Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

After using a combination of kindness and severity, Li Xiuyuan released a wisp of spiritual pressure, which pressed down on Fei Wu, causing him to involuntarily kneel on the ground.

"I will obey Immortal Master Li's orders and do my utmost to fulfill my daily quota of ore submissions. I would never dare to delay Immortal Master's important matters!"

Fei Wu knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, displaying an attitude of swearing loyalty to the death.

He knew in his heart that if he failed to complete his daily ore mining task, he would lose not only gold and silver but also his life.

"You may leave."

Li Xiuyuan waved for him to step back.

He wasn't there specifically to manage the mining area; he just needed to ensure the monthly ore quota was met.

Li Xiuyuan turned his attention to Wu Wen and the others, gave them a few simple instructions, and put them to work.

He then kept Wu Wen behind and said earnestly, "Junior Brother Wu, if you encounter a powerful enemy, preserving your life is the most important thing."

"As long as you're alive, everything is fine."

His tone was sincere, indicating that he valued Wu Wen highly.

This attitude startled Wu Wen. He had only met this Senior Brother Li once, so why did he value him so much?

It seems he was quick to choose sides!

Does this mean they consider it one of their own?

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Li. I will certainly do my duty faithfully and act flexibly."

Wu Wen laughed heartily, wanting to show his loyalty but not daring to speak too bluntly, lest he leave himself open to criticism.

Li Xiuyuan glanced briefly at Zhou Li and the other person as they walked away, and seeing that they were looking indignant, he then sent Wu Wen away.

"I can't let you guys stick together, or I'll be in big trouble."

If a powerful enemy were to attack, the three of them, at the early stage of Qi Refining, combined with a first-tier formation, would definitely not be able to withstand it.

It should be noted that if a Qi Refining stage scout team were to attack, it would consist of at least several late-stage Qi Refining stage scouts combined with Qi Refining Perfection stage scouts.

As things stand, it's impossible for Li Xiuyuan to kill him right now.

He now wields a top-grade golden sword and is protected by golden armor and a spirit shield, allowing him to hold his own against those elite sect cultivators for a few moves.

As long as it's not a Foundation Establishment cultivator leading the team, even if he can't defeat them, preserving his life is a piece of cake.

After seeing Wu Wen and the others off, Li Xiuyuan withdrew his gaze.

He left the mining area, mounted his horse, and headed towards Black Wind Market.

As the person in charge of this mission, he certainly wouldn't be stationed at the mining area all the time.

As long as one stays in Blackwind City to oversee the overall situation, one should naturally make the most of the extra time for cultivation.

This is a small privilege, and it has always been an unspoken rule for accepting garrison duties.

Of course, only a few disciples can avoid the war. As war is inevitable, the vast majority of Qi Refining cultivators in the Chu Kingdom will be drawn into this massive war of cultivation.

Li Xiuyuan put the Migu Mouse in the garden and let it play by itself.

He, on the other hand, practiced boxing and body training as usual.

The second form of the Yi Jin Jing, Iron Bridge Locking Tendons, is not far from completion.

He wasn't in a hurry to cultivate, since he was currently lacking body-refining medicines and demon beast meat.

Daily practice is sufficient to maintain the normal natural circulation of Qi and blood.

Once he establishes connections with the demon hunters here and obtains a large amount of body-refining resources, he can steadily advance his body-refining cultivation.

Although the spiritual energy here is not abundant, his cultivation level is still steadily improving with the help of pills and a large number of spirit stones.

Time flies when you're cultivating immortality; two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

In the past two months, Li Xiuyuan has refined all the Qi Ling Pills he brought.

With the help of the pure spiritual power of the elixir and the refined spiritual energy from the Golden Devouring Bowl, his cultivation experienced an explosive growth.

On this day, Li Xiuyuan inhaled and exhaled spiritual energy, circulating the last wisp of medicinal power throughout his body with his cultivation technique.

After being purified by the Golden Devouring Spirit Bowl, streams of purified spiritual energy surged into the meridians, pure and swift. Guided by the Golden Flame Burning Heaven Technique, one cycle after another was completed without interruption.

The spiritual energy in the dantian continued to rise, although the amount of newly added spiritual energy was not large.

The spiritual energy, compressed with each cycle, becomes increasingly condensed, guiding the increasingly pure spiritual energy to expand and unblock countless tiny meridians.

After being filtered and repeatedly refined and compressed through several cycles of heaven and earth, the spiritual energy made Li Xiuyuan's aura become increasingly profound.

Open the panel:

[Realm Level: Qi Refining Level 6, 70/100]

[Technique: Golden Flame Heaven-Burning Technique, Initial Understanding: 88/100]

However, this good fortune didn't last long, and Li Xiuyuan stopped his extravagant cultivation using spirit stones.

There's no other reason than that I don't have many spirit stones left!

The forty spirit stones and twelve spirit-awakening pills I received from the mission hall have been used up in the past two months.

Including the three hundred spirit stones he had left when he set off.

After two months of continuous cultivation and the operation of the cave's formation, only forty-five spirit stones remained.

It seems like a lot, but he still needs to stay here for ten years!

Even if you only use one a day, it won't last for half a year.

He must find a way to earn spirit stones so that he can take advantage of the rapid progress in the early stages of his cultivation technique.

Having grown accustomed to rapid cultivation through pills and spirit stones, the contrast between Li Xiuyuan's current state and the slow, methodical meditation and qi cultivation was unacceptable.

Having no other choice, Li Xiuyuan had to return to his old profession: alchemy!

He counted the remaining fasting pills he had given to the Migu rats as snacks; there were thirty top-grade and fifty high-grade pills.

The next morning, Li Xiuyuan took his Migu Mouse, changed into a black robe, and disguised himself.

He planned to go to the Blackwind Market near Blackwind City to sell his pills and buy some low-grade herbs to refine into pills, which would then be exchanged for spirit stones to continue his cultivation.

Once he confirms that he has made no mistakes, even the most familiar person will not be able to recognize his origin at first glance.

Only then did he feel relieved and leave.

In the past two months, Li Xiuyuan took the time to visit the mining area twice to check and found that the ore output was sufficient and that Wu Wen and the others had not made any mistakes.

He instructed the group not to interfere in the daily management of the mine area and to leave professional tasks to professionals to avoid affecting production.

Li Xiuyuan turned a blind eye to the fact that the group had embezzled a few pieces of ore. As long as the task was completed on time, he didn't care about a few spirit stones.

As for the conflict arising from the unequal division of spoils among Wu Wen, Zhou Li, and Su Fei, Li Xiuyuan chose to ignore it.

After all, his role can only be demonstrated when there is conflict among the three; he should act as a enforcer, not a chess player!

As for the manpower lost in the mining area on a daily basis, the city lord has steadily restored it to its original state.

This man was quite cunning; he would occasionally offer up beautiful mortal concubines, ostensibly to "serve tea and water to the immortal master."

They were all sternly reprimanded and driven away by Li Xiuyuan, who valued his virginity highly.

One must not break through one's physical body before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, otherwise it will greatly affect the cultivator's vital energy and reduce the probability of Foundation Establishment.

This is something he cannot tolerate.

But he was not a person who practiced asceticism; he simply did not have the means to do so before.

The tedious and monotonous cultivation of immortality was not something he could endure alone.

The city lord arranged for beautiful singing girls with captivating dance skills and a master musician with superb musical talent to live in the courtyard next to the cave.

In his spare time, Li Xiuyuan would have the two women sing and dance by the small pond, which truly soothed his mind.

Cultivating immortality also requires a balance of relaxation and tension; a balance between tension and relaxation is beneficial for cultivation.

Black Wind City is located deep within the barren Demon Mountain, where cultivation resources are extremely scarce.

Lacking both high-grade spiritual veins and rare cultivation resources, the only way to replenish cultivation resources is to hunt demonic beasts in the Second Mountain.

As a result, not many cultivation forces were born, and Foundation Establishment cultivators would not pass by for decades.

The gold and iron ore veins were considered some of the better resources in the area, but they were seized by the Blazing Fire Sect long ago.

Other smaller factions dared not act rashly in their respect for superiors.

There are only three Qi-refining families around Blackwind City, and no powerful figures among them.

There were less than forty Qi Refining cultivators in total. The strongest among them was the head of the Liu family, named Liu Ye, who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

The closest gathering place for cultivators to Blackwind City is called Blackwind Market, which is two hundred miles away.

The mainstream cultivation level in the market is in the early to mid-stages, and those in the late stage of Qi Refining are considered powerful. As for Foundation Establishment? It might not happen for decades before one person emerges.