After binding with a genius, I became an immortal by exploiting loopholes.

"Outright elimination?"

Lu Qingchen glanced at Sun Han subconsciously.

Sun Han lowered his head, nervously twisting the hem of his clothes with both hands, his face appearing exceptionally pale under the oil lamp.

He was a low-grade five-elemental root, and although he had a very weak earth-attribute spiritual body, his spiritual root was still what it was, and his progress was even slower than Lu Qingchen's.

In his eyes, Lu Qingchen had already mastered the basics of Yi Jin Jing, while he hadn't even touched the threshold of Yi Jin Jing.

Among the more than two hundred potential immortals who had not yet cultivated their Qi, he was firmly ranked near the bottom, almost within reach of the elimination line.

Li Si and Wang Ming exchanged a glance, their eyes then simultaneously falling on Lu Qingchen, filled with worry.

In their view, although Lu Qingchen has made faster progress recently, he is still only a low-grade five-elemental root, and his foundation is not much stronger than Sun Han's.

Even Sun Hanxuan and Lu Qingchen might not be safe after the last 30 people are eliminated.

Elder Chen said this was to "motivate" us.

Sun Han gave a wry smile, his voice barely audible: "Actually, everyone understands that the sect's resources are limited. Rather than wasting them on us 'rotten wood,' it's better to get rid of us sooner rather than later."

"Don't talk nonsense."

Li Si frowned and interrupted him, "There are still ten days left. Focus on your cultivation; there might still be a chance."

Wang Ming also offered a few words of advice, but his gaze kept drifting towards Lu Qingchen, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just sighed.

Everyone knows that ten days is just a drop in the ocean for people with five spiritual roots like Sun Han and Lu Qingchen.

"I'm going out for some fresh air."

Wang Ming suddenly stood up and left in a hurry, his back view carrying a hint of imperceptible heaviness.

Li Si sighed and silently walked out, probably to find a quiet place to think of any way he could help Sun Han and Lu Qingchen.

Only Lu Qingchen and Sun Han remained in the side room.

Sun Han sat on the edge of the bed, burying her face in her arms, her shoulders trembling slightly, and suppressed sobs could be faintly heard.

Lu Qingchen remained silent for a moment, then got up and walked to his simple wooden box, taking out a small package carefully wrapped in oil paper.

Inside was a portion of the Qi-boosting soup ingredients he had purchased with a spirit stone. He had intended to keep it for emergencies or to strengthen his nourishment when he encountered a bottleneck in the marrow cleansing process.

He took the medicine packet and walked to Sun Han's bedside, gently placing it beside him.

Sun Han looked up in astonishment, her eyes blurry with tears as she stared at the packet of herbs, then at Lu Qingchen, momentarily speechless.

"This contains the ingredients for a Qi-boosting soup."

Lu Qingchen said calmly, "Boil it and drink it. It can replenish your essence and help you last a little longer during cultivation. It will also improve your mental state. Make the most of the last ten days."

Sun Han looked at the packet of medicinal herbs, his lips trembling even more violently.

Qi-boosting soup!

Although these are not as precious as pills that directly improve cultivation, they are the most practical replenishment for these low-level immortal seedlings who consume a lot of essence and often feel tired!

A single dose of Qi-boosting soup ingredients costs several dozen spirit pearls, which is by no means something they can give away casually.

"Brother Lu...this is too precious...you need to cultivate yourself too..."

Sun Han wanted to decline, but her hand involuntarily gripped the medicine packet.

"I don't need it for now," Lu Qingchen said, half-truthfully.

He has the Marrow Cleansing Pill, which mainly targets the marrow, and the Qi-Boosting Decoction, which is more of an auxiliary treatment for recovery. Taking out a portion of it won't have much of an impact.

Moreover, he has already entered the marrow cleansing stage, so this medicinal herb is much more useful to Sun Han than to him.

"Take it, don't waste time."

After saying that, he didn't say anything more and turned back to his bedside.

Having shared a room, offering some help within my means on the eve of this possible separation would be a fitting end to this fleeting connection.

Whether Sun Han can seize this slim opportunity is beyond his control.

Sun Han watched Lu Qingchen's retreating figure, then looked down at the medicine packet in her hand, and tears welled up again, this time mixed with indescribable gratitude.

He clutched the medicine packet tightly to his chest, nodded emphatically as if he had made up his mind, wiped his face haphazardly, sat down cross-legged, and began to try to circulate the slow-progressing cultivation technique.

Silence returned to the room, with only the two people's uneven breathing remaining.

The path to immortality must ultimately be walked by oneself.

But on the journey ahead, a glimmer of light and warmth can help one persevere a little longer in the darkness of despair.

......

During the ten days of waiting for the assessment, the atmosphere at Yuxin Peak felt as if it were being tightened by an invisible hand.

The loud talking and laughter could no longer be heard in the cafeteria, and even the clattering of bowls and chopsticks had become quieter.

The figure dozing off in the lecture hall completely disappeared. Everyone stared wide-eyed at Elder Chen's mouth, wishing they could engrave every word into their brains.

People practice stance training in the courtyard from morning till night. Some practice until their hands tremble and their legs go weak, but they still refuse to stop, gritting their teeth and repeating those movements that are already ingrained in their bones.

But some people couldn't hold on any longer.

Lu Qingchen occasionally passed by other rooms and could hear suppressed arguments, the sound of things being smashed, and people sitting blankly in the courtyard late at night, staring at the moon in a daze, their eyes as empty as a dry well.

With ten days to go and thirty elimination slots, it felt like two huge rocks weighing on everyone's hearts.

Some struggled desperately, while others resigned themselves to their fate.

Lu Qingchen, on the other hand, was enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

Over the past ten days, his marrow cleansing process has progressed steadily.

Every morning, I extract the cultivation power transferred from the Dao Stele, and use it in conjunction with the medicinal power of the Marrow Essence Pill to shake my bone marrow. In the evening, I practice standing meditation again to consolidate it.

Without rushing or getting impatient, proceeding step by step, the marrow cleansing process has quietly progressed by more than 10%, and the essence and blood in the dantian have increased from one drop to two drops.

Li Si and Wang Ming saw this and began to have doubts.

That evening, the three of them were practicing pile driving in the courtyard.

After finishing his routine, Li Si wiped his sweat and couldn't help but lean closer: "Lu Qingchen, why do I feel like you're not in a hurry at all?"

Wang Ming followed him over, looking him up and down: "Yeah, the assessment is in a few days, and Sun Han is almost crying with anxiety. But you, you're just eating and practicing as usual, like nothing's wrong."

Lu Qingchen finished his stance training, stretched his limbs, and smiled faintly: "What's the use of rushing? I know my own aptitude. I'm a low-grade five-elemental root. Even if I rush until my hair turns white, I'll still be at the same pace."

He paused, glanced at Sun Han who was engrossed in his training in the distance, and then said, "Besides, my training has been going quite smoothly these days. I've already mastered the Yi Jin Jing and my foundation is quite solid."

"The assessment doesn't just look at progress, but also at the solidity of the foundation. Although I'm slow, I take each step steadily, so I may not necessarily be eliminated."

Li Si and Wang Ming exchanged a glance. Although they felt that his attitude was too calm, upon closer reflection, it made some sense.

They had witnessed Lu Qingchen's progress over the past few days. Although he couldn't compare to those of them with four spiritual roots, he was already considered fast among those with five spiritual roots.

In addition, given his solid foundation, he may still have a chance.

"Too."

Li Si nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "As long as you know what's going on, let's all do our best on the day of the assessment."

Wang Ming smiled and said, "Okay, let's both do our best."

The three exchanged a smile and then went their separate ways to continue their cultivation.

The day of the assessment drew closer day by day, a mix of tension and calm.

......