After lunch, the three of them walked along the shaded path to digest their food.
Elijah Wang was in high spirits, occasionally throwing a few punches as they walked.
Despite his chubby appearance, which suggested he had no strength, his punches were incredibly powerful, and his movements were as swift as a snake.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Bang!
The air exploded with the force of his punches.
The more Alaric Ye watched, the more shocked he became. If one of those punches landed on him, his bones would surely shatter. Elijah’s cultivation was clearly much more advanced than his, almost reaching the first level of Qi Refining!
After finishing a set of punches, Elijah provocatively looked at Zachary Song. “Your Highness, care for a spar?”
A glint of sharpness flashed in Zachary’s eyes as he coldly replied, “Elijah, your Stone Crushing Fist is impressive, and your foundational techniques are solid, but it’s no match for my Tiger Roar Fist.”
“Let’s see if that’s true!”
Without waiting for Zachary’s consent, Elijah’s chubby body lunged forward like a hungry wolf, charging at Zachary with a whoosh.
Zachary seemed prepared. He dodged and became a blur in Alaric’s eyes, meeting Elijah head-on. Alaric only heard the roar of a tiger as Zachary’s fist tore through the air, followed by a loud bang.
Their fists collided, creating a powerful shockwave that made the surrounding flowers and trees sway violently. Some withered leaves were blown away.
It was clear that both had infused their punches with magical power.
Zachary’s cultivation was also quite advanced, seemingly close to the first level of Qi Refining!
Alaric’s heart raced, his blood boiling with excitement.
If they could possess such power without even reaching the first level of Qi Refining, the strength of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators was unimaginable.
After the punch, both Zachary and Elijah were forced to retreat by the immense force.
Alaric noticed that Zachary took three steps back, while Elijah took five steps to steady himself. Both of their fists were bleeding.
It was obvious that Zachary had won this round.
Just when Alaric thought the atmosphere would become tense and they might really start fighting, Elijah burst into laughter.
“Not bad, Your Highness. Your Spiritual Root awakened just two months ago, and you’re already close to the first level of Qi Refining. You must have a superior Spiritual Root, right?”
Zachary neither confirmed nor denied it, still speaking indifferently, “You’re not bad either. Your Spiritual Root awakened three months ago, and despite indulging in food and fun, your strength hasn’t fallen behind. You must also have a superior Spiritual Root.”
Elijah said, “Alright, you’re three points better than me. From now on, I’ll follow your lead. You be the boss.”
Then the two of them smiled at each other knowingly.
Alaric: “…”
These two both had superior Spiritual Roots!
Originally, Alaric had been somewhat confident and proud, thinking that although his family background wasn’t as good, his Spiritual Root was better than most. But now, it seemed he was far behind even in terms of Spiritual Root.
The only reason he was lucky enough to be their neighbor was because his situation had drawn attention… Perhaps the senior who arranged the dorms had some sympathy for him, almost being captured by Demonic Sect members before even entering the sect, and had given him a good dorm to help him make connections with these Chosen cultivators.
Of course, his mid-grade five-element Spiritual Root was also quite rare. Although not as good as a superior Spiritual Root, it was still top-tier among mid-grade Spiritual Roots.
Zachary looked at Alaric with a hint of curiosity.
“Just the two of us sparring isn’t enough to decide who the boss is. Alaric, care for a spar?”
Alaric quickly waved his hand, smiling awkwardly, “You be the boss, Elijah can be second, and I’ll be third. No objections. Sparring… let’s skip that for now. I’ll need to learn a lot from you two in the future.”
Alaric currently only had brute strength and hadn’t learned any techniques or movements. His magical power was far inferior to theirs. Sparring with Zachary now would be asking for humiliation, and he had no desire to be the boss.
He indeed planned to seek their guidance in cultivation matters in the future. These two were from top families and knew much more than he did.
“Alright… let’s help each other out in the future,” Zachary said.
Elijah added, “Let’s come up with a name for our little group.”
Zachary said, “We’re all cultivators seeking longevity. Let’s call it the Longevity Society. We’ll meet once a month, on the full moon, at your Juyuan Pavilion.”
Elijah nodded proudly, “Great name. Maybe my name will be remembered for ages. The three of us are the founding members of the Longevity Society. In the future, the name of the Longevity Society will surely be famous throughout the Dragon-seeking Mountain Range cultivation world!”
And so, a small cultivation group was formed, and Alaric inexplicably became a founding member.
Afterward, the three of them chatted as they walked back to the dormitory.
On the way, Elijah explained to Alaric why cultivators needed to form groups.
A group without conflicting interests and with mutual trust could quickly share information, help each other improve in cultivation, solve problems together, and trade needed items without fear of being cheated.
The path to longevity was long. To achieve longevity, one needed good aptitude, comprehension, and plenty of resources—connections, economic resources, and information resources were all indispensable.
Of course, true unparalleled geniuses, those with supreme Spiritual Roots or even more extraordinary existences, could afford to ignore everything, but they were not such geniuses.
In the future, more cultivators would join the Longevity Society.
Alaric didn’t mind joining such a group. After all, it wasn’t a blood oath to share weal and woe; they were still joining for their own interests.
Not long after, Alaric returned to his dormitory and took out the unfinished “Top Xuan Sect Rules” to continue memorizing.
“Rule one: No killing among fellow disciples. The highest penalty is public execution!”
“Rule two: No colluding with the Demonic Sect. The highest penalty is public execution!”
“Rule three: No bullying mortals with one’s cultivation. The penalty is…”
…
Time flew by in continuous learning and cultivation. In the blink of an eye, it had been two months since Alaric entered the sect.
In these two months, Alaric read and cultivated day and night, hardly relaxing for a moment.
He memorized the “Top Xuan Sect Rules,” learned the “Breathing Technique,” read “Dragon-seeking Mountain Range Chronicles” and “Detailed Explanation of Basic Spells,” mastered many common knowledge aspects of the cultivation world, and could proficiently perform the Stone Crushing Fist from the “Top Xuan Body Forging Technique,” use the Swift Wind Movement Technique, and had a good grasp of the “Top Xuan Swordsmanship.”
Thanks to Elijah frequently treating him to feasts, and the nutritious meals in the Top Xuan Sect’s cafeteria being far better than what he ate as a servant in the Lin Family, Alaric’s height shot up in just a month. He now looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth, still somewhat immature but already showing a heroic bearing, comparable to Zachary in temperament.
In the early morning, the mist had not yet been blown away by the mountain wind, and the eastern sky was just beginning to lighten.
In the training ground.
The sound of clashing Black Iron swords echoed continuously, sparks flying. Alaric and Zachary’s figures moved swiftly, appearing and disappearing like phantoms in the mist.
Elijah rubbed his beardless chin, feeling a bit toothache as he sighed, “Brother Alaric’s growth speed is too fast. Two months ago, he hadn’t even touched a sword, and now he’s sparring evenly with Zachary. Although slightly at a disadvantage, he won’t be defeated quickly… His magical power is also close to the first level of Qi Refining. Does he really only have a mid-grade Spiritual Root?”
“Feels like if I don’t work harder, I’ll end up being the third one.”
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