Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

"No fight broke out!!!"

Wu Fan was overjoyed and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He was still in the Bai family's territory. Regardless of the outcome of the battle between the Bai family and the foreign enemy, a low-level cultivator like himself was easily caught in the crossfire. Being able to avoid a fight was naturally the best outcome.

Although he was far away and couldn't hear the conversation between the Bai family patriarch and the three Foundation Establishment cultivators outside the formation, Wu Fan had already made up his mind based on the way the three left in a hurry.

Bai Chenyao, the fifth elder of the Bai family, must have successfully established his foundation.

This time, the Bai family will not only be able to resolve the previous crisis, but with the strength of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Bai family, it probably won't be long before they turn around and settle accounts with the Deng family.

The cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world. Previously, the Deng family had repeatedly bullied the Bai family because of their strength. Now, the tide has turned and it is the Deng family's turn to taste the bitterness of being suppressed.

The other two cultivation families in the vicinity have always been wise to protect themselves, and seeing this, they will certainly not get involved in the conflict between the Bai and Deng families.

With this shift in power, the scales of victory have firmly tipped in favor of the Bai family.

On Yunxi Mountain, the entire Bai family began to decorate with lanterns and colorful streamers, and cheers rose and fell, all celebrating the addition of a Foundation Establishment cultivator to the family.

Unbeknownst to anyone, in the desolate grasslands not far from the mountains, Deng Cangwu, the head of the Deng family, was facing a catastrophic disaster.

As soon as Deng Cangwu left the area of ​​Yunxi Mountain, a sharp spiritual attack suddenly struck, piercing his sea of ​​consciousness like an invisible blade.

He groaned, blood instantly spilling from his seven orifices. He staggered and fell onto the grass, his head spinning and his vision blurry. He could only see the figure of a young cultivator slowly walking towards him.

"Who...are you? And...why did you ambush me?"

Deng Cangwu was extremely weak at this moment, speaking intermittently, and struggling to prop himself up with his arms.

The young cultivator before him possessed a powerful aura and a gloomy face, yet he exuded a composure and domineering presence beyond his years. The invisible pressure emanating from him made Deng Cangwu feel cold all over.

When Deng Cangwu truly sensed the level of that aura again, his pupils shrank, a chill ran down his spine, and fear immediately swept over his entire body: "A... a Core Formation cultivator? Senior, spare my life! I don't know where I offended you, and I am willing to do everything in my power to apologize. Please, senior, spare my life."

He simply couldn't understand how he, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, could be targeted by this Core Formation expert, especially since the other party had resorted to a sneak attack.

But at this critical moment of life and death, he had no time to investigate the reasons. He could only put aside all pride and begin to plead desperately, hoping that the other party would show leniency and spare his life.

The young cultivator looked down at him, his tone calm and indifferent: "Open your storage bag and let me see. If you find what I want, I'll spare your life."

Deng Cangwu felt as if he had been granted a pardon. A glimmer of hope for survival flashed in his eyes. He hurriedly opened his storage bag and used his spiritual power to hand it over.

The young cultivator swept his divine sense across the area, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant.

Taking advantage of Deng Cangwu's momentary lapse in concentration, his eyes turned cold, and an even more ferocious spiritual attack erupted once again, piercing straight into Deng Cangwu's sea of ​​consciousness.

"ah--!!!"

A heart-wrenching scream rang out as Deng Cangwu roared with his last ounce of strength, "You broke your promise..."

Before he could finish speaking, his eyes quickly dimmed, turning a lifeless gray, and his body fell straight onto the grass, completely lifeless.

The dignified Deng family, a family of cultivators, whose patriarch was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, died quietly on the edge of the Bai family's territory.

The young cultivator put Deng Cangwu's storage bag into his own pocket, and the powerful aura around him instantly faded, his face turning pale.

His previous aura as a Core Formation cultivator vanished instantly, and his demeanor regained some of the vibrancy expected of a young man.

"Old Lei, have you got it?"

He spoke with a smile, his tone full of anticipation and excitement.

Then, an old and weary voice came from within him: "Hmm, it's fortunate that this junior carried this thing with him. If he had put it into the Deng family's secret vault, it would have been much more difficult to retrieve it later."

Such a sight—one person in one body yet possessing two voices and two consciousnesses—would surely be considered a ghost if witnessed by others.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Lei. I am deeply grateful."

Xiao Yi spoke respectfully, his heart filled with gratitude.

"You little rascal, stop with the pretentious pleasantries."

An aged voice continued to emanate from within, but it grew increasingly weak. "This time, I unleashed the power of my soul to unleash the aura of a Core Formation cultivator, and then launched a series of spiritual attacks. The soul power I've accumulated over many years has been depleted by more than half. I'm afraid I'll have to sleep for several years. I won't be able to protect you during these years. Find a secluded place to cultivate in seclusion. When I awaken, if you can break through to the late stage of Qi Refining, I will teach you the method of planting a Dao Seed."

The voice gradually faded, eventually falling completely silent, as Old Lei had fallen into a deep sleep.

Xiao Yi first called out softly twice, but received no response. Then, he looked up at the bright moon in the sky, his clenched fists trembling slightly. His eyes held a mixture of excitement and determination as he said excitedly:

"I, Xiao Yi, finally have a chance to reach Foundation Establishment!"

All the memories of the past began to flood his mind, a mix of bitterness and relief, and a surge of complex emotions almost brought tears to his eyes.

He was originally the only son of a wealthy merchant in the mortal world. He was obsessed with cultivating immortality from a young age. In order to seek immortality, he did not hesitate to sell his family property and search for cultivation books everywhere. However, he was deceived by a villain. Not only did he lose all his family property, but the cultivation books he got were all fake books that were worthless.

When his family and friends saw him in such a sorry state, they all avoided him. The once wealthy young master had fallen to the point of begging on the streets.

He once sought help from his cousin, with whom he had grown up, clinging to his last glimmer of hope, only to be met with her cold indifference and refusal to see him.

At that time, he thought he would eventually starve to death on the streets, ending his miserable life in a hasty manner.

Until that night, a shooting star streaked across the sky.

By some strange twist of fate, he followed the trajectory of the shooting star and actually found a hidden cave.

The impact of the falling meteor broke the cave's protective barrier. He mustered his courage and entered, only to find that the cave's owner was a cultivator, but had already been struck by the meteor and was dead.

In this way, he unexpectedly inherited the mantle of that rogue cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining, as well as that strange stone covered with bizarre lightning patterns that fell with the meteor.

Relying on the inheritance he received, Xiao Yi stepped into the world of cultivation.

However, the resources left behind by the independent cultivators were already limited, and they were soon exhausted.

In order to have a stable place to cultivate and to obtain meager resources, he eventually married into the Bai family and became an inconspicuous son-in-law. He thought that his life would be ordinary and uneventful, and he would linger in the Qi Refining stage until his death.

It wasn't until after their wedding night that the Thunderstone he wore close to his body suddenly stirred, awakening Lei Lao's consciousness and changing the course of his life once again.

Since then, under the guidance of Elder Lei, he has truly embarked on the right path and strengthened his determination to pursue the path to immortality.

After years of patience, the opportunity to build a foundation is finally within reach.

Xiao Yi suppressed his turbulent emotions, glanced at Deng Cangwu's corpse, and then turned to look in the direction of Yunxi Mountain.

"The Bai family has tolerated me for several years and given me a place to settle down and practice. Today, I will repay this kindness with my life."

He muttered to himself and did not dispose of Deng Cangwu's body.

With a swift movement, Xiao Yi blended into the night and disappeared into the darkness moments later.

(Fellow Daoists, can we talk to each other? Even if you're just teasing me, it's fine. Writing books alone is too boring.)