Longevity: Starting From Getting Down The Mountain And Marrying A Wife

Taking on the role of an attendant monk did not have much impact on Zhong Yan's daily life, returning it to a peaceful and regular state.

However, the benefits of being an attendant monk were undeniable.

For example, the monk's token.

With it, going out became much more convenient. At least when facing trouble from Yan State's sect cultivators or officials from prestigious families, showing the token could alleviate some difficulties. It was a symbol of having the "support of the royal family."

Another benefit was the connections. Zhong Yan further befriended most of the cultivators in the city, making it easier to establish relationships and obtain lucrative tasks.

As for cultivation, dual cultivation, talisman-making, studying the "Great Void Technique," and accompanying his children... As for all worldly matters, Zhong Yan handed them all over to his wives and concubines, only occasionally listening to reports.

Time flew by, and four months passed.

Inside the cultivation room, Zhong Yan suddenly stood up, radiating a brilliant light. He felt a hint of surprise and doubt in his heart, "Is it done?"

He quickly opened the stone door, walked to the courtyard, mobilized his inner energy by operating his cultivation technique, and silently recited the mantra while his hands flew and formed hand seals. When the gestures were complete, he pressed his palm forward.

The Great Void Palm!

Buzz~

An illusory giant palm instantly formed in mid-air, surrounded by surging spiritual energy, exuding a terrifying power.

Zhong Yan's face changed dramatically, and he swung his palm down.

Boom~

A small artificial mountain, three people tall, was shattered. Stones flew and dust filled the air.

At the same time, Zhong Yan stumbled and his body went limp, directly kneeling on one knee and then sitting down, his mind feeling hazy and heavy.

"What the f*ck!"

"Awesome~"

Zhong Yan looked at the courtyard full of broken stones. Although his face was pale as paper, his eyes were filled with excitement and exhilaration.

This power was comparable to a second-tier "Explosion Talisman." If it hit the target, it could instantly kill someone at the fifth level of Qi Refining and seriously injure someone at the sixth level of Qi Refining!

"Master!"

Hearing the commotion, Jiang Huan, who was practicing martial arts in the nearby courtyard, rushed over. Her face turned pale as she knelt down in front of Zhong Yan, but she didn't dare to help him up casually. With a tearful voice, she asked, "Master, what happened to you?"

"It's nothing." Zhong Yan shook his head, smiled at her, and struggled to sit cross-legged. He took out a pill from his storage bag and swallowed it.

He just felt weak.

With just one move, or perhaps it couldn't even be considered a complete move, it drained ninety-nine percent of his inner energy.

If he hadn't reacted quickly and released it in time, he would have definitely been drained of his inner energy and fainted. He might even have had his blood and qi sucked dry, becoming a dried-up corpse.

And the sea of knowledge also has a considerable loss, causing dizziness and headaches, but the 'Void Monument Hand' does not require much mental energy, obviously considering that compared to vitality, the mental energy required is negligible.

"Husband!"

After a while, Qiuxiang rushed through the arched doorway and saw her husband sitting on the ground, his face pale and frightening. She panicked and tears welled up unconsciously. She rushed forward, at a loss, "Husband, what happened to you..."

Zhong Yan, extremely weak, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's nothing, just exhausted from practicing. Don't let them make a fuss. Help me inside."

At the arched doorway, the two newly married concubines with their maidservants also arrived, but they didn't dare to approach.

Qiuxiang nodded repeatedly, wiped away her tears, and turned her head to shout, "Go back and mind your own business. No one is allowed in the backyard without permission!"

Then, she and Xiaohuan helped Zhong Yan towards the cultivation room.

Both of them clearly saw the trembling of the master's legs, unable to stand at all. For a while, both of them were so nervous that they were scared.

After sitting on the stone bed, Qiuxiang gently stroked her husband's back with her palm and said to Xiaohuan, who was pouring tea, "Xiaohuan, quickly inform the first madam and the second madam to come back!"

"Yes!"

Zhong Yan shook his head slightly and said, "No need, it's a minor issue. Xiaohuan, go and bring some food, with meat."

"Alright! This servant will go now!"

Qiuxiang was full of worry, her tear stains pitiful. "Husband, are you really okay? Don't deceive Xiang'er."

Zhong Yan grinned, "Do I look like something's wrong?"

"That's good then. You scared me to death."

She could tell that besides his pale complexion, her husband's expression was indeed relaxed, and there was even a hint of surprise in his eyes. She was afraid that he was pretending.

Not long after.

Xiaohuan returned with two food boxes. The mansion was now crowded, with many wives and concubines, and numerous children. The kitchen always had prepared food.

"Master, the fourth madam wants to come and see you. She's waiting outside."

"What's the point of showing off her big belly? Let her go back and rest properly. I'm fine."

"Yes, master."

After swallowing the Qi-replenishing pill and the blood-replenishing pill to regain some strength, Zhong Yan took the wet handkerchief and wiped his hands. Then he grabbed a pork trotter and started eating, devouring it.

"Husband, please eat slowly."

Qiuxiang presented plate after plate of meat dishes. Finally, the heavy burden in her heart was lifted. She exchanged a smile with Xiaohuan, who had come running back. Being able to eat meant that he was really fine.

"Mmm, the taste is good," Zhong Yan praised, his mouth full of oil.

"It's been a long time since you ate with everyone. Naturally, it tastes extremely delicious."

In order to save time in cultivation, Zhong Yan has been relying on "Fasting Pills" to fill his stomach for the past few months. He casually asks, "Ping'er and Dao'er, are they both out?"

Qiu Xiang nods and says, "Yes, Eldest Sister is at the martial arts hall, and Second Sister took some people to 'Liwa Village' to inspect the fields..."

Qiu Xiang and Jiang Huan serve the master's food and drink, and can't help but curiously observe the cultivation room.

Both of them are entering for the first time. It's a room that is not too big or too small, about twenty square meters. Besides the stone bed, stone table, stone stool, and simple daily necessities, there is nothing else... However, in the corner of the bed covered with a blanket, they see many women's personal clothing.

Jiang Huan hesitates for a moment, blushes, and goes up to tidy up and arrange them.

After a stick of incense.

After eating and drinking their fill, Zhong Yan dismisses the two of them and begins to internally examine his body - besides the consumption of vitality, there are no other aftereffects.

Thinking of the scene where the artificial mountain exploded earlier, his eyes emit a bright light.

However, Zhong Yan quickly suppresses his joy.

Although the power of the Void Monument Hand is great, it cannot be used easily. Otherwise, if the opponent is not killed or disabled, he would become a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, without any ability to fight back.

"It seems that the vitality in my body is not enough to support normal activation."

"Perhaps it will be better after breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Refining."

"Next, I need to focus on improving my realm, and also find a way to increase my spiritual power."

Before practicing the Void Monument Hand, he first practiced "Void Concealment".

Because having such a technique is very convenient for many things, it is more practical than the main killing technique of the Void Monument Hand.

Two months ago, he felt that he had comprehended the essence of "Void Concealment", and there were no problems with the mantra and hand gestures, but he couldn't perform it.

After pondering for a while, he speculated that besides the lack of vitality, the bigger problem should lie in his "spiritual power".

His spiritual power is too weak, and "Void Concealment" has specific requirements for spiritual power.

Spiritual power is the foundation of a cultivator's practice, the most important aspect, and almost all matters related to cultivation are inseparable from spiritual power.

For example, spiritual perception. In many cases, it is more real than what the "eyes" see. Even if the other party wears a mask, it can be distinguished through their aura.

Another example is internal examination, which constantly monitors changes in one's own physical condition through spiritual power, and is particularly important for cultivation.

Spiritual power also affects cultivation speed, adaptability in battles, spell casting, comprehension of techniques, and analytical ability, among others.

In addition, formations, alchemy, and prohibitions have strict and rigid requirements for spiritual power. Without sufficient spiritual power, it is difficult to even cross the threshold.

Zhong Yan's inability to fully depict the formation is due to his weak spiritual power.

It is well known that below the Soul Formation stage, the spiritual power of cultivators is generally weak, and the difference between individuals is not significant.

Except for those with naturally strong spiritual souls, whose innate spiritual power is stronger, in general, many cultivators have a higher realm and stronger spiritual power.

Only when one breaks through to the Soul Formation stage will the cultivator's divine sense greatly improve.

This is also the reason why Soul Formation cultivators are called "Soul Formation powerhouses." The huge difference in divine sense allows Soul Formation cultivators to initially transcend the mundane and become gods.

It is worth mentioning that the cultivation realms in the Immortal Martial Continent are divided from low to high as follows: Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Gold Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, Void Refining, Dao Integration, Mahayana, Transcending Tribulation...

However, it is very difficult to enhance one's divine sense.

There are special techniques for cultivating divine sense, but they are not something that ordinary independent cultivators can obtain, even many sects do not have them.

The spiritual medicines and pills used to cultivate divine sense are also extremely precious and expensive.

In addition to the scarcity of techniques and the preciousness of resources, few cultivators at lower realms would "waste" their time on cultivating divine sense.

There is simply not much cost-effectiveness.

Even with excellent divine sense techniques and abundant spiritual materials and treasures that can enhance divine sense, cultivating divine sense below the Soul Formation stage has little effect.

For example, the increase in divine sense that takes three years for a Qi Refining cultivator, if cultivated at the Soul Formation stage, not only costs fewer resources but may be equivalent to three years of effort in just one day.

But in reality, who can afford such time?

For the vast majority of cultivators, they are constantly chasing after their lifespan. If they don't hurry to improve their realm and increase their lifespan, why would they spend energy on cultivating divine sense?

But speaking of which...

With one point higher in divine sense, one's strength can be increased by three or four points or even more. This is beyond doubt.

The geniuses in large sects and outstanding cultivators from cultivation families, with their good aptitude and conditions, naturally accumulate divine sense earlier than ordinary people.

So it is often rumored in the cultivation world that certain geniuses can kill enemies of higher realms. In addition to their abundant vitality, stronger divine sense is also a key factor, even if their divine sense is only slightly stronger than others.

As for ordinary cultivators like Zhong Yan, the growth of their divine sense mainly relies on the natural improvement brought by realm breakthroughs.

A Qi Refining cultivator has a perception range of five zhang, and with each advancement, it increases by three zhang.

When breaking through to the Foundation Building stage, one's perception range can reach a hundred zhang at once, and then it increases by five zhang with each realm advancement.

Due to individual differences among cultivators, there are slight variations between different people.

"Divine sense is difficult, but it needs to be planned ahead..."

The Fire Cloud Sect has techniques for cultivating divine sense. Zhong Yan had heard Huo Donglai mention it before.

However, even Huo Donglai didn't have the opportunity to cultivate it, so it is impossible for Zhong Yan to obtain it.

As for buying it, divine sense techniques that are even more expensive than dual cultivation techniques are not available in the Yangquan market.

"I guess I have to find a chance to start a side business."

Muttering to himself, Zhong Yan adjusted his state and swallowed a Qi Condensation pill to refine it.