu Changkong spoke first, "I am already very old... I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to handle such matters."

He declined.

Because the risk was too high!

If news of a fourth-grade spiritual herb spread, who knows what powerful experts might come out to fight for it, even resorting to killing for treasures. And he was already the chief, with no further opportunities, so there was no need to take risks.

Zhou Ying and Mo Rong shook their heads, unwilling to participate at all.

There was no need to explain. Even if they accomplished this task and made great contributions, they might not be able to be promoted to chief—Li An, the influential figure, was here.

"Left Vice-Chief?"

Qin Xuan looked at him slowly, "It seems that only you can go to Baihu City..."

...

(End of this chapter)