When it comes to cultivating immortality, it naturally starts with upgrading the herb garden.

Song Chen stared at the flames, his cheeks twitching, thinking to himself:

"Next one, next one, we can't have everyone being this overpowered, can we?"

Xu Fengxian, a swordsman, is one of only three Qi Refining Peak cultivators in the sect, and like Chang You, he is only one step away from Foundation Establishment.

The sword energy was terrifying beyond imagination; it was impossible to defeat it head-on.

Song Chen glanced at the sword energy and immediately felt a stinging pain in his eyes, so he quickly looked away and left.

"What should I do? Even if I use the self-ignition technique, I might not be able to win, right? Even if I can defeat one of them, the other one is beyond my capabilities."

Song Chen narrowed his eyes, not feeling dejected, but instead pondering a solution.

......

Several days passed, and there was still no clue, and life remained uneventful.

Then, on this day, good news came from Shi Jian.

He successfully found a master alchemist to refine five Foundation Establishment Pills, and prepared to find a place rich in spiritual energy to break through to the peak of Qi Refining.

Song Chen offered his congratulations repeatedly.

"Brother Song, how's your Foundation Establishment Pill refining going?"

Shi Jian sat in the chair in front of the table and asked with concern.

Song Chen was absent-minded, his thoughts completely elsewhere: "It should be done soon, right?"

Shi Jian nodded, noticing Song Chen's anxiety. Instead of continuing on that topic, he changed the subject:

"Brother Song, do you still remember Yu Xin?"

Song Chen looked up, his brows furrowing. "What? He's reached the Foundation Establishment stage?"

"How is that possible! He's just a low-level cultivator right now, he's not even willing to do missions, how could he possibly have reached the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Shi Jian waved his hand and laughed heartily:

"This servant needs help with everything; she can't do anything herself. On her first day, she started ordering people around, and the person she ordered around was Chang You, a super cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining! He didn't give her any face at all and just took her down, hahaha!"

Recalling Chang You's release of pure flames across the sky a few days ago, Song Chen couldn't help but give Yu Xin a thumbs up in his heart.

There's no need to beat around the bush when you're looking to die, is there?

Shi Jian laughed so hard he slapped his thigh and continued:

"Offending a Qi Refining Peak cultivator makes it difficult to survive in the Sword Sect, so he returned to the market."

"And guess what happened? The Yu family completely ignored him, saying he joined the sect without permission and betrayed the family. So they decided to train his younger brother instead. In the end, Yu Xin was caught in the middle and went back to the sect. Now he's a good-for-nothing, living a life of aimlessness. He deserves what he got!"

Hearing this, Song Chen felt a little better and said, "I see."

Not surprisingly.

Yu Xin is the kind of person who often takes pleasure in the suffering of others. It's only because he had his family protecting him before that he lost that protection once he entered the sect and naturally deserved to be taught a lesson.

"Brother Song! I owe you so much back in Dragon Valley! I was so caught up in the illusion that I almost fell completely into it and never got out!"

Shi Jian looked terrified, his expression complex.

"It's alright! It's good that you're alive!"

Song Chen said calmly.

......

The night before the competition.

Song Chen couldn't help but toss and turn, as if two peak Qi Refining cultivators were pressing on his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.

"Without Soul-Replenishing Pills, how can I establish my foundation? How can I advance further!"

Song Chen was still restless and agitated.

His obsession with Foundation Establishment was almost manic.

"Without Foundation Establishment, one cannot attain the Golden Core; without the Golden Core, one cannot form the Nascent Soul; without forming the Nascent Soul, one cannot transform into a Deity; without transforming into a Deity, one cannot ascend to immortality; without immortality, one will die..."

A strange chain seemed to appear in Song Chen's mind, constantly pulling at his thoughts.

His fear of death was almost unimaginable, more intense than at any time in the past.

The scene of his death in his previous life kept replaying in Song Chen's eyes, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.

I don't know if it's genuine frustration or a result of emotional distress.

It doesn't matter which one it is.

Song Chen knew that anxiety was useless; only taking action offered a glimmer of hope!

Otherwise, a hundred years from now, Song Chen will surely have a place in the yellow earth!

In the middle of the night, a figure slipped out of the house and ran outside. The steps were light and quick, but it did not escape the ears of the neighbors on both sides.

"What's that Song Mazi doing out so late at night?"

......

Chang Youjia.

He likes to do the same things at the same time every day.

For example, in Changyou's view, the morning hours are used to cultivate spiritual energy and stabilize the foundation, the afternoon is used to practice spells and temper divine sense, and the evening is used to practice various arts in preparation for entering the Dao.

He only had a brief hour in the early morning to rest and sleep.

Chang You is diligent and hardworking, like an iron man, for more than ten years. Looking back, he is only twenty-nine years old.

If it were to successfully take human form, it would surely be the form of Chang You!

This year marks the end of his thirties, the end of the optimal time for Foundation Establishment.

If he cannot establish his foundation this year, Changyou's chances of establishing his foundation will be greatly reduced, which is something he naturally does not want to see.

Chang You had been preparing for Foundation Establishment for several years, and even without the Soul Replenishing Pill, his probability of breaking through to Foundation Establishment was still 80%.

Of course, if he had a Soul-Replenishing Pill, his chances of reaching Foundation Establishment would be ninety percent, almost a certainty.

Chang You will play it safe and will never give up this opportunity in the competition.

Even if I fail, it doesn't matter, because I have a safety net.

Moreover, there are only three Qi Refining Peak cultivators in the sect, one of whom is 100% certain that he will not participate in the competition after reaching Foundation Establishment.

Chang You felt that his fire might be able to clash with Xu Fengxian's sword!

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard, and there seemed to be a figure moving outside the door?

Chang You was puzzled. His divine sense, honed at the peak of Qi Refining, could completely cover the entire house. How could someone sneak into his doorstep right under his nose?

Whoosh!

An arrow struck the doorway precisely, landing on Chang You's cheek and leaving a long, bloody mark.

"It missed! It missed! After all these years, the aftereffects of the possession technique still haven't subsided!"

......

Song Chen was planning to sneak into Xu Fengxian's house.

This was a choice made after careful consideration, since there was an excuse.

Since the way of the sword and the way of the knife are inseparable, isn't it a good reason to explore the path of the sword?

But as Song Chen gazed at the dark sky, he pinched himself hard.

"Who's the kind person who'd be discussing philosophical matters with someone in the middle of the night?"

Song Chen felt like he was going crazy; he was so desperate to reach the Foundation Establishment stage!

He lowered his hand, which was about to knock on Xu Fengxian's door, and went back home.

"Young friend, what brings you here? Since you're here, you're a guest. Please come in!"

The gentle sound drifted into Song Chen's ears from the courtyard.

At the same time, a white light caused him to stop in his tracks.

In front of Song Chen, a terrifying sword aura cleaved a bottomless ravine, within which countless sword intents crisscrossed, their aura astonishing, capable of killing instantly upon contact or even by a mere graze.

Is this how you treat guests?

Will Song Chen kill me if I go into this house?

"Senior! I have not actually disturbed you. Could you please let me off the hook?"

Song Chen clutched a teleportation talisman, turned around, and cupped his hands in greeting.

At the same time, a surge of spiritual energy spread from his dantian.

Xu Fengxian's face darkened, and she raised her silver sword, arrogantly declaring:

"What brings you here? Speak clearly, your life may depend on your words!"

Song Chen swallowed and lowered his head.