Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

On this day, Xia Dong slowly finished his cultivation in the secret chamber at the bottom of the well in the city. He calculated the time and thought to himself that the day he agreed to give the Great Serpent the Profound Yin Gathering Qi Pill was approaching.

This monstrous serpent possesses strength comparable to the late-stage Qi Refining Realm.

At a time when Xia Dong's own strength is far from being able to directly compete with those immortal sect cultivators, the giant serpent is the strongest trump card he holds in his hands.

Such formidable combat power must be carefully maintained with sufficient Qi Gathering Pills and utmost sincerity; there can be absolutely no mishaps.

Xia Dong pushed open the door and walked to the expanded training ground next door.

Inside are the subordinates he recruited during this period.

Xiao Hong is leading them in a martial arts demonstration.

During this period, he quietly increased his staff to thirty people by recruiting apprentices from the medical clinic and his own tenant farmers.

He divided these thirty men into three small squads. These men were all apprentices of the medical clinic who had received his favor, as well as the sons of tenant farmers who had pledged their land to him as a tribute student and were under his protection.

He knew very well that if he wanted to take root in this world and establish his own cultivation family in the future, these thirty people in front of him would be the original core group.

Given enough time to reproduce and multiply, these people will become retainers and adopted sons of the Xia family for generations.

The master bestows upon them protection and wealth, and they in turn serve the master to the death. This is a profound bond of shared interests, where one prospers and the other suffers, and it is also the solid guarantee that allows aristocratic families to continue their lineage for thousands of years.

However, Xia Dong's gaze did not linger on them for long.

He is still young, and the path of cultivation is long. Building a family's foundation is a long-term plan that will last for centuries. Right now, he only needs to lay a framework and then work on it gradually.

He has no intention of devoting too much of his precious energy to these mundane matters.

For the time being, Xiao Hong is helping him manage these complicated industries and personnel allocations.

Recalling the wedding banquet a while ago, Xia Dong officially held a wedding banquet for Xiao Hong to enter into the family.

Now, Xiao Hong is officially Xia Dong's concubine, and is respectably addressed as "Madam Hong".

With Xia Dong backing her like a pillar of strength, Xiao Hong was able to take Xia Dong's place and steadily control the businesses he managed in Pingyang County.

After settling down her mundane affairs in the city, Xiao Hong's practice of the "I Ching Bone Forging Chapter" officially got on track.

Seeing Xiao Hong's blood and qi steadily growing stronger, Xia Dong couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

With the precious pills generously bestowed upon her by Xia Dong, and the meticulous guidance of Xia Dong, an expert who had a thorough understanding of the human body's meridians, Xiao Hong's early cultivation was actually much smoother than when Xia Dong had cultivated alone in the dark back then.

That's why they say, "When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

On the path of spiritual practice, the difference between having someone to guide you and not having anyone to guide you is like the difference between heaven and earth.

Looking at Xiao Hong, Xia Dong couldn't help but think of himself.

He stood with his hands behind his back in the wind, his mind as clear as a mirror.

If Xia Dong hadn't relied on his mysterious "Taoist" background and the fortuitous support and assistance from Master Guyue of Qixia Immortal Sect and Qin Wan, he, a mortal with no spiritual roots, would never have reached where he is today.

Even so, he still has to walk on thin ice.

The Great You Dynasty is too treacherous, the immortal sects are too powerful, and with the secrets he carries, one wrong move could lead to disaster.

Because they know their own strength is far from enough and they are still powerless when facing a truly behemoth, they must maintain good relations with Orochi.

Xia Dong withdrew his gaze, turned and walked into the secret room, where he began to carefully count the Qi Gathering Pills and supplies he had prepared to take into the deep mountains, making the most thorough preparations for the upcoming meeting. He also began a new round of alchemy and talisman making.

Basic cultivation resources are very easy to monetize and are a solid support for his cultivation.

...

...

Xia Dong concealed his tracks and easily returned to Tiger Hill Cave deep in the mountains.

He walked through the dark, damp woods and came to the familiar cliff, where he once again saw the great snake on which he had placed his hopes.

After only a short time, the enormous body of the serpent, which had been coiled in the shadows, seemed to have undergone some kind of transformation.

The faint bluish-black patterns on its surface have become more complex and prominent, resembling naturally interwoven dark runes, radiating a chilling luster.

Sensing Xia Dong's arrival, the giant snake slightly raised its massive head, flicked its scarlet forked tongue, and a hint of human-like affection flashed in its cold vertical pupils.

Xia Dong released his divine sense to sense it for a while, and his heart was filled with certainty.

At this moment, the serpent's aura was as calm and steady as an abyss, no longer showing the turbulent feeling of blood and qi that it had when it first broke through to the next realm.

Clearly, the Profound Yin Gathering Qi Pill he had given earlier had played a crucial role in helping the giant serpent completely stabilize its realm.

Xuan Yin is now a genuine late-stage Qi Refining level demon beast!

Feeling the terrifying power lurking within the giant snake, Xia Dong couldn't help but think to himself, "If this trend continues, this big guy might prey on a few more powerful monsters like that black eagle from last time in the mountains and forests, and he might even reach the Foundation Establishment stage before me."

But on second thought, it makes sense.

The giant serpent was a naturally unique species, with a trace of the true spirit bloodline of the ancient Blackwater Serpent flowing through its veins. Once this kind of extraordinary species awakens its intelligence and is aided by elixirs, the talent brought by its bloodline will be fully displayed when breaking through barriers, far surpassing that of ordinary human cultivators.

Watching the giant snake's smooth and successful advancement, Xia Dong was happy for it, but he couldn't help feeling a sense of urgency and helplessness about his own current cultivation situation.

He silently looked inward at himself.

Xia Dong could clearly sense that the Divine Treasury Chapter of the "Eternal Spring Qi Circulation Technique," which he was mainly cultivating, still had a very long way to go before it was truly perfected.

This technique emphasizes nurturing one's inner strength, like water dripping on a stone; it cannot be rushed.

However, if he cannot fully master the Divine Treasury Chapter, his innate abilities will not undergo further transformation. His future progress towards the Foundation Establishment stage will likely be difficult.

Ultimately, it comes down to limitations in aptitude.

He was not born a celestial being, but rather he forcibly elevated his mortal roots, which were originally cut off from the path to immortality, to a level that could barely be considered a "spiritual root".

However, the efficiency of this acquired spiritual root in converting the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is still extremely low, only reaching about 20%.

This means that even if he absorbs and refines 100% of the spiritual energy, 80% will be lost in vain.

Xia Dong knew perfectly well that if he hadn't been able to refine a large number of Qi Gathering Pills himself, with only a 20% conversion rate of spiritual energy, his current cultivation progress might not even be as good as Zhao Ting's a few years ago.

...

...

Xia Dong then took out the jade bottle containing the Profound Yin Gathering Qi Pill from his bosom and gently uncorked it. In an instant, a cool and pure medicinal aura spread out.

The giant serpent, which had been coiled in the shadow of the cliff, suddenly raised its enormous head, its cold, vertical pupils revealing an undisguised joy and desire.

However, to Xia Dong's surprise, after the giant snake slithered forward and flicked away the two pills with its tongue, it did not swallow them in one gulp as it usually did.

It lowered its head slightly, and a faint but clear thought was transmitted to Xia Dong's mind through spiritual perception—it was signaling Xia Dong to stay and wait with it.

Xia Dong felt a slight stirring in his heart, as if he had some strange premonition, so he did not refuse.

He found a clean blue stone nearby and sat down cross-legged. The man and the snake lay dormant quietly in this deep mountain valley.

Before we knew it, the daylight faded and night quietly fell.

A bright moon, round like a disc, slowly passed over the dense shadows of the trees on Tiger Hill and climbed into the vast night sky.

When the moon is high in the sky, its cool moonlight spills across the cliff like mercury.

At that moment, the giant snake moved.

Its massive body slowly rose up, as if paying homage to the lonely moon.

The scarlet snake hissed as it flicked its tongue, and then, from its deep, gaping maw, it slowly forced out a tiny, rice-grain-sized, yet dazzlingly silvery light.

Xia Dong held his breath, sensing the surging vitality and pure demonic power contained within the radiant light, secretly astonished: "Such a refined creation, could it be the demon core of this strange serpent that is not yet fully formed?"

With the appearance of this "demon core", the two Xuan Yin Gathering Qi Pills that the giant snake had been holding in its mouth suddenly floated into the air and slowly circled around the radiant core.

The giant serpent opened its enormous mouth, breathing in and out towards the sky.

With each breath, a wondrous vortex of spiritual energy was drawn forth.

The moonlight in the sky seemed to be summoned by some invisible force, cascading down like a waterfall, growing ever more intense, and finally transforming into a dreamlike silver mist around the cliff.

Xia Dong glanced sideways at the cold pool not far away. The water was still and undisturbed, like a naturally formed ancient mirror.

The reflection in the water grew ever brighter and clearer as the moonlight from the sky continued to gather.

The moon hangs high in the sky, and its reflection sinks into the water like a jade disc, their reflections shimmering in the misty haze. For a moment, Xia Dong was mesmerized, unable to distinguish which was real and which was an illusion, feeling only that the world was filled with a clear, silvery glow.

Just as Xia Dong was immersed in this mysterious and beautiful scene, the giant snake quietly slithered to his side.

Its massive body no longer appeared ferocious and terrifying under the moonlight, but instead exuded a mysterious beauty unique to ancient beasts.

The giant serpent slightly lowered its head, its thick body dancing gracefully in the vortex of moonlight and spiritual mist. Its mouth opened and closed, greedily and rhythmically swallowing the watery moonlight.

Watching the giant serpent dance under the moonlight, Xia Dong felt as if a lightning bolt had cleaved through the chaos in his mind, instantly bringing him a moment of divine inspiration.

He stood up involuntarily, his arms naturally outstretched, his legs slightly bent, following the mysterious flow of energy around him, and assumed the ancient crane-shaped stance.

Originally, the Xuan Yin Refining Qi method he practiced was mostly a meditation exercise involving sitting and breathing.

But at this moment, with his sudden enlightenment and the stretching of his body, this technique quietly underwent a transformation, changing from extreme stillness to extreme movement.

His movements were as light as a feather, and his breathing gradually synchronized with the serpent's inhalation and exhalation. He seemed to transform into a crane about to spread its wings and bask in the moonlight, dancing gracefully between heaven and earth.

As Xia Dong performed the Crane-shaped stance, it seemed as if all the pores on his body were completely opened at that moment.

The rich moonlight that gathered as the giant snake breathed in and out, mixed with the purest spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the night, flowed into his body like wisps of clear, sweet spring water, following his breath and the rhythm of his stance.

My internal organs felt as if they were bathed in sweet rain, and an unprecedented sense of comfort and clarity flowed through my limbs and bones.