Chapter 117: The Marvelous Use of Lifespan
Chapter 117: Chapter 117: The Marvelous Use of Lifespan
Many people glanced at the black-robed figure in the bamboo hat who had spoken. They all shook their heads, their expressions a mixture of surprise and, for many, thinly veiled ridicule.
There’s no talking sense into someone who’s looking for trouble.
They had made the situation perfectly clear, and even the organizers had tacitly confirmed it. It was as much as one could do.
’And yet, someone still wants to jump into this fiery pit... Tsk, tsk. More Spirit Stones than sense.’
Just as expected, all the other "smart" people kept their mouths shut and made no further bids.
"Seventy once, seventy twice, sold for seventy! Congratulations to this Fellow Daoist for winning the bid on the roots of the Nine-leaf Purple Ginseng!"
With the auctioneer’s announcement, Lin Changheng won the item.
He didn’t linger, heading directly to a small room on the side to pay the Spirit Stones and collect the item before making his way out.
Whether it was due to the good security in the Cyan Spirit District or because Lin Changheng’s presence wasn’t enough to inspire any ill intentions, he ultimately left without incident.
...
「Late that night.」
On the fourth floor of the pavilion, Lin Changheng took out the roots of the Nine-leaf Purple Ginseng.
He continuously rubbed the patterns on its surface, lost in thought about the Foundation Establishment Pill.
According to what he had heard from the other cultivators at the Secret Shop, the raw materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill were so scarce that they would probably be difficult to acquire in the future.
After a long while, he snapped out of his daze. He brought over the flowerpot from before, sprinkled in some Spirit Soil he had specially purchased at the Marketplace, and planted the roots within it.
’It’s now or never.’
Lin Changheng immediately channeled the True Intent of his Rongsheng Divine Abilities, infusing it into the pot of withered roots.
HUMMM—
As he continuously poured in his Magical Power, Lin Changheng noticed the withered roots show a slight reaction, but it quickly faded away.
’Is that working, or not? Is it saved, or is it a lost cause?’
Sweat beaded on Lin Changheng’s forehead as he stared at the withered roots, utterly confused.
Why was it that last time, when he used the True Intent of his Rongsheng Divine Abilities on the ornamental Spirit Plant, it had reacted immediately and even put forth a new sprout?
But this time, he wasn’t getting the same result?
The disparity sent Lin Changheng into deep contemplation.
If he had to identify the differences, the first was that the previous Spirit Plant was Tier One, whereas the withered roots of the Nine-leaf Purple Ginseng could be classified as a Tier Two Spirit Plant.
The second difference was that the previous Spirit Plant still had its branches and roots, while this time, only the roots were left.
Two differences lay before Lin Changheng.
’When in doubt, run a controlled experiment. That’s a valuable lesson from my past life that I can’t forget.’
Over the next seven days, Lin Changheng did just that, conducting a series of thorough tests.
He finally eliminated the second variable.
He took two identical Tier One Spirit Plants. For one, he left the branches intact; for the other, he left only the roots. After applying his Divine Power True Intent to both, he found that they both reacted and sprouted new buds.
The problem, then, clearly lay with the first variable: the difference between Tier One and Tier Two.
Having identified the problem, Lin Changheng focused his mind and began a new attempt.
This attempt was inspired by a flash of insight, a gift from his Origin Treasure Seed!
Within his body, he simulated the giant, withered tree he had become in the world of Withered Silence—the world the Primordial Cauldron had pulled him into.
He channeled his Divine Abilities, recreating that single point of verdant green from the heart of the tree.
The sensation lasted for only three breaths, but he could faintly grasp it.
Half a day later, as Lin Changheng sat motionless in meditation like a withered tree, specks of green began to slowly materialize inside his body.
Under his deliberate control, they slowly coalesced.
SHIING!
In the instant they merged, a strange sensation welled up in his mind.
It felt as if something had been stripped from his body and integrated into that wisp of green.
’This is the moment.’
He pointed a finger forward.
Instantly, a halo of primeval green light appeared, enveloping the withered roots before him and pulsing with the very essence of life.
In the next instant, the withered roots began to change.
Their dull, purplish-brown color slowly grew vibrant again. The cracks covering their withered surface began to fill in and smooth out.
The broken, lusterless silver patterns reconnected, becoming like lively silver threads.
The piece of withered root had actually recovered its vitality.
By the time the green light within Lin Changheng’s body had completely dissipated, the withered roots had already put forth a new sprout.
Before he even had time to rejoice, Lin Changheng immediately began to investigate the source of the change.
’What was taken from me?!’
After a long moment, his eyes widened. ’It was my Lifespan!’
His Lifespan, which had grown to one hundred and seventy-three years, had been reduced by one year, leaving him with one hundred and seventy-two!
’I traded my own Lifespan for the revival of this Tier Two Spirit Plant!’
’For a Tier One Spirit Plant, I can use my Rongsheng Divine Abilities to convert Magical Power and revive it. But for a Tier Two Spirit Plant, I have to use my Lifespan!’
Lin Changheng even had a feeling that if he were willing to continue consuming his Lifespan—turning it into that green light and infusing it into the roots—he could even make it grow rapidly.
But he immediately squashed the idea.
Trading one year of his Lifespan for the revival of the Nine-leaf Purple Ginseng’s roots was a break-even deal, perhaps even a small gain.
After all, getting his hands on a main ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill was no easy task.
However, using it to accelerate the plant’s growth afterward would undoubtedly be a massive loss.
...
For a while after, Lin Changheng continued to experiment.
To his pleasant surprise, he discovered that his Magical Power, when infused with the True Intent of his Rongsheng Divine Abilities, was now effective again. It could now promote the growth of the Nine-leaf Purple Ginseng now that it had been revived.
It seemed that spending a year of his Lifespan to revive it had also somehow magically altered it.
’Good thing I wasn’t impulsive!’
How could Lin Changheng not be overjoyed by this discovery?
He made it a habit to expend a wave of Magical Power to ripen it before bed each day, greatly shortening the time it would take to mature.
At the same time, to conceal this Treasure Medicine, Lin Changheng went straight to the Golden Light Array Shop across the street and purchased two sets of Tier One Arrays.
One was an Upper Grade Defense Array, the Liangyi Dust Array, which Jin Geng had strongly recommended. It could protect his fourth-floor residence from intrusion.
Even an Early Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn’t be able to sneak in undetected!
The other was a Middle Grade Illusion Array called the Luoqu Array, which would conceal the Nine-leaf Purple Ginseng within its physical surroundings, making it difficult to spot.
The total price was eight hundred Spirit Stones, but Jin Geng gave him a friendly discount, letting him take both for seven hundred.
The discount was so steep because Jin Geng had personally refined these Arrays and had the authority to set their price.
He had advanced to become an Upper Grade Array Master half a month ago.
In return, Lin Changheng gifted him three Middle Grade Masterpiece Pills as a gesture of goodwill, a welcome gift for someone whose cultivation was still at the Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivation.
The expense still made Lin Changheng’s heart ache, but it was money he had to spend. With the great matter of his Foundation Establishment at stake, he couldn’t afford not to be cautious.
After all, the plant was precious. If the Xu Family found out about it, they would surely be tempted.
To say nothing of other families and cultivators.
’Fortunately, the Arrays aren’t single-use. I can always use them again in the future.’
After comforting himself with this thought, Lin Changheng felt a little better.
...
「Around the middle of the month.」
Lin Changheng was suddenly struck by a premonition, an indescribable feeling that washed over his mind.
Then, a feeling of weakness washed over him from within his body. It was an incredibly familiar sensation, one that hadn’t ceased in over forty years.
His Essence Blood was being drawn out!
But instead of alarm, he felt a jolt of joy—
This meant his Origin Treasure Seed was about to complete another layer of Spirit Stealing!
It was advancing... to the Fifth Layer!