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

A few days later.

A streak of yellow light streaked across the sky, passed straight through the array barrier of the spiritual field, and landed in the small courtyard in the center of the lake.

The stream of light fell into the courtyard and then dispersed with a bang, transforming into a palm-sized, luminous jade talisman that floated in mid-air.

Zhang Li, who was preparing to draw a talisman at his desk, looked up and gestured with his hand. The jade talisman floated lightly into his palm. After he channeled some magic power into it, a gentle female voice immediately came from inside the jade talisman. It was Su Qinghe's voice.

"Junior Brother Zhang, all the spiritual medicines needed for cultivating the Root Shaping Technique have been prepared. You can come to Yuntian Garden to pick them up when you have time."

As soon as he finished speaking, the spiritual light of the communication jade talisman slowly dimmed, and all the stored messages dissipated, turning back into an ordinary piece of yellow jade without any spiritual energy.

"Finally, everything is collected."

Zhang Li put away the several finished fireball talismans on the table, pushed open the door, and slowly walked into the courtyard.

The effects of the Root Shaping Method are directly linked to age. From the day he obtained this secret method, he has been eager to cultivate it as soon as possible in order to maximize his aptitude.

However, the number of second-tier spiritual herbs required for the secret technique was too large, and Zhang Li simply could not collect them in a short period of time.

Only then did they settle for second best and choose to trade with Su Qinghe.

As expected, it's good to have a powerful backer. Aristocratic families act swiftly, and in just over ten days, they have collected all the spiritual herbs needed for cultivating the secret technique.

Since that was the case, Zhang Li did not want to waste any more time and boarded the Black Shadow Boat towards Yunyu Immortal City.

……

Half an hour later, at Yuntian Garden, under the pavilion where small trading meetings are usually held.

"Junior Brother Zhang, you're so fast." Su Qinghe picked up the teapot, poured a cup of steaming spiritual tea, and pushed it over. "My Qinghe spiritual tea has just been brewed."

Zhang Li sat down, took the warm jade cup, and the elegant fragrance of lotus lingered around his nose. He took a sip and felt as if he were in a pool of spring water, which made him feel much more relaxed.

"Good tea." Zhang Li exclaimed sincerely, then put down his teacup and looked at the blue storage bag sitting quietly on the side of the stone table. His eyes were full of anticipation. "Senior Sister's message concerns the root-reshaping medicine, so I naturally dare not delay. The sooner this method is practiced, the better the effect of reshaping the spiritual root will be. Naturally, the sooner it is practiced, the better."

"Junior brother is indeed devoted to the Dao. Since I have sent you a message, you have already made all the necessary preparations."

As she spoke, Su Qinghe picked up the cyan storage bag beside her and handed it over, adding:

"As per your request, Junior Brother, all the necessary spiritual herbs, except for the Marrow Cleansing Fruit, are here. You can take inventory of them."

"I trust my senior sister completely."

Zhang Li took the storage bag, glanced at it briefly, and then put it away.

Seeing that he was completely unsuspecting and trusting, a faint warmth flashed in Su Qinghe's eyes, and she said softly, "Junior Brother is so frank; it seems I was overthinking things."

After she finished speaking, her tone became more admonishing: "Although this Root Shaping Method has the miraculous effect of improving aptitude, nothing comes without a price. The process is extremely painful, and you will experience unimaginable suffering. Furthermore, once you start, you must never stop. Those who give up halfway will at least lose all their cultivation, or at worst, die and perish. This is what the sect's patriarch said. Junior brother, you must be well prepared before you start practicing."

There is such a saying here, yet it is not recorded at all in the jade slip. Could it be that Qin Mu concealed this information?

"Probably not," Zhang Li quickly dismissed the idea. Perhaps Qin Mu was unaware of the danger involved. After all, the Qin family was just a small Qi Refining family. Without a tremendous stroke of luck, they would not have been able to gather all the spiritual herbs needed to cultivate this secret technique even after hundreds of years.

Although it is not recorded in the jade slip, since these words came from the mouth of the sect's patriarch, it is true that the knowledge of a Golden Core cultivator is far beyond that of ordinary people.

Thinking of this, Zhang Li stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you so much, senior sister, for revealing the secret. I am extremely grateful."

Su Qinghe raised her hand slightly to support him and said softly, "Junior brother, there's no need for such formalities. We belong to the same sect and have known each other for many years. Whether out of public interest or private interest, it is only right that I remind you."

Zhang Li slowly straightened up, keeping this admonition firmly in his heart.

"If you really can't bear it anymore, you can take a pain-relieving pill to alleviate the pain. Although it will reduce the effectiveness of the secret method, at least you can endure the whole process."

Finally, Su Qinghe offered another word of advice.

"Don't worry, senior sister, I understand."

After bowing once more, Zhang Li took his leave and departed from Yuntian Garden.

On his way back, when he passed by Dan Ding Lou, he hesitated for a while in front of the door, but finally went in and bought a bottle of pain relief pills at a high price, just in case.

After leaving Dan Ding Lou, Zhang Li thought it over again and again, but in the end he still did not return to Crescent Lake Spiritual Field.

There are many people at the funeral site, and the farmers still need to work on weekdays. Even if they are careful, they will inevitably make some noise.

Cultivating the Root Shaping Method requires complete focus and cannot be disturbed in any way. Zhang Li plans to rent a cave dwelling in Yunyu Immortal City and return to the Spirit Field after successfully shaping his roots.

Renting a cave dwelling in the south of the city.

An unassuming cultivator walked in; it was none other than Zhang Li, who had changed his appearance.

"A top-grade first-tier cave dwelling, rented for five days..."

Zhang Li left behind five days' rent and, led by a servant, went to a secluded courtyard.

Upon entering the courtyard, several streams of magical power struck the control token, and a cloud of mist drifted by, completely obscuring the courtyard.

After carefully assessing the concealing effect of the clouds and mist, Zhang Li nodded in satisfaction and returned to his original form.

Over the next seven days, he will complete his root-shaping practice in this small courtyard.

After letting out a long sigh, Zhang Li walked into the room.

According to the secret method, before cultivation, all the necessary ingredients must be prepared into a medicinal liquid using specific steps. Then, the entire body below the neck must be completely immersed in the medicinal liquid, and then one can simply wait for the liquid to take effect.

The time it takes to finish the cultivation naturally depends on the time it takes for the medicinal liquid to be fully absorbed, which generally takes two to three days.

Brewing medicinal liquids was not difficult for Zhang Li, an alchemist.

Zhang Li took out the Crimson Flame Furnace he usually used for alchemy, and following the order recorded in the secret method, he took out all the spiritual herbs from his storage bag and threw them into the furnace.

A rich and mellow medicinal fragrance continuously wafted from the furnace, filling the entire room. After a full hour, all the medicinal herbs had dissolved, and a thick, dark gold medicinal liquid quietly churned within the furnace.

With a flick of his two fingers, Zhang Li collected all the medicinal liquid from the furnace into a pre-prepared container. Of the more than thirty kinds of spiritual herbs, only less than a bowl of medicinal liquid was produced.

After setting the medicinal liquid aside to cool naturally, Zhang Li sat cross-legged, took a Qi Condensation Pill, and began to recover his depleted mana.

Half an hour later, all the consumed mana was restored, and the medicine had completely cooled down.

Zhang Li took out a bath tub, filled it with an appropriate amount of spiritual spring water, and then poured all the medicinal liquid from the bowl into it.

After the two were fully mixed, Zhang Li took a deep breath, a determined look flashing in his eyes, took off his clothes, and stepped into the bathtub.