Chapter 234: Longevity Refining Pearl

Angry Squid:

Second Senior Brother Ling Xiao was incredibly thick-skinned. He had been caught red-handed doing mischief by Junior Brother, yet he showed no change in expression. He even winked and gestured, asking Li Fan if he wanted to try it. Before Li Fan could answer, Senior Brother's sword instantly arrived. A murderous aura filled the air, scaring the mischievous cats into scattering in all directions. Second Senior Brother chuckled awkwardly, put away his pen, and sheepishly fled the cave dwelling to find new experimental toys.

"Junior Brother, you absolutely must not follow your Second Senior Brother's example."

"Always choose a proper incarnation." Si Xing advised earnestly.

Li Fan repeatedly nodded in agreement.

There were many more amusing anecdotes like these. Overall, the atmosphere within the Body Transformation Dao sect was very harmonious and friendly. In this environment, Li Fan continuously stimulated the hidden reserves within his body, strengthening his once frail physique, while also cultivating the "Body Transformation into Other's Freedom" technique.

In the sixth year after Li Fan's soul possessed and entered the simulated world, a series of urgent and soul-stirring chimes echoed from the distant horizon. As the bell chimes reached his ears, Li Fan immediately felt his vital energy surge and an uncontrollable sense of dread in his heart. His senior brothers, who had been occupied with their various tasks, were all startled awake as well.

"This bell... is it the Immortal-Repelling Bell?!" The senior brothers who had gathered upon hearing the sound all showed expressions of shock.

"The last time the Immortal-Repelling Bell rang, I remember it was because the long-lived species raised by the Immortal Sects collectively rebelled, wasn't it?"

"That's right. Back then, the Ten Great Immortal Sects issued a wanted decree: anyone who captured a single escaped long-lived species would be granted a Hundred-Longevity Pearl, adding decades or even a century to their lifespan."

"Few cultivators could resist the temptation of living for an extra hundred years. To compete for the heads of these runaway long-lived species, cultivators at the time went into a frenzy, killing each other and unleashing a great wave of bloodshed."

"I wonder what major event has occurred in the cultivation world this time." The senior brothers conversed, sighing with emotion.

Li Fan listened quietly from the side, and seizing a pause in their conversation, he put on a curious expression: "Senior Brothers, what are long-lived species? And what are Hundred-Longevity Pearls?"

This time, the senior brothers did not evade the questions as they usually did. Second Senior Brother Ling Xiao sighed, his eyes full of envy, and said, "Junior Brother, you must understand that Heaven is never fair."

"For ordinary humans, living to a hundred years can already be considered long-lived. Even if one becomes a cultivator, without reaching the Longevity Realm, a lifespan of a thousand years is the limit." Ling Xiao paused, then continued in a wistful tone: "However, in this world, there are some beings who are born with extremely long lifespans. Even ordinary members of their tribes, without powerful cultivation, can easily live for one or two thousand years."

"For short-lived humans, how incredibly unfair this is!"

"Long-lived species..." Li Fan's heart stirred. Before his transmigration, he had encountered settings similar to long-lived species in various fantasy novels. However, in the real cultivation world, he had never seen any information about long-lived species, let alone seeing living long-lived species with his own eyes.

"Senior Brother, what do these long-lived species look like? Are they similar to the legendary monsters?" Li Fan asked loudly, looking at Ling Xiao with innocent eyes.

Ling Xiao patted Junior Brother's head and began to explain to Li Fan: "Heh heh, there are many kinds. Some resemble exotic beasts but can speak human languages. Some are plant spirits. Some look remarkably like humans, and all members of their communities are exceedingly beautiful..."

"Oh, that reminds me, I once wrote a book called 'Tales of Wind and Moon,' whose protagonists were the long-lived species from a distant continent. Let me see if I still have any copies left..." Ling Xiao's topic suddenly changed, and his face became uncontrollably excited.

Before he could finish, Senior Brother's face darkened, and he appeared behind him. Second Senior Brother awkwardly cut short the inappropriate topic and steered the conversation back on track.

"Uh, what was I just saying? Right, long-lived species..."

"There's a special type of long-lived species that looks almost identical to ordinary humans. Or rather, they *are* humans. Their only unique characteristic is their extremely long lifespan, which is unattainable for ordinary people. These individuals hide among the populace, living cautiously. Every so often, they change their appearance and identity to start a new life, avoiding detection."

Li Fan immediately asked, "Afraid of being discovered by others? Why is that? Is it related to those Myriad-Longevity Pearls?"

Ling Xiao said seriously, "Junior Brother, imagine this: you only live for about a hundred years and are already old and frail. Yet others, at several hundred or even a thousand years old, are still as youthful as ever. Wouldn't you feel it's incredibly unfair and get angry?"

Li Fan nodded vigorously, "That's outrageous! It's so unfair!"

"Indeed, normal people find such a disparity unbearable. As I mentioned earlier, some long-lived species don't possess powerful cultivation."

"Hmph, as the saying goes, 'a man's wealth is his own ruin.' How could cultivators at the Soul Transformation or Dao Integration stages, who have no hope of achieving longevity, not envy these long-lived species?" Ling Xiao lowered his voice: "Those major immortal sects possess a secret technique called 'Essence Transformation Rebirth,' which allows them to extract and utilize the lifespan of living beings. And the lifespan extracted from long-lived species is the purest. Extracting from tens of thousands of mortals over many years can only condense a few Longevity Fruits, adding a little over a hundred years to one's life. However, the lifespan provided by a single long-lived species can refine dozens or even hundreds of Longevity Pearls."

A hint of greed unconsciously appeared in Ling Xiao's eyes: "The higher the cultivation of a long-lived species, the higher the quality of the Longevity Pearls refined from them. Back then, I was fortunate enough to participate in a hunt for a long-lived species and received one Hundred-Longevity Pearl. After consuming it, I felt ethereal, as if I had returned to my youth. That feeling..." Ling Xiao smacked his lips, savoring the memory. "If a Hundred-Longevity Pearl is like that, I can only imagine what the legendary Thousand-Longevity Pearls, or even Myriad-Longevity Pearls, must feel like."

At this moment, the usually taciturn Third Senior Brother suddenly spoke up: "Xiao Xiao, with your cultivation, even if you were lucky enough to swallow a Thousand-Longevity Pearl, you'd likely just face the fate of having your lifespan extracted again by others."

Ling Xiao glared resentfully at Lian Chang: "Xiao Xiao? Is that what you can call me? Third Brother, you're getting increasingly disrespectful."

Third Senior Brother crossed his arms, watching Ling Xiao with interest: "What, do you want to spar with me?"

Ling Xiao, however, showed no fear: "It seems my long period of inactivity has given you a misconception. Today, I will thoroughly demonstrate the authority of a senior brother!"

With that, the two immediately started fighting. Meanwhile, Senior Brother watched from the side, a smile on his face.

This scene was truly heartwarming and harmonious. However, soon after, the storm of war would tear all of this to shreds.