A public notice was posted seeking a wife, and a female saint from the Immortal Sect was found.

Name: Chen Yi

Lifespan: 22/166

[Realm Level: Qi Refining Stage 9 (856/900)]

[Martial Arts Skill: Triple Mountain-Splitting Saber Technique (Perfect)]

Rainmaking Spell: (Perfect)

[Spell: Purple Lightning Technique (Mastery: 322/5000)]

[Spell: Concealing Spirit Technique (Minor Success: 785/1000)]

[System Function: Authentication (Can authenticate the authenticity of anything in the world, once per day)]

…………

In the small courtyard room, as darkness fell, Chen Yi sat cross-legged on the bed and slowly opened his eyes.

Looking at the system panel, I realized that I was finally close to reaching the perfect level of the ninth level of Qi Refining.

He was already very close to reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

Counting the time, it has been exactly four months since the two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Zhao family and the two hall masters from the Purple Pill Sect appeared at the Chen family.

In four months, he raised his cultivation level to the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage. This speed is actually not considered fast.

He had already taken the Qi-nourishing herb that Zhao Dezhi had given him. If he had focused on improving his cultivation level, he would already be a Foundation Establishment cultivator by now.

However, cultivation is not just about improving one's realm; techniques are also tools for dealing with enemies, so they should not be neglected.

Therefore, during the four months, he spent half of his time cultivating to improve his realm and the other half practicing spells.

The Rainmaking Technique was obtained from the Purple Pill Sect and is considered the lowest level of magic. Now that it has been cultivated to perfection, with a thought, dense raindrops will immediately fall within a ten-meter radius.

The effects of the Purple Lightning Technique were quite astonishing. After four months of relentless effort to improve the technique to its peak, Chen Yi had gained a thorough understanding of its power.

With his current cultivation level of the ninth level of Qi Refining, using the Purple Lightning Technique, he is invincible against cultivators of the same realm, and can even kill them with a single blow.

This technique is ultimately a skill that should only be practiced during the Foundation Establishment stage. Once mastered during the Qi Refining stage, it becomes incredibly powerful against cultivators of the same level. Therefore, this technique is Chen Yi's trump card.

The Concealing Spirit Technique was a new technique that Chen Yi obtained from Li Changqing two months ago.

How exactly did he obtain it? Two months ago, Chen Yi and Li Changqing were discussing how cultivators should conceal their aura and form when Li Changqing suddenly produced a technique that was no less powerful than the Purple Lightning Technique.

Chen Yi wanted to take advantage of Li Changqing, but it was clear that Li Changqing had already prepared some techniques suitable for Chen Yi, just waiting for the opportunity to use them on him.

Chen Yi was not surprised by this, because he already knew that Li Changqing had decided to compete for the opportunity of the Earth Vein Spirit Chrysalis by using the appraisal technique.

They wanted to compete, but they didn't want the Zhao family to fail to obtain the Earth Vein Spirit Chrysalis, so they angrily attacked the Chen family.

Gaining the protection of the Purple Pill Sect was Li Changqing's plan to preserve the Chen family. Besides this, Li Changqing had other preparations. Now it seems that one of these preparations was to make him stronger as soon as possible. Once he reached the Foundation Establishment stage, it would be much easier to preserve the Chen family.

This was Li Changqing's idea, so he readily provided the magic.

The Concealing Spirit Technique is a very powerful technique for hiding one's aura. It allows one to assimilate one's aura with the environment. To put it simply, it is a technique that integrates oneself into the environment.

This technique is incredibly powerful. Although it is only at a minor stage of mastery now, the effect was already excellent when Chen Yi tried it.

For example, in the past four months, the Chen family has recruited three cultivators at the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage, and six others below the fifth level, to serve as family guards.

On one occasion, Chen Yi followed behind these guards on a patrol of the herb garden. Even the three Qi Refining Stage 5 cultivators did not notice that the patriarch was already following behind them.

Of course, it works extremely well against cultivators weaker than oneself, but its effect will be greatly reduced against cultivators of the same or stronger level.

However, Chen Yi was already quite satisfied with this. When facing an enemy, he could quietly hide and then suddenly unleash a Purple Lightning Technique on the enemy. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the early stages would definitely be caught off guard.

In summary, Chen Yi has already given his all to reach this point in four months; he simply couldn't have done it any faster.

"After two more cultivation sessions, I will reach the ninth level of perfection, which is not far from a breakthrough. In addition, my lifespan has finally increased to one hundred and sixty-six years, which is a cause for celebration."

At the ninth level of Qi Refining, the lifespan limit is generally 150 years, but he reached 166, which he was very satisfied with.

Once you break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, your lifespan might be longer than that of a tortoise.

Without further thought, Chen Yi got up and went outside, standing in the courtyard to begin practicing his magic.

With a thought, rain fell instantly within a ten-meter radius. At the same time, Chen Yi's hands moved like phantoms, forming eighteen hand seals in an instant.

Purple Lightning Technique.

A thick bolt of lightning suddenly appeared and crashed down. The fierce and violent power of the lightning, aided by the rain, slammed down with a deafening roar, turning the ground ten meters away into scorched black, with cracks like tortoise shell patterns covering the ten-meter area.

"The Rainmaking Technique is practically useless against enemies, but when used in conjunction with the Purple Lightning Technique, it can at least enhance the power of the Purple Lightning Technique by three-tenths."

This was something Chen Yi discovered himself. Wind, rain, thunder, and lightning are phenomena that often occur together. Whether it's rain borrowing the power of thunder or thunder borrowing the momentum of heavy rain, both can amplify the grandeur of such natural phenomena.

Chen Yi pondered this, and unexpectedly succeeded. The combination of the Rainmaking Technique and the Purple Lightning Technique greatly increased its power.

The only problem is that using two techniques will inevitably take more time. Since the outcome of a battle between cultivators can be decided in an instant, it would be best to combine the two techniques.

He planned to consult Li Changqing in a while to see if Li Changqing could solve this problem.

After practicing Rain Technique and Purple Lightning Technique, Chen Yi began practicing Spirit Concealment Technique.

For the past four months, he had been living this kind of life, nothing but cultivation. The feeling of becoming stronger every day was naturally wonderful, but as time went on, the pressure also increased.

Firstly, because of the Earth Vein Spirit Chrysalis, as time goes by, the likelihood of the Zhao family taking action against the Chen family increases significantly.

Secondly, because of Li Changqing, Chen Yi knew without using the appraisal function that Li Changqing's injuries had finally fully recovered.

Because Li Changqing is now at the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage.

To be honest, although he was close to reaching the peak of the Qi Refining stage, Chen Yi didn't think he could defeat Li Changqing, who was at the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage.

Li Changqing, who was once at the peak of the Tribulation Transcending stage, would not be underestimated, nor would he dare to underestimate him.

Li Changqing's cultivation began to recover, which meant that she would definitely fight to the death and would not miss the opportunity of the Earth Vein Spirit Chrysalis.

However, according to the previous assessment, Li Changqing would need six months to recover to the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage, which means that by the time the Earth Vein Spirit Cocoon condenses, Li Changqing will still only be a Qi Refining stage cultivator.

Chen Yi wasn't sure how confident Li Changqing, who was at the Qi Refining stage, was in seizing the Earth Vein Spirit Cocoon, but even with him involved, the matter would still be extremely dangerous.

Of course, besides the two things mentioned above, there is another thing that is quite worth looking forward to.

The wedding date with Li Changqing is not far off. After the wedding ceremony, I can take advantage of him... It would be perfectly justified to be more intimate with him.

Thinking of this, Chen Yi, who was cultivating the Spirit Concealment Technique, couldn't help but smile with narrowed eyes.

"You must not be distracted while practicing the Hidden Spirit Technique," a voice rang out.

Chen Yi turned his head and saw Li Changqing and Ye Chen.

Three months ago, as Chen Yi had predicted, the recipe for the Soul-Protecting Pill that he gave to the Zhao family attracted Ye Nan'an, the sect leader of the Purple Pill Sect, to personally visit the Chen family.

Chen Yi readily gave Ye Nan'an a copy of the Soul Protection Pill formula as well. As a result, Ye Nan'an valued the Chen family even more, and having obtained the Soul Protection Pill formula, Ye Nan'an did not have any intention of complaining about Ye Chen's incompetence for the time being.

Judging from the looks of it, Ye Nan'an is quite patient this time. He probably thinks that the Chen family holds enormous potential benefits, making it worthwhile for him to take his time.

"I was indeed distracted; I suddenly remembered some things," Chen Yi admitted.

As for what I was thinking about, I can't say. I can't very well say that I was thinking about how I could take advantage of you legitimately in the future, and that I was distracted by momentary elation.

Li Changqing waved to Ye Chen, signaling her to go back and rest. Then he looked at Chen Yi and said, "In the past few months, the Chen family has completely taken control of the Ning and Zhang families' businesses. I've calculated that there are plenty of Foundation Condensation Pills and Spirit Condensation Pills in the warehouse. I'd like to withdraw some. Do you agree?"

Chen Yi was taken aback upon hearing this. He had already said that Li Changqing could make all the decisions regarding the Chen family's affairs. The only reason why Li Changqing was bringing this up now was that the quantity of pills he needed must be enormous.

The sudden need for a large number of pills suggests that Li Changqing is most likely preparing to compete for the Earth Vein Spirit Pupa.

"Agreed." Chen Yi didn't ask any further questions, but simply agreed.

Li Changqing nodded. Chen Yi didn't ask any further questions about the matter, which was both unexpected and expected for her.

This is contradictory, yet it is the truth.

Chen Yi's level of trust in her always made her feel that it was excessive.

After a moment of silence, Li Changqing said, "You have reached the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage. According to my estimate, if you cultivate and nurture at this level for another three months, you should have at least a 70% chance of successfully breaking through. However, even with a 70% chance, you cannot be careless in the slightest."

The path of cultivation is like going against the heavens; every breakthrough is accompanied by enormous risks.

Previously, the recipe for the Soul Protection Pill was given to Ye Nan'an. Later, after Ye Nan'an refined the Soul Protection Pill, he specially ordered Liang Shanlong, the head of the Zongwu Hall, to send two bottles of the Soul Protection Pill.

Therefore, when Chen Yi breaks through, he is not afraid of damage to his soul, but the risk of failure will not be reduced as a result.

To put it bluntly, every time a cultivator breaks through a major realm, it's like undergoing a life-or-death test. If they're not careful, it's not surprising that they die or their cultivation dissipates.

Chen Yi nodded upon hearing this, but he felt that what Li Changqing said might not apply to him.

According to his own calculations, he only needs to cultivate twice more to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, and it is absolutely impossible for it to take three months.

However, he himself was not entirely sure. In the past, his breakthroughs were all small realms within the Qi Refining stage. Now, if he wanted to go from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, he would have to try it to find out if it would be a natural progression.

With a sudden thought, Chen Yi seized the opportunity to say, "If I can successfully establish my foundation, that would be a great thing. However, once I reach the foundation stage, the cultivation method you gave me will be useless. I will have to put in the effort to find a cultivation method for the foundation stage."

At this point, Chen Yi looked helpless and sighed, "The Chen family has indeed become much stronger after annexing the Ning and Zhang families, but we still don't have the ability to buy a Foundation Establishment cultivation method. Cultivation methods are too expensive."

Li Changqing smiled for once and said, "You don't need to worry about that. I do have a Foundation Establishment cultivation method left by my master. However, this method is more complex and profound than the previous one. It's hard to say whether you can cultivate it."

Chen Yi was delighted, thinking to himself that Changqing was really generous with his gold coins, not hiding them at all, which was a very, very good habit.

On his face, a look of surprise appeared. He grabbed Li Changqing's hands and exclaimed, "What?! You actually have a Foundation Establishment stage cultivation method?"

"My master left behind quite a few things, but I'm of average talent and haven't been able to use many of them. I never thought I could help you now," Li Changqing replied calmly.

Chen Yi nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, they were all left by your master. Whatever you say, I will believe."

"I have already copied the cultivation method, and I will give it to you now," Li Changqing said.

After she finished speaking, she realized that Chen Yi was still holding her hands.

She suddenly became lost in thought. Over this period of time, Chen Yi had become increasingly bold, and would grab her hand or brush her hair from her forehead if she wasn't careful.

After doing it many times, she suddenly realized that she had actually gotten used to it.

"Am I really going to fall into this little guy's trap?"

She found it hard to imagine that she would get used to Chen Yi's presence in the future.

After thinking for a while, she quickly came to her senses, withdrew her hand, and took out a piece of silk cloth. On the silk cloth was the Foundation Establishment stage cultivation method.

"This method is inherited from the Qi Refining stage cultivation method, and the cultivation effect should be good. Whether you can comprehend this method or not depends entirely on yourself," Li Changqing said.

After saying that, she waved her hand, turned around, and went back to her room.

Chen Yi took the silk cloth, feeling somewhat excited. As the saying goes, "A woman three hundred years older brings boundless joy; she can take me to immortality in an instant." He felt that this saying was indeed very true.

It doesn't matter who said it.

Having obtained the Foundation Establishment cultivation method, one can continue cultivating smoothly after breaking through.

However, he did not rush to look at the cultivation method in his hand, but carefully hid it inside his clothes.

He glanced at the night sky, then moved swiftly, quietly leaving the ancestral home and disappearing into the darkness.

Four months ago, Zhao Dezhi and his teacher stood menacingly at the entrance of the Chen family's house, but afterwards, Zhao Dezhi personally went to explain and apologize.

Therefore, after four months, on the surface, the relationship between the two sides is much closer than it was four months ago.

Yesterday, Zhao Dezhi came to the Chen family and brought some medicinal herbs for Qi Refining stage cultivation.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chen Yi used his appraisal function to learn that Zhao Dezhi would be entering the underground cave tonight, and would also be bringing along several ley line masters who specialize in the direction of the ley lines, in order to completely determine the condensation time and location of the ley line spirit pupa.

Now that he had learned of this matter, Chen Yi naturally did not intend to let it go.

…………

Not long after Chen Yi left, Li Changqing came out of the room.

After reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining, she noticed that Chen Yi would leave the ancestral home from time to time, and his whereabouts were somewhat strange. She didn't know what he was doing.

With a thought, she followed. Although her strength was not as good as Chen Yi's at the moment, it was not difficult for her to keep up with him.