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

"A cultivator who has reached the pinnacle of Qi cultivation must initiate a ritual in the underworld..."

Zhu Yu's eyes lit up for a moment.

During his trip to Zangfa Pavilion, he specifically sought out information about the unusual insect infestation that had occurred in the Lingtian area.

According to a certain book, it is not an insect plague, but rather an insect cultivator who has perfected the Qi Refining Technique by practicing lower or intermediate-level visualization techniques. By taking advantage of the formation and the terrain, the cultivator simulates an environment to increase the chances of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

It is precisely because its simulated field is overflowing with the essence.

That's how he managed to obtain a wisp of spiritual essence by using the Eye of True Vision.

"A big, fat sheep..."

Zhu Yu thought for a moment, then cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother. I understand."

"It's not that I don't want to tell my junior brother the truth, but knowing too much might cause trouble."

Xiang Sui gave a serious explanation, picked up his teacup, drank the tea in one gulp, stood up, waved his hand and said, "I should go back now. If I stay too long, some fool might come knocking on my door."

"Go back now, Junior Brother, just focus on your cultivation..."

"I'll see my senior brother off."

Zhu Yu got up to see him off, escorting him all the way to the foot of the mountain. He watched the other person walk away into the distance before turning back around the mound.

Halfway there.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw several figures emerging from the darkness of a path not far away, two of whom he recognized.

Zhu Yu stopped in his tracks, his expression changing slightly. "Mang Xiang, Mu Ruo, what are they doing here?"

Knowing that cultivators are extremely sensitive to gazes, he stopped looking, slipped to the side of the Ghostwood Forest, leaned against a thick tree that several people could encircle, and opened his palm.

A touch of emerald green appeared, and in just a breath or two, the emerald green grew into a lifelike emerald green clover.

It is the "Grass Spirit Technique" obtained from the Corpse Species.

"go."

With a slight thought, the clover silently disintegrated, turning into tiny specks of dim light barely visible to the naked eye, drifting away with the wind and merging into the surrounding weeds and trees.

A perspective looking up at all directions came to mind, and I could hear the howling of the wind and the chirping of insects.

Under his gaze.

Three figures gradually emerged from the darkness.

The leader was a pale-faced boy with more white in his pupils than black, followed by Mang Xiang and Mu Ruo.

"Guild Master, the sect has granted you permission to begin the ceremony, so why do you need to visit each of those people individually?" Mang Xiang asked, frowning in confusion.

A single visit costs thousands of spirit stones. In order to raise the necessary spirit stones, the internal cultivators of the academy have been exploiting the sect too much, and there are already signs of a backlash.

If things continue like this, the "academy" will eventually fall apart.

He didn't care much about whether the sect dispersed or not; what he cared about was the spiritual stones the sect offered each year. Once the offerings stopped, it would be difficult for them to cultivate in the future.

The "president" had not yet spoken.

Mu Ruo glanced at him and said calmly, "What? Are you unhappy with the president's decision?"

"No, no..."

Mang Xiang's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly waved his hands, showing none of the fierce and menacing aura he had displayed in the market earlier.

"Oh…"

Mu Ruo sneered, and was about to say something when he saw the "President" glance at him, so he stopped talking abruptly and lowered his head without saying a word.

Lian Sheng ignored his subordinates' bickering, paused slightly, turned to look at the grass and trees to the side, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"The techniques of the Qingping Sect?"

The thought flashed through his mind, and a hint of blue appeared in his bronze-like pupils.

Suddenly, a brown patch appeared on the grass and trees that were inhabited by the Grass Spirit, which quickly spread out and silently turned into a stain on the ground.

"Suffered..."

Zhu Yu, hiding behind the ghost tree, changed his expression slightly. He then felt a corrosive force surging through the connection of the grass spirit technique's splitting light. A sudden sense of crisis rose in his heart. Without thinking, he directly severed the connection with the splitting light.

Suppressing the dizziness caused by the backlash of the spell, he channeled his spiritual power into his feet and sprinted towards the top of the hill.

Mang Xiang and Mu Ruo immediately sensed something was wrong, their eyes flashed, and they were about to make a move.

Lian Sheng raised his hand to stop them, looked up at the dark sky, narrowed his eyes, and said calmly, "Don't move. If you break the rules, I can't protect you..."

Mang Xiang and Mu Ruo's expressions changed instantly, and they hurriedly withdrew their spiritual power.

"Let's go."

Lian Sheng withdrew his gaze and led the two away.

"pity…"

A gust of cold wind swept by, and a faint, mournful sigh could be heard.

Mang Xiang and Mu Ruo paled, quickened their pace, and followed closely behind Lian Sheng.

The top of the mound.

Standing atop the small black shell, Zhu Yu, who was ready to flee at any moment, waited a moment. Seeing that no one had reached the top, he breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed his stinging brow, and after it eased somewhat, sighed softly:

"As expected of a cultivator who has perfected the foundation of the Dao, such keen perception and such formidable cultivation..."

Recalling that corrosive force, he still felt a chill. If he had let it flow along the connection, the best outcome would probably have been the destruction of his cultivation.

"President of the 'Association'..."

Zhu Yu's mind flashed with his image, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Is he the one who started this ceremony? Perfect, I'll settle both old and new scores at once..."

He turned back to the wooden house, nurtured the broken grass spirit magic seed, and recuperated his damaged mind.

Time flies like water, and three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

"Sir, these are the spiritual items you purchased. Please check them."

The gray-robed servant bowed and handed over the package in his hand.

"it is good."

Zhu Yu took the package, opened it, and checked it carefully. After confirming that there were no mistakes, he nodded in satisfaction, took out a spirit stone, tossed it to the servant, and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work."

"Thank you for the reward, sir..."

Ignoring the servant's thanks, he carried the package back to the cabin.

The second floor.

Zhu Yu sat cross-legged on the soft couch, waved his hand to open the package, and came into view a series of jade boxes, jade spirits, and stone jars with sealing talismans attached.

These were the spiritual items he had purchased for two thousand spirit stones to construct "Chew Gold and Eat Iron".

"call…"

Zhu Yu breathed a sigh of relief, closed his eyes, and concentrated on recalling the key points of the technique before taking out the spiritual item needed to construct the main stomach meridian.

The teeth of the "Bloodtooth Shark" are made of warm jade and sharp as blades because the alchemist extracted the impurities from them.

The "Crimson Flame Lizard's" stomach pouch is dark red all over, covered with a net-like black veins. As soon as it appeared, the surrounding temperature rose several degrees out of nowhere.

The esophagus of the "Blue Feathered Osprey" resembles a foot-long jade tube...

There was also the Crimson Flame Spider's life-bound spider silk, as fine as a hair, faintly wreathed in flames; the dark, murky Spirit-Eating Water; and the fragrant Spirit Herb Mud...

It is different from "corpse control".

"Chewing gold and eating iron" belongs to the category of techniques for flesh and blood transformation.

To practice this method, one must first use spiritual objects to taint and transform the physical body, then sever the Dharma lineage and guide it into the physical body. The two combine to generate the Dharma seed within the flesh and blood.

Once mastered, it requires no spiritual energy to maintain and can reside permanently in the physical body. Under its influence and radiation, the physique gradually transforms and becomes stronger.

After careful consideration, Zhu Yu decided to cultivate this art by focusing on strengthening the corrosive effects of gastric juices and supplementing it with strengthening the physical body, in accordance with the principles of the Dharma lineage.

Without further hesitation, he acted.

He took a Bloodtooth Shark tooth, its texture as warm as jade and its sharpness as a blade, and put it in his mouth. He circulated his spiritual power, letting it seep into the Bloodtooth Shark tooth like a gentle breeze and fine rain, carrying with it the essence within and integrating it into his own teeth…

While he was diligently practicing magic,

outside world.

Dark clouds churned in the sky, making the already dim crescent moon even dimmer.

I don't know how long it has been.

Boom…

Amidst rumbling thunder, a light drizzle suddenly began to fall from the sky.

"Um?"

"Is this... rain?"

One by one, the cultivators from the underworld looked up at the sky in astonishment. After a careful examination, they breathed a sigh of relief. It was just normal rainwater mixed with a little corpse energy, containing no spiritual power, and it was not the work of a cultivator casting a spell.

An elderly person exclaimed that after living in the underworld for decades, this was the first time he had ever seen rain.

Many people, seeing this, stopped their cultivation and came out of their wooden houses to experience this rainy day, which is a rare sight in decades.

The outer edge of the underworld.

"here we go…"

A dozen or so gazes fell upon the churning black clouds above the underworld, their expressions ranging from excitement and anticipation to calm...