Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

On this day, in the alchemy room of the cave dwelling.

Wu Fan was concentrating on refining a batch of top-grade Qi-stabilizing pills.

The furnace was ablaze with fire, which made his face flush red. His hands were constantly forming fire-controlling hand seals. With his mind so focused, beads of sweat began to seep from his forehead and slowly slid down his chin.

"receive!"

A low shout came from his mouth, and Wu Fan's hand seals suddenly solidified, sending a faint red spiritual energy into the alchemy furnace.

The furnace lid opened with a click, and the rich medicinal aroma that had been "covered up" inside instantly rushed out of the furnace. It was much more mellow than the previous times it was used to refine pills, and it lingered in the alchemy room, which was very refreshing.

Then, he flicked his finger, and three pills flew out of the air and landed steadily in his palm.

Looking at the smooth surface of the pill, a glint of light flashed in Wu Fan's eyes.

These three Qi-stabilizing pills, though of high quality, are among the finest. The pills are translucent, with almost no impurities visible inside, making them a step above the finished products he refined a few days ago.

"All that thought and effort over this period of time wasn't in vain."

Wu Fan raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, a relieved smile appearing on his lips.

Then, he carefully put the pills in his hand into a jade bottle, turned around and walked out of the alchemy room.

Although this Qi-Consolidating Pill is only a first-grade high-quality pill, its refining difficulty far exceeds that of most cultivation pills of the same grade. Even a slight deviation in the precision of fire control and the ratio of medicinal materials will lead to failure.

It is specially designed for late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, focusing on stabilizing their realm. Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators are eager to break through to higher levels, which can easily lead to problems such as unstable spiritual energy and an unstable foundation. The superior Qi-stabilizing pill can condense the scattered spiritual energy and solidify the realm.

Before joining Falling Star Valley, when Wu Fan was with the Bai family and Bai Dan Hall, this type of Qi-stabilizing pill was a relatively unpopular medicine, and there were very few available on the market except for large shops.

Indeed, most rogue cultivators are so short of even the pills needed to sustain their cultivation that they have no interest in spending more spirit stones to buy these kinds of pills that stabilize their cultivation level.

However, after entering Falling Star Valley, the Qi-Stabilizing Pill became a highly sought-after elixir, especially for inner disciples. Since they already had abundant cultivation resources, they valued their foundation even more and had a great need for the Qi-Stabilizing Pill.

However, the only drawback is that even though the level of alchemy has improved, Wu Fan's chances of producing high-quality pills have not changed much. It takes about five attempts to produce a single batch of top-quality pills.

However, he was not in a hurry. Alchemy relies on the accumulation of skill and mental refinement over time, and being impatient for quick success would be counterproductive.

Although refining these batches of pills did not deplete his spiritual energy, it consumed most of his mental energy. Wu Fan returned to his cultivation room to meditate and regulate his breathing. It was two hours later when all the magical energy in his body had been restored.

He got up and was about to wash up when a noise suddenly came from the stone chamber next door, like the low growls of beasts, mixed with fluctuations of spiritual energy.

"Blessings?!"

Wu Fan's heart stirred, and he quickly walked to the next room, raising his hand to push open the stone chamber door.

Inside the stone chamber, the usually docile and lazy Zhao Fu was curled up in a corner, his silvery-white mane standing on end in a mess, his body twitching slightly, and a low, painful growl emanating from his throat.

Its usually bright and lively eyes were now bloodshot, and wisps of faint white spiritual energy surrounded its body, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, as the energy washed over its body.

Wu Fan's heart tightened, and he instantly realized what was happening.

Zhao Fu is advancing, undergoing an important process of evolving from an ordinary wild beast into a first-tier spirit beast.

He had seen records in the sect's books that the advancement of demonic beasts was dozens of times more painful than a cultivator's Qi cultivation.

When a cultivator draws qi into their body, although there is a painful sensation as the spiritual energy transforms their physique, it is brief and bearable, and afterwards there is a pleasant feeling of being filled with spiritual energy.

However, for a demon beast to advance, it not only has to endure the excruciating pain of spiritual energy washing over its meridians, but also has to activate the bloodline hidden within its body and reshape its body. Every step brings great pain.

Even the most basic beasts can fail to advance to spirit beasts if they are not careful. Even if they survive, the next advancement will be much more difficult. If it is a high-level demon beast, the advancement is even more life-threatening.

Just then, Zhao Fu suddenly raised his head and let out a tiger's roar that shook the stone chamber, and his body suddenly swelled up slightly.

Its body, which was originally three meters long including its tail, had become noticeably thicker, and the muscle lines of its limbs had become even more muscular. Under its silvery-white fur, the faint black markings had become much deeper, almost black, with a subtle sheen.

Wu Fan stood quietly in place, not daring to breathe, and did not take a single step forward.

The most important thing for a monster to avoid when advancing is to be disturbed; it can only rely on itself to get through it.

He silently circulated his spiritual energy, creating a barrier around himself to prevent external disturbances from affecting Zhao Fu, and stood guard peacefully by his side.

As time passed, the spiritual energy in the stone chamber grew increasingly dense, converging towards Zhao Fu and gradually forming a small vortex that completely enveloped his body.

Zhaofu's convulsions grew more violent, and its growls became increasingly shrill, but its eyes grew more resolute. It gritted its teeth, letting the spiritual energy wash over its body, refusing to back down in the slightest.

After an unknown amount of time, as the last wisp of spiritual energy slowly merged into Zhaofu's body, the vortex of spiritual energy around it gradually dissipated.

Zhao Fu suddenly opened his eyes, two sharp glints flashing across them before slowly receding. His eyes, which had been bloodshot, became clear and bright, showing more intelligence and less of the ferocity of a wild beast.

It slowly stood up, its body swaying slightly before settling into a steady position. It shook its round head and ruffled its messy mane, making its silvery-white fur even shinier. The black patterns on its fur seemed to be engraved on its body, and a condensed and stable spiritual energy emanated from its body.

The first-tier low-grade spirit beast has successfully advanced!

Zhao Fu turned its head and its gaze fell on Wu Fan. All the pain in its eyes had faded, leaving only gentleness and affection. It took a few steps and walked to Wu Fan's feet. It rubbed its furry head against his trouser leg and let out a soft whimper, as if it was being affectionate or letting him know it was safe.

Wu Fan breathed a sigh of relief, bent down, raised his hand, and gently stroked Zhao Fu's head. He could clearly feel the stable spiritual energy fluctuations within its body, roughly equivalent to the second or third level of human Qi Refining cultivation.

"Well done, Zhao Fu."

His tone was gentle, and his eyes were full of satisfaction.

"Indeed, when God closes a door, He opens a window. Although the path of a demon beast's advancement is extremely difficult, once it successfully breaks through, its physical body and spiritual energy will undergo a qualitative leap. At the same level, cultivators are no match for it. No wonder cultivators have always been wary of demon beasts. Only by gathering the strength of many people, relying on formations, or depending on powerful magic artifacts and treasures, can they have a chance of winning."

He took out a few Spirit-Feeding Pills from his storage bag and handed them to Zhao Fu's mouth.

Zhao Fu sniffed the air, opened his mouth and swallowed the Spirit Feeding Pill, then curled up at Wu Fan's feet, lazily rubbing against the back of his hand, looking satisfied.

Wu Fan carefully examined Zhao Fu's body again, and only after confirming that there were no hidden dangers for its advancement did he feel relieved.

Now that Zhaofu is a spirit beast, it's time to establish a master-servant contract.

He thought to himself, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

Next, Wu Fan put Zhao Fu into his spirit beast bag.

He then straightened his robes and turned to walk towards the Beast Taming Hall.