First achieve immortality, then cultivate immortality.

After returning to his residence with the demonic power, Xu Mu couldn't suppress his curiosity and secretly took a look.

Master Chen Xuan spoke in such mysterious terms, surely it wouldn't hurt to take a look? If Master Chen Xuan asked him later what he thought, he couldn't possibly be unable to answer.

One is an outer disciple, the other an inner disciple; one is a Qi Refining cultivator, the other a Foundation Establishment cultivator. How could they possibly fight him?

Fortunately, after opening the book, there was nothing unusual.

Upon closer inspection, the technique had no name, but was described as quick to master, without any bottlenecks or talent limitations, which was quite enticing.

After reading it overnight, Xu Mu felt he had gained a lot and had a better understanding of the cultivation of spiritual energy and miasma.

As for cultivation? Cultivate my ass.

He was more curious about how many people within a prestigious sect like theirs secretly practiced demonic arts.

Thinking hard.

There's a lot more to this than meets the eye.

After sighing, he put the manual back into his storage bag and went to sleep.

As long as you're salty enough, no temptation will work.

……

The next day, he found the master in charge of the elixirs, named Master Yutian, an old man with a white beard.

This is Wang Yin's immediate superior, and the person in charge of Kitakumura's medicinal drug production.

Xu Mu's relationship with the other party was not exactly good, but at least they were acquaintances.

After all, he was the one who cultivated most of the medicinal herb fields in Kitamuk Village.

Those disciples who had farming tasks would pass the tasks on to him, so he could be said to be the best employee under this master, and naturally he received more favor.

Xu Mu found him, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked, "Master, regarding the job at Jade Dragon Field that you mentioned before, are there still any openings?"

Upon hearing this, Master Yutian said gently, "Little Xu, I was just saying that casually. There are no more spots available. The medicinal fields here still need you, so just focus on your cultivation and don't be distracted."

Xu Mu looked troubled: "But I feel it's a bit dangerous here..."

"Danger? What danger? There's no danger within the sect." Master Yutian said with a stern face.

Xu Mu sighed and said, "These past few days, Deacon Wang has been coming to my place, threatening me to do things for him."

"Wang Yin?" Master Yutian frowned, and immediately guessed what was going on.

Wang Yin went to great lengths to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill.

"He's already over 81 years old, and he still won't give up?"

"I don't understand either..." Xu Mu scratched his head.

"There might be some misunderstanding. I'll go talk to him. Don't overthink it. Just focus on farming and your spiritual practice," Master Yutian reassured him gently.

"Yes, thank you, Master." Xu Mu bowed and expressed his gratitude, feeling much more at ease.

He wasn't complaining about Wang Yin for no reason, but rather to confirm his standing with Master Yutian, so that if Master Chen Xuan made trouble, he might be able to invoke Master Yutian's backing.

In this sect, the only way to survive safely is to rely on the rules.

To gain the protection of the rules, the most important thing is to build a solid network of relationships so that someone will look out for him.

Three days later, Master Chen Xuan summoned him.

"I knew I couldn't escape it..."

Left with no other choice, Xu Mu had to go.

Master Chen Xuan sat at the stone table, leisurely sipping his tea, and asked with a faint smile, "How is your cultivation going?"

"...This disciple is dull-witted and has not yet entered the gate," Xu Mu said, bowing.

"It's okay if you don't understand, you can ask me anytime." Master Chen Xuan smiled quite kindly.

Xu Mu then picked out the problems with the cultivation technique and asked him for advice.

In this way, he could at least get away with it by saying that he just couldn't learn it.

Master Chen Xuan didn't delve into it further; once he learned it, he didn't believe he wouldn't cultivate it.

With such poor natural talent, all he knows is farming and he has no extraordinary encounters. If he doesn't even cultivate demonic arts, is he just waiting to die of old age?

He didn't believe such a divine being existed.

……

Five years later, looking at Xu Mu, who still hadn't mastered the demonic arts, Master Chen Xuan fell into deep thought.

"You said you haven't mastered alchemy, you haven't mastered swordsmanship, and now you can't even learn the so-called quick-learn demonic arts?"

Xu Mu also looked helpless: "I didn't want to either..."

He had actually learned the demonic arts, but he never practiced them. He knew that once he became a demonic cultivator, he had to hide it completely, otherwise everyone would kill him. Why would he take such a risk?

Quick fix? Forget about a lifespan with no end in sight.

But it's true that I haven't mastered alchemy and swordsmanship after studying them for so many years...

"Alright, you good-for-nothing, go back to farming." Master Chen Xuan waved his hand, completely losing interest in him.

Xu Mu was very displeased. "Things change every three hundred years, so don't underestimate a young man's potential!"

But now, he could only respectfully perform the ceremony before leaving.

Master Chen Xuan frowned, his face grim.

Xu Mu can give up, but he can't.

He was originally exceptionally talented and could have at least cultivated to the Core Formation stage, but a tragic accident caused his path to immortality to be cut off.

He's still young, not even 150 years old yet, with half his lifespan to live. How could he be content to stop here? Should he spend the rest of his life here teaching others how to cultivate themselves?

In the end, he decided to go all out and cultivate this demonic art himself.

The path of cultivation is about struggle! It's about fighting for your own life.

After Xu Mu walked out of the Transmission Hall, he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had survived another ordeal.

Since Master Chen Xuan has lost interest in him, it's highly unlikely that he would kill him to silence him. He's just a minor character, so killing him would be pointless.

However, he hadn't yet mastered the art of alchemy, which prevented him from growing his own medicinal herbs and refining his own pills, much to his dismay.

He has never been able to comprehend sword intent, which makes him lack self-defense capabilities.

He had saved up for a long time and spent 120 talismans to buy it.

"At least I've learned some of the sword techniques, so it wasn't a complete waste..." That was the only way he could console himself.

Swordsmanship is divided into sword intent, sword moves, and sword techniques.

Sword techniques involve using sword control to maneuver flying swords in combat, resulting in a structured and methodical fighting style, rather than just wild, aimless swings.

Sword techniques are spells performed with a sword, which can be used as ultimate moves for self-defense.

The sword manual he bought, which included a sword technique called "A Glimpse of Beauty," was about killing someone with a single sword strike; it was simple and easy to learn.

However, without the enhancement of sword intent, its power is greatly reduced.

According to Xu Mu's understanding, sword intent is a permanent buff. After being enhanced by sword intent, the damage of both sword moves and sword techniques will increase by at least 10%, with no upper limit!

Anyone who has played games knows what a high-value damage multiplier is, which is why Xu Mu has been envious of it for a long time.

However, he had been practicing for two years and still hadn't been able to grasp the essence of the sword.

"Am I really that bad at understanding things?"

Xu Mu has truly become a Buddhist. Not only is his spiritual root poor, but his comprehension is also lacking.

If it weren't for the fact that I could survive, I, a transmigrator without any special abilities, wouldn't even be worth a hair on the head of the natives.

Helpless, he could only continue cultivating; what else could he do? Giving up on himself wouldn't help.

……

Another half month passed in the blink of an eye, and as expected, Master Chen Xuan stopped looking for him after that day.

However, that very evening, Mu Changfeng suddenly came to the door, his face silent.

"Junior brother, I'm preparing to leave the sect," he said softly.

"Huh?" Xu Mu was stunned.

"What do you mean? Going out on a mission?" he asked hesitantly.

Mu Changfeng shook his head, not saying anything explicitly, and suddenly asked, "Do you know what the ingredients of the Foundation Establishment Pill are?"

Xu Mu nodded.

This is no secret; you can see it when you learn alchemy.

"The Foundation Establishment Pill is a cultivation method passed down from ancient times. The ingredients for refining the pill have been adjusted in many ways, but there is only one ingredient that has remained unchanged since ancient times, called 'Dao Breath'," Mu Changfeng said softly.

"Only by comprehending a wisp of the Great Dao can one establish a foundation for the Dao. Do you know how to obtain this wisp of the Dao?"

Xu Mu shook his head: "I don't know about that. It feels like I'm still too far from Foundation Establishment, so I didn't ask anyone."

Mu Changfeng smiled and said, "The breath of the Dao is the aura of the Great Dao. It can only be comprehended, not touched."

To establish a foundation, one must comprehend the Dao's essence. To form a core, one must comprehend the "Dao's rhythm."

"The essence of Taoism? And the essence of alchemy..."

"That's right. Similar to the essence of alchemy, alchemy requires the essence of alchemy, and the formation of the elixir naturally requires the essence of the Dao."

Dao breath is what is needed for foundation building.

In ancient methods of cultivating immortality, one can refine Foundation Building Pills to trap Daoist energy within the pills, thereby increasing the success rate of comprehending Daoist energy after consumption.

The current method of Qi refining allows one to comprehend the Dao breath on their own, but that's something only a few geniuses can do. Ordinary cultivators like us can only gamble on Foundation Establishment Pills.

As he spoke, he sighed and said, "Foundation Building Pills are not something that can be refined casually. They can usually only be successfully refined within the 'World Bubble'."

When the illusion shatters, the Dao will become clearer; only then can the essence of the Dao be captured and the Foundation Establishment Pill refined.

"What is the illusion of the world?" Xu Mu asked.

"The world is like a bubble... which is what I often call the secret realm."

This mysterious realm is very fragile, hence the name "world bubble." Like a bubble rising from the ocean, it is a real little world to us, but to the Great Dao, it is just a small bubble.

The ocean is vast, you must have seen it, right? Of course, bubbles on the sea surface are fragile; their appearance and disappearance are natural laws.

An illusion of a world will appear from time to time, only to burst after a period of time.

Various sects sent people into the secret realm to compete for Dao essence and refine Foundation Establishment Pills to cultivate more Foundation Establishment inner disciples, and then continue to compete.

Sects that lack the ability to compete will inevitably decline.

"We outer disciples will only be given one chance by the sect; the chances of obtaining a second Foundation Establishment Pill are extremely slim."

Hearing this, Xu Mu understood and asked softly, "Senior Brother, you failed to establish your foundation?"

Mu Changfeng smiled and sighed, "I always thought that even if I wasn't a genius, I must have some extraordinary abilities..."

Junior brother, sometimes I envy you. You don't seem to care about your level of attainment; you just want to live a peaceful life.

I truly envy your mindset, but I can't do it. I want to climb higher, achieve greater mastery, and attain true freedom and ease.

His gaze was fixed on the sunset on the horizon, his eyes filled with longing.

Xu Mu paused for a moment, then said softly, "Senior brother, your pursuit is not wrong, I support you. There's only one thing... I wish you will stay true to yourself, not go astray, and not forget why you started cultivating immortality in the first place."

Mu Changfeng smiled, a hint of bitterness on his lips.

He didn't say anything more, but clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Junior brother, take care."

"Take care, senior brother. There will be many days to come. I hope we can meet again." Xu Mu solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and bow.

Mu Changfeng nodded slightly and flew away on his sword.

Xu Mu later learned that he had not left the sect, but had simply departed and never returned.