Immortality: Starting with the Fruit of Taiyin

The tea stall next to Dan Pavilion.

Wang Xuan chatted idly with Manager Zhao. Although he could afford real spiritual tea, he still preferred to come here to inquire about news in the neighborhood.

Just like ordinary taverns, this kind of place often gathers many independent cultivators, and news from the lower levels spreads quickly.

"The tea is ready... Hmm?"

After brewing a pot of fine tea, Manager Zhao personally served it to his regular customer.

However, when his gaze swept over Wang Xuan, a look of disbelief flashed across his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Wang... have you broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining?"

"I broke through by sheer luck; please excuse my poor performance, fellow Daoist."

With a smile, Wang Xuan knew that Manager Zhao was nearly eighty years old and had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining cultivation, so it was normal for him to be able to see his progress.

"Hiss... Fellow Daoist, you're not even thirty yet, are you?"

"Could it be that you brought back a Breakthrough Pill from your time in the sect?"

He gasped, momentarily incredulous.

He had also broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining, so he naturally knew just how difficult this bottleneck was.

Wang Xuan reached the sixth level of Qi Refining in his early twenties. Although he had already caught up with the speed of a high-grade spiritual root, this speed was still understandable.

After all, with enough elixirs, it's not a problem for a low-grade spiritual root to be comparable to a mid-grade one, and a mid-grade spiritual root to be comparable to a high-grade one. But the bottleneck is a different story.

As a former alchemist of a sect, Wang Xuan may have taken a lot of medicinal herbs and elixirs from the lower academy of Nanhua.

This is not surprising; there are many similar examples.

However, the fact that he was able to exchange for a Breakthrough Pill before the sect was destroyed is enough to prove that he not only had a long-term vision but also had remarkable skills.

After all, when Wang Xuan first arrived at Baihe Market, he was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and there was still a long way to go before he needed a Breakthrough Pill.

"At this rate, fellow Daoist, you really have a good chance of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Perhaps decades from now, I will be the one calling him Senior Wang."

He marveled at it, but didn't press for details; Manager Zhao simply sighed in amazement.

Generally speaking, if a person with a mid-grade spiritual root is not disturbed by worldly affairs and does not consume a large number of spiritual pills, they can advance from the seventh level of Qi Refining to the eighth level in ten years, and advance to the ninth level of Qi Refining in twelve years.

In addition, after reaching the ninth level of perfect magical power and refining one's foundation, it often takes three to eight years, for a total of twenty-five to thirty years.

The total cultivation period was fifty-five to sixty years, plus eight to twelve years before cultivation, which would be sixty-three to seventy-two years old.

Based on the average lifespan of 120 years for Qi Refining cultivators, they are just on the verge of declining Qi and blood, and have the possibility of attempting Foundation Establishment.

The average speed of a superior spiritual root doubles, almost matching Wang Xuan's current speed. He can attempt to break through several times, but the probability of success will decrease.

"Haha, Manager Zhao, please stop joking."

"Who doesn't know how difficult it is for independent cultivators to establish their foundation?"

"In other words, I don't need to travel around for spirit stones, otherwise I wouldn't have made the progress I have today in my cultivation."

Wang Xuan laughed it off and didn't take it too seriously.

The difference in spiritual roots is not just a matter of cultivation speed; it also has an impact on major realm breakthroughs.

Despite what Manager Zhao said, in his heart, the probability of him reaching the Foundation Establishment stage was probably no more than 10%.

"Manager Zhao, you're well-informed. Has anything interesting happened lately?"

"Since we have nothing else to do, why don't we have a chat with Wang?"

Changing the subject, Wang Xuan asked with a smile.

In recent years, the cultists in Chen Kingdom have become much more active than before.

Although he doesn't plan to leave Baihefang City now, it doesn't mean he's indifferent to the surrounding situation.

"Alright."

"My tea stall attracts all sorts of people, so I do hear a lot of gossip."

Manager Zhao glanced at Wang Xuan, and although he knew that this was why he had come, he wasn't angry.

It's just some gossip; even if I don't say it, others will.

……

Wang Xuan sat at the tea stall for most of the hour until more and more customers arrived, at which point he took his leave.

According to Manager Zhao, the situation in Chen State has not changed much recently.

The only thing worth mentioning is that another group of cultivators has been found to be related to the three sects and two clans that were wiped out.

A certain immortal intervened and wiped them out with lightning, and the remaining people fled to some other place, and so on.

Similar incidents have occurred several times in the past few years, resulting in the deaths of more than double-digit Foundation Establishment cultivators.

However, in Wang Xuan's view, this was nothing more than the former front man losing his backer and being purged.

After all, there aren't that many professional cultivators in the cultivation world; most of them are just opportunistic and temporarily take on the role of a tribulation cultivator.

Those long-term, stable so-called robbery gangs have either developed rules to collect tolls and protection fees on the borders or in the wilderness of various countries, thus becoming a kind of alternative force.

Alternatively, they might secretly collude with certain powerful families or sects, doing shady things for them.

If someone is completely oblivious to the situation and insists on grabbing everything they can, they'd better pray they're lucky.

Otherwise, he would be beaten to death sooner or later, serving as a warning to those who come after him.

"really."

"Until we have sufficient strength, it's best to stay put in the market."

Nodding to himself, Wang Xuan gave himself a mental thumbs-up.

"With the Han family's reputation behind me and Fellow Daoist Ye running errands for me, life is pretty good."

"I hope nothing serious happens before I reach the Foundation Establishment stage."

"But then again..."

"As a Foundation Establishment family, the Han family also has second-tier puppets and spiritual vein formations. They should be able to hold out for about a hundred years without being destroyed."

Not entirely sure, although the relationship between the two was just so-so, Wang Xuan sincerely hoped that it could last a little longer.

"A gentleman judges by actions, not by intentions; for by intentions, no one in the world is perfect."

"If the Han family can maintain the status quo, and we can part ways amicably after I reach the Foundation Establishment stage, I, Wang, will naturally repay them and settle this karmic debt."

"In that case, it can be considered that gratitude and resentment have been clearly distinguished..."

The thought flashed through my mind, but I didn't know why.

When these words crossed his mind, Wang Xuan had a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he had said something like this somewhere before.

He shook his head slightly, not thinking much of it.

Because within his sight, a familiar figure was rushing toward him.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, Fellow Daoist Wang!"

"You've finally arrived... How's the refining of those 'Wood Honey Blood-Nourishing Pills' I asked you to make last time coming along?"

Before the person arrived, the voice preceded them, causing Wang Xuan's eyes to twitch slightly.

"Fellow Daoist Yang, I have naturally finished refining the pills."

"However, I remember you said last time that the secret of this pill's refinement was not known to outsiders, and you hoped that I could keep it a secret... As the saying goes, one should be loyal to one's duty when entrusted with a task, and I, Wang, will naturally not speak carelessly."

"But Fellow Daoist Yang, shouldn't you be a little more careful here?"

……

Note 1: Because dates taste as sweet as honey, the ancients elegantly called them "wood honey".

Note 2: 0.618 times the limit of Qi and lifespan is the so-called time of decline of Qi and blood. The golden ratio I used is the golden ratio.