The Path to Immortality: Starting with an Analysis of Basic Concepts

If you could only read one fantasy novel in your life, it would probably be "The Path to Immortality: Starting with Analyzing Basic Concepts".

First, there were the gifts from Cang Li and Fu Hongxi.

The styles were quite similar, both being bluestone bottles. He only glanced at the material of the bottles and knew what was inside.

"The Origin of Lingxu".

Zhu Yu was very satisfied with the simple and unpretentious gift. After opening the bottle and checking the quantity of "Spiritual Ruins Origin", he was even more pleased.

No more, no less, exactly two hundred dishes.

This is roughly equivalent to one-tenth of what the two of them have gained in the "martial arts world".

Zhu Yu nodded in satisfaction and stored it in his "Life Spirit Ruins". He then reached out and picked up the gift from Cang Hai, a foot-long jade box. He tore open the spirit-sealing talisman and slowly lifted it.

As the jade box revealed a crack, billowing black mist surged out, causing the temperature in the palace to plummet, and faint sounds like ghosts wailing and wolves howling could be heard.

Zhu Yi, who was serving nearby, couldn't help but shiver. Runes on his body flickered, creating a faint red halo to resist the black mist's erosion.

Zhu Yu glanced at her, his gaze lingering for a moment on the runes on her body, his eyes thoughtful, before he opened the spirit jade box.

A round sphere, about the size of a longan and mottled with rust, came into view.

"This is... a corpse pill!..."

He reached out and picked it up, scanning it with his divine sense. He felt the pure "corpse evil" energy contained within it, and his eyes lit up.

"Corpse Pill," the core of second-tier corpse refining power.

The sphere in his hand was a "corpse pill," which was of the metal element and clearly came from a different type of armored corpse. Judging from its color, it should have come from a bronze-armored corpse.

"Junior Sister Zang is so thoughtful..."

Zhu Yu sighed.

It was obvious that Cang Hai knew he had cultivated an armored corpse and specially gave him a second-tier "corpse pill" to help his armored corpse advance.

And with this highly nourishing "corpse pill" from the armored corpse.

"Black Tiger" and "Dragon Blood Dog-Headed Man," who are currently undergoing a transformation, will break through in just a few days without any further surprises.

As he was thinking, Zhu Yu sent the Corpse Pill to the "Benming Spirit Ruins" to check on the condition of the two corpses. According to his estimate, the two corpses would be able to complete their transformation in about three days.

"Not bad..."

He smiled, closed his eyes, and concentrated, attempting his first meditation practice after advancing to the fifth level of his aptitude.

Using his mind as a brush and his soul power as ink, with his current level of spiritual cultivation, he successfully condensed a soul particle almost instantly.

Feeling that the power of his soul, which was dissipating, had decreased slightly, he was overjoyed and continued to condense soul particles.

Time passed slowly.

A wave of fatigue brought Zhu Yu back from his meditation practice. After a few moments of adjustment, he checked the results of his practice.

He practiced for three hours.

A total of 1,800 divine soul particles were condensed.

Zhu Yu was very satisfied. At most, he could use his soul particles to solidify the structure of the "Life Spirit Ruins".

Coming to his senses, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

"This is fifth-grade aptitude, what about sixth-grade aptitude?... "

After thinking for a moment, he connected his mind with Hong Youfu and Qiao Heyong, who were cultivating in seclusion in the "Native Spirit Ruins". When he learned the result, the smile on his face immediately faded a bit.

Qiao Heyong is alright, with a sixth-grade aptitude. He has a lot of overflowing spiritual power, but he is limited by his comprehension. His visualization technique has just been perfected. If he devotes himself to cultivation every day, he can only barely condense 2,300 spiritual particles.

Hong Youfu, on the other hand, is different. Not only is he a sixth-grade aptitude, but his comprehension is also outstanding. His visualization technique has already been perfected. If he were to cultivate with all his might, he could condense nearly four thousand divine soul particles a day.

It's more than enough, there's simply more than enough...

And this is only because the two people's souls are weaker than his. If their soul strength were the same as his, the number would increase by a lot.

"Hiss, sixth-grade aptitude..."

Zhu Yu took a breath, checked his assets, and decisively opened the "Heavenly Dao Sect" group chat to inquire about hiring someone to refine pills.

Not long after.

Three people then tagged him: Chongshui, Jinpeng, and Sihun Zhenren.

Just as Zhu Yu was about to say something, he saw Master Chongshui send out a line of text.

[Master Chongshui: With 1,500 years of experience in alchemy, he is the only one of his kind.]

Just one sentence.

This silenced the two self-aggrandizing immortals, Jinpeng and Sihun.

"Hmm? Fifteen hundred years of alchemy experience..."

Zhu Yu was taken aback, then, as if realizing something, exclaimed, "So it was Master Chongshui who bought 'Ancestor Xiang's' thousand-year alchemy experience..."

Unfortunately, he was penniless at the time; otherwise, he would have certainly lent a hand to alchemy.

Shaking his head to suppress his thoughts, he replied, "Foundation Establishment Realm, let's discuss this further." He then stepped through the bronze gate and entered.

Foundation building realm.

Zhu Yu subconsciously looked up at the mountaintop shrouded in black mist, shook his head slightly, sensed the spiritual guidance given by "Master Chongshui," and strode straight towards a certain direction.

Not long.

He then came to a bronze gate about four zhang high, with wave patterns painted in the center and floral and fish patterns engraved on the edges.

A quick glance revealed that the bronze door showed almost no signs of rust, indicating that "Chongshui Zhenren" was in his prime, and that "Benming Lingxu" was virtually undamaged.

The wait was short.

A stream of light emerged from it, revealing a handsome Taoist priest in a light blue robe, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance.

"Zhu Yu greets Senior Brother Chongshui."

Zhu Yu dared not be negligent and greeted him with clasped hands.

Master Chongshui smiled and waved his hand, "Junior Brother Yinming, there's no need to be so polite." He then went straight to the point, "I wonder what kind of pill Junior Brother Yinming wishes to refine? Have you prepared the necessary spiritual materials?"

"I only have one medicinal ingredient. I wonder if it's feasible to refine it into an elixir to enhance the soul? What would be the cost?..."

Master Chongshui took out the divinely bestowed fruit, "Sea Witch Ulva," without surprise. He examined it carefully for a few moments, then used magic to inspect it again. Turning to Zhu Yu, he smiled and said:

"This one ingredient is enough. I wonder how you plan to refine it, Junior Brother? Will you combine it with other ingredients, or use it alone?"

Fearing he wouldn't understand, I patiently explained:

"If we combine our ingredients, my junior brother will provide the main ingredient, and I will provide the auxiliary ingredients. We will then share the resulting elixir equally."

"If it is unique, then all the expenses required will be borne by the junior brother, and the obtained elixirs will naturally all belong to the junior brother."

Without a second thought, Zhu Yu replied, "The second one."

Master Chongshui was not surprised. Divine fruits from the insect realm were not easy to obtain, especially those of such high quality. After a moment's thought, he said:

"Since this is your first time seeking my alchemy services, junior brother, I'll give you a 50% discount on the fee. In addition to the necessary auxiliary spiritual herbs, you only need to provide me with three hundred 'Spiritual Void Origins'."

Zhu Yu was taken aback.

How many?

Three hundred paths? The origin of the Spirit Ruins! ...

He considered that hiring someone to refine pills would be very expensive, but that was perhaps too expensive.

Master Chongshui explained with a smile, "To fully unleash the effects of Junior Brother's fruit, we need three ordinary second-tier spiritual herbs just for the auxiliary purposes, and hundreds or even thousands of other ordinary auxiliary spiritual herbs..."

Zhu Yu really wanted to say that this wouldn't even require three hundred "Spiritual Ruins Origin".

According to market price.

A typical second-tier spiritual herb contains approximately twenty to fifty strands of spiritual essence. Even if we assume fifty, that's only one hundred and fifty strands. As for first-tier spiritual herbs, let's say there are a thousand of them. They'd only contain a maximum of fifty strands of spiritual essence.

While he was calculating.

The voice of Master Chongshui drifted over.

"Please have me refine pills; it will require two hundred strands of 'Spiritual Void Origin' each time."

Yes, that matches up.

Zhu Yu wanted to turn and leave, but after hesitating for a moment, he reluctantly took out three hundred "Spiritual Void Origins" and handed them to "True Man Chongshui." Forcing back his pain, he smiled and said:

"I'll leave the rest to my senior brother."

Master Chongshui gathered his sleeves and put away the "Origin of the Spiritual Ruins," smiling as he said, "Junior Brother, come find me to collect the pill in a month."

Having said that, his body silently disintegrated, and before leaving, he suddenly said:

"If you ever acquire this 'good item' again, junior brother, come find me. The price will definitely not disappoint you."

"Um…"

As if remembering something, Zhu Yu suddenly asked, "Senior Brother, can you collect 'Life Dew'?"

Master Chongshui's crumbling body paused, he frowned and thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he hurriedly asked, "Junior Brother, are you referring to the 'Life Dew' condensed from the ancient tree bestowed by the gods of the 'Insect Realm'?..."

"Exactly."

Zhu Yu nodded, took out a stone bottle containing sixty drops of "Life Dew" from his sleeve, enough to extend one's life by sixty years, and waved it to Chongshui Zhenren.

"Indeed, it is indeed 'Life Dew'."

Master Chongshui carefully inspected the place, nodded in satisfaction, and then sighed, "The Insect Realm is truly a wonderful place, what a pity..."

Zhu Yu knew without a doubt what he was regretting, and interrupted his reverie, "Senior brother, would you accept it?..."

"receive."

Master Chongshui snapped out of his reverie, nodded, and said, "How about a drop of 'Spiritual Void Origin'?"

Zhu Yu shook his head. "A single drop of Life Dew can extend one's lifespan by a year; a single 'Spiritual Void Origin' is far too cheap."

"Extend lifespan?... "

Master Chongshui shook his head and said, "This thing can indeed prolong life, but the side effects are too great. It can only be used by cultivators who are about to die. I bought it to nourish my spiritual medicine."

After thinking for a moment, he said:

"Two drops of the Three Paths of Spiritual Origin, any more than that is fine."

Zhu Yu frowned. The price offered by Master Chongshui wasn't low, but it was still far from his expected price. After thinking for a moment, an idea suddenly struck him, and he said:

"I won't sell the 'Spirit Ruins Origin.' I want to use it to exchange with my senior brother for some second-tier spiritual herbs and seeds."

"Exchange spirit seeds?"

Master Chongshui was taken aback and gave him a strange look. Although he had never entered Zhu Yu's "Native Spirit Ruins", he knew its attributes and that it was absolutely unsuitable for cultivating medicinal fields.

But he didn't ask any further questions. He reached into the bronze door, and after a short while, took out a jade box, waved it to Zhu Yu, and said:

"If you ever find any precious spiritual herbs, plants, or objects in the future, feel free to come to me. The price will never disappoint you."

After speaking, he nodded slightly, his body disintegrated, and turned into streams of spiritual light that flowed into the bronze gate.

Zhu Yu didn't linger and rode away in his escape light.

Inverted tower.

As soon as Zhu Yu returned to the palace, three bronze doors appeared in succession in the hall. Cang Hai, Cang Li, and Fu Hongxi stepped out from them, each with a different expression on their face.

Zang Hai remained calm.

Cang Li frowned, her pale face revealing her sorrow.

Fu Hongxi, on the other hand, was beaming with joy.

Zhu Yu invited the three to sit down, his gaze falling on Fu Hongxi, and said with a smile, "It seems that Junior Brother Fu has gained quite a bit this time."

Zang Hai and Cang Li turned to look.

Fu Hongxi's eyes changed slightly, and he nodded, saying, "After being baptized by that unknown aura, my aptitude has been transformed to the sixth level."

"Only a sixth-tier talent..."

Zhu Yu gave Fu Hongxi a meaningful look.

He vividly remembered that Fu Hongxi had shown traces of a symbiotic technique in the "Netherworld". Now that his aptitude has transformed to the sixth level, it is possible that his symbiotic technique, no, his innate supernatural power, has already awakened.

read this.

He couldn't help but feel a little envious.

He didn't care about the effects of his innate divine power; what he cared about was the role of the pillar of his innate divine power. With it present, the stability of his "natal spiritual ruins" would be greatly enhanced, and it would even be of great benefit in resisting the black water.

Upon hearing this, Cang Hai and Cang Li withdrew their gazes.

Sixth-class qualification?

They were only at the sixth level of aptitude, so there's nothing surprising about it.

The four of them then started chatting.

As they talked, the conversation turned to the Crimson Gold Gate and the Sea of ​​Fire.

I only have a superficial understanding of it.

Zang Hai, who came from a Foundation Establishment family, obviously knew more than him, and his subsequent words tore away some of the fog surrounding the "True Monarch".

"To break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, we need to elevate our Dao Foundation to the Foundation Establishment Realm. And for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to break through to the Golden Core Realm, they need to ascend their Natal Spiritual Void to the Golden Core Realm..."

She paused, then said:

"The Foundation Establishment Realm is known as the Black Sea, while the Golden Core Realm is called the Sea of ​​Fire. It is said to be composed of flames ignited by endless thoughts, which specifically damage the soul. Even a single wisp of flame can burn the soul of a second-tier cultivator to ashes..."

"Golden Core Realm, Sea of ​​Fire..."

Zhu Yu seemed to understand but not quite, and wanted to ask, but didn't know what to ask, so she shook her head slightly and suppressed it deep in her mind.

He is currently only at the first level of Foundation Establishment.

It's not too late to learn about it when you've cultivated to the ninth level of heaven.

Zang Hai clearly only knew a little bit about it. He emphasized the power of the "Golden Core Realm" and then fell silent with displeasure.

We chatted for a while.

The three of them said their goodbyes in succession.

Zhu Yu politely tried to persuade them to stay a few more times, then watched the three of them leave.

After the group left.

He flashed and appeared halfway up the mountain. He glanced at the lush "Starry Sky Tree" and waved to Xiao Hei, who was lying under the tree, and Xiao Qi and Gen, who were playing around.

"Owner."

Xiao Hei arrived, carrying Xiao Qi and Gen, who were wrestling together.

Zhu Yu crouched down, patted the increasingly composed little black head, and asked, "How's the Starry Sky Wood? The successive transplants didn't cause it any damage, did they?"

Xiao Hei shook his head, delighted, and said, "It's alright. We have 'Moon Sand,' purified 'Life Stone' powder, and the 'Starry Sky Wood' is growing better and better. The fruit will be ripe soon!"

Speaking of fruit.

Xiao Qi, who was wrestling with Gen, immediately let go, put her hands on her hips, glared at Gen angrily, turned around and jumped onto Zhu Yu's shoulder, pressed her cheek against his, and said happily:

"Master, Xiaoqi's fruit will be ripe in two days."

Zhu Yu hadn't forgotten the banquet he'd promised it, so he patted its little head and said with a smile, "Then let's have a fruit feast for Xiao Qi in two days."

"Uh-huh…"

Xiao Qi nodded vigorously, her smile stretching almost to her ears.

Zhu Yu seemed to remember something, took out the jade box from his sleeve used in the transaction with Master Chongshui, handed it to Gen, who was dressed in colorful clothes and had skin as white as porcelain, and said with a smile:

"There are some spiritual seeds here. Could you help me cultivate them?"

He paused, then pointed to the "Starry Sky Wood" and said:

"And 'Starry Sky Wood,' if you need anything, just let me know..."

After a few moments of silence, Gen took the jade box, his mouth slightly open, and a childish, low voice rang out.

"The root needs to eat meat, spirit stones, and..."