Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

However, although life in the Bai family has been relatively stable these past two years, it has not been without its worries.

He usually has to deal with Bai Ruanyu, the eldest daughter of the Bai family, whom he is getting closer to, and his other time is packed with activities.

He never stopped practicing magic, and he diligently practiced the Qi-concealing technique left behind by Liu Xi every day, and now he has mastered it.

His alchemy skills have steadily improved, but he has always fallen short of the final step and failed to break through to become a first-grade high-level alchemist.

Comparing his understanding of alchemy with Liu Xi's left-behind insights, Wu Fan realized that what he lacked was a sudden enlightenment.

Such enlightenment is always mysterious and unpredictable. Some people can suddenly understand after refining three or five batches of elixirs, while others have to slowly comprehend it through hundreds or thousands of failures and refinement of their understanding. As the saying goes, "Refine the elixir a thousand times, and its meaning will become clear."

He was not in a hurry, believing that he could break through the bottleneck in alchemy before the Falling Star Valley's disciple recruitment ceremony.

Only one thing remained on his mind: the quota for recommending disciples of the Bai family.

Initially, he wanted to use Bai Ruanyu as a go-between, having her mediate and mention the matter to Bai Chenzhan, the head of the Bai family, which might have increased the chances of success.

But seeing Bai Ruanyu's increasingly affectionate attitude towards him, he always felt that the words he was about to say were inappropriate and swallowed them back time and time again.

"Time is running out, we can't delay any longer."

Wu Fan raised his hand and brushed aside the floating herbs in the bathtub, having already made up his mind.

In the past five years, he has built up enough credibility in the Bai family with his superb alchemy skills. The Bai family knows him very well, not to mention that he once saved Bai Ruanyu's life. This favor is significant.

Instead of going through others, it's better to talk to Bai Chenzhan directly and bring it up in person. Surely he won't reject him outright on the spot.

After a long while, Wu Fan got up, dried himself off, and changed into a clean blue cloth robe.

Just as I finished tidying up, I noticed two perfectly sealed letters placed at the entrance of the courtyard.

He stepped forward, picked it up, and opened the first envelope.

The letter was written by Li Buhui, stating that the pills Wu Fan had entrusted him to sell were selling extremely well in the market, and urging him to prepare more for the next small gathering. He also inquired about the situation between the Bai and Deng families in Yunxi Market.

Li Buhui plans to open a branch near Qingxi County to test the waters in the area.

Wu Fan retrieved pen and ink to reply, only vaguely describing the general situation and instead portraying the Bai family's predicament in a more favorable light.

Although everyone knows about the rivalry between the Bai and Deng families, there is always a risk in exchanging letters, and no one can guarantee that they won't be intercepted by the Bai family.

Even if the chances are extremely small, loose lips sink ships. He still needs the Bai family's recommendation to enter Falling Star Valley, and he absolutely cannot ruin important matters due to a moment of carelessness.

The second letter came from Jiang Ling.

The letter stated that she had gathered all the materials for two top-grade magical artifacts and successfully completed their crafting. The two artifacts were compatible in terms of attributes and complemented each other.

In her letter, Jiang Ling repeatedly expressed her gratitude, stating that she owed Wu Fan a favor and mentioning that she would repay the several hundred spirit stones she had borrowed earlier at their next gathering.

Wu Fan picked up his pen to reply, first congratulating her on the successful crafting of the magic weapon, and then explaining that there was no rush to return the spirit stones, urging her to focus on improving her cultivation and not to be distracted by trivial matters.

These few hundred spirit stones are nothing more than a few months' worth of alchemy income for him now; they're hardly a significant loss.

The favor that Jiang Ling owes is far more valuable than spirit stones.

Jiang Ling is exceptionally talented and has a very high chance of advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage in the future. This favor will carry even more weight then.

Once he enters Falling Star Valley, even without using this favor, this relationship alone will reduce obstacles within the sect.

After all, the world of cultivation is not just about fighting and killing, but also about human relationships and worldly affairs.

......

After finishing dealing with the letters, Wu Fan walked out of the courtyard, wanting to take a walk while it was still early. Before he knew it, he had wandered around to the outside of Niu Dazhuang's courtyard.

The courtyard gate was ajar, and a man's shouting came from inside. He pushed the gate open and saw Niu Dazhuang standing with his hands on his hips, instructing his eldest son, Bai Ben, on practicing the basic spells of the Five Elements.

"Uncle Wu!"

Bai Ben, with his sharp eyes, spotted him first, immediately withdrew his magic, and bowed respectfully to Wu Fan.

Bai Ben is now eleven years old. He is taller and stronger than other children his age. His cultivation level is stable at the first level of Qi Refining. His spiritual energy fluctuations are refined. Judging from this trend, he will be able to break through to the second level of Qi Refining in less than half a year.

Over the years, he has cultivated under the guidance of the Bai family, and the clan has often instilled the family's philosophy of loyalty and obedience, yet his personality remains cheerful and outgoing.

Seeing the harmonious relationship between the father and son, Wu Fan felt a warmth in his heart.

Family affection is the most comforting thing, and this is what he lacked most in his previous life of wandering on a sickbed and in this life of pursuing immortality.

In the past two years, whether it was his own will or at the behest of the Bai family, Niu Dazhuang had repeatedly urged him to stay with the Bai family, marry a wife, have children, and live a peaceful life.

Each time, Wu Fan politely declined.

Ever since he died on his sickbed in his previous life, and was reborn after opening his eyes, and unexpectedly received the Five Elements Pearl to embark on the path of immortality, the seed of the Great Dao of Immortality has been planted in his heart.

This path may be lonely and long, and one may never see the end of the road in a lifetime, but he never wavered.

There is no perfect solution in life. No matter which path you choose, you will always feel regret for the other path you did not take. And this regret is part of the journey of self-cultivation.

Only by staying true to our original aspirations and forging ahead can we succeed.

He will continue on this path with unwavering determination, never looking back.

......

"Big brother, you've come at the perfect time!"

Upon seeing Wu Fan, Niu Dazhuang's anger immediately turned into a smile. He rubbed his hands together and said, "Take a look at this brat. Does he have any talent for alchemy? If he does, I'd like to send him to the clan's alchemy room to learn, so he can have a skill."

Wu Fan understood.

Although Bai Ben possesses eighteen strands of spiritual energy and has decent aptitude, he is not a member of the main branch of the Bai family, so there is absolutely no chance that he will be among the family's recipients of Foundation Establishment Pills in the future.

Without a tremendous stroke of luck, one will most likely be stuck in the Qi Refining stage for the rest of their life.

Niu Dazhuang was well aware of this, which is why he wanted his son to learn alchemy.

The Bai family is a cultivation family that has established itself through alchemy. They have unique advantages. Learning alchemy can not only ensure a stable life, but also allow them to accumulate cultivation resources, which is far more reliable than fighting outside.

Moreover, Wu Fan has made a fortune through alchemy over the years. He doesn't need to participate in dangerous missions for the family, yet he never lacks cultivation resources. He has also bought a lot of protective magic artifacts, which has long made Niu Dazhuang extremely envious.

He wanted his son to continue the Daoist practice that he himself had failed to maintain back then.

"This matter cannot be rushed."

Wu Fan smiled and waved his hand, "Have him come to see me every day for the next few days. I'll test him and see how well he can perceive the properties of the medicine and the temperature of the fire before I draw a conclusion."

He did not immediately agree, as alchemy emphasizes talent and temperament, and can only be judged through personal observation.

Niu Dazhuang was overjoyed and was about to thank him again when he changed the subject and brought up the old matter: "Brother, to be honest, aren't you planning to stay in the Bai family? Miss Bai, she..."

"Dazhuang".

Wu Fan's tone instantly turned cold as he interrupted him, "I've said this many times already. Don't bring it up again, okay?"

Seeing this, Niu Dazhuang immediately shut his mouth and awkwardly changed the subject, talking about the trivial matters that had happened in the clan recently.

As Wu Fan listened, he secretly pondered to himself.

It seems that Bai Ruanyu came to see him again after a while.

He didn't think Bai Ruanyu had given up; on the contrary, he vaguely felt that the Bai family was probably plotting something big.

After all, the number of pills being refined in the Bai family's alchemy room has decreased sharply recently, and access to and from the clan's territory has been strictly controlled. No one is allowed to go out without the permission of an elder or the head of the family.

Wu Fan had noticed these unusual movements long ago, but he couldn't figure out the Bai family's intentions.

The two men chatted amiably, and Niu Dazhuang's two wives took turns serving up dishes. Although they weren't delicacies, they were all homely and delicious, and the meal was filled with laughter and joy.

Before we knew it, the sky gradually darkened, and the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the entire sky red.

Wu Fan got up to leave, but Niu Dazhuang insisted on keeping him for dinner, which he politely declined.

Just as he stepped out of the house, several beams of light suddenly shot up from all over Yunxi Mountain, reaching the summit.

Immediately afterwards, a light blue light shield slowly spread out, enveloping the entire main vein of Yunxi Mountain like a sky curtain.

"Clatter!"

Niu Dazhuang, who was seeing Wu Fan off, dropped his chopsticks with a thud. His eyes widened as he stared blankly at the sky, muttering to himself in a trembling voice:

"This...this is the clan's protective formation, the 'Azure Wood Overlapping Waves Formation'! It only activates when facing a crisis of annihilation!"