Chapter 287: Regarding Life Extension

"Master, are you alright?"

Chen Mobai was about to ask about the poems on his and Shi Wanyu's cards when he turned and saw the girl in sunglasses spitting blood, which startled him.

He wanted to reach out and help the master, but remembering there was a woman nearby, he immediately told Shi Wanyu to go check on her.

"No need. Our fate today is over. I'll take my leave."

The girl in sunglasses waved her hand, stopping Shi Wanyu who was approaching.

After saying this, she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, then swept all the cards and tablecloth off the table. Her whole body suddenly seemed to become ethereal, retreating rapidly and phasing into the wall behind her, vanishing from their sight.

Chen Mobai extended his spiritual sense, searching everywhere, but only managed to see the girl's heel disappearing into another wall.

He hesitated, but ultimately did not pursue her.

"I wonder what this poem means?" Shi Wanyu, standing nearby, murmured to herself after the girl in sunglasses left, looking at the card in her hand.

"When you have some free time later, you can look it up on a classical literature website." Chen Mobai said casually. Shi Wanyu happily agreed, then tucked the card into a hidden compartment of the small black bag she carried at her waist.

"Are you familiar with the exchange event?" Chen Mobai looked again at the card he had drawn, understood its literal meaning, then slipped it into an inside pocket of his sleeve before asking a question.

"Pretty much. I've been to most of the stalls with friends," Shi Wanyu replied with excitement.

"Shall we walk together? I need to go to the Longevity Academy to consult on some professional questions." Chen Mobai asked politely, first stating his destination so that Shi Wanyu could easily part ways if she had other plans.

"Mhm!" To his surprise, Shi Wanyu blushed, looked down, and quickly agreed.

"Let's go then." Chen Mobai didn't think much of it. He glanced at where the girl in sunglasses had been sitting, now empty. After composing himself, he said this to Shi Wanyu and turned towards the end of the alley.

Just as he stepped out into the light, his right hand swept across his face, and black crystal-like scales flew out, re-covering his face and forming a half-mask.

Shi Wanyu, wearing shiny black round-toed leather shoes, followed him out with a joyful expression.

Seeing Chen Mobai put his mask back on, she even felt a sense of exclusive joy, a pleasure that filled her entire being, and her bright, fair face was radiant with genuine happiness.

Outside, some passersby saw the elegant and beautiful Shi Wanyu emerging from the alley with a joyful expression, and a few were even stunned.

When they saw her jogging to catch up with the young man in the red and black Dance-Weapon robe, expressions of regret appeared on their faces.

So, she was already taken.

"Damn it, who is this guy from the Dance-Weapon Dao Institute? Acting all mysterious with a mask. Is he unsightly? Even the Dueling Victory Exhibitionist probably doesn't put on such airs."

Two male students, seeing Shi Wanyu genuinely smiling and happy next to Chen Mobai, felt a pang of jealousy and couldn't help but grumble inwardly.

"Longevity Academy only has four stalls: one for longevity, one for wellness, and one for medical consultations. But the most popular one is the beauty-enhancing stall; it's packed every day." Chen Mobai listened to Shi Wanyu's cheerful tone and smelled the faint fragrance emanating from her, feeling refreshed and content.

This was much more pleasant than shopping with Hua Zijing. His vice president, though good-looking, never smiled and always had a stern expression, which put a lot of pressure on him, a young man who enjoyed beauty.

Shi Wanyu was completely different. As they walked together, her bright face, adorned with light, delicate makeup, was smiling the entire time. Chen Mobai could feel her genuine happiness and excitement. The cheerful *tap-tap-tap* rhythm of her slender legs in their small leather shoes on the path radiated a youthful, vibrant, and agile aura. It was so infectious that even he, who had been feeling a bit down due to the three tribulations of core formation, found himself smiling.

"Why are there four stalls? I thought there was only one for longevity." Chen Mobai smiled, searching for a topic, and followed up on the young and charming girl's words.

"I know this. Our Flowing Light Academy and Longevity Academy are on the same campus, and we have some exchanges regularly. They say they research the art of eternal youth and immortality, but in reality, only the most core Foundation Establishment cultivators and teachers can participate in the longevity projects."

"Although Longevity Academy branched off from Jumang Dao Institute, its annual admission scores are just average. So, most students who enroll there aren't particularly interested in, nor do they have the talent for, studying 'longevity' courses, which take a very long time to yield results. They mostly opt for wellness and beauty-enhancing courses."

"Among these, many cultivators in the Immortal Sect practice wellness techniques in their later years. After mastering them, they go back and open tutoring classes, which can be quite profitable if they gain a reputation. And as for beauty enhancement, it goes without saying that many female cultivators will go to any lengths for it."

As she spoke, Shi Wanyu clenched her small fist, indicating she was one of them, a very cute gesture.

As they chatted, the two had already arrived at the Longevity Academy stalls.

Just as Shi Wanyu had said, the beauty-enhancing stall was packed with people.

However, the wellness stall, which should have been second most popular, had few people.

This was probably because the exchange event was aimed at students, who were mostly young, vigorous, and full of vitality, with little need for wellness practices yet.

"Wanyu, didn't you say you were going to the Dance-Weapon Dao Institute to watch the dueling victory? How did you end up here?" At that moment, Shi Wanyu seemed to run into acquaintances. Two girls queuing at the beauty-enhancing stall spotted her and immediately exclaimed in surprise. One of them, seeing Chen Mobai in the red and black Dance-Weapon robe, looked suspicious.

"They're my two roommates. I'll go say hello to them first." Caught by acquaintances, Shi Wanyu gently said this, suppressing the urge to show off the person beside her.

"Okay, I'll go over there and ask my questions." Conveniently, Chen Mobai didn't particularly want Shi Wanyu to know what he was about to ask. However, shortly after they parted and he sat down at the longevity stall, he noticed two intense gazes fixed on him.

He didn't even need to turn around; a flick of his spiritual sense told him it was Shi Wanyu's two roommates observing him. One of them seemed to have somewhat guessed his identity, her expression slightly excited.

"Senior from the Upper Institute, consultations at this stall are 100 merit points each, which go towards funding our academy's research on extending human lifespan for all humanity." Sitting at the longevity stall was a presentable young man. He had dyed his hair white, mimicking the appearance of a youthful elder, and pointed to a QR code for payment placed nearby.

Chen Mobai didn't hesitate, taking out his phone to scan the code and pay the consultation fee.

"Senior, what would you like to ask? My name is Yu Rulin, and I am the Chief Disciple of Longevity Academy. I just reached Foundation Establishment last year." The white-haired young man introduced himself with a poised demeanor. Compared to the four major Dao Institutes and ten great academies, the requirements for a Chief Disciple in the 120 smaller academies were much lower; generally, anyone who successfully achieved Foundation Establishment during their studies could become Chief Disciple.

"When my father was young, he participated in the pioneer wars. On one occasion, he encountered an extremely dangerous situation and used a spell that consumed life essence to boost his cultivation realm. I'd like to ask, is there any way to replenish the life essence he lost?" Chen Mobai fabricated the excuse he had prepared, his words full of a son's concern, feigning a sincere desire to help his father.

"Oh, which spell did he use? Wildfire Spring Breeze Art? Spark Spreading Fire Art? Startling God Bell Strike Art? Or Dry Wood Burning Fire Art? Embracing Fire and Piling Fuel Art...?" Yu Rulin listed a long series of spells, all seemingly related to burning life essence to rapidly boost cultivation or break through realms.

Chen Mobai hadn't heard of any of them. It would be awkward to pull out his phone and look them up on the spot, and he didn't dare to pick one randomly. He could only try to steer the conversation in the direction he wanted.

"My father never mentioned it; he didn't even want me to know, to avoid distracting me from my cultivation. I discovered hints myself and looked into it. My main question is, is there any way to replenish the life essence consumed by such spells or elixirs?"

Yu Rulin didn't suspect anything and nodded confidently.

"That's the simplest. However, my research focuses on longevity. If it's about replenishing consumed life essence, you should go to the medical consultation stall over there."

"Is there a difference?" Chen Mobai genuinely didn't know and asked with a puzzled tone.

Seeing his red and black Dance-Weapon robe, Yu Rulin patiently explained in detail.

"In the specialized field of life essence, we define the time a person would naturally live out their life without unforeseen injuries or illnesses as their 'predetermined lifespan' or 'natural lifespan'."

"Each person may have slight differences, but their general lifespan will not vary much. This is inherently formed in the womb, and only breakthroughs in cultivation realms or heaven-defying spiritual treasures like Immortal Catalpa Fruit can increase and extend it."

"To give a simple example, imagine a container that can hold one liter. No matter what you fill it with—water, beverages—you cannot exceed the container's inherent capacity. Consuming life essence is like prematurely opening a sluice gate and draining some of the water that originally filled the container. Once the water inside the container dries up, it means life essence is depleted, which is 'dying of old age'."

Chen Mobai easily understood this explanation and couldn't help but praise Yu Rulin, the Chief Disciple of Longevity Academy, for his professional expertise.

"So, to replenish life essence, you just need to refill the container with water?" He asked. Yu Rulin nodded, then pointed to the medical consultation stall opposite.

"Our longevity research focuses on various methods to increase the container's capacity beyond cultivation realm breakthroughs, essentially extending the innate lifespan, which is one of the ten great challenges of the Immortal Sect. Consuming life essence simply means the body and mind have been overdrawn prematurely, and the container itself might even be damaged. This is a different field from longevity research; simply put, you're sick and need to see a doctor."

Although his words weren't pleasant to hear, Chen Mobai found them very encouraging.

Because Yu Rulin's meaning was clear: replenishing life essence was not difficult at all, not something that required the Chief Disciple of Longevity Academy to handle.

Following the other's instructions, he went to the medical consultation stall next door.

The stall owner was merely at Qi Cultivation Level 9, named Le Chengwei. Chen Mobai wasn't looking down on him, but his professional skill was indeed quite inferior compared to Yu Rulin, the Chief Disciple.

Le Chengwei insisted that Chen Mobai specify which spell was used before he could prescribe the correct medicine to replenish life essence.

This was an impossibility. Seeing Le Chengwei's stubbornness and realizing he couldn't reason with him, Chen Mobai had no choice but to return to Yu Rulin's stall.

"Senior from the Upper Institute, although my small stall isn't busy, we need to stick to our specialties. If you want to discuss longevity, I can talk with you for a bit longer, but if it's about replenishing life essence, please don't come back to me." Yu Rulin saw Chen Mobai, still wearing his mask, return, and his brows furrowed slightly as he put down his book.

He had already said that his research was on longevity, and he wasn't proficient in medical consultations.

Because Chen Mobai was from the Dance-Weapon Dao Institute, he had bothered to explain a bit more earlier. If it had been someone from another university, even one of the ten great academies, he would have simply sent them to the medical stall directly.

"Brother Yu, why don't we find a coffee shop and chat privately?" Chen Mobai's words made Yu Rulin click his tongue. The latter looked impatient and was about to refuse when the black crystal mask on the former's face suddenly peeled away piece by piece, revealing his true appearance.

Upon seeing his face clearly, Yu Rulin's eyes widened instantly, his expression one of utter disbelief.

"Ah!" At the same time, Shi Wanyu's roommates, who had been watching Chen Mobai, also seemed to have caught a glimpse of his true face, letting out a surprised gasp.

Fortunately, in an instant, Chen Mobai swept his hand across his face, restoring his mask and covering half of it again.

People around who heard the gasp looked over but didn't notice anything amiss, looking curiously at Shi Wanyu's roommate who had cried out. The latter didn't say anything either, just covered her mouth, her face full of excitement.

"Senior Chen, I know a good maid café. This way, please." Yu Rulin's attitude had completely changed. He stood up, taking the lead, and at the same time called his junior from the wellness stall next door to help him watch the longevity stall.

"One moment, I'll say hello to my friend." Chen Mobai nodded, then turned and waved to Shi Wanyu, who had been watching them. She immediately separated from her two excited roommates and jogged over to him.

"Chief Disciple Yu and I have some professional topics to discuss. Would you like to come along, or would you prefer to explore on your own for now?" Although Chen Mobai's words were polite, his meaning was very clear.

Shi Wanyu's bright face dimmed slightly. She nodded, indicating that she would be shopping with her roommates later and would not come along.

"Alright, then let's meet up again when we're free next time. I still owe you a lipstick; I'll buy it for you then." Chen Mobai nodded, then departed with Yu Rulin, who had been waiting for a while.