Longevity starts from having a daughter in old age

Upon swallowing the pill, an unending wave of miraculous healing spread throughout his limbs and body.

With the constant diffusion of the healing force, an endless stream flowed within him, akin to pouring molten rock into his being.

Scorching!

Boiling!

The skin all over his body was burnt crimson, every inch of his flesh felt the pain and itching.

At first, it was barely noticeable, but it quickly intensified, as if countless white ants were gnawing at him from the inside.

The sensation permeated his marrow!

Pain! Pain! Pain!

For the first time, Xu Mu became aware of the pains that accompany foundation-building.

“If I, who took the superior foundation-building pill, am experiencing such pain, what about those cultivators who’ve ingested the inferior ones?”

A flicker of doubt passed across Xu Mu’s mind.

What Xu Mu didn’t know was that the excruciating pain was specifically because he had consumed a superior foundation-building pill.

The process of establishing his foundation was essentially one of marrow­cleansing, rejuvenation and transmutation.

Having attained transcendence with the body refinement skill, his body was free of impurities. Had he consumed an inferior foundation-building pill, he would have easily broken through.

The effects of the superior foundation-building pill far exceeded the inferior one, cleaning out even deeper versed impurities within him.

In surpassing the typical process of marrow-cleansing and rejuvenation, the pain was naturally unbearable.

Luckily, the whole transformation didn’t take long. Any longer and he might have fallen apart.

With the completion of his physical refinement, all the spiritual power inside him poured out from his Dantian like ignited gunpowder, and started to circulate throughout his meridians.

The red crow cried out and flew out of Xu Mu’s sea of consciousness into the spiritual power.

The spiritual energy in the room began to gather, transforming into strands of white mist, enveloping Xu Mu like a silky cocoon.

A sensation akin to basking in a hot spring filled Xu Mu’s consciousness, inducing a drowsy feeling.

If the initial stage was a physical metamorphosis, then this was a transformation at the spiritual and mental level.

The spiritual power was transformed into liquid, and a divine intent was born in the soul.

Normally, this type of transformation takes at least three to six months.

But Xu Mu couldn’t afford to wait that long.

He fought off the overwhelming drowsiness and swallowed another superior foundation-building pill.

The pill dissolved, and the transformation speed surged.

“Not enough!”

Xu Mu swallowed the third pill.

Then the fourth, the fifth!

Seeing that the pills were running out, Xu Mu no longer resisted the sleepiness. His expression became peaceful, and his consciousness slowly sank into a deep, empty state.

He had no idea how much time had passed.

It felt like an instant!

And yet, like many years had gone by!

Xu Mu slowly awoke from his deep slumber, exhaled a turbid breath, and slowly opened his eyes. A flash of light darted through the depths of his profound, abyss-like pupils.

His face bore a bewildered expression, and his consciousness was still in a hazy state. It felt as though he had just woken from an extended dream, everything similar to the illusory reflection of flowers in a mirror, or the moon’s reflection on water.

Only after a long pause did he snap out of the emotionless stupor.

The spiritual power within his body had transformed into a liquid state, constantly rotating at a slow pace. The feeling of integration between his inside and outside, the unity and harmony experienced whether he walked, stood, sat or laid down, was incredibly satisfying.

His consciousness became incredibly clear, with an outpouring of countless inspirations in the spark of his thoughts.

Many distant memories, as if experienced yesterday, clearly surfaced in his mind.

Closing his eyes, an invisible force spread out, and everything surrounding him was vividly reflected in his mind.

“So, this is divine intent! Indeed, it’s much handier than my previous perception! Unfortunately, this cultivation room has an inscription that blocks the divine intent; I can’t test the limit of my divine intent!”

He regretfully retracted his divine intent, only centering it around his immediate surroundings.

With a click of his fingers, a chunk of black flame sprang to life.

The scorching flame held an awe-striking power.

“Hmm? Has my internal flame also been upgraded?”

Xu Mu shifted his thought upon seeing the color change, and the white crow flew out from his body.

No, it shouldn’t be called the white crow now, it should be referred to as the Crow of Obsidian.

The crow, which had previously been glowing bright red, was now completely black. Layers of black flames rolled and burnt on its body.

An intense beast pressure exuded from it at all times.

The four completely dark eyes, even a single glance could feel like your soul was about to get swallowed whole.

Not only had he experienced a quantum leap in his strength during this breakthrough, even the soul beast had experienced a qualitative leap, controlling the flame to reach the level of black flames.

“With my current strength, even without utilising underhanded methods, I can easily kill a mid-term foundation cultivator!”

Xu Mu had this thought in his mind.

Once he had gotten used to his body’s enhancement, he opened the system to check.

[Name: Xu Mu]

[Lifespan: 64/287]

[Realm: Foundation Stage Level 1; 841/2000]

[Martial Method: Proficiency in Crimson Spirit Jue: 1866/3200]

[Skills:]

Alchemy Skill:

Tier Four Foundation-building Pill Grandmaster: 100/2.56W, Tier Three Mysterious Yuan Pill Perfection: 1008/3200, Tier Two Jade Marrow Pill Perfection: 76/1600, Tier One Qi Gathering Grandmaster: 389/1600, Tier One Fasting Pill Perfection: 761/800,

Magic skills:

Light Body Skill Grandmaster of Tier One; 71/3200, Invisibility Technique Grandmaster of Tier One; 2/3200, Wind Blade Skill Perfection of Tier One; 18/800, Water Mirror Skill Proficiency of Tier One; 102/400…

Swordsmanship:

Transcendent Thunderbolt Sword Skill; 0/0, Proficient in mastering Six Techniques of Green Jiao; 215/800

Divine Skills:

Fire Control Perfection; 6341/6400, Crow Cawing Proficiency; 627/1600, Flame Wing Proficiency; 534/1600, Soul Devouring Proficiency; 812/1600

Qimen:

Proficiency in Yin and Yang Harmony of 108 Techniques; 2921/10000

[Achievements: Seven total achievements, receive 100 points of Luck Value every day]

[Luck Value: 5381]

Seeing that his lifespan had increased by eighty-seven years, Xu Mu was immensely excited.

He performed a skill and created a water mirror.

The mirror reflected a young face at most in its early twenties, full of vigor, high-spirited, and exuding an indescribable aura of prestige that commanded respect.

“Thank goodness I didn’t get younger, I don’t want to become a kid!”

Xu Mu joked.

The truth was that at his realm, he could control his physical changes, varying from youth to middle age, or even old age, as long as the changes weren’t too extreme.

Seeing each line on the system and when he saw the remaining Luck Value, Xu Mu suddenly froze.

“Something’s not right! After I added the Alchemy Skill, there should be only around two thousand left, why is there still so much…”

It seemed like he understood something, as his face turned sour.

He quickly picked up the Formation Token and contacted the cultivator in charge of rent. After confirming the time, Xu Mu’s face was filled with bitterness.

Thirty-two days!!

The transformation of his body took a full thirty-two days!

Compared to other cultivators, this was already very fast.

But this time, it just so happened that he missed the re-opening of the space rift.

Which meant that he had to wait another month.

How frustrating!

He had originally thought that after taking five top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, the transformation process could be completed in at most ten days to half a month. He didn’t expect it would still drag on for so long.

“If only I had refined a few more pills earlier!”

As the incident had already happened, all he could do was sigh inwardly.

After tidying himself up, he used the Formation Token to alert the responsible cultivator, who came to take him out of the cultivation room.

The counter still had the same refined-looking young man.

Even though a month had passed, it seemed like he still remembered Xu Mu.

“Congratulations on your breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage!”

After detecting the waves of cultivation on Xu Mu, the young man looked surprised.

He had frequently seen those who closed off to breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage, but this was the first time he saw someone completing the transformation in just a month.

“You overpraise me!”

Xu Mu laughed and replied with his hands held in salute.

After sixty years of hard cultivation, finally achieving breakthrough, of course, he was overjoyed.

Feeling excited alone in the room was one thing, but having someone point it out felt like eating a cool watermelon on a hot summer day, refreshing to the core.

Truthfully, he had intentionally released his aura to show off, which allowed the young man to detect it.

After all, he wasn’t an unattached saint and couldn’t help but show off a bit.

After settling the rent, the young man gave him the remaining Spirit Stones and asked, “May I ask, Daoist Mu, have you joined any sects or forces?”

“I’m used to being idle, so I haven’t joined any,” Xu Mu laughed.

The young man’s eyes lit up slightly, he said, “In that case, might you be interested in joining our Four Seas Immortal Palace?”

“When cultivators reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, many choose to learn new martial methods. Our Four Seas Immortal Palace may not be able to boast about other things, but we surely have the most martial methods among the three major powers!”

“For just a few Spirit Stones, you can absolutely find a martial method that suits your heart’s desire!”

“Among the three major powers, only our Four Seas Immortal Palace binds its members the least, which makes it perfect for idle cultivators who enjoy freedom like yourself!”

“Well,” Xu Mu hesitated, then said, “Please allow me some time to consider!”

He wasn’t surprised by the young man’s attempt to recruit him.

The Four Seas Immortal Palace was a large and loose organization.

There were no strict constraints or rules.

However, it had numerous factions of varying sizes.

They consistently recruited independent cultivators to increase their faction’s strength.

The fact that Xu Mu was at the Foundation Establishment Stage made him attractive. Even if he was only at the Qi Cultivation Stage, showing intent to join would attract recruiters.

Only the popularity wouldn’t match that of the current youth.

Although the young man looked youthful, he was incredibly skilled. Xu Mu could feel that he was just one step away from advancing to the mid Foundation Establishment Stage.

Moreover, being in charge of a cash-cow like the cultivation rooms showed his faction backing was anything but ordinary.

“Of course, take your time!”

Saying this, the young man pulled out a jade talisman from his storage bag and handed it to Xu Mu, smiling, “My name is Long Ye, this is my identity talisman. If you wish to join the Four Seas Immortal Palace, just report to the city branch with this talisman!”

“Thank you!”

Xu Mu took the talisman, bid his farewell, and left.

After leaving, he directly went to the city’s leasing agency and spent six medium-grade spirit stones to rent a house for a month. He planned to take this time to refine more Foundation Establishment Pills for selling back in Liyang City.

Though the price of Foundation Establishment Pills in Pursuing Wind City was also high, it was still inferior compared to Liyang City.

Given that he had limited Spirit Stones on hand, maximizing profit was a priority.

“If the spatial passage is fine, I can become a cheerful profiteer in the future!”