Chapter 71: I, Ao Yi... Am Not Growing Anymore

As expected, the spirit beast cub given to his junior sister was played with for a few days before she tossed it into the spirit beast enclosure in the back mountain. Fortunately, Li Changshou had already prepared for this. He built a small water cage for the 'Pink Bamboo Rat' (which could devour most low-quality treasures) and added two layers of simple arrays to restrict its movement.

Ling’e visited the spirit beast enclosure three times a month. Most of these spirit beasts could absorb primal energy from heaven and earth, so they wouldn't truly starve.

The Earth Spirit Pearl gifted by Youqin Xuanya was placed in a conspicuous spot in Li Changshou’s alchemy room, not carried on his person. This treasure was quite valuable. If he could acquire the other four types of identical quality spirit pearls in the future, he could craft an array disc for the 'Five Elements Wheel of Slaughter Array'. For now, it wasn't particularly useful.

Li Changshou still couldn't understand why Youqin Xuanya... Never mind; he could only say that she lived up to her reputation for being 'toxic'. When the 'toxic one' next visited their Little Qiong Peak, he would simply rest in his alchemy room and let Ling'e entertain her with play, conversation, and tea.

After this small interlude, Li Changshou entrenched himself in his alchemy room, diligently beginning to refine pills. Amassing wealth was his top priority.

Last time, he had wandered around 'Linhai Town' and conducted some simple market research. The pills he was now refining were several mainstream types highly sought after by rogue cultivators: healing, recovery, cultivation-boosting, and bottleneck-breaking pills of immortal-grade quality. These low-grade immortal pills could be used by cultivators at the Return to Void Realm and also meet the daily needs of 'high-end rogue immortals'. Producing these ensured high profits through large sales volumes, guaranteeing profitability.

Thanks to Li Changshou’s alchemy techniques and methods, which he had summarized over many years, his pill-formation rate was indeed quite high. Most cultivators relied on intuition and experience when refining pills. The terms "a small amount" or "an appropriate amount" in the pill formulas were as vexing as the little imps who frequently roamed the mortal world of Southern Continent.

Li Changshou had long had a solution for this. As soon as he began alchemy, he would take detailed notes, constantly experimenting to discover the precise quantities for each formula. He also meticulously recorded changes in heat, the order of adding ingredients, the age of medicinal herbs, and the size and shape of cuts, all along the timeline of the alchemy process, to find the perfect solution. This was the guarantee of his high pill-formation rate!

While mass-producing these mainstream pills, Li Changshou also planned to refine some higher-grade pills, reaching the upper limit of his current skill level—first and second-revolution spirit pills.

Ordinary immortal pills were categorized into superior, mid, and inferior grades. Mid-grade immortal pills sold best in market towns, with many immortal sects not skilled in alchemy purchasing them in large quantities. Pills surpassing immortal-grade were called 'spirit pills', categorized from first to ninth revolution. However, any pill worthy of being called a spirit pill was a treasure. Incidentally, the Nine-Revolution Golden Elixir was the hallmark of the Human Sect's leader, the incarnation of Grand Pure One! Consequently, several Human Sect lineages were skilled in alchemy. However, Li Changshou currently dared not use the Human Sect's unique pill formulas, which implicitly added more difficulty. For the sake of safety, there was no other way.

Li Changshou’s 'Alchemy for Wealth' plan was also straightforward: He would reject the cost-effectiveness route and prioritize improving the quality of his immortal pills. Initially, he would slightly lower prices to impact Linhai Town's pill market. After long-term stability, he would ensure that whenever he appeared, his pills would be snatched up by all the apothecaries!

Although he could refine 'spirit-grade' pills, the success rate for spirit pills wasn't guaranteed, so he dared not acquire too many ten-thousand-year-old spirit herbs. Only after securing stable profits from mid-range pills would he gamble with the remaining spirit herbs. Amassing wealth also required a steady approach.

***

After refining the newly acquired treasures into array foundations, effectively 'fattening up' a small portion of Little Qiong Peak's complex mountain array, Li Changshou's twelve hours of each day were once again packed with activities. Three hours were dedicated to comprehending the Dao, two hours to refining his Paper Effigy Transfiguration divine ability, one hour to reading ancient texts and expanding his knowledge, and the remaining six hours were spent entirely in his alchemy room, single-mindedly refining pills.

These pills were all for external sale, so there was no need to worry about attracting attention within the sect. This feeling was remarkably similar to when he first began alchemy, creating stacks of 'equations', forgetting to eat or sleep, and even holding his small alchemy furnace while meditating. Time was imperceptible before the furnace; the sun rose and set unnoticed.

When Li Changshou concentrated on alchemy and cultivation, he barely noticed the passage of time. Cultivation was indeed like this. The years flowing around him seemed to slow down, incredibly slow. He didn't need to rush and fret about food and shelter like mortals, nor worry about a lifespan of merely a hundred hurried years. When his mind grew weary from alchemy, he would occasionally stroll through the mountains, observe nature, tease his junior sister, and tend to the spirit fish in the lake, the spirit beasts in the mountains, and the herbs in the fields. He was, in fact, immensely satisfied with this kind of life.

He lived months as if they were days. He wove tranquility into his heart, and carved prudence into his very bones.

In the Primordial World, only the Southern Jambudvipa had distinct seasons; most other places, besides Northern Kuru, enjoyed perpetual spring. It took Li Changshou over three years to finish processing this batch of pills.

The Paper Effigy was now even more perfected. He had improved three or four noticeable flaws, such as the effigy's facial features, which could finally change at will. Furthermore, Li Changshou had used the 'clumsy' methods of thickening the paper effigy and adding more restrictions, boosting its usable strength to the early True Immortal Realm. This further secured the safety of his assets.

Li Changshou planned to wait for his master to emerge from seclusion, then discuss with him letting his master take a half-stroll outside the mountain-protecting array while he used a Paper Effigy for his second trip to Linhai Town. For this outing, the Paper Effigy would display a late-stage Heaven Immortal Realm cultivation, a level not easily targeted by robbers. Of course, there were many other precautions to consider.

Sitting in his rocking chair, organizing his thoughts for a moment, Li Changshou took out a jade tablet and wrote down the various treasures he needed to acquire this time. If this batch of pills sold smoothly, not only could the core array foundation of the complex grand array be upgraded, but the outer interlocking confusion array around his alchemy room would also receive a boost.

"Junior Aunt Jiu doesn't know when she'll come out of seclusion," he mused, "I miss her quite a bit." Li Changshou glanced at the treasure pouch he had prepared for Junior Aunt Jiu; it already contained delicious pills and the liquor she liked. While he could bury the underground array foundations himself, it would be safer to rely on Junior Aunt Jiu's help for the surface-level grand array.

After finishing the list, Li Changshou stood up and stretched. 'Later, I'll go visit Elder Wanlin Yun, then prepare for the outing.' *Sigh*... These fulfilling, tiring, yet leisurely years of cultivation... It would be quite good if he could maintain this lifestyle indefinitely.

***

'Hmph, these human cultivators who've gained the great fortune of heaven and earth, leisurely cultivating and discussing scriptures and Dao every day.'

On Jin'ao Island, in the Treasure Pool. A green dragon slowly swam in the pool, a hint of helplessness in its slender dragon eyes. He was no longer the teenage dragon cub he once was, but some shadows always lingered in his heart, never dissipating.

Gradually, Ao Yi developed a heart ailment: whenever he saw an old Daoist in human form, his mind would become unsettled. He knew he had developed a mental block, but he couldn't overcome it. His body had also developed some issues as a result, but he consistently refused to confront them.

Not far away, several Immortal Golden Immortals from the Jie School were expounding on the Grand Dao of Longevity for the many immortals present who had yet to achieve true immortality. Ao Yi really wanted to go and listen, but there... There were simply too many old Daoists. Especially a few who always wore stern expressions, inevitably stirring up painful memories for him.

Through his observations of the human cultivators on the island over the years, Ao Yi had discovered many issues and developed more doubts. Sometimes he wondered... perhaps he had misunderstood humans? Were those stern-faced old Daoists he encountered back then anomalies among humans? No, impossible! Don't be fooled by these human cultivators, who were cheerful and harmonious every day, mingling with demons, spirits, and goblins as if they were all one big family, proclaiming that the Jie School was a single entity, teaching without discrimination. In reality, every single one of them... was incredibly cunning!

Ostensibly, most human cultivators called him 'Junior Brother' or 'Fellow Daoist'. But secretly, they all treated him, the dignified Second Prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace, as nothing more than a display dragon! Was being the current protagonist of heaven and earth so impressive...?

Over the years, a few flood dragon spirits on Jin'ao Island would occasionally converse with Ao Yi, providing him some solace. In terms of cultivation, Great Immortal Wuyun had imparted some immortal methods to him in a dream and tossed him two spirit treasures out of thin air, then didn't bother with him much more. This master wasn't particularly attentive to him, but Ao Yi harbored no resentment in his heart. This was the price he had to pay for attempting to escape last time.

By continuously stimulating his Dragon King bloodline, Ao Yi's cultivation realm had steadily reached the Heaven Immortal Realm, granting him more dragon-specific divine abilities. For dragons, crossing the immortal tribulation wasn't difficult; they would simply transform into their true forms and rush into the tribulation clouds, using the lightning tribulation to complete a scale shedding and replacement.

'When will I finally hear the Saint expound on the Dao?' Ao Yi sighed faintly in his heart.

The Jie School was divided into inner and outer sects. The inner disciples were actually few in number, specializing in the Dao passed down by the Sect Master Tongtian. The Saint's inner disciples were primarily the four great disciples: Daoist Duobao, Golden Spirit Mother, Wudang Mother, and Spirit Turtle Mother, along with a small number of their direct and indirect disciples. The number of the Saint's outer disciples, however, was incalculable; there were simply too many. The four great outer disciples were Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, Bixiao, and Qiongxiao. These four already had their own Dao when they became disciples of Sect Master Tongtian, hence they were categorized as outer disciples. Those who had spread their teachings across the three thousand worlds were all inheritors of the Dao taught by Sect Master Tongtian's outer disciples.

Sect Master Tongtian and his four great inner disciples resided permanently in Biyou Palace. Biyou Palace was the Saint's lineage, located in an ethereal, misty place, said to be discoverable only by Grand Unity Golden Immortals. There was a path to Biyou Palace on Jin'ao Island, but no one knew where it was. In any case, Ao Yi had secretly scoured Jin'ao Island thoroughly but still hadn't found that Saint's path. This simply meant he lacked the destiny.

Currently, among the three Daoist sects, the Jie School, thanks to its motto 'teaching without discrimination,' had an ever-growing lineage, and the 'ten thousand immortals coming to pay homage' was no longer an idle boast. As for the Human Sect, Ao Yi now completely understood it. This great sect had only one Saint and one direct disciple of the Saint, yet it was one that neither the Chan nor Jie Schools dared to offend. The Human Sect lineages in Zhong Shenzhou also remained undisturbed year-round, with no one daring to provoke them. Grand Pure One, Lao Zi, was the foremost among the Six Saints, hailed as the strongest Saint below the Dao Ancestor.

'If I had been more persistent back then, and desperately sought to join a Human Sect lineage, perhaps I could have salvaged some fortune for the Dragon race and found a way out.' As for the Immortal Ascension Sect... Ao Yi now looked down on it slightly. The Immortal Ascension Sect did indeed belong to the Human Sect lineage and possessed the Saint's inheritance, but its own strength was not particularly formidable, and there were no renowned experts from the Primordial World stationed within its gates.

After listening to the scriptures expounded by those Golden Immortals for a while, Ao Yi sighed in his heart and slowly sank to the bottom of the pool. His dragon body coiled in a corner, cultivating quietly. He couldn't fall asleep; if he did, he would have nightmares of being processed as food.

The more he understood, the more Ao Yi realized how deep and terrifying the waters of the Primordial World truly were. The Dragon-Phoenix Calamity had not only exhausted the Dragon race's fortune but also eliminated their true masters. Now, with Saints presiding over heaven and earth, the Dragon race could only retreat to the four seas, while humans and Daoist sects were the true protagonists of the world. Some of his previous ideas were indeed rather naive. Reverse humiliation was useless. No amount of slaps could wake a dragon pretending to be drunk.

However, if he wanted the Dragon race to flourish once more, the only path was indeed for dragon descendants to enter the Saint's lineage. What, then, should I, Ao Yi, do?

In fact, he had already come up with a good idea a few years ago: Gaining renown. If he could establish his name across the Five Continents and Four Seas as the Dragon Palace Prince and a Jie School disciple, he could, in turn, influence his clansmen's thinking and gradually encourage them to lower their posture. This was the opportunity to reverse the Dragon race's fortune, and it was something he could achieve.

While cultivating, Ao Yi suddenly overheard two passing Daoists conversing by the pool. "This time, when we go to debate Dao with several immortal sects in Eastern Continent, according to their crude old customs, they might ask their young disciples to compete again. Where am I supposed to find any young disciples...?"

Ao Yi, at the bottom of the pool, shuddered, his dragon tail swished, and as his dragon body rapidly shrank, he surged out of the water. The azure dragon emerged from the water, its green scales shimmering. The two Heaven Immortal Realm cultivators turned their heads to see the azure dragon transform into a graceful youth, slowly descending from the air, and offering them a Daoist salute.

"Fellow Daoists..." Ao Yi began, "I would indeed like to experience it. My cultivation years are short, so I could be considered a young disciple of our Jie School." He couldn't help it; as Great Immortal Wuyun's disciple, there were too many cultivators on Jin'ao Island, and he often got confused about seniority. As for this youthful form, resembling a thirteen or fourteen-year-old... He didn't know why, but ever since he was schemed against by those old Daoists, his human form... had stopped growing.

The two Jie School Heaven Immortals exchanged glances and quickly agreed.