Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 1026 Demon Cultivation Techniques, Little Gold's Fortuitous Encounter!

"It seems you gentlemen don't quite trust me!"

Zhou Xun said, seemingly jokingly,
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qinghe and the others froze for a moment, then smiled apologetically:
"Fellow Daoist Wang, please calm down. We were blind and ignorant. Please don't take it to heart!"

Hong Quan quickly cupped his hands in greeting:
"We were very offensive just now, and we hope that Master Wang will forgive us. It is only because these spiritual herbs are hard to come by that we acted this way."

Wang Cheng sighed softly, his face showing remorse:

"Fellow Daoist Wang, it was indeed our fault in this matter. You treated us with sincerity, but we harbored doubts, which was truly inappropriate."

Seeing the panicked expressions on everyone's faces, Zhou Xun chuckled and waved his hand, saying:

"There's no need for that, everyone. I was just joking."

"I understand your concerns, after all, these medicinal herbs are indeed precious."

He spoke gently and smiled, showing no real anger.

This reprimand is sufficient.

Upon hearing this, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and smiles returned to their faces.

Zhao Qinghe wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and laughed:

"Master Wang's magnanimity puts us to shame. As for the remaining six batches of materials..."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Zhou Xun smiled calmly, then changed the subject.
"However, you should also know that the success of producing six pills today is due to a stroke of luck. I, Wang, cannot guarantee that every batch will have such a high success rate!"

Zhao Qinghe quickly cupped his hands in greeting:
"Brother Wang's magnanimity has already made us ashamed."

"Besides, alchemy is not easy. For other cultivators, making four pills is already a great fortune, let alone six. We are already satisfied. We will leave everything to Brother Wang."

Hong Quan and the others nodded in agreement.

"Very well, then you can come back to collect these two batches of pills in two months." Zhou Xun nodded slightly.

"Then we won't bother you any longer, Brother Wang." The group then took their leave, not forgetting to thank him again before departing.

Two months passed.

The group visited Bibo Mansion again, this time with extremely polite manners.

Zhao Qinghe and others even pooled their resources to purchase two low-grade fifth-rank spiritual herbs, which they carefully packaged in jade boxes as gifts.

"You're all too kind."

Zhou Xun greeted everyone with a smile and instructed Xiao Jin and Xiao Jia to serve spiritual tea.

Hu Quan looked at Xiao Jin and Xiao Jia, and smiled slightly.

"You two have worked hard. This is a Spirit Transformation Pill, which is of great benefit to fourth-level demon cultivators. I will give it to you two young friends!"

Xiao Jin was at a loss for what to do and looked at Xiao Xuan.
Having managed the cave for many years, the Xuanjia Armored Armadillo was also an expert in dealing with people, handling the situation with considerable ease.

Hu Quan was Zhou Xun's guest, and also a senior and highly respected figure.
These are just some ordinary fourth-tier spiritual items; accepting them is no problem.

So he clasped his hands in thanks.

"Thank you for your generous reward, senior!" He then withdrew with Xiao Jin.

"It seems Brother Hu values ​​these two beasts highly!" Zhao Qinghe remarked casually from the side.

These words made Hu Quan's heart tighten, and he quickly said that he was being too enthusiastic and might attract the attention of his old friends.
He laughed loudly and said:
"Yes, this is a demonic cultivator boy raised by Master Li, so he is naturally extraordinary!"

Zhao Qinghe and the others didn't pay much attention to these words and reactions.

The topic then shifted to the Purple Elixir.

"I wonder what the outcome was for you, Brother Wang?"

Zhou Xun smiled upon hearing this, waved his hand, and took out seven jade bottles, arranging them neatly on the stone table.

"Six batches of pills yielded a total of thirty-four pills. Please examine them," Zhou Xun said calmly.
"It's a pity that no more high-quality pills have been produced."

This was the first time refining the Purple Emperor Pill, and the success rate was not deliberately controlled, which is why there were six successful pills and one high-quality pill.

After that, he deliberately controlled his level.
After all, it would be too astonishing to produce six pills per batch, with some being of exceptional quality.

This might even alarm cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage!
It wasn't that he was deliberately hiding.

After all, he currently has no shortage of spiritual resources, far surpassing even ordinary Void Refinement cultivators.
He only wanted to cultivate in a low-key manner and improve his cultivation level as soon as possible.

Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed.

"Thirty-four! That far exceeds our expectations!" Li Yuanji clapped his hands in admiration.

Even after deducting Li Xun's payment, each of them would still receive at least a whole bottle of pills.
If one were to seek out other alchemists, the profits would decrease by at least 30%, so how could one not be pleased?

After some discussion,
Then Zhao Qinghe selected two jade bottles and handed them to Zhou Xun:
"As agreed, each batch of pills yields six pills. Brother Wang will receive two, or one and a half if there are five."

"Of these six batches of materials, four batches produced six pills each, and the other two batches produced five pills each,"

"That makes a total of nine pills!"

"These are ten pills. The extra one is our way of showing our respect to Brother Wang. Please accept it."

They themselves received the remaining twenty-four Purple Chen Pills, six for each of the four people, which was a happy ending!

"This... isn't that a bad idea?" Zhou Xun hesitated.

"Brother Wang, you are mistaken. If it weren't for your help, how could we have achieved such a harvest from six furnaces of materials? It's all thanks to your superb skills, Brother Wang."

"Brother Wang, please don't refuse such a mere pill!"

"Well... alright, I'll shamelessly accept it!" With everyone so enthusiastic, Zhou Xun couldn't refuse and had no choice but to accept it.

"This is right!"

"Now that the matter is settled, we will not disturb you any longer. We will invite you to a feast another day!"

Only then did everyone bid farewell and leave, satisfied.
……

An hour later, Zhou Xun's figure quietly appeared in front of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

He had previously received a telepathic message from Hong Quan, saying that he had made progress in finding Lei Yuanjing, whom he had asked around, and invited him to come and discuss the matter.

"Please come in, senior!"

The waiter greeted us politely, and a maid in green respectfully led the way.

"Private room number sixteen," Li Xun instructed, and then a maid led Zhou Xun to a private room on the fifth floor.

A stern-faced middle-aged man with early-stage Nascent Soul cultivation stood guard at the entrance.
Zhou Xun immediately recognized that this person was a demon cultivator in human form, and he also carried a faint demonic aura.

“But Master Wang is here, and the master has been waiting inside for quite some time.” The middle-aged man greeted him respectfully.

Zhou Xun nodded.

They are also more curious about today's guests.
This person is definitely powerful enough to subdue a fifth-tier demon beast.

Then the middle-aged man gently pushed open the door and gestured for him to enter.
Zhou Xun stepped in.

Inside the private room sat two people: Hong Quan and an elderly man with white hair.

The old man had a gaunt face, bright and piercing eyes, and a profound aura about him, indicating that he was at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

After some pleasantries, Hong Quan introduced the two parties:

"This is my great-uncle, Hu Ling, a peak Nascent Soul cultivator!"

"Grand Uncle, this is Master Wang Lin, the alchemist."

Hu Ling politely cupped his hands in greeting:
"I have long admired Master Wang's reputation, and today I have finally met him. He truly lives up to his name."

"I heard that a few days ago, when they were refining the Purple Emperor Pill, they actually produced a high-quality pill. Such skill is truly admirable."

"Brother Hu, you flatter me. It was just a fluke. After that, I couldn't produce another pill even after several batches!" Zhou Xun said with regret.

"Fine-quality pills are incredibly rare. To produce even one is a stroke of good fortune, something countless alchemists would envy!" Hu Ling said with a smile.
After they were seated, they first talked about some interesting things in the world of cultivation.

Before long, the wine and dishes were served, and the group, enjoying the spiritual wine and food, discussed profound mysteries and philosophical concepts.
Hu Ling mentioned that he participated in the treasure hunt in the Wanxing Sect's secret realm. Although he only stayed on the outskirts of the secret realm, he still gained a lot.

Zhou Xun listened with curiosity. It turned out that even after exploring for several years, they had only reached the outer edge. It was common for it to take hundreds or even thousands of years to fully explore this secret realm.

After a hearty meal and drinks, we finally got down to business.

Zhou Xun asked,
"I've heard Brother Hu mention that you have a few Thunder Essence Crystals?"

Hu Ling smiled slightly, waved his hand, and four fist-sized crystals appeared on the table.

The crystal is entirely blue, with fine electric currents flashing across its surface from time to time, emitting a "buzzing" sound.

Pure lightning spiritual energy emanated from it, filling the entire private room with a faint aura of lightning.

Zhou Xun took a look and, sure enough, it was Lei Yuanjing, which made him overjoyed.

"At what price does Senior Hu intend to sell these four Thunder Essence?"

Hu Ling looked at Hong Quan, signaling him to speak.
Hu Quan nodded and said slowly:

"As you know, Brother Wang, I am a beast tamer. In fact, all my skills are inherited from my family. My Hu family is a family of beast tamers."

"He has an exceptional fondness for all kinds of spirit beasts, especially those with extraordinary bloodlines,"

"When I visited Brother Wang's cave last time, I saw those two demon cultivator boys and took a great liking to them. I wonder if you could part with them?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun frowned slightly.

Four Thunder Essence Essences are worth about 160 Spirit Crystals, while two Rank 4 High-Grade Demonic Beasts are worth at most 20 Spirit Crystals on the market.

On the surface, he made a huge profit from this deal.

However, demonic beasts cannot be judged solely by their cultivation level, especially spirit beasts.
Bloodline is even more crucial.
Xiao Jin and Xiao Jia possessed Heavenly-grade bloodlines, making them perfectly suited for the Divine Transformation realm in the Immortal World.

Besides, he couldn't possibly trade away a spirit pet that had been with him for so long just for some treasures.

“I’m sorry, these two spirit pets have been with me since they were young, and I have no intention of selling them.” Zhou Xun shook his head and refused.

Hu Ling smiled upon hearing this, assuming Zhou Xun was holding out for a higher price, and raised the bid:

"In addition to the four Thunder Essence Essences, I'll add another one hundred Spirit Crystals, how about that?"

Zhou Xun shook his head again:

"This is not a matter of price. They are my partners, and I cannot sell them."

Hu Ling's expression darkened slightly:

“Master Wang, this price is already far above the market price. To raise it further would be asking for an exorbitant amount.”

Hong Quan quickly smoothed things over:

"Uncle, please calm down. You are also a beast tamer, so you naturally understand the importance of spirit beasts to their masters. Since my brother is unwilling, let's drop this matter."

He turned to Zhou Xun and smiled:

"In that case, let's trade at the market price. Four Thunder Essence Essences will be valued at 160 Spirit Crystals."

Zhou Xun took out the spirit crystal to complete the transaction, and then stood up:
"In that case, I won't bother you any longer. I look forward to meeting with you two fellow Daoists again next time!"

Hong Quan escorted Zhou Xun downstairs and said apologetically:

"Brother, please don't take it to heart. We beast tamers are always eager to hunt when we see a fine spirit beast. If we have offended you in any way, please don't take it to heart."

Zhou Xun said it was nothing and bowed to take his leave.

……

Inside the private room at Zuixianlou, Hu Quan returned and closed the door, his expression not pleasant.

He hadn't expected Zhou Xun to refuse so decisively, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Quan'er, why were you so weak just now?" Hu Ling frowned in displeasure, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.
"Why be so polite to a mere mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator?"

Hu Quan took a deep breath and explained:

"Uncle, you may not know this, but although this person is only in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he is no ordinary person to possess two spirit pets with Heavenly-grade bloodlines. If we offend him now, it will only arouse his vigilance."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes, and he lowered his voice:

"Those two spirit pets both have Heavenly Grade bloodlines!"

“Especially that young boy, whose true form was clearly a dragon, and who also carried the bloodline of a true dragon.”

"Uncle, the 'Myriad Paths Dragon Transformation Technique' you obtained in the secret realm might come in handy!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Ling's expression immediately turned serious.

He went to the Wanxing Sect's secret realm a few days ago, but returned in a hurry after only two or three years. The main reason was that he obtained an ancient secret technique called "Wanxing Transformation Dragon Technique".

This is an extremely precious cultivation technique for demons. It is said that if one cultivates it to its peak, one can transform into a true dragon.

However, this secret technique has extremely high requirements, and ordinary demon cultivators cannot cultivate it at all. Only those who possess the bloodline of a true dragon can enter the field.

This is also why Hu Quan was so moved when he saw Xiao Jin.

"So what do you plan to do?" Hu Ling asked after a moment of contemplation.

A fierce glint flashed in Hu Quan's eyes:
"That dragon is a must-have! And the other spirit pet with the Heavenly Rank bloodline should also belong to my Hu family!"

He paused and continued:
"As for the plan, there will be plenty of time and opportunities in the future."

"However, this person is only at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. It would be best to bring a few more elders from the clan to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

"Those two Heavenly Grade ones must have signed a blood pact with this person!"

"Only by capturing him alive can we force him to abandon the blood pact!"

Hu Ling nodded:

"Very well, I will send a message back to the clan immediately. Two spirit pets with Heavenly Rank bloodlines are worth the Hu family's effort."

He took out a communication jade talisman, and his fingertips flashed with spiritual light as he began to write a message.

……

On the other side, Zhou Xun returned to Bibo Mansion and immediately closed the cave gate.

All the layers of restrictions were activated, completely enveloping the entire cave.

Now he has obtained more than a dozen Purple Chen Pills, plus four newly purchased Thunder Essence Essences, which is enough for him to cultivate for a long time.

He didn't plan to go out again until all these resources were used up.

Inside the cultivation room, Zhou Xun sat cross-legged.

With a wave of his hand, he took out a jade bottle and gently poured out a pale purple pill, which was the Purple Chen Pill.

The elixir exuded a refreshing fragrance, and its surface shimmered with a faint spiritual light.

He swallowed the pill, and it melted instantly in his mouth, transforming into a warm medicinal power that flowed throughout his body.

Pure spiritual energy surged through the meridians, like spring water melting and nourishing every acupoint.

Zhou Xun activated the Purple Heaven Thunder Technique, carefully guiding the medicinal power to circulate within his body.

With each cycle of the body's energy, one can feel a subtle increase in their cultivation level.

Two years later, Zhou Xun slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

This Purple Chen Pill allowed him to advance his cultivation progress by a small margin, equivalent to a hundred years of arduous cultivation for an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.

"At the current pace, once all these pills are refined, it will be enough to make me more than three-fifths of my progress in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm."

He nodded in satisfaction, took out another Purple Elixir Pill, and continued his seclusion.

Time flies, ten years have passed.

Hu Quan stood outside Bibo Mansion, staring at the tightly closed cave gate, his face grim.

"Ten years have passed, and Wang Lin's cave has never been opened again!"

"I refuse to believe you won't come out!"

(End of this chapter)