The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

Xu Xining held the jade bottle, which was only an inch tall, in both hands and felt it was very heavy.

Although he was young, he had heard his family members say that the Qi-inducing powder was ridiculously expensive, costing a hundred spirit stones per bottle, enough to buy many, many kilograms of spirit rice, enough to bury him.

Xu Changqing's expression softened slightly as he looked at the three children, who seemed both delighted and apprehensive.

"Every morning, take a small amount of powder the size of a soybean, mix it with warm water and drink it. Then immediately sit in meditation according to the method of the 'Qi-guiding technique' to sense the Qi, and only get up when the heat in your abdomen has dissipated."

"This bottle will last you two months."

The three children listened attentively, nodding their little heads.

"Alright, go back now. You don't need to go to school starting tomorrow. Uncle Dayou will take you to the meditation room. I won't question you, so don't slack off."

"Yes! Thank you, Clan Chief!"

The three children bowed in unison, then carefully withdrew, holding the medicine bottle.

Outside the door, the parents who had been waiting for a long time beamed with joy when they saw that their child had something in his hand.

The ancestral hall fell silent again.

Xu Dayou looked at the empty doorway and clicked his tongue in slight pain.

"The clan leader has really gone all out..."

If no one succeeds in sensing Qi within these two months, the spirit stones will be wasted without a trace.

"We've done everything we can; now it's up to God to decide whether we'll be blessed with good fortune."

Xu Changqing interrupted his uncle's rambling and turned to tidy up the spirit-testing disc on the table.

"By the way, how many spirit stones does Curry have left?"

Xu Dayou took out an account book from his pocket, flipped through a couple of pages, and looked somewhat bitter.

"Adding the several hundred spirit stones you gave me before, the majority of the money was spent on medicine. If we also consider the spiritual food supply for these children during their cultivation, as well as our daily expenses for maintaining the great array... all things considered, we can only last for two more months."

two months.

It happened to be the day of the mountain opening ceremony.

In other words, if the Xu family does not have any new income in the next two months, Xu Changqing, the clan head, may not even be able to afford the travel expenses when it comes time to send the children to take the assessment.

That's enough.

Xu Changqing put away the spirit-testing disc, his expression calm.

"Two months from now, our Xu family will either soar to great heights, or... we won't have to worry about them anymore."

Xu Dayou was taken aback, then gave a wry smile.

That's true; too many lice don't itch, and too much debt doesn't worry you.

……

As night deepened, the snow began to fall sparsely again.

Xu Changqing returned to his study but did not turn on the lights.

He sat on the futon and took the bronze box out from the hidden compartment.

Upon opening the box, the shriveled purple-veined golden peach seed lay quietly inside.

"We still need to keep working on it."

Xu Changqing sighed and resignedly held the seed between his fingers.

The Everlasting Spring Technique circulated within his body, and the pale blue wood-elemental spiritual energy gathered along his meridians at his fingertips, slowly seeping into the hard seed shell.

This action is extremely tedious.

He held a walnut between two fingers, turning it back and forth, while constantly controlling the output of spiritual energy—not too much, not too little.

Too little will have no effect, and too much might overwhelm this fragile vitality.

As Xu Changqing rubbed, he mocked himself inwardly.

If outsiders were to see the dignified head of the Xu family, staying up late at night and playing with walnuts like an old man, they would probably laugh their heads off.

But there's nothing we can do about it; the method provided by the Heavenly Mirror is the golden rule.

About fifteen minutes later.

The surface of the seeds seemed smoother, and beneath the originally deathly gray skin, a faint purple pattern was faintly visible, almost imperceptible unless you looked closely.

"There's a chance."

Xu Changqing's spirits lifted, and his finger movements became even gentler and more delicate.

This purple-veined golden peach is a first-grade superior spiritual plant. If it can be successfully grown, even if it only bears three fruits, the spirit stones will not be a problem for the next few years.

There's an "insider" at the fishpond helping to spread false information, so the Zhang family won't be making any major moves for the time being.

The children had their spiritual roots tested and had hope for the future; the great formation was also mostly repaired.

All that's left is him.

Fourth level of Qi Refining.

It's barely enough to make a living on the edge of this great swamp, but if you really have to face a behemoth like the Zhang family, your cultivation level is just a slightly larger grasshopper.

With Zhang Xianzhu at the seventh level of Qi Refining and wielding a magic weapon, Xu Changqing wasn't confident he could win if Zhang Xianzhu really came to attack, even with the clan's protective formation.

"You still have to rely on yourself."

Xu Changqing put away the peach pit, feeling that about 10% of his spiritual energy had been consumed.

He adjusted his breathing, took out a spirit stone from his storage bag and held it in his palm. Only after his spiritual power recovered to its peak did he sink his mind into his sea of ​​consciousness.

The Heavenly Mirror still floats silently, its surface deep and mysterious.

Xu Changqing took a deep breath and silently recited in his mind:

"With my current cultivation level and the resources I have, how can I possibly break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining within two months?"

He didn't ask how to directly establish a foundation; that would probably take him thirty to fifty years.

Let's be realistic and just aim for a breakthrough in one small area.

As the thought settled, the fog in the sea of ​​consciousness began to churn.

A moment later, a line of golden characters slowly appeared.

[Deduction begins]

[Deduction: A method to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining within two months.]

[Time required: Five days.]

"Five days..."

Xu Changqing slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

Fortunately, it wasn't too long.

Compared to the seven days it would take to earn five hundred spirit stones as previously calculated, these five days are still within an acceptable range.

This also shows that, given his current conditions, while it is difficult to break through, it is not impossible. He doesn't need the Heavenly Mirror to deduce some earth-shattering, fate-defying method.

"Then let's wait another five days."

……

The next five days on Cangwu Island passed uneventfully.

The snow and wind outside still hadn't stopped.

The two traitors, Xu Sanshun and Xu Tiezhu, continued to go to the fishpond every day without fail to "cry out their sorrows," their acting skills becoming increasingly refined.

If Xu Changqing hadn't known them so well, he would have almost been moved by their unwavering loyalty.

Xu Xining's three little ones, who had just had their spiritual roots tested, also began to follow Xu Yanfeng and the others in practicing their skills early in the morning, just like they were doing.

Although it was just practicing horse stance and memorizing formulas, the novelty hadn't worn off yet. They practiced until their little faces were red, and even when they were freezing and had runny noses, they refused to slack off.

Besides handling clan affairs, Xu Changqing would spend two quarters of an hour each day nourishing the purple-veined golden peach with spiritual energy, without fail.

Until late on the fifth day.

A familiar, clear sound came from the depths of my consciousness.

"They're here."

Xu Changqing's spirits lifted, and he quickly sat cross-legged, focusing his mind.

As the fog dissipated, the long-awaited rows of golden characters finally appeared.

[The simulation is complete]

[Details of the opportunity: Sixty miles north of Cangwu Island, at the confluence of the underground rivers of the Great Swamp, lies a "Secret Cave of the Water Mansion" left behind by cultivators a hundred years ago. Inside the cave grows a first-grade superior "Cold Marrow Ganoderma," which has now reached maturity.]

[Two late-stage Tier 1 "Azure Water Pythons" have built a nest to guard the cave entrance, and the underground river has a rapid current, making it easy to enter but difficult to leave.]