Second Senior Brother Ling Xiao had a very thick skin.
Caught red-handed doing something mischievous by his Junior Brother, he showed no signs of embarrassment. Instead, he even winked and asked Li Fan if he wanted to give it a try.
Before Li Fan could respond, the sword of the eldest senior brother swiftly arrived.
A murderous aura filled the air, scattering the group of unruly cats.
Second Senior Brother chuckled awkwardly, put away his pen, and sneakily left the cave mansion, probably to find new toys for experimentation.
"Junior Brother, you must never follow your Second Senior Brother's example. Your transformed object should be more serious," cautioned Senior Brother Sī Xīng with a serious tone.
Li Fan nodded repeatedly in agreement.
...
Various amusing incidents like this occurred frequently.
In general, the atmosphere within the Body Transformation Dao sect was harmonious and friendly.
In such an environment, Li Fan continued to stimulate the hidden potential within his body, strengthening his previously frail physique while practicing "Nihua."
In the sixth year since Li Fan entered the simulated world through "Nihua," a series of urgent and thrilling bell tolls emanated from the distant horizon.
As the bell echoed, Li Fan felt his blood surging, and an inexplicable fear gripped his heart.
The Senior Brothers, each busy with their own tasks, were also awakened.
"This bell... is it the Immortal Suppressing Bell?"
Several Senior Brothers who arrived with a start showed expressions of shock.
"The last time the Immortal Suppressing Bell rang, I remember it was because the long-lived species that were being kept by the immortal sects collectively rebelled, right?"
"Exactly. At that time, the ten major immortal sects issued a wanted order. Anyone who captured any of the fleeing long-lived species would be rewarded with a 'Hundred Longevity Bead,' adding several decades to a hundred years of life."
"The temptation of living an additional hundred years is something not many cultivators can resist. In order to seize the heads of those fleeing long-lived species, cultivators at that time killed each other, sparking a large-scale bloodbath."
"I wonder what major event is happening in the cultivation world this time."
The Senior Brothers exchanged remarks filled with emotion.
Li Fan listened silently on the side. Seizing the opportunity when they paused, he put on a very curious expression and asked, "Senior Brothers, what are long-lived species? And what is the 'Hundred Longevity Bead'?"
This time, the Senior Brothers didn't avoid the question as usual.
Second Senior Brother Ling Xiao sighed, his eyes full of envy, "Junior Brother, you have to understand that the heavens have never been fair."
"Ordinary humans can be considered long-lived if they live over a hundred years."
"Even if someone becomes a cultivator and doesn't reach the Immortal Ascension realm, living for several thousand years is the limit."
Ling Xiao paused and continued with a profound tone, "However, in this world, there are some creatures that are naturally blessed with extremely long lifespans. Even ordinary members of their clans, without powerful cultivation, can easily live for one or two thousand years."
"For beings with such short lifespans like humans, isn't this unfair?"
"Long-lived species..." Li Fan's heart stirred.
Before his transmigration, he had read about settings similar to long-lived species in various fantasy novels.
However, in the real cultivation world, he had never come across any information about long-lived species, let alone witnessed them firsthand.
"Senior Brother, what do these long-lived species look like? Are they similar to the monsters in legends?" Li Fan asked with innocent eyes, looking at Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao patted the head of his Junior Brother and explained, "Hehe, there are many types. Some look like exotic beasts but can communicate in human language."
"Some are spirits of plants and trees."
"Some resemble gods and humans, and all the members of their communities are extremely beautiful..."
"Oh, by the way, Senior Brother, I once wrote a book called 'Tales of Wind and Moon,' featuring the long-lived species on a distant continent. Let me see if there are any copies left..."
Chapter 236: The Immortality Bead
Ling Xiao's topic suddenly shifted, and excitement appeared on his face involuntarily.
Before he could finish, the eldest senior brother's face darkened as he appeared behind Ling Xiao.
Second Senior Brother had to awkwardly stop the inappropriate conversation and return to the main topic.
"Uh, what was I saying just now? Right, long-lived species..."
"There's a special type of long-lived species. They are almost identical to ordinary humans, or rather, they are humans."
"The only special thing about them is their incredibly long lifespan."
"These people live cautiously among the crowd. Every once in a while, they change their appearance, identity, and start a new life to avoid being discovered."
Li Fan immediately asked, "Why are they afraid of being discovered? Does it have anything to do with those 'Ten Thousand Longevity Beads'?"
Ling Xiao said solemnly, "Junior Brother, just imagine. You can only live for a hundred years, and you are already considered old. But others, when they reach a few hundred or even a thousand years old, still look as youthful as ever. Wouldn't you feel unfair and angry?"
Li Fan vigorously nodded, "It's infuriating! It's so unfair!"
"Yes, normal people find it difficult to bear such a difference. As I mentioned earlier, some long-lived species don't possess powerful cultivation."
"Humph, it's a case of harboring a guilty conscience. Those cultivators with Nascent Divinity or Unity Realm cultivation but without hope of achieving longevity, how could they not envy these long-lived species?"
Ling Xiao lowered his voice, "Those major immortal sects have a secret technique called 'Elemental Transcendence,' which can extract the life essence from living beings and use it."
"And the life essence extracted from long-lived species is the purest."
"Tens of thousands of ordinary people, over the years of extraction, can only condense a few Longevity Fruits, adding a hundred years or so to their lifespan."
"But the life essence provided by a long-lived species can be refined into dozens or even hundreds of 'Longevity Beads.'"
A trace of greed appeared in Ling Xiao's eyes, "The higher the cultivation of the long-lived species, the higher the quality of the refined 'Longevity Beads.'"
"I once had the fortune to participate in the pursuit of a long-lived species and obtained a 'Hundred Longevity Bead.' After swallowing it, I felt ethereal, as if I had returned to my youth."
"That feeling..."
Ling Xiao smacked his lips, savoring the memory.
"With just a 'Hundred Longevity Bead,' I wonder what the legendary 'Thousand Longevity Bead' or even 'Ten Thousand Longevity Bead' would taste like."
At this moment, the usually silent Third Senior Brother suddenly spoke, "Smile, with your cultivation, if you were lucky enough to swallow a Thousand Longevity Bead, it would probably just be your fate to have your life essence extracted again."
Ling Xiao looked at Li Fan with a bit of disappointment, "Smile? Is that what you can call me? Third Brother, you're becoming more and more presumptuous."
Third Senior Brother, with his hands crossed, looked at Ling Xiao with interest, "What? Are you going to compare skills with me?"
Ling Xiao wasn't intimidated, "It seems that I haven't used my skills for a long time, giving you the wrong impression."
"Today, I will thoroughly show the majesty of being an elder brother!"
Saying that, the two of them engaged in a battle.
The eldest senior brother stood by with a smile, watching the scene.
How warm and harmonious this scene was.
But not long after, the storm of war would shatter everything.
(End of this chapter)