Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 907 The Elixir is Finally Obtained, A Great Opportunity!
"This..." Qingming Sanren stared in disbelief. "How did Fellow Daoist Zhou manage to do that?"

Liu Xuanfeng clapped his hands and laughed: "Wonderful! Fellow Daoist Zhou is indeed hiding his true strength!"

A hint of admiration flashed in Leng Wuyai's eyes.
Ancestor Tianxuan's face turned pale and then red, and after a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Just lucky."

"Fellow Daoist Tianxuan is right. I was merely lucky; it's nothing to speak of!" Zhou Xun said calmly.

"You!" Ancestor Tianxuan was furious, but ultimately did not say anything more.

Now that the barrier was broken, the scene inside the herb garden was finally fully revealed to everyone.

The garden was filled with medicinal herbs, and in the very center stood a seven-leaf Ganoderma lucidum that was crystal clear and radiated a dazzling starlight. It was the legendary Tianyuan Star Epiphyllum.

"How about we go get the medicine together now?"

"However, I broke this formation, so according to the rules, I should be the first to choose a spiritual herb. Does anyone have any objections?" Zhou Xun said calmly.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou is too kind. Of course, we are just following the rules," Liu Xuanfeng said with a smile.

Qingming Sanren stroked his beard and nodded: "Fellow Daoist Zhou has rendered meritorious service in breaking the formation, so it is only right that he does so."

Although Leng Wuyai did not speak, he nodded slightly in agreement.

Ancestor Tianxuan snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and turned away, which could be considered as tacit approval.

Seeing this, Zhou Xun smiled slightly and strolled into the herb garden.

His gaze swept across the garden of medicinal herbs, finally settling on the Heavenly Origin Star Epiphyllum, a herb he had been searching for ever since the mortal realm.
After nearly a century, we have finally obtained it.

Next, he finally gathered all twelve kinds of spiritual herbs to refine the Nine Origin Star Dew. Once this matter was settled, he would find a blessed mountain and land to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

While pondering, Zhou Xun made a hand seal with his right hand, and a ray of azure spiritual light slowly enveloped the Ganoderma lucidum, uprooting it completely.

Then he took out a jade box, gently placed it inside, sealed it with a spirit-sealing restriction, and put it into his storage bag!
"Fellow Daoist Zhou has excellent taste," Liu Xuanfeng said with a smile, his eyes narrowed.

After carefully storing the Tianyuan Star Epiphyllum, Zhou Xun stepped aside to make way for everyone: "Please proceed."

Liu Xuanfeng stepped into the herb garden first, his gaze lingering on a vine entwined with golden threads—that was the fifth-grade spiritual herb "Crimson Gold Vine," whose sap had a miraculous effect on repairing meridian damage.

He took out his jade knife and carefully dug out a three-foot-long vine. With a flash of inspiration, he put it into a jade bottle: "This vine suits my taste."

Qingming Sanren walked towards a cluster of spiritual herbs with pale golden flowers, each petal adorned with fine golden patterns.

"It's actually 'Golden Radiance Grass'!" he exclaimed softly.

"This herb, combined with my supernatural powers, is perfect for condensing the 'Golden Cloud Sword Light'." With that, he dug it up by the roots and wrapped it carefully in specially prepared spiritual soil.

Leng Wuyai silently walked to a corner of the herb garden, where a patch of dark moss grew, each strand exuding a chilling aura of death.

He took out a jade box engraved with spiritual patterns and used his spiritual power to transform into an ice shovel to shovel the moss into the box—this was a spiritual medicine that could amplify divine sense, "Netherworld Moss," which was already extremely rare in the world.

Although Ancestor Tianxuan had his back to everyone, he kept a close eye on the activity in the herb garden with his divine sense.

Seeing that everyone had taken their treasures, he suddenly turned around, his gaze sweeping across the jade pool in the center of the herb garden like that of a hawk.

Three palm-sized lotus flowers floated in the pond, their petals translucent like glass, with the lotus seeds in their centers faintly glowing. "Glassy Heart Lotus!" he exclaimed in surprise, his figure flashing to the edge of the pond like lightning, and with a flick of his sleeve, he tried to roll up the lotus flowers.

"Fellow Daoist Tianxuan, wait!" Zhou Xun's voice suddenly turned cold, and a net of azure light abruptly unfolded, enveloping the jade pool.

"This lotus grows in the Cold Jade Pool, coexisting with the fine scales and golden sand at the bottom of the pool. If it is forcibly picked, the spiritual energy of the lotus seeds will dissipate."

Upon hearing this, Ancestor Tianxuan snorted angrily:

"It's just a charade!" A surge of spiritual light erupted from his fingertips, transforming into sharp claws that reached straight for the Crystal Lotus.

However, the moment his fingertips touched the petals, the entire lotus flower suddenly trembled violently, and the radiance of the central lotus seed dimmed at a visible speed, with wisps of spiritual energy flowing wildly from his fingertips!

"What's going on?" Ancestor Tianxuan's face turned pale. He quickly withdrew his palm, only to find that his palm was covered with fine cracks, and spiritual energy was gushing out like a flood.

He was horrified to discover that not only the spiritual power in his hands, but also the true essence in his dantian was being uncontrollably absorbed by the jade pool.

"Fellow Daoist Tianxuan!" Qingming Sanren exclaimed as he threw out a jade talisman. The talisman exploded in mid-air, forming a light shield that temporarily blocked the loss of spiritual energy.

However, the Heavenly Profound Ancestor looked extremely displeased, especially in front of Zhou Xun, which made him feel even more ashamed.

With a flick of his sleeve, Zhou Xun sent a net of azure light that transformed into vines that wrapped around the edge of the jade pool. The once-dull lotus flowers began to glow again under the nourishment of the net of light.

“I already warned you,” he said calmly, his gaze fixed on the three lotus flowers in the pond.

"This lotus must be picked with the 'Yi Wood Dew Gathering Hand'; forcibly taking it will only trigger a backlash from the spiritual veins at the bottom of the pool."

Zhou Xun's true form is a wood-attribute cultivator, so his understanding of spiritual plants is much deeper, and he naturally noticed this.

Ancestor Tianxuan clutched his hand, which was throbbing with pain, his eyes filled with both fear and resentment.

He looked at the blue light flowing from Zhou Xun's fingertips, then at the lotus flower before him, and gritted his teeth, saying, "What do you want?"

“It’s very simple,” Zhou Xun said, holding up one finger.
"Of the three lotuses in the pond, I only wish to pluck one. If you agree, I will help you pick it and guarantee that its spiritual energy will not dissipate."

"You!" Ancestor Tianxuan trembled with rage. The three Glazed Heart Lotuses were something he was determined to obtain, but now he was going to give one away to someone else.

But recalling the terrifying scene of spiritual energy loss just now, and seeing Zhou Xun's confident demeanor, he ultimately agreed. Otherwise, he wouldn't get a single flower.

"Fine! A lotus flower! If you dare to try anything funny..."

"Rest assured, fellow Daoist." Zhou Xun said no more, and the green light at his fingertips transformed into fine spiritual threads, which swirled above the jade pool like a spider web.

He flicked his finger, and a crystal-clear dewdrop flew from his fingertip, falling into the pool and creating ripples.

The dewdrop from Zhou Xun's fingertip fell into the Cold Jade Pool, instantly creating ripples of turquoise.

The fine, golden sand at the bottom of the pool, drawn by spiritual energy, rose to the surface like fireflies, weaving a delicate, openwork net. He formed the Wood Seal with his hands and softly chanted:

"Spiritual threads guide the lotus, dew condenses as the medium—rise!"

The three crystal lotus flowers trembled simultaneously, detached from the water, and the water droplets hanging from the lotus stems condensed into rhomboid crystals in mid-air.

With a flick of his wrist, Zhou Xun opened the three jade boxes automatically. The lotus flower curled up inside the box as if it were alive, and the spirit-sealing array on the lid lit up instantly, locking the dissipated spiritual energy inside.

Then he presented the other two jade boxes to Ancestor Tianxuan, smiling as he said...
"how?"

Upon seeing this, Ancestor Tianxuan nodded:
"I was wrong before, and I apologize to you here!"

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Tianxuan, you flatter me. Now that the herb garden has been solved, how about we join forces to challenge that black tower?"

As he spoke, Zhou Xun's gaze fell upon the tall tower not far away.

Based on the information obtained from Sun Yuanxuan's jade slip, this black tower is very likely a legacy left behind by an ancient powerful being.

Only those who pass the test can obtain it.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked towards the towering black tower.

The towering structure soared into the clouds, its entire body as black as ink, with eerie dark red patterns faintly visible on its surface, gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen in the sunlight. "Strange," Qingming Sanren suddenly frowned.
"I remember last time I came here, there were clear signs of a restrictive energy fluctuation around the tower. What's going on now?"

Liu Xuanfeng closed his folding fan, his expression grave: "It's indeed strange. Even Nascent Soul cultivators struggle to break those restrictions, so how could they disappear without a trace?"

Leng Wuyai suddenly raised his hand and unleashed a stream of icy blue spiritual energy. The energy twisted and dissipated three zhang away from the tower.

"The restriction has not disappeared; it has been transformed."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun narrowed his eyes slightly. He made a hand seal and activated his Spirit Eye Technique, his pupils immediately gleaming with golden light.

The dark red patterns on the surface of the tower were actually composed of countless fine runes, which were now flowing slowly in a certain pattern, as if they were alive.

“Everyone be careful,” he said in a deep voice. “This restriction has not been broken, but has been transformed into a ‘living array’.”

As they were talking, a soft "click" suddenly came from the bottom of the tower. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that a nine-foot square portal of light had appeared in the once smooth base of the tower.

The light gate rippled like water, its surface shimmering with iridescent light.

Zhou Xun stepped inside.

In an instant, the scene before my eyes suddenly distorted.

The originally dark and gloomy interior of the tower has been transformed into a boundless wasteland.

The sky hung low, the blood-red setting sun like a single eye, coldly gazing down upon the earth. In the distance came a low whistle of wind, mixed with faint sobs, as if thousands of souls were wailing.

"This is..." Zhou Xun frowned slightly, scanning his surroundings with his divine sense, but he could not detect any fluctuations in spiritual energy.

He looked back, but there was no trace of the portal behind him, only barren sand stretching to the horizon.

"Zhou Xun!" A sharp shout suddenly rang out.

Zhou Xun suddenly turned around and saw that the Heavenly Profound Ancestor's eyes were bloodshot, his body was surging with bloodlust, and a bronze ancient sword in his hand was pointed directly at his brow:
"Hand over the Crystal Lotus! Otherwise, today will be your death day!"

"What does Fellow Daoist Tianxuan mean by this? Do you think that just because it's just the two of us here, you're going to turn against us?" Zhou Xun sneered.

"So what if I am? I've been putting up with you for a long time. Now, take this!"

With a roar, the ancient bronze sword suddenly burst forth with dazzling blood-red light, and wherever the sword's edge passed, the space was torn apart like cloth, leaving fine black marks.

Zhou Xun's pupils contracted slightly, and his figure floated back like a willow catkin.

He formed hand seals, and seventy-two lightning bolts flew out from his sleeves, weaving together to form a purple lightning shield in front of him.

The ancient sword clashed with the shield, unleashing a deafening roar.

Amidst the dust and sand stirred up by the gust of wind, Zhou Xun suddenly felt a bone-chilling coldness coming from behind him—

A dark blue ice blade had been thrusting toward his back without him even noticing; it was none other than Leng Wuyai!
At the same time, Liu Xuanfeng and Qingming Sanren appeared around them, their eyes cold and their killing intent palpable.

"Fellow Daoists, what is the meaning of this?" Zhou Xun asked in a deep voice.

"What do you mean?" Ancestor Tianxuan grinned maliciously.

"You secretly used evil magic to monopolize the treasures in the tower, and you still dare to pretend you're clueless?"

Zhou Xun's pupils contracted slightly, and a strong sense of alarm rose in his heart.

He clearly remembered that the group had not yet entered the Black Tower, so how could there be any talk of "monopolizing the treasure"?
While he was pondering, Liu Xuanfeng unfolded his folding fan, and the silver light on the fan surface surged, transforming into countless flying blades that attacked from all directions;

Seven golden rays flew out from Qingming Sanren's sleeve; they were none other than his famous magic weapon, "Golden Cloud Sword Light".
Leng Wuyai directly unleashed the Xuanbing Pearl, its chilling energy condensing into a hundred-foot-long ice cone, blocking all of Zhou Xun's escape routes!
Something was wrong. Zhou Xun's mind raced, and he quickly retreated. At the same time, he formed hand seals, and the seventy-two lightning seeds transformed into lightning shields to withstand the attacks of the crowd.

"boom!"

The aftershocks of the collision of spiritual energy cracked the wasteland, and sand and dust filled the sky.

Zhou Xun felt a sweet taste in his throat, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. Even with his profound cultivation, he couldn't escape unscathed from the combined attack of four Nascent Soul cultivators.

"Wait, everyone!" Zhou Xun shouted sharply.
"Something's strange here! We might be trapped in an illusion!"

"An illusion?" Ancestor Tianxuan scoffed.

"Do you think such a clumsy excuse can fool us?" With that, the sword turned, transforming into a ferocious dragon head that roared and lunged forward.

Zhou Xun had nowhere to avoid it, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes: "Since that's the case, then I'll have to offend you!"

He formed hand seals and pointed towards the Thunder Pool in his dantian.
In an instant, streaks of white lightning surged forth, transforming the entire world into a sea of ​​lightning.
Then,

"Crack——!"

A blinding white lightning bolt struck, instantly piercing through the bodies of the four people.

The sword energy of the Heavenly Profound Ancestor wailed and dissipated; Liu Xuanfeng's silver blade folding fan fell to the ground charred; and Qingming Sanren's golden cloud sword light shattered inch by inch.

Leng Wuyai's Xuanbing Pearl exploded into dust with a "bang"!

Strangely, after being struck by the lightning, cracks appeared on the bodies of the four people, like porcelain. Their expressions froze, but a hint of confusion flashed in their eyes.

"As expected." Zhou Xun's guess was right; he had sensed something was amiss earlier.
The next moment, the whole world shattered like a mirror.

The blood-red wasteland, the low-hanging sky, and even the setting sun all vanished into countless fragments.

Zhou Xun felt a lightness in his soul, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself still standing in front of the gate of light, his right foot just lifted, not yet actually stepping in.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Profound Ancestor and the others standing beside him were blank-minded, their eyes lifeless as they stood there.

Ancestor Tianxuan's hands were forming a sword incantation, Liu Xuanfeng's folding fan was half-open, and golden light was faintly visible in Qingming Sanren's sleeves—clearly they were still fighting in the illusion!

"This is an illusion!"

Zhou Xun gasped.

If his soul hadn't been so powerful, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect the anomaly.

He examined the light gate closely and finally discovered a barely visible sword mark on the edge of the door frame.

The sword mark was as thin as a hair, yet it exuded a chilling sharpness.

"A mere wisp of residual sword intent is enough to plunge a Nascent Soul cultivator into an illusion," Zhou Xun thought in horror. "What level of cultivation must the person who left this sword mark be?"

Just as they were wondering what was going on, ripples suddenly appeared on the light gate.

The colorful glow faded, revealing a deep, dark passage behind it.

The two black dragon statues that had originally occupied the door frame now transformed into real dragon souls, bowed to Zhou Xun, and then disappeared into the void.

“The illusion is a test,” Zhou Xun said thoughtfully. “Then now is the real entrance.”

He glanced back at the group still trapped in the illusion, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped inside.
"The illusion is dangerous, but there should be no danger to my life. I will go ahead first."

(End of this chapter)