The Long Journey to Immortality

It's not big, only about the size of a fist. If used sparingly, Han Lu estimates it will last her eleven or twelve years.

The metals required for cultivating the Seven Kill Sword Technique during the Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation stages are meteorite iron and immaculate crystal, respectively.

Han Lu had never seen these two items before, and she had only heard their names for the first time from the "Seven Kill Sword Technique".

However, the cultivation stories of the Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation stages are still a long, long way off for Han Lu, and she doesn't need to worry about that now.

After reorganizing her thoughts, Han Lu realized that she had considered everything thoroughly.

She sat cross-legged on the bed in the suite, holding her breath and concentrating, her hands forming hand seals as she recalled the mental techniques and incantations from the Foundation Establishment chapter of the "Great Circulation Water Condensation Technique".

In this less-than-ideal cultivation environment, Han Lu began her cultivation for the first time as a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Chapter 255 Strength

There is no essential difference between the Qi Refining stage and the Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation.

In fact, whether it is a novice who has been cultivating for three days or a venerable master who has been cultivating for a hundred or eighty years, they are all doing the same thing when they are cultivating.

Sensing the spiritual energy in the air, one uses their spiritual root to transform it into spiritual power and harness it for their own use.

Han Lu was also doing something similar, "returning to simplicity".

In this rather poor cultivation environment, Han Lu tried her best to inhale and exhale spiritual energy, injecting wisps of spiritual energy into her newly formed and activated dantian.

Two hours later, the thin mist in Han Lu's dantian had become much thicker due to the addition of many new forces.

The "Little Mysterious Pearl," which had originally seemed like an inanimate object, began to emit a little light as the spiritual energy in its dantian gradually increased, as if it had been awakened.

But that's all there is to it.

Han Lu meditated for a day and a night, but all she managed to do was add some clouds to her dantian, which seemed as vast as heaven and earth when she looked inward, and give the little Xuanpin Pearl a little more vitality.

As for the matter of "transforming gas into liquid", there's not even a glimpse of it yet.

Han Lu did not feel the slightest bit anxious because of this situation.

"This day's training is equivalent to three days of training on Fengbai Road."

"If I were to sit on the new Dharma seat, I would find a suitable place for practice, and then enter into meditation there."

"It's probably worth ten days in one day now."

……

The cultivation experiences of Feng Bailu or Xiaoyaozi during the Foundation Establishment stage have become Han Lu's benchmark for measuring the effectiveness of her own cultivation.

This can be considered one of the advantages that Han Lu had over other cultivators when cultivating in the Foundation Establishment stage.

After all, the Foundation Establishment stage is not like the Qi Refining stage, where there are small hurdles waiting for cultivators to overcome.

It becomes very difficult for cultivators to ascertain their cultivation speed and effectiveness.

Han Lu is different.

With the "failure experience of Feng Bailu" and the "success experience of Xiaoyaozi" right there, Han Lu only needs to make a slight comparison to clearly understand her current position and the quality of her cultivation, so she will naturally not have any negative emotions.

Slowly opening her eyes, Han Lu looked out the window at the setting sun, which had already risen and set. Unlike when she was in the Qi Refining stage, she did not feel hungry after a day of meditation.

Compared to Qi Refining cultivators, Foundation Establishment cultivators, although not yet at the Golden Core stage, can generally abstain from grains and not eat human food, but their ability to endure hunger has improved considerably.

A Qi Refining cultivator needs to eat at least one to two meals a day.

However, Foundation Establishment cultivators generally only need one meal every five days to maintain their physical strength.

This also makes Foundation Establishment cultivators more like immortals.

Feeling the surge of spiritual energy in her dantian, Han Lu murmured, "Although only two days have passed, in terms of strength alone, ignoring magic treasures, I can now defeat three of myself."

"If we include magic treasures, with so many magical artifacts, even though I haven't mastered them yet, just based on the suppression of the magic treasures' level, I'm afraid even five or seven of me at the Qi Refining stage wouldn't be able to gain an advantage against me now. Defeat is only a matter of time."

As for…

Han Lu pondered for a long time before continuing, "In the True Spirit state, I was once only on par with a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator."

"But now that I've advanced to Foundation Establishment and transformed into a True Spirit, I should be able to defeat a cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage."

"If we advance further and reach the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, we will likely be able to hold our own against ordinary early-stage Golden Core cultivators."

"That should be the time when I start trying to return to the Central Plains by various means."

Through this training, Han Lu roughly grasped her current strength and made various plans for returning to the Central Plains, the most difficult but also the most important task.

She knew that the Great Yu Dynasty was full of talented people. Although they belonged to different forces, the number of Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators was several times greater than that of the Central Plains.

Only when she could gain an advantage over cultivators in the early stages of the Golden Core realm would Han Lu dare to discreetly travel through various prefectures and try to leave this dangerous and turbulent place in her eyes.

After taking several deep breaths, Han Lu finally got out of bed.

She said, "It's not very convenient to practice magic weapons in the inn. We should go to the market in Yuxi County first to buy pills, a Dharma seat, and metals to help with the cultivation of the Seven Kill Sword Technique. We shouldn't delay our cultivation."

Han Lu did not think it was a good idea to take out and retrieve numerous magical artifacts worth hundreds or even thousands of spirit stones from a hotel room, which was not exactly private, for appraisal and research.

In contrast, she was more concerned with increasing her cultivation speed so that she could advance to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible and embark on her journey home.

Although it was late, the pharmacy where Han Lu had once gone to purchase the pills and decoctions she used during her Foundation Establishment stage was still open.

Practice makes perfect, and this time, Han Lu once again chose to purchase several types of pills for the Foundation Establishment stage from this pharmacy.

There are twelve cities under Dongzhou Prefecture. In terms of both the prosperity of the mortal world and the prosperity of the cultivation path, Yuxi County ranks at the bottom of Dongzhou Prefecture.

Therefore, this government-run pharmacy, supported by Yuxi County, was not very large.

Upon arriving at the shop, he stated that he wanted to do a big business deal with the pharmacy.

The pharmacy clerk quickly invited Han Lu to a quiet room, served her fragrant tea, and then went to consult the shopkeeper so that he could discuss business with Han Lu, this important customer.

The owner of the pharmacy was originally a wandering cultivator who was staying in Yuxi County, but was later recruited by the county government.

Because of his low cultivation level but expertise in commerce and alchemy, he was assigned to work as a manager and head of a government-run cultivation medicine shop, serving the county government.

The shopkeeper was bald and looked like a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.

Judging from his aura, Han Lu estimated that the shopkeeper was only at the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining, which was barely considered to be of some strength in the mortal world of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Knowing that Han Lu was a distinguished guest, the shopkeeper was extremely courteous, asking, "May I ask how you are addressed, fairy?"

"Han." Han Lu's answer was simple.

"Fairy Han, what big business do you wish to do with this pharmacy?" The shopkeeper then reiterated the pharmacy's rules, "If it's a small matter worth less than thirty spirit stones, Fairy Han doesn't need to come here and go through all this trouble. You can find a clerk in the front hall of the pharmacy to handle it, which will save you some effort."

"Of course, it's a big deal worth more than fifty spirit stones," Han Lu said, unconcerned about the shopkeeper's slight disdain. After all, she didn't flaunt her cultivation level or list the number of spirit stones and magic treasures in her storage bag. "I'd like to buy some common pills that can be used by Foundation Establishment cultivators. Do you have any Spirit Gathering Pills or True Essence Gathering Pills for sale here?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper knew that Han Lu was at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He put away the slight disdain on his face and replied, "In response to Fairy Han, we do have some, but not many. May I ask how many Spirit Gathering Pills and True Essence Gathering Pills Fairy Han wishes to purchase?"

"How much do you have?" Han Lu was unwilling to reveal her wealth directly.

The shopkeeper replied, "Not many, fifty Spirit Gathering Pills and eight True Essence Spirit Gathering Pills."

Hearing this, Han Lu was slightly surprised, "That's all?"

The shopkeeper assumed that Han Lu was unaware of the market conditions in this small town and county, and slowly told Han Lu the story.

Chapter 256 Purchasing

"I don't think Fairy Han is from Dongzhou Prefecture," the shopkeeper guessed, based on Han Lu's accent and demeanor.

Han Lu nodded and said, "That's right. I came to Dongzhou Prefecture from another place on business, and I've only been in Yuxi County of Dongzhou Prefecture for three days."

The shopkeeper didn't check Han Lu's household registration or press her about her place of origin in the Great Yu Dynasty. He simply nodded slightly and continued, "You may not know, but the largest sect in Yuxi County only has one Golden Core cultivator."

"In the entire county, there are probably only about fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators at most."

"However, the alchemists employed in this shop have relatively low cultivation levels, resulting in a low success rate in refining pills for the Foundation Establishment stage."

"The market is small, the medicinal materials for pills are hard to find, and the success rate of pill formation is low, so naturally our store only has this many Spirit Gathering Pills in stock."

"Among these stocks, some were acquired from unemployed cultivators."

The shopkeeper, who was already somewhat frustrated about opening the door to discuss business, revealed his shortcomings and explained why he only had ten handfuls of the most basic pills used by Foundation Establishment cultivators, the Spirit Gathering Pills.

Upon hearing this, Han Lu realized the difference between Zheng Yi Sect and the small town of Dayu Dynasty.

Although the cultivation texts in the Central Plains region are not as abundant as those in the Great Yu Dynasty, and the resources are also not as plentiful.

However, the two leading righteous sects, Zhengyi Sect and Xuanyang Valley, still far surpass the major sects and factions in the small place of Yuxi County.

Especially in the field of elixirs, the Zhengyi Sect, which possesses the Heaven-Stealing Bottle, is far superior in producing and refining elixirs for the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages.

For Foundation Establishment cultivators practicing in these small sects, obtaining twelve Spirit Gathering Pills a year is considered quite good.

However, even a mid-to-high-level Foundation Establishment cultivator like Feng Bailu in the Zhengyi Sect can receive at least three Spirit Gathering Pills every month, and there are additional rewards during competitions of all sizes.

Given such a disparity, and after careful calculation, the situation that occurred in the government-run pharmacies of Yuxi County seems quite reasonable.

Han Lu nodded slightly, indicating that she understood the shopkeeper's meaning. "Then what about the price of the medicine? Shopkeeper, how much do you plan to sell me for these fifty-five pills?"

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Does the fairy intend to buy them all?"

"Of course," Han Lu said with a smile.

The shopkeeper kept his eyes peeled, secretly calculating in his mind, "Good heavens, this is indeed a big deal."

“Besides that,” Han Lu continued, “there are also Ziyang Powder, Heqi Pills, and so on. Does your shop have those?”

"Yes, yes, but not much," the shopkeeper replied repeatedly. "Since you are so sincere, we will certainly not neglect such a great customer as you..."

"How about this," the shopkeeper said with a smile, "a Spirit Gathering Pill costs two spirit stones, while a True Essence Spirit Gathering Pill is cheaper at eight spirit stones. That would be one hundred and sixty low-grade spirit stones for you, Fairy. How about that?"

"As for the other pills, we'll discuss that later." The shopkeeper was considering offering a discount to encourage the sale, but he didn't want to lose profits for nothing.

This price is slightly higher than the price of the Zhengyi Gate, but it is still reasonable.

In addition, this is the largest pharmacy in the area, and it's a small shop with this price; other pharmacies would definitely be less competitive.

The shopkeeper was quite sincere, and Han Lu had nothing to complain about.

"Alright, but I have some spirit stones with my friend. I'll pay 100 spirit stones first to buy the Spirit Gathering Pill. Please keep the rest of the pills for me, shopkeeper. I'll come back the day after tomorrow for cash on delivery." Han Lu was careful and deliberately split the transaction into two, so that the government-run pharmacy, being a local power, wouldn't covet the valuables in her storage bag.

"Did you travel to the Eastern Continent with your Daoist partner, Fairy?" the shopkeeper asked casually.

Han Lu simply served tea and water without answering.

The shopkeeper smiled awkwardly, slightly embarrassed, and stopped prying into Han Lu's private affairs, continuing to discuss business, "This is our first time dealing with each other. Since Fairy Han doesn't have enough spirit stones on her, let's do as Fairy Han wishes and split this transaction in two."