Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Chapter 1501: Chapter 812: Ten Years Flow Like Water, Breaking Through the Golden Core (Part 2)

Chen Polu felt a wave of disappointment at these words. For the past seven years, he had used this sword to slay many powerful enemies and was well aware of the formidable power of the Flowing Moon Sword, almost comparable to a Second Order Spiritual Artifact. Naturally, he did not want to see this sword destroyed in vain.

However, before he could open his mouth, the leader suddenly changed his tone: “But, with the Samadhi True Fire, I can refine an even better one.”

Chen Polu’s worry turned to joy as he hurriedly asked, “Boss, how long will it take you to successfully refine it? I have a mission and can only stay on the island for two months at most.”

“Half a month is enough. Just wait, I’ll get started right away.”

With that, Zhao Sheng rose to his full height, carrying the Flowing Moon Sword and a gourd, and gracefully walked out.

Chen Polu watched his departing figure, his expression complex and tense, showing a hint of restlessness.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, a burst of laughter suddenly rang out from the Lakeside Pavilion, as Chen Polu held in his hands a small, inch-long, crystalline sword, laughing uncontrollably.

As the laughter echoed, the crystalline small sword jumped up and down like a fish, reflecting a cold, bright light like the bright moon, and occasionally emitting a buzzing sound.

“Haha, what a wonderfully spiritual flying sword! Boss, your artifact-refining skills are incredible!” Chen Polu held the flying sword lovingly, praising it endlessly without restraint.

Zhao Sheng remained calm and said lightly, “It’s your strong luck. When refining this flying sword, I added a rare spirit material, and then an unknown mutation suddenly occurred when the sword was born. By coincidence, that gave birth to this Spiritual Artifact-Level Bright Moon Sword.”

At the mention of the words “Spiritual Artifact,” Chen Polu immediately displayed an incredulous expression, exclaiming, “This… this is a spirit sword! Boss, your cultivation—”

“No Foundation Establishment, just Qi Refining Late Stage,” Zhao Sheng knew what he wanted to ask and said straightforwardly.

“So fast!” Chen Polu blurted out instinctively. He knew that the boss, like him, had the lowest-grade Five Spirits Roots.

In seven years, although he had numerous fortuitous encounters, he had only broken through to Qi Refining Seventh Layer, while the boss stayed on the island without setting foot off it, yet reached the same realm as him.

Looking back on the life-and-death experiences over the past seven years, Chen Polu felt a wave of disappointment, and even the Bright Moon Sword in his hand seemed to lose its appeal.

Half a day later, with a trace of reluctance, Chen Polu hurriedly left Seven Stars Island.

…

Time flowed like water, and four months passed in the blink of an eye.

On Cold Spring Island, Zhao Sheng and Hu Yuanqiao sat cross-legged on a large lotus leaf, continually raising their cups and having a pleasant conversation.

Underneath the lotus leaves, the pool was clear, emitting a wave of coldness from its surface. Floating on the lake were white jade wine cups the size of fists, with the wine inside half frozen and half melted, a thin layer of ice forming on the cups’ walls.

Hu Yuanqiao reached out and picked up a white jade wine cup from the water, raising it as a toast to Zhao Sheng, laughing, “Come, my Taoist friend, drink this cup to the full. As the saying goes, a cup drank empties the worries of ages. Ask not about the cold moon hook after waking up.”

Zhao Sheng reached out and took a cup of wine, raising it in a gesture, then drank it all down in one go. The wine flowed down his throat like a stream of cold spring, instantly clearing his spirit. After the cold, a wave of warmth spread rapidly through his limbs and bones.

“Good wine!” Zhao Sheng casually tossed the wine cup and could not help but praise.

Hu Yuanqiao, smiling, put down his wine cup and clapped his hands toward the shore. A graceful and beautiful young girl walked quickly over the lotus leaves.

Hu Yuanqiao pointed at the beautiful young girl and, taking advantage of the wine’s effect, laughed, “So that you know, Taoist Zhao, this is the old Taoist’s granddaughter, Hu Yu’er. Yu’er is at the age of budding romance; though a few years younger than you, she is close in age. I entrust her to your care in the future. Yu’er, greet Taoist Zhao.”

Hu Yu’er’s eyes gleamed as she stepped forward and curtsied gently, softly saying, “Yu’er greets Brother Zhao.”

Zhao Sheng’s smile vanished as he thought to himself, the old Taoist’s intentions were too eager, pushing for matchmaking when nothing had even happened yet. Does he really think I’m someone swayed by beauty?

“Master Hu, you’re joking. I merely have some skills for preserving youth. Though I look young, I am actually over fifty.”

Hu Yuanqiao’s smile froze at these words, and Hu Yu’er’s expression also slightly changed.

“Haha, I’ve had a few too many drinks and got drunk. Taoist Zhao, forgive my careless words.”

“No harm done,” Zhao Sheng replied with a gentle smile.

Then, he beckoned to Hu Yu’er and pulled out a string of beads from his sleeve, tossing it over.

“This is a little trinket I refined by chance, called the Five Elements Pearl. It has the effect of clearing unwanted thoughts and aiding cultivation. Consider it a meeting gift for Miss Hu Yu’er today.”

Hu Yu’er caught the bead string, looking at the round, lustrous, and glowing beads with visible joy: “Yu’er thanks Senior Zhao for the gift!”

Seeing this, Hu Yuanqiao chuckled softly and said, “You’ve gone to such expense, Taoist friend. Come, let’s continue savoring the wine.”

With that, he signaled to his granddaughter.

Hu Yu’er understood and stepped forward, picking up a white jade wine cup and handing it to Zhao Sheng with both hands.

Zhao Sheng received the wine cup with a calm expression, nodding slightly at her.

Hu Yuanqiao again raised his cup, and they drank heartily. Hu Yu’er stood silently by, smiling beautifully.

…

As summer passed and autumn came, the rice was ripe.

On Seven Stars Island, the thirty-three acres of spirit fields were filled with spirit rice, the grains plump and large as longans, the stalks thick as thighs, reaching over ten feet high. It looked like a forest of golden trees, truly spectacular.

Zhao Sheng stood on the Mystic Turtle Shield, hovering in mid-air above the spirit fields, gazing at the laboring servants below.

The servants cautiously used sharp scythes to cut down whole ears of rice, then carried them out of the fields and placed them in a giant jade vat by the field.

These White Jade Rice, after half a year of growth, successfully mutated, and Zhao Sheng named them Golden Jade Rice.

One acre of spirit field could yield a thousand pounds of golden corn, and the rice stalks were a rare spirit material, suitable for refining high-quality talisman paper.

Half a month ago, Hu Yuanqiao accidentally saw the nearly mature Golden Jade Rice in the field. Astounded, he repeatedly visited to seek the rice seeds.

To this, Zhao Sheng didn’t object; after all, the Golden Jade Rice was a product of chance.

His goal was never the spirit rice but this spirit field.

Thanks to the modification by the Five-Colored Stone, the spirit vein beneath this land had grown significantly, upgrading the spirit field to Third Grade.

Half a day later, the spirit rice in the field was all harvested, over thirty thousand pounds of Spirit Rice were stashed away.

During this time, Hu Yuanqiao came uninvited and, to acquire the rice seeds, didn’t hesitate to bring his granddaughter along.

Zhao Sheng understood this shameless approach; after all, he knew very well how difficult life was for loose cultivators at the bottom of the Cultivation World. For the sake of family and personal cultivation, losing face was no big deal!

Of course, what’s given for free is seldom cherished.

Zhao Sheng extorted ten jars of Hundred-Year-Old Red Dust wine from him before giving Hu Yuanqiao the Golden Jade Rice Seeds.

…

The rice ripened ten times, and Seven Stars Island remained as peaceful as it had been ten years ago.

In this time as calm as water, without anyone knowing, Zhao Sheng had quietly passed the Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation that year, becoming a rare Golden Core Master in Thousand Island Lake.

In the same year, Chen Polu set foot on Seven Stars Island once again.

Upon meeting again, he was in high spirits, his cultivation astonishingly having reached Qi Refining Perfection.

The following year, Hu Yuanqiao, with his life span nearing its end, suddenly visited Seven Stars Island, entrusting his affairs to his “old friend” Zhao Sheng.

Then, on a rainy night, Hu Yuanqiao closed himself off in seclusion, trying to break through to Foundation Establishment in his last few years of life.

Sadly, things don’t always go as one wishes; he still failed!

In this time as calm as water, without anyone knowing, Zhao Sheng had quietly passed the Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation that year, becoming a rare Golden Core Master in Thousand Island Lake.

In the same year, Chen Polu set foot on Seven Stars Island once again.

In the same year, Chen Polu set foot on Seven Stars Island once again. In the same year, Chen Polu set foot on Seven Stars Island once again.

Upon meeting again, he was in high spirits, his cultivation astonishingly having reached Qi Refining Perfection. Upon meeting again, he was in high spirits, his cultivation astonishingly having reached Qi Refining Perfection.

The following year, Hu Yuanqiao, with his life span nearing its end, suddenly visited Seven Stars Island, entrusting his affairs to his “old friend” Zhao Sheng.