Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age

Chapter 481 - 303: Foundation Establishment Recognized

Lu Chang’sheng had been dealing with the Little Fire Cloud Beast for a while now—he could tell exactly what was coming just by the way it stuck its butt up in the air.

Without wasting any more words, he went straight to firing up the pill furnace for alchemy.

Once the flames were just right, he had the Little Fire Cloud Beast come over.

"Don’t let the pill fire go out. If you do, I’ll start docking your pill rations from now on."

The Little Fire Cloud Beast shuddered all over, immediately leaping to the furnace to control the fire.

Lu Chang’sheng watched for a while, satisfied in his heart. All the effort he’d put in to nab this Fire Cloud Beast hadn’t been wasted—its talent was no joke. Even at just the third level of Qi Cultivation, its Fire Control Ability rivaled mid-stage Qi Cultivators.

If he raised it for a few more decades, it might even help him refine second-grade pills.

The Little Fire Cloud Beast had no clue what Lu Chang’sheng was thinking. Right now, it was working harder than ever to control the flames.

Lu Chang’sheng’s Foundation Establishment aura was putting a ton of pressure on it, so it didn’t dare slack off for even a second.

Still, as clever as it was, it couldn’t figure out why Lu Chang’sheng had suddenly achieved Foundation Establishment.

With so much extra pressure, its outlook on the future was looking a lot less optimistic.

It figured, once it got a break, it’d definitely go back and have a word with its mom.

The Little Fire Cloud Beast felt a bit resentful inside—signing a Spirit Contract with Lu Chang’sheng had all been because of its mom’s persuasion.

It was carrying a little grudge in its heart.

······

Lu Chang’sheng finally had a free moment. When evening came and Nangua and Gu Chan still hadn’t returned, he got a bit worried and headed over to Gu Yuan’s place.

As soon as he walked in the door, he saw the two women playing chess in the courtyard.

Both of them were frowning in concentration.

Lu Chang’sheng found it a bit odd—was Nangua really that good at chess?

You had to know, Gu Chan came from a noble family and had been trained in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting since she was little. She was definitely a master at chess.

Nangua, on the other hand, barely ever messed with that stuff. Going up against Gu Chan, she should’ve been wiped out on the spot.

But after watching for a bit, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Nangua was frowning in concentration, sure, playing seriously; but Gu Chan’s frown was all about trying to handle interpersonal relations on the chessboard.

She was trying to figure out how to lose without letting the other person realize it.

Now there was a real conundrum.

Lu Chang’sheng stopped suppressing his aura, and the two women noticed him at once. Forgetting all about the chess game, they stood up to greet him.

Warm, gentle beauty overwhelmed his heart and mind for a moment.

Soon enough, his hands and feet started getting a little out of line.

But the two women were still a bit shy and shot him a playful glare.

"Behave yourself, this is Gu Yuan’s place, you know."

Nangua lightly brushed his hand aside.

Gu Chan didn’t react as dramatically as she did—her cheeks just turned a shy pink, though there was a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

Ever since she’d settled things with Lu Chang’sheng, she’d loosened up a lot. Sometimes, when she was with Nangua, she’d even catch her off guard with a risqué joke or two.

Nangua shot Gu Chan an annoyed look and was just about to say something, but suddenly froze mid-sentence.

"Did you break through?"

Gu Chan was a beat slower to react, but soon enough, her eyes were filled with anxious excitement as she looked at Lu Chang’sheng.

Lu Chang’sheng had been at Qi Cultivation level nine for a while—once he broke through, it meant Foundation Establishment.

Foundation Establishment—across the entire Guangnan Domain, that was a big deal. Plus, everyone said Alchemist Lu was a natural at alchemy, but his progress was held back by the Immortal Dao Spirit Root—making Foundation Establishment practically impossible.

If you couldn’t reach Foundation Establishment, your alchemy skills would cap out at average second-grade at best.

And these past years, Lu Chang’sheng’s alchemy had definitely been held back by that.

If he’d really broken through to Foundation Establishment, didn’t that mean he’d finally count as a true big shot in the Guangnan Domain going forward?

With two pairs of expectant eyes on him, Lu Chang’sheng nodded.

"Had some trouble, but yeah, I made the breakthrough."

Lu Chang’sheng didn’t see any point in hiding it—breaking through at over a hundred years old wasn’t exactly something to brag about.

Even here in Guangnan Domain, there were plenty of Foundation Establishment cultivators who’d taken decades to get there.

Breaking through to Foundation Establishment took both talent and a bit of luck.

He knew perfectly well his own talent was lacking, but when it came to luck, he definitely wasn’t shortchanged.

As soon as he said it, both women got so excited they could barely contain themselves.

If the situation was just a little less awkward, Lu Chang’sheng had a sneaking feeling the two of them would’ve devoured him right there.

"If Mom and Dad knew the Lu Family had produced a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they’d probably be crying tears of joy."

Nangua thought of Mrs. Lu and Mr. Lu, pride and a touch of sadness mixing on her face.

Lu Chang’sheng gently comforted her, and then heard Gu Chan suggest throwing a Foundation Establishment banquet. He quickly said, "Let’s hold off on the banquet for now—it’s not a good time. We’ll wait until the Purple Ice Lake business is finished."

Right now, the Immortal Sects were busy fighting over the resources left behind by the Profound Turtle Alchemist at Purple Ice Lake. If Lu Chang’sheng threw a banquet now, he’d just be asking for trouble.

Hearing Lu Chang’sheng say that, both women nodded in agreement, each silently hoping the Purple Ice Lake mess would wrap up as soon as possible.

······

Still, Lu Chang’sheng’s plan to stay low-key and wait out the Purple Ice Lake business didn’t pan out in the end.

The reason? The Little Fire Cloud Beast used its break time to slip back to the Beast Institute and meet up with the Fire Cloud Beast Ning Yun.

At the time, Ning Yun was napping. Compared to a few years ago, it looked even older now.

Most of its days were spent sleeping.

Huang Ling kept it company day and night, her eyes filled with worry.

Even though Fire Cloud Beast Ning Yun was only a mid second-grade beast, its fire control talent was top notch—its strength rivaled late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

If it died, it would be an unimaginable loss for the Good Beast Sect.

Over the years, the Good Beast Sect had already seen its Foundation Establishment experts dwindle. If they lost another powerhouse like this, they’d very likely tumble right into the bottom ranks of the Three Immortals in the Guangnan Domain.

But the Good Beast Sect’s problems ran deep—they weren’t the sort that could be fixed overnight.