Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

A first-grade top-quality magic weapon is already the pinnacle of first-grade magic weapons; anything above that is a spiritual weapon used by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

It should be noted that the spiritual power within a Foundation Establishment cultivator's body is true essence, and the spiritual weapons they control are not only incredibly powerful but also possess the ability to transform into different forms.

Legend has it that an ancient cultivator in the Qi Refining stage once spent many years painstakingly inscribing second-tier runes on a first-tier magic weapon in order to simulate the illusionary power of a spiritual artifact, ultimately creating a first-tier top-grade magic weapon.

This magical artifact not only possesses power far exceeding that of a first-tier superior-grade artifact, but it can also perform illusionary magical abilities similar to those of spiritual artifacts, making it a veritable "pseudo-spiritual artifact."

However, top-grade first-tier magic artifacts are extremely rare, and ordinary cultivators have no chance of ever seeing one.

Firstly, the price is exorbitant; the value of a top-grade magic weapon is comparable to most of a spiritual weapon, or three or four first-grade high-quality magic weapons.

Secondly, the production process is extremely difficult, as inscribing second-tier runes requires a high level of cultivation and skill from the cultivator.

Most cultivators with the ability to refine artifacts would choose to create spiritual artifacts that have a better market value, rather than such high-quality magical artifacts with extremely low cost-effectiveness.

Therefore, these kinds of ritual implements are mostly protective items tailored by family elders for their descendants.

"It's somewhat beyond my expectations that Liu Xi actually possesses a top-grade first-tier magic weapon."

Wu Fan was surprised, then puzzled. "But he never used the illusionary ability of the Kangqi in either of these two battles. Perhaps he was saving it for later when fighting Bai Ruanyu, but why didn't he use it in that life-or-death struggle just now?"

Wu Fan absolutely did not believe that Liu Xi would hold back, nor did he think he was so weak that he was not worth the other party using his trump card.

After all, a battle of magic is a matter of life and death, and no one would joke about their own life.

After a moment's thought, he suddenly realized: "It's most likely that Liu Xi hasn't fully mastered Kang Qi's illusionary abilities yet!"

Having figured this out, Wu Fan stopped worrying and went forward to collect all the magical artifacts scattered around Liu Xi, including the soft sword and black steel shield that Bai Ruanyu had dropped earlier.

Then, he walked to Liu Xi's side, used the Flaming Sun Sword to open the storage bag at the other's waist, used the Artifact Manipulation Technique to transfer all the items in the bag into his own storage bag, and then threw the empty storage bag back to Liu Xi's side.

The storage bag had been soaked in the poisonous fog for a long time, and Wu Fan was worried about residual toxins. Besides, an ordinary storage bag wasn't worth many spirit stones, so he naturally didn't bother to care.

Looking at Liu Xi's corpse, Wu Fan sighed softly.

Although Liu Xi ruthlessly killed him, he was ultimately his mentor in alchemy.

Now that the other party has ended up in such a state, Wu Fan couldn't bear to let his body be left to rot in the wilderness.

He stepped back several feet, flicked his finger, and a fireball flew out, landing on Liu Xi's corpse.

In a matter of moments, flames engulfed the corpse, setting it ablaze.

The body was completely cremated in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Wu Fan gathered soil from the surrounding area, covered the ashes with it, and then piled up a simple grave with several stones.

There was no tombstone, no name. He bowed three times sincerely to the grave, as if to express his last sentiment.

After doing all this, Wu Fan turned around and walked to Bai Ruanyu, who had already fainted not far away.

While burying Liu Xi's ashes, he had been keeping a close eye on the situation, repeatedly weighing in his mind how to deal with the young lady of Bai Dan Tang.

Three options quickly came to mind.

Firstly, he swiftly and decisively killed her on the spot, took her storage bag, and left.

Secondly, spare her life and only take the storage bag.

Thirdly, to be a good person to the end, he personally escorted her back to the Bai family.

The second proposal was rejected by Wu Fan as soon as it came up.

He has never liked this half-hearted approach.

He neither became a good person nor a bad person, which is definitely not his style.

Moreover, he vaguely remembered that when he appeared, Bai Ruanyu was not completely unconscious yet, so it was hard to guarantee that she wouldn't remember something.

As for the first option, Wu Fan did consider it carefully, but ultimately shook his head and gave up.

Although he was not exactly a virtuous person, he was by no means a ruthless or bloodthirsty one.

Furthermore, Bai Ruanyu had treated him well when he was at Baidan Hall, and had taken good care of him on a daily basis. He couldn't completely forget this kindness.

Wu Fan strode forward, gently placed his hand on Bai Ruanyu's arm, and quietly probed her body with his spiritual sense.

After sensing it for a while, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Apart from the weakness caused by the depletion of spiritual energy, an external injury to the shoulder from being pierced by a flying needle, and some shock damage to the internal organs, there is no danger to his life. He will recover after a period of recuperation.

He took out a healing pill from his storage bag, then bent down and lifted Bai Ruanyu's chin, about to feed her the pill, when his gaze inadvertently stopped.

At this moment, Bai Ruanyu's hair was disheveled and stuck to her cheeks, and her fair face had a few light scratches. Instead of ruining her original beauty, it added a sense of brokenness.

The beautiful woman lay sprawled on the ground, her brows and eyes revealing a lingering vulnerability, which inexplicably stirred a protective instinct within him, along with some inappropriate thoughts that quietly began to surface.

Wu Fan abruptly composed himself, forcibly suppressing those distracting thoughts.

He was a normal man, and it was common for him to have some worldly desires. Even if he wasn't a gentleman, he wouldn't do something like taking advantage of someone in distress.

Moreover, without mutual understanding and cooperation, the fun would be lost, which is definitely not what he wanted.

He bent down, picked up Bai Ruanyu, and carried her into the cave.

He gently placed her on the ground and lit a pile of firewood nearby. The flickering flames dispelled the night chill and prevented her body temperature from dropping too low.

After settling Bai Ruanyu in, Wu Fan himself took a pill to restore his spiritual power, sat cross-legged by the fire, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

The night in the forest was not quiet; the chirping of insects and birds mingled with the rustling of leaves in the wind, and the firelight flickered on the rock face. The night passed slowly in this tranquility.

As dawn broke, the morning light pierced through the branches and leaves of the forest, casting dappled rays of light and casting warm glow on the entrance to the cave.

"Hmm..."

A soft hum broke the silence, Bai Ruanyu's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.

She looked around blankly and found herself not in the forest clearing, but in an unfamiliar cave, with only a pile of nearly burnt-out charcoal beside her and no one else around.

"I...I'm not dead?"

Her heart skipped a beat, and her beautiful face showed a mixture of doubt, confusion, and delight.

Then, she struggled to sit up, and immediately felt a wave of soreness all over her body, with a dull ache in her internal organs.

He immediately mustered a wisp of spiritual energy to stabilize himself, carefully examined his body, and confirmed that apart from internal injuries and weakness, he was fine. Only then did he feel a little relieved.

As I gently rubbed my throbbing temples with my fingertips, memories of last night gradually returned.

The last thing she saw was a familiar back view before everything went black and she lost consciousness.

It seems that person saved him, and Liu Xi most likely died at that person's hands.

Just as she was deep in thought, a clear voice came from the cave entrance:

"You're awake."