Longevity Strange Immortal
Chapter 80 Cultivation during the Weak Crown Period

Chapter 80: Chapter 80 Cultivation during the Weak Crown Period

Qingming Daozi couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat; she realized that she might have unintentionally been swept into the schemes of Melt Town’s higher-ups.

Han Cai spoke, "You two can choose to return to Melt Town or stay at Duozhi Mountain to cultivate. Please reply to us as soon as possible."

An Gang nodded and added, "If you choose to return to Melt Town, it’s safer to travel with us. The outside world is currently teeming with chaos."

Qingming Daozi hurriedly replied, "I wouldn’t dare trouble the two elders. This junior intends to enter closed-door cultivation at the Daoist Temple on Duozhi Mountain."

"Very well. You’ve just stepped onto the Immortal Path after your promotion to the Weak Crown Period; don’t let pride hinder your progress."

"Thank you for the elders’ guidance."

Seeing that Han Cai had no intention of making things difficult, Qingming Daozi breathed a sigh of relief. After saying her farewell, she turned and headed to Qingming Daoist Temple.

Han Cai cast a peculiar gaze toward Li Mo, making the latter shiver in discomfort.

"And what about you, my disciple?"

An Gang put on the face of a kindly elder and coaxed, "Li Mo, why not come to the Government Office for some training? Although you’d have to deal with Deceit Beasts, the rewards are absolutely generous."

Li Mo quickly waved his hand, declining.

Being an Artifact Refiner placed him squarely in the middle of the cultivation world’s economic framework. He could comfortably earn a fortune crafting Magic Artifacts during his leisure time.

"I’d rather remain at Duozhi Mountain for now; after all, this place is most suited for my cultivation."

An Gang appeared slightly regretful. With Li Mo’s talent, it was impossible for him to remain stuck at the Weak Crown Stage forever. If he invested in him now, the rewards in the future would be considerable.

Han Cai didn’t insist; after all, Duozhi Mountain’s smog spiritual energy was abundant, and Li Mo’s Childhood Death Disease seemed to be approaching.

Han Cai smiled meaningfully as he said, "Don’t forget, in about seven years, Hu Wen will have a use for you."

"Seven years..."

Li Mo raised an eyebrow. Calculating the timeline, seven years later would coincide with the Outer Door Competition. He wondered what kind of disasters might unfold then.

Han Cai carefully explained the rules of Duozhi Mountain.

Melt Town had fully opened up ownership rights to the Multi-limb Mountain Yam Field, demonstrating that the disputes over the fields would persist continuously. However, only Weak Crown Stage practitioners were eligible to participate.

For now, Li Mo and Qingming Daozi didn’t need to worry about facing challenges from those of the same realm. As newly promoted Weak Crown practitioners, they enjoyed two years of protection under Melt Town.

However, after two years, even the reputation brought by an Innate Taoist Body would inevitably draw endless challenges from other Weak Crown practitioners.

At the same time, Li Mo and Qingming Daozi could challenge ownership of higher-altitude Yam Fields.

Duozhi Mountain was an extraordinarily mystical Blessed Land Cave Heaven.

The higher one went up its mountain altitudes, the richer the nutrients contained within the Yam Fields, and the denser the Spiritual Energy became.

If Melt Town were to fully remove the Arrays restraining Duozhi Mountain, it was unimaginable whether the mountain’s elevation might increase further.

"You’re always the most calculating, kid. Take this."

Han Cai retrieved an ornate Storage Bag and tossed it to Li Mo, "Don’t overthink it. The resources inside might be insignificant to your current stage, but it’s still a token of my goodwill."

Li Mo didn’t bother inspecting the resources. He bowed respectfully and said, "Such generosity from Master Han—I dare not refuse. I will always remember Master Han’s teachings."

"Hahaha..."

Han Cai laughed more loudly and then pulled An Gang along, heading toward the mountain’s foot.

Watching them leave, Li Mo returned to the Mountain and Sea Daoist Temple. Upon entering the hall, he found over a dozen people waiting for him.

Jin Li and other cultivators knew Li Mo’s extraordinary talents but had never expected them to be strong enough to dominate his peers.

An Innate and Postnatal Dual Dao Body—the quintessential Core Formation Seed.

The atmosphere in the room fell into silence, broken only when Li Mo spoke first, "Song Liang, are you still planning to visit the Heart Beast Black Market?"

"Visit? Of course!!"

The Dart Master stared at him in surprise, unable to fathom why he’d give up a Spirit Stone Mine. Soon, Song Liang laughed and said, "I plan to relocate the entire Hongxing Escort Agency to Duozhi Mountain."

"From now on, there will be no Hongxing Escort Agency—only Hongxing Refining Shop."

Cheers erupted from the Dart Masters.

They had reaped massive harvests on Duozhi Mountain, with their cultivations universally elevated by a minor realm.

Even if they had to share a portion of the profits, it was leagues beyond the returns from the Black Market, and abandoning the lucrative Artifact Refining Shop was clearly unrealistic.

Jin Li watched as Li Mo rose to prominence, leaning against a wall and commenting, "I’m not going down the mountain either. With my Gold Earth Spiritual Power, cultivating within Duozhi Mountain’s range yields twice the results for half the effort."

He had unspoken thoughts as well:

The Hongxing Refining Shop was already developing into the prototype of a Melt Town Store. As long as Li Mo kept advancing, becoming Shopkeeper was a real possibility.

Li Mo didn’t make deliberate efforts to draw people in, but as his value became increasingly evident, willing supporters naturally multiplied.

He continued to delegate the management of the refining shop to Jin Li and Song Liang.

Jin Li would focus on internal operations and store management, while Song Liang would mobilize Dart Masters to interact with Loose Cultivators and procure Spiritual Material Resources necessary to keep the shop running.

Li Mo took over 70% of the profits, yet everyone felt it was completely deserved. The Cultivation World revered the strong.

After chatting for a while, Li Mo retired to the inner chamber to study Weak Crown Stage cultivation.

Beyond that, he also needed to consider the Spell Page imprinting and, after his four Tattooed Beasts completed their transformation, add newly created Secondary Beast Head Tattoos, along with attempting the promotion of Universal Skillful Hand to Weak Crown Stage.

There was too much to handle, leaving Li Mo with little time to oversee the refining shop.

The Weak Crown Stage had three levels: early, middle, and late, which resembled the ancient Foundation Establishment Stage. It primarily revolved around Core Formation, making it extremely perilous.

Reaching the Weak Crown Stage signified that cultivators had formally begun interacting with their own soul and spirits.

Each level required taming one spirit from the Mud Pill Palace, and upon achieving full mastery, three spirits would reside within the Middle Dantian, forming a Fake Pill.

The soul is comprised of three parts: the Heavenly Soul, the Earth Soul, and the Life Soul.

The seven spirits are Corpse Dog, Hidden Arrow, Que Yin, Swallowing Thief, Nonpoisonous, Chuhui, and Stinky Lung—all muddied ghosts within one’s body.

Due to differences in cultivators’ constitutions, variations in the three souls and seven spirits directly impacted the quality of the Golden Core formed.

The Golden Core, also known as Immortal Bone, was classified into Upper, Middle, and Lower grades, akin to Spirit Stone classifications, according to memories summoned from the Creation Book.

Li Mo’s eyes glittered as he pondered. In ancient times, cultivators didn’t need to tame spirits during Foundation Establishment, nor integrate soul and spirits during Core Formation.

Still, it was true that Core Formation into Nascent Soul resembled nurturing a living being. Could taming souls and spirits be a precaution against rebellion by the Golden Core or Nascent Soul?

Considering this, Li Mo focused on the Weak Crown Stage records within the Five Poison Five God Heart Sutra, directing his consciousness toward the Mud Pill Palace deep within his mind.

His awareness faded into darkness. After a moment of silence, the three souls and seven spirits appeared before his eyes.

The Mud Pill Palace resembled a sealed-off space, with the three souls and seven spirits all presented in Li Mo’s likeness, resembling statues standing in the center.

As muddied ghosts within his body, if the seven spirits left the Mud Pill Palace, they would spiral out of control. There was something hidden within the statues formed by his souls and spirits, but its nature remained unclear.

Li Mo, feeling slightly disappointed, noticed that the blank page in the Creation Book proved ineffective for imprinting souls and spirits. To be accurate, perhaps only a specialized page could carry their marks.

"Forget it, I’ll settle for second best."

With a subtle shift of his mind, Li Mo successfully imprinted his Mud Pill Palace onto the blank page.