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

"Fellow Daoist Song, I'm scared!"

Taking advantage of the chaos, Ning Lianyi buried her head in Song Chen's arms, rubbing her head against his chest repeatedly.

Song Chen clicked his tongue inwardly, grabbed it, and tossed it aside.

"Don't block my way!"

Ning Lianyi pouted, looking completely bewildered.

Song Chen ignored her. Romantic feelings were completely unimportant. What mattered most now was the situation with Old Qian. If things went wrong, everything would be over!

He squinted as he observed Mr. Qian's movements, cold sweat pouring down his face.

Qian Xuesen may seem crazy, but he is actually very steady.

The flow of spiritual energy was stable, without any dramatic movement.

The artifact was infused with spiritual energy, but no spells were released. Its overall aura was restrained, and there was no sense of a foundation-building spell being released.

Song Chen retreated step by step until he reached a corner with nowhere left to go.

This distance is not good.

If the Foundation Establishment spell is activated, Song Chen will likely still be unable to escape death even if he uses all his strength.

The bead in Old Qian's hand grew increasingly powerful, with spiritual energy continuously flowing into it, constantly emitting a strange light.

The only effect of a top-grade magical artifact is to emit light?

Song Chen saw through the illusion of the magical artifact; the light was the effect of spiritual energy being injected and activated.

"This must only be the tip of the iceberg. If it were just emitting light, it certainly wouldn't be infused with so much spiritual energy. The bead must have another purpose."

The spiritual energy of Elder Qian was still surging in, and there was a faint, terrifying aura of Foundation Establishment magic.

Many people rushed out of the training ground and never returned, but some, like Song Chen, stayed to continue observing.

Dangerous, but seemingly accompanied by opportunity?

Under the light of the magic bead, Song Chen unconsciously recalled the top-grade auxiliary foundation-building spell that he had never been able to comprehend.

A glimmer of understanding emerges.

A flurry of thoughts raced through my mind, and several difficult problems were easily solved.

This bead has the effect of enhancing comprehension!

Song Chen immediately realized that he might be in a dangerous situation.

Should one sit down and contemplate, observe Qian Lao's movements to learn from them, while being wary of the Foundation Establishment spell activating and running away as soon as possible, or simply leave?

The first two are risky, while the last one allows one to leave safely, but requires one to seek enlightenment again.

Song Chen hesitated for a moment before making a choice, his gaze fixed intently on Elder Qian, occasionally drifting off into studying the top-grade auxiliary foundation-building spell.

After repeating this process several times, his top-grade spells improved considerably, comparable to a week's worth of hard work.

However, it seems that there is some danger at Qian Lao's place.

The aura of the Foundation Establishment spell grew increasingly fierce, as if it would be released at any moment.

Song Chen wanted to leave, but he never actually did.

As Master Qian's spiritual energy flowed, the light of the bead became increasingly dazzling, almost illuminating the entire temple.

At the same time, the aura of the Foundation Establishment spell was overflowing, making it hard for people to breathe. Apart from Song Chen, only a few other cultivators were still observing. Everyone else, including Ning Lianyi, had left to escape for their lives.

"If Old Qian were insane, he would have cast the spell long ago. The fact that he's managed to hold out until now means he's still trying. The person involved hasn't given up, so as an observer, I have no reason to run away."

Song Chen steadied himself.

Sweat dripped from Qian Lao's forehead. The integration of technique and weapon was truly difficult, and he was starting to lose control.

He regretted that he realized the unity of weapon and method too late.

If one comprehends a technique at the Qi Refining stage, then using a Qi Refining stage spell at this point is very likely already successful.

However, because Elder Qian was in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, his spiritual energy was extremely strong, and the spells he used were also Foundation Establishment stage spells, which were difficult to balance with the spells and artifacts of the Qi Refining stage.

This is a critical moment. If we are not careful, we will all perish together. Old Qian will die at the hands of his own magic, and it will also affect others.

Song Chen had good eyesight and noticed the clues.

It is theoretically possible to use magical artifacts to cast spells, but even if it is possible, the difficulty is extremely high and it is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Mr. Qian has reached a crucial step, but for some reason, he has not yet succeeded.

"Is it because the spells of the Foundation Establishment stage are too powerful, making it difficult to amplify the effects of spells from magical artifacts?"

When Qian Lao proposed the concept of the unity of magic weapon and magic, his aim was naturally to hope that the magic of magic weapon and the magic of cultivator would complement each other and help each other.

But it's clearly impossible to do that right now.

The aura of Foundation Establishment magic emanated from it, and the violent energy was rampant, causing people's legs to tremble and their hearts to pound with fear.

"You guys need to leave quickly! I'm starting to lose control!"

Old Qian gritted his teeth and shouted.

The cultivators in the temple also sensed that Elder Qian was at his last gasp. They bowed and said goodbye before leaving without staying to observe.

"You will die."

Song Chen said calmly.

"Is this your first time listening to Mr. Qian preach?"

Old Qian was pale, only managing to spare a sliver of his attention to speak with Song Chen, while focusing all his other mental energy on delaying the eruption of the Foundation Establishment spell.

But these are all short-sighted solutions. Once a spell is cast, how can it be easily reversed or weakened?

The spiritual energy emanated from the dantian and instantly condensed into magic outside the body.

Regardless of whether the spell is fully formed, this spiritual energy is a huge destructive force, and its power is only 30-40% less than that of the spell.

Unfinished spells can harm the caster; only fully formed spells can be used normally without harming the caster.

Old Qian's current situation is that he has unleashed an unfinished Foundation Establishment spell. Because of the balancing artifact, he has injected several times more spiritual energy, so the power is naturally several times greater.

"Yes, this is the student's first time here."

"You have a good understanding in some areas."

How do you know?

"When the Enlightenment Bead illuminated the room just now, you were the first to realize that the light could enhance your comprehension, which shows that you have a good understanding of objects. The fact that you sat down to cultivate immediately shows that you have a poor understanding of certain spells and can only cultivate them with the help of the Enlightenment Bead."

"What if I just have average comprehension?"

"Then the fact that you didn't choose to gain enlightenment in such a dangerous situation shows that this is an opportunity for you."

Song Chen laughed heartily: "As expected of a Foundation Establishment True Person, your insight is truly profound."

"It's nothing. Foundation Establishment cultivators are just further ahead than Qi Refining cultivators."

"Is your practice related to preaching?"

"No, it's related to money. The more money I have, the more stable my path will be, the faster I'll break through my cultivation, and the higher the grade of my Golden Core will be."

Song Chen joked, "The path of money?"

Old Qian laughed and cried, "No, I cultivate the path of wealth... You'll die if you stay here. Aren't you leaving? I can't control myself anymore."

Song Chen noticed the weakness in Qian Lao's tone and realized that this was truly the limit.

"Try to cancel out the spells of the Enlightenment Beads and the Foundation Establishment spells instead of enhancing them; that way you might still have a glimmer of hope."

Song Chen flew to the doorway and turned to make a suggestion before walking away.

Old Qian was slightly taken aback, but didn't say anything. He just focused more on controlling the Enlightenment Bead and the Foundation Establishment spell.

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Chen quickly left the place.

"Crimson Rainbow Swim! Flying Boots!"

The spiritual energy was pushed to its limit.

A crimson horizon, soaring into the sky, traces a graceful arc.

As soon as Song Chen entered the clouds, a terrifying aura below engulfed the dojo, its immense power nearly striking the hem of his clothes.

"Did it still fail?"

He looked down at the ruins of the temple and couldn't help but marvel at the immense power of the Foundation Establishment spell.

At the same time, he lowered his altitude and scanned the ruins with his divine sense, finding a weak aura in the center of the ruins.

"He's got a tough life."

Song Chen flew back to the ruins and began digging towards the center of the ruins.

Old Master Qian is a good person; at least this time, no cultivator was injured or killed in the accident.

Moreover, before his death, he not only reminded Song Chen to leave quickly, but also told him about some of his talents, which is rare in the cultivation world.

Most importantly, before he died, he did not ask Song Chen to carry his last words or bear the responsibility of a dying man.

This alone shows that Qian Xuesen was a gentle and kind person at heart.

Besides, Song Chen had come to listen to Master Qian's sermon, so he had received a favor and should help him out.

......

A short while later, Song Chen found Old Qian, who was on the verge of death, in the ruins.

He took out several bottles of Grade 3 healing pills and fed them into the man's mouth like candy, filling it completely.

After about half an hour, Mr. Qian regained some consciousness: "I'm still alive?"

"You are dead. This is the underworld. Prepare to be reincarnated with your memories."

Song Chen joked with the kind-faced Old Qian.

Upon hearing this, Old Qian coughed and then laughed, "Get lost... what's your name?"

"Song Mazi".

"That's disgusting, that name."

"Qian Lao isn't exactly a good name either."

"...My name is Qian Renzhong."