Chapter 254: Seeking Only the Clarity of Thought

"Another fifty years of lifespan added."

"A total lifespan of one thousand two hundred and ten years."

"I am only sixty-five years old now; in just over sixty years, I still have more than a thousand years of long lifespan left to live. Who could possibly outlast me?"

Qin Ming felt the changes brought by his breakthrough in realm, and his heart was filled with joy.

For the next few days, Qin Ming consumed Jade Profound Pills to consolidate his cultivation.

Having reached this stage of cultivation, Qin Ming could be said to already stand among the top tier of the myriad cultivators in the Southern Wild Immortal Realm.

The magic power within Qin Ming's body had reached a state of perfect fullness without leakage; furthermore, having purified his magic power using the 【Superior Purification】 trait, he now far surpassed cultivators of the same rank in both the quantity and quality of his liquid magic power.

His divine consciousness focused on the sea of magic power; within his Qi sea and dantian, the boundless green ancient wood Longevity Magic Power had begun to solidify strand by strand.

Qin Ming's Ancient Wood Evergreen Body manifested behind him, transforming into a silver Profound Vine, continuously accelerating the process of purifying and solidifying the liquid magic power.

Another half-month and more passed.

The liquid magic power within Qin Ming's body had completed ten percent of its solidification progress.

He slowly opened his eyes, black as ink, and thought silently: 'If things continue developing like this, once the liquid magic power within my Qi sea and dantian is completely solidified, I can attempt to break through to the Jin Dan.'

With his secluded cultivation ended, Qin Ming was in an excellent mood.

He gathered the three spirit pets at the cave entrance into his spirit beast bag.

However, he discovered that outside the cave dwelling's entrance, there were fully several hundred message talismans, all blocked outside by the formation's restrictions.

"It seems my breakthrough this time has caused quite a stir outside; to think there are message talismans from so many factions."

Qin Ming's expression did not change much; after merely pondering briefly, he activated his True Demon Illusion, transformed back into the appearance of Daoist Long, and secretly exited the rented cave dwelling.

Two days later, when cultivators from Moyun Xiancheng came to check again, they found the cave dwelling already completely empty.

The great expert who had been breaking through to the peak of Foundation Establishment was nowhere to be found.

As for those nearby who had long wished to visit the great Foundation Establishment peak cultivator, upon hearing this news, they immediately sighed one after another.

"Alas! What a pity... that senior has already left long ago."

"It seems he is an ascetic practitioner who dislikes fame and fortune."

"Having broken through to the peak of Foundation Establishment yet remaining so low-key; truly a model for us cultivators to emulate."

"What a pity we could not meet him even once; truly regrettable..."

On the other side.

Disguised as Daoist Long, Qin Ming quietly observed within Moyun Xiancheng for several days; only after confirming there were no abnormalities did he reveal himself and head to the Mirror Jing Xue Ge.

The dozen or so auxiliary materials he needed to gather this time for refining the Core-Forming Pill were ten times harder to find than the materials for the Zhurong Pill last time.

Qin Ming estimated that even searching within Moyun Xiancheng, it would take a certain amount of time to gather them all.

Aunt Long of the Mirror Jing Xue Ge, seeing the arrival of her super VIP customer and knowing another big business deal was imminent, immediately greeted him with a smile blooming like a flower.

"Oh!"

"Senior Long has arrived; please, come in quickly!"

"Let me brew a pot of spirit tea for you."

After welcoming him into a private room, Aunt Long brewed him a pot of second-grade spirit tea, a specialty of the Liang Kingdom Immortal Realm.

"Fellow Daoist Long, I have come this time to purchase another batch of spirit materials from your pavilion; here is the list." After taking a sip of tea, Qin Ming took out a prepared slip and handed it to her.

Taking the list, Aunt Long looked at the dozen or so third-grade spirit materials listed thereon and could not help but click her tongue in silent astonishment.

This Senior Long truly deserves his reputation as the number one great cultivator in the Wei Kingdom; buying so many third-grade spirit materials without even blinking an eye.

"Senior Long, these spirit materials are relatively difficult to gather; it may take some time."

Hearing this, Qin Ming said indifferently, "It does not matter; if you can gather spirit seeds of the third-grade spirit materials on the list, that is also acceptable."

"Oh? In that case, there will be no problem," Aunt Long said with considerable surprise.

Mature third-grade spirit plants are hard to find, but if it is merely spirit seeds, then it is relatively much simpler.

Qin Ming immediately paid Aunt Long a huge deposit.

"I have some matters to attend to; I will return to Moyun Xiancheng in some time to collect the goods."

"Very well, no problem! Senior Long, we will prepare the spirit materials in the shortest time possible."

After handling his affairs, Qin Ming did not plan to linger long in Moyun Xiancheng; he intended to go to the address marked on the Bronze Mirror Silk to see if he could recover the artifact spirit of the Hooked Jade Golden Light Mirror.

This ancient treasure, said to be capable of sweeping across the Jin Dan realm, was nearly unmatched among offensive-type artifacts; to claim he was not covetous of it would be false.

But Qin Ming had not yet left the Mirror Jing Xue Ge.

His powerful divine consciousness detected a powerful fluctuation of Jin Dan-stage magic power entering Moyun Xiancheng.

"It is actually this person!"

A tall man with an upright figure and sharp, determined facial features appeared within Qin Ming's line of sight.

He saw the newcomer's face clearly; it was indeed Linghu Yang, who had dueled with Wei Wuya at Purple Gold Ridge back then.

As a rogue cultivator by origin, Linghu Yang boasted the impressive record of defeating a fake-Jin Dan old ancestor while still at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

At that time, his fame soared in the Wei Kingdom Immortal Realm, once ranking him among the top three on the Foundation Establishment list.

Following that was his challenge against Wei Wuya of the Lei Yuanzong.

However, after being sent flying by a single punch from Qin Ming at Purple Forbidden Ridge back then, this man's sharp edge greatly diminished, and he became much more low-key.

The alias 'Daoist Long' also gained immense fame from that very battle, causing almost everyone within the Wei Kingdom to know of him.

Whenever anyone in the Wei Kingdom looked up to the deeds of Daoist Long, they inevitably mentioned Linghu Yang as the whetstone and backdrop. Coupled with Wei Wuya later successfully forming his core, and achieving an upper-grade Jin Dan at that, the blow to Linghu Yang was indeed significant.

From then on, Linghu Yang, with indomitable willpower, entered a death-secluded cultivation, declaring to the outside world that he vowed to break through to the Jin Dan realm, otherwise he would never emerge!

Several years ago, relying on a heaven-defying opportunity, Linghu Yang finally obtained a Core-Forming Pill, successfully broke through to the Jin Dan stage, and likewise achieved an upper-grade Jin Dan, restoring his self-confidence!

Linghu Yang swore that he must wipe away his past shame! 'He ruined my Dao heart! The First Sword of the Jin Dan must first slay Daoist Long!'

Not long ago, Linghu Yang heard that Daoist Long of Wei had appeared in Moyuan Xiancheng of Liang Kingdom.

Thus, he traveled ten thousand li without hesitation, rushing toward this place.

The moment Linghu Yang appeared, his powerful Jin Dan-stage divine sense firmly locked onto 'Daoist Long' within the Mirror Jing Xue Ge.

However, private combat was prohibited within Moyuan Xiancheng; personal grudges could only be settled in the duel arena or outside the city walls, where no one could intervene.

With Elder Yuheng, a mid-stage Jin Dan Laozu, guarding the city, even Linghu Yang dared not act recklessly.

So he raised his magic power and, facing the crowd, shouted toward the Mirror Jing Xue Ge: "Fellow Daoist Long, today I have specifically come to this Xiancheng to seek you out; do you dare to fight?!"

These words immediately attracted the attention of numerous cultivators within Moyuan Xiancheng.

They flocked toward the eastern city, gathering together; they loved nothing more than watching chaos unfold, especially when it involved action from a Jin Dan Laozu.

"Who is this Jin Dan True Person? I have never heard of him before?"

"He doesn't seem to be from our Liang Kingdom; he must be a newly advanced Jin Dan."

"Such terrifying Jin Dan spiritual pressure; this person is certainly no ordinary Jin Dan cultivator, likely possessing an upper-grade or better Jin Dan."

"Who did he say he wanted to challenge? Daoist Long?"

"Could he also be a Jin Dan True Person? Judging by that Laozu's tone, they seem to have harbored a grudge for some time."

"I heard Daoist Long is a powerful body cultivator from Wei Kingdom, though his cultivation base seems to be only at the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Then isn't this Jin Dan senior bullying someone weaker?"

"Who cares who he is!"

"Hurry up and start fighting; I want to see rivers of blood!"

"..."

Inside the Mirror Jing Xue Ge, Qin Ming looked at the battle-ready Linghu Yang at the city gate with a calm expression.

'Truly, people fear fame just as pigs fear getting fat! No matter what, I cannot go out and accept this challenge now.'

'I had already been keeping a low profile, but due to a strange twist of fate back then, after I defeated Linghu Yang with a single punch, this alias 'Daoist Long' suddenly became famous throughout Wei Kingdom, known by everyone.'

'This completely contradicts my style of keeping a low profile.'

'Although I am now confident I could kill him directly, doing so under the watchful eyes of the crowd would inevitably expose many of my trump cards; it is better not to show off.'

'Linghu Yang places excessive importance on victory and defeat; there is no need to stoop to his level.'

Thus, Qin Ming turned back and said to Aunt Long: "Ahem! I have temporarily decided to stay in your pavilion for a few more days."

"Uh, we would be delighted, Senior Long!"

"Rest assured, as long as you remain within Moyuan Xiancheng, that Linghu Yang absolutely will not dare to set foot inside the Mirror Jing Xue Ge!" Aunt Long assumed 'Daoist Long' had grown cowardly upon hearing Linghu Yang's challenge.

But this was only reasonable; after all, the opponent had broken through to the Jin Dan stage, making this a case of the strong bullying the weak.

If it were any other Foundation Establishment cultivator, they would be hiding before they could even react; Senior Long temporarily avoiding the sharp edge was a wise move.

And so it was.

Qin Ming ignored Linghu Yang's shouting and settled comfortably in the Mirror Jing Xue Ge; besides, he needed to wait for the auxiliary materials for forming his Jin Dan to arrive.

As for searching for the spirit of the Hooked Jade Jin Guang Mirror, he was in no hurry; at worst, he could simply wait a few more days.

Two more days passed.

It seemed Linghu Yang also realized that he, a dignified Jin Dan True Person, challenging a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was truly beneath his dignity.

So he shouted at Qin Ming once again: "Fellow Daoist Long, once you achieve the Jin Dan stage, I will definitely seek you out again to settle our victory and defeat!"

Having said this, he transformed entirely into a streak of Jin Guang and vanished into the horizon in an instant.

Qin Ming watched the direction in which Linghu Yang departed and said expressionlessly: "Finally, he is gone."

He continued to observe for a few more days.

Seeing that Linghu Yang had truly left, he bid farewell to Aunt Long and exited Moyuan Xiancheng.

He flew toward the west of Liang Kingdom.

But Qin Ming had only flown for less than half a day when his powerful divine sense suddenly detected a Jin Dan cultivator's aura chasing after him.

Qin Ming's face immediately turned gloomy, and he said lightly: "This Linghu Yang is truly like a lingering ghost that won't disperse."

Immediately, he stopped in place and waited for the other party to arrive.

Half an incense stick later, a golden flight light approached from afar and arrived in the blink of an eye.

Linghu Yang's figure revealed itself.

Upon seeing Qin Ming, he immediately spoke: "In my entire life, I have never tasted defeat, except for losing to Fellow Daoist Long."

"However, this obstacle in my heart remains unresolved; my thoughts are not clear, and my future cultivation will struggle to make any progress."

"I hope Fellow Daoist Long will do me this favor; I will not take advantage of you and will suppress my cultivation base to perfect Foundation Establishment to fight you fairly and squarely."

"Furthermore, I will not harm your life; otherwise, rumors will spread claiming I bullied the weak with my strength."

"What do you say?"

(End of Chapter)