Immortality begins with inheriting the myriad arts of cultivation.

Of the two Fiery Arrow Eagles, one was killed instantly, while the other disappeared into the distance.

The low-level demonic beasts that had gathered were completely routed under the continuous bombardment of the short, stout cultivator and True Man Fenglan.

The beast tide naturally subsided.

The crisis in the Immortal City was thus resolved.

Some daring cultivators even formed teams to venture outside the city and hunt down lone demonic beasts.

……

In the cave dwelling of Immortal Peach Mountain, Li Ping is communicating with the staff of Immortal City.

In the past few months, he has earned a lot of military merits by drawing talismans for the Immortal City.

After exchanging these military merits for a mid-grade second-tier talisman pen and a high-grade second-tier turtle demon shell, there was still a considerable amount left over.

He didn't intend to keep his military merits; he wanted to spend them all.

After hesitating for a moment among the exchange options, Li Ping finally chose to exchange for a second-tier flying boat called "Floating Shadow Shuttle".

According to the instructions, this shuttle does not require its owner to inject spiritual power to control it. It only needs to be placed with spirit stones to have super strong power, and its flight speed is even slightly better than that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Li Ping made the exchange because he thought that if he encountered a beast tide or something similar again, the Floating Shadow Shuttle would be helpful for escaping.

Upon seeing that Li Ping had chosen his exchange item, the female cultivator sent by Meng Qingyi respectfully asked, "Senior, after exchanging for the 'Floating Shadow Shuttle,' you will have 31 military merit points remaining. May I ask if you can receive these merit points in the form of spirit stones?"

Li Ping nodded, indicating his agreement with the female cultivator's proposed solution.

The female cultivator respectfully withdrew, and other cultivators would later deliver the Floating Shadow Shuttle and spirit stones that Li Ping had exchanged.

A few days later, Li Ping received the Floating Shadow Shuttle and tried it out briefly. He was quite satisfied with its effects.

When traveling long distances, having a flying boat eliminates the need for one to fly, thus saving a lot of fatigue.

……

Not long after.

Li Ping, who was meditating in the training room, woke up in the purification room. A sound transmission talisman flew in from the outside and landed directly in his hand.

"Who's looking for me?" Li Ping tore the communication talisman apart in confusion, but unexpectedly, it was Master Hu's voice that came out of it.

His neighbor had left the Immortal City before the beast tide broke out and disappeared without a trace. Now that the beast tide had ended and the situation was safe and stable, he returned leisurely.

His excellent information network and decisive escape impressed Li Ping.

But it's good that he's back. Li Ping still hopes to obtain a second-tier high-grade alchemy inheritance from him.

"Fellow Daoist Hu, it's been a long time!"

Li Ping greeted Master Hu with a smile and the two sat down in the pavilion in the courtyard.

After chatting for a while without tea being served, Master Hu asked with a strange expression, "Fellow Daoist Li, where is your concubine?"

Li Ping felt a little embarrassed by Master Hu's question.

The beast tide has passed, but the little steward hasn't returned. I don't know if something came up at home and he's delayed, or if he's sulking with me.

Li Ping mumbled, "I went home to visit my family. I probably won't be back for a while."

Master Hu did not delve further into this issue, but instead discussed with Li Ping the events that had occurred in the Immortal City during this period.

Speaking of the outbreak of the beast tide, the siege of the city by demonic beasts, and the countless deaths and injuries of cultivators, Master Hu also looked solemn, seemingly tense about the critical situation in the Immortal City at that time.

Li Ping smiled and said, "Fortunately, Senior Huang from Ziyun Valley acted decisively and killed a Fiery Arrow Eagle, dispersing the beast tide."

During this time, through casual conversations with familiar cultivators, Li Ping learned that the one who saved the Immortal City was a late-stage Core Formation cultivator from Ziyun Valley in Yue Kingdom, named Huang Yunzi!

"A Core Formation cultivator, I truly admire that," Master Hu said with envy. "To single-handedly disperse a beast tide—what power that is!"

Li Ping also showed an expression of agreement.

Who doesn't aspire to become a Core Formation cultivator?

Master Hu chatted for a while, but perhaps because there was no tea to drink, he became thirsty and chose to take his leave.

……

Before they knew it, the year was coming to an end. Bai Lin had not returned yet, but it was time for the annual gathering of the Tongzhou Association.

On New Year's Eve, all the cultivators of the Tongzhou Society except Teng Feng gathered at the Immortal Peach Mountain cave.

The group waited until sunset, but Teng Feng never arrived.

In fact, from the very beginning of the beast tide, the six people, including Li Ping, had been searching for Teng Feng, but they couldn't find him anywhere.

During the months-long beast tide that followed, and from the time the beast tide ended until now, there has been no news of Teng Feng whatsoever.

At that time, everyone vaguely guessed that Teng Feng must have had an accident. Perhaps the beast tide came too suddenly and he didn't have time to retreat into the immortal city.

Now, even the annual gathering of the Fellowship of the Fellowship cultivators has not been attended by Teng Feng, which basically confirms this speculation.

The thought that Teng Feng might have already perished made Zhang Tie's expression darken. Teng Feng and he were usually the closest of friends.

It was at his invitation that Teng Feng decided to join the membership.

"Sigh!" Li Ping sighed inwardly.

……

Before Teng Feng arrived, only six people remained at the gathering.

Zhang Tie's cultivation level is still at the ninth level of Qi Refining, but his aura has improved considerably compared to last year.

Gu Musheng's cultivation level is at the peak of the seventh level of Qi Refining. Perhaps he will be able to break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining next year.

A good name is hard to imagine the world you can create, but it's all in "Eternal Life Begins with Inheriting the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation".

Cheng Yao, whose cultivation level is at the seventh level of Qi Refining, seems to have been delayed by something, and her cultivation progress this year has been minimal.

Qi Hanmo, whose cultivation level is at the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining, expects to break through next year.

Bai Qing, whose cultivation level is at the fourth level of Qi Refining, is also preparing to try to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining next year.

Because of Teng Feng's suspected accident, everyone's spirits were not very high at this gathering.

After a brief discussion, Li Ping concluded that it was inappropriate to conclude that something had happened to Teng Feng simply because he hadn't attended the gathering.

After all, it's quite normal to be stranded in a dangerous place for a year or two if you're not careful.

Li Ping made a decision: "If there is still no news of Teng Feng next year, then we will assume that he has passed away. In accordance with his arrangements for his own funeral, we will return the spirit stones he contributed to the villagers of his birth village."

Everyone else remained silent, offering no objection to Li Ping's decision.

After dealing with Teng Feng's matter, the next step is to collect the foundation fund for this year.

Li Ping received 300 spirit stones, Zhang Tiegu and Mu Sheng each received 100 spirit stones, Cheng Yao received 30 spirit stones, and the remaining Qi Hanmo and Bai Qing each received 20 spirit stones, totaling 570 spirit stones. The total amount of the Foundation Building Fund also reached 2310 spirit stones.

After putting away the spirit stones, everyone shared their experiences over the past period, as well as the difficulties they encountered in their cultivation and daily lives.

The others fared better; with the outbreak of the beast tide, those who stayed in the Immortal City either engaged in logistics or engaged in speculation and profiteering, and all managed to make a small fortune.

Bai Qing was the only exception. He was a cultivator from the Bai family, and the Bai family chose to stay in Gaoji Mountain during the beast tide instead of moving to the Immortal City.

Li Ping looked at Bai Qing: "How is the Bai family doing? Is your ancestor alright?"

Actually, what he was really concerned about was Bai Lin's situation.

However, he was too embarrassed to ask directly in front of his younger brothers, so he could only inquire about the Bai family and the recent situation of the Bai family patriarch in a roundabout way.

Upon hearing his elder brother's question, Bai Qing quickly replied, "At first, the situation at Gaojishan was very bad when the beast tide surrounded the mountain. However, later, the ancestor and uncles joined forces to kill three second-tier demonic beasts, and the remaining demonic beasts left Gaojishan one after another. After that, until the beast tide ended, Gaojishan was not affected by anything else."

Li Ping nodded: "What about your ancestor? Is he alright?"

Bai Qing quickly smiled and said, "Ancestor is fine. When I came to Immortal City, he told me to convey his thanks to my elder brother. The Bai family is extremely grateful for my elder brother's help. After dealing with the family matters, he will personally come to Immortal City to visit my elder brother."

"That's good." Li Ping nodded with a smile, then asked, "How is your family head?"

Although Bai Qing found it strange that his elder brother was so concerned about the Bai family's affairs, he still respectfully replied, "The patriarch is fine."

Li Ping was pondering how to steer the conversation towards Bai Lin when Gu Musheng, having already discerned his thoughts, preemptively asked, "Seventh Brother, I remember that Eldest Brother's concubine also returned to High Ridge Mountain during the beast tide. Did she tell you when she would return to Immortal City?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ping inwardly gave Gu Musheng a thumbs up, but on the surface he remained calm.

Bai Qing scratched his head: "I don't know much about Bai Lin's situation, but during the beast tide, low-level cultivators all stay inside the protective formation, so she should be safe."

Hearing that Bai Lin was not in danger, Li Ping nodded in approval and stopped asking about the Bai family.

……

As the first rays of the new year's sunlight fell in the morning, the five siblings got up to leave.

But Li Ping stopped Zhang Tie, telling him not to rush off, as he had something to discuss with him.

After everyone else had left, Li Ping looked at Zhang Tie and slowly said, "According to the rules of Immortal City, an auction is held once every five years, and there will always be a Foundation Establishment Pill available for auction by independent cultivators, you know that, right?"

Originally, if Li Ping hadn't happened to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill on the black market, his target would have been this auction.

Zhang Tie nodded: "I know, brother."

"Hmm." Li Ping nodded and continued, "The price of a Foundation Establishment Pill at the auction is roughly between 3000 and 3500 spirit stones. The Foundation Establishment Fund currently has 2310 spirit stones. If you're interested in bidding for this pill, I can lend you 500 spirit stones. You'll have to find a way to make up the difference yourself!"

"Big brother, I..." Zhang Tie hesitated upon hearing Li Ping's words.

Seeing his expression, Li Ping knew that he didn't want to take on too much debt in order to achieve Foundation Establishment.

Finally, under Li Ping's watchful gaze, Zhang Tie hesitated and said, "I'll go back and discuss it with my master."

Li Ping nodded: "Alright, come find me once you've made up your mind. The opportunity for a rogue cultivator to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill only comes once every five years. If you miss this one, you'll have to wait another five years. Think it over carefully!"

"Yes, brother!"

……

Zhang Tie left, and Li Ping watched his departing figure with expectation in his eyes.

Four years ago, in order to gather enough resources for Foundation Establishment, he even sold all his protective magic artifacts. It was through such a decisive gamble that he achieved his current glory.

Zhang Tie is in a much better situation now. He not only got the 500 spirit stones that Zhang Tie borrowed, but also has his master's support!

However, Li Ping was unsure whether Zhang Tie was willing to pay more spirit stones to advance his Foundation Establishment five years earlier, or whether he would have to wait another five years.

He sighed, "I hope you can all clear your heads."

Five years later, although the spirit stones in the Foundation Establishment Fund alone were enough for Zhang Tie to establish his foundation, he did not need to raise additional spirit stones himself.

However, five years later, when Zhang Tie is forty-five years old, his physical functions begin to decline, and the success rate of foundation building will drop significantly.