Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 10 Hope of Immortality
"Take care, Steward Wang!"

After paying the rent, I saw Manager Wang off.

Chen Li turned around and saw the female cultivator next door standing at the door, looking at him strangely.

The female neighbor's surname was Zhou and her given name was Hong. She was a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator. Chen Li only recently learned her name from someone else.

"Why are you learning body cultivation? No wonder you've been staying home all this time. Are you feeling unwell? I told you those women in brothels are bone-dead and draining. Now you know how powerful they are!"

Again?
This is never going to end.

I haven't gone in ages... no, I've never been!

Chen Li revealed a disdainful expression, changing the subject:

"Where's your man?"

"What, what else do you want to do to me? I'm not one of those shameless brothel women." Zhou Hong was a feisty woman who lived in a slum where all sorts of people mingled. She was also strong and fearless, so she puffed out her chest and laughed as she scolded.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, you've misunderstood. How could I dare to do anything to you? Please wait for me!" Chen Li said with a wry smile.

"What kind of trouble are you causing?"

Chen Li turned and went inside, then quickly came out, flipping his hand to reveal an exquisite hairpin. He handed it to her with both hands, saying enthusiastically:

"I recently found this at the market. It's a pretty nice design. Although it's not quite a magic artifact, it can repel insects and mosquitoes. I think it's quite suitable for Fellow Daoist Zhou to travel in the wild. I've been thinking about all the monster meat you gave me last time, so this is a return gift."

Zhou Hong instinctively reached out and took the exquisite hairpin, but the next moment, as if burned, her face flushed red. The usually fiery woman suddenly became shy and hesitant, and said in a low voice:
"Why...why did you send me this? Aren't you afraid my man will beat you to death?"

"Ah! Can't I give it to you? Why don't you return it to me first, and I'll pick out a suitable one for you next time?" Chen Li looked completely bewildered.

Hehe, of course he knows it's inappropriate, he did it on purpose.

When dealing with a woman who habitually speaks harshly, you have to fight her with affection, otherwise the conflict will never end.

It's clear that the other person didn't really mean any harm; they were just used to being sharp-tongued and speaking in a harsh and unforgiving manner.

Even the kindest words, when spoken by her, can leave one feeling uncomfortable for a long time, which really affects one's mindset.

Unexpectedly, the gift-giving went remarkably well this time.

This woman, who is usually so outspoken, sharp-tongued, and sarcastic, actually blushed.

Zhou Hong glared at him, her emotions complicated. Even her man had never bought her a hairpin, but she felt a pang of reluctance to return it.

"Fine, I'll just say I bought it myself, but please don't let it slip."

"Understood, understood!" Chen Li nodded repeatedly.

……

Chen Li closed the door, locked it, and then chuckled.

Although it cost two spirit stones, which was a bit painful, it was worth it.

It should be quieter from now on.

He picked up the sword and continued practicing.

He's recently become extremely addicted to sword practice, spending most of his time practicing every day.

His belly was long gone, and his body was covered in well-defined muscles, exuding a powerful aura.

He has now sensed the extraordinary nature of cultivators' bodies, which exhibit extremely high resistance to negative physical conditions.

If an ordinary person were to practice like this, they would either suffer from exhaustion and injuries or have worn-out and torn muscles. But as long as he meditates and circulates his energy for a few weeks, and then sleeps for a night, he will still be full of energy and his body will be fully restored the next day.

He practiced for several rounds in a row, then stopped to rest, panting.

He took out some salt water, sipped it slowly, and glanced at the game panel.

Name: Chen Li

Life expectancy: 40/98 years

[Realm Level: Qi Refining Level 3: 31/100]

[Cultivation Technique: Longevity Technique Proficiency: 195/200] [Skills:]

制符：清洁符精通：5/400；静音符熟练：75/200；指路符熟练：21/200；辟邪符入门：12/100
Spell: Spirit Flick Expert: 245/800;
Swordsmanship: Basic swordsmanship proficiency: 163/200
[Supernatural power: none]

He glanced at the various skills.

Compared to before his transmigration, these skill descriptions... he's already considered a qualified rogue cultivator.

"I should break through my sword technique in about three more days. Hopefully, there will be some new surprises... This game panel is great in every way, except it doesn't display attributes, so I don't know how strong I am right now?"

He clenched his fist, his arm muscles bulging like steel wire, and thought to himself, "I'd guess he's twice as strong as I was when I first transmigrated, and not just in terms of strength, but also in terms of instantaneous reaction speed."

This sword training emphasizes "the mind and eyes must be in sync, and the sword must follow the eyes." All training methods revolve around this core principle.

Sword fights are dangerous, and the key is to kill with a single blow and end the battle within a few moves.

A battle that cannot be resolved in a single breath becomes a perilous life-or-death struggle. This also applies to battles among cultivators, since some principles are universal.

Thinking of this, Chen Li couldn't help but sigh:

"Just a month ago, I was a law-abiding, honest person who wouldn't even run a red light. Now, I'm spending my days and nights researching how to kill someone and how to prevent myself from being killed..."

"Unfortunately, my cultivation level hasn't improved at all... Huh?"

Then he discovered a skill that he had been somewhat overlooking.

"Proficiency in the Longevity Technique: 196/200"

"Is this about to advance to the next level?!" His heart began to pound.

At the beginning, the Longevity Skill had the highest proficiency among all skills, but its progress was the slowest. It was not based on the number of times it was used to increase proficiency, but on the time it took.

After meditating for about an hour, your proficiency level increases by 1.

In the beginning, Chen Li had to meditate several times a day, spending eight or nine hours, in order to draw talismans and replenish his energy.

Later, after learning how to use talismans to ward off evil spirits.

The frequency of drawing talismans has been greatly reduced. Apart from still practicing 'spiritual finger flick', most of his energy is devoted to sword practice. The time spent meditating has been reduced by more than half. Now his proficiency is just on the verge of advancement.

"Perhaps once the skill level of the technique reaches 'mastery', it can shake the realm."

Chen Li's heart couldn't help but flutter.

Thinking of this, he could no longer stay still. He used a cleansing talisman to simply cleanse his body and then quickly walked back to his bedroom.

Then he sat cross-legged.

Soon, he entered a meditative state with practiced ease.

When practicing, one does not know the time.

From afternoon, it went on to evening, and soon it was night again.

Gradually, the flow of spiritual energy within his body became smoother, and the subtle obscurities began to dissolve. Eventually, even the energy pathways underwent subtle adjustments and optimizations, becoming more compatible with his body.

He had never been in a meditative state for such a long time since he transmigrated.

When he opened his eyes, it felt like he was in a dream.

It took him a long time to come to his senses, and he quickly opened the game panel.

The proficiency level of the Longevity Technique had changed from 'Proficient: 196/200' to 'Master: 3/400'.

As for his previously stagnant cultivation level, it finally showed signs of improvement, changing from 'Qi Refining Level 3: 31/100' to 'Qi Refining Level 3: 32/100'.

He blinked, afraid of misreading, and looked at it carefully again.

"It's not easy."

"There's hope for reaching the fourth level of Qi Refining... no, there's hope for immortality!"

(End of this chapter)