Free Web NovelChapter 313: Chapter 193: Purple Nether Extreme Fire
Time flowed by.
In the blink of an eye, more than three months had passed. It was now late autumn.
With the flame-nourishing materials collected by the Chengde Commerce Association, Lü Zhong successfully advanced his Golden Sun Insect Fire once more. The flame’s color deepened considerably, restoring some of its Spirit Forging effect.
His mottled, impure True Essence could finally be refined through calcination.
However, Lü Zhong’s cultivation speed hadn’t fully recovered. He spent most of his time calcining the impurities in his True Essence. After subtracting the time spent on cultivation, the rest of his days were dedicated to comprehending the Flame Manipulation Mantra.
His cultivation speed was still as slow as a crawling turtle.
This time, the problem wasn’t a lack of Pills, but a method to purify his True Essence.
Cultivation was like that; you never knew whether an accident or tomorrow would arrive first.
’Thankfully, I still have two hundred years of life left. Even if I take it slow, I can still cultivate to the Fake Pill Realm. At least that’s much better than those fellow daoists whose cultivation has stagnated,’ Lü Zhong thought to himself. He drew out the Golden Sun Insect Fire from his body again and began to calcine the impurities in his True Essence.
He deliberately controlled the Spirit Fire’s power to avoid burning the lounge chair beneath him.
He picked up his teacup and took a sip of the newly arrived Ice Frost Tea from the Northern Border.
It felt like drinking a mouthful of ice water in the middle of summer. A torrent of Ice Spiritual Qi erupted in his mouth, filling him with an unprecedented sense of refreshment. He couldn’t help but let out a soft groan.
"Ah, refreshing! But this Ice Frost Tea is too expensive. A hundred Spirit Stones for a single leaf! A cup with three leaves costs three hundred Spirit Stones."
He had heard that in the Northern Border, this Ice Frost Tea was just considered ordinary Spirit Tea Leaves.
Once it was shipped to the Southern Barbarian lands via the East Sea Route, its price skyrocketed a hundredfold.
Lü Zhong took another sip, then added a sweet and sour Spirit Fruit and some Cyan Grain Spirit Dew, instantly turning it into a fragrant fruit tea.
It tasted even better this way.
After finishing his cup of tea, he retracted the Golden Sun Insect Fire into his body and stood up from the lounge chair.
Today, there was an exchange meet at Dongbu House. free𝑤ebnovel.com
The meet was initiated by Master Dongbu’s eldest disciple, and only Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators could attend. It was rumored that many good items would appear, so Lü Zhong planned to go have a look. It was partly to kill time and partly to try his luck; he might actually find something worthwhile.
He left his home, boarded his carriage, and soon arrived at Dongbu House.
The place was just as it had always been: low-key and elegantly simple.
"Fellow Daoist Lü, long time no see! Please, come inside!" Jiang Mengsun said with a smile, cupping his hands. As Master Dongbu’s eldest disciple and now a Fake Pill Realm cultivator, the fact that he was still at the entrance greeting guests personally was enough to make a good impression. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Jiang!" Lü Zhong returned the gesture with a smile.
He followed Jiang Mengsun into a large hall.
Inside the hall, two rows of low tables had been set up on the left and right, adorned with Spirit Tea and Spirit Fruits. Many cultivators were already seated, with female attendants waiting nearby to pour tea and serve water at a moment’s notice.
Thanks to the rising status of Lintao Pavilion and the Chengde Commerce Association, many people were particularly optimistic about Lü Zhong, a cultivator who had no shortage of cultivation resources and a promising future. They believed that within a hundred years, he could at least attempt Core Formation once and might even become a Golden Core Master in the future.
Thus, they rose from their seats one after another to greet Lü Zhong.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Lü."
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Lü!"
Lü Zhong returned their greetings one by one. He disliked such occasions, but it was necessary to give others face. Even cultivation involved navigating social intricacies; otherwise, one could attract enemies for no reason.
He took the third seat on the left side of the hall.
Immediately, an attendant approached, wanting to serve him personally.
The attendants at an exchange meet of this level were naturally not ordinary.
This one, for example, already had a Third Level of Qi Refining Cultivation. She was also quite attractive, about average for a female cultivator.
He didn’t hold back, copping a feel twice.
’Too skinny!’
Lü Zhong found her too bony for his taste. After she poured his tea, he waved his hand to dismiss her.
This gesture almost made her cry.
From the way so many cultivators in the hall had proactively greeted him, she could tell that the senior she was serving held a high status. If she could become his concubine, her future would be all but guaranteed.
’What did I do wrong? I have a good figure, and my looks aren’t bad either. How could this senior not be interested in me...’
The attendant couldn’t help but start doubting herself.
Lü Zhong noticed this and shook his head inwardly.
He paid her no mind and began to pour and drink his tea by himself.
Compared to the Ice Frost Tea, the Spirit Tea provided at the exchange meet, while richer in Spiritual Qi, lacked that refreshing sensation of Ice Spiritual Qi stimulating the meridians. As a result, it tasted rather bland.
So, he started to size up the others in the hall.
There was no need to look at those sitting near the entrance; they were mostly just there to fill the numbers.
The first person on the left was an aloof young man wearing the robes of a Changchun Valley disciple and a Cyan Jade Crown. The aura he exuded was no weaker than Lü Zhong’s, and a Golden Tripod was embroidered on his collar.
’A Golden Tripod? He must be a True Disciple...’ Lü Zhong thought. ’Jiang Mengsun really has a lot of pull to be able to invite someone like him.’
His gaze shifted to the first person on the opposite side, a lean-faced scholar.
This person’s cultivation was equally profound, not much different from the Changchun Valley’s True Disciple. Lü Zhong had seen this scholar once before; he was from the direct lineage of a Golden Core Clan, a status that was also incredibly prestigious.
Further down sat a pair of Dao Companions, huddled close together.
They were a burly man in black with thick eyebrows and large eyes, and a woman who looked like a well-preserved, middle-aged beauty. The two looked quite compatible, acting very intimately as they chatted and laughed. However, their auras were slightly weaker than Lü Zhong’s, so he figured their strength was also inferior to his.
Footsteps sounded, and someone took the second seat in the left row.
It was a female cultivator in a Feather Robe whose appearance could only be described as homely. Perhaps for this very reason, her face was caked in a thick layer of powder. Noticing Lü Zhong’s gaze, she let out a cold snort.
