I tamed beasts and achieved immortality in the world of cultivation.

For the next two weeks, Chen Qing lived a very regular life.

He gets up at dawn every day and cultivates the "Canglan Technique" in the purple aura of the rising sun. At dawn, he goes to the Spirit Beast Peak with Xiao Chunan. He finishes his shift at dusk, meditates at 5 pm to refine the spiritual energy accumulated during the day, and goes to sleep at midnight.

The cycle repeats itself endlessly, without fail.

The "Canglan Technique" is a water-attribute cultivation method that all outer disciples of the Lingyun Sect must learn. It has nine levels, corresponding to the nine levels of Qi Refining.

Although it is a common practice in the cultivation world of Canglan Domain, there is a reason why it is so common. The Canglan Manual is peaceful and easy to use, and the conversion of spiritual energy is also very convenient when switching to other cultivation methods in the future.

Chen Qing had been cultivating for eight years and had already mastered it thoroughly.

This exercise emphasizes the concept of "continuous" or "gentle" movement.

Spiritual energy flows like water, winding around mountains and penetrating rocks. It neither competes nor fights, yet it is ever-renewing. When cultivating, one should imagine oneself transforming into a clear spring, drawing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth like a stream flowing into the sea, slowly converging into the dantian.

Chen Qing sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, his hands forming a mudra, his eyes closed and his mind focused.

Within the dantian, spiritual energy transformed into a shallow pool, its surface calm and still, occasionally rippling—a sign that spiritual energy was entering the body.

Above the shallow pool, a thin layer of mist faintly shrouded the area, which was the bottleneck between the third and fourth levels of Qi Refining.

"Still a little short."

Chen Qing finished his practice, stood up, opened his eyes, and looked calm.

He cultivated with exceptional diligence for the past two weeks, refining 20% ​​more spiritual energy each day than before. Yet, the bottleneck remained as solid as a rock, only trembling slightly no matter how he tried to break through it.

"The path to immortality is difficult..."

Chen Qing shook his head, undeterred.

The path to immortality is inherently like this; if everyone could have a smooth journey, then Nascent Soul Ancestors wouldn't be so rare.

He pushed open the door and saw Xiao Chunan, dressed in a blue outer disciple's robe with a sword at his waist, walking towards him with a green date in his mouth and a handful of dates in his hand, tossing him a few.

"Walking?"

"Let's go."

The two used their lightness technique to rush towards Spirit Beast Peak.

……

Days passed by like this.

Every morning, Chen Qing cultivates the "Canglan Technique," goes to the Spirit Beast Peak to feed the chickens and clean their droppings in the morning, meditates to refine spiritual energy in the afternoon, and returns home with Xiao Chunan in the evening.

It is worth mentioning that the spirit sheep chickens raised by Chen Qing and the blue carp raised by Xiao Chunan both showed a subtle affection for him.

In the blink of an eye, half a month has passed.

On this day, Xu Gui arrived at the chicken coop early and stood with his hands behind his back.

Chen Qing had already herded the forty-seven spirit sheep chickens into bamboo cages and neatly arranged them by the roadside.

Before long, several people came walking up the mountain path.

The leader was about fifty years old, wearing the same gray steward's robe as Xu Gui, with the abacus symbol of Ling Shu Peak embroidered on his chest and a jade plaque from the dining hall tied around his waist. He had a kind face, a slightly plump figure, and was slightly out of breath when he walked, clearly someone who did not often come down the mountain.

"Junior Brother Zhou!"

Xu Gui greeted him with a smile.

He had spent over twenty years on Spirit Beast Peak and had dealt with this Zhou-surnamed steward of the dining hall many times, not to mention that both of them were disciples of Spirit Pivot Peak.

"Senior Brother Xu!"

Deacon Zhou smiled, his gaze sweeping over the row of bamboo cages, and casually asked, "How many?"

"Forty-seven." Xu Gui handed over the booklet. "Junior Brother Zhou, please take a look."

Deacon Zhou took the booklet, glanced at it, and then walked closer to the bamboo cage to look at the spirit sheep chickens inside. He nodded in satisfaction: "They're well raised, much fatter than the last batch."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the chicken coops, and suddenly asked, "I remember receiving fifty chickens back then?"

Xu Gui remained expressionless: "It was fifty. We raised them for five months, but three of them couldn't survive and died."

"Dead?"

"They've all suffered from heatstroke, gotten sick, or been pecked to death by other chickens," Xu Gui sighed. "It's inevitable when raising chickens."

"Ah, it's indeed something that's hard to avoid." Deacon Zhou chuckled, took out a cloth bag from his sleeve, and handed it to Xu Gui. "Forty-seven of them. As usual, it'll cost one hundred and forty-one low-grade spirit stones. Count them."

Xu Gui took it, didn't even check it, and simply put it into his sleeve, laughing, "How could I not trust Junior Brother Zhou to handle things?"

Deacon Zhou laughed and beckoned two handyman disciples to carry the chicken coop down the mountain.

"Coo coo coo—"

"Coo coo coo—"

Along the way, the forty-seven spirit sheep chickens all looked at Chen Qing and kept clucking, their cries carrying a hint of reluctance.

Chen Qing's eyes welled up with tears as she listened, quickly recalling the bowl of chicken soup from a few days ago, and finally—

Tears streamed from the corner of her mouth.

After watching the group walk away, Xu Gui took out three spirit stones from his sleeve and handed them to Chen Qing.

"Take it."

Chen Qing took them; they felt warm and smooth to the touch, and were indeed three low-grade spirit stones.

"Thank you, Mr. Xu."

"No need to thank me, you earned it yourself." Xu Gui waved his hand, then suddenly remembered something, "By the way, didn't you say you were going to Beast Taming Peak for the test? When are you going?"

Chen Qing carefully put away the spirit stones and smiled, "I was just about to tell you that I'd like to go tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Xu Gui raised an eyebrow. "Qi Refining Level 4?"

"Almost there, just one step away from the finish line."

Upon hearing this, Xu Gui's expression became complicated. The properties of the Spirit Beast Peak belonged to the Beast Taming Peak, and Xu Gui was also to hand over the spirit stones obtained by the Spirit Sheep Chicken to the Beast Taming Peak.

If Chen Qing successfully enters the Beast Taming Peak, he will become Xu Gui's superior.

"Alright." Xu Gui sighed. "Go ahead and prepare well. Although Beast Taming Peak has declined, it is still one of the Ten Peaks. Going in is better than wasting time in the outer sect."

After saying that, Xu Gui waved his hand, put his hands behind his back, and slowly walked away.

Xiao Chunan, who was munching on a green date, saw Xu Gui walk away and her eyes lit up:

"Chen Qing, are you really going to take the test? If you ask me, you should come to our Sword Echo Peak! Look at those disciples from Beast Taming Peak, they hang out with spirit beasts all day long, how can they compare to us sword cultivators? With a single flash of sword light, we can take someone's head from a thousand miles away, how impressive!"

Chen Qing's lips twitched.

Xiao Chunan has a high talent for swordsmanship, but he is only at the fourth level of Qi Refining. He has never even touched a flying sword, yet he can take someone's head from thousands of miles away?

Don't be ashamed!

Chen Qing rolled her eyes at Xiao Chunan and said speechlessly, "I'll think about it."

"What are you thinking about!" Xiao Chunan leaned closer, patting the sword at his waist, his eyebrows dancing with excitement. "Look at my sword, isn't it cool! From now on, let's practice swordsmanship together, venture into secret realms, and fight side by side with our swords—how impressive!"

Chen Qing's lips twitched again.

A perfect combination of two swords?

An image flashed through his mind of himself and Xiao Chunan standing side by side, swords pointing to the sky—

Then he quickly shook his head.

"I'm not going."

Why?

"I don't want to fencing with you."

Xiao Chunan was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage: "Chen Qing, what do you mean?"

Chen Qing laughed and quickened his pace as he walked out of the Spirit Beast Peak.

……

After leaving Spirit Beast Peak, Chen Qing did not return to Sunset Peak, but instead walked along the mountain path in another direction.

Danxia Peak.

One of the Ten Lineages of Lingyun, specializing in alchemy.

Chen Qing stood at the foot of the mountain and looked up.

The mountain peak has a gentle slope, with terraced fields carved out on the sunny side, planted with various medicinal herbs. The fragrance of the herbs wafts in the wind, refreshing the mind and body. On the mountainside, a cluster of buildings can be vaguely seen, with green tiles and white walls, arranged in a pleasing and orderly manner. These are the alchemy rooms and disciples' residences of Danxia Peak.

Chen Qing climbed the bluestone steps and arrived at a pavilion halfway up the mountain.

Above the pavilion's entrance hangs a plaque with three simple, ancient characters inscribed on it—

Danxia Pavilion.

This is the pill room of Danxia Peak open to the public. Outer disciples can purchase pills with spirit stones. Prices are clearly marked and fair to all, young and old.

As Chen Qing entered the pavilion, a rich aroma of medicinal herbs wafted towards him.

Although the interior was simply furnished, it was filled with bottles and jars. Lingyun Sect disciples came and went, and ten blue-robed disciples with Dan Ding badges on their chests guided them.

"Junior brother, what would you like to buy?"

Upon seeing Chen Qing enter, a blue-robed disciple carrying a scroll stepped forward, glanced at Chen Qing's unmarked outer disciple robe, and casually asked a question.

"Senior brother, I'd like to buy a bottle of Minor Rejuvenation Pill."

Chen Qing bowed in greeting.

The blue-robed disciple's gaze swept over Chen Qing: "Qi Refining Level 3?"

"Yes."

"A bottle of Lesser Rejuvenation Pills costs thirty spirit stones, ten pills in total." The blue-robed disciple put down his scroll. "Are you sure you want to buy them?"

Thirty spirit stones.

Chen Qing silently did the math in his mind—

The sect gives out three yuan a year, and you get three yuan a month by completing tasks. Adding the three yuan Xu Gui gave you this time, plus the bits and pieces you've saved up before, you have exactly thirty yuan.

He took a cloth bag out of his sleeve and placed it on the long table.

The blue-robed disciple opened the medicine cabinet, counted the items, nodded, turned around, took out a white porcelain bottle from the cabinet, and handed it to Chen Qing.

"The Lesser Rejuvenation Pill is warm in nature. Taking one pill before cultivation can help with the circulation of spiritual energy. If there is no breakthrough after taking all of them, it means that the foundation is not yet in place, and it cannot be forced."

Chen Qing accepted the porcelain bottle and thanked him solemnly.

……

That night.

The moon was bright, the stars were few, and all was quiet.

In the sunny courtyard of Luoxia Peak, Chen Qing sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, with the white porcelain bottle in front of him.

He uncorked the bottle and poured out a small pill the size of a longan.

The Lesser Rejuvenating Pill is light blue in color, with a smooth surface and a faint medicinal fragrance. Just smelling it makes one feel a slight stirring of spiritual energy within the body.

"Whether it works out or not depends on tonight."

Chen Qing took a deep breath and put the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill into his mouth.

As the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill entered his abdomen, a warm power quickly spread, flowing along his meridians to his limbs and bones. Chen Qing dared not be negligent, and formed hand seals to circulate the "Canglan Technique".

Within his dantian, the shallow pool began to churn.

The spiritual energy transformed into a thin stream, circulating along the meridians in circles. With each circulation, it grew stronger, and the thin mist-like bottleneck above the pool began to shake violently under the impact of the spiritual energy.

The medicinal power of the pill has been exhausted, but the bottleneck has not been broken.

Chen Qing opened her eyes and poured out another one.

The second one.

The third one.

……

Until the fifth pill was swallowed, when the moon was high in the sky—

"boom!"

A thunderous roar filled Chen Qing's mind.

Within the dantian, the thin mist was finally dispelled, the shallow pool suddenly expanded, and spiritual energy surged in like a tide, instantly filling the new space.

The spiritual energy surging through his meridians was more than twice as thick as before.

Qi Refining Level 4!

Chen Qing opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

He spread his hands, feeling the surging spiritual energy within his body, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

"As expected, spending money is the key to success. Finally... I've broken through."

Outside the window, the moonlight, like water, spilled across the ground in silvery radiance.

Chen Qing got up and walked to the window, gazing at the Beast Taming Peak faintly visible in the night, and murmured to himself:

"Tomorrow, we'll go to Beast Taming Peak."

The Lingyun Sect has ten branches, and each branch has an entry test. As long as a disciple breaks through the fourth level of Qi Refining, he or she can participate at any time.

However, each vein only offers one chance, with varying degrees of difficulty.

Those who pass become official disciples of the lineage; those who fail are no longer qualified to set foot in the lineage.

Of course, going in to spend spirit stones to become God is a different story.