On the path to immortality, I can see destiny.

Zhao Fan is now finally able to clearly feel the benefits of breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Previously, although he could barely refine mid-grade first-level pills, he needed to replenish his spiritual power with spirit stones.

Now, even without spirit stones, one can still complete the alchemy process.

The breakthrough brought about an improvement in spiritual sense, which greatly increased the success rate of pill formation, almost doubling the speed at which he earned spirit stones.

After placing the wolf cub and the bowl in the doghouse, Zhao Fan planned to continue cultivating. However, looking at the wolf cub, he was a little worried, so he eventually brought the wolf cub into the cultivation room as well.

Then, they sat cross-legged in meditation to cultivate.

However, this time Zhao Fan noticed something was wrong.

While he was meditating, a lot of the spiritual energy in the room actually flowed directly towards the little wolf.

In fact, it absorbs spiritual energy faster than it does itself.

Zhao Fan opened his eyes, looked at the little wolf lying on the ground sleeping, and scanned it with his divine sense, finally discovering the problem.

While the little wolf was sleeping, it would automatically absorb spiritual energy, which would then circulate in a very complex cycle, eventually integrating the condensed spiritual power into its body.

Zhao Fan watched for a long time, finding it incredibly amazing.

This was the first time he had ever seen a demon beast cultivate, and judging from its cultivation method, it seemed to be not much different from that of a cultivator.

I wonder where the little wolf got this cultivation method from. Was it something he was born with?

After watching for a while, Zhao Fan withdrew his gaze. It wasn't a good time to throw it away, so he and the wolf could only absorb the spiritual energy together.

After a night, Zhao Fan pushed open the door and came out. Behind him, the little wolf wagged its tail happily and hopped along.

Today, Zhao Fan had nothing else to do but continue practicing his marksmanship.

As for going out to seek opportunities, Zhao Fan thought about it for a long time and then rejected the idea.

There's not much left nearby; if we want to find anything, we'll have to go further away.

He only has a spear on him right now, and if he goes out and encounters other cultivators, he may not be able to guarantee his safety.

……

And so, Zhao Fan stayed in his cave for a month until the market opened, at which point he finally left.

This time, he didn't bring the wolf cub with him, but instead locked it in the training room.

Because he didn't have a spirit beast pouch, if he held it in his hands and other cultivators saw it, it would be tantamount to courting death.

Moreover, Zhao Fan specially brought a mask and changed into black clothes this time to avoid being recognized by the three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

Zhao Fan calculated the time carefully, set off at night, and arrived at Yulin Mountain just in the early morning.

Once we reached the mountain, it was already bustling with activity, filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares.

This time, Zhao Fan didn't pay any spirit stones. He didn't plan to set up a stall; he just wanted to find Su San and sell all the pills he had.

As he walked, Zhao Fan saw a book stall.

The stall owner was an elderly man with white hair and beard, a stern expression, and rarely smiled.

He was lying in a worn-out rocking chair, engrossed in reading a book.

"Are there any books here that introduce materials for weapon crafting?"

Zhao Fan glanced at the books on the ground and asked a question.

"That's the book on all the secrets to immortality."

The old man looked up and glanced at Zhao Fan, then casually spoke.

Zhao Fan picked up the book of immortal herbs and was about to open it when the old man's face immediately fell.

"Kid, don't you know the rules? You have to pay spirit stones to see it."

Zhao Fan was taken aback for a moment, but quickly came to his senses. If he could let people browse through the books at will, he really wouldn't need to sell them. After all, most cultivators could memorize the contents of a book after reading it once.

However, Zhao Fan did not immediately take out his money.

"What if your book is fake?"

Faced with Zhao Fan's question, the old man couldn't help but chuckle.

"You might overpay for things here, but you definitely won't buy fakes. If you do get a counterfeit, you can go to the market owner, who will compensate you with spirit stones. I'll also be kicked out of the market. A book costs only one spirit stone; why would I lie to you?"

Zhao Fan was persuaded. Seeing the old man's resolute tone, he felt relieved and took out a spirit stone to give to the old man.

Only then did I pick up the book and start reading.

However, after reading it, Zhao Fan was greatly disappointed. Most of the things recorded inside were mundane items, and very few were truly useful. Only a dozen or so items could be considered useful spiritual materials.

However, most of them are relatively basic spiritual materials, such as red copper, red essence, and black iron, which are commonly used materials for making low-grade magic artifacts.

"You lied to me!"

Zhao Fan closed the book, looked at the old man, and was filled with anger.

The old man curled his lip, dismissing Zhao Fan's words with disdain.

"Our shop is honest and fair to all, young and old. If you have any complaints, you can report them to the shop owner at any time."

Seeing the old man's arrogant demeanor, Zhao Fan understood that his so-called report to the shop owner would hardly have any impact on him.

Zhao Fan knew he couldn't touch this old guy, and wanted to say a few harsh words, but then felt it wasn't worth arguing over a spirit stone.

Finally, he sighed deeply and turned to leave.

After taking only a few steps, Zhao Fan suddenly heard a sound coming from ahead.

"Someone is selling Blood Shadow Wolf cubs!"

This sentence instantly attracted everyone's attention.

"It's a Blood Shadow Wolf cub! I wonder who sold it; it must be worth several hundred spirit stones!"

"What, is this Blood Shadow Wolf that powerful?"

"It's more than just powerful; with a little care, it can possess strength equivalent to the peak of Qi Refining, and there's even a certain probability of advancing to a second-tier demonic beast. Just imagine, if a cultivation family raised one like this, it wouldn't be long before they became one of the top families in Nanjun!"

"Is that all you're saying? If that were true, why would anyone sell them? They could just keep them and raise them themselves!"

"Demonic beasts are not so easy to raise. They need to eat demonic beast meat and various precious medicinal herbs to replenish their qi and blood. If you want to raise them, you don't know how many spirit stones you will have to put in."

Nearby, many cultivators were discussing the matter, and quite a few had already crowded onto the platform at the top, just wanting to catch a glimpse of the Blood Shadow Wolf cub.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fan immediately thought of who was selling Blood Shadow Wolves.

He took a few steps forward, but then worried about being recognized. After thinking for a long time, he touched the mask on his face again, and Zhao Fan still went up to take a look.

At this moment, a burly man dressed in crimson was the first to speak.

"One hundred spirit stones, I'll take it!"

As he spoke, his spiritual energy suddenly spread out, emitting the spiritual energy fluctuations of someone at the peak of Qi Refining.

Sensing the spiritual power emanating from the burly man, no one dared to bid for him for a moment.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, my market does not employ the practice of using power to oppress people."

Suddenly, another surge of spiritual energy emerged, suppressing the aura emanating from the burly man.

Then, a middle-aged man dressed in white with a calm expression stepped out from the crowd.