Chapter 602: 285: Longevity Skill (Part 2)

Jiang Feng even thought that Bai Yang might have to leave the sect and venture into the bustling mortal market below the mountain gate to buy the ingredients he needed. Being able to prepare all these ingredients within an hour was already beyond his expectations.

"I asked for a few more jugs for you, so you can drink to your heart’s content."

Bai Yang crushed the clay sealing the bottle, carefully removed the soil, and then poured a bowl for Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng picked up the yellow rice wine, not rushing to drink but taking a sniff first, then took a small sip. He found that the yellow rice wine from the Blood Domain wasn’t as strong as that from Central Earth. It went down smoothly but lacked a certain punch.

He recalled drinking wine with Uncle Huo in the past.

Both of them would quickly grab a piece of steaming white tofu after a drink to counteract the punch, always eating until they were sweating profusely, savoring the taste.

Then Jiang Feng took another gulp.

"Ah, phew!"

Bai Yang also poured a bowl for himself. Coming from a well-off family, he had never drunk yellow rice wine before. After joining the Cyan Cloud Sect and quickly becoming an outer disciple, he rarely visited the servant disciples’ canteen. Even as a servant disciple, he always cooked special meals for himself.

Seeing Jiang Feng drinking in big gulps, his curiosity got the better of him, and he took a bold gulp as well, only to end up choking.

"Junior Brother, why do you like drinking this kind of wine? This is what the servants... this is too strong, I wasn’t prepared, a bit hard to get used to."

Bai Yang said awkwardly.

To avoid Jiang Feng overthinking, he frowned as he gulped down the rest of the wine in his bowl, forcing it down without using spiritual power to refine the strength of the wine.

As the wine entered his stomach, a wave of heat surged from within, making Bai Yang’s head sway slightly as his cheeks gradually grew warm.

"Senior Brother Bai, if you can’t get used to it, don’t force yourself."

Jiang Feng chuckled.

Even he wasn’t used to this yellow rice wine. Although he could drink it, it lacked that punch, making the salted vegetables and tofu before him lose their flavor. So he took out the yellow rice wine from Central Earth from his space ring.

Xiao Guofan, knowing his fondness for yellow rice wine, had scoured Central Earth for aged yellow rice wine and sent it all to Jiang Feng.

Thus, Jiang Feng had plenty of yellow rice wine in his ring. He had Bai Yang prepare a few bottles to taste the local flavor.

To be honest, the yellow rice wine of Cyan Cloud Sect tasted better than that of Central Earth.

But without that punch, Jiang Feng simply couldn’t get used to it. If Uncle Huo were seated in front, he probably wouldn’t like this kind of wine either.

"If Junior Brother doesn’t mind, I’ll drink my own cherished wine then."

Bai Yang said thick-skinned when seeing Jiang Feng switch wines.

"Feel free, Senior Brother Bai."

Jiang Feng nodded.

So the two of them sat around a stone table in the courtyard, enjoying a hotpot of salted vegetables. Two hours later, Bai Yang drunkenly left.

Jiang Feng noticed that the salted vegetables, tofu, and pork head that Bai Yang had prepared for him were mostly eaten by himself. Bai Yang only took a few bites of the pork head, grabbed a handful of peanuts, while the salted vegetables and white tofu were mostly untouched.

"I can’t expect people to live by my ways always. Since I’m in the Cyan Cloud Sect, I’ll just keep the salted vegetables and tofu to myself in the future!"

Jiang Feng mused thoughtfully.

He tidied up the remnants on the stone table.

The next morning, Jiang Feng went to the academy in search of a cultivation technique.

"Jiang Liu’er, what a coincidence."

Upon arriving at the academy, Jiang Feng encountered a familiar face, Huang Li.

Huang Li, dressed in an official disciple’s attire, greeted Jiang Feng actively. The onlookers were somewhat puzzled upon seeing this scene, spotting Jiang Feng’s attire that signified his status as a First-Grade Talisman Master from Yagu Peak.

It was strange to them that an official disciple like Huang Li was so casual with a First-Grade Talisman Master and didn’t perform a greeting; did she have some kind of backing?

"Greetings, Mr. Jiang."

Sensing the unusual gazes around her, Huang Li immediately changed her demeanor, bowing respectfully to Jiang Feng.

"Is Junior Sister here to check out that cultivation technique from last time?"

Jiang Feng asked curiously, outwardly calm but inwardly a bit nervous upon seeing Huang Li.

He still didn’t entirely believe she hadn’t regained her memory. Even if it were true, Jiang Feng worried about the day she might suddenly recall everything.

There were only two possible ways to neutralize this potential threat.

Either to kill Huang Li,

or to become so powerful that Huang Li couldn’t plot against him behind his back.

At the moment, Jiang Feng could achieve neither, so he pinned his hopes on the Cyan Cloud Sect, hoping there really was a Golden Core Powerhouse secretly protecting him.

"Sir, are you also here for that cultivation technique?"

Huang Li countered with a question.

"Yes."

Jiang Feng nodded, explaining, "Master Changyun asked me to gather at Cyan Cloud Hall last time. After you left, I also departed, so I haven’t had a look at it yet."

"Then let’s go together."

Huang Li nodded in agreement.

"Alright."

Jiang Feng didn’t refuse; regardless of whether Huang Li had regained her memory or not, he couldn’t let his facade slip.

"Junior Sister."

But just as they were about to enter the academy, a voice stopped Huang Li.

Jiang Feng inwardly exclaimed that things were not going well, turning to find Wu Jingming.

An unrequited lover can be lethal.

Especially a powerful one you cannot defeat.

"I’ll take my leave first."

Jiang Feng dared not ignore Wu Jingming, turned to give a brief smile, said a word to the two, and swiftly entered the academy, maintaining a distance from Huang Li.

"Junior Sister, Master asked you to stay at Cyan Bamboo Peak; why did you come down?"

Wu Jingming asked, not pleased.

"Senior Brother, this is the Cyan Cloud Sect. You don’t need to follow me around all the time; I’ll be fine."

Huang Li said, somewhat exasperated, clearly unused to Wu Jingming’s persistent attention.

"Your appearance and aura have been exposed, and even with the Thousand Faces technique’s protection, it can’t guard against Divine Gaze. Master and I are both concerned that you’ve already been noticed by the Divine Sect, making your safety paramount even within the sect."

Wu Jingming explained patiently.

"Then come with me, Senior Brother Wu."

Huang Li couldn’t help but relent.

"Alright."

Wu Jingming finally smiled.

Inside the academy.

Jiang Feng went up to the second layer and found the book he had come across with Huang Li last time.

Back then, upon encountering Huang Li, Jiang Feng was flustered and didn’t even take note of the book’s title; he only remembered where he placed it back. Thankfully, no one touched it during this time, so Jiang Feng found it easily.

This time he took a closer look.

Jiang Feng saw the cover had the three characters for "Longevity Skill."

The familiar name immediately made him think of the Tai Chi Longevity Skill—could there be such a coincidence that a similar cultivation technique existed in the cultivation realm?

However, this Longevity Skill was over a thousand pages thick, not easy to finish.

Jiang Feng attempted to scan it with his spiritual sense but couldn’t record it into the panel as easily as he could with mundane cultivation techniques; it seemed he would have to read it thoroughly to absorb it.

Holding the Longevity Skill, he found a spot to sit. With his First-Grade Talisman Master status, other disciples reading on the second layer wisely kept their distance, not daring to disturb him.

Huang Li and Wu Jingming soon joined him upstairs.

Upon seeing Jiang Feng engrossed in the Longevity Skill in the corner, the two didn’t trouble him either.

Thus, Jiang Feng became immersed in reading.

As a First-Grade Talisman Master, he faced no time constraints on the second layer.

He sat there for three days, finally finishing the Longevity Skill.

Upon closing the book on the last page, Jiang Feng heaved a sigh of relief, only then realizing why such a thick book had countless page-turning marks, suggesting it was read by numerous people.

It turned out that while the Longevity Skill wasn’t a profound cultivation technique, it was one that could defend against heart demons and help stabilize one’s mind.

Moreover, it didn’t require high-level cultivation to harness its power.

The book stated,

"Mastering the Longevity Skill to Great Success can resist over eighty percent of heart demons in the world."

Heart demons are a frequent obstacle on the cultivation path.

Some find themselves stuck at a bottleneck for years, losing confidence, making them more susceptible to heart demons, potentially leading them to extremity, where a book like the Longevity Skill can help stabilize their mind, certainly seen as a lifeline.