Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

Three months later.

Before dawn, Li Xiuyuan had already set up his stance in the open space of the courtyard.

This is the final movement of the Yi Jin Jing, "Ling Jin Ta Xu," which is the body movement of the entire exercise.

Once this technique is mastered, it can break through the limitations of the first stage of body refinement, allowing the body to be driven by the power of the meridians.

By utilizing the essence of one's own blood, one can briefly walk on air, balancing agility with attack coordination. The core principle is "raising qi in the meridians and borrowing strength from the void," which is the key to breaking through from the first to the second stage.

Li Xiuyuan mobilized his original Qi and blood to gather in the soles of his feet, and naturally raised his hands to maintain his balance.

When inhaling, the muscles and tendons exert force to lift the body upwards, with the soles of the feet leaving the ground, as if stepping on empty air;

When exhaling, the muscles and tendons relax, and the body slowly descends. By using the surrounding airflow and objects for leverage, one can achieve flight and evasion in the air.

When moving, lightly tap your toes and quickly exert force through your meridians to achieve short-distance teleportation. When connecting attack moves, you can turn in mid-air and use the force of falling to launch a chop or kick.

The original vital energy and blood seemed to come alive, surging out from the lower abdomen and dantian.

A stream flows upwards, into the chest cavity, to the Baihui acupoint.

A stream flows downwards, through the abdominal cavity, down the groin, and directly to the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of the foot.

The two streams of energy and blood flowed like a raging river, frantically washing over the meridians and tempering every inch of flesh and blood, making it even stronger.

Once, twice, three times.

On the ninth repetition, the two streams of qi and blood regenerate and merge at the dantian, forming a perfect cycle of qi and blood.

Although he was still a bit rusty, he had mastered the key to the final move.

Li Xiuyuan slowly finished his practice, his whole body was soaked, and then the sweat evaporated due to his extremely high body temperature.

With a thought, the panel appeared.

[Yi Jin Jing (Complete), 890/1000]

[Yi Jin Jing [White Rune]: Increases Qi and Blood by 3 (Refinable)]

From mastering the first move to perfecting the sixth move, Li Xiuyuan reached a level that others could not achieve in just a few years.

"In two more years, I can try to break through and advance to the next level!"

Li Xiuyuan smiled as he felt the surging power of qi and blood within his body.

Li Xiuyuan put away the panel and walked out of the cave.

He was preparing to go to the mining area to deal with a rumor.

……

Black Wind Mining Area.

A streak of crimson flames landed in front of the steward's wooden hut, and the obsequious old man was about to step forward to pay his respects.

Li Xiuyuan waved his hand, signaling him to step back, and he bowed respectfully and left.

Li Xiuyuan sent a message to Wu Wen, "Junior Brother Wu Wen, come to the wooden house to see me immediately."

Half an hour later.

Wu Wen rushed over from outside and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Li."

Li Xiuyuan nodded slightly. "How's the situation at the mine recently?"

Wu Wen's face was extremely pale, and he said with a hint of surprise, "Recently, I don't know where the news came from, saying that there is a rare treasure under the mine, which has attracted a lot of rogue cultivators to spy on it. Zhou Li, Su Fei, and I have already killed five or six rogue cultivator teams."

"These are just the ones who dared to attack us; there are many others hiding in the shadows."

Li Xiuyuan frowned slightly. There were five or six groups of independent cultivators.

This is not good news.

"Could this be a tactic employed by the Beast Taming Sect?"

Li Xiuyuan recalled the information he learned from killing the manager of Baicaotang that day: many spies from the Beast Taming Sect were lurking in the heart of the Blazing Fire Sect, and the news that there was a treasure in the mining area might also be their doing.

"It's not just rogue cultivators; some demonic beasts have also been attacking the mining area for no apparent reason, and I've led my team to repel them three or four times already."

Li Xiuyuan continued walking deeper into the mining area without stopping.

Wu Wen cautiously probed, "Reporting to Senior Brother Li, we found some resource markers belonging to the Liu family on the bodies of those cultivators. I suspect that the Heaven and Earth Society and the Liu family have sided with foreign forces."

"Otherwise, with their strength, how dare they challenge the majesty of the Blazing Fire Sect!"

Wu Wen said indignantly.

Li Xiuyuan nodded slightly, offering no comment.

He became suspicious of the Liu family because of their perfunctory attitude towards the envoy from the upper realm.

Moreover, the secret order from the Beast Taming Sect that he obtained from checking the storage bag of the Baicaotang shopkeeper indicated that this rumor and the incident involving the plundering of cultivators were related to the Beast Taming Sect.

Suddenly, he turned to the side, his tone carrying a powerful, oppressive divine sense, and stared at Wu Wen with a hint of anger: "Junior Brother Wu, are you sure the news about that treasure is false? You three didn't secretly exchange them behind my back, did you?"

Wu Wen was startled by the sudden pressure of divine consciousness, and felt as if he had fallen into the deepest hell, with one knee on the ground.

Lian Sheng pleaded for mercy, saying, "I hope Senior Brother Li will see the truth. I swear to heaven that I would never dare to deceive you. The treasure must be a rumor spread by a demonic sorcerer to sow discord among our troops."

Li Xiuyuan's complexion improved, and he smiled as he approached and helped Wu Wen, who had collapsed several times, to his feet.

"Junior Brother Wu is loyal to his duty and wholeheartedly serves the sect and his senior brother. He is certainly not a demonic monster. Alright, you can stand up and speak first."

Wu Wen felt as if he had just walked through the gates of death, his heart pounding with anxiety. He thought to himself, "Senior Brother Li's cultivation is becoming increasingly unfathomable. Luckily, I chose his side in advance. Perhaps Senior Brother Li really has a chance to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, and then I can at least benefit from it."

The two quickly walked around the mining area, but Li Xiuyuan did not find anything unusual, and he did not even see a trace of the so-called "treasure".

At this moment, Zhou Li and Su Fei arrived late and saw Wu Wen standing nervously to the side.

The two men felt a chill run down their spines and bowed in unison, saying, "Greetings, Senior Brother Li!"

Li Xiuyuan nodded slightly. "Mm."

"I've heard that the three of you have worked together to repel several demonic beasts and raiders during this period, protecting the interests of the sect. You've done a good job. I'll compile this matter into a book and report it to the sect when I get back. You'll be rewarded handsomely. I hope you'll continue your efforts."

The three were overjoyed upon hearing this and said in unison, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Li Xiuyuan smiled and nodded. The attack on the mining area by the Jiexiu was a meritorious achievement, neither too big nor too small.

This small amount of credit is not enough to warrant embezzlement. Now that he is quite wealthy, he disdains taking credit and shares the profits with the three people in order to better lead the team.

Who knows, people's hearts might not even be of any use?

Li Xiuyuan waved for the three to leave, and they bowed and departed.

After the three left, he planned to find a secluded place to build a temporary cave dwelling and settle down.

"It's best to stay here and keep watch over these restless cultivators who have been causing trouble lately, so as not to delay the important matter of paying the ore."

Half an hour later.

Li Xiuyuan built a cave dwelling measuring three acres in size in a basin surrounded by mountains on three sides.

He flung the flags of the Green Vine Armor Formation in all directions, and in an instant, thick and sturdy green vines surrounded the valley, leaving only a vital passage at the formation's core, where Li Xiuyuan was stationed.

Li Xiuyuan threw out a hundred spirit stones and embedded them into the array plate. The wind rose and the clouds surged, and the mist in the valley was attracted by the array and gathered above the cave.

From the outside, all that can be seen is layers of mist covering the valley.

Inside the training room, Li Xiuyuan sat cross-legged, diligently practicing his internal energy.

……

Fifty miles outside the mining area.

"Damn it, is this guy surnamed Li planning to stay here and never leave?"

"Brother Liu, shall we continue to send the monsters to attack the mining area?"

A leader of the Jiexiu sect, bearing the insignia of the Heaven and Earth Society, spoke to a handsome young man in his early twenties.

"Of course we want it! If we jeopardize the Holy Sect's affairs, we'll both lose our lives!"

The young man wearing the robes of a Liu family cultivator roared furiously, his face contorted with rage.

"Then your Liu family will need to send more manpower, at least five mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators. The disciples of the Blazing Fire Sect are really hard to deal with. Just this month, our Heaven and Earth Society lost a brother who was in the early stage of Qi Refining."

"Three. All of my Liu family's manpower is tied up in that medicinal herb garden, and we can't spare any more people."

"good!"

……

Several months later.

Inside Li Xiuyuan's cave.

Li Xiuyuan, Wu Wen, and Zhou Li sat on a futon, exchanging their cultivation experiences and battlefield intelligence.

"This time, our sect defeated the combined forces of the Demon Flame Sect and the Beast Taming Sect in the Wilderness. Fairy Chi Lianxin single-handedly killed several late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, greatly boosting our sect's morale. However, our sect's interior was attacked by the demonic forces, resulting in the loss of many resource points and the death of many fellow disciples..."

Zhou Li said with a pale face, "The Beast Taming Sect even issued a bounty on the black market, attracting a large number of rogue cultivators to storm the sect's resource production areas, mixed with many elites from rebellious cultivation families... They don't even care if the rogue cultivators die. It is said that most of the assault team members are in the late stage of Qi Refining and are also good at combat. They have breached several spirit herb gardens and mines..."

"Are we being watched...?"

Zhou Li said nervously.

These messages were all sent by her family; Li Xiuyuan was the strongest cultivator in the mining area.

In order to make a living, she naturally wouldn't hide it.

"I really don't know when this war will end."

Wu Wen listened to these secrets with trepidation.

"I've heard that the Demon Flame Sect has produced an extraordinary prodigy with a dark-elemental spiritual root... This battle killed many of our disciples. I hope Senior Uncle Chi Lianxin can kill him and bring honor to our sect!"

Sophie, who had always been taciturn, spoke up, and her words were astonishing.

Human cultivators possess all five elements, but their spiritual roots are not limited to just five.

For example, this Dark Spiritual Root is a mutation of the Five Elements Spiritual Root. Its extraordinary quality is far superior to that of the High-Grade Spiritual Root. Although it is not as heaven-defying as the Heaven-Grade Spiritual Root which has no bottleneck before Core Formation, its cultivation speed is definitely not slow.

With such a prodigy as the Demon Flame Sect, if they were to truly seize that third-tier mine, they could produce another Golden Core cultivator within a hundred years!

The Blazing Fire Sect knows about this and will definitely take action.

It's only natural that the Beast Taming Sect and the Demon Flame Sect would join forces.

"By the way, what's that dark spiritual root called?"

"Zhong Shenxiu...it is said that his mastery of dark magic is unparalleled, and he has already killed five of our sect's true disciples who have reached the peak of Qi Refining..."

Sophie exhaled a breath of stale air, and perhaps feeling that she had boosted the morale of others, she quickly added: "Within our sect, many geniuses have emerged on the battlefield, such as 'Jade Sword Fairy' Yu Qingxue, Crimson Dragon Prince Huo Yan, Killing Sword, Cui Kuang, and so on..."

"Zhong Shenxiu?"

Li Xiuyuan nodded secretly, noting down the names Su Fei had mentioned one by one, especially praising Cui Kuang, a swordsman who had made a name for himself in battle.

After all, who hasn't dreamed of becoming a sword immortal, wielding a sword to slay enemies?

But the truly formidable one is Zhong Shenxiu, a prodigy destined for the Foundation Establishment stage and even the Core Formation stage!

"It's a pity that no matter how powerful he is, I will never meet him, otherwise I would really like to test his strength... Hmm? Am I getting cocky? Let alone whether I can do it or not, even if I could, I would become a mortal enemy of the Demon Flame Sect, and I wouldn't be able to survive in the Blazing Fire Sect. There would be no benefit at all."

……

After the group dispersed, Li Xiuyuan activated the cave's protective barrier.

Arriving at the open space in the courtyard, he began punching and kicking the training posts with great force.

Splash!

His blood and qi circulated within his body, and with the aid of his divine sense, light shone throughout his body, directly refining a [Blood and Qi Amplification] item.

The qi and blood spirit fish flowed throughout his body, making up for his minor flaws and injuries one by one, gradually advancing his body refinement cultivation to a new level.

call!

Li Xiuyuan suddenly exhaled a long breath, feeling the surging blood and qi within his body, and couldn't help but feel joyful.

Open the panel:

[Yi Jin Jing (Complete), 900/1000]

"My strength is increasing very little unless I break through the first stage of body refinement and advance to the second stage. Fortunately, my understanding of the cultivation technique is still improving."

Li Xiuyuan's eyes flickered slightly, his expression filled with excitement: "I have finally mastered the wonders of the Spirit Tendon Stepping on the Void."

He tried briefly, then leaped into the air, soaring several feet into the air from the spot.

"I still need to constantly refine my Qi and blood. My foundation in spiritual tendons and ethereal energy is shallow. I need to continue to cultivate and nourish my Qi and blood."

Mastering this technique would significantly boost his combat power.

"Under the full power of 'Spiritual Tendon Stepping on Void,' my body tempering strength is greatly enhanced. I can contend with high-grade magic weapons with just my physical body. This is almost the power of a second-tier body tempering technique!"

"As expected, this method is called the Body Refining Divine Art, and it truly lives up to its name. It's a pity that it can only be cultivated to the second level."

"I'm afraid we'll have to put a lot of effort into finding methods beyond the second tier. I wonder if there are any remaining techniques within the sect..."

Li Xiuyuan has now almost perfected the Yi Jin Jing, although his path to mastery is now blocked.

He is quite satisfied with this.

The body-refining effect of this technique alone is no worse than that of a defensive magic weapon. Not to mention its benefits in extending lifespan, it's an absolute steal.

Just as Li Xiuyuan was pondering, a mournful sound transmission talisman flew into the cave.

"Enemy attack! Come to our aid immediately!"