Longevity starts with dual cultivation

Chapter 45 Strategic Pressure
In Ling Qiyue's boudoir embroidery building.

In the inner room filled with faint fragrance, beside the golden cloud sandalwood table, Ling Changqing, who was as gentle as jade and had eyes like lacquer, was holding a scroll of alchemy scriptures that was shining with precious light in his hands, and was concentrating on comprehending it.

Beside him, there were more than ten jade slips shining with spiritual light, all from Ling Qiyue's personal collection.

With Ling Changqing's current vision, it is not difficult to see the value of these classics. If they were placed in the family's reward hall, one would not be able to see one without spending tens of thousands of family merits.

Of course, there are books and manuals on the field of alchemy in the Ling family's treasury, but the number is small and the quality is average.

After all, in the past hundreds of years, the Ling family has not produced even a high-level alchemist. Most of the high-quality elixir resources need to be purchased from outside, and nearly half of the family's annual fiscal revenue is spent on this.

Of course, the situations of other foundation-building families in the surrounding areas are similar. Compared with those big forces with Golden Core or even Nascent Soul ancestors in charge, the foundation of the foundation-building families is still not enough.

It was not until Ling Qiyue made her debut that the family's dire financial situation began to change.

Especially after she took over the position of head of the family, the Ling family basically no longer needed to purchase high-quality elixirs from outside.

After a long time, Ling Changqing put down the jade slip in his hand, exhaled lightly, and silently digested the complicated information.

The Ling family's skills and magical powers are mainly based on water attributes, but if one wants to become a qualified alchemist, one must not be lacking in various magical skills of playing with and controlling fire.

Therefore, by now, Ling Changqing has a more intuitive impression of the unfathomable nature of this female head of the family.

Tang Qiuyao once mentioned vaguely that Ling Qiyue's alchemy inheritance had another origin, which was entirely an opportunity she gained during her early travels.

Ling Changqing looked inward with his mind, and the Epoch Star Palace in his sea of ​​consciousness shook slightly, and a cryptic message came:

[Dan Dao: 1990/5000 (First-level lower grade)]

[Main cultivation technique: Xuanzhen Black Water Sutra (second level) 4677\10000]

[Spiritual roots: gold, wood, water, fire, earth, average character 6271/10000]

Ling Changqing had an idea in his mind. He was now a qualified first-grade alchemist, and he thought that he would not be far from becoming a mid-grade first-grade alchemist.

Due to the continuous practice over the past six months, both his spiritual root aptitude and the main skills he practiced have improved slightly.

This visible progress, even if it is not large, can give Ling Changqing quite direct confidence and give him more motivation to keep going.

……

At this moment, in the flower hall outside, Ling Qiyue, who was sitting in the main seat, had a gloomy face, lowered her head, and sipped tea silently.

An old man in a brocade robe with gray hair and a short beard sat at the bottom, saying in a flattering tone:

"...Although my nephew lacks talent, he is hardworking and loyal to the family. Not long ago, he even broke through to the fifth level of Qi training."

"Can the head of the family take the opportunity to teach this child for the sake of Elder Tianhe? After all, the rise of the family cannot be separated from the dedication of more alchemists..."

He talked a lot, nothing more than how much his lineage had contributed to the family in the past, and now there was finally a talented alchemist among the descendants, so the head of the family should be sympathetic and take care of him.

After a long while, Ling Qiyue put down the teacup in her hand and said in a cold voice:
"Your junior's talent can only be considered mediocre. He was almost forty years old when he finally reached the fifth level of Qi training, and he barely broke through with the help of elixirs."

"He wants me to accept him as his disciple at this level? Don't you think that's too much? What can he become in the future?"

"This one……"

The old man in brocade robe looked embarrassed. The female head of the family was always strong and overbearing, and she didn't like the elders in the family at all.

"Master, I heard that Ling Changqing has been learning the Dao of Alchemy from you. Since you already have an apprentice, it wouldn't be a big deal to add another one, right?"

The old man still refused to give up. After all, Ling Changqing was just a distant descendant before, not even qualified to be included in the family tree. It was the support and care of the head of the family that made him a direct descendant and his name was recorded in the family tree.

Therefore, the old guy felt that there was no reason why his nephew should not receive the same treatment, even though his qualifications and talents were inferior and he was older.

Ling Qiyue waved her hand and said indifferently: "Ling Changqing can stay with me because he is ambitious enough, so I am willing to give him a chance."

"Your nephew's achievements in this life are foreseeable. He may not be able to break through the late stage of Qi training until his death. What else is there to say?"

"But……"

The old man in brocade robe blushed, and was about to explain, but Ling Qiyue had already made a gesture to serve tea and see him off.

The old man was furious, but as a mere elder at the seventh level of Qi training, he naturally did not have the courage to challenge the authority of the patriarch, so he could only get up and leave in disappointment.

It’s all the fault of Ling Changqing who appeared out of nowhere. If he hadn’t taken a seat next to the head of the family first, how could his nephew have lost the opportunity?

Ling Qiyue looked at him coldly as he left, and instructed the maid beside her:

"Don't let these people come here in the future. It's true... They want to send all kinds of cats and dogs to me. Do they think I am their biological parents?"

"Yes, master."

The maid agreed respectfully.

As the head of the family, he naturally has a lot of resources at his disposal, which inevitably makes many clansmen jealous.

In order to plan for their own great careers, there are always people who want to take shortcuts and get close to Ling Qiyue through various means to see if they can get some benefits.

However, Ling Qiyue is not a naive person. In order to take care of the so-called family interests, she has to accept a bunch of useless mediocre people as apprentices? What do they think of her?

Ling Qiyue flicked her sleeves, stood up and returned to the inner room.

Seeing the beautiful young man in purple still flipping through the jade slips of alchemy scriptures behind the table with a focused look in his eyes, Ling Qiyue's mood quietly brightened, and a hint of smile appeared in her beautiful eyes.

Only talents like Ling Changqing, who are blessed with good fortune, great luck, and willing to work hard, are worthy of her careful cultivation.

As for those useless things out there, it’s better for them to get as far away from you as possible.

"Sister, you are here!"

Seeing the familiar beautiful figure, Ling Changqing put down the jade slip and stood up. He had just sensed the unusual movement of the Epoch Star Palace, and there was a new spiritual essence, which should be related to the elders that Ling Qiyue had just met outside.

Before Ling Qiyue could say anything, a maid came in and reported: "Master, Elder Tang is here!"

"Well, has she finally decided to come out?"

Ling Qiyue was obviously a little surprised. Tang Qiuyao had been in seclusion for the past six months, and it was finally over now.

After a while, on the Xiangfei couch in the inner room.

Two beautiful ladies with graceful appearance and graceful figures sat opposite each other.

"Senior Sister, do you need me to step aside for a moment?"

Ling Changqing spoke at the right time and said that what the two women were discussing were probably family secrets, and he was obviously not suitable to be an in-listener and should avoid suspicion.

Ling Qiyue smiled and said, "That's not necessary. You can just listen here. I believe you won't go out and tell anyone."

Since it has been decided to train Ling Changqing, he will know these things sooner or later, and his character can be further examined.

Ling Changqing thanked him and sat back down.

"...After such a long period of seclusion, how far have you come in your cultivation? Shouldn't you consider reaching the foundation-building stage?"

Ling Qiyue put down the sky-blue teacup in her hand, looked at Tang Qiuyao, and spoke lazily.

Normally, after reaching the ninth level of Qi training, one is actually qualified to impact the foundation-building realm, provided that the corresponding auxiliary resources are prepared, including foundation-building pills.

Of course, for those cultivators whose main practice is not very good and whose spiritual roots are average, it is better to wait until they have completed the ninth level of Qi training before breaking through, so that they will have a greater chance of success.

The stunningly beautiful woman, wearing a sky-blue flowing dress, with a calm and radiant aura, smiled and said:

"It's still a little bit short. It won't be bad if I polish it for a while. I'm not in a rush anyway."

Ling Qiyue rolled her eyes at her and said coquettishly, "You're not in a hurry? So you just focus on practicing in seclusion, and I'll take care of everything by myself, right?"

Tang Qiuyao glanced at Ling Changqing who was not far away, and said with a smile: "With my junior brother helping you, it doesn't really matter whether I am by your side or not!"

Ling Changqing came to learn alchemy from Ling Qiyue. She had no idea about it beforehand, but of course she is happy to hear about it now.

With my junior brother's talent, luck and fortune, it is only a matter of time before he becomes a top-grade alchemist.

Perhaps in a few years, the Ling family will welcome a second foundation-building alchemist? By that time, the rise and growth of the family will be just around the corner!
"In short, you have to work hard in the next year. Many things depend on you!"

Ling Qiyue said: "There may be some capable people among those guys, but it's hard to say how loyal they are. They are too selfish, and I really don't feel at ease."

Tang Qiuyao nodded: "Well, since you can't take that step for a while, it would be nice to train a few people to build their foundation first."

Having more powerful foundation-building masters in charge would have an immediate effect on improving the family's strength, which would be enough to prevent the surrounding forces from acting rashly.

Ling Qiyue sighed: "It's just that the raw materials for the foundation-building pill are really hard to collect! Even if we are willing to spend more spirit stones to buy them, it's not easy to find them in stock in those markets."

For the majority of small and medium-sized immortal cultivation forces, foundation-building pills are an absolute strategic resource. Whether it is the finished pills or the raw materials, as well as the alchemists who can refine foundation-building pills, they are all targets that all parties spare no effort to fight for.

The last time Ling Qiyue refined the foundation-building pill, it took her several years to collect all the medicinal materials she needed.

Moreover, this thing is not available in ordinary places. You have to look for it in the markets within the sphere of influence of those large sects. Whether you can buy it depends entirely on luck.

Tang Qiuyao said, "We can order a batch from those channels at a high price, right? Anyway, we are not short of spirit stones now."

"Of course, it's OK, but it's hard to estimate the waiting time. It may take several years to get the goods."

Ling Qiyue murmured and said that in order to ensure their own interests and transcendent status, the large sects do not want to see too many foundation-building cultivators appearing in small and medium-sized forces, so they have extremely strict control over resources in this regard.

Tang Qiuyao looked at Ling Changqing standing beside her and said:

"We can take action as soon as possible in this regard, just as a backup channel. Then we can take our junior brother to the deep sea area to try our luck. Maybe we can get something?"

"Well, that's the only way to arrange it."

Ling Qiyue nodded and said that nowadays, apart from the deep sea, the only places where more ownerless resources could be found were the ruins of ancient caves, secret places in remote areas, and small worlds outside the sky.

But these places are all extremely dangerous without exception, and even the Yuanying or Huashen ancestors cannot guarantee their absolute safety in person.

After a pause, Ling Qiyue suddenly smiled and said, "A few days ago, a few unidentified cultivators came to me and said that they had gathered some materials and hoped that I would refine a foundation-building pill for them. The remuneration and other matters were all negotiable. I haven't responded yet."

Tang Qiuyao's expression changed slightly: "Is he a casual cultivator? Are you sure he is not someone asked by the surrounding families?"

Although it can improve one's own alchemy experience and get a considerable reward, the threat to the Ling family will increase with each additional foundation-building cultivator from the surrounding families.

Therefore, this kind of request could never be granted. In the past, it was not without families or independent cultivators who mentioned this to Ling Qiyue, but she rejected them all.

Ling Qiyue said: "There are currently no more channels to confirm their true identities, but I didn't intend to accept it, so this is not important."

Tang Qiuyao frowned slightly: "If the surrounding families really have gathered the materials, even if you don't agree, they will definitely go to other second-level alchemists for help, so..."

"So, it's only a matter of time before new foundation-building masters emerge in the families around us!"

Ling Changqing spoke softly.

This also means that the slight advantages brought by Elder Ling Yulu's promotion will soon be offset.

As for how many new foundation-building masters there are, it is difficult to determine. There may be only one, two, or even three.

By then, the external strategic pressure faced by the Ling family will still be quite severe. If the family cannot produce more foundation-building experts in time, it is inevitable that they will be targeted by surrounding forces.

Tang Qiuyao looked at him with appreciation and asked with a smile, "If that's the case, how do you think we should deal with it, little junior brother?"

(End of this chapter)