Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 1028 Breakthrough, Late Stage of Nascent Soul!
For the next few days, Zhou Xun put aside all his cultivation.

In the pavilion in the center of the lotus pond, he sat leisurely, and with a wave of his hand, took out a set of jade tea utensils.

Pick up a few leaves of cloud and mist tea and put them into the pot, pour in the spiritual spring, and gently touch it with your fingertips, a wisp of infant fire slowly heating it.

A gentle breeze stirred, ruffling the hair on his forehead. The surface of the pond remained calm, reflecting the sky and clouds.

As the sun was setting,
The sunset glow painted the water's surface golden and red, creating a breathtaking scene where water and sky merged into one.

Zhou Xun took a sip of the spiritual tea, its fragrance soothing his soul and filling him with immense pleasure.

"We cultivators should be like this!"

During these three days, he either went boating to pick lotus flowers or enjoyed tea and scenery, completely relaxing his mind and body.

Three days later, Zhou Xun entered the cultivation room.

Take out a prayer mat and place it in front of you.
This futon is woven from fifth-tier Pure Spirit Vine, and has the effect of calming the mind, focusing the spirit, and dispelling inner demons.

It was obtained from the Lu family's treasure trove and is extremely precious.

Zhou Xun sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing, bringing his energy and spirit to their peak state.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was calm and still, like a deep pool.

"let's start."

A purplish-red spiritual object appeared before them; it was the Purple Spirit Essence.
Upon closer inspection, one can vaguely see the silhouette of a small, cross-legged figure inside.

This item is a treasure that can help one break through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm!
Also obtained from the Lu family treasury,
"The Lu family is truly a great help on my path to immortality!"

Immediately, Zhou Xun activated the Purple Heaven Thunder Technique, and then pressed the ball of purple spiritual essence towards his brow.
As the Purple Spirit Essence slowly seeped into his body, Zhou Xun felt as if he were immersed in a warm spiritual liquid.

His dantian and meridians were all tinged with a light purple hue, and he entered a mysterious state.

He formed a hand seal, his fingertips radiating spiritual light, guiding the pure soul power of the Purple Spirit Primordial Soul to circulate within his body.

A tingling sensation spread through every meridian, as if countless tiny electric currents were coursing through it.

At the same time, the spiritual energy of the entire cave was converging wildly.

A visible spiritual mist formed and continuously poured into his body.

The spiritual energy circulates throughout the body along the meridians, and under the refinement of the Purple Heaven Thunder Technique, it transforms into pure purple spiritual power, which eventually merges into the dantian.

Over time,
The spiritual energy within his dantian grew increasingly concentrated, gradually forming a purple vortex.

The vortex rotated slowly, absorbing more spiritual energy with each rotation, and its size continued to expand.

The meridians widened and became more resilient under the influence of spiritual energy.

The sea of ​​consciousness also slowly expanded under the nourishment of soul power, and the strength of divine sense continued to increase.

I do not know how long it has been,

Suddenly, at a certain moment, a soft "click" sound came from inside my body, as if some kind of shackle had been broken.

A powerful aura erupted from his body, sweeping across the area.

Xiao Jin and Xiao Jia seemed to sense something, and both looked towards the training room, their faces filled with joy.
"This is... Master has broken through!"

Inside the cultivation room, Zhou Xun slowly opened his eyes, a flash of purple lightning disappearing from them.

He felt the surging spiritual energy within him and his increasingly solidified soul, a smile appearing on his lips:
"Late stage of Nascent Soul, finally broken through!"

Zhou Xun felt the surging spiritual power within his body and was quite satisfied.

"I wonder how much his strength has improved now?"

With a slight thought, a figure in white appeared silently in the cave, which was his true form.

He had been at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm for several decades, cultivating within that strange spiritual tree space, where his progress was extremely rapid. He had now reached one-fifth of the late-stage Nascent Soul realm.

Zhou Xun communicated with his natal spiritual plant, the Azure Lotus, and a hundred-foot-tall illusory image of an azure lotus slowly appeared behind him, illuminating the void. The lotus petals unfurled, radiating a soft yet resilient azure light.

The main body forms hand seals and points forward slightly.

The illusory image of the blue lotus trembled slightly, splitting into three blue shields, which were arranged in front of it.

The first shield shimmered with a blue light, its surface clearly patterned, enough to withstand a full-force attack from a peak mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

The second shield was more solid, its azure light subdued, and its defensive power was comparable to that of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

The third shield shone brightly with azure light, its lotus patterns vividly lifelike, representing Zhou Xun's full-force defense.

Upon seeing this, the avatar flipped his hand, and the Xuan Ting Thunder Sword appeared before him.

He infused it with spiritual power, and the Thunder Sword hummed as it rose into the air, instantly growing to over ten feet in length. The sword was wreathed in lightning, emitting a deep, rumbling sound.

"Sword shadows merge into one!"

Seven hundred and twenty sword lights separated and intertwined in the air to form a lightning net curtain. Then the sword lights converged and merged back into one.

At this moment, the Xuan Ting Thunder Sword had transformed into a pure light sword, completely transparent, with only the tip of the sword flowing with terrifying lightning.

Zhou Xun infused the Thunderous Sword Intent into it, and the sword immediately emitted an extremely sharp aura, distorting the surrounding air.

"go with!"

With a gentle tap, the Thunder Sword transformed into a streak of light and sped away.

"Fuck-"

The first blue shield shattered instantly, as if made of paper, offering no resistance whatsoever.

The lightning sword continued its momentum, crashing into the second shield.

"clang!"

This time, the shield held out for a moment, the blue light flashed violently, but it was ultimately pierced through.

Finally, the Thunder Sword slammed into the third shield.

"Click——"

Fine cracks appeared on the shield's surface, and it looked like it was about to shatter. But green light flowed across the shield, and the cracks repaired themselves at a visible speed, ultimately blocking the lightning sword steadily.

Zhou Xun sheathed the Thunder Sword, overjoyed.

The power of this sword strike is 50% greater than before!
If he had this level of strength when he fought Lu Xinghe that day, he wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state.

Shaking his head, Zhou Xun put away the Xuan Ting Lei Sword, sat down in the pavilion, and returned to Wangchuan Lake in his true form.

Just then, two streaks of light, one golden and one yellow, flew from afar and landed in front of Zhou Xun, transforming into two children.

It was Xiao Jin and Xiao Jia.

"Meet the master!"

The two beasts bowed respectfully, their faces filled with joy.

"Congratulations, Master, on your great progress in cultivation!" Little Gold said crisply, its eyes full of reverence.

Xiao Jia nodded repeatedly, his honest face beaming with a smile:
"Master has broken through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm! This is truly a great joy!"

Zhou Xun looked at the two spirit beasts that had followed him for many years with a gentle gaze.

"You two should also intensify your cultivation."

He scanned them with his divine sense and found that both beasts had reached the peak of the fourth rank, equivalent to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage in humans.

Upon hearing this, a hint of shame appeared on Xiao Jin's face:
"The master's lesson is correct. Over the years, the gap between us and the master has widened, and we are truly ashamed."

Xiao Jia also lowered his head, looking somewhat dejected.

Seeing this, Zhou Xun smiled slightly:
"Very well, I will lend you a hand."

With a flick of his sleeve, two beams of spiritual light flew toward the two beasts, transforming into two jade bottles that floated in front of them.

The bottle contained an amber-colored spiritual liquid, which faintly emitted a mysterious aura.

"This is the Divine Transformation Elixir, which can help a peak fourth-tier cultivator comprehend the Dao of Divine Transformation. You two should use it carefully and not disappoint my expectations."

The two beasts were both surprised and delighted, and quickly accepted the jade bottle, bowing deeply in gratitude:

"Thank you for the treasure, Master! We will definitely cultivate diligently and break through to the Nascent Soul stage as soon as possible!"

Zhou Xun nodded:
"Go."

The two beasts bowed again and then transformed into streaks of light and departed.

After they left, Zhou Xun picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then got up and walked towards the west side of the cave.

Passing through a quiet stone corridor, at the end is a separate stone cave. The cave is filled with spiritual energy, and a fist-sized, crystal-clear, purple-jade-like poisonous toad is lying on the central stone platform, breathing in and out spiritual energy.

It was indeed the Purple Jade Poison Toad.

Sensing Zhou Xun's presence, the Poison Toad slowly opened its eyes, and a clear, cold female voice echoed in the cave:
"Owner."

Zhou Xun nodded slightly:

"How's it going?"

"He has recovered to the peak of the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Within ten years, he should be able to return to the late-stage realm."

His voice carried a hint of confidence.

Zhou Xun showed a satisfied expression upon hearing this:

"very good."

He examined the poisonous toad carefully for a moment and saw that its body was surrounded by purple light and its aura was solid, indicating that it had indeed recovered quite well.

"You should continue your cultivation."

After saying this, he turned and left, leaving the poisonous toad to continue breathing spiritual energy in the cave.

The advancement of the Poison Toad was also a great help to him.

After doing all this, Zhou Xun turned his gaze outside the cave, his eyes gradually becoming deep.

"Judging by the time, fifty years have passed since this seclusion. It's time to go out and see the world!"

With a thought, he appeared on a bustling street in Thousand Star City in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, he transformed into a middle-aged cultivator with an ordinary appearance and an aura maintained at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

After quickly determining the direction, they headed towards "Tianhai Pavilion," the largest intelligence broker in the city.

……

Before long, a magnificent seven-story pavilion came into view. On the black plaque with gold lettering, the three characters "Tianhai Pavilion" were written in a vigorous and elegant style, and two Golden Core stage guards stood solemnly at the entrance.

As Zhou Xun approached, a quick-witted servant stepped forward, bowing and saying:
"Please come in, senior. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"To find out some information," Zhou Xun said calmly.

Seeing his extraordinary bearing, the servant dared not neglect him and hurriedly led him through the front hall to a private room.

The interior was elegantly furnished, with the gentle fragrance of incense. Soon, a maidservant served a cup of fine tea, its aroma filling the air.

A moment later, a middle-aged steward dressed in a brocade robe pushed open the door and entered, bowing and smiling:
"I am Zhao Ming, the manager of Tianhai Pavilion. Greetings, fellow Daoist."

Zhou Xun stood up and returned the greeting:

“Wang Lin.”

After the two sat down, Zhao Ming asked directly:

"What kind of information does Fellow Daoist Wang need?"

"Major events that have occurred in the cultivation world in the last fifty years." Zhou Xun took a sip of tea.

Zhao Ming nodded:
"We have two versions. The concise version only records the main events, while the detailed version includes the cause and effect, as well as the reactions from all parties. The price is five top-grade spirit stones and one spirit crystal, respectively."

Zhou Xun didn't haggle and simply took out a spirit crystal and placed it on the table.

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Ming's eyes, and his attitude became even more respectful. Anyone who could casually take out spirit crystals either had hidden their cultivation level or had an extraordinary background.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment."

He got up and left, and soon returned carrying a jade slip.

Zhou Xun took the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.

The first message surprised him:

"Fifty years ago, the Lu Clan of Immortals suffered a calamity, and the entire clan was wiped out. It is said to be related to the Nascent Soul Tribulation that occurred in Cangyuan City earlier, and is suspected to be the work of Zhou Xun, the Thunder Prison Heavenly Lord..."

See here
Zhou Xun's pupils contracted slightly. This Tianhai Pavilion was indeed as good as its reputation. It even had a record of his experience of using lightning to temper his body in Cangyuan City.

Fortunately, there are no clues about his true origins.

Otherwise, he would probably leave Wandao Lake, or even Nanming Immortal Realm, immediately.

Continue to look down:

"Forty-eight years ago, the ancient battlefield opened, and the three major immortal sects joined forces to explore it, suffering heavy losses..."

"Forty-five years ago, a dragon was born in the East Sea, attracting hundreds of cultivators to pursue it..."

"Forty years ago, the Great Elder of the Wu family in Beichen advanced to the late stage of the Void Refinement Realm..."

When Zhou Xun saw the last message, his expression changed slightly:
Thirty-five years ago, the Wanxing Sect site unearthed the "Wanxing Transformation Dragon Technique," and thirteen copies of it were scattered to various places.

"It is said that if one cultivates the Dragon Transformation Technique to its peak, one can obtain the inheritance of the Myriad Paths Sect. Now the entire Southern Ming Immortal Domain is searching for the bloodline of a true dragon."

"Even Qianxingzi, the founder of Thousand Star City and a senior member of the early stages of the fusion, has issued a bounty..."

Upon seeing this, Zhou Xun felt a sense of foreboding.

You should know that Xiao Jin is a true dragon bloodline.
If those powerful beings searching for the true dragon bloodline were to discover this...

In my current state, I probably wouldn't get away with it.
Thinking of this, Zhou Xun frowned slightly and began to carefully recall the past.

"I should never have intentionally revealed Xiao Jin's background..."

He muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tapping the stone table.

Suddenly, he paused, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

"No... the Hu family!"

He immediately recalled the scene at Zuixianlou when Hu Quan took the initiative to come to him and offered to exchange Xiao Jin for precious treasures.

At the time, I only felt it was strange, but now that I think about it, it seems suspicious in every way.

"Their target at the time was probably Xiao Jin's true dragon bloodline!"

Then, he remembered another key point: Hu Quan's great-uncle, Hu Ling, had returned from exploring the ruins of the Wanxing Sect.

"I see...it all makes sense now."

Zhou Xun slowly got up and paced around the pavilion.

"It seems that only Hu Quan's lineage knows Xiao Jin's background."

But new questions arose in my mind.

"Since they knew all along that Xiao Jin possessed the bloodline of a true dragon, why didn't they report it to Qian Xingzi and offer a reward?"

He paused, a look of realization flashing in his eyes.

"Unless... they are also secretly plotting to inherit the Myriad Paths Sect's legacy!"

Yes, if we can control Xiao Jin and slowly study the mysteries of its bloodline, we might be able to get the complete Wanxing Sect inheritance ahead of others.

Such an opportunity would tempt anyone.

“In that case, the Hu family will never let me go.”

Zhou Xun sneered, his eyes flashing with cold light.

"Perhaps they're still planning to capture me alive and force me to hand over Xiao Jin. After that, Kong will probably kill me to silence me!"

He stood with his hands behind his back, looking in the direction of Huquan Cave.

"If you won't let me go... I don't intend to let you go either."

If Hu Quan and his group aren't dealt with completely, Xiao Jin's secret will be exposed sooner or later.

After all, once the Hu family learns of Xiao Jin's potential bankruptcy, they will inevitably report their information to the authorities!

At that time, facing the pursuit of numerous forces, even if he is in the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he will not be able to escape his fate.

"We must act as soon as possible."

Zhou Xun put the jade slip into his storage bag, got up and left Tianhai Pavilion.

He strolled slowly along the bluestone street and soon returned to his Bibo Mansion.

As soon as I reached the door, I saw a familiar figure standing there.
Hu Quan!

(End of this chapter)