Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Name: Zhao Dingtian (Zhao Sheng)

Life Span: 52/226

Realm: Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer

Profession: Second Order Talisman Master, Second Order Alchemist

Constitution: Three Spirit Roots of Water, Metal, Fire, Half Spirit Clan

Talent: Bullet Time, Danger Perception, Absolute Rationality

[Skills]

Cultivation Technique: Mystic Primordial Heavy Water Technique (Great Success), Stacking Talisman Technique (Great Success), Sacrificial Fire Technique (Great Success), Blood Soul Scripture (Incomplete, Master), Merging God and Separating Thought Technique (Skilled)

Spells: Bing Xin Cold Thunder, Blood Escape, God-Slaying Sword, Thousand Waterfalls Flowing Cloud…

Talisman Making: …Concentrating God Talisman, Blood Melting Talisman, Life Hundred Thoughts Talisman, Prisoner Dragon Talisman, Thousand Mirror Ice Cloud Talisman, Illusion Shadow Escape Talisman, Summoning Thunder Talisman, and one hundred ninety-six other kinds

Alchemy: Foundation Establishment Pill, Nourishing Spirit Pill, Bone Marrow Spirit Pill, Essence Spirit Pill, …Soul Condensing Pills, Breakthrough Pill, totaling thirty-three kinds.

...

As time flies by, the years leave no trace.

The life on Phoenix Tail Island was peaceful and simple, and the peach tree in front of Zhao Sheng's cave mansion had already produced ripe peaches seven times.

Perhaps even he hadn't expected that this mission to guard the mine would last a whole seven years.

Seven years, not too long and not too short, but enough time for some people and events to change dramatically.

Over the years, apart from the occasional inspection of the mine pits, Zhao Sheng's other times were either spent on alchemy and talisman painting or in closed-door cultivation.

As he made significant progress in both the Dao of Alchemy and Talisman, his cultivation level also surged at an unimaginably fast rate, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer in just seven years.

By this stage, he had exhausted the benefits of his past life's accomplishments; the speed of his future cultivation would inevitably slow down, and he could only gradually advance step by step.

Three years ago, Zhao Sheng had successfully crafted his thirteenth Second Order Spirit Pill, the Breakthrough Pill, and formally advanced to become a Second Order Alchemist.

In the same year, several events related to him also happened on Nine Virtue Isle.

Early that year, unexpectedly, the Jin Family gained a new Foundation Establishment Cultivator named Jin Dansheng. After traveling the Shattered Star Sea for many years, he returned to his family and appeared before outsiders as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

However, only a few people knew that Jin Dansheng's advancement to Foundation Establishment was completely dependent on a Foundation Establishment Pill that Zhao Sheng had secretly sold to the Jin Family.

It was also in this year that Zhao Sheng started to sell his first Foundation Establishment Pill, with the eager Red Light Tower as the buyer.

By the end of that year, Master Xu Chong's favored disciple, Ge Chen, suddenly disappeared after going out on a trip,

Because of this, Master Xu Chong was furious, and the Spring and Autumn Alliance had to deploy all its members to search for half a year without finding any trace of Ge Chen. He seemed to have vanished into thin air, with no further news since then.

Due to past conflicts between Zhao Sheng and Ge Chen, Zhao Sheng was also suspected. But at that time, he was stationed on Phoenix Tail Island and had an alibi, and there was no evidence pointing to his involvement.

Thus, with Master Qi Feng's protection, Zhao Sheng easily cleared his name.

In order to avoid Xu Chong's wrath, Zhao Sheng stayed on Phoenix Tail Island for three more years, under Master Qi Feng's advice.

With the seven-year period over, Zhao Sheng smoothly handed over his duties to the incoming Foundation Establishment Minister.

Stepping out of his cave mansion, he looked at the heavy fruit on the peach tree and silently exhaled. With a flip of his hand, a palm-sized silver-white boat suddenly grew to a size of two zhang, floating three feet off the ground in front of him.

He lightly hopped onto the flying boat, casually cast a controlling spell, thought for a moment, and the flying boat soared into the sky with a whoosh, rising to a thousand feet in the air, circling half a turn before speeding towards Nine Virtue Isle.

...

Two days later, Red Light Tower.

As soon as Zhao Sheng entered the tower, he was courteously ushered into a private room in the backyard by the overly attentive clerk, and upon hearing that Daoist Long Li had arrived, Hong Yuanliang immediately dropped everything and hurried to the room for the meeting.

Thump thump thump!

A series of rapid footsteps approached quickly from afar, and before the person appeared, the laughter arrived first.

"Haha, Mr. Hong has been longing day and night for the Daoist's visit. Now that you've finally come today, the wait has nearly killed me!"

The burly Hong Yuanliang stepped through the door, beaming as he strode towards Zhao Sheng, talking non-stop.

"Mr. Hong flatters me too much!" Zhao Sheng stood up and bowed in courtesy.

After exchanging a series of flatteries and formalities, the two sat down, drank a pot of tea, and then got down to business.

Zhao Sheng took out two White Jade Pill Bottles and gently pushed them towards Hong Yuanliang.

Hong Yuanliang's face lit up with joy as he hurriedly opened the pill bottles and immediately admired them, "Wow, marvelous! There are actually two Foundation Establishment Pills this time. It seems the Daoist's mastery of the Alchemy Dao has advanced once again, truly a cause for celebration!"

"The usual rules, first swap for ten Thousand-Pattern Star Algae Fruits, then use the rest to exchange for Primordial Heavy Water."

"Ah, I've prepared them for you already!"

As he said this, Hong Yuanliang took out two Dark Wood Wood Boxes and a Mystic Iron Gourd and solemnly handed them to Zhao Sheng.

As soon as he received the gourd, Zhao Sheng probed into it with his Divine Sense and saw twelve tear-drop sized transparent "crystals" clearly suspended in the center of the gourd.

These "crystals" were the famed Primordial Heavy Water, which at the moment was completely retracted in spirit and light as a feather, but once it manifested its power, it would instantly become as heavy as a thousand catties.

Zhao Sheng also opened the wooden box to check, and inside, ten Thousand-Pattern Star Algae Fruits were neatly placed.

"Very good! Did the 'Blood Soul Scripture·Mysterious Blood Refining Technique' I requested arrive?" Zhao Sheng asked with satisfaction after tucking away the wooden box.

Hong Yuanliang paused, looking troubled, "Daoist, you do not know. I reported your request to the mountain gate long ago, but the situation is not optimistic. The 'Dark Blood Alchemy Method' is considered a true inheritance technique of our sect, which outsiders are hardly granted, unless... unless Daoist, you are willing to return with me to the mountain gate and truly join our sect."