Longevity Strange Immortal
Chapter 71 Perfect Puberty Stage

Chapter 71: Chapter 71 Perfect Puberty Stage

After Li Mo displayed his strength, the return to the Artifact Refining Shop became smooth sailing, with no loose cultivators daring to stand in his way.

It was obvious that the factions of various Daoists were reassessing Li Mo, though his cultivation at the fifth layer of childhood caused them to underestimate him.

There was no time for Li Mo to cultivate to the Perfect Puberty Stage, as the struggle for opportunities had already begun.

Due to Hu Wen and Han Cai being in seclusion, Li Mo’s access to information on the Induction Fate was somewhat restricted, so he focused on cultivation for the time being.

He gazed toward Duozhi Mountain.

The fog at the foot of the mountain had already dissipated, revealing vast fields spread across the mountain, resources extending as far as the eye could see.

Rong Town’s current development of Duozhi Mountain primarily relied on cultivating spiritual materials.

However, bizarrely enough, whatever spiritual materials were grown within the bounds of Duozhi Mountain would, once matured, take on the shape of an arm.

Accompanied by the trouble of Fake Beasts roaming about, Rong Town handed over the management of the mountain foot to loose cultivators.

Li Mo opened the doors of the Artifact Refining Shop, and the dim, murky light inside instilled a sense of warmth, suppressing the fatigue accumulated from his journeys and hardships.

The shop’s interior was decorated very plainly, with only a counter, a dozen or so shelves, and limb-shaped spiritual materials hanging on the walls.

Though the spiritual materials appeared odd, they did not hinder the crafting of Magic Artifacts.

He called the Hongxing Escort Agency to Fuxing Town, partly to prepare for the Induction Fate and partly to staff the Artifact Refining Shop.

Li Mo urgently needed to achieve the Perfect Puberty Stage and clearly lacked the energy to manage the shop.

The escort masters nervously pulled out their rations to fill their stomachs, while Zhao Zhu, unrestrained as ever, shamelessly sidled up to Li Mo with a question.

"Brother Hei, that spell of yours where you spat out Gu Worms was truly impressive..."

Li Mo patted Zhao Zhu’s shoulder and replied helplessly, "Zhu Zi, forget about it. You understand the principle of cultivating both skill and magic, right?"

Zhao Zhu chuckled sheepishly and nodded. The Miscellaneous Hall’s techniques leaned toward enhancing the physical body, making them feel more like a martial artist’s methods rather than those of an immortal.

In his eyes, the sky-darkening techniques Li Mo displayed were the epitome of true magic.

During their casual conversation, Li Mo inquired about the current situation of Li Qingfang and her brother, only to learn that the two had already begun cultivating under the guidance of an old painter.

He shook his head noncommittally.

Li Mo’s rising fame meant that even without him explicitly stating it, the local pawnshops would curry favor with him, benefiting Li Qingfang and her brother as a result.

Li Mo clasped his hands together and said, "Masters, I leave the Artifact Refining Shop in your care. When I emerge from seclusion to compete for the Induction Fate, I hope you can lend me your support."

The shop’s profit split was ninety to ten; though the ratio seemed exaggerated, all the refining work was handled by Li Mo, and the spiritual materials gathered by the Hongxing Escort Agency at Duozhi Mountain could also be sold in the shop.

In this world, resources favored the strong. Even if Li Mo was willing to give more, the Hongxing Escort Agency dared not accept.

Song Liang’s face lit up with joy.

Li Mo had already carefully planned everything out. As long as he used the Communication Spirit Talisman to contact Jin Li, his safety on Duozhi Mountain was assured.

"Thank you, Mr. Li. For you to consider the Hongxing Escort Agency for such an important matter, I, your elder brother, will certainly not let you down."

Song Liang believed that Li Mo held the status of a Daoist, and his followers must be as numerous as shoals of fish crossing a river.

However, he had no idea that Li Mo had always been devotedly focused on cultivation, seldom interacting with other factions, even within the Heart Beast Black Market.

"Oh, right."

Song Liang took out a Storage Bag from his chest and handed it to Li Mo. "Inside are the resources you requested; I have not failed in my mission."

Li Mo accepted the Storage Bag. Besides the materials for constructing an ecological box, there were also dozens of dormant wild beasts, mainly foxes and tigers.

"I will now enter seclusion."

"If there are any completed Magic Artifacts, I will have the spirit beasts deliver them to you."

Song Liang suddenly realized something and couldn’t help but ask, "What if, Mr. Li, you miss the opportunity at Duozhi Mountain while in seclusion?"

"There’s still time, still time."

Li Mo gave Song Liang a knowing look, signaling him to keep Zhao Zhu in line.

He stretched lazily and, under the reverent gazes of the cultivators, walked into the inner room.

The inner room was cluttered with miscellaneous items, and in a corner lay a hidden door. Li Mo bent down, opened the secret door, and descended into a deep tunnel.

After walking a short distance, a cellar over ten meters wide came into view.

The cellar was filled with dense smog spiritual energy, and the walls showed severe sandification, accompanied by crystalline metal fragments.

To conceal his activities, Li Mo had relocated his seclusion room to this cellar.

In just a few months of cultivation, the Primordial Postnatal Dao Body had fully corroded the cellar, and it wouldn’t be surprising if a mineral vein emerged over time.

Li Mo paid no mind to the thin air, sitting cross-legged to activate his Circulation Cycle.

Forty percent of his lungs had undergone Spirit Root Transformation, progress far surpassing that of ordinary cultivators. It was evident that the Blessed Land Cave Heaven had significantly accelerated his advancement.

Li Mo’s patience was exceptional; even prolonged meditation did not bore him.

When his mental state wavered, he would stabilize it through artifact forging and painting, while also fine-tuning the Evergreen Tree’s ecosystem and experimenting with wild beast breeding.

He initially thought managing the Evergreen Tree’s ecosystem would be highly challenging.

After all, involving large beasts was risky, as a single mistake could collapse the system.

However, Li Mo had underestimated the stability of mid-grade Magic Artifacts. Once the vegetation took root and sprouted, the Evergreen Tree’s ecosystem began to cycle effortlessly.

Such a phenomenon would have been unbelievable in his previous life.

The wild beasts coexisted peacefully, while their blood provided enough nourishment for the Tattooed Beasts’ daily needs.

Seeing the smooth operation of the Evergreen Tree, Li Mo devoted more energy to cultivation. The Spirit Root Transformation of his lungs progressed steadily, reaching sixty percent in just over half a month—a pace that was accelerating noticeably.

Under such circumstances, he paid no attention to the fact that the Artifact Refining Shop had already opened.

The shop operated under the name Hongxing, ostensibly managed by the Hongxing Escort Agency. However, most cultivators were aware that the Four-legged True Man was the force behind it.

They only knew that the Four-legged True Man was exceptionally talented in both artifact forging and cultivation, but they had not expected the quality of his Magic Artifact Embryos to be so outstanding.

It gave the impression that he was not a mere young man under twenty but a seasoned artisan with over a century of experience in artifact forging.

Upon entering the shop, one would see shelves filled with low-grade Magic Artifact Embryos, each with the potential to undergo four or five refinements—a truly astonishing feat.

Mid-grade Magic Artifact Embryos, though few in number, hung inverted from the ceiling, making an equally strong impression.

Song Liang chose not to personally collect spiritual materials on Duozhi Mountain. Instead, after discussing with Jin Li, he opted to collaborate with loose cultivators.

The downside was lower profits, but the upside was forming a reasonable industrial chain.

The Artifact Refining Shop’s business began thriving, yet the various Daoists had already made their moves, heading for the mist-shrouded mid-mountain area.

From the Daoists’ perspective, it seemed Li Mo had accepted that he couldn’t achieve the Perfect Puberty Stage and had simply given up on the opportunity for the Induction Fate.

Zhao Zhu was deeply worried as he observed this, but he was helpless, as Li Mo remained in seclusion and did not respond to messages sent via spiritual tablets.

Li Mo paid no attention to the happenings beyond his seclusion.

Once he entered a state of deep focus, he achieved absolute concentration. Moreover, he was now beginning the Spirit Root Transformation of his final organ, the spleen.

Li Mo chose not to use his last Dark Gold Blank Page on the spleen.

As he approached the threshold of Foundation Establishment, he was confident that once the Creation Book advanced to the Weak Crown Period, ordinary blank pages would naturally emerge.

In his spare moments, Li Mo fed the two twenty-year-old Nourishing Yuan Fruits to the Red Fox and Salamander, ensuring a balance between offense and defense under Hui Qingyi.

The fruits’ medicinal effects accumulated rapidly during cultivation breakthroughs, requiring the Tattooed Beasts to sleep in order to absorb them fully.

Li Mo continued his steady march toward the Perfect Puberty Stage, while the Artifact Refining Shop seemed like an anthill in boiling water.

With Li Mo too focused on cultivation to refine artifacts, Song Liang and the other cultivators decided to close the shop temporarily. Meanwhile, they gathered intelligence and awaited Li Mo’s emergence from seclusion.