Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

"Please wait a moment, everyone. Jiang Ling will take her leave now."

Watching the group's retreating figures as they were about to leave the market, Jiang Ling returned their greeting and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Li Buhui quickly called out to Wu Fan and Niu Dazhuang, "Brother Wu, Brother Niu, Luoxing Valley Market is currently preparing for a large-scale auction, attracting cultivators from all directions. There will surely be many rare treasures there. You two might as well stay a few more days to browse around; perhaps you can find something you like. I have other important matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

After saying this, he bowed to the two of them and hurriedly left.

Watching Li Buhui's hurried departure, Wu Fan felt a slight stirring in his heart.

Earlier at the restaurant, Li Buhui left his seat once and has been absent-minded ever since. He was even restless in front of Jiang Ling. Now, he left in a hurry right after seeing Jiang Ling off, which means he must have something urgent to attend to.

However, since this matter was none of his concern, Wu Fan didn't bother to think about it further.

He turned to look at Niu Dazhuang beside him, and seeing his dejected expression, he smiled and patted him on the shoulder:

"Dazhuang, don't be discouraged. Jiang Ling is an inner disciple of Falling Star Valley and possesses a certain kind of precious body, so her cultivation speed is naturally far superior to yours and mine. It's only natural. Li Buhui also owns several shops and can raise cultivation resources for himself, while you and I can only rely on our own hard work."

He paused, his tone becoming increasingly earnest: "The path of cultivation is never about competing for short-term gains, but about seeing who can reach the end. Never lose your ambition to strive for improvement just because you fall behind temporarily."

Upon hearing this, Niu Dazhuang felt much of his frustration dissipate.

He was originally a farm boy who embarked on the path of immortality with the help of his uncle. He thought that as long as he devoted himself to cultivation, he could keep up with everyone else.

But what he didn't expect was that the path of cultivation would ultimately depend on family background and talent.

Over the years, he has devoted himself to cultivation, spending almost all his time on it, yet he has still been left behind.

Jiang Ling was once the junior sister among the four of them, but now she is an inner disciple of Falling Star Valley; Li Buhui used to be the most carefree, but he has already broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Niu Dazhuang scratched the back of his head and grinned, "Brother Wu, I understand! I need to go buy some things Tao'er likes first, then I'll meet you here later."

Having said that, he forced out that signature simple and honest smile, turned around, and strode towards a certain part of the market.

Looking at his somewhat lonely figure, Wu Fan sighed softly.

Niu Dazhuang grew up in the fields and was naturally somewhat insecure. In recent years, he has been cultivating diligently in the Bai family. His cultivation environment and the environment he interacts with are relatively simple. He firmly believes that hard work pays off.

But in this world, can everything be achieved simply through hard work?

Many people give their all, only to end up achieving nothing and merely clinging to their obsessions.

However, Niu Dazhuang is only in his early twenties, an age when he is prone to getting stuck on trivial matters.

No matter what others say, it's useless to overcome this hurdle; he can only figure it out on his own.

On the path of spiritual practice, the ultimate goal is to reconcile with oneself.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Wu Fan strode toward the center of the town.

In his storage bag lay the spirit stones he had accumulated over the years as a sitting alchemist, enough to buy a top-grade magic artifact and some protective measures.

After all, his current methods of fighting with others are far too mediocre.

......

Several hours later.

Outside a secluded dwelling, Li Buhui was following behind a middle-aged cultivator with a full beard. The two looked around to make sure no one was watching them before pushing open the door and entering.

Crossing the courtyard and going around a stone wall, the middle-aged cultivator took out a token engraved with a skull pattern from his storage bag and infused it with magical power.

"Buzz!"

A faint ripple spread across the void ahead, and the ripple quickly expanded, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through, clearly indicating a concealment formation.

The middle-aged cultivator stepped in first, followed closely by Li Buhui, who looked very nervous.

The two passed through the formation and went straight to a door. They bowed, clasped their hands, and respectfully greeted, "Your subordinates and disciples pay their respects to the Soul Envoy!"

After he finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.

The two dared not look up, remaining bowed as their hearts pounded.

After several breaths, a cold voice finally came from inside the room: "Come in."

"yes!"

The two felt as if they had been granted a pardon and quickly pushed open the door to enter.

The room was dimly lit, and a man dressed in a dark red robe stood with his hands behind his back. The sunlight from the window outlined his tall figure, but his face was not visible.

"No need for formalities, please rise and reply."

The man in red spoke in a flat tone.

The two men stood up, bowed their heads, and stood to the side, not daring to utter a sound.

"Have you heard anything about that person lately?"

The man in red slowly spoke.

The middle-aged cultivator's expression changed slightly, and he quickly bowed and replied, "Reporting to the Soul Envoy, after this period of investigation, we have discovered a person who matches the characteristics."

"We were ordered to use a secret technique to activate the Soul-Detecting Compass in the Falling Star Valley market every day. Half a year ago, a third person's trace suddenly appeared on the compass, and we immediately gave chase. But we don't know what secret technique the other party used, or whether they were just too fast, but as soon as we reached the Falling Star Valley sect's territory, that person's aura suddenly disappeared."

"Falling Star Valley..."

The man in red muttered to himself, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

He slowly turned around, revealing a scarlet skull mask on his face, which looked particularly terrifying in the dim light.

"You have done a good job. You have accomplished a great mission. I will now wait in the church to formally induct you into the church and make you disciples of the Holy Church."

As he spoke, he flicked his finger, and a jade slip flew toward the middle-aged cultivator.

"This is the cultivation method of our sacred sect; you may study it first."

The man in red abruptly changed his tone, his voice sharp as a knife, "But... remember, this technique must never be revealed in public. Anyone who glimpses it will be killed without mercy! Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Your subordinate obeys! I would never dare to divulge even a single detail!"

The two men trembled with fright and immediately knelt down in response.

"Um."

The man in red nodded slightly. "Continue to keep an eye on that person's whereabouts. If I have any instructions, I will inform you. You may leave."

"Yes! I'll take my leave!"

The two bowed and retreated to the door before daring to stand up and turn to leave.

When they left their residence, the backs of their clothes were already soaked with cold sweat.

The red-clad man wearing the skull mask exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Recalling his experience of being recruited several years ago, the middle-aged cultivator still felt lingering fear.

That day, he led his gang to intercept their target, but unexpectedly encountered this ruthless star.

His brothers died tragically, their souls devoured. He and his nephew Li Buhui were lucky to survive, but they were forcibly fed a strange pill and became the enemy's lackeys.

Once the soul-devouring worms in the elixir take effect, the excruciating pain endured by the soul is worse than death.

After a long while, the middle-aged cultivator finally suppressed his fear and looked down at the jade slip in his hand.

When he scanned the contents with his divine sense, a look of wild joy instantly flashed across his face.

Li Buhui, who was watching with curiosity, didn't hide anything and threw the jade slip over directly.

Li Buhui took the jade slip, probed it with his divine sense, and his expression instantly became identical to that of the middle-aged cultivator. He exclaimed in surprise:

"Second Uncle! This...this cultivation technique is incredibly powerful! It's even beneficial to those at the Core Formation stage!"