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

After leaving the Hall of Affairs, Lu Qingchen did not return to his room, but went to the library of Yuxin Peak.

He needs to learn more about the layout of Mingfa Peak and the places Chu Yunfeng might frequent.

Now that he has already paid the price of three spirit stones and has no spirit stones left, he must ensure success on the first try!

In the library, he searched through some disciples' travelogues and a brief map of the sect.

From the scattered information, it is known that there is a "Cuiwei Herb Garden" on the east side of Mingfa Peak. It is rich in spiritual energy and has a quiet environment, making it the first choice for many disciples to cultivate magic and practice sword skills.

Chu Yunfeng specializes in metal and fire magic, and his swordsmanship is fierce, so there's a high probability he'll go there.

"Cuiwei Medicinal Herb Garden..."

Lu Qingchen silently memorized it.

It was already late when I returned to my room.

Li Si and Wang Ming had already gone to sleep, while Sun Han remained sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought, showing no reaction to Lu Qingchen's return.

Lu Qingchen did not disturb them and quietly lay down.

However, this time Lu Qingchen suffered from insomnia, tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall asleep.

The information from the Dao Stele kept appearing in his mind—the rules, functions, possibilities… like a fire burning in his chest.

If the binding is successful, there might actually be hope for the 100-day assessment.

If it doesn't work...

He turned over and looked out the window at the moonlight.

Then they could only accept their fate, leave the sect, or become a menial disciple, spending the rest of their lives toiling away day after day.

"No."

Lu Qingchen clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm.

"I must succeed!"

Once the thought was made up, Lu Qingchen's consciousness once again sank into his sea of ​​consciousness.

The pitch-black stele still stands unchanged since time immemorial, its inscription flowing, exuding an aura that is both chilling and incredibly alluring.

"The Spiritual Pivot Dao Stele... The Wheel of Cultivation..."

He silently vowed in his heart, "Tomorrow will be the beginning of a turning point on my path to immortality."

Although the road ahead is still fraught with difficulties, at least he has grasped a sharp weapon that can cut through those difficulties.

With a mix of trepidation and anticipation, Lu Qingchen slowly drifted off to sleep.

In his dream, he seemed to see the black monument slowly rotating, a faint, mysterious connection spreading out from its body and extending into the unknown distance...

......

The next day at noon, at the back door of Yuxin Peak Lecture Hall.

Lu Qingchen arrived fifteen minutes early and hid in the shadows of the corner, his heart pounding.

"You were on time."

Wang Hao's voice suddenly came from behind.

Lu Qingchen was startled. Turning around, she saw Wang Hao standing three steps away, dressed neatly in a blue robe, with a calm expression.

"Come on, stay close to me, and don't make a sound."

Wang Hao didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

The two walked down the mountain along a secluded path, one after the other.

This path was clearly rarely used; the stone steps were covered with moss, and bushes grew on both sides, with birds occasionally startled and flying away.

"This is the path where the servant disciples transport supplies."

Without turning his head, Wang Hao explained, "There aren't many patrols on weekdays, but don't be careless. If any of the deacons ask you questions, just say I took you to identify some spiritual herbs to lay the foundation for your future studies in spiritual plant cultivation—what's your name?"

"Lu Qingchen".

"Lu Qingchen...I'll remember."

Wang Hao continued walking, speaking casually: "There are several open areas on the outskirts of Mingfa Peak, where the spiritual energy is much richer than that of Yuxin Peak. Many disciples who are stuck at a bottleneck will go there to try their luck and experience the energy of different spiritual places."

"Since you want to 'experience the Daoist spirit,' I'll take you for a stroll around the 'Emerald Herb Garden' on the east side."

"The spiritual plants there are abundant and the spiritual energy is plentiful. Many disciples cultivate their magic there, so it might actually be of some use to you."

Lu Qingchen was secretly delighted, as this was exactly the result he wanted, but he didn't show it on his face. He simply replied respectfully, "Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother."

About fifteen minutes later, the view suddenly opened up.

We've arrived at Mingfa Peak.

Unlike the simplicity of Yuxin Peak, Mingfa Peak exudes an "ethereal atmosphere": on the white jade-paved square, dozens of outer disciples dressed in light blue Taoist robes are practicing swordsmanship, with sword energy crisscrossing and spiritual light flashing.

The sound of a lecturer lecturing came from the distant lecture hall, with its intonation and rhythm.

Further away, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys of several alchemy workshops, carrying the fragrance of herbs on the breeze.

The concentration of spiritual energy here is at least three times that of Yuxin Peak.

Lu Qingchen took a few breaths and felt the Yi Jin Xi Sui Zhuang Gong (a type of internal energy cultivation technique) start circulating on its own, with an efficiency three times faster than usual.

"Don't look around, this way."

Wang Hao lowered his voice and led him around to the side of the peak.

A vast medicinal herb garden came into view.

The garden is divided into dozens of neat spiritual fields by paving the field ridges with green jade, where various spiritual herbs and plants are planted: crimson Vermilion Fruit, emerald green Jade Ginseng, purple Cloud Rain Flower... Each plant is full of vitality and overflows with spiritual energy.

Wang Hao pointed to a clean path at the edge of the herb garden: "Take a walk around here and feel the vitality of the wood spirits in this place."

"Remember, you can only stay on the outer edge of the field ridge. Never step within ten feet of the herb garden—the protective formation there can even trap a cultivator at the late stage of Qi Refining! Meet back here in half an hour."

"Junior brother understands and will not overstep his bounds."

Lu Qingchen quickly assured him.

Wang Hao nodded, walked to a nearby bluestone, sat down, closed his eyes to rest, and clearly did not intend to keep watching him.

Lu Qingchen suppressed his excitement and walked slowly along the path, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the inside and outside of the herb garden, but in reality, he was intently searching for that possible figure.

He had only walked less than a hundred steps when his gaze suddenly froze!

In a specially reserved open space in the center of the herb garden, a young man in white was practicing his sword.

The boy was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a face as fair as jade, and a tall and straight figure like a pine tree.

As he wielded the bronze longsword, a blend of pale gold and crimson spiritual energy swirled around its blade. Each thrust produced a sharp, piercing sound, as if the surrounding air were being sliced ​​apart. It even caused several nearby fire-attribute spiritual herbs to sway slightly, as if echoing his sword energy.

Chu Yunfeng, a dual-elemental master of both metal and fire!

Lu Qingchen's heart skipped a beat, almost leaping out of his chest.

He forcibly suppressed his excitement, maintaining a normal pace and expression, but his consciousness had instantly sunk into his sea of ​​thoughts!

It's now!

In his sea of ​​consciousness, the pitch-black Dao stele seemed to sense the presence of his strong will and goal. The stele trembled slightly, and the speed at which those mysterious patterns flowed suddenly accelerated.

[Target matching the criteria detected...]

[Target: Chu Yunfeng]

[Cultivation Level: First Level of Qi Refining]

[Spiritual Root: Top-grade dual spiritual roots of metal and fire]

[Meets the requirements for establishing a gear train...]

Lu Qingchen confirmed in his heart without hesitation: "Establish a wheel system!"

In Lu Qingchen's vision, as he confirmed it, a blurry phantom suddenly appeared above Chu Yunfeng's head.

Lu Qingchen was shocked and hurriedly looked at Wang Hao not far away.

"What's wrong?"

Feeling Lu Qingchen looking at him, Wang Hao opened his eyes and asked in confusion.

Seeing that he looked normal, Lu Qingchen obviously did not see the phantom above Chu Yunfeng's head.

"Oh, it's nothing..."

Lu Qingchen shook his head, turned away with a normal expression, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

After the phantom appeared, it stretched out a large hand and pressed it down on Chu Yunfeng's head. After the phantom successfully made contact with Chu Yunfeng, the Dao Stele underwent a new change.

[Using the eye as a guide, the chakra system is born...]

[Wheel train setup in progress...]

[Target locked... Daoist connection established...]

[Wheel system successfully established!]

In an instant, Lu Qingchen felt an extremely faint yet real and mysterious connection extending from the Dao Stele in the Sea of ​​Consciousness, as if traversing an invisible space, and landing on the white-clad figure dancing with a sword in the distance.

Chu Yunfeng, however, remained completely oblivious to this, still concentrating intently on his swordsmanship.