Chapter 52: Outlast Him

The entire duel would continue until the last person was exhausted, or until the top ten positions were determined.

There was some spectacle at the beginning, but later on, the talismans were spent, the recovery pills were exhausted, and physical stamina had dwindled.

What remained was a contest of willpower and mental fortitude.

To those elders, the duels of the Qi Refinement stage were only worth watching here, to observe the true extent of their capabilities.

The flashy displays at the start were, conversely, not worth watching.

But for an outer disciple like Lin Donglai, only the flashy parts were interesting; although the later stages were intense, they mostly consisted of silent confrontations and psychological maneuvering.

Especially the struggle for ranking.

Those in the later ranks fought to climb into the top spots.

Whether those who successfully defended the stage should challenge the leaders, or whether those who failed would merely end up serving as stepping stones for others—this was a game of strategy.

Because this kind of maneuvering relied on tension rather than spectacular combat, Lin Donglai only paid slight attention to it.

Seeing Ding Suo barely manage to occupy the tenth stage, Lin Donglai felt a hint of disappointment; he truly wished someone would pull him down.

Previously, this fellow had not dared to aim for the top ten and was pushed off a cliff, failing to receive the entry pill rewards. Being one step behind others had led to him being left behind at every turn. To be able to make the top ten in this duel showed that he did indeed possess talent.

Lin Donglai did not consider himself a magnanimous person, but since the sect rules forbade mutual sabotage, one could only duel honorably.

However, in a duel... unless he utilized his Spiritual Root Dao Seed, Lin Donglai certainly could not guarantee a victory against him.

"Then there is only one way."

He let out a long sigh.

"I will outlast him!"

The Earth Immortal lineage had one great advantage: long lifespans and enduring vitality.

Furthermore, this vitality was shared with the Spiritual Root Dao Seed.

Even if one were killed, they would still die.

But if one wasn't killed, wouldn't they be fine?

The concept of an ordinary cultivator's blood and qi declining after sixty, making Foundation Establishment impossible, essentially did not exist here.

Once the Blessed Field was completed, Lin Donglai gained an "Immortal Navel," which constantly funneled life essence from the outside world into his body.

Of course, there were still limitations.

Namely, the Three Calamities.

Every time five hundred years passed beyond one's lifespan limit, Heaven and Earth would sense something amiss and strike with wind. If one had not cultivated a Blessed Land Yin Spirit, their soul would be extinguished by these winds.

If another five hundred years passed, they would be struck by fire. If one had not cultivated a Grotto-Heaven Yang Spirit, they would be burned into ash and residue.

If another five hundred years passed, they would be struck by lightning. If the Grotto-Heaven was not stable enough, their soul would be scattered and annihilated.

Only after passing the Three Calamities could a Grotto-Heaven evolve into a Boundary Heaven, becoming a complete small world. Only as the master of such a world could one claim to live as long as Heaven and Earth, and share the same destiny as the sun and moon.

At that point, one's lifespan would essentially be infinite.

The lifespan limit for the Qi Refinement stage was two sexagenary cycles (120 years), Foundation Establishment was four cycles (240 years), and the Purple Mansion stage was eight cycles (480 years).

In other words, during his Qi Refinement stage, Lin Donglai was guaranteed to live at least 620 years. If he reached Foundation Establishment, he could live 740 years; at the Purple Mansion stage, 980 years.

To be precise, if he could cultivate a Blessed Land and reach the Golden Core stage within those 980 years, his life would be extended by another five hundred years.

Because theoretically, the Golden Core lifespan limit was only sixteen sexagenary cycles, or 960 years. The 980 years from the previous stages already offset that, so this extension would only provide a full five hundred years.

The advantage was mine!

If he consumed more longevity spiritual items, the limit could be even longer. The longer the limit, the later the Three Calamities would arrive.

One must realize that the Qingmu Sect had only existed for 1,200 years since its founding.

"The Qingmu Sect is relatively stable. When I am close to Foundation Establishment and it becomes too difficult to stay without being exposed, I will use the excuse of reaching my age to retire to my hometown, gradually fading from the sect's sight, and find somewhere else to steadily break through to Foundation Establishment."

The more Lin Donglai thought about it, the clearer it became. He noticed that the sprout of the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu tree had grown a bit taller and thicker, signifying that although his cultivation had not increased, his Dao attainment had improved.

This had happened once before; every time he understood a key issue or made a crucial choice, this Jianmu spiritual root would undergo a change.

"If it keeps growing like this, this small Blessed Field won't be nearly enough!"

"I must find a way to learn the Yin Five Elements, and then buy some Five Elements Essence."

The Hall of Merit sold Five Elements Essence. There was only the mid-grade First Order type, which cost 20 merit points per bottle. Five bottles would be 100 points, and ten would be 200.

To expand the Blessed Field, relying solely on personal cultivation would not suffice; he would have to spend spirit stones!

This essence was what mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators used when they hit a bottleneck and could not break through to the late stage. Since their daily cultivation could no longer increase their cultivation or break their shackles, they would accumulate Five Elements Essence to hand over to the Hall of Merit, exchanging it for more expensive Morning Sun Purple Qi or barrier-breaking pills in hopes of grinding through the shackles to advance further.

Currently, Lin Donglai only earned one merit point for planting two low-grade First Order spiritual herbs, but if he planted mid-grade First Order herbs, one plant would yield one merit point.

It was no wonder the value of spiritual herbs was lower; after all, a pill required a complex combination of "monarch, minister, assistant, and envoy" herbs, requiring great effort from an alchemist to refine.

If it were a pill, a bottle of twelve mid-grade First Order pills would cost 50 merit points.

"I have to work harder at farming!"

As he was reflecting, the rankings were released.

Yin Xuexian was first.

Xue Hong was sixth.

Ding Suo was tenth.

Lin Donglai did not recognize the others, but he saw that sword cultivators occupied three spots, array masters one, body refiners one, one talisman cultivator, and one beast tamer.

The list was mostly comprised of these types of people, though the rankings were somewhat scrambled.

Regardless, the first place belonged to Yin Xuexian.

Sect Leader Liu Zuolin once again approached the cloud-platform of the Supreme Elder, Perfected Lady Chanxia: "Supreme Elder, the top ten have been decided. Among these disciples, is there anyone who catches your eye?"

"Observing their providence, these disciples are quite decent. Seven or eight have prospects for Foundation Establishment. However, for repairing a Blessed Land, one needs a steady temperament and a state of mind that matches the 'Jade Tree in the Jasper Forest'."

"That array disciple has been cautious and methodical since defending the stage, setting up formations step by step. Although his array eye was dismantled in the final step, he was able to adapt, transforming the Five Elements into the Four Symbols; he is quite suitable."

"As for that girl, although she is not suited to cultivate my Purple Cloud True Art, her lineage comes from the founding ancestor of the Baiyang Sect. She possesses the potential to cultivate the Cold Yang Dao Body, making her suitable for another great divine ability, the 'Cold Yang Life-Protecting True Manual'."

"Ever since the Baiyang Sect produced a Purple Mansion cultivator, they have been quite erratic over the last century. They actually took it upon themselves to contact the elders of the Nature Alliance, plotting to join forces with the Red Flame Sect and the Bai Family of Taiyuan to conspire against our sect and replace us. This is a path to death!"

"However, this manual indeed has merit. Although it only contains the portions from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment, it has been in my hands for over fifty years. I have spent my leisure time deciphering and modifying it, and it is now perfected, allowing one to cultivate fully to the peak of Foundation Establishment."

"Whether she can specifically reach the Purple Mansion stage will require a genius to cultivate it personally and then slowly supplement the rest."

"Once she reaches Foundation Establishment, I shall strike down the Baiyang Sect ancestor and then send her to become the Sect Leader of the Baiyang Sect. When the time is right, she can lead her sect to join us. In this way, we can swallow all their providence and merit, adding another inner sect lineage to our Qingmu Sect."

Liu Zuolin understood the higher intent. That Purple Mansion cultivator of the Baiyang Sect likely wouldn't live long. The three ancestors of the Qingmu Sect were aiming for the Golden Core stage; before entering seclusion, they naturally intended to intimidate their surroundings and would not miss this opportunity to "kill a chicken to warn the monkeys."

Thus, he nodded: "I shall arrange the disciples accordingly. I will ensure the Baiyang Sect is left breathless."