Longevity: Starting from Refining Gu-Chapter 44: The Evil Cultivator Returns, But I Am Not As Before (Added Chapter, Please Follow)

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The blue-green Sword Butterfly had wings that were not as rounded as those of the Grass Spirit Butterfly, with sharp edges.

It somewhat resembled sword feathers.

There was a layer of fine down on its wings, and upon closer inspection, one would find that these were not down but tiny swords.

The Sword Butterfly appeared to have a more murderous aura compared to the Grass Spirit Butterfly.

[Mortal Grade Sword Butterfly]

Quality: First Transformation

Life Span: 12/110

Effect: Converts thirty strands of spiritual energy into Geng Metal Sword Energy

Trait: [Void Sword·Break] Transforms into a sword with Geng Metal Sword Energy, sharp enough to cut through anything

Growth Requirements: Mystic Iron Essence

Growth Progress: 0/100

Promotion Requirements: Unable to advance

It was a Void Sword but did not gain the ability of a flying sword.

Was the consumption of thirty strands of spiritual energy truly this enormous?

Though how much exactly a single strand was, Chen Qing had no clear idea, nor did he know what constituted a strand.

But compared to the previous five or six strands, the difference was immense.

Chen Qing tried to gather a wisp of Geng Metal Sword Energy at his fingertip. His current Sword Energy leaned toward a cyan-golden hue.

Just having it gathered at his fingertip made Chen Qing feel a tingling sensation on his back.

Judging from its sharpness, it probably couldn’t even rival Ye Yuntian’s Sword Butterfly.

But it made sense; Ye Yuntian had the ability of a flying sword.

Just condensing a wisp of Sword Energy made Chen Qing feel like a seventh of his spiritual energy had been depleted!

This meant that even at full capacity, he could barely perform the Seven Sword technique.

So domineering?

He then tried the ability of the Void Sword, which seemed quite useful.

With his right hand grasping at the air, he could drive the Sword Gu with his thoughts, allowing him to condense a sword in his hand.

The size of the sword could be adjusted according to his will, and its shape could be changed freely.

The consumption of spiritual energy was slightly more than gathering Geng Metal Sword Energy, but the benefit was that it didn’t dissipate quickly.

Once condensed, it would remain for twenty breaths without further input of spiritual energy before dispersing.

If spiritual energy continued to be supplied, Chen Qing estimated that he could maintain the Void Sword for approximately ninety breaths.

Its sharpness was even higher than that of the Geng Metal Sword Energy.

No matter how he calculated it, the Void Sword was more useful.

Viewing it this way, the sustained combat capability of the Void Sword was actually stronger than that of a flying sword.

Unfortunately, Chen Qing’s current cultivation level was too low, resulting in a brief usage time.

However, with cultivation, there was not much Chen Qing could do; he was already practicing with Spirit Ginseng Wine every day, improving three to four times faster than ordinary cultivators.

He practiced diligently for half a day every day.

At his current cultivation speed, it would take about six months to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refinement.

But thinking logically, if cultivation was so easy, wouldn’t the world be filled with Nascent Souls, and Immortals as common as dogs?

Up till now, he had only seen two people at the Foundation Establishment level, one was the Mountain Master, and the other was Yao Feng, who claimed to be at Foundation Establishment.

He wondered if there were any Gu worms that could enhance his cultivation speed.

He didn’t delve into it, as such Gu worms started at the spiritual item level, beyond his current reach.

Although he could sense his Sword Gu’s overwhelming power, Chen Qing still wanted to give it a try!

Now that he had the Sword Butterfly, it was time to test it out!

Just as Chen Qing was feeling spirited and ready to pick an opponent, he realized he had no suitable target.

First, his identity had to remain concealed, limiting him to seeking out Evil Cultivators or demon beasts.

But how terrifying were Evil Cultivators and demon beasts?

Those who lived in this world without exceptional skills couldn’t have survived until now.

In the end, Chen Qing was only a low-tier cultivator at the third level of Qi Refinement.

All he had achieved was owning a Sword Butterfly through his efforts.

Why would he necessarily be able to defeat Evil Cultivators and demon beasts?

It was still somewhat unstable.

If he made a single mistake, being killed by a wild pig demon would truly be a regret he’d carry forever.

Recognizing his own strength, Chen Qing took a step back, returned to his cave mansion, and closed his doors.

It was better to wait until the Sword Butterfly reached the Ninth Transformation.

After breakfast, Chen Qing, as usual, went to seek out Yu Qingshuang for a sparring session.

The moves from Sister Yu had become increasingly brutal in recent days, making Chen Qing somewhat hesitant to spar with her.

His main concern was accidentally using the Void Sword and harming her.

Yu Qingshuang sheathed her sword, "You seem a bit distracted. In your current state, you can’t take three of my strikes."

Chen Qing thought to himself, No, Sister, you probably can’t withstand even one of my strikes now.

After training with Yu Qingshuang for an hour, Chen Qing finally realized that his worries were completely unnecessary.

He was inherently a peace-loving person who disliked fighting and killing.

There was never a situation where he couldn’t control the Void Sword.

Noticing that Chen Qing was becoming more focused, Yu Qingshuang then smiled and said, "That’s the spirit of practicing swordsmanship."

As the Spirit Ginseng continued to grow vigorously, Chen Qing felt that the whole Wuyou Mountain had a different atmosphere.

It seemed that Ye Yuntian and the others were planning to improve the benefits for the disciples of Wuyou Mountain. As long as they worked in all major halls of Wuyou Mountain, they could receive a bottle of Spirit Ginseng Wine every month.

The specific amount and eligibility would be decided after the Spirit Ginseng matured completely.

Chen Qing had checked the Spirit Ginseng in the fields; the ones managed by the Grass Spirit Butterfly were indeed different. After just three months of planting, they had grown to the size of carrots.

This made Chen Qing seriously doubt if he was actually growing carrots.

In general, everything was moving in a positive direction.

Originally, Chen Qing had been among the youngest on Wuyou Mountain, but now many people called him senior brother.

Life seemed to have settled down again, and Chen Qing enjoyed the convenience brought by the tranquil days. He went on duty, practiced swordsmanship, cultivated with Spirit Ginseng Wine, and occasionally went down to the mountain to buy materials needed for Sword Butterfly and Fog Gu promotion.

Nothing major happened during the gatherings on July 15 and August 1.

Red Lotus, that silly girl, ran out of money, the scholar still needed more time to refine the Light Gu, and Yao Feng was preparing for his Light Butterfly promotion, believing August 15 to be a good day.

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Chen Qing thought it was all nonsense.

Of course, he didn’t say anything.

On August 9.

Morning, thick fog.

Chen Qing wandered into a secluded valley and lit a stick of Rejuvenation Incense.

The smoke merged with the vast fog, and the Ninth Transformation Fog Gu flew out from his body, spinning amidst the intertwined fog and incense.

It turned into dense fog, blending with the Rejuvenation Incense and the thick mist.

Chen Qing clearly saw the surrounding mist visibly thin.

The fog, which was supposed to be a shield for the Fog Gu’s promotion during this misty weather, was now thinning in the valley.

He looked around but saw no movement, feeling slightly at ease.

The fog condensed around the Fog Gu, becoming denser, obscuring whatever was inside.

The fog gathered into a clump, like a vortex of mist, continuously absorbing the surrounding fog.

An hour later, most of the mist in the valley had dissipated, and the densely packed fog, the size of a millstone, finally dispersed, revealing a semi-intangible Mist Butterfly.

Its wings appeared ethereal, merely wisps of smoke.

[Mortal Grade Mist Butterfly]

Quality: First Transformation

Life Span: 26/110

Effect: Physical body turns into fog within nine breaths, allowing flight during fog transformation. After fog transformation, recovery takes thirty breaths.

[Trait]: [Virtualization] Can perform Wall-penetrating Skill once every sixty breaths

Growth Requirements: Old Key

Growth Progress: 0/100

Promotion Requirements: Unable to advance

Wall-penetration?

Could it even pass through places without any gaps?

It matched its half-real, half-imaginary form quite well.

No wonder the Fog Gu was so difficult to cultivate; after its transformation, it turned out to be so formidable!

After quickly cleaning up the promotion site, Chen Qing attended to his duties at the Spirit Plant Hall before returning to his cave mansion, lighting a blaze in the stove.

He was curious whether passing through fire using the Wall-penetrating Skill would cause him any harm.

Previously, the Fog Gu’s weakness was fire.

Gazing at the blazing stove, he performed the fog transformation, utilizing the Wall-penetrating Skill. The mist momentarily vanished and, when Chen Qing landed again, he was behind the stove.

He checked himself and found no injuries.

It seemed that after its transformation, the Fog Gu gained a method to counter fire and thunder.

As long as fire was considered a wall, it could be passed through in a virtualized state.

He attempted to use the Wall-penetrating Skill again but found no response from the Fog Gu.

Upon trying, he discovered the interval was sixty breaths, as expected.

Satisfied after testing the new ability, Chen Qing felt more assured with another life-saving technique at hand.

The next morning he went on duty, and upon arriving at the Spirit Plant Hall, he heard people discussing.

"Have you heard? Two fellow disciples have recently gone missing."

"I heard they both just contracted their Gu. Could it be murder for the Gu?"

"Who could be so audacious to act recklessly within our Wuyou Mountain territory?"

Chen Qing assigned today’s tasks to everyone and called Li He over, "Did we have two disciples go missing?"

Li He replied, "Yes, somehow, Ye Hao and Li Ke disappeared."

Chen Qing thought for a moment, suddenly becoming cautious, "If I recall correctly, they were both at level three of Qi Refinement, right?"

Li He pondered briefly, "Hall Master, now that you mention it, they indeed were!"

Chen Qing waved Li He away, contemplating alone at the Spirit Plant Hall. What was the Evil Cultivator’s intention in targeting those at the third level of Qi Refinement?

He pondered deeply, suddenly recalling an important detail.

On the day he obtained the bronze ghost mask, he was the only one of level three Qi Refinement wandering in the marketplace below the mountain!

Other Qi Refinement level threes were either familiarizing themselves with a newly contracted Gu or hard at work saving money.

Only he spent leisure time every few days strolling the marketplace below the mountain to buy materials!

Could it be that his third-level Qi Refinement cultivation was the most distinctive feature of that night?

He began analyzing from the perspective of the Evil Cultivator, figuring if he had to abandon a treasure and flee, he wouldn’t do it randomly but would leave it with someone distinctive for easier retrieval later, avoiding a scenario where he couldn’t locate it.

Moreover, the mark should preferably be someone weak to ensure they couldn’t resist when he returned.

Upon realizing this, Chen Qing felt the killing intent rise quietly within, sensing the already Fifth Transformation Sword Butterfly.

The bronze ghost mask was crucial to his moneymaking strategy.

Being a member of the Jiguang Sect, he couldn’t afford for this matter to be exposed.

At this point, with the Fifth Transformation Sword Butterfly and the now-transformed Mist Butterfly, it was well worth a try.

Even if that person was as strong as Zhang Yangdao, with the Fifth Transformation Sword Butterfly, he had at least three opportunities to act.

Moreover, if that Evil Cultivator had Zhang Yangdao-level power, how could he possibly be chased by three seventh-level Qi Refinement cultivators?

That individual must be far weaker than Zhang Yangdao!

Worst case scenario, if unmatched, he could still escape safely using the Mist Butterfly’s Wall-penetrating Skill.

Having laid out his strategic retreat, Chen Qing closed his eyes, ready to make preparations.

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