Mortal: The Path to Immortality

Nearly a year passed in the blink of an eye. Lu Nanzhu broke through to the tenth level of Qi Refining. During this time, in addition to completing the tasks assigned by his Uncle Xiao in an orderly manner, he lived a more secluded life than usual.

Thanks to Lu Nanzhu's help, Uncle Xiao's pill formula modification speed has also been greatly accelerated.

One day, after stabilizing his cultivation level, Lu Nanzhu changed into a neat gray-blue robe, put the golden rats in the formation into his spirit beast bag, and left the valley with the medicinal herbs he was supposed to hand over for the month.

He flew towards the Hall of Affairs in the basic flying artifact he had received upon entering the sect. As he passed the edge of the training ground, he heard a loud proclamation.

"In the path of cultivation, talent is certainly important, but even more important is 'making good use of resources'!"

A Foundation Establishment stage lecturer stood on a high platform, speaking eloquently to dozens of disciples below. A bluish-green snake-shaped demon beast was coiled around his arm, its tongue flicking slightly, exuding a fierce aura.

"My disciples from Spirit Beast Mountain are most skilled at controlling spirit beasts. If you have a top-tier spirit beast of similar blood to assist you, even if your aptitude is somewhat inferior, you can still stand undefeated in battles against opponents of the same level. Only through artificial means can one achieve enlightenment!"

Upon hearing this, he recalled the "spiritual embryo" in his arms that still showed no signs of hatching. If what this senior said was true, and this spiritual embryo could successfully hatch, it might provide him with a great help in that blood-red forbidden land.

As Lu Nanzhu crossed the square, the scene before him took him by surprise.

The sect square was bustling with activity, filled with stalls of all sizes, where many disciples exchanged resources.

Lu Nanzhu arrived at the main hall of affairs. Inside, the usually deserted counters were now crowded with disciples hurrying about. Each of them clutched spirit stones, desperately exchanging them for various high-level talismans, defensive formations, or superior-grade pills.

Manager Yan was also busy, sweating profusely. The wrinkles on his old face were almost squeezed together, and he was still cursing: "What's the rush! There are only so many quotas this year. In two more years, the Crimson Forbidden Land will open, and you're only now begging and pleading? What were you doing all this time?!"

"The Crimson Forbidden Zone..."

For Lu Nanzhu, obtaining the Foundation Establishment Pill was a must, and he was determined to venture into the "Crimson Forbidden Land."

"I need to get some decent equipment," Lu Nanzhu thought to himself.

He had previously frequented the market for rogue cultivators and found that most of the goods there were defective. They were fine for dealing with rogue cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining, but they were definitely not enough to save one's life in a "meat grinder" like the Blood Forbidden Land.

"Junior brother, you look quite unfamiliar. You must be startled by the sounds of this forbidden area, right?"

Just as I was pondering this, a voice suddenly came from the side.

Lu Nanzhu turned his head and saw a thin disciple with a shrewd look in his eyes walking over from beside the stone pillar, playing with a small spirit beast bag in his hand and looking at him with a smile.

Seeing that Lu Nanzhu did not respond for a long time, the man cupped his hands in greeting:

"My name is Song Ji."

"My name is Lu Nanzhu. May I ask what guidance Senior Brother Song has for me?" Lu Nanzhu cupped his hands in greeting.

Seeing that Lu Nanzhu's cultivation level was not high, Song Ji noticed that his composure was unlike that of an ordinary disciple. He nodded inwardly and leaned closer, saying, "Junior Brother, you're also preparing to enter the 'Crimson Forbidden Land,' right? You're a bit late. There probably aren't many high-level resources left in the sect for exchange. The common items in the rogue cultivator market won't be enough to handle the battles in the 'Crimson Forbidden Land.'"

Seeing that Lu Nanzhu remained noncommittal, Song Ji chuckled and mysteriously raised three fingers.

"If you really want top-tier items to save your life, you should go to the three major auction houses in Yue Kingdom. Those are the real treasure troves."

"I'd like to hear the details," Lu Nanzhu said, showing some curiosity.

Seeing a response from the other side, Song Ji became even more interested and began to introduce the treasures as if they were his own: "Within the Yue Kingdom, the first place to recommend is 'Tianbaoque,' which specializes in producing exquisite magic artifacts, magic treasures, and talismans. As long as you have spirit stones, top-tier magic artifacts are within your grasp; the second place is 'Lingshouzhai,' where the rare spirit insects and spirit beast eggs are the best on the entire Yue Kingdom market..."

At this point, Song Ji glanced at Lu Nanzhu almost imperceptibly.

"Perfect timing! I have some connections at one of the branches of 'Thousand Treasures Pavilion.' If you trust me, junior brother, why don't you come with me? I guarantee you'll be able to buy the magical artifacts you desire. If we buy in a group, the price will be ten percent lower than others. What do you say?"

Looking at Song Ji's face, which was brimming with shrewdness, Lu Nanzhu knew perfectly well that this man was clearly a broker, helping shops attract customers in order to earn commissions.

However, the information provided by Song Ji was somewhat credible.

"Senior Brother Song's information network is indeed excellent." Lu Nanzhu smiled slightly, neither rushing to agree nor refusing. "However, I have some important matters to attend to recently. If I have free time in the future, I will definitely come to bother you."

Seeing that he had succeeded, Song Ji chuckled and turned to leave, going off to ingratiate himself with the other disciples.

After watching Song Ji leave, Lu Nanzhu paid for the spirit herbs and then walked out of the deacon's hall. He did not return to the Abandoned Spirit Valley, but instead left in the opposite direction.

Now that he has reached the late stage of Qi Refining, it is time for him to cultivate the "Soaring Record". Although this body-refining technique progresses slowly, it can greatly enhance the resilience of the physical body and the affinity with wind-attribute spiritual energy. If he succeeds in cultivating it, it will greatly increase his chances of entering the Crimson Forbidden Land later.

"I've never heard of 'Wind-Condensed Dew' and 'Crushing Red' mentioned in the 'Record of Soaring Clouds'. The medicinal herbs recorded in such ancient books are probably long extinct or have been renamed."

Lu Nanzhu muttered to himself. He had originally considered asking Uncle Xiao directly, but the thought only flashed through his mind for a moment before he abruptly dismissed it.

"How can a true man remain subservient to others for long! The path to immortality cannot be relied upon in every way!"

With this in mind, Lu Nanzhu quickened his pace and flew familiarly toward the library halfway up the mountain.

Upon entering the library, one is still enveloped in a faint scent of ink and the musty smell of paper.

"Senior Brother Li, how have you been?" Lu Nanzhu walked to the counter and cupped his hands in greeting to the gray-robed cultivator who was busy organizing a pile of messy books and jade slips.

Senior Brother Li looked up and saw it was Lu Nanzhu. A rare smile appeared on his tense face: "It's you again, you diligent lad. What, are you already busy enough with your duties at Abandoned Spirit Valley? You've come here at least ten times in the last three months. You've practically turned this library upside down, haven't you?"

Lu Nanzhu smiled and casually handed over a spirit stone as a private payment for tea: "Senior brother, you flatter me. My knowledge is limited, but I must make up for it with diligence. I'd like to check the records of the evolution of ancient body-refining herbs. I wonder which level they're on?"

"Go check out the bookshelf on the left side of the third floor, numbered '戊'." Senior Brother Li skillfully put away the spirit stones and pointed upstairs.

In the following period, Lu Nanzhu began to frequently browse through various materials.

He sifted through several incomplete books recording ancient medicinal plants, such as the "Tiannan Herbal Classic," and beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead. Although he had also collected some ancient elixir formulas, "Feng Ning Lu" was recorded in the book, but its properties did not match the effects recorded in the "Fuyao Record" at all; as for "Cui Zhe Hong," he had not even seen a trace of it.

He sighed and put down the jade slip in his hand.

"So be it. Being slapped in the face is better than losing my life in this forbidden area. A wise person knows when to yield. That Foundation Establishment senior was right: A gentleman is not born different, but he makes good use of what he has!"

At this moment, Uncle Xiao was the biggest "thing" and the strongest "leg" that Lu Nanzhu could rely on.

When we got down to the first floor, Senior Brother Li was about to close the door.

"Senior Brother Li, please wait a moment." Lu Nanzhu called out to him, somewhat hesitantly. "Junior Brother has another question to ask. May I ask where Elder Xiao's secluded cultivation cave is located?"

Senior Brother Li was stunned for a moment, then looked at him with a strange expression:

Elder Xiao is aloof and dislikes being disturbed. His cave dwelling is on the hillside above the Spirit Bird Garden.

If you can't find him in the cave, then try asking in the sect's alchemy room. Oh! By the way, I heard from the disciples that he occasionally goes down the mountain to provide free medical treatment to mortals. If that's the case, you'll just have to try your luck another day.

After saying this, Senior Brother Li didn't ask any more questions.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother." After expressing his gratitude, Lu Nanzhu rode his magical artifact to Uncle Xiao's cave.