Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

After eating and drinking their fill, Li Xiuyuan and Xiao Huo parted ways in front of the cave.

This "Dragon Fish Feast" features a complete cooking method using first-tier superior-grade monsters, specifically the water dragon fish and turtle.

There are all kinds of dishes, from frying and stir-frying to cooking, and top-quality spiritual wine and fruits, paired with top-quality white jade spiritual rice. It's a truly satisfying meal.

This lavish meal cost a full five hundred spirit stones, allowing Li Xiuyuan to experience the extravagant lifestyle of a "second-generation immortal."

Li Xiuyuan returned to his cave and activated all the array restrictions.

The superior spirit wine made him drunk, and he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep immediately.

He didn't get up until the morning of the third day.

He exclaimed in surprise, "How did I reach the fifth level of Qi Refining?!"

Li Xiuyuan sat cross-legged and opened the control panel.

[Realm: Qi Refining Level 5, 1/100]

[Technique: Golden Flame Heaven-Burning Technique, Initial Understanding: 40/100]

He adjusted his senses to feel the incredibly pure magical power surging within his body.

When the exercise is circulated throughout the body, it is discovered that the entire meridian system is pure and clean, without a trace of impurity.

He quickly realized, "It was thanks to that 'Dragon Fish Feast' that the two of them ate all the spirit beast meat, fish, and spirit wine, enough for ten people. No wonder I was unconscious for two days."

"This time I am honored by Fellow Daoist Xiao's kindness, and I must find an opportunity to repay him."

Li Xiuyuan made up his mind that once his pockets were full, he would invite Fellow Daoist Xiao to the Spirit Meat Restaurant for a delicious feast of spirit meat!

He sensed that one-third of the pure spiritual energy within his body had not yet been refined.

He immediately sat down to meditate, took out dozens of spirit stones, summoned the Gold-Swallowing Spirit Bowl, purified the spiritual energy, took a Spirit-Awakening Pill, and began to cultivate.

The Qi Ling Dan melts upon entering the mouth and enters the stomach, transforming into a pure and gentle spiritual energy.

Li Xiuyuan carefully guided this spiritual energy along the specific route of the Golden Flame Burning Heaven Technique, allowing it to flow through the five internal organs, the six viscera, and the eight extraordinary meridians... Every tiny meridian was nourished and transformed by this gentle spiritual energy.

Upon reaching the chest cavity, it splits into two streams that propel it forward simultaneously from above and below.

An upward surge of spiritual energy passed through the ears, nose, and throat, rushing straight to the brain.

A downward flow travels along the abdominal cavity, past the hip bone, and straight to the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of the foot.

The two streams of pure spiritual energy split like river waters, eventually meeting at Li Xiuyuan's dantian and transforming into a part of his own magical power.

Once, twice, three times.

With each cycle of the cultivation technique, he repeatedly refined and concentrated his spiritual energy, while also nurturing and expanding his subtle meridians, enabling him to withstand a greater flow of spiritual energy.

It wasn't until the ninth time that this gentle spiritual energy merged with the abundant spiritual energy accumulated by Li Xiuyuan, forming a complete spiritual energy pathway.

Although it was somewhat strenuous, it brought Li Xiuyuan an extremely comfortable experience.

Li Xiuyuan finished his practice, his body covered in sweat, his moon-white robe completely soaked. He then got up and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Li Xiuyuan returned to the training room, and with a thought, summoned the control panel:

[Realm: Qi Refining Level 5, 10/100]

[Technique: Golden Flame Heaven-Burning Technique, Initial Understanding: 45/100]

This exercise directly increased my cultivation level by nine points and my skill proficiency by five points.

"The potency of this Spirit Awakening Pill is indeed extraordinary; one pill is equivalent to more than half a year of my arduous cultivation."

With sufficient Qi-awakening Pills and spirit stones, one can attempt to break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining within three years.

"With ample pills and spirit stones, the cultivation speed is truly lightning fast."

As if remembering something, Li Xiuyuan took out the animal bone he had bought at the auction.

He held it in his palm and examined it carefully, then compared it closely with the animal bone that Huang Dali had given him.

Following the marks on the edges of the animal bones, Li Xiuyuan pieced the two bone fragments together and found that they were perfectly matched.

The only gap at the top indicates that one last piece of animal bone is missing to complete the set.

Suddenly, Li Xiuyuan's brows relaxed. "We're still missing a beast bone. Huang Dali got his piece in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains, and the other one was brought out from an ancient ruin."

"It's unpredictable and has no pattern. Consider it a lesson learned. Perhaps the opportunity isn't right yet. Let's leave it for later."

Li Xiuyuan sighed, tidied up the house, and planned to go out to buy materials for refining the Rejuvenation Pill.

【Detailed Explanation of Alchemy】Introduces three types of pills used to illustrate the breakthrough of a first-tier low-grade alchemist to the middle-grade.

Li Xiuyuan has successfully mastered both the Qi-Nourishing Pill and the Heart-Clearing Pill to perfection.

They each obtained a [Clarity Pill [Green Rune]: Purifying the mind and reducing desires (Refinable)]

【Nourishing Qi Pill [Green Rune]: Nourishing Qi and Accumulating Essence (Refinable)】Two green runes.

Both "Purifying the Mind and Reducing Desires" and "Nourishing Qi and Accumulating Essence" are techniques that help improve cultivation to the second-tier low-grade level.

The so-called second-tier spells are powerful and mysterious spells that only Foundation Establishment cultivators can cast.

[Purity of Mind and Few Desires] allows cultivators to concentrate fully and maintain a clear mind when refining pills, and most importantly, increases the success rate of pill formation by 50%.

The [Nourishing Qi and Accumulating Essence] skill accelerates the cultivator's refining of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, purifying impurities, and its effect is similar to carrying a set of second-tier spirit-gathering arrays.

Li Xiuyuan saved them up, intending to use them at a critical moment.

During this time, it plans to focus on the Rejuvenating Elixir.

The Rejuvenation Pill is a pill suitable for quickly restoring mana in the early stages of Qi Refining, and he is now at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Only high-grade or higher Rejuvenation Pills can slightly help him restore his mana; other quality pills can only be sold for spirit stones.

……

March passes in the blink of an eye.

Winter has come again, with heavy snow falling everywhere, and the stalls and repairmen in the market are shivering in the cold.

Inside the training room.

[Rejuvenation Pill +1]

[Rejuvenation Pill +1]

[Rejuvenation Pill +1]

Li Xiuyuan collected the fragrant Rejuvenation Pills from the furnace and placed them into jade bottles of different colors to distinguish their quality.

Then I opened the panel and saw:

【Rejuvenation Pill (Complete), 420/500】

[Rejuvenation Pill [White Rune]: Mana Restore x5]

"Hmm, the success rate of this batch of pills reached 40%, and five more [Mana Recovery] runes were obtained. In three months, a total of one hundred low-grade, fifty mid-grade, and ten high-grade Rejuvenation Pills were refined, a very fruitful harvest."

Li Xiuyuan smiled slightly and directly refined a [Mana Recovery] rune.

He then saw the white spirit fish deep in his sea of ​​consciousness being refined by him, transforming into streams of pure magical power that flowed into his dantian.

He recovered one-third of the mana he had used up refining pills all night.

"Indeed, this one rune is equivalent to the effect of several cycles of cultivation, and is equivalent to the pure spiritual power refined from three spirit stones. As expected, the runes obtained through farming are the most powerful."

Li Xiuyuan seemed to remember something, and started counting on his fingers, "Oh dear, this year's special mission isn't finished yet!"

Li Xiuyuan quickly got up, tidied up the house, and hurried towards the market.

……

"What?! The Beast Taming King's caravan, fifty miles outside the market, was robbed and murdered?"

As soon as Li Xiuyuan stepped onto the main road, he heard the two shopkeepers talking.

"Yes, it's said to have been a group of thieves who raided the area. Not only were all the goods looted, but not a single one of the accompanying cultivators was left alive. Corpses littered the ground, and severed limbs were scattered everywhere. These thieves are too arrogant!"

"Didn't we have a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Blazing Fire Sect overseeing the market? How could this have happened?"

"Ahem... These treacherous cultivators are organized and premeditated... It is said that other markets have also been harassed by treacherous cultivators using similar methods. We must inform our families in advance and make preparations accordingly."

"That's right, we need to notify the family in advance to send someone to meet us, to ensure everything goes smoothly!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan quickened his pace toward Lingbao Pavilion.

The second floor of Lingbao Pavilion.

Pang Dehai was sitting at the window on the second floor when he saw Li Xiuyuan arrive. He quickly walked down and led him into the private room on the second floor.

He then ordered someone to brew a pot of spiritual tea.

Pang Dehai was startled when he saw Li Xiuyuan, though he had expected it.

However, he sensed that Li Xiuyuan was emanating a spiritual energy fluctuation that was significantly stronger than his own.

His eyes widened in shock.

Several months ago, he came here to buy Qi-Enhancing Pills in order to improve his cultivation level, and he knew that this Fellow Daoist Li had already reached the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining.

He was already amazed by the speed of his cultivation progress, but he never expected that he would meet Master Xiao Fu and break through his cultivation level again in the blink of an eye.

It truly made him envious.

He had considered learning various cultivation arts, but he simply lacked the talent and had spent a lot of spirit stones.

They encountered many setbacks and suffered a lot of hardship for no reason.

Pang Dehai was filled with emotion, a multitude of thoughts flashing through his mind, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Li, on breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Refining! You've taken another step forward on your path to immortality!"

Li Xiuyuan waved his hand, smiled, and nodded.

"With the help of the elixir, I managed to break through. I haven't seen Fellow Daoist Pang for several months, but he is still as dashing as ever. I've come to bother you again."

In March, after leaving the "Dragon Fish Feast" and refining the Rejuvenation Pill.

Li Xiuyuan had been in seclusion, meditating in the morning and refining elixirs at night.

Since Fellow Daoist Xiao had sold out of Blood Spirit Rice this year, and he had no other body-refining medicines to use as a substitute, Li Xiuyuan's efficiency in refining his Qi and blood by only practicing martial arts and brushing runes was too low.

He sets aside an hour each day to practice the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic) to keep his body constantly active.

The two hadn't seen each other for several months. Even though they were Qi Refining cultivators, their lifespans were longer than those of ordinary people.

These independent cultivators often travel far and wide to earn spirit stones or go into seclusion to practice their techniques, so it's common for them to go for long periods without seeing each other.

Pang Dehai sat upright on the stone bench, raised his teacup and offered a toast to Li Xiuyuan, his tone serene.

"Fellow Daoist Li's alchemy skills are superb. Earning cultivation resources is as easy as drinking water and eating food. In just a few years, he has leaped to the fifth level of Qi Refining. He will probably break through to the later stage soon, while I don't know how many more years I will be stuck in the middle stage of Qi Refining!"

Pang Dehai's tone was full of emotion, and a hint of loneliness appeared at the end.

Not to mention mixed spiritual roots, one will never be able to break through to the initial stage in their lifetime.

Although someone with a mid-grade spiritual root like him doesn't face such difficulties, it's common for them to be stuck at the bottleneck of the mid-stage Qi Refining realm for decades without the assistance of elixirs and spiritual objects.

If you miss the age limit, you'll never be able to build a foundation in this lifetime!

"Fellow Daoist Pang, there's no need for such formality. Everyone has their own destiny. Who knows, one day your luck will change, and you might suddenly achieve enlightenment and successfully establish your foundation?"

Li Xiuyuan looked at the usually cheerful, fat cultivator in front of him, who appeared so dejected.

He quietly suppressed the slight sense of smugness in his heart, calmed himself down, and sincerely comforted himself.

He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

This tea tastes excellent, so it must be some kind of mid-grade spiritual tea, carrying a trace of spiritual energy, but it doesn't have any special effects.

In terms of value, it certainly cannot compare to the top-grade spiritual tea of ​​the Dragon Fish Banquet. He put down his teacup before slowly speaking, his demeanor calm and composed.

"I've heard that Lingbao Pavilion will soon promote you to Vice Pavilion Master. At that time, you will be in charge of a region and hold great power. What worries do you have about a bright future?"

This news was naturally told to him by Xiao Huo. Moreover, the appointment of the deputy pavilion master naturally required the information to be made public, and it could not be kept from those who had ulterior motives.

Upon hearing this, Pang Dehai's worried expression eased, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you for your comforting words, Fellow Daoist Li. It was I who was possessed by demons."

"Has something major happened in the market recently? I noticed that people in the market are restless, and many shops are closed, as if they intend to leave."

Li Xiuyuan took another sip of spiritual tea, put down the teacup, and asked slowly.

When this was mentioned, Pang Dehai's face darkened and he said in a low voice, "A month ago, disciples of the Upper Sect discovered a third-order spiritual vein on the front line of the Wilderness. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a third-order mid-grade spirit stone mine."

"The disciple immediately reported to the sect, and the sect dispatched people to guard the mine that same day. Somehow the news leaked out."

"The news was obtained by the Demon Flame Sect, which was also on the front line. The Upper Sect and the Demon Flame Sect are sworn enemies. The Demon Flame Sect immediately sent several Core Formation cultivators to launch a sneak attack on the mine. Now the two sects are engaged in a fierce struggle over the mine."

"This is a third-tier spiritual vein that can be used by Core Formation cultivators! If we can acquire it, we can nurture several Core Formation cultivators." The battle intensified, so neither side was willing to back down.

"I heard that the upper sect has already lost several Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the number of Qi Refining disciples killed or wounded is countless."

"With two new and old grudges being settled together, and even a Core Formation cultivator getting involved, the fighting is getting really heated, and there is a hint that a major sect war is about to break out."

As Pang Dehai spoke, the worry in his eyes deepened.

When cultivators in the Qi Refining stage join such a battlefield, they are like cannon fodder, and are subsequently killed by the spells of higher-level cultivators.

Spirit stone veins often contain abundant spiritual energy.

It can not only produce the spiritual stones needed for cultivation, but also be transformed into an excellent cultivation site.

A mid-grade third-level spirit ore can supply a Core Formation sect for hundreds of years, enhancing its foundation, nurturing disciples and offspring, ensuring a continuous stream of talent, and allowing its lineage to flourish for centuries.

It should be noted that each of the five major sects in the Chu Kingdom possesses a top-tier third-order spiritual vein and several second-order spiritual vein ores. Only these spiritual vein resources can support the enormous consumption of a sect and cultivate so many high-level cultivators, thus completely widening the gap with other small sects and families.

It can be said that spirit stone mines are the lifeblood of the cultivation world, and this news will soon spread throughout the Chu and Qin kingdoms.

Those sects will not allow the Blazing Fire Sect and the Demon Flame Sect to grow stronger by using the spirit stone mine; it could very well escalate into a war that sweeps across the cultivation world of both Chu and Qin!

Li Xiuyuan was also shocked upon hearing this news.

He could foresee a war that would engulf the two great cultivation kingdoms, and that with his Qi Refining stage strength, he would be at risk of death at any moment if he participated in the war.

Thinking of this, Li Xiuyuan felt an urgent need to improve his strength.

Then, getting straight to the point:

"Fellow Daoist Pang, are the rumors outside true? Is the Blazing Fire Sect really going to forcibly conscript its cultivators to the front lines?"