Second Senior Brother Ling Xiao was truly thick-skinned.
Even after being caught red-handed doing mischief by his junior brother, not a trace of shame showed on his face.
He had even winked and nudged, asking Li Fan if he wanted to give it a try.
Before Li Fan could even answer, Eldest Senior Brother's sword arrived in an instant.
Killing intent overflowed, scaring the pack of troublemaking cats into scattering in all directions.
Second Senior Brother gave an awkward chuckle, put away his brush, and slunk out of the cave abode to look for a new toy to experience.
"Junior Brother, whatever you do, do not follow your Second Senior Brother's example," Sixing admonished earnestly. "When choosing a transformation medium, you must pick something proper."
Li Fan nodded repeatedly in agreement.
...
There were many more amusing little episodes like this.
Overall, the atmosphere within the Path of Bodily Transformation was quite harmonious and affectionate.
In such an atmosphere, Li Fan continually stimulated the hidden chambers within his body to strengthen his frail constitution, while simultaneously practicing [Self-Transformation into Another at Will].
In the sixth year after Li Fan possessed this body and entered the simulated world, a rapid, soul-shaking series of bell tolls came from the distant horizon.
As the tolls struck his ears, Li Fan felt the blood and qi surge through his entire body, and an uncontrollable terror seized his heart.
The senior brothers, who had each been busy with their own matters, were also startled into alertness.
"This bell... is it the Zha Immortal Bell?!"
Arriving at the sound, the senior brothers wore looks of astonishment and dread.
"The last time the Zha Immortal Bell rang, if I remember correctly, was when the longevity species captive to the immortal sects staged a mass rebellion and fled, wasn't it?"
"Indeed. Back then, the Ten Great Immortal Sects issued warrants of pursuit: anyone who captured any fleeing member of the longevity species would be rewarded with a [Hundred Longevity Bead], adding several decades to a century of lifespan."
"Few cultivators could resist the temptation of living an extra hundred years. To fight for the heads of those fugitive longevity species, cultivators slaughtered one another until their eyes were bloodshot, stirring up an enormous storm of blood and gore."
"I wonder what major event has shaken the cultivation world this time."
The senior brothers chatted and sighed in commiseration.
Li Fan listened silently from the side. Seizing a pause in their conversation, he put on a look of utter curiosity. "Senior Brothers, Senior Brothers, what is a longevity species? And what is a Hundred Longevity Bead?"
This time, unlike when he asked questions in the past, his senior brothers did not dodge the inquiry.
Second Senior Brother Ling Xiao sighed, his eyes brimming with envy as he said, "Junior Brother, you must understand that the heavens have never been fair.
"For ordinary mortals, surviving a hundred years can already be called a long life.
"Even if one becomes a cultivator, unless one attains the Longevity realm, a lifespan of a few thousand years is the absolute limit."
Ling Xiao paused, his tone turning faint and wistful. "And yet, in this world, there exist creatures naturally endowed with immensely long lifespans. Even an ordinary member of their tribe, possessing no great cultivation whatsoever, can effortlessly live for one or two thousand years.
"To short-lived humans, how unfair is that!"
'Longevity species...' Li Fan's heart stirred.
Before his transmigration, he had seen similar concepts to longevity species in various tales of the strange.
Yet in the actual cultivation world, he had never come across any information regarding longevity species, much less seen a living, breathing member with his own eyes.
"Senior Brother, what do these longevity species look like? Are they like the demons and monsters in legends?" Li Fan looked at Ling Xiao with an innocent gaze and asked aloud.
Ling Xiao patted his junior brother's head and explained, "Heh, there are all kinds. Some look like strange beasts, yet can speak human tongue.
"Some are plant and vegetation spirits.
"Some look remarkably similar to humans, and every member of their tribe is exceptionally handsome or beautiful...
"Oh right! I once wrote a book called *Tales of Romance*, and the protagonists were members of a longevity species from a distant continent. Later I'll check if I have any copies left..."
Ling Xiao suddenly veered off topic, an excited look spreading across his face.
Before he could finish, Eldest Senior Brother's face darkened, and he materialized right behind him.
Second Senior Brother had no choice but to awkwardly end the unsuitable-for-minors topic and return to the matter at hand.
"Ahem, what was I saying? Right, the longevity species...
"There is a special category of longevity species that are virtually identical to ordinary humans. Or rather, they *are* humans.
"The only thing special about them is that they possess an immense lifespan far beyond what normal people could ever hope to reach.
"These individuals conceal themselves among the populace, living with great caution. Every so often, they must change their appearance, adopt a new identity, and start a new life to avoid being discovered."
Li Fan immediately asked, "Afraid of being discovered? Why? Does it have something to do with those Ten-Thousand Longevity Beads?"
Ling Xiao said solemnly, "Junior Brother, just imagine. You can only live to about a hundred before becoming decrepit and old. Meanwhile, someone else is several hundred or even over a thousand years old, yet remains as youthful as ever. Wouldn't you feel it is terribly unfair, and become furious?"
Li Fan nodded heavily. "That is infuriating! Way too unfair!"
"Indeed. Any normal person would find such a disparity hard to stomach. As I mentioned before, some of these longevity species do not possess any formidable cultivation.
"Hmph. As the saying goes, possessing a jade jewel is a crime in itself. How could cultivators who have reached the Soul Formation or Dao Integration stages, yet have no hope of achieving Longevity, not covet these longevity species?"
Ling Xiao lowered his voice. "Those great immortal sects possess a secret method known as [Metabolic Origin Rebirth], which can extract the lifespan of living beings and put it to use.
"And the lifespan extracted from longevity species is the purest of all.
"Tens of thousands of mortals, subjected to years of extraction, can only yield a few Longevity Fruits, adding a little over a century of life.
"Yet the lifespan provided by a single member of a longevity species can be refined into dozens or even hundreds of [Longevity Beads]."
A flicker of greed could not help but surface in Ling Xiao's eyes. "The higher a longevity species member's cultivation, the higher the quality of the refined [Longevity Beads].
"Back then, I had the fortune of taking part in a hunt for a longevity species and received a single [Hundred Longevity Bead]. After swallowing it, I felt completely light and ethereal, as if I had returned to my very youth.
"That feeling..."
Ling Xiao smacked his lips, savoring the memory.
"A [Hundred Longevity Bead] was already like that; I truly wonder what that legendary [Thousand Longevity Bead], or even [Ten-Thousand Longevity Bead], would taste like."
At this moment, Third Senior Brother, who was usually a man of few words, suddenly chimed in, "Xiaoxiao, with your cultivation, even if by some fluke you swallowed a Thousand Longevity Bead, your fate would merely be having your lifespan extracted by someone else."
Ling Xiao glared resentfully at Lian Chang. "Xiaoxiao? Is that a name you can call me? Third Brother, you're getting more and more disrespectful to your elders."
Third Senior Brother crossed his arms, looking at Ling Xiao with great interest. "What, do you want to cross moves with me?"
Ling Xiao did not back down in the slightest. "It seems my staying out of action for too long has given you the wrong impression.
"Today, I shall thoroughly display my dignity as your senior brother!"
With that, the two traded blows and tangled in battle.
Meanwhile, Eldest Senior Brother stood watching from the sidelines with a smile on his face.
How warm and harmonious this scene was.
Yet before long, the storm of war would tear all of it to shreds.
Chapter 234