Long Xuan's Origins

Long Xuan walked to the Medicine Garden and ordered his clone to pick all the mature spirit medicine. Then he hung the Storage Bag full of spirit medicine on Wood Clone and drained his spiritual power, reducing his cultivation level to the Early Spirit-Gathering Stage.

He had always used this method to conceal his cultivation level. In his view, no matter what means were used to conceal his cultivation level, it was not safe. Only by truly reaching that level could he be absolutely certain of success.

Long Xuan was very confident in his disguise, believing that even the Gu King would not be able to see that he was hiding his cultivation level. Then he sent his Wood Clone, to Old Long's dilapidated thatched hut.

Wood Clone knocked on the door, and when someone inside called out "Come in, "Wood Clone nervously pushed the door open and entered.

"Old Long, I've come to bring you your medicine!"

Old Long remained reclining in his chair, glanced at him sideways, and chuckled, "Alright, stop hiding your cultivation level. Your disguise might fool others, but it won't fool me."

Long Xuan's expression froze instantly. He was completely dumbfounded. What happened to the promise that even the Gu King couldn't see through it? How could he be proven wrong so quickly? How did he even figure it out? Was he cheating?

Holy crap! There's a cheat code!

Old Long looked him up and down with great interest, and exclaimed in amazement, "The Externalized Clone created by the Sun-Moon Heart Sutra is truly flawless; most people really can't see any flaws."

"Since the Sun-Moon Heart Sutra was brought out of an ancient tomb, it has spread everywhere, and many people have studied it, but most of them have encountered problems."

"Many people have just condensed their Externalized Clone when they are killed on the spot by their own avatars, who then take their place, and outsiders cannot detect any flaws."

"I have absolutely no interest in such a suicidal Cultivation Method, but your clone is quite stable; I wonder how you maintain it."

Old Long looked him up and down carefully, but he wasn't too curious. In his opinion, even if things could stabilize, it would only be temporary.

Little did he know that Long Xuan had never cultivated the "Sun-Moon Heart Sutra" at all. Although his "Ten Absolutes Scripture" borrowed a lot of content from the Cultivation Method, he added many of his own innovations, even changing the number and attributes of his clones. The original text had long been altered beyond recognition.

With the help of his cheat system, the Cultivation Method he created was already perfect, without any flaws, and had eliminated the drawbacks of the "Sun-Moon Heart Sutra" to the greatest extent possible.

As long as the clones are not left to their own devices, there is absolutely no possibility of any problems arising.

That's why Long Xuan dared to use it with confidence. Otherwise, given his cautious nature, he would have locked all his clones in cages long ago and kept them cultivating there. He was definitely capable of doing that.

After sizing him up a few times, Old Long said, "I truly didn't expect that the Sun-Moon Heart Sutra could be compatible with the Ten Extremity Physique! The fact that the Ten Extremity Physique can cultivate the Sun-Moon Heart Sutra is truly beyond my expectations!"

Long Xuan knew he had misunderstood. He recognized that this was a clone, and that the similarity to the clone created by the Sun-Moon Heart Sutra was very high. So he assumed that he had cultivated the Sun-Moon Heart Sutra and mistakenly thought that the Sun-Moon Heart Sutra was a cultivation Cultivation Method suitable for the Ten Extremity Physique.

However, he certainly wouldn't point out this misunderstanding.

It's truly outrageous that a mere Rogue Cultivator could create a top-tier Cultivation Method suitable for the Ten Extremity Physique. No one would believe it, so Old Long's misunderstanding is understandable.

Looking into Long Xuan's eyes, Old Long continued, "If you were the person you were before, I definitely wouldn't bother with you."

"But the fact that your Ten Extremity Physique in having a suitable Cultivation Method means that you have become an unparalleled genius and have the value to be cultivated by the Long Family."

"I value your talent. From now on, you will follow me. I will teach you everything I know and train you to become a powerful figure."

"You have a good talent for alchemy, so you'll start by learning Alchemy from me. I'm currently preparing to try refining Third-Grade Spirit Pill, and you'll be my apprentice, assisting me. You'll also be allowed to observe from the sidelines."

"This is the famous Violet Demon Flame Formula of my Long Family. You gathered the materials and refined it as quickly as possible."

Old Long tossed a prescription to Long Xuan and, without waiting for his consent, forcibly took him in as a medicine apprentice.

Long Xuan was stunned again. He had come in specifically to bring up this matter, but he hadn't expected that Old Long would also have this idea. What a coincidence!

The plan to plant a seed in the Long Family went surprisingly smoothly, completed effortlessly, so easily that even Long Xuan found it somewhat unbelievable.

He took the Violet Demon Flame Formula in a daze, speechless. He already had that; what did he need it for?

However, he was quickly shocked. This was a closely guarded secret of the Long Family, a treasured possession of the family. How could they just openly pass it on to him like this?

Long Xuan's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly said, "Old Long, you must have made a mistake? This is a unique Secret Method of the Long Family, and I am not qualified to learn it."

Old Long looked at him and chuckled meaningfully, saying, "Did you know that before the Long Family family settled in this village, there were no people with the surname Long?"

Upon hearing this, Long Xuan was startled, his face showing disbelief. Could it be that he truly possessed the bloodline of the Long Family?

Am I the illegitimate son of a powerful Gu cultivator from the Long Family, lost to the world? Do I really have such a powerful backer? It can't be that coincidental!

No wonder, no wonder Old Long didn't ask anyone else to take care of his Medicine Garden, but instead chose to do it himself.

No wonder he paid him such a high salary. I hadn't thought about it before, but now that I think about it, how could Old Long possibly share the profits with him?

The salary that Old Long paid him was that after he handed over a certain number of spirit medicine, all the extra spirit medicine produced would belong to him. It seemed like an incentive, but in years with a bumper harvest, his salary was ridiculously high.

Mortals are the cheapest labor force; giving them even a Spirit Stone would be more than enough. Why would Old Long want to share the profits with him? Does he really have some powerful background?

But that doesn't make sense either. If he really had the blood of the Long Family, how could the Long Family ignore him? That doesn't quite explain it. Long Xuan was puzzled.

"Could it be that this junior has a very powerful background?" Long Xuan immediately asked in surprise.

"No doubt about it." Old Long smiled and looked at him, saying, "You do indeed have a powerful background, but this is by no means a coincidence. To be precise, all the mortals with the surname Long in this area have powerful backgrounds."

Knowing that he was filled with doubts, Old Long didn't keep him in suspense and continued to explain, "When the Long Family's Gu cultivators were stationed in various villages, it was common for them to have relations with ordinary village girls, and the outflow of their bloodline was unavoidable."

"Although the number of offspring born may be small, as the offspring continue to multiply and develop over countless generations, the Long Family bloodline becomes ubiquitous."

"The Long Family has limited resources and cannot support so many people, so the Long Family has had a clan rule for a long time."

"That means any offspring who are mixed with mortals are strictly forbidden from being brought back to the Long Family, and no one is allowed to provide them with any support. Even the Long Family's patriarch cannot violate this clan rule."

"Unless this child has exceptional cultivation potential and can be taken back to the Lineage for training, no one can open this door."

"If we don't stipulate this, the Long Family will fall into chaos. Heaven knows how many descendants those guys have outside. If we bring them all back, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Upon hearing this, Long Xuan was completely stunned. Were all Gu cultivators surnamed Long animals? They sowed seeds everywhere and then didn't care afterward. They were extremely irresponsible.

"So, this junior has met the criteria to be brought back to the Long Family and can see his relatives?" Long Xuan asked impatiently.

Old Long smiled and looked at him, saying, "You don't have any relatives left. The only one you're related to by blood is Long Lie. He's your grandfather's younger brother, so you should call him Grand Uncle."

"That group of reckless fools is down to just the two of you left. I only gave you this lucrative job Medicine Garden because of him."

"Don't blame him for never caring about you. It's the Long Family Clan's rule: immortals and mortals are forever separated. Clan members who are half-human and half-mortal are not allowed to be taken care of unless you can demonstrate significant value to the Lineage."

Upon hearing this, Long Xuan was immediately shocked. It was him? That drunkard? Could this be an extremely awful relative?

Recalling his first meeting with Long Lie and his behavior, Long Xuan frowned slightly. Was this person really reliable? He had deep doubts.

He felt he probably wouldn't be able to get any help from this awful relative, and might even get scammed.

In other words, apart from Old Long's protection, he actually had no backing in the Long Family? Long Xuan felt a wave of exhaustion, realizing he had waited so long for nothing.

However, after the upgrade, Old Long is a potential Gu, with the potential to become Third-Grade Alchemist. Since I have been upgraded from a servant to his medicine boy, I can find a way to shorten the time it takes for him to become Third-Grade Alchemist.

Once Old Long advances to become the only Third-Grade Alchemist in the Far West, then as his disciple, I can truly walk around with impunity and have nothing to fear.

This can be considered the tuition fee for secretly learning so much from him, and also a way of repaying the favor he did for taking special care of me.

Advancing from Second-Grade Alchemist to Third-Grade Alchemist can be simple in some ways, but difficult in others.

Without the inheritance of Third-Grade Alchemist, a Second-Grade Alchemist could never become Third-Grade Alchemist, no matter how hard they tried. The inheritance of Third-Grade Alchemist is not easy to obtain.

If one has the inheritance of Third-Grade Alchemist, then all one needs to do is invest resources and keep trying and failing, and sooner or later one will become Third-Grade Alchemist.

He was most adept at trial and error, and the Long Family, being a large family, had no shortage of Third-Grade Alchemist. Shortening the time it took for Old Long to become Third-Grade Alchemist was not a difficult task for him.

The faster Old Long becomes Third-Grade Alchemist, the better. Having a Third-Grade Alchemist as a backer will make things much more comfortable for him in the Long Family. It will also be much easier for him to secretly learn anything without fear of being bullied. It will save him the trouble of having to show off and get humiliated later.

However, plans can change quickly. His original intention was to sneak into the Long Family as a servant to steal their knowledge.

But now that he's been told he has the bloodline of the Long Family, he's now considered a legitimate Long Family Gu cultivator, and he can learn whatever he wants openly and honestly without taking any risks.

He planned to secretly leave after mastering all of the Long Family's inheritances. After all, he had too many secrets, and it was inconvenient to expose the supreme-grade Gu worm on his body. Joining a faction would be fraught with concerns.

He still prefers to be a carefree, uninhibited Rogue Cultivator.

After a brief moment of deep thought, Long Xuan made his decision.

For the next six months, Long Xuan gloriously became Old Long's Little Apothecary, responsible for assisting Old Long in alchemy.

After refining the Violet Demon Flame, he pretended to be a complete novice, acting as if he knew nothing, and learned Alchemy from Old Long.

He had already secretly learned all of Old Long's Alchemy; why would he need to learn them again?

Long Xuan was exhausted from pretending every day, so he decided to pretend to be a fast-learning alchemy prodigy, hoping to get rid of this kind of life as soon as possible.

However, Long Xuan's actions thrilled Old Long. He never expected that his unintentional act would actually bring him a once-in-a-millennium alchemy prodigy. It was truly a blessing from heaven! Old Long was overjoyed.

Heaven knows, the reason he took Long Xuan as his medicine boy was not because he had alchemy talent or the Ten Extremity Physique which had potential for development, but entirely because he cultivated the "Sun-Moon Heart Sutra".

Cultivating the "Sun-Moon Heart Sutra" will grant one a multitude of clones. By taking those who cultivate the "Sun-Moon Heart Sutra" as medicine boys, one can have multiple clones, allowing them to simultaneously possess a multitude of medicine boys.

Paying only one person's salary while gaining a whole bunch of apprentices—where else can you find such a good deal? It's incredibly cost-effective; that's the real shrewd plan he had.

Therefore, he had no choice but to take Long Xuan as his medicine apprentice, even if Long Xuan disagreed. Such a good medicine apprentice was hard to find even with a lantern, and this was an opportunity that would not come again.

If Long Xuan knew that this was his plan, he would be furious; his sincerity had been misplaced.

This Old Long is simply inhuman!

Thus, Long Xuan, who had disguised himself as a genius alchemist, was promoted again by Old Long, gloriously advancing from a medicine boy to his Registered Disciple, a rapid advancement.

Six months later, the sound of Old Long's maniacal laughter echoed from the dilapidated thatched hut.

"Hahaha... It's done! It's done! It's finally done!"

"I never imagined that I, Long Ao, would be such a damn genius! I actually advanced to Third-Grade Alchemist in just half a year!"

"I am now the only Third-Grade Alchemist in the Far West! Let's see who dares to come chasing after debts! Hahaha..."

Upon hearing this, Long Xuan was speechless. What did being able to refine Third-Grade Spirit Pill have to do with him? Look how excited he is! Doesn't he have any self-awareness?

The first thing he thought about after becoming Third-Grade Alchemist was that he wouldn't be bothered by debt collectors anymore. That's all the ambition he has.

"Long Xuan, what temperature did you control the flames to just now? Tell me quickly!"

After his initial excitement subsided, Old Long looked at Long Xuan and asked expectantly.

Upon hearing this, Long Xuan looked troubled. What was he supposed to say?

In this world, the temperature of a flame is described as high, medium, or low, or as a large fire, medium fire, or a small fire.

When discussing the dosage of spirit medicine, use terms like trace, moderate, large, or appropriate.

What exactly constitutes a medium amount? And what heat level is considered medium heat?

There is no fixed standard; everyone has their own standard.

In this world, concepts such as time, force, and speed are vague and lack precise units of measurement.

Heaven knows that Long Xuan's Pill Formula clearly state the exact amounts in grams and the precise temperatures in degrees Celsius.

He was precise to the point of perfection in every step, not a fraction more or less.

It is precisely because of this meticulousness, coupled with the assistance of his "golden finger" (a powerful cheat system), that Long Xuan's pill-forming rate and pill-producing rate can reach 100%.

This world obviously doesn't have units of measurement like grams, degrees Celsius, a second, or a newton.

The reason why Alchemist in this world cannot achieve 100% accuracy in any numerical value is one of the reasons why their alchemy failure rate is so high.

But now the problem is, if Long Xuan tells him how high the temperature was, he won't understand at all, and Long Xuan himself doesn't know how to explain it to him.

I can't exactly spend another month teaching him modern math and physics, can I? Then who's the teacher and who's the student?

Old Long seemed to see his predicament, so he put away his smile and looked at him seriously, saying, "Let's try again. I'll control the fire, and you control the temperature. This time, I'll use my soul power to sense your temperature."

Long Xuan nodded; that was the only way.

Half an hour later, another batch of Third-Grade Spirit Pill was successfully produced. Old Long laughed wildly again in excitement, "Hahaha... I'm a damn genius! I've actually succeeded in refining another batch of Third-Grade Spirit Pill. Tell me, who else can match this success rate?"

"Long Xuan! I'll remember this favor; from now on, you're my personal disciple!"

Good heavens, Long Xuan has leveled up again! He's gone from Registered Disciple to a personal disciple. His leveling speed is nothing short of miraculous.

Now he only needs to become the last disciple to complete the process.