Surviving in the Demonic Sect, one begins cultivation by retrieving corpses.

Pei Xiaoxiao walked into the house.

Gu Zhao looked at the two thousand coins in his hand; this was the deposit Pei Xiaoxiao had given him.

The final agreed price was an additional 5,000 francs per year on top of the original amount.

He watched Pei Xiaoxiao's light and quick steps.

Why do you look like you've made a profit?

Gu Zhao was a little suspicious. Had he offered too little?

The rich girl hasn't even used her full strength yet!

Gu Zhao weighed the money in his hand again, and was secretly delighted.

With these two thousand coins, plus next month's salary, the expenses for the Immortal Abode were finally barely covered.

The burden on my shoulders has also lightened a little.

He still has six months to live in this large courtyard.

Gu Zhao was certain that his cultivation would advance further within six months.

The image of Cen Pan's gloomy face flashed through his mind again; this man was secretly keeping an eye on him.

Time is of the essence, and there is no room for complacency.

Thinking further, given the growing chaos on the Yinshui River, the best course of action is to quickly improve one's strength and leave the corpse retrieval room as soon as possible.

The most important thing right now is to find a high-level cultivation technique.

Pei Xiaoxiao suddenly turned around again: "Three days later, at 1:15 PM, meet at Xiaguang Tower. I will introduce you to that outer sect senior sister."

"Senior Brother Gu, don't forget."

Gu Zhao replied, "I remember, I finished work a little earlier that day."

Pei Xiaoxiao looked Gu Zhao up and down, wrinkled her nose, and reminded him, "That senior sister is very particular about etiquette and rules. Her clan has also had Foundation Establishment cultivators. In our Tianhe Region, she is a Foundation Establishment family that has been passed down for thousands of years."

"Senior Brother Gu, it would be best if... you changed into a proper robe."

After saying that, Pei Xiaoxiao went into the house.

Gu Zhao looked at himself, dressed in a brown short-sleeved outfit typical of corpse retrievers.

The rich young woman didn't want it; the basic skin was given as a bonus when the corpse retriever changed jobs.

Gu Zhao thought about it and realized that it made sense. Clothes make the man, and if he looked too shabby, it would indeed be a disgrace to Pei Xiaoxiao.

As dusk settled, it was already evening.

The stableman has not yet returned.

Gu Zhaojing returned to his room, gently closed the door, and sat cross-legged on the bed.

The time has come; it's time to claim the reward for sacrificing the water monkey.

He focused his mind and sank into the cauldron.

The runes on the cauldron slowly lit up, and a line of text appeared:

[Would you like to receive: Three strands of pure Yang Qi?]

Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Zhao immediately had an idea:

【receive】

The large cauldron trembled slightly.

Three strands of pure Yang Qi, like morning dew, overflowed from the cauldron and slowly flowed into the Baihui point on the top of his head, circulating along the meridians and finally reaching his Dantian.

A warm and gentle aura instantly permeated every part of my body.

The wisp of pure yang qi that was originally present in the dantian seemed to sense it and immediately began to slowly condense.

The four strands of pure Yang Qi flowed on their own and began to merge.

next moment!

Gu Zhao felt as if his dantian was a furnace, unbearably hot, and even his skin flushed red.

This pure yang qi is originally gentle, but once it merges with other energies, it suddenly becomes extremely domineering.

The four strands of true qi slowly intertwined, becoming increasingly condensed and robust, gradually revealing a layer of golden luster, and the aura they emitted became increasingly majestic, making it difficult for him to bear.

It felt as if countless tiny needles were pricking inside my dantian, and pain struck.

Gu Zhao's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and he was on the verge of collapse.

It was at this moment.

The great cauldron in the sea of ​​his mind suddenly trembled, emitting a refreshing coolness that penetrated to the core, slightly suppressing the violent force.

Gu Zhao managed to calm himself down.

Unexpectedly, the fusion of four strands of pure Yang Qi would trigger such a violent backlash.

Without daring to delay, he immediately activated the "Corpse Water Blue Wave Scripture," guiding his internal energy along the meridians and acupoints throughout the body.

Two hours later, the four strands of pure yang qi finally merged completely, transforming into a single strand of qi with a golden hue.

The previous burning and stinging sensation throughout my body gradually dissipated.

"Is this the true Qi of Qian Yuan?"

Gu Zhao looked inside and found that it was only a little thicker and had a few more special effects than before.

Is there really no difference?

He tried to activate his true energy, and the Qian Yuan True Qi, just like the pure Yang True Qi before, flowed along the meridians on its own.

But the next moment, he realized something was wrong.

The operating speed was more than three times faster.

In the past, it would take half an hour for pure Yang Qi to circulate through the meridians once, but now it can circulate for three cycles in half an hour.

Gu Zhao was both surprised and delighted.

Before he possessed pure Yang Qi, his aptitude was low, and it took him two full hours to circulate his internal energy and open up his acupoints.

After two weeks of operation, I was mentally and physically exhausted.

Once you have pure Yang Qi, you can circulate it once in half an hour. Not only will you not feel tired, but you can also cultivate all night and still feel refreshed the next day.

One day of spiritual practice is equivalent to seven days of arduous practice in the past.

Now that we have the True Qi of Qian Yuan, our cultivation efficiency has doubled.

By this calculation, one day of arduous practice is equivalent to nearly half a month of previous efforts.

Gu Zhao was not overly pleased with himself because of this.

He knew in his heart that many outer disciples in the sect had already entered the Qi Refining Realm after two years of cultivation.

However, the original owner had to cultivate diligently for two years before reaching the second stage of fetal movement. The higher one goes in cultivation, the more difficult it becomes.

The difference between the two is far more than just five times.

Some menial disciples are limited by their innate talent and aptitude throughout their lives. After cultivating to the fifth level of fetal movement, they find it difficult to open up some major acupoints in their body and cannot guide the Qi to complete the microcosmic orbit. They are stuck at this level for life and cannot make any further progress.

Outer disciples are exceptionally talented, breaking through realms as easily as eating and drinking. There are quite a few who have reached the ninth level of the embryonic movement within a year.

Not to mention those naturally born with perfect Dao embryos, whose acupoints are born from the Great Circulation of Qi, they can directly step into the Qi Refining Realm simply by incorporating true Qi.

The difference between people is greater than the difference between people and dogs!

Gu Zhao secretly estimated that with the help of Qian Yuan Zhen Qi, he could only be considered a "minor genius" among the menial servants.

The path of cultivation is inherently difficult; even the most outstanding individuals struggle to make progress, let alone someone like him who has no ancestral blessings, no exceptional talent, and no connections whatsoever.

The road ahead is only difficult.

With a thought, runes flowed across the cauldron in his mind's eye, revealing lines of text:

[Master of the Cauldron: Gu Zhao]

[Cultivation Level: Fourth Level of Fetal Movement (42% complete)]

[Cultivation Technique: Corpse Water Azure Wave Scripture (Minor Success)]

[Rare Items: A wisp of Qian Yuan True Qi, a wisp of Yu Shu Descending Thunder True Qi]

Although he practiced the "Corpse Water Blue Wave Scripture" day and night, his progress was always slow.

Only when one breaks through to the fifth level of fetal movement can this skill be mastered.

However, this technique is only useful for avoiding water; it doesn't even have the method to activate the four levels of fetal movement, let alone any Taoist magic.

It's utterly "garbage".

Find a high-level cultivation technique; this will increase your cultivation speed.

Gu Zhao pulled himself out of his thoughts and stopped thinking about it.

The path of cultivation is one of gradual progress, and haste makes waste.

Another night of meditation!

~

The servants' quarters are located deep within a four-courtyard mansion.

The room was quiet and secluded, with a somber atmosphere.

The light was dim.

A man bowed and reported, "The black coffin has been taken away by the people of the Zhenhe Division."

"That water monkey from yesterday was also killed by the Patrol Hall."

The black-robed man seated at the head of the table nodded slightly, his voice low and deep:

Both sides have taken the bait.

"Release the black coffin and the water monkey again tomorrow."

"We're just waiting for them to take the bait."