I Have An Infinite Cultivation Resource
Chapter 111: Photosynthesis, Opening the Way with Talismans
Lu You accepted the lotus seed, respectfully bowed to Wu Hao, and then departed from the Water-Cloud Realm. As he left, he also greeted Situ Lang before heading off.
Wu Hao's intentions had been made perfectly clear.
This lotus seed was not a reward for presenting the ancient maps.
Rather, it was meant to help Lu You advance into the Golden Core realm. Only after Lu You reached the Golden Core would Wu Hao truly regard him as one of his own.
Holding the lotus seed in his hand, Lu You examined it carefully.
He couldn't detect anything unusual about it.
He then summoned Evil Eye and had it inspect the lotus seed once more.
"Boss, I can't find anything either. But if there's only ten of such seeds every thousand years. Would that old fellow really hand one over to you so easily?"
Evil Eye couldn't perceive the methods of a Nascent Soul Venerable, but that didn't mean it believed the lotus seed was safe.
After thinking for a moment, it advised, "Boss, Nascent Soul cultivators are just too terrifying. Why don't you take your senior sister, and we'll all run off into the mountains to live like hermits? With the spirit liquid and those serpent eggs, it'll be enough for both of you to cultivate all the way to the Nascent Soul realm. Then the two of you can have children—have a hundred or so of them—and raise every single one into a Nascent Soul cultivator. Then we'll emerge into the cultivation world together as one giant family. How safe would that be?"
Seeing Lu You staring at it speechlessly, Evil Eye hurriedly explained, "Boss, even if Sister-in-law can't give birth to that many, it's fine! As long as Sister-in-law has one child, wouldn't that mean your children could become endless? They're all your children anyway! Raise an endless army of Nascent Soul descendants, and who in this cultivation world would you ever have to fear?"
After thinking for a moment, Lu You decided it was time to temper Evil Eye's character.
He promptly threw its consciousness into the memories of the Blood Shadow Technique, specifically the section recording the agony of body tempering.
At last, his mind became peaceful again.
Putting away the lotus seed, Lu You headed toward the Weapon Crafting Hall.
Today was the third day—the day he had arranged with Tang Long.
He was worried that Senior Sister Zeng Yan might arrive to collect the weapons before he did, so he hurried over.
. . .
"Fellow Daoist Lu, both weapons are finished—the sword and the meteor hammer."
Only three days had passed, yet Tang Long looked like an entirely different person.
He was positively radiant with confidence.
The disciple's robes he had worn before were gone, replaced by robes identical to those worn by the sect's elders.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Tang."
Lu You cupped his hands in congratulations.
Tang Long quickly waved him off.
"It's all thanks to Fellow Daoist Lu's trust in allowing me to forge your materials. It finally gave me the opportunity to display my craftsmanship."
"This time I successfully forged two Treasured Artifacts in succession without wasting a single bit of material."
"That was enough for the sect to promote me."
He handed Lu You a storage ring.
Both Treasured Artifacts were inside.
Not only had Tang Long refused to charge anything for the forging, he had even included the storage ring free of charge to hold the weapons.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, if another opportunity comes along in the future—or if you ever wish to sell any materials—I hope you'll remember me."
Tang Long was a shrewd man.
Lu You had generously commissioned an entire Treasured Artifact sword as a gift for Zeng Yan.
That clearly meant he had profited enormously from the recent secret realm expedition.
There was a good chance he still possessed valuable materials.
Moreover, meteor hammers weren't weapons cultivators normally used.
Tang Long suspected Lu You would eventually return to commission different weapons, so he naturally wanted to cultivate a long-term customer.
"Certainly. Certainly."
Lu You smiled awkwardly.
After all, he had secretly learned Tang Long's forging techniques and had even stolen the Earth-Core Flame from the Weapon Crafting Hall.
There's a very high chance he won't ever be coming back here.
After returning to his room, Lu You opened the storage ring and looked over the two Treasured Artifacts inside.
A moment later, he destroyed both the storage ring and the weapons together.
There was no helping it.
The materials Tang Long had used were simply too ordinary.
The weapons Tang Long had forged were far inferior to the ones he had personally crafted.
"Now I can openly use the meteor hammer and give the sword to Senior Sister."
Lu You had not only learned Tang Long's forging techniques, but had also stayed long enough to observe him construct the spiritual-energy mold from beginning to end.
As a result, the sword and meteor hammer Lu You had forged were virtually identical to Tang Long's versions.
At the very least, no one could tell the difference by appearance alone.
He transferred his own meteor hammer and sword from the Cauldron of Cornucopia into his storage ring before taking out the lotus seed once more.
Lu You placed the lotus seed on a plate, then took out the Bone of Hell.
Holding the bone like a pestle, he began grinding the lotus seed.
The crystal-clear lotus seed, which obviously looked like no ordinary treasure, was quickly crushed into a smooth paste.
"The Bone of Hell contains restrictions. But as long as it's ground into powder before being consumed, those restrictions can be bypassed. Wu Hao is only a Nascent Soul cultivator—could the lotus seed he gave me really be more sophisticated than the Bone of Hell?"
He examined the lotus paste with his spiritual sense.
Just like the Bone of Hell, most of the lotus seed's energy had dissipated after being crushed.
However, that also meant that if there had been any hidden restrictions within it, they would have been destroyed along with its structure.
"Just to be safe... I still won't eat it directly."
Lu You controlled the Cauldron of Cornucopia and poured out an entire plateful of lotus seeds.
He then used the Bone of Hell to crush every one of them into paste.
Afterward, he wrapped the paste in a small cloth pouch, turning it into a makeshift herbal sachet.
Then, he lit a stove.
Filling a pot completely with spirit liquid, he tossed the pouch containing the lotus-seed paste into it.
"Boss, you're making lotus seed soup? Brilliant! A thousand-year lotus seed cooked with spirit liquid... even a Void Refinement realm cultivator would drool over that!"
Seeing what Lu You was doing, Evil Eye's pupils turned into little stars.
If Lu You ate like this every day, he'd reach the Golden Core realm in no time, and then Evil Eye could drink Golden Core blood to its heart's content.
"Too bad I don't like drinking soup."
Lu You reached into the small cauldron again and pulled out one of the serpent eggs.
He gently lowered it into the pot.
He wasn't making lotus seed soup.
He was making a spirit-liquid lotus-seed soup boiled serpent eggs.
Sure enough, the serpent egg—already filled with abundant life force—began greedily absorbing the spirit-liquid lotus-seed soup the moment it touched the broth.
The entire egg gradually began glowing brilliantly.
Once it had finished cooking, Lu You peeled away the shell.
The egg inside had taken on a faint trace of the lotus seed's essence.
It had become crystal-clear and translucent.
Taking an experimental bite, Lu You immediately felt an overwhelming torrent of spiritual energy surge into his body.
At the same time, another mysterious force merged together with the serpent egg's bloodline power, transforming into an entirely new kind of energy that nourished every part of his body.
"It's... wood-element power."
Lu You carefully observed the changes.
The serpent egg's bloodline had originally strengthened his body with the power of a demonic beast.
The lotus seed's wood attribute, however, was completely different.
It made him feel… like a plant.
A strange sensation resembling photosynthesis emerged within him.
More importantly, his perception of the world's spiritual energy had become clearer, and he felt noticeably closer to nature itself.
"So that's it..."
"It doesn't actually increase lifespan directly."
"It reduces the consumption of life force through something similar to photosynthesis, which is what extends one's lifespan."
Lu You couldn't help smiling.
Whether cultivating or simply exercising, what was truly consumed was a person's life force—or, in modern terms, their cells.
Ordinary cultivation, even when consuming treasures like the serpent egg, strengthened the cells themselves, allowing them to divide more times before reaching their limit.
That was why Foundation Establishment cultivators could live for two hundred years.
The lotus seed, however, functioned differently.
It granted the body something akin to photosynthesis.
Previously, a single bout of physical activity would consume enough energy to require one round of cellular division.
Now, photosynthesis offset part of that expenditure.
The cells no longer needed to divide as often.
As a result, lifespan naturally increased.
Of course, eating just one spirit-liquid lotus-seed egg wasn't nearly enough to produce such dramatic effects.
But Lu You had already seen the possibility.
As long as he continued eating spirit-liquid lotus-seed boiled eggs, he might eventually possess the lifespan of a Golden Core cultivator while still only at the Foundation Establishment realm.
And once he reached Golden Core, perhaps even the lifespan of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
"What an incredible enhancement."
He swallowed the rest of the egg in one bite.
Then he cooked several more, storing them inside the Cauldron of Cornucopia.
Afterward, he left the courtyard and headed toward Myriad Sword Mountain.
It couldn't always be Zeng Yan coming to visit him.
Lu You felt it was about time he took the initiative to visit her instead.
Previously, Ma Yuan had placed him under house arrest, making travel inconvenient.
Now, however, Ma Yuan is dead.
Lu You had also established ties with Wu Hao.
No one in the Deep Literary Pavilion would bother restricting his movements anymore.
. . .
Unlike the Deep Literary Pavilion and the Weapon Crafting Hall, which were bustling with business and had fairly relaxed entry checks, the Myriad Sword Mountain was a place devoted purely to cultivation. As soon as Lu You reached the foot of the mountain, he was stopped by two patrolling disciples.
"I am Lu You, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Deep Literary Pavilion. I've come to visit my senior sister, Zeng Yan."
Lu You quickly presented his identity token to prove who he was. At the same time, he casually took out two Thunder Technique Talismans crafted on Deep Literary Pavilion talisman paper and handed one to each guard.
"Senior Brothers, I'd appreciate it if you could make an exception for me. Of course, if Myriad Sword Mountain has rules prohibiting disciples from other peaks from entering, then I'd trouble you to pass a message to Senior Sister Zeng for me."
It was hard to refuse someone after accepting such generous gifts. Thunder Technique Talismans were expensive, and the two patrol disciples had never received anything so valuable before. Their smiles immediately brightened.
"The Myriad Sword Mountain doesn't forbid disciples from other peaks from entering. We just have stricter inspections. But judging from these talismans alone, it's obvious Fellow Daoist Lu is from the Deep Literary Pavilion. There's no need for any further inspection."
After a moment's thought, one of them added another warning.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, just these two Thunder Technique Talismans are enough to prove that the rumors about Myriad Sword Mountain are nonsense. However, if you happen to hear any gossip, it's best not to argue with anyone. This is Myriad Sword Mountain. If trouble breaks out, it would put us in a difficult position as well..."
Rumors?
Lu You frowned.
Seeing his confusion, the two disciples squeezed the talismans in their hands before sighing.
"When Junior Sister Zeng Yan entered Myriad Sword Mountain, she was only at the Qi Refinement Realm, while all the inner disciples were already at the Foundation Establishment Realm. Because of that, most people believe she got in through Senior Brother Bai Zihua's connections, so they don't think highly of her."
"On top of that, she got caught up in the incident involving Huang Wen's death. Even though someone at the Qi Refinement Realm couldn't possibly kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator, some of Huang Wen's close friends still use it as an excuse to make life difficult for Zeng Yan."
As they spoke, the two disciples glanced at Lu You again.
"And as for you, Junior Brother... word has already spread about how Zeng Yan lent you a treasured artifact for the recruitment trials, and how the Qi-Nourishing Pill she gave you was stolen by Zhou Lei. Plenty of people say you're living off a woman. Some even claim Zeng Yan has loose morals—that she first seduced Senior Brother Bai Zihua and now keeps you as well."
"But don't pay those people any mind. Just these two Thunder Technique Talismans are enough to prove your extraordinary skill in the Dao of Talismans. Compared to a talisman master, what are those inner disciples who spend their days gossiping?"
On the path of cultivation, one's success depended on wealth, companions, techniques, and treasures—and among those, wealth was the most important.
Especially within the same sect, where disciples were forbidden from killing one another, the person with greater wealth and more cultivation resources naturally commanded greater respect.
As a result, Foundation Establishment talisman masters, alchemists, and artifact refiners held significantly higher status than Foundation Establishment sword cultivators, who had to scrape by on their own.
The Thunder Technique Talisman was the strongest offensive first-grade talisman. Since Lu You had given away two of them so casually, it was obvious that he could draw them himself.
Anyone capable of producing the most powerful first-grade offensive talisman lacked only one thing before becoming an official First-Grade Talisman Master—passing the examination at the Deep Literary Pavilion and obtaining the certification.
"Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother. I'll be sure to keep it in mind."
Lu You cupped his hands in thanks and headed toward Zeng Yan's residence.
The two cultivators exchanged glances before one of them added,
"There's no need to hurry, Fellow Daoist Lu. When you leave the mountain later, come back this way. We'll still be on duty here, so Junior Brother won't have to be questioned again."
Just a small gift, and everything suddenly became so convenient...
Lu You sighed inwardly.
In his previous life, he had despised this kind of culture.
Yet in this life, thanks to the Cauldron of Cornucopia, he unexpectedly found himself appreciating it.
It seemed he was nothing more than a scummy hypocritical person after all.
. . .
The inner sect was completely different from the outer sect.
There were no communal courtyards.
Even the most basic accommodations consisted of private cultivation rooms.
Compared to the place Lu You rented, the only difference was the lack of a courtyard.
If one was willing to spend spirit stones, however, the inner sect offered far more luxurious residences—large standalone homes comparable to villas.
One could even hire spirit servants to handle daily chores and personal needs.
As Lu You entered Myriad Sword Mountain, many disciples glanced curiously in his direction.
Especially after he stopped in front of Zeng Yan's residence.
Several of them suddenly seemed to realize something.
Some even laughed mockingly.
Three female sword cultivators deliberately spoke loud enough for him to hear.
"Oh? I was wondering why there was an outer-sect talisman cultivator wandering around Myriad Sword Mountain."
"So you're Zeng Yan's little lover."
"Tsk, tsk. He's quite handsome. No wonder Zeng Yan fell for him."
"But I could never be that shameless."
"Flirting with Senior Brother Bai while keeping a little junior brother on the side..."
"How utterly disgraceful."
Another sneered, "And it's not just Zeng Yan who's shameless."
"Lu You's just as bad."
"He knows perfectly well that Zeng Yan has an ambiguous relationship with Bai Zihua, yet he still clings to her for a few cultivation resources."
"Just thinking about a man like that makes me sick."
The third burst into laughter.
"Heh, maybe they're both into that sort of thing."
From the corner of his eye, Lu You noticed that the three female sword cultivators appeared to be Zeng Yan's neighbors.
When they saw him looking over, not only did they refuse to back down, they glared back defiantly.
Because of cultivation, all three possessed graceful figures and attractive features.
But standing beside Zeng Yan… the difference was like mud compared to a blooming lotus.
An ordinary beauty standing beside an ugly woman wasn't especially striking.
But when an ordinary beauty stood beside an exceptional beauty, the comparison became merciless.
Their modest attractiveness was instantly reduced to nothing.
No wonder they were so eager to spread malicious rumors.
Lu You looked at them as though he had just seen something filthy.
His expression was filled with unconcealed disgust before he calmly looked away and knocked on Zeng Yan's door.
"Damn it! Who the hell are you looking at like that?!"
The three gossiping sword cultivators exploded with anger after seeing Lu You's disdainful expression.
Each immediately drew her sword and rushed toward him.
At that exact moment, the door to Zeng Yan's residence opened.
"Junior Brother!"
Zeng Yan's face first lit up with surprise.
But the instant she saw the three women surrounding Lu You, her expression turned icy.
Without hesitation, she stepped in front of Lu You, shielding him behind her.
Seeing Zeng Yan, the three women's momentum visibly weakened.
Even so, their words remained just as aggressive.
"Oh? Planning to hit someone for your pretty little boy toy?"
"This is Myriad Sword Mountain."
"You little bitch."
"So what if I insult you?"
"Not only will I insult you, I won't even accept your challenge to a duel."
"I'm just going to piss you off."
"What are you going to do about it?"
Within the Myriad Sword Mountain, fighting was absolutely forbidden regardless of the circumstances.
Anyone who resorted to violence would receive severe punishment.
If cultivators had grievances, they were required to settle them through an official arena duel.
If Zeng Yan attacked now, then once the Law Enforcement Hall arrived, she would be the only one punished.
No one would care whether she had first been insulted.
Just as Bai Yongzheng had once said—
The rules of the Law Enforcement Hall existed to preserve the Verdant Cloud Sect, not to protect the disciples of the Verdant Cloud Sect.
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
Tn: I updated the story once every 2 days, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Link: https://www.patreon.com/collection/1960529[1]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1960529