Ten Years

Shen Long returned to Green Lotus Garden and saw Gu Tianhong and Tang Yuting standing at the entrance.

They were only in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage and did not attend the Mystic Yang Dharma Assembly.

The news that Shen Long won third place in the Mystic Yang Dharma Assembly has spread throughout the Spirit Control Sect, including the fact that he was accepted as a disciple by the Master Ice Silkworm.

Gu Tianhong and Tang Yuting never expected that Shen Long would have such great abilities. Shen Long had not participated in the Sect Grand Competition and had been missing for more than ten years. They had almost forgotten about Shen Long.

"Junior Brother Shen, congratulations!"

Gu Tianhong offered his congratulations.

"I heard that Junior Brother Shen won third place in the Mystic Yang Dharma Assembly. This is the best result our Spirit Control Sect has achieved in a thousand years. Junior Brother Shen has brought glory to our Spirit Control Sect."

Tang Yuting said with a smile.

Shen Long nodded and said, "Senior Brother Gu and Senior Sister Tang are welcome to come and visit more often."

"Must."

Gu Tianhong and Tang Yuting looked delighted and agreed.

Shen Long invited them into the Green Lotus Garden for tea and conversation.

Upon learning that Shen Long was doing business with Qian Dafu, they all expressed their willingness to help, Shen Long told them to go find Qian Dafu.

Lin Sisi has Core Formation Cultivator behind her, so she can naturally take a stake, but Tang Yuting and Gu Tianhong are out of the question.

After chatting for half an hour, they said goodbye and left.

Shen Long entered the Green Lotus Pavilion, arrived at a secret room, entered the Spirit Control Tower, and went to the second floor.

A sharp, piercing bird cry rang out, and the Golden-Winged Wind Peng descended from the sky, landing in front of him and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Shen Long took out two Beast Spirit Pill and fed them to the Golden-Winged Wind Peng, and also fed it three hundred-year-old Green Wind Grass.

He was able to master multiple wind-based Law Technique to the Great Perfection, thanks in no small part to the assistance of the Golden-Winged Wind Peng.

Shen Long walked onto the back of the Golden-Winged Wind Peng, whistled, and with a gentle flap of its wings, a gust of wind arose, sending it soaring into the sky.

The Golden-Winged Wind Peng flew very fast, and a gust of wind howled past, making Shen Long's hair fly wildly.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Golden-Winged Wind Peng finally landed on the ground.

Shen Long jumped to the ground and let it roam freely. The Fire Rock Beast rushed over and let out a low roar.

He fed the Fire Rock Beast a Beast Spirit Pill and a Red Ginseng, then left the Spirit Control Tower.

He sat cross-legged on the Cyan Stone Bed and began to cultivate his inner energy.

For the next month or so, Foundation Establishment Cultivator came to visit every day, truly proving the saying, "People are afraid of becoming famous, just as pigs are afraid of getting fat."

Shen Long couldn't very well put on airs and invite the visitor into the Green Lotus Garden for a chat.

These Foundation Establishment Cultivator either invited Shen Long to their birthday celebrations, invited Shen Long to travel, or invited Shen Long to do business together; they tried every means to get closer to Shen Long.

Shen Long brought out the Master Ice Silkworm and declined their invitations.

He doesn't have that much time; a few polite words will suffice.

Shen Long greeted Lin Shan and asked him to record the names of the visitors and the peaks they were on, while he went into seclusion to cultivate.

······

The Zhao Kingdom, the Xu Family.

In a secluded manor, an elderly man of medium build in a blue robe sat in a Cyan Stone Pavilion, while a tall, thin young man in a blue robe reported to the elderly man.

"Shen Long! Golden Condensation Mirror! Gold-Eating Ant!"

The old man in the green robe said with a gloomy face.

Xu Yunfeng, Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

"This should be the person. There were some dead Gold-Eating Ant left at the scene. This person is too strong. No wonder Uncle Yunfeng and the others were no match for him."

"That's what the man in the blue robe said."

Xu Yiqing, Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

"This person is a disciple of the Spirit Control Sect. It will be very difficult for us to take revenge."

Xu Yiqing sighed.

"It's all about human effort. There's a chance. If it weren't for this person, our Xu Family could definitely have monopolized that Golden Jade Ore Vein. Knowing who our enemy is makes things much easier."

Xu Yunfeng said in a deep voice.

If it weren't for Shen Long, the Xu Family, having monopolized the Golden Jade Ore Vein, could have developed even better, and it's possible they even produced Core Formation Cultivator. But it's all too late now.

Xu Yiqing nodded and said, "Understood. Yu Yan has joined the Hundred Ghosts Sect. If she advances to the Golden Core Realm, our revenge will be much easier."

The Xu Family is also an affiliated cultivation Lineage of the Hundred Ghosts Sect. When the Hundred Ghosts Sect accepted disciples, several members of the Xu Family joined the Hundred Ghosts Sect, Xu Yuyan was the most outstanding member of the Xu Family.

"To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. If we want revenge, we must also work hard. Send someone to inform Yu Yan of this matter."

Xu Yunfeng gave the instructions.

"Yes, Lord Yunfeng."

Xu Yiqing agreed and left to carry out the order.

······

Time flies, and ten years have passed.

Spirit Control Sect, Green Lotus Garden.

The door to a secret room opened, and Shen Long stepped out, his brows furrowed.

After returning from Mystic Yang Marketplace, he dealt with the visits from his fellow disciples and then went into seclusion to cultivate. However, his cultivation stagnated, showing no signs of progress.

He knew very well that he was stuck at a bottleneck. Bottlenecks vary from person to person, and the number of times and the time it takes to overcome them are different. Some Foundation Establishment Cultivator do not have any bottlenecks, some Foundation Establishment Cultivator will encounter a bottleneck once, and some unlucky Foundation Establishment Cultivator will encounter a bottleneck several times. There are many ways to overcome a bottleneck, but the time it takes for each Foundation Establishment Cultivator to overcome a bottleneck is different.

Shen Long is still in the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. The good news is that Iron Tail Scorpion, Golden-Winged Wind Peng, Gold-Eating Ant Queen, and Hundred-Eyed Golden Cicada have all advanced to the mid-second stage.

The number of Gold-Eating Ant exceeded 100,000. Shen Long Spirit-Nourishing Pendant on his body, which greatly strengthened his Divine Sense.

There are more than 300 Second-tier Gold-Eating Ant. Each time they feed, they consume refining materials worth thousands of Spirit Stone. They are fed once every few months, which Shen Long can afford. The scale of his business has expanded considerably. Tang Yuting, Gu Tianhong, Ye Yuqing, Ye Yutang, Qian Dafu and others surround Shen Long, forming a small interest group with Shen Long at its core.

Lin Sisi also holds shares, and Shen Long takes the lion's share of the profits from the business.

Besides the profits from the business, the spiritual fields and fish ponds in Green Lotus Garden also generated considerable benefits. Shen Long didn't have to do these things; Lin Cheng, Sun Furong, and others were responsible for taking care of the spirit medicine and Spirit Fish.

Sun Sen borrowed a lot of Spirit Stone to buy a Foundation Establishment, which he gave to Sun Furong to take. Sun Furong successfully Foundation Establishment.

Lin Shan worked for Shen Long, and many helpful relatives appeared, lending him a lot of Spirit Stone. Only then was Lin Shan able to buy a Foundation Establishment, and he successfully Foundation Establishment.

After leaving the Green Lotus Garden, Shen Long summoned a flying boat that shimmered with blue light and boarded it.

He made a hand seal, and the Blue Flying Boat took off into the sky, soaring into the heavens.

Not long after, he arrived outside Ice Silkworm Valley and sent a Sound Transmission Talisman. The mist inside the valley churned and surged, revealing a passage.

Shen Long put away his flying Law Artifact and strode inside.

A White-Skirted Woman with a slender figure stood in the doorway, smiling.

"This junior brother greets Second Senior Sister."

Shen Long clasped his hands in a fist salute and said.

"Junior Brother Shen actually recognizes me."

The White-Skirted Woman looked somewhat surprised.

Chen Bing, Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, is the second disciple of Master Ice Silkworm.

"Our master has no descendants, so the one who can appear here is naturally Senior Sister Chen."

Shen Long explained.

Chen Bing nodded slightly and said, "You're here to see Master, right? Master is chatting with Senior Uncle Qin."

"Senior Uncle Qin? Is he the Senior Uncle Qin with the highest alchemy skills in our sect?"

Shen Long asked.

"Indeed, Junior Sister Qin is here too. I heard from Senior Brother Xu that Junior Brother Shen is Alchemist."

Chen Bing said.

Shen Long nodded and said, "I've only learned a little bit; I'm no match for Senior Sister Qin."

"Come in and talk!"

Chen Bing invited Shen Long inside, and they arrived at the entrance of the Ice Silkworm Pavilion.

"Is Shen Long here? Chen Bing, bring your junior brother in!"

The voice of Master Ice Silkworm came from inside the attic.

Chen Bing responded and led Shen Long inside.

Master Ice Silkworm sat in the main seat, with a tall, Red-Robed Elder with a face like a jujube sitting beside him. His aura was as vast as the ocean. Qin Shuangshuang stood behind the Red-Robed Elder.

"This is Junior Brother Lin's newly accepted disciple. Not bad, indeed a handsome young man."

The Red-Robed Elder looked Shen Long up and down and praised him.

Qin Shuo, Core Formation Late Stage.

"Disciple Shen Long greets Master and Senior Uncle Qin."

Shen Long bowed.

Master Ice Silkworm nodded and said, "Shen Long, didn't you often tell me that you wanted to learn alchemy from Senior Brother Qin?"

Shen Long had never said this before. He knew that Master Ice Silkworm was creating an opportunity for him to learn alchemy from Qin Shuo, something that many second-tier Alchemist in the Spirit Control Sect dreamed of.

"This disciple does indeed have many questions that I would like to ask Senior Uncle Qin."

Shen Long said politely.

"There are no outsiders here, so please speak freely, Nephew Shen."

Qin Shuo said in a gentle tone.

Shen Long's face lit up with joy. He thanked Qin Shuo and explained his confusion and difficulties. Qin Shuo answered his questions one by one, which greatly benefited Shen Long.

"Thank you very much, Senior Uncle Qin, for your guidance. Otherwise, I would have gone astray."

Shen Long expressed his gratitude.

"Nephew Shen can exchange alchemy techniques with Shuangshuang more often in the future. Young people should communicate more."

Qin Shuo said.

Shen Long won third place in the Mystic Yang Dharma Assembly, bringing honor to the Yu Spirit Control Sect and attracting the attention of the Spirit Control Sect's higher-ups.

"This disciple was just about to ask Senior Sister Qin for guidance, but I was worried about disturbing Senior Sister Qin cultivation."

Shen Long said politely.

"No trouble at all. Junior Brother Shen, feel free to visit me more often. I wouldn't presume to ask you for guidance, but exchanging ideas is no problem."

Qin Shuangshuang said with a smile.

She had met Shen Long twice, but she only thought Shen Long was an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Shen Long overcame numerous obstacles at the Mystic Yang Dharma Assembly and became a disciple of the Master Ice Silkworm, placing him on equal footing with Qin Shuangshuang.

"Okay, I will definitely pay you a visit another day."

Shen Long smiled and agreed.

"Junior Brother Lin, I'll leave that matter to you. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

Qin Shuo stood up to take his leave.

"Chen Bing, please see Senior Brother Qin off for me."

"Master Ice Silkworm gave the order."

Chen Bing responded and personally saw Qin Shuo and Qin Shuangshuang off.

"Have you encountered any trouble in your cultivation? Flood Dragon Essence Blood?"

"Master Ice Silkworm asked."

Shen Long truthfully stated his question, hoping that Master Ice Silkworm could provide some answers.

"It seems you've hit a bottleneck. There are many ways to overcome it. Usually, it's traveling, attending gatherings of cultivators of the same level to spar and fight, or venturing into dangerous places to search for treasures and battle powerful enemies."

Master Ice Silkworm spoke slowly.

He took out a Cyan Jade Slip, handed it to Shen Long, and said, "This is my method to overcome your bottleneck. I hope it will be helpful to you."

Shen Long accepted the Jade Slip with both hands and thanked him repeatedly.