Chapter 104

Chapter 104: The Long-Coveted Clue

Standing before the enormous bookshelf, Zhou Luo gazed at the gently glowing jade slips and decisively selected five, tucking them into his robe.

As for the ancient books beside the jade slips, he didn’t spare them a glance.

Just last month, he had tried to comprehend these ancient texts.

The result showed that he couldn’t grasp these high-tier scriptures at all.

Their knowledge was far too profound and obscure, placing immense strain on one’s mental strength. As a first-level Pill Master, he couldn’t endure even a single page before becoming overwhelmed and requiring rest.

The saying "read a book a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself" came to mind.

But at his current pace, finishing one tome would take a year or two.

And if he truly aimed to read it a hundred times? He’d likely spend his entire lifetime on it.

Therefore, Zhou Luo resolutely chose to abandon them.

With that kind of time, he’d be better off refining potions inside the jade slips and training his mental strength.

Holding the five jade slips, Zhou Luo sat at the nanmu table and took a deep breath.

A month had passed with no leads.

He refused to believe his luck could remain this poor forever.

With ten months left before descending the mountain, he resolved to come here monthly to investigate clues within the jade slips. Sooner or later, he’d find what he needed.

He opened the first jade slip.

A white light blossomed, illuminating his vision as Zhou Luo appeared within that boundless white space.

The same white-haired, youthful-faced elder stood before him.

"During the final pill-forming step of concocting the Hundred Spirit Potion, if the medicinal properties suddenly clash, what should you do?"

"You have fifty breaths to respond."

Hundred Spirit Potion!

Wasn’t that a top-level first-level potion?

Zhou Luo’s mind stirred slightly.

Last month, he had noticed a pattern:

The more advanced the potion-refining problem, the more valuable the clue it offered, and significantly higher the chance it held genuine information.

"First, melt it over three-point heat, then infuse it with three to four strands of spiritual energy…"

Drawing upon all his first-level Pill Master knowledge, Zhou Luo fluently recited the solution.

"Correct. Here is your clue."

A slip of paper drifted from the elder’s palm, unfolding before Zhou Luo.

"Within the northern depths of the Longfeng Mountain range lies a hidden ruin of the Hehuan Sect. Deep inside this ruin, within the Illusionary Forest, a dual cultivation technique is preserved."

Dual cultivation techniques?

Zhou Luo stared wide-eyed, unblinking, his gaze fixed on those four large characters.

It was actually a clue to the dual cultivation technique.

He looked excited and highly encouraged.

Isn’t this exactly the technique he had been dreaming about?

Because matters between men and women damage the Pure Yang essence and are harmful to cultivation.

But as someone with a system, he was destined to take many wives and have children.

If he could have a technique that handles such matters while also enhancing cultivation, that would be killing two birds with one stone.

Unfortunately, the dual cultivation technique was too rare; at least, he hadn’t seen it in the Lin Family.

Originally, Zhou Luo held no hope and planned to rely on his long lifespan to counter the disadvantage of Pure Yang essence loss.

Now, suddenly, things took a favorable turn.

Surprisingly, a clue to the dual cultivation technique appeared.

If the clue was authentic, then he wouldn’t have to worry about the troubles brought by men and women matters anymore.

But why did the Longfeng Mountain range seem a bit familiar?

Zhou Luo suddenly thought.

Wasn’t the place mentioned in Wang Yu Wei’s Dragon Blood Grass clue exactly the Dragon Blood Mountain?

Such a coincidence?

It seemed that at that time, he could take care of both matters at once.

Zhou Luo imagined this.

But soon, he calmed down again.

The truthfulness of the clue wasn’t certain yet.

Even if it was authentic, there was no guarantee it hadn’t been found.

"Would you like to determine its authenticity?" the old man continued.

"Yes," Zhou Luo responded without hesitation.

"Successfully concoct one Bailing Pill, and you will know the authenticity of the clue."

The next moment, the furnace and materials all appeared before him.

Zhou Luo stepped forward and began concocting the pill.

As a top-level first-level potion, concocting Bailing Pill clearly increased the difficulty by more than one level.

Even Zhou Luo had to be cautious and not too careless.

Fortunately, after half an hour, he successfully concocted one furnace of Bailing Pill.

The furnace disappeared, and the old man smiled at him: "The clue is authentic!"

Zhou Luo’s pupils contracted, and his face showed surprise.

Perfect!

The clue was authentic.

Moreover, it didn’t seem particularly difficult.

He let out a long sigh of relief.

He’d finally uncovered a useful lead.

Now, all that remained was to personally investigate whether it had already been discovered.

As the white light receded, he returned to reality.

Gazing at the jade slip, a smile appeared on Zhou Luo’s face.

He suddenly realized that Immortal Sect disciples likely had little interest in this dual cultivation technique.

Those blessed with higher talents poured all their daily energy into cultivation itself; why would they even think of marriage and children?

It was probably people like him, outsiders, who found this appealing.

So, odds were high this lead involving the dual cultivation technique hadn’t been found.

At this thought, Zhou Luo’s smile widened.

He shifted his gaze to the remaining four jade slips.

Very well, let’s explore them all next.

Deciding this, he promptly took out another jade slip and plunged back into the illusion.

After a month of rigorous training, Zhou Luo’s mental strength had significantly improved. While still far short of a second level Pill Master, it had become unrivaled within his current realm.

If he could continue tempering his soul like this, truly reaching the soul strength of a second level Pill Master might even become possible.

Soon, he emerged from the illusion.

He obtained a false lead.

Undeterred and spurred by excitement, he activated the third jade slip.

However, apart from the lead for the dual cultivation technique discovered in the first slip, he found no genuine clues in the subsequent ones.

Indeed, this jade slip remained highly disappointing.

But this was sufficient.

For the first time, he left the fourth floor brimming with delight, feeling refreshed as if touched by the spring breeze.

This was an excellent beginning.

…

Spring passed and winter came, cold arrived and heat retreated.

Thanks to the protective mountain formation, the foot of the mountain enjoyed perpetual spring, making the shifting seasons impossible to feel.

For Zhou Luo, time was the cheapest commodity.

With seven children to his name, his lifespan had already increased by ninety years.

Thus, despite being only at Qi Refinement level three, his lifespan was nearing that of someone at the eighth level of Qi Refinement.

And this was even after he’d "wasted" an entire year.

Compared to time, he cared far more about the benefits he was accumulating.

Since obtaining the dual cultivation technique last time,

Zhou Luo became even more convinced he could find something good on the fourth layer.

Thus, over the next few months…

He meaninglessly secured first place each time, earning the right to enter the fourth layer.

This left the other Pill Masters utterly astonished.

It seemed as if another alchemy genius had been born, and they all came trying to curry favor.

Sadly, Zhou Luo was completely uninterested. Each time, he would vanish without a trace after appearing briefly, leaving everyone utterly helpless.

Lu An, who was initially filled with resentment, lost all confidence after repeated setbacks. Originally capable of placing in the top three, he later even fell out of the top five completely, becoming a laughingstock.

Time flew by. Alongside the clue for the dual cultivation technique he found on the fourth layer, Zhou Luo also obtained two other important clues that were truly useful to him.

As for those genuine clues that were either impossible to complete or offered negligible benefit upon completion, he discarded them all.

Before they realized it, a year had arrived. It was time to descend the mountain and return home.

In the front yard, the ten stood straight on the open ground, expressions varying greatly.

Some looked dejected and utterly dispirited.

Some were full of reluctance, unwilling to leave.

Others seemed radiant and brimming with good cheer.

The first two described the mood of the other nine. The last belonged solely to Zhou Luo.

Compared to the others who didn’t want to leave, Zhou Luo now could barely wait to rush home – to embrace his wife and children in the comfort of their own hearth.

Over the past year, Zhou Luo’s cultivation had broken through once more; he had now advanced to the late stage of the fourth layer of Qi Refinement.

It was a rapid speed.

This was primarily because the spiritual energy on the fourth layer was incredibly dense, aided immensely by the Spirit Gathering Technique, the Fire Spirit Ring, and the Gathering Spirit Potion.

Only under the combination of these multiple factors could someone with only a Ninth Grade spirit root progress so astonishingly fast.

He had also decided that once they left, he would claim publicly to have become a top-level first-level Pill Master.

He hadn’t forgotten the main family’s wariness of him. Only by displaying sufficiently high potential would they refrain from moving against him and might even bestow generous treatment.

Anyway, everyone had witnessed his outstanding performance throughout the year; the family shouldn’t suspect anything, he reasoned.

Just then, Zheng Ting Tao arrived, seemingly floating towards them.