Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

After obtaining the poison manual, medical classic, Longevity Technique, and three bottles of Blood Burning Pills left behind by the old man, Murong Fan dared not slacken his efforts and sought out a secluded mountain cave for seclusion. He sealed the cave entrance with dry branches and broken stones, leaving only a slit for ventilation, and took out an oilcloth-wrapped item from the cold and damp cave to examine it one by one.

The cave was located deep within the Black Wind Mountains. Its entrance was hidden by vines and rocks, making it extremely difficult to find unless one was specifically looking for it. The cave was about three zhang square, with water droplets seeping from the rock walls, the dripping sound particularly clear in the silence.

Murong Fan found a relatively flat bluestone to sit on, wrapped an oilcloth around his knee, and ran his fingertips across the rough cloth, feeling the sharp edges of the books inside and the warm smoothness of the jade bottle.

Both the Poison Classic and the Medical Classic were yellowed and brittle handwritten copies, yet the handwriting was as neat as new. The Poison Classic recorded the principles of the incompatible properties of herbs and medicinal plants, and how to refine invisible poisons; the Medical Classic detailed the meridians and acupoints, complementing the Poison Classic. Murong Fan secretly thought that the Yu family's lineage was indeed profound, no wonder the old man did not forget the revival of the sect on his deathbed.

The first page of the Poison Classic features an illustration of a blood-red datura flower, with the caption "Upon contact with blood, it seals the throat; within seven steps, it severs the intestines." Tucked between the pages are several dried specimens of poisonous plants, emitting a faint, fishy odor.

The medical classic begins with a diagram of the human body's meridians, detailing the location and function of 365 acupoints, and even marking acupuncture treatments for several rare and unusual diseases. Murong Fan was increasingly astonished as he flipped through it; this knowledge far surpassed ordinary medical skills, subtly revealing the methods of a cultivator.

Unfolding the Changchun Kung Fu silk scroll, the opening eight characters, "Nourishing life and prolonging longevity, strengthening the foundation and cultivating vitality," were quite different from worldly martial arts. Although he had doubts, he still decided to give it a try. He memorized the kung fu formula and pondered it repeatedly until he understood it thoroughly. Then, he resolutely used a tinderbox to set fire to the dry leaves and burned the silk scroll to ashes.

Flames licked at the silk scroll, the orange-red light illuminating his cold, stern profile. He knew this was a resolute act to cut off all escape routes—only by engraving the technique into his soul could he leave no openings in future crises. The instant the scroll turned to ashes, he suddenly recalled the old man's dying gaze—a yearning for the continuation of his legacy, and a resignation to the capriciousness of fate.

The first level of the Everlasting Spring Technique emphasizes "breathing and returning to the origin, sinking the Qi to the Dantian." Murong Fan sat cross-legged, concentrating his mind and adjusting his breathing according to the incantation. With his innate spiritual root talent, he quickly sensed a light, warm current seeping into his mouth and nose, which, after being guided to his Dantian, actually smoothed out the chaotic internal energy. He secretly marveled at the remarkable effect of this technique in conditioning his foundation, and stopped once he had mastered the first level.

At first, the warm current was as thin as a spider's thread, and would dissipate if one was not careful. He held his breath and focused his mind, guiding it slowly down the Ren meridian. When it passed through acupoints such as Tanzhong and Shenque, he could feel a slight distending pain in the meridian.

Half an hour later, the warm current finally reached his dantian, rippling outwards like a stone thrown into a lake. He looked inwards at his dantian and saw that the originally chaotic internal energy was being washed away by a clear spring, with impurities settling and gradually becoming clear.

He then picked up the Blood-Burning Pill. The jade bottle felt warm to the touch, and as soon as he uncorked it, a foul and bitter odor wafted out. Remembering the old man's warning that "unleashing potential comes at the cost of shortening one's lifespan," he ultimately did not take it. Instead, he used his mind to summon an altar and offered the pill along with the Poison Manual and Medical Classic.

The jade bottle felt cool to the touch, and its surface was engraved with intricate runes, seemingly to suppress the medicinal effects. He brought the bottle's opening close to his nose, and the stench mixed with a faint, exotic fragrance reminded him of the dark green marks on the old man's withered fingers.

"Shortening my lifespan..." He sneered, neatly arranging the three bottles of Blood Burning Pills, and placing the Poison Manual and Medical Classic aside. He then used his mind to summon the altar.

In an instant!

The altar's light curtain appeared in response, its purple-blue light illuminating the ambition in his eyes.

Purple-blue scrolling text:

[3 bottles of Blood Burning Pills: Quickly boost cultivation and combat power]

[Poison Classic, Volume 1: Enhances poison resistance and strengthens poison attack]

[Medical Encyclopedia, Volume 1: Strengthening the Body, Saving Lives and Healing the Wounded]

The screen then flashed with a reminder: "The Poison Manual and Medical Canon are precious classics in the cultivation world, with extremely high value. Host Murong Fan's cultivation is still shallow. To improve his cultivation, he needs to be down-to-earth and steady in his progress in order to achieve something. Therefore, their value is temporarily sealed and can be exchanged after his strength is improved."

The altar's hum grew stronger, and the Poison Manual and Medical Canon transformed into two streams of light, disappearing into the altar. The illusory image of the pages turning flashed across the light screen. The Blood-Burning Pill transformed into three clouds of blood mist, intertwining and merging with the energy of the scriptures.

Murong Fan stared intently at the light screen. When he saw the message "The value of the Poison Scripture and Medical Classic is temporarily sealed," he raised an eyebrow. This meant that he would need to reach a higher level of cultivation in the future to unlock the true value of these inheritances.

Golden light exploded like a surging galaxy, and the light screen reappeared:

[Sacrifice successful! Obtained one bottle each of Yellow Dragon Pill, Spirit Cleansing Powder, and Essence Nourishing Pill].

All three bottles of pills fell into his hands. Murong Fan murmured the name "Yu Zitong"—the old man's dying wish. He neither agreed nor disagreed, treating it only as a resource or clue that might be useful in the future.

The bottle of Huanglongdan was surrounded by a faint golden light. When the stopper was opened, a surge of vitality rushed out, as if one were in a medicinal field in early spring.

Qingling San is a semi-transparent crystal that emits a refreshing, minty scent.

The Nourishing Essence Pill was dark red in color, with a faint flow of blood and qi. Each of the three bottles of pills had its own mysteries. Murong Fan put them into his hidden pockets, stroking the bottle of the Yellow Dragon Pill with his fingertips, feeling the liquid pill inside sway.

As dusk settled, Murong Fan rose and stretched, feeling light and refreshed—although mastering the Changchun Gong hadn't increased his internal strength, it had greatly improved his spirit and energy. He swept away the traces at the cave entrance and, like a ghost, darted back to the Seven Mysteries Sect, carefully storing the elixir in his residence.

He used his sword sheath to push aside the withered branches at the cave entrance, his figure darting out like a raccoon, landing silently. The mountain wind whistled past his ears, carrying the sound of pine trees. He subconsciously activated his Everlasting Spring Technique, not only able to detect the footsteps of wild rabbits running dozens of meters away, but also faintly hearing the crawling of tiny insects. This surge in his five senses made him shudder—the path of cultivation was indeed infinitely mysterious.

Lying in bed, gazing at the rafters, Murong Fan's thoughts surged: He had once been merely a mortal martial artist, but now the door to immortality had been opened. "If the altar could offer sacrifices for immortality cultivation..." The thought was hard to suppress once it arose, but he immediately forced himself to calm down—his most urgent task was to improve his Everlasting Spring Technique and truly embark on the path to immortality.

The next morning, he paid his respects to the sect leader as usual. Wang Juechu's study was filled with the scent of sandalwood, and on the desk was a map of the Seven Mysteries Sect, marking the spheres of influence of the Wild Wolf Gang and the Broken Water Sect.

"Fan'er's cultivation has progressed rapidly recently," the sect leader said, taking a sip of tea, his eyes sharp. "The situation at Black Wind Mountain is unpredictable; you must be extra careful." Murong Fan bowed in agreement.

Seeing that he had a rosy complexion, Wang Juechu bestowed upon him several bottles of worldly elixirs. Murong Fan pretended to be grateful and accepted them, but his heart remained calm.

Back in his room, he took out the Yellow Dragon Pill. The pill was entirely golden, with dragon patterns flowing within it, and a refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted from it. The pill melted instantly in his mouth, its warm energy spreading gently through his meridians like melting snow.

He meditated cross-legged for more than ten days, and the energy in his body finally gathered in his dantian, breaking through the invisible barrier—a wisp of viscous liquid spiritual power was quietly born, carrying a spiritual purity far exceeding that of internal force.

Spiritual energy swirled and condensed in his dantian, initially as ethereal as a thin mist, but gradually liquefied as it was nourished by the power of the Yellow Dragon Pill. When the first drop of spiritual energy was formed, Murong Fan felt a buzzing sound in his mind, as if his sea of ​​consciousness had expanded several times over.

He tried to mobilize this wisp of spiritual power, and saw it flow freely through his meridians as if it were his own arm or fingers. Wherever it passed, the previously blocked acupoints were suddenly cleared.

Murong Fan opened his eyes, cupping the cool spiritual energy in his palm, and was shocked: "The first level of the Everlasting Spring Technique is complete!"

In just half a month, he transformed from an ordinary martial artist into a Qi Refining Level 1 cultivator. He took a deep breath: "The path to immortality is long and arduous, but fortunately... I have finally taken the first step."