The Xu family follows Taoism and seeks longevity

After leaving the 'Liuyun Desert', Xu Zhiyu headed eastwards and, after a year, he finally arrived at a medium-sized market town near the Xuanyang Secret Realm and settled there.

Since there were still more than five years left before the start of the secret realm, he simply rented a fourth-order cave and tried to reach the middle stage of the Golden Core. However, the time was too short and his attempt failed, and his cultivation remained at the peak of the third level of the Golden Core.

"Senior, I have already found out what you asked me to find out."

At the entrance of the cave, Xu Zhiyu looked into the distance. Behind him stood an elderly cultivator at the eighth level of the Purple Mansion, who was reporting the situation to him in a very flattering manner.

"Say!"

"The Xuanyang Secret Realm will be open in three months. The activity of exchanging treasures for tokens will start tomorrow. The location is in the City Lord's Mansion in the center of the town. It will be conducted by True Lord Qingyun himself. If you want to go, you must go early."

"Oh, why is that?"

"Because this time, the number of Jindan cultivators competing for the Xuanyang Secret Realm quota is much greater than in the past, a full 2,000 people."

As soon as these words came out, Xu Zhiyu's brows gradually furrowed, because this matter was unusual in every way. The competition for places in the past was not so fierce at all. At most, there were only about 500 golden elixirs.

"Do you know why there are so many cultivators competing for the Xuanyang Secret Realm quota this time?"

"My strength is low, so I can't get any information. However, there are some rumors in the market that can be used for reference."

"What do you think."

"Some people speculate that the time when the secret realm is opened is the time when the Nascent Soul Fruit matures. That's why so many Jindan cultivators want to compete for the quota and seize the opportunity to Nascent Soul."

"anything else?"

Xu Zhiyu continued to ask, he did not agree with this speculation.

"It is said that the opening time of the secret realm will be doubled this time. It was originally one year, but this time it will be two years. The longer you stay in the secret realm, the more you will gain. So naturally, more Jindan cultivators will be interested in entering."

"This guess is more reliable. Do you have a source of information?"

"Yes, it is said that it was accidentally leaked by a senior official of one of the three major sects in a public setting."

"This is a trick of playing hard to get. It seems that this guess is not reliable. Is there anything else?"

"No more, senior."

Xu Zhiyu remained silent for a long time. After a while, he turned around, took out a hundred medium-grade spirit stones from his storage ring and handed them to the old man Zifu through the air.

"You did a great job. I am very satisfied. Take these spirit stones and leave!"

"Thank you, senior. Thank you, senior."

Looking at the figure of the Purple Mansion monk leaving, Xu Zhiyu said in a barely audible voice:
"It seems that this trip to the secret realm will be very interesting."

Time passed quickly and it was the next day. He got up early and went to the City Lord's Mansion, but he didn't expect that although he arrived early, there were people who arrived earlier than him.

He had never seen Jindan cultivators queuing before, but he saw it today.

Looking at the endless long line in front of him, Xu Zhiyu shook his head and stood behind a middle-aged male cultivator in blue.

Just when I was bored, a voice suddenly came from behind me.

"Can I get to know this fellow Taoist in front of me? I'm from the Northern Continent, and my name is Luo Bingxue.

Hearing this, Xu Zhiyu, who was thinking about something, turned around and looked up and down at the monk who was chatting with him.

She was six feet tall, with a pretty face, but the most striking thing was her eyes, which were as black as ink.

However, he was still quite serious about being approached by a stranger, especially when the two parties did not know each other before.

"Wang Ling, I am from the Southern Continent. I am very happy to meet you, fellow Taoist."

After saying a polite word, Xu Zhiyu turned around again and didn't intend to pay any more attention.

"Don't turn around so quickly, my friend. I still have something to ask you."

"Ask if you want to. I can hear you. And let me tell you in advance that I am new here too. There are some things I am not clear about, and I may not know more than you do.

"That's right, what I want to ask is..."

It turns out that when you feel that time is passing too slowly, it may not be so unbearable if there is someone to chat with you.

Just as Xu Zhiyu was absent-mindedly chatting with the female cultivator behind him, the line in front of him gradually shortened.

And his location also gradually changed, the street outside the City Lord's Mansion, the entrance of the City Lord's Mansion, and the reception room of the City Lord's Mansion.

The city lord is a middle-aged monk with a wealthy appearance. If you met him on the street, you would think he might be an ordinary person.

But that was obviously an illusion. This City Lord Liu was not only the city lord of Xuanyang Market, but also the Nascent Soul Elder of the Xiaoyao Sect of the Huashen Sect, and his status was extremely noble.

"My friend, what spiritual object do you plan to use to exchange for a place in the secret realm?"

As soon as Xu Zhiyu saluted, the city lord immediately spoke with a smile, without any polite words. However, there was really no need for politeness on this day, as time was precious to everyone.

"Senior, I have been to the vicinity of Nanxuan Country some time ago and was lucky enough to get a 'Spiritual Mist Pearl' at a Golden Elixir Exchange Meeting. I would like to present it to you."

After he finished speaking, he turned his palm upwards, and the 'Spiritual Mist Pearl' appeared directly.

"Whoosh!"

Before he could react, he felt his palm lighten, and the 'Spiritual Mist Pearl' disappeared in an instant. This made him even more wary of the city lord who looked like a rich man with a harmless smile on his face.

"Yes, a 'Spiritual Mist Pearl' of this quality is truly a rare treasure. I accept it. You must keep this 'Xuan Yang Order' safe. Gather at the gate of the City Lord's Mansion in three months. I, along with fellow Taoists from the other two sects, will take you to the 'Xuan Yang Secret Realm'.

Remember, if you don't come then it will be considered as a waiver." The city lord paused, glanced at him, and continued:

"Since the spiritual objects you offered are quite precious, I will give you a piece of advice. There are many cultivators eyeing this batch of 'Xuan Yang Orders' this time. You'd better not leave the market in the next few months, otherwise you may be killed.

After all, the principle of entering the secret realm is to recognize the token rather than the person. Anyone can enter the secret realm as long as they hold the token. " "Thank you for your teachings, I will keep it in mind. "

No matter what, the other party meant well, so Xu Zhiyu bowed without hesitation and expressed his gratitude to the city lord.

"Okay, go ahead!"

When he turned and walked out of the reception room, he passed by the Jindan female cultivator named Luo Bingxue again. However, he didn't know if it was an illusion, he always felt that he had seen this person there before.

What he didn't know was that this was not an illusion. This Luo Bingxue was really an old acquaintance of his. It was just that she had changed her name and appearance, so he couldn't recognize her.

It turns out that Luo Bingxue is actually Fan Yunbai. She has been secretly following Xu Zhiyu all these years, no matter where he goes, but she has never met him in her true form.

Because the more she came into contact with Xu Zhiyu, the more she felt that her hope of ascending to the spiritual world lay in him. She didn't know how this feeling came about, but it just came about.

And more importantly, she herself believes in this feeling very much.

Therefore, after Xu Zhiyu settled in this market, she found out his plan after a little inquiry.

During his retreat, she had left for a short period of time to look for a treasure that could be exchanged for the Xuanyang Order. For a cultivator like her who had reached the great perfection of the Spiritual Transformation Realm, this task was easier than drinking cold water.

She casually made a move and immediately obtained more than a dozen treasures, which were several times or even dozens of times more precious than the 'Spiritual Mist Pearl' that Xu Zhiyu had obtained with great difficulty.

This time when exchanging tokens, she seemed to have a new premonition because she had just passed by Xu Zhiyu.

So when she heard the city lord asking him what treasure he wanted to exchange for the token, she absent-mindedly took out a treasure that was enough to make a Nascent Soul cultivator extremely excited.

"My friend, do you really intend to exchange this 'Five Elements Longevity Fruit' for the 'Xuan Yang Order'?"

"Yes, Not Bad."

"Okay, my friend, you are straightforward. I will accept your 'Five Elements Longevity Fruit'. You can keep these five 'Xuan Yang Orders'. You can resell them or auction them off as you wish."

The city lord was overjoyed. He had been looking for this 'Five Elements Longevity Fruit' for a long time. With it as the main ingredient and supplemented with other fourth- and fifth-level spiritual medicines, he could start refining a furnace of fifth-level top-quality 'Xuanqiong Pills'.

Speaking of this 'Xuanqiong Pill', it is very famous, especially among Nascent Soul cultivators, because the main effect of this pill is to prolong life.

Under normal circumstances, if a Nascent Soul cultivator takes this "Xuanqiong Pill", his life span can generally be extended by 300 years, which is equivalent to the life span of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Can you imagine how attractive this pill is?

Moreover, after taking one pill of this kind, you can take a second one, but the life-extending effect of this pill will be reduced by 50%, and it can only extend your life by 150 years.

Think about it, the theoretical maximum lifespan of a Nascent Soul cultivator is only three thousand years, and two 'Xuanqiong Pills' can only give it one-seventh of that lifespan. Isn't such a pill an inestimable treasure?
Let’s not talk about how excited the mayor of Xuanyang Market was, let’s just talk about Fan Yunbai. It was not until she walked out of the gate of the mayor’s mansion in a daze that she realized what had just happened.

When she lowered her head, she found that she was holding five "Xuan Yang Orders" in her hands. This scene made the Jindan cultivators who were queuing in a long line at the moment shine with light in their eyes. They wished they could kill her right now and snatch the tokens.

But in the end, no one dared to be so reckless, because this was in front of the city lord's mansion. Even if they really got it, they still had to use it with their lives, right? Xiaoyao Sect was not to be trifled with.

However, although they suppressed the urge to take action at this moment, the minds of these Jindan were still very active. Some of them had quietly left the team and followed Fan Yunbai's footsteps, preparing to trade with her privately.

After returning to the cave, Xu Zhiyu did not try to break through his cultivation again, but began to draw talismans continuously, desperately accumulating energy.

The last time he used a sixth-grade, top-quality talisman to escape from the South Continent, he consumed more than half of the amulet's energy, and the remaining energy was not enough to activate the sixth-grade talisman again. This was his greatest safety reliance when traveling in the ancestral continent, so of course he attached great importance to it.

For a Jindan cultivator, three months passed in the blink of an eye, and he seemed to have not even noticed it as it passed quietly.

Without any hesitation, he immediately walked out of the cave and flew towards the City Lord's Mansion.

With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he saw that there were more than two hundred people. After a moment, the number increased again, but in the end it did not reach three hundred. No one knew what had happened.

"When the time comes, set off."

Just after noon, three figures emitting the might of Nascent Soul appeared in front of Xu Zhiyu and others. Leading them was the city lord who had traded with them last time. He gave an order and took the lead to fly towards the entrance of the market.

……

'Shuh! '

A white light flashed, and a figure suddenly appeared in a quiet cave. Upon closer inspection, it was Xu Zhiyu.

"It seems that I have entered an underground cave. The concentration of spiritual energy here is comparable to that of a third-level low-grade spiritual vein. There will be no high-level monsters around, so it is safe."

After taking a quick look at his surroundings, he muttered to himself.

Caves are formed by erosion of underground rivers. Wherever there are caves, there must be underground rivers. Underground rivers will continuously erode the mountain to form caves. Water flows to lower places, and underground rivers will continue to erode downwards.

Now the cave here is extremely dry, without any feeling of dampness, which means that this place is far away from the underground river. In other words, the underground river should still be very deep below.

After figuring this out, he did not rush to find an exit to leave, but instead found a clean stone and sat cross-legged on it.

Then he took out a purple jade slip and began to look through the contents inside. This was a detailed map of the Xuanyang Secret Realm that he had bought at an underground auction in Xuanyang Market a few years ago.

Later, he spent a lot of spirit stones in the market and collected various maps of the Xuanyang Secret Realm. After careful verification and comparison, he found that the content on this jade slip was indeed detailed.

Although it did not completely encompass the terrain of the entire secret realm as the auctioneer claimed, it was almost right, and it was worth the high price of five thousand medium-grade spirit stones that he spent to buy it.

After a careful search, he finally determined his location deep inside, which should be the "Thousand Changes Cave" in the secret realm.

According to the map, there are very few monsters in this cave because the situation here is extremely complicated and there are many forks in the road.

If you are unlucky, you may end up walking down the fork in the road and never be able to find your way back.

However, this was not a difficult task for Xu Zhiyu, who had a strong spiritual sense. He only needed to fly upwards and would be able to leave here quickly.

The most troubling problem for him now was that, although his master had told him that there was a passage to the spirit world here, he did not say anything specific, which meant that he had to find it by himself.

This is not an easy matter. Although the area of ​​this secret place is not too large, it is only 20,000 miles in radius.

But it is still very difficult to find a secret passage here that has no characteristics and no signs. (End of this chapter)