Immortality begins with inheriting the myriad arts of cultivation.

If Li Ping remembers correctly.

Ji Shuwen is a little older than Yan Hengchuan, but not by much; she is only a little over 160 years old this year.

In other words, she could cultivate to the peak of Foundation Establishment around the age of 170 and attempt to break through to Core Formation.

This speed is by no means slow; in fact, it can be said to far surpass its peers.

In the Western Wilderness, only cultivators with unique spiritual roots can prepare to break through to the Core Formation stage at this age. Even Wang Xingwei, a cultivator with two spiritual roots who established his foundation on his own, could not cultivate as fast as Ji Shuwen.

Li Ping believes that this is inseparable from Ji Shuwen's good luck.

For example, not long after she was diagnosed with two spiritual roots, she successfully joined the Crimson Flame Sect to cultivate. Just as she reached the peak of Qi Refining, she received help from Li Ping to successfully establish her foundation. Later, she became a Daoist partner with Huang Yan and received resources and assistance from the Huang family.

Of course, besides the help of benefactors.

She herself was also quite lucky, and didn't get stuck at the bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment minor realm for long.

It was only through a combination of factors that she, a genius from a small Qi-refining family, was able to reach such a high position.

Before I knew it, I was only one step away from forming my core.

Moreover, she is a Core Formation Daoist partner, a member of the Huang family, and also serves as the city lord of the Immortal City, holding a high position and great power.

Given her status and position, it wouldn't be difficult for her to obtain a Core Formation spiritual item from Ziyun Valley.

The only thing worth considering is that she has a dual spiritual root aptitude, so even with the assistance of a high-quality core-forming spiritual object, the success rate of core formation is unlikely to exceed 20%.

"If Brother Ji knew that his granddaughter was so close to achieving the Core Formation stage, he could rest in peace in the afterlife," Li Ping thought to himself.

Ji Shuwen smiled and said, "Uncle Li, are you going to stay in Immortal City this time? Then Shuwen can take good care of you."

The chaos that "Li Jingyu" has stirred up in the Western Wilderness in recent years is something they are well aware of, even though they are far away in the Immortal City.

Ji Shuwen guessed that Uncle Li was a steady person. He might have felt that Donghua Mountain was not safe, so he returned to Xiancheng to take refuge. He might stay until the chaos subsided before leaving again.

Upon hearing Ji Shuwen's words, Zhang Tie, Gu Musheng, and the others couldn't help but show expressions of anticipation.

Li Ping lived in the Immortal City, and they had gained a powerful backer at the Core Formation stage, which allowed them to stand taller.

Another reason is that they are not young anymore, and as people get older, they tend to reminisce about their younger days.

If Li Ping lived in Xiancheng, seeing him would be like returning to their youth, reminding them of their hard work and struggles back then.

They hoped to spend more time with their elder brother before he passed away.

Li Ping's gaze swept over Ji Shuwen, Zhang Tie, and the other four, and finally he shook his head slightly: "I just came back to see you all, and I will leave again in a few days."

Upon hearing this, all five men showed expressions of disappointment.

Zhang Tie, in particular, was the one who knew Li Ping the longest and had the closest relationship with him. He treated Li Ping like an older brother.

Although he had to take care of his family and career and thus had less time to see Li Ping, this did not change his feelings for his elder brother.

He is three years younger than Li Ping, and is exactly 187 years old this year. Even if he lives to the lifespan limit of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he can only live for another 53 years.

Perhaps this time, his brother's departure means he will never see him again for the rest of his life.

Thinking of this, a look of sorrow couldn't help but appear on his face.

Gu Musheng, Cheng Yao, and the others were in a slightly better state than him, but their eyes still showed reluctance.

Although they, as Foundation Establishment cultivators, cannot outlive Core Formation cultivators, their lifespan far exceeds that of mortals and Qi Refining cultivators.

Besides Ji Shuwen, the youngest of the four, Bai Qing, is also close to 170 years old.

Having lived to this age, all my peers, relatives, and friends who haven't reached the Foundation Establishment stage have already turned into a pile of yellow earth.

Even Zhang Tie and Gu Musheng's children, who lacked spiritual roots, all passed away before them.

For them, this world can be described as a place where all their close friends have been scattered and gone.

Now, my eldest brother is also leaving. Perhaps when they both reach the end of their lives, they will never be able to return.

……

Li Ping pretended to be angry and put on a stern face: "You are all people who are the patriarchs of your families. Why are you still acting like such children?"

"Big brother is right." Bai Qing was the first to react. He still had a chance to form his core in this life, unlike the other three who were so gloomy.

He smiled, raised his glass, and said, "Let us all wish our elder brother a safe journey."

The others quickly raised their glasses, saying, "Wishing you a safe journey, Brother (Uncle Li)."

After a few more drinks, the atmosphere at the banquet improved considerably.

Li Ping then asked the others about their recent situations with a smile.

Ji Shuwen mentioned that after Huang Yunzi's passing, she assumed the position of City Lord of Fenglan Immortal City, facing immense pressure from the three sects. Huang Yan hoped she could temporarily step back, relinquish the position, and bide her time to await future developments.

But she refused, believing that it was precisely at times like these that she could not back down.

Taking a step back at this point will not quell the situation; on the contrary, it will reveal your weakness and encourage you to push your luck even further.

If the position of Immortal City Lord can be relinquished, can the Core Formation Spiritual Object also be relinquished?

So she absolutely refused.

In her view, with that mysterious sword cultivator lurking nearby, the three sects' Core Formation cultivators wouldn't dare to appear alone in the Immortal City.

She withstood the pressure and refused to give in. Moreover, she was one of the people from Ziyun Valley, and many of the methods that could be used against outsiders could not be used against her. Those people had no way to deal with her.

If she can successfully form her core in a few years, she will no longer need to depend on others.

If Wang Xingwei could also form a Golden Core, the Immortal City could even regain its semi-independent status from the time of True Person Fenglan.

Nominally belonging to the three sects, but in reality it was her private property, providing her with a large amount of cultivation resources.

As she spoke, Ji Shuwen's eyes shone brightly, while Zhang Tie and the other three showed no surprise.

Clearly, this was a joint scheme of theirs.

Li Ping couldn't help but glance at Ji Shuwen a few more times. He hadn't expected his niece to be so audacious as to attempt to turn the immortal city of the three sects into her own private property.

But it must be said that her plan has a pretty high success rate.

Of course, the plan's success depends on both her and Wang Xingwei successfully achieving the Golden Core stage.

She will naturally reap the greatest rewards, but the four present will also have contributed to the success of the project, and their families will be related to the Immortal City for generations, enjoying a transcendent status.

Li Ping is now even more certain that a large portion of the spirit stones Wang Xingwei used to purchase Core Formation spiritual items likely came from Ji Shuwen, or even public funds she secretly embezzled.

The greater the risk, the greater the reward; that's roughly how it works.

However, if both she and Wang Xingwei fail to form their cores, the consequences will be extremely serious. It's fortunate that they dared to take the gamble.

Li Ping could only say that they made the right bet.

Because Xu Guike is still watching closely from the sidelines. Once he breaks through to the mid-stage of Core Formation, none of the Core Formation cultivators from the three sects will be able to get away with it.

When faced with Xu Guike's sword, the three sects will have no time to deal with Ji Shuwen and the others.

"Practice makes perfect; don't neglect the essentials for the trivial," Li Ping reminded them, without revealing Xu Guike's existence to the others.

Ji Shuwen nodded repeatedly: "Thank you for reminding me, Uncle Li. I understand."

Zhang Tie, Gu Musheng, and Cheng Yao were in fairly ordinary circumstances; their families were doing quite well in the Immortal City thanks to their ancestor's connections.

Through marriage, they became intertwined, forging a deep friendship.

Even after they pass away, their families will form a close alliance, supporting each other.

What struck Li Ping as somewhat poignant was that both Zhang Tie and Gu Musheng had married daughters of the Meng family, and their initial ability to establish themselves in the Immortal City was largely due to the Meng family's support.

However, with Meng Qingyi's unsuccessful attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage and his subsequent death, the Meng family has declined in recent years.

Instead, they have to rely on the two of them to barely maintain the family's dignity.

Finally, there's Bai Qing. Unlike the other three, as the patriarch of the Bai family, he should have been stationed at Gaojishan.

However, the spiritual vein of Gaoji Mountain is only of the second-grade low quality, and even with the use of the spirit gathering array, it can only barely reach the second-grade middle quality.

After Bai Qing's cultivation reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment, the spiritual veins of Gaoji Mountain were no longer sufficient to supply his cultivation needs. Therefore, he now spends most of his time cultivating in the Immortal City, hoping to one day form a Golden Core.

Li Ping was somewhat curious about his cultivation speed.

After all, when he returned to the Immortal City fifty years ago, Bai Qing's cultivation was still a bit short of breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. How did he manage to break through two realms in fifty years?

He was about to ask a question, but before he could speak, Bai Qing seemed to see through his thoughts and took the initiative to explain the whole story.

Hearing that he had only eaten a piece of meat, he was spared the hundred years of arduous cultivation that Bai Qing had to endure.

Li Ping couldn't help but show surprise. He glanced at Zhang Tie and the others and noticed that they looked envious while Bai Qing was talking, but they weren't particularly surprised.

Clearly, Bai Qing hadn't hidden anything from them; they had long been aware of Bai Qing's extraordinary opportunity.

As for whether they had sought any opportunities, Li Ping didn't know. After all, the handsome young man Bai Qing described had an eccentric personality and didn't seem like a kind person.

Who knows if they'll be killed if they actually go there?

"You mean that handsome young man was roasting a giant bird?" After hearing Bai Qing's description, Li Ping's expression suddenly changed. He asked with a smile, "Do you remember what that bird looked like?"

"I remember." Bai Qing nodded and immediately began to describe the bird's characteristics to Li Ping.

Li Ping listened attentively, nodding occasionally, his face calm, but his heart was in turmoil.

Based on Bai Qing's description, he was quite certain that the bird the handsome young man used for barbecue was the fourth-tier Fiery Arrow Eagle he had encountered.

That day, the Fiery Arrow Eagle broke through to the fourth rank, but before it could pass the Heavenly Tribulation, it was directly grabbed by a large cyan hand.

Li Ping only now realized that it had been captured and made into barbecue.

A powerful fourth-tier demon, capable of sweeping across the Western Wilderness, was roasted alive.

Li Ping was filled with mixed feelings. He wondered what level of cultivation that handsome young man possessed, that he actually fed on a fourth-order great demon.

This made him more cautious.

If he breaks through to the Nascent Soul stage in the future, or if the Wildfire Sparrow breaks through to the fourth rank, it would be best if he didn't come to the Cloud Mist Mountain Range again.

That's really too dangerous.

The latest chapter is packed with exciting plot twists! Come check it out!