Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 1025 Myriad Paths Sect, a True Immortal-level Secret Realm!
So the group of five, led by Wang Cheng, headed towards the Drunken Immortal Pavilion in the city.

It's the same restaurant as the Zuixianlou in Cangyuan City, but this one in Qianxing City is the flagship store and is much larger in scale.

Before long, a five-story building covering several hundred feet came into view.

The building is constructed of precious ironwood, with various gemstones inlaid on its upturned eaves, which gleam in the sunlight.

The group went up to the fifth floor and reserved a private room by the window.

The private room was elegantly decorated, with landscape paintings of profound artistic conception hanging on the walls, and wisps of smoke rising from an incense burner in the corner, exuding the fragrance of sandalwood.

A waiter in blue robes stepped forward respectfully:

"Esteemed elders, our shop has just received a mid-grade fifth-tier Crimson Cloud Carp today,"

"It was just hunted from the depths of Wandao Lake."

"This carp is entirely crimson like clouds, with tender flesh and pure water-based spiritual energy, making it most suitable for Nascent Soul cultivators to nourish their cultivation."

Upon hearing this, Wang Cheng's eyes lit up, and he immediately made a decision:

"There's a fifth-tier spirit fish! This is a rare opportunity. Let's order this dish!"

Then they ordered several kinds of spiritual vegetables, such as "stir-fried jade bamboo shoots" and "icy crystal mushrooms", plus a plate of "purple crystal jade grapes" as spiritual fruit after the meal.

Finally, he smiled mysteriously and took out a sealed wine jar from his storage bag:

"This is my treasured fifth-grade spirit wine, 'Ten Thousand Years of Intoxication,' which I have kept for many years. Today, I will share it with you fellow Daoists."

As soon as the wine jar was opened, wisps of aroma wafted out, intoxicating even before a sip was taken.

Then I poured a glass for everyone.
After drinking the spirit wine, he immediately started talking.

The group chatted about interesting things in the cultivation world, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Before long, several maids filed in carrying dishes, placing one exquisite spiritual meal after another on the tables.

Each dish is a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, brimming with brilliance and making one's mouth water.

Especially the Crimson Cloud Carp, which was entirely crimson like the sunset, with its flesh crystal clear.

Even more amazingly, a rich aquatic energy rises above the fish, forming a small, ethereal cloud that slowly swirls around, a truly breathtaking sight.

"Everyone, please!" Wang Cheng gestured with a smile.

Zhou Xun picked up a piece of red cloud carp with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

The fish melts in your mouth, and a cool and refreshing sensation instantly spreads throughout your body.

The pure water elemental energy circulated within his body, as if transporting him to a land of water spirits, leaving him feeling refreshed and invigorated, as if he had been cleansed.

"It's truly a delicacy!" Zhou Xun exclaimed in admiration.

Over the delicious food, the group continued their philosophical discussions and shared their cultivation experiences.

An hour later, after a hearty meal and drinks, the atmosphere became even more harmonious.

At this moment, a middle-aged man in purple robes bowed to Zhou Xun and said:
"Brother Wang said that Fellow Daoist Wang is a mid-grade fifth-level alchemist?"

This person is named Zhao Qinghe, a famous weapon refiner in Thousand Star City. He is a mid-grade fifth-level weapon refiner and is skilled in refining various spiritual treasures. He is quite famous in the city.

Zhou Xun nodded modestly in agreement:
"I have some knowledge of alchemy, but I dare not call myself a master."

Zhao Qinghe smiled upon hearing this:

"Master Wang is too modest. We recently obtained a batch of mid-grade fifth-rank spiritual herbs and wish to refine a batch of Zichen Pills. We wonder if Master Wang could lend a hand? The cost is negotiable."

Upon hearing this, the others also turned to look at Zhou Xun.
Zhou Xun was looking to make friends with many people, and refining the Purple Chen Pill would also be a good opportunity to practice, so he immediately agreed:
"Since you fellow Daoists trust me, I, Wang, will do my best."

Everyone was overjoyed upon hearing this and expressed their gratitude.

Zhao Qinghe further stated:
"If Master Wang needs to refine any spiritual treasures in the future, please feel free to come to me, Zhao."

Zhou Xun thanked him, but he didn't really think much of it.

He no longer even considers anything other than a mid-grade spiritual treasure.

After all, there were still more than a dozen magical treasures obtained from the Lu family lying in the storage bag.

Before long, another old man in a yellow robe ordered several talismans from Li Yuanji.

Zhou Xun was not interested in this.

Now that he has grasped the essence of the game, ordinary fifth-tier treasures no longer hold any appeal for him.

However, he did have one question he wanted to ask, and immediately asked:
"Does anyone know anything about Thunder Essence, or other fifth-tier thunder-type spiritual objects?"

This item would greatly enhance his cultivation; if he could obtain a large quantity, it would shorten his cultivation time.

Upon hearing this, everyone pondered for a moment, and finally shook their heads.

It was the old man in the yellow robe, Hong Quan, who spoke up:
"I do know a fellow cultivator who is skilled in the lightning element. He just returned from a secret realm and may have gained something from it."

Zhou Xun asked:

"Could it be the large secret realm north of Wandao Lake?"

Hong Quan nodded in agreement:

“Indeed, that fellow Daoist returned from the secret realm just half a month ago, and it is said that he had a great harvest. If Fellow Daoist Li is interested, I can introduce you to him.”

"That will be very kind of you!" Li Xun said with thanks.

Then, the conversation naturally turned to this secret place.

"I've heard that this secret realm is extremely vast, and it might be the ruins of the legendary ancient sect, Wanxing Sect."

Hong Quan stroked his beard as he spoke, a hint of longing flashing in his eyes.

"Wanxing Sect, what kind of sect is that?" Zhou Xun asked curiously.

Wang Cheng took over the conversation, his expression solemn:
"It is said that millions of years ago, it was a top sect in my Southern Ming Immortal Realm, and there were once true immortals among its members."

"However, he later offended an unknown powerful figure and was wiped out overnight, thus declining and disappearing from the sect's ruins."

“That’s right,” Hong Quan nodded.
“These great sects at the True Immortal level all have affiliated secret realms. Some of these secret realms are not even part of the Lesser Thousand Worlds. They are places where one can attain the Dao and transform into a Divine Being.”

He then turned to Zhou Xun:
"It is said that many dangerous places with lightning paths have been discovered in this secret realm. If Brother Wang wants lightning essence, he only needs to participate in the next exchange meeting, and he will surely get it."

Wang Cheng nodded in agreement.

"With such a secret realm appearing, there are bound to be many treasures. This exchange meeting will likely be held sooner than expected. Master Wang should pay close attention to it."

"Thank you very much."

Zhou Xun bowed and thanked him.

This news was indeed important to him. With a stable source of Thunder Essence, his cultivation progress would undoubtedly accelerate significantly.

Afterwards, everyone shared their insights from the sermon, with each person speaking in turn, creating a lively atmosphere.

Zhou Xun also shared his understanding of artistic conception, which greatly benefited everyone present.

An hour later, the banquet ended.

The group left Zuixianlou together and headed towards Zhou Xun's Bibo Mansion.

On the way, Zhao Qinghe smiled and said:

"It is truly an honor to have met Master Li today. Once the elixir is successfully refined, we will certainly repay you handsomely."

Zhou Xun smiled slightly:
"You're too kind, everyone. It's my honor to be able to refine pills for you."

Before long, the group arrived outside the Bibo Mansion.

Zhou Xun took out the token, opened the restriction, and led everyone into the cave.

As everyone entered the cave, they were full of praise for the sight before them.

The lotus pond, spanning several acres, rippled with clear water, and lotuses of all colors bloomed in competition. The pink ones were delicate and beautiful, the white ones were elegant and simple, and there were even a few rare golden-edged jade lotuses that shimmered in the sunlight.

The lotus leaves are as large as umbrellas, with glistening dewdrops rolling on them, shimmering with seven colors under the influence of spiritual energy.

A white jade pavilion stands in the center of the pond, its four corners with upturned eaves like a bird spreading its wings, connected to the shore by an arched bridge. A small black-awning boat is moored under the bridge, gently swaying with the waves.

"What a blessed land!" Zhao Qinghe couldn't help but exclaim.
"This Azure Wave Palace truly lives up to its reputation as a top-grade fifth-tier cave dwelling. It is rich in spiritual energy and has a tranquil environment, making it an excellent place for cultivation."

"That's true,"

Wang Chengfu nodded, "I have been in Thousand Star City for many years and have seen countless cave dwellings, but one as elegant as this is rare."

Before long, two boys came gracefully carrying a tea tray.

The older one was dressed in a blue robe and had delicate features, while the younger one was wearing golden armor and had a tiger-like face.

It was Xiao Jin and Xiao Jia.

They skillfully served everyone spiritual tea, its aroma filling the air and invigorating the spirit.

A glint of light flashed in Hongquan's eyes as he looked at the two boys.

He was a beast tamer who cultivated secret techniques and possessed extremely keen senses, especially sensitive to the aura of demonic beasts.

Although the two children had perfectly transformed, he could still tell at a glance that the two beasts before him had extraordinary bloodlines and were by no means ordinary spirit beasts.

However, he did not make a fuss, but simply picked up the spiritual tea and took a sip, pondering in his heart.

"Fellow Daoists, how many fifth-grade spiritual herbs do you have, enough to refine how many batches?" Zhou Xun asked.

Zhao Qinghe and the others exchanged glances.
With a wave of his hand, more than twenty spiritual herbs flew out of the storage bag and landed lightly on the stone table in front of everyone.

These spiritual herbs are full of spiritual energy, and there are four fifth-grade spiritual herbs among them, which are the main ingredients for refining the Purple Emperor Pill, just enough to refine one batch.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Xun smiled inwardly, knowing the other party's intentions.

Presumably, they didn't quite trust his alchemy skills, so they tested him with a single batch of materials first. If the success rate was too low and the quality too poor, they wouldn't use any other materials.

He still looked "amazed":
"Where did you all obtain so many medicinal herbs? These are all rare and precious treasures!"

The group exchanged smiles, indicating:

"Just lucky, nothing more."

Zhou Xun nodded and said seriously:

"According to the rules, if four pills are refined in each batch, one of them will belong to me; if five pills are refined, one and a half will belong to me; if six pills are refined, two will belong to me; of course, if there are only three pills, no fee will be charged."

No one objected; this was indeed standard practice.

Zhou Xun then collected the materials and bowed to the crowd:
"Please wait here for a few days."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the alchemy room.

Upon entering the alchemy room, Zhou Xun waved his hand, and a three-legged alchemy furnace, entirely purple in color, appeared before him.

The alchemy furnace has an ancient and simple design, with cloud patterns carved on its body, and it exudes a faint spiritual pressure.

This is the Ziyuan Cauldron, a spiritual treasure-level alchemy furnace that he obtained from the Lu family's treasury.

He then slapped the storage bag, and more than twenty beams of spiritual light flew out and landed on the ground.
These are the spiritual materials of the Purple Emperor Pill.

Then, Zhou Xun made a hand seal, and a pale purple infant fire rose from the bottom of the alchemy furnace, enveloping the Purple Yuan Cauldron.

The alchemy furnace quickly became warm, and the cloud patterns on its surface seemed to come alive, slowly flowing.

The alchemy furnace has been properly heated.

Next, the medicinal herbs were processed.

The most crucial items are the fifth-grade mid-level Purple Sun Ginseng and the Yuan Chen Fruit.

The two medicines have opposite properties, one yang and one yin, and need to be processed simultaneously, which is a great test of the alchemist's skills.

With a thought, Zhou Xun's infant fire split into two streams, one enveloping the Purple Sun Ginseng and the other enveloping the Yuan Chen Fruit.

The two spiritual herbs slowly melted under the tempering of the infant fire, impurities were gradually removed, and they eventually transformed into two pure medicinal liquids.

One purple and one silver,
Zhou Xun placed it on the jade plate beside him.
Next, we began processing the auxiliary materials.

Zhou Xun's technique was skillful; each auxiliary ingredient was refined into a pure medicinal liquid under just the right heat.

Two days later, all the medicinal materials were processed.

Next comes the crucial fusion solution.

This step is very particular. The auxiliary materials need to be added one by one in the order of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Finally, add the Ziqing ginseng and Yuanchen fruit liquid at the same time.

However, the two medicinal liquids must first be separated using spiritual power, and only a trace of them should be fused together each time.

If you rush things and mix too much, it can easily lead to a conflict of medicinal properties, and the entire batch of pills will be ruined.

Zhou Xun spent a full five days carefully controlling the progress of the fusion.

Meanwhile, outside the alchemy room, several people were getting impatient.

"It won't fail, will it? That's a whole batch of materials!" Hong Quan couldn't help but mutter, his face full of distrust.

After all, the spiritual materials used in the Purple Emperor Pill are extremely valuable.
For these mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, these were even more rare elixirs for enhancing their mana.
Even if you have spirit crystals, you can't buy them.

In contrast, Wang Cheng appeared quite calm:

"Don't worry, Brother Wang is a mid-grade fifth-level alchemist, he would never make a mistake."

"Besides, alchemy takes time, and it's only been seven days, what's the rush!"

“Yes, Brother Wang’s recommendation is absolutely right!” Li Yuanji added.

Seeing that his two companions had spoken up, he couldn't say anything more.
At this moment, inside the alchemy room, Zhou Xun had reached the most crucial moment.

All the medicinal liquids were finally blended and divided into six streams in the alchemy furnace, each emitting a rich aroma of medicinal herbs.

"Condense the elixir, combine!"

With a flick of his fingertip, Zhou Xun caused the Purple Yuan Cauldron to blaze with purple light.

The six streams of medicinal liquid instantly condensed, taking the initial shape of a pill.
But it's not over yet.

At the same time, the spiritual energy of the entire cave converged on the alchemy room, pouring in frantically, and finally entered the alchemy furnace.

Three days later,
Above the alchemy room, a cloud of five-colored alchemical energy condensed, emitting a refreshing and unique fragrance.

The people outside watched in astonishment:

"This is an omen of Danxia! Only high-quality elixirs can produce such a phenomenon!" Hong Quan exclaimed in admiration.
"It seems that Master Wang's skills are indeed extraordinary!"

"Those who can produce high-quality mid-grade fifth-rank pills likely possess alchemy skills no less than those of high-grade fifth-rank pills."

"The person recommended by Brother Wang is indeed extraordinary!"

The others, seeing this, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Brother Hong, you didn't say that before!" Li Yuanji joked.
"I...I just didn't understand!" Hong Quan said without batting an eye.

Nine more hours passed, and the strange phenomenon finally disappeared.

The door to the alchemy room slowly opened, and Zhou Xun walked out, carrying a jade plate with six pills neatly arranged on it.

Five of the pills were light purple with clear patterns, indicating they were genuine Zi Chen Pills.

What's even more astonishing is that the one in the middle is crystal clear, radiating a flowing light, and seems to have a spiritual aura flowing through it; it is clearly a high-quality elixir!
Everyone was greatly surprised.

Their gazes toward Zhou Xun were filled with fervor and amazement.
"I have fulfilled my mission!" Zhou Xun smiled slightly.

Seeing this, Hong Quan rushed forward ahead of the crowd, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and praised the speaker highly:
"Master Wang's skills are truly extraordinary! We are so fortunate to have found you!"

The others nodded as well.

An ordinary mid-grade fifth-tier alchemist can usually only produce four pills from a single batch of materials, with one of them being of inferior quality. Producing four high-quality pills is already considered exceptional.
Five is definitely an exceptional performance.

As for producing six pills, one of which was a masterpiece, no other alchemist of the same level could surpass it!

Li Yuanji spoke after the age of one:

"As agreed, of the six pills produced, two should belong to Alchemist Wang,"

As he spoke, he took out two pills and handed them over, and the finest pill was right there among them.

Seeing this, Zhou Xun smiled slightly, did not refuse, put away the two pills, and then said:

"Thank you. With this elixir, you can now focus on your cultivation!"

The implicit meaning behind these words is that now that we have all obtained this precious elixir, it's time for us to return to our respective cultivation practices.
It's the same principle as serving tea and seeing guests off.
Wang Cheng and the others were naturally aware of this.
How can I just leave like this?

At this moment, Zhao Qinghe coughed awkwardly, exchanged glances with the others, and said:

"To be honest, we still have six batches of medicinal herbs on hand. We would be grateful if Master Wang could help us again."

(End of this chapter)