Ascending from the mortal realm to become an immortal begins with taking charge of a grotto-heaven.

Back in the familiar little house, the moonlight outside the window was still cold and clear, but Zhang Li's state of mind had already undergone a complete transformation.

He looked down at his palm, where the warm, heavy touch of Kuroda still seemed to linger. The cavern floating in the gray-white void, the acre of spiritually rich black soil, the ancient well, and the dilapidated wooden house were definitely not illusions.

Zhang Li closed the doors and windows, sat down cross-legged, his eyes brimming with barely suppressed excitement.

He dared not delay and immediately had the idea of ​​entering the space again.

A slight dizziness struck, followed by a flash of white light, and the person reappeared above the cave, where the black field, well, and wooden house once again appeared before them.

Then, with a thought, a flash of white light appeared before his eyes, and he was back in the house.

"If one can enter and exit with a mere thought, that grotto-heaven definitely exists."

After trying several times, Zhang Li finally confirmed that the cave was not something he had imagined, but something that actually existed.

Having read countless stories in my past life, I've finally acquired the golden finger that's standard for time travelers.

The constraints of his four spiritual roots had suffocated him for two whole months. Now, this cave heaven might be the only opportunity to break through the insurmountable barrier of his aptitude.

"Don't get excited, relax... relax..."

Zhang Li took a deep breath, suppressing his joy. He only had some guesses about the function of the black fields in the cave. Before conducting any concrete experiments, it was all just empty talk.

If the black field truly functions as he imagined, it means Zhang Li must keep this secret for life, even if he later has a Daoist partner or children.

"In this world where great power belongs to oneself, having opportunities without strength is ultimately just a castle in the air or a mirage in the water, easily collapsed and shattered with a single touch."

After speaking, Zhang Li regained his composure and turned his gaze to the storage bag that he had been unable to use no matter what he did before.

Previously, he had no cultivation, and no matter how much he reached into the bag or shook it, he couldn't touch the spirit stones and pills inside. Now that he has successfully guided the Qi into his body, he can take this opportunity to try it out.

Secondly, if he didn't find a way to retrieve the spirit stones from the storage bag, his well-thought-out plan couldn't be implemented.

Zhang Li channeled the wisp of magical power from his dantian onto his palm and gently placed it on the surface of his storage bag.

hum.

A hazy, gray light curtain unfolded at the bag's opening, revealing a dozen or so round, low-grade spirit stones and a porcelain bottle containing Qi-Nourishing Pills.

This time, there were no obstacles, and a low-grade spirit stone with a cool touch was successfully retrieved.

"Is this the currency used in the cultivation world—spirit stones?"

Zhang Li gently stroked the smooth surface of the spirit stone with his fingertips, his eyes filled with wonder.

He had only seen written descriptions of spirit stones in the book "Basic Cultivation of Immortals" before, but today, after touching them with his own hands, he truly felt their extraordinary nature.

The book is true; spirit stones contain the pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which can be used for cultivation and breathing exercises, as well as for trading for pills, cultivation techniques, and spiritual seeds. They are an indispensable form of hard currency for cultivators traveling the world.

He looked down at the spiritual stone in his palm, and immediately thought of the mysterious black field in the cave.

To verify whether Kuroda has the effect of promoting the growth of spirit plants, we must use these spirit stones to buy some spirit plant seeds.

Zhang Li grabbed a soft pillow from the side, and with a thought, his figure reappeared on the floating island. Looking at the storage bag and soft pillow still in his hands, he thought to himself, "It seems that this cave has a storage space function, but the range should be limited to this floating island."

Zhang Li had already tried it before; whenever he tried to leave the area of ​​this floating island, an invisible barrier would appear, preventing him from taking another step.

In the future, important supplies can be stored in this cave without worrying about them being lost or seen by others.

Having confirmed that there were no obstacles in storing the inanimate objects, Zhang Li had a thought, and the white light rose again, instantly returning him to the bedside inside the room.

Zhang Li already had a plan in mind: after the outer sect's morning classes ended tomorrow, he would go to the sect's market to exchange spirit stones for some spirit plant seeds, and then bring them back to the black field in his space to personally verify the effects of that black soil.

If his conjecture is true, he will have a way to gradually make up for the shortcomings in his cultivation caused by the four spiritual roots.

Zhang Li put the spirit stones back into his storage bag, carefully tucked the bag into his body, and then checked the doors and windows repeatedly to make sure there were no gaps that could let in any movement before sitting cross-legged again.

The wisp of magical power within his dantian flowed along a specific path, completing a full cycle, leaving him feeling an unprecedented sense of comfort throughout his body.

After two months of arduous struggle, struggling to even capture spiritual energy, he has now successfully drawn energy into his body. Coupled with his own personal grotto-heaven, the gloom that had been weighing on his heart has finally been swept away.

He opened the "Azure Profound Breathing Technique" beside him and, by the moonlight outside the window, calmed his mind to consolidate the realm he had just broken through.

The night passed in the blink of an eye.

As dawn broke and the first light of day appeared on the horizon, the distant sound of bells rang out, signaling the outer disciples to gather for their training.

Zhang Li got up, straightened his blue Taoist robe, tied the wooden waist tag around his waist, hid his storage bag close to his body, pushed open the door and walked out of the courtyard, following the endless stream of outer disciples towards the Dharma practice platform on the back mountain.

Along the way, many disciples were chatting in twos and threes, and they were all talking about the word "resources".

On the path of cultivation, resources are an unavoidable hurdle. Spirit stones, elixirs, and spiritual herbs—everything must be fought for.

With his mixed spiritual roots, his efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy is low. If he wants to break through his cultivation level, he will consume more resources than a normal cultivator.

Before long, Zhang Li arrived at the Dharma Practice Platform on the back mountain.

The Dharma Hall was crowded with people, but the seating arrangement was clear. The central position was naturally occupied by disciples with higher cultivation levels, and then the seating spread outwards according to their cultivation level.

As usual, Zhang Li found a secluded corner and sat down cross-legged. He was currently outmatched, so this was all he could do.

Before long, a gray-robed deacon stepped onto the platform, tapped the bronze bell with a wooden ring in his hand, and the deep sound echoed throughout the entire open space.

"The hour of Chen has arrived. Activate the Spirit Gathering Array."

As soon as he finished speaking, the deacon raised his hand and cast a spell into the ground.

hum-

The array patterns buried beneath the entire Dharma practice platform lit up with a faint blue light. The surrounding spiritual energy was drawn by the array and slowly converged towards the center of the Dharma practice platform, causing the concentration of spiritual energy in the platform to increase several times in an instant.

The surrounding disciples closed their eyes and began to breathe deeply. The disciple sitting cross-legged in the center of the Dharma performance area was surrounded by abundant spiritual energy, which seeped into his meridians, making his cultivation twice as effective with half the effort.

While the concentration of spiritual energy increased at the edges, the gap between the edges and the center actually widened.

But none of the disciples sitting on the edges dared to occupy the very center position, no matter how early they arrived.

In the world of cultivation, strength is paramount; only those with strength can secure more resources.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye, and the bronze bell on the high platform rang again, while the faint light of the spirit-gathering array slowly dissipated.

"The breathing exercise is finished. Disperse on your own," the deacon instructed in a deep voice.

The disciples all got up. Some went straight to the incense hall to earn spirit stones, while others agreed to go to the market to buy resources.

Zhang Li didn't linger for a moment, heading straight down the mountain path from Lingze Peak, with only one thought in his mind: to buy the spirit plant seeds as soon as possible and verify Kuroda's abilities.