Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

"Wanmei, I'm so sorry. We agreed to buy a bottle of premium Qi-Inducing Pills as a gift before our engagement, but..."

Before Zhou Jing could finish speaking, Wu Xiaowan interrupted him with a smile: "Brother Zhou Jing, it's alright, this is already very good!"

As she spoke, she looked down and stroked the medicine bottle in her hand, a satisfied smile on her face, but secretly she was grumbling to herself.

Actually, she didn't really like Zhou Jing. It was just that his family background suited her father's tastes and his appearance was pleasing to her. It was his personality that she always looked down on.

Fortunately, Zhou Jing has a gentle nature, so as long as you grasp this point, you'll have no problem controlling him after marriage.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but think of her cousin, Wu Fan.

That anomaly who insisted on breaking free from the predetermined life trajectory of a low-level cultivator.

How can someone with such poor aptitude dare to dream of defying fate? It's utterly laughable!

The moment this thought crossed my mind, my previously decent mood was instantly dampened by a bit of irritation.

Zhou Jing was completely unaware of her emotional changes, only thinking that Wu Xiaowan was not only beautiful and had a petite figure, but also so understanding.

It seems that heaven has been kind to him, allowing him to marry such a wonderful woman.

He suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Wanmei, I heard that your ambitious cousin is working as an alchemy apprentice at this Hundred Pill Hall? Didn't you have something to give him this time?"

When Zhou Jing mentioned it, Wu Xiaowan came back to her senses and remembered that her father knew she was coming to Yunxi Market with Zhou Jing, so he specially asked her to bring a bag of spiritual rice grown by the clan to Wu Fan.

I forgot to ask when I was at the store, but luckily I went to Wu Fan's place with my father once before, so it won't be hard to find it.

She looked up at Zhou Jing, her expression instantly shifting to one of slight admiration.

Zhou Jing was overjoyed by her gaze and felt completely at ease. He secretly vowed to treat her well from now on.

The two then walked side by side toward Wu Fan's residence.

......

After talking with Bai Ruan Yuyu, the eldest daughter of the Bai family, Wu Fan adjusted the pill delivery plan.

The number of ordinary Qi-inducing pills delivered each month will be gradually reduced, while the number of premium Qi-inducing pills will be increased.

Now, six months later, he is able to reliably deliver 40% of the high-quality Qi-inducing pills.

The previous contract has been revised, with the new terms specifying that only four layers of high-quality Qi-inducing pills need to be delivered each month.

Wu Fan was quite satisfied with this contract that only involved refining high-quality pills.

If this continues, as long as the delivery volume of high-quality Qi-inducing pills is gradually increased, not only will more spirit stones be earned, but the reputation of alchemy will also slowly grow.

He secretly planned that once he broke through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining, he would begin to try refining first-grade mid-level pills.

Just as Wu Fan was planning for the future, a bell suddenly rang softly outside the courtyard.

He immediately got up and strode to the courtyard gate to open it.

Two people stood outside the courtyard: a pretty young girl and a handsome man dressed in white.

"Little Wan?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Wu Fan's eyes, and then he looked at the man in white.

The other party nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and Wu Fan nodded in return.

He had been an apprentice at Baidantang since childhood and had little interaction with his cousin Wu Xiaowan; they were already strangers to each other.

In addition, his cousin seemed to have always disliked him, and her attitude was always cold whenever they met, which made their interactions even less frequent.

Seeing her come to him on her own initiative, Wu Fan couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Why are you here?"

"Father asked me to deliver a bag of the clan's sacred rice to you."

Wu Xiaowan's voice was soft and gentle, "He said the harvest in the clan was good this year, so he wanted you to have a taste."

Although she looked down on her cousin, she didn't dare to show it to his face, especially with Zhou Jing present, she had to maintain appearances.

As she spoke, her gaze, which had been sweeping over Wu Fan, suddenly paused, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

My cousin has actually reached the third level of Qi Refining?

But this surprise was fleeting.

Indeed, it's only natural that Wu Fan, with the substantial assets left by his parents, could break through to the third level of Qi Refining.

She secretly thought to herself that if she had those resources, she would have already reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

"I see."

Wu Fan suddenly realized what was going on and quickly stepped aside, gesturing with his hand, "Thank you for your concern, Second Uncle, and thank you for making this trip, Little Wan. Please come in and have a seat."

Wu Xiaowan had no intention of lingering and immediately said, "Brother Wu Fan, it's getting late, and I need to hurry back to my clan, so I won't bother you any longer. Here's some spirit rice, I've left it here."

As soon as she finished speaking, she lightly tapped the storage bag at her waist, and a bulging cloth bag, about half a person's height, landed in front of the courtyard gate.

She gave Wu Fan a slight bow, then turned and left with the man in white.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Wu Xiaowan never mentioned the white-clad man's identity, and he never introduced himself.

Wu Fan understood that Wu Xiaowan was deliberately distancing herself from him; to put it bluntly, she looked down on him as her cousin.

But he didn't care about it.

He chose this path, and though thousands may not understand it, his resolve remains firm, and every step he takes is for his own sake.

In the days that followed, Wu Fan continued to spend his time cultivating and refining pills. Occasionally, he would have a few drinks and chat with Niu Dazhuang, who came to visit. His days were peaceful and fulfilling.

......

The seasons change, and another six months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Wu Fan sat cross-legged, forming hand seals to gather Qi. The spiritual energy around him surged and gathered like a tide, continuously flowing into his body. The spiritual power in his dantian gradually became perfect, and he had already touched the critical point of breakthrough.

Inside his dantian, a coin-sized vortex of energy spun rapidly, emitting a soft buzzing sound.

Suddenly, a faint "crack" sound seemed to rang out from within his body, as if an invisible barrier to cultivation had shattered.

Then, the spiritual energy in the room began to become violent, surging into the body instantly. The originally slender vortex in the dantian suddenly expanded to twice its previous size, and its power also increased exponentially.

Wu Fan sensed this sudden change and abruptly opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and the spiritual energy released from his fingertips moved freely, condensing without dissipating.

"It's been over two years, and I've finally broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining."

He muttered to himself, but his tone carried an undisguised excitement.

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Fan reached for his waist and summoned the Qingfeng Sword, the Great Needle Magic Tool, and the Tortoise Shell Shield from his storage bag.

The three magical artifacts floated beside him, then slowly began to rotate around him, and then started to change their attack positions.

He handled them with ease, and controlling three magical artifacts at the same time was much easier than controlling two artifacts in the early stage of Qi Refining.

"Is this the effect of the emergence of spiritual consciousness?"

Wu Fan's heart stirred as he carefully comprehended this control that far surpassed his initial level. "If I were to encounter Wang Yan and her companion again now, I would be able to finish them off quickly."

My emotions fluctuated slightly, but then quickly subsided, returning to a state of perfect calm.

This is merely a small step forward on his path to immortality, and there is no reason for him to be proud or complacent.

You must understand that he used to have inferior spiritual root aptitude. Just breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining would have taken him many years, not to mention the bottlenecks and obstacles at each minor realm.

Even with the current aptitude of a mid-grade spiritual root, if one wants to advance further on the Great Dao and break through to the Foundation Establishment realm, one must not stop for a moment.

In the world of cultivation, one's spiritual root aptitude directly determines the efficiency of absorbing spiritual energy; those with inferior aptitude are almost certain to have no future in pursuing the Great Dao.

A mid-grade spiritual root only offers a slightly greater chance of success.

After all, in the cultivation of immortality, if you are slow in one step, you will be slow in every step. The better your spiritual root and the more spiritual essence you have, the faster you can absorb spiritual energy and break through realms, and the greater your hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

There is a crucial time limit for cultivators to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage: they must attempt it before the age of sixty, when their Qi and blood are still strong, for the success rate to be high.

The older one gets, the more one's Qi and blood decline, and the slimmer the hope of establishing a foundation becomes.

This timeframe is not absolute. Some people are born with abundant qi and blood, or practice body-refining techniques, which can delay the decline until they are sixty or seventy years old. Conversely, excessive indulgence and depletion of essence and blood can cause the decline of qi and blood to occur prematurely. Ultimately, it varies from person to person.

Wu Fan once read in the alchemical classics of Baidantang that if men and women could maintain their original yang and yin bodies before breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, they could increase their qi and blood and replenish their essence, which would help them break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

With this in mind, he secretly made up his mind.

Before breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, I will absolutely not indulge in women!

Absolutely not, absolutely not, absolutely not...

Wu Fan got up and walked to the basin in the corner, intending to wash his face.

Looking down, the water reflected a face that still retained a youthful air, with fair skin, well-proportioned and gentle features, and clear, soft eyes.

Only the lingering worry between his brows added a touch of gentleness and a sense of history to his demeanor.

This kind of appearance is truly fatally attractive to young girls who are inexperienced in the ways of the world.