To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

There are no seasons in Lingxu Cave, and the peach blossoms bloom forever.

Gu Fan was so engrossed in his cultivation that he didn't realize that twenty years had passed.

Thanks to the peaceful state of the Wilderness Mountain, the three clans of Wei were able to free up their resources to suppress the arrogance of Wu and Yan.

According to information obtained from the sect, Wu Chengdao reached the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm before Gu Fan. He led the disciples of the Hundred Refinements Sect in a great battle against the Silent Extinction Palace, killing a demonic Golden Core cultivator on the spot, and his fame spread throughout the Eastern Continent.

After that, the State of Wei enjoyed a rare period of peace and tranquility.

With nothing happening in Wei, Song Lian had some free time. To make it easier to listen to Gu Fan's teachings, she often stayed at Chenxing Pavilion. Later, she simply took over Fang Linghe's job.

Song Lian and Qi Lingyun charmed their senior brother Fang Linghe to the point of pleasing him greatly.

Qi Lingyun's foundation in talismanic arts was actually taught by Fang Linghe.

Three years ago, Fang Linghe passed away due to old age.

Qi Lingyun cried, and then followed Gu Fan to bury Fang Linghe on Wendao Peak, next to Zhou Furui's grave.

At this point, only Gu Fan and two disciples remained of the Wendao Peak lineage.

Twenty years have passed, and Gu Fan has fully digested the results of the third refining of the Golden Elixir. His divine sense has been significantly enhanced, and he can now visualize more than fifty stars using the "Star Evolution Divine Observation Method".

His cultivation level is only one step away from the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm; he can break through when the time is right.

The only thing that left him uncertain was the choice of the fourth essence.

According to the previous plan, the fourth essence should be earth-elemental, following the path of fire generating earth.

However, as the foundation of all things, the Earth element produces the most diverse kinds of essences. Some are associated with virtue and carrying all things, some with protection and defense, and others with the essence of nurturing life and dispelling evil. The Lingxiao Sect alone records no less than a hundred such essences.

Gu Fan was truly struggling to make a decision.

Unfortunately, he had no teachers to consult, and when it came to his own path of cultivation, he could not reveal it to even fellow cultivators.

Fortunately, Gu Fan had someone by his side who could be described as knowledgeable and well-informed.

......

Lingxu Cave Heaven.

Gu Fan poured a cup of spiritual wine, tilted his head back, and said, "Senior, would you like to come down and have a drink?"

After a while, Chang Yuan slid down from the peach tree branch, his snake-like eyes glancing at Ling Jiu without moving, and coldly snorted, "Why are you being so helpful! Tell me, what do you want to ask, kid?"

Gu Fan didn't feel embarrassed and chuckled twice.

"I have been pondering this recently. I am preparing to choose the Earth element for my fourth refinement of essence, but there are many Earth element essences, making it difficult to decide. Therefore, I would like to hear your advice."

"So that's all there is to it." Chang Yuan's serpentine eyes flickered slightly as he sipped the spirit wine and said leisurely, "Since you've chosen the Earth element, it seems you intend to pursue a path that encompasses all five elements."

"The essence chosen during the Golden Core stage is directly related to one's innate divine power. I know of only three divine powers that combine the five elements: the Five Elements Great Escape, the Five-Colored Divine Light, and the Great Five Elements Technique. Each of these three divine powers has its own emphasis. The Five Elements Great Escape combines offense and defense, the Five-Colored Divine Light focuses more on imprisonment and refinement, and the Great Five Elements Technique is a pure killing technique. If you want to cultivate one of them, you can choose according to its characteristics. If you have enough luck, you can awaken it when you form your Nascent Soul."

Gu Fan asked with a smile, "What if one wants to possess both the Five Elements and Yin-Yang?"

Chang Yuan fell silent upon hearing this, and after a moment he cursed, "You're really aiming too high! The Five Elements and Yin-Yang already contain the source of creation in the world. If that's really the case, then the variables are huge. Even one's innate supernatural powers are hard to predict until the Nascent Soul stage."

"However... there are also different levels among the essences of heaven and earth. The highest level of earth element is the Primordial Chaos Qi. If you don't mind the trouble, you can condense this essence. But naturally existing Primordial Chaos Qi is extremely rare and cannot be extracted from demon cores."

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan frowned and pondered for a long time before nodding to Chang Yuan and saying, "Thank you for your guidance, senior."

The fourth refinement of the Golden Core requires at least the cultivation level of the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Gu Fan is merely preparing for the future, and he still has plenty of time. He might as well choose the Xuanhuang Mother Qi as the fourth essence.

Seeing Gu Fan's expression, Chang Yuan guessed his decision and spat out a ball of light that floated towards Gu Fan.

Gu Fan pointed his finger at the ball of light, and a secret technique immediately appeared in his mind, which was the method for condensing the Xuanhuang Mother Qi.

Then, Chang Yuan flicked his tail, picked up the whole pot of spirit wine on the table, flew back to the peach tree, and sipped it under the cover of peach blossoms.

......

Time flies, and another ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside a quiet room deep within Shenji Peak.

Gu Fan sat cross-legged alone, forming hand seals. A circle of earth-yellow light surrounded him, flowing and rotating like a river. As Gu Fan manipulated it, the flow became faster and faster until a dark golden light point flew out from it.

As soon as the dark golden light appeared, Gu Fan quickly took out the jade bottle, put it inside, and then spread out his hand seals.

Looking at the jade bottle up close, more than ten points of light moved like fireflies.

These specks of light are the Primordial Qi of Xuanhuang, but they are so rare that they cannot be combined into a single entity.

The primordial energy of Xuanhuang must be extracted from the earth's energy, and the place with the most abundant earth energy in the Lingxiao Sect is Shenji Peak. Therefore, over the years, Gu Fan has occupied a quiet room on Shenji Peak to refine his essence.

However, in ten years, the amount of primordial energy collected is only a tiny fraction. If one wants to gather enough to make a Golden Elixir, it might take sixty years or more.

Ten years have passed, and Gu Fan's cultivation has still not broken through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. He still cannot penetrate that thin membrane that seems within reach, which makes him feel deeply regretful.

Having cultivated for many years, he also understood the principle that haste makes waste, so he devoted more energy to training disciples and refining his essence.

After putting away the jade bottle, Gu Fan got up and left the quiet room.

Inside the Heavenly Craft Pavilion, the disciples on duty immediately bowed upon seeing Gu Fan.

Gu Fan nodded slightly and looked in the direction opposite the main entrance.

In his memory, there was a round figure there, one of the first people he met after embarking on his spiritual path.

After some inquiries, it was learned that Tang Yuan had purchased a Foundation Establishment Pill on his own, thanks to his years of business experience.

Unfortunately, he failed to establish his foundation.

When Gu Fan heard the news, he was momentarily stunned.

The passing of each familiar person seemed to remind him of the cruelty of the path to immortality.

When he returned to Wendao Peak, he saw Qi Lingyun guarding in front of Chenxing Pavilion.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, Qi Lingyun, as a direct disciple of Wendao Peak, also gained the qualification to guard Chenxing Pavilion. Moreover, she was even more talented and grew extremely fast under Gu Fan's tutelage, thus taking over Hou Wenzhao's job.

As for Hou Wenzhao, he realized that Gu Fan no longer needed his service. After years of deliberation, he boldly asked Gu Fan for permission to resign, married a female cultivator at the Qi Refining stage, and then went down the mountain to establish a cultivation family.

Many of the cultivation families under the Lingxiao Sect originated from this, and Gu Fan did not stop them.

Upon seeing Gu Fan, Qi Lingyun immediately stepped forward to pay her respects and then said, "The Sect Leader just sent a message requesting that we meet at the Lingxiao Palace to discuss matters after Master returns."

Gu Fan was taken aback upon hearing this.

The Lingxiao Sect had been at peace for many years, and he couldn't guess Qi Zongyuan's intentions for a while, so he simply stopped going upstairs and rode his escape light straight to Yuxu Peak.

Jade Void Peak, Lingxiao Palace.

Upon hearing that Gu Fan had arrived, Qi Zongyuan stood up to greet him.

After the attendants and disciples served tea and took their leave, Qi Zongyuan, with a calm expression, solemnly said, "I have invited the elder here today because there is an important matter to discuss."

"Please speak freely, Master."

Qi Zongyuan nodded and asked, "Does the elder know any formations for gathering life force?"

"Gathering life force?" Gu Fan frowned and pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "There is a third-tier formation that would work, but I wonder who the Sect Leader intends to use it for?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Zongyuan's expression softened slightly, and he replied, "The Supreme Elder of the Hundred Refinements Sect, Half-Senior."