Chu Yuling, Yu Guang

"Overcoming a bottleneck isn't easy, but don't worry, it can be overcome, unless you're as unlucky as Master Seven Stars, encountering bottlenecks multiple times within a single major realm."

"That's what Master Ice Silkworm said."

Master Seven Stars is one of the Five Immortals of Donghua. He was originally Rogue Cultivator and encountered multiple bottlenecks at each major realm. He was almost sixty years old when he finally advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

It should be understood that after the age of forty, a cultivator's Qi and Blood declines and their progress decreases year by year. The older they get, the weaker their Qi and Blood becomes, and the more difficult it is to Foundation Establishment.

The Master Seven Stars was nearly sixty years old when Foundation Establishment, then nearly two hundred years old when he formed his core, and almost five hundred years old when he advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm. This was mainly because he would get stuck at a bottleneck several times during each of his major realms.

Of course, Master Seven Stars is one of the Five Immortals, so his strength is naturally not weak. It's just that he is more famous for getting stuck at the bottleneck several times in each major realm.

"Disciple understands."

Shen Long nodded.

"By the way, this is the Second-Rank Flood Dragon Blood Essence I had someone collect for you. You are Alchemist, so you can refine Blood Flood Dragon Pill to aid your cultivation. I hope you can overcome your bottleneck soon and advance to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage."

Master Ice Silkworm took out a Golden Porcelain Bottle and handed it to Shen Long.

Shen Long's face lit up with joy, and he thanked him repeatedly, accepting the porcelain bottle with both hands.

Master Ice Silkworm asked Shen Long about his daily cultivation, Shen Long answered truthfully, without mentioning the Spirit Control Tower.

"Spend more time with Junior Nephew Qin; the future of the Spirit Control Sect rests on the shoulders of you young people."

"Master Ice Silkworm gave instructions," he said.

"Yes, Master, I obey."

Shen Long agreed.

Master Ice Silkworm gave Shen Long a few words of advice and then let him leave.

After leaving Ice Silkworm Valley, Shen Long flew towards Heavenly Pill Peak on his magical artifact. He hadn't flown far when a familiar female voice came from behind him. "Junior Brother Shen, please wait."

Shen Long made a hand seal, and the flying Law Artifact stopped. He turned his head and saw a Giant Crane flying over. Lin Sisi and a young girl in a white dress were standing on the back of the White Giant Crane.

The girl in the white dress was exquisitely beautiful, with a touch of baby fat, and wore a huge golden bell around her neck.

Chu Yuling, the only daughter of the Master Golden Toad.

The chances of high-level cultivators having offspring are relatively low, but some elixirs can increase this chance.

"Senior Brother Shen, it's my birthday the day after tomorrow. I've invited some fellow disciples to a get-together. Would you be free to come and join us?"

Chu Yuling extended the invitation in a sweet voice.

She wasn't even born when Shen Long joined the sect, so she should address Shen Long as her senior brother.

"I'll be there on time if I have time."

Shen Long agreed.

Chu Yuling personally invited him, Shen Long naturally wouldn't refuse; he had to give her face.

Gathering and exchanging ideas with fellow cultivators of the same level is also one way to overcome bottlenecks.

"Great, then we'll go back and prepare."

Chu Yuling smiled radiantly, and with a gentle flap of its wings, the White Giant Crane flew away into the distance.

Shen Long rode his weapon to the Free Trade Valley and arrived at the entrance of a seven-story Cyan Pavilion with three large golden characters on the plaque: "Green Lotus Building".

Shen Long lived in Green Lotus Garden, Qian Dafu named his shop Green Lotus Building.

Green Lotus Building mainly deals in the business of pills, selling first- and Second-tier Medicinal Pill, as well as Talisman and purchasing raw materials. Business is quite good.

With Qian Dafu managing the business personally, Shen Long receives a large sum of money every year. The Spirit Stone he invested have long been recouped, and now it's pure profit.

Shen Long stepped inside; the hall was spacious and bright.

"Uncle Shen, what brings you here?"

A Green-Shirted Attendant recognized Shen Long and quickly walked over.

The Qi Refining Cultivator working at Green Lotus Building all receive a salary; they are all people recruited by Qian Dafu.

"Where is Junior Brother Qian?!"

Shen Long asked casually.

"Uncle-Master Qian is upstairs, discussing business with a customer."

"That's what the Green-Shirted Attendant said."

Shen Long nodded and started walking upstairs.

He went up to the fifth floor, where Qian Dafu and a man in his early forties wearing a gold shirt came down.

"This must be Senior Brother Shen! I am Li Feng, I have long admired your name."

The man in the golden shirt saw Shen Long and clasped his hands in greeting.

Shen Long has become a household name in the Spirit Control Sect. After all, this is the first time in a thousand years that the Spirit Control Sect has achieved such a good ranking in the Mystic Yang Dharma Assembly. This is not to say that the Spirit Control Sect does not have outstanding disciples. Those disciples who are being groomed as successors will not participate in the Mystic Yang Dharma Assembly, and it would be bad if something unexpected happened.

"Senior Brother Shen, Junior Brother Li has long admired you. You must have come to Green Lotus Building for some reason!"

Qian Dafu said.

"Since Senior Brother Shen has other matters to attend to, I won't disturb you any longer. I'll visit you another day."

Li Feng, sensing the situation, said this and walked downstairs.

Qian Dafu personally escorted Li Feng away, then returned and took Shen Long to the sixth floor.

"Senior Brother Shen, what brings you here? You could have just let me know if you needed anything, or you could have had Junior Brother Lin come and talk to me."

Qian Dafu said.

Every single income transaction was recorded, and every year when profits were distributed, he would hand the ledgers to Shen Long for review to prove his innocence.

"I heard you've been working very hard, so I came to see you."

Shen Long said that he trusted Qian Dafu and just came to check on him.

"It's not hard work, I really like this job."

Qian Dafu was beaming with pride. He had always loved doing business, but he lacked capital.

Shen Long provides the money, Qian Dafu provides the labor; where else can you find such a good deal?

With Shen Long becoming a disciple of the Master Ice Silkworm and also Alchemist, Lin Sisi holding shares, Qian Dafu was able to enjoy many conveniences in doing business.

"By the way, are there any Spirit Beast with powerful bloodlines or those that possess special Divine Ability?"

Shen Long asked casually.

"I've had people keeping an eye on this matter, but there's been no news yet."

Qian Dafu said somewhat embarrassedly.

Spirit Beast with powerful bloodlines or special Divine Ability abilities are relatively rare. Bloodline Purity of two is not considered powerful. These kinds of Demon Beast are coveted by major powers.

"Do your best and leave the rest to fate. It would be best if we could find it, but it's okay if we can't. By the way, what kind of pills does the shop need? I'll refine a batch. I might have to go on a long trip and I don't know when I'll be back."

Shen Long said.

"Going on a long trip? Is there anything I can help you with, Senior Brother Shen?"

Qian Dafu asked.

"I want to know about the cultivation Immortal Realm in the Shu Kingdom."

Shen Long said.

If he were to travel, he would definitely go to the Shu Kingdom to find the murderers who killed his parents.

"The cultivation Immortal Realm of the Shu Kingdom? I'll have someone ask around and find out about the cultivation Immortal Realm and the Loose Cultivator Assembly in the Shu Kingdom for you."

Qian Dafu said.

Shen Long nodded and started chatting with Qian Dafu.

"Oh, by the way, these refining materials are ones I collected and were just about to bring to you. Since you're here, you can take them with you!"

Qian Dafu took out a Golden Storage Bag and handed it to Shen Long.

Shen Long took the Storage Bag, scanned it with his Divine Sense, and exclaimed in surprise, "So many second-tier weapon-refining materials!"

"It's good that you can use it. Raising Gold-Eating Ant requires a lot of refining materials. It's fortunate that they are Gold-Eating Ant; if they were Golden-Winged Fire Ant, they would be even more difficult to cultivate."

Qian Dafu said.

The Golden-Winged Fire Ant's Divine Ability are much stronger than the Gold-Eating Ant's. It prefers to eat refining materials of the metal and fire elements, while the Gold-Eating Ant is different; it will accept any refining material it comes from.

Lin Sisi raised a group of Golden-Winged Fire Ant and asked Qian Dafu to keep an eye out for refining materials based on the metal and fire elements.

After chatting for a while, Shen Long said goodbye and left.

Back at Green Lotus Garden, he entered Green Lotus Pavilion and went to a secret room.

He patted a golden Spirit Beast Bag at his waist with his right hand, and a burst of golden light flew out, transforming into more than 100,000 Gold-Eating Ant. They flew in mid-air like a huge golden cloud.

The Gold-Eating Ant Queen is twice the size of its predecessor, and it has the best diet.

The Gold-Eating Ant Queen flew to Shen Long's front. Shen Long took out a Beast Spirit Pill, and it automatically opened its mouth.

Shen Long flicked his finger, and the Beast Spirit Pill shot out, disappearing into the mouth of the Gold-Eating Ant Queen, where it was swallowed.

Shen Long took out a Golden Storage Bag, shook it with the opening facing down, and a golden light swept across, revealing a large pile of refining materials on the ground, including ores, wood, and jade, piled up like a mountain.

The Gold-Eating Ant Queen selects its food first, then moves on to other Second-tier Gold-Eating Ant, and finally to the first-tier Gold-Eating Ant.

Second-tier Gold-Eating Ant feed on second-tier refining materials, while first-tier Gold-Eating Ant can only devour first-tier refining materials, demonstrating a strict hierarchy.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the refining materials on the ground were eaten up by more than 100,000 Gold-Eating Ant.

Shen Long put the Gold-Eating Ant back into his Spirit Beast Bag, entered the Spirit Control Tower, and arrived at the second floor.

He whistled, and Golden-Winged Wind Peng flew in from afar, landing in front of him in a flash.

After the Golden-Winged Wind Peng advanced to the mid-stage of the second tier, its size also increased considerably, and Shen Long's size was less than a fraction of its size.

Shen Long also discovered that the Golden-Winged Wind Peng was larger than ordinary second-tier Spirit Bird, and its Divine Ability were also more powerful.

The Golden-Winged Wind Peng advanced to the second tier and mastered the Wind Evasion Technique.

Most Third Rank Spirit Bird fail to master the Wind Evasion Technique Wind Evasion Technique even after advancing to the Third Rank. Usually, it takes fourth-tier Spirit Bird to master the Wind Escape Technique. It is considered quite good for Third Rank Spirit Bird to master the Wind Evasion Technique. However, the Golden-Winged Wind Peng mastered the Wind Evasion Technique after advancing to the second tier, which shows the benefits of Bloodline Purity.

Shen Long took out two Beast Spirit Pill and fed them to the Golden-Winged Wind Peng, then fed it three Century-old Green Wind Grass, allowing it to roam freely.

The spirit medicine herbs and fruits that Shen Long planted on the Volcano are ready to be sold. There are quite a few of them, which is a large sum of money. He needs to sell them in batches. If he sells them in the Free Trade Valley, it will cause unnecessary trouble.

His residence wasn't Volcano, so no one said anything if he took out ten or eight fire-attribute spirit medicine. But if he took out hundreds, then there was a problem.

The Fire Rock Beast charged forward. It was much larger than before. The second-tier Fire Rock Beast had no fur and looked like a huge red rock from a distance.

Shen Long fed it a Beast Spirit Pill and a Fire Cloud Ginseng, then showered the spirit medicine and fruits with rain before exiting the Spirit Control Tower.

He sat cross-legged, took out the Jade Slip given to him by the Master Ice Silkworm, placed it between his eyebrows, and immersed his Divine Sense into it.

After a while, Shen Long withdrew his Divine Sense, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Master Ice Silkworm had traveled to many countries and had a wide range of knowledge. In order to break through his bottleneck, he went to hunt Demon Beast, hoping to overcome the bottleneck in the face of the threat of death. He failed, but this was one way.

Shen Long put away the Jade Slip, took out the Crimson Crow Cauldron and alchemy materials, and began to refine the Blood Flood Dragon Pill.

Before long, the room was filled with a strong medicinal aroma.

······

Golden Toad Peak is a sprawling estate with pavilions, terraces, and waterside corridors.

A plump White-Skirted Woman sat in a Cyan Stone Pavilion. White-Skirted Woman long black hair was styled into Flying Immortal Hairstyle, and she wore a golden hairpin. Her features were exquisite.

"Aunt, Junior Brother Shen has agreed to attend Cousin Yuling's birthday celebration."

Lin Sisi said.

"What did Junior Brother Shen say? Tell me in detail."

The White-Skirted Woman said.

Lin Yixue, the dao companion of the Master Golden Toad.

Lin Sisi nodded and told the truth.

"Have you heard that he's been getting close to some female cultivator? Like, really close!"

Lin Yixue asked.

"I haven't heard of that. Junior Brother Shen is a diligent cultivator. After the Mystic Yang Dharma Assembly, he received some fellow disciples and then went into seclusion to cultivate. He leaves business matters to Junior Brother Qian and rarely gets involved."

Lin Sisi told the truth.

"Not bad, not arrogant or impatient, a good prospect. He knows very well what his strengths are; ability is his true source of confidence."

Lin Yixue's face showed approval. Then, as if remembering something, she continued, "You and Yuling should entertain him well! I won't show myself. You young people should interact more."

"Yes, Auntie."

Lin Sisi agreed.

······

Two days passed quickly, Shen Long emerged from the Stone Chamber with a smile on his face.

He refined some Blood Flood Dragon Pill, intending to attend Chu Yuling's birthday celebration.

As Shen Long exited Green Lotus Pavilion, he saw Lin Shan walking towards him.

"Senior Brother Shen, I've collected two mid-stage second-tier Soul-Severing Scorpion ' Demon Core."

Lin Shan smiled and took out a Cyan Jade Box, handing it to Shen Long.

Shen Long had been collecting the corpses and Demon Core of second-tier poisonous scorpions, and Lin Shan and the others were helping to keep an eye out for them.

Shen Long opened the jade box and saw that there were two black Demon Core inside.

"Not bad, Junior Brother Lin, how many Spirit Stone did you spend?"

Shen Long asked.

"It's not much money, I'll ask Junior Brother Qian to reimburse me."

Lin Shan said nonchalantly.

By helping Shen Long, they are also helping themselves.

"By the way, I'm going to Golden Toad Peak for Junior Sister Chu's birthday celebration. Would you like to come along?"

Shen Long extended an invitation.

"No, I don't have much interaction with Junior Sister Chu, so I'll pass. Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother Shen."

Lin Shan refused.

"Alright then! I'm going to the banquet. You can ask Junior Brother Qian for reimbursement!"

After saying this, Shen Long summoned his flying Law Artifact and flew away.

Upon arriving at Golden Toad Peak, the area above the halfway point was shrouded in a white mist.

Shen Long sent a Sound Transmission Talisman. Not long after, the fog dissipated, and a vast manor could be seen on the mountaintop, with the three large characters "Golden Toad Garden" written on the plaque.

Lin Sisi stood at the entrance of the manor, smiling, and said, "Junior Brother Shen, you've finally arrived! We were just talking about you. Come in quickly!"

Shen Long responded and controlled the flying Law Artifact to slowly descend, landing in front of Lin Sisi.

He put away his flying Law Artifact and followed Lin Sisi into the Golden Toad Garden. After passing through several arched courtyards, they arrived at a quiet Blue-tiled Courtyard.

Four men and two women sat in a Cyan Stone Pavilion. Chu Yuling, Xu Feng, Wang Chong and Qin Shuangshuang were all there.

"This must be Junior Brother Shen! He is indeed a handsome man. My name is Yu Guang. I heard that Junior Brother Shen shone brightly at the Mystic Yang Dharma Assembly, bringing glory to our Spirit Control Sect. I have long wanted to get to know him."

A burly man in a blue robe spoke up, his tone warm and friendly.

"Senior Brother Shen, Senior Brother Yu was traveling abroad and only recently returned."

Chu Yuling explained.

"Senior Brother Yu, you flatter me. If it weren't for your absence to participate in the Mystic Yang Dharma Assembly, I would definitely have achieved a good ranking."

Shen Long said modestly.

"Junior Brother Shen flatters me. Junior Lin told me everything about your competition. You are truly skilled. Even if I participated in the Mystic Yang Dharma Assembly, it would be difficult for me to squeeze into the top ten, let alone the top three."

Yu Guang said solemnly.