Cultivating immortality begins with formations.

As I walked out of Juxianlou and parted ways with my fellow villagers, the sky was already filled with stars.

Zhang Dashan has now been assigned by the Zhou family to manage the Lingmi shop run by the Zhou family, so he has moved to Jiulingfang Market.

Moreover, since he no longer needs to do manual labor, he has saved a lot of time for cultivation and has already broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

The pharmacist refines elixirs and cultivates his skills every day.

Although the spirit stones obtained from selling Qi Condensation Pills could not accumulate much, they were not lacking in cultivation resources.

I estimate that it will take about two or three months to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Ji Ming had clearly distanced himself from the three of them and was now a Qi Refining Level 7 cultivator.

A cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining is usually referred to as a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

At his age, as long as his cultivation goes smoothly and he doesn't perish along the way, reaching the Foundation Establishment stage is only a matter of time.

Not to mention that he is now valued by the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Azure Lotus Sword Sect.

At the dinner table, Lu Yuan learned from Ji Ming why he was so confident that he could enter the second round of trials.

It turned out that when Sun Qi, the Foundation Establishment cultivator, arranged his trial opponents, he intentionally arranged for weaker late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

Such underhanded operations.

Ji Ming was naturally able to pass the first round of entry trials of the Qinglian Sword Sect smoothly.

However, Lu Yuan still said something extra...

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Sun Qi's underhanded tactics in sending Ji Ming to the Qinglian Sword Sect must mean he has something to ask for in the future.

Ji Ming, however, didn't care at all.

After all, if the other party was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and truly had malicious intent, there would be no need for them to do this.

These are things he can't control right now, since he's not directly involved.

Just like how good Jiang Zhi and Gu Qingyao were to him, if he told others, they would definitely think that these two female cultivators had ulterior motives.

But only Lu Yuan knew.

How relaxed he felt when he was with these two female nuns.

This feeling is something that cannot be shared with others.

Back home, Lu Yuan shook his head, trying to clear his mind of these thoughts.

Then, they set up an iron pot and a wooden bucket in the courtyard, boiled the water in the bucket, and poured in the Qingyang Body Tempering Liquid...

He stripped off his clothes, jumped into the bucket, and began to stew himself in the iron pot.

It was late at night.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged in the wooden tub, circulating the Nine Revolutions Body Refining Technique.

The water in the bucket had already boiled, and under the influence of the medicine, it turned into a pale blue color.

The spiritual energy flowed from the dantian, guiding the medicinal power to penetrate the limbs and bones.

The bluish liquid from the wooden tub seeped into his pores.

The excruciating pain felt like thousands of red-hot steel needles piercing his skin simultaneously; it was the medicine tearing and rebuilding his epidermal meridians.

The first stage of the Nine Revolutions Body Refining Technique requires practitioners to experience the pain of tearing flesh during cultivation.

Even after becoming a cultivator, Lu Yuan was still afraid of pain.

But this pain makes one instinctively want to jump out of the barrel.

But that's how cultivation works; only by enduring what others cannot endure can one become stronger.

Lu Yuan gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

Time slips away, bit by bit.

After an unknown amount of time, the pale blue liquid in the wooden bucket turned into clear water.

Lu Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

The first stage of the Nine Revolutions Body Refining Technique is complete.

He was somewhat surprised.

"Could it be that I also possess some talent in body refinement?"

It took only half a month since I started practicing the Nine Revolutions Body Refining Technique to successfully enter the first revolution.

Touching my skin, I could clearly feel that it had become tougher after entering the first stage.

Although he still had one longevity pill, he did not intend to use it at this moment.

Neither the Nine Revolutions Body Refining Technique nor any other techniques I have mastered are worth sacrificing my lifespan to cultivate.

After all, during his Qi Refining stage, he could only take this one more Longevity Pill.

……

The next day.

Beast Taming Pavilion.

Lu Yuan donned the Thousand Illusion Mask, disguising himself as an elderly man, and entered the Beast Taming Pavilion opened by the Beast Taming Lin family.

Among the five major families of Jiulingfang Market.

Only the Lin family is proficient in beast taming techniques, and their Beast Taming Pavilion has all kinds of first and second-tier demonic beasts.

Lu Yuan came here this time to buy a demon beast.

He already had a plan in mind.

"Fellow Daoist, please come in."

As soon as they entered, a dignified-looking female cultivator greeted them with a smile.

It must be said that even in the world of cultivation, the common practice is not immune to this, with many of the receptionists being beautiful female cultivators.

After all, women have a natural advantage when it comes to sales.

"I want to buy a monster egg, preferably a second-tier monster egg."

Upon hearing this, the female cultivator's eyes lit up.

Even the cheapest second-tier monster egg costs at least a thousand spirit stones, which is not something everyone can afford.

"Senior, please come upstairs."

The Beast Taming Pavilion is a three-story wooden building with flying eaves and bracket sets.

The first floor mainly contained ordinary goods, but when Lu Yuan went up to the second floor, his eyes were opened.

Each glass case is like a world unto itself, whether it be lush with fragrant grass, a snowy wonderland, or scorching with fire.

Various monster eggs are on display.

In another corner, there were many wooden cages sealed with talismans.

Through the cracks in the cage door, one could see many young monsters.

Despite the presence of so many young demon beasts, there was no strange smell in the pavilion; instead, there was a refreshing fragrance of spiritual herbs.

At that moment, there were still a few guests on the second floor.

No wonder the Beast Taming Lin family ranks among the top two in Jiuling Market.

Just by looking at the large variety of young demon beasts in this place, one can make some inferences.

The female cultivator who had greeted Lu Yuan earlier led him upstairs and then came back downstairs.

A middle-aged steward dressed in brocade robes came forward with a smile, his shrewd eyes sweeping over Lu Yuan.

"Senior, do you wish to purchase a spirit beast for transportation, or to train a battle pet?"

Judging from the old man's simple clothes and ordinary demeanor, he seemed to have no cultivation whatsoever.

His expression couldn't help but show a hint of respect.

The fact that no cultivation level could be discerned was enough to prove that the old man's cultivation was far superior to that of this manager at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Lu Yuan naturally noticed the other party's gaze, secretly chuckled to himself, but remained outwardly calm, and said in a hoarse voice, "Does your esteemed establishment possess any second-tier tortoise-type spirit pets?"

When Lu Yuan trains his spirit pets, he doesn't care about their combat strength or their speed; he only cares whether the spirit pet can survive.

In terms of lifespan, few monsters can surpass the tortoise.

The manager paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Our establishment has all kinds of spirit pets, including some turtles, but if you need a second-tier one..."

There is only one.

With that, he gestured, "Senior, please follow me."

Lu Yuan followed him to an inconspicuous corner deep inside the hall.

There is a light blue monster egg there.

At this moment, the monster egg is submerged in a glass cabinet filled with water.

"This is the egg of a second-tier demonic beast, the Xuan Shui Ling Turtle. If it reaches maturity, it will have a lifespan of a thousand years..."

"However, its growth rate is relatively slow, requiring at least several hundred years."

"Moreover, since this Xuan Shui Spirit Turtle can only unleash its full power in water, although it is a second-tier demon beast, no one has ever been interested in it. If you are interested in buying it, senior, you can get a 10% discount, so it will only cost you 1,800 low-grade spirit stones."