Perhaps because the environment deep in the mountains was too complicated, the large-scale pursuit Lu Qingfeng had expected never materialized.
The three Lu siblings ran for five straight months, with no idea how far they had traveled. At first, scattered disciples of the Return to Truth Sect Enforcement Team appeared. Their strength was ordinary, and Lu Qingfeng dealt with them easily.
Later, the pursuers gradually dwindled.
After Lu Qingfeng narrowly killed a Return to Truth Sect disciple at the Embryonic Breath Realm Seventh Layer, he never saw another pursuer again.
Still uneasy, the three siblings ran for another two months in a row. Only after confirming that the Return to Truth Sect had given up did they find a place to stop.
Over those five months, they had weathered countless dangers.
The dangers came not only from the pursuers relentlessly chasing them from behind, but also from the wild beasts that appeared and vanished unpredictably in the deep mountains.
A moment's carelessness could mean being buried in a tiger's jaws.
Yet over those five months,
Lu Qingfeng had progressed at breakneck speed, and his ability to preserve his life had greatly increased!
While fleeing with Qingshan and Qingyu, he had gathered medicinal materials and refined quite a few Yellow Dragon Pills, raising his cultivation to the Third Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm.
His cultivation method had also long since changed from the Exquisite-Grade "Azure Wood Blazing Sun Scripture" to the Unorthodox-Grade "Azure Origin Sword Art."
Cultivation Method: Azure Origin Sword Art (Incomplete) Grade: Unorthodox Grade, Nine Layers in Total Evolving Method: Five Enhancements Traits: Azure Origin Sword Gleam, Body-Protecting Sword Shield, Sword-Shadow Light-Division Art, Great Geng Sword Formation, Threefold Origin Reversion Description: The Azure Origin Sword Sect's sect-protecting ultimate art from three thousand years ago; currently incomplete
This cultivation method had originally been an incomplete Exquisite-Grade method Lu Qingfeng discovered in the "Primordial World," containing only the portion for the Embryonic Breath Realm.
To ordinary cultivators, this method was truly as useless as a chicken rib.
Although its grade was high, it only allowed cultivation to the Ninth Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm, making it impossible even to break through to the True Qi Realm. To complete an Exquisite-Grade cultivation method, even with a Golden Core True Person taking action, would require decades of painstaking work.
Thus,
when this fragment of the "Azure Origin Sword Art" appeared, no one showed the slightest interest.
Lu Qingfeng, however, had found a treasure. He immediately made a move and took it.
With the Evolving Method trait of the "Yellow Court Scripture," as long as he had enough experience points, he could raise the "Azure Origin Sword Art" and deduce the subsequent cultivation methods. Moreover, since the "Azure Origin Sword Art" had originally been Exquisite Grade, its powerful foundation saved Lu Qingfeng quite a few experience points.
After obtaining it and enhancing it five times, Lu Qingfeng had actually raised the "Azure Origin Sword Art" from Exquisite Grade to Unorthodox Grade.
On top of the cultivation method's traits—"Azure Origin Sword Gleam" and "Body-Protecting Sword Shield"—it had gained "Sword-Shadow Light-Division Art," "Great Geng Sword Formation," and "Threefold Origin Reversion."
However, with Lu Qingfeng's current cultivation, he had only mastered "Azure Origin Sword Gleam." To master the remaining four traits, he would have to reach the corresponding cultivation levels.
Even so, once the Azure Origin Sword Gleam emerged, any ordinary cultivator at the Embryonic Breath Realm who lacked defensive artifacts, defensive spells, or body-tempering martial arts would still meet a bitter end!
In the "Primordial World," Exquisite-Grade cultivation methods could be practiced up to the Golden Core Realm.
Unorthodox-Grade cultivation methods, however, were top-tier methods that pointed directly to the Mahayana Realm. Not to mention Black Sand Town—even across the entire Seven Swords Mountains and its seven great sword sects, there was not a single cultivation method of this grade.
Such preciousness naturally meant it was extraordinary!
The inner breath produced by each layer of the Unorthodox-Grade "Azure Origin Sword Art" was twice that produced by the previous "Azure Wood Blazing Sun Scripture"!
Although Lu Qingfeng was currently only at the Third Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm, his inner breath was so abundant that it was three times that of a Third-Layer Embryonic Breath Realm cultivator practicing a Beginner Cultivation Method!
Even an ordinary cultivator at the Ninth Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm might not surpass him!
With his martial arts and spells having undergone several enhancements, he was hard-pressed to find an opponent within the Embryonic Breath Realm!
Of course,
more than two months ago, when Lu Qingfeng fought that Return to Truth Sect enforcer at the Seventh Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm, he had not possessed such strength. That battle had been extremely dangerous, but fortunately, Lu Qingfeng's skill had won out, and he had beheaded his enemy with a single saber strike!
Only then had the three siblings survived!
While Lu Qingfeng's strength had advanced greatly, Lu Qingshan and Lu Qingyu had also progressed.
Lu Qingshan had reached the Second Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm. Following Lu Qingfeng in cultivating the "Azure Origin Sword Art" and the Cloak Saber Technique, his battle prowess far exceeded his cultivation. He could probably contend with cultivators at the Fifth or Sixth Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm.
Lu Qingyu's aptitude was poor, and she had cultivated for only a short time. She had just entered the First Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm, and her battle prowess could barely contend with the Third Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm.
"It looks like the Return to Truth Sect has given up."
More than five months had passed, and Lu Qingfeng had gained a distinct air about him. It was a unique bearing forged by the flow of time and the tempering of slaughter, something ordinary youths could hardly imitate.
After all, although only a little more than five months had passed in reality, Lu Qingfeng was close to having lived out an entire lifetime in the "Primordial World."
Night fell.
Lu Qingfeng logged into the game.
It was still Black Sand Town, but Lu Qingfeng was no longer a young man. He had become a hunched old man with a head of silver hair.
Name: Lu Qingfeng Race: Human Faction: None Title: None Cultivation: Fifth Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm Level: Level 10 (25/50) Lifespan: 67/68 Inner Breath: 185/185 (Quality: Unorthodox Grade) Root Bone: 1 Merit: Unknown Karmic Power: Unknown Cultivation Methods: First Layer of the Yellow Court Scripture (Perfected), Traits: Evolving Method (First Layer); Dominion over All Arts (First Layer); Karmic Power Erasure (First Layer); Fifth Layer of the Azure Origin Sword Art (Perfected), can be deduced; Spells: Fire Bolt Technique (Second Layer), Heaven's Eye Technique (Second Layer), Smoke-Wisp Step (Second Layer), Heartburning Palm (Second Layer), White Jade True Formula (Second Layer), Cloak Saber Technique (Second Layer), True Yang Finger Technique (Second Layer), Wind-Riding Art (Second Layer), Golden Light Technique (Second Layer), Entangling Technique (Second Layer), Concealment Technique (Second Layer), Qi-Concealing Technique (Second Layer) Divine Ability: None Equipment: Low-Level Storage Bag, Wolfe-hair Talisman Brush, Peace Talisman, Invisibility Talisman, Earth-Burrowing Talisman, Fire Bolt Talisman... Alchemy: "Elementary Guide to Alchemy"; "Alchemy Analysis"; "Complete Guide to Basic Medicinal Materials"... Refinable pills: Grain-Repelling Pill, Yellow Dragon Pill, Clear Spirit Powder, Breath-Restoring Pill, Essence-Nourishing Pill, Entangling Fragrance Pellet, Yellow Chestnut Pellet, Heart-Corroding Pellet, Breath-Nurturing Pill, Essence-Qi Pellet Talisman Crafting: "Detailed Guide to Six Common Cinnabar Preparations," "Fundamentals of Talisman Paper," "Complete Compendium of Low-Level Talismans"... Drawn talismans: Peace Talisman, Invisibility Talisman, Earth-Burrowing Talisman, Fire Bolt Talisman, Spring-Rejuvenation Talisman, Golden Light Talisman Artifact Refining: "Fundamentals of Artifact Refining," "Detailed Guide to Crafting Spirit-Communing Talisman Brushes." Refinable talisman artifact: Wolfe-hair Talisman Brush Beast Taming: Skylark Birds (*9)
This incomparably luxurious Attribute Panel represented the achievements Lu Qingfeng had accumulated over more than five months of fleeing in the real world and nearly fifty years in the game!
Looking back,
when he mastered the refinement of the Yellow Dragon Pill, Lu Qingfeng in the game had just turned twenty-five. The first wave of Return to Truth Sect pursuers arrived afterward, and he began his flight.
He traveled by day and logged into the "Primordial World" at night to study the art of talisman crafting.
Over forty-two full years, he had successively mastered the refinement of six talismans: the Peace Talisman, Invisibility Talisman, Earth-Burrowing Talisman, Fire Bolt Talisman, Spring-Rejuvenation Talisman, and Golden Light Talisman.
He had not neglected alchemy during that time, either.
After the Grain-Repelling Pill and Yellow Dragon Pill, Lu Qingfeng had successively mastered the refinement of eight more pills: Clear Spirit Powder, Breath-Restoring Pill, Essence-Nourishing Pill, Entangling Fragrance Pellet, Yellow Chestnut Pellet, Heart-Corroding Pellet, Breath-Nurturing Pill, and Essence-Qi Pellet.
"Peerless Alchemist and Talismanist" Lu Qingfeng!
That name was resoundingly famous throughout Black Sand Town.
Whether talismans or pills produced by Lu Qingfeng, although they were all of the lowest grade, their power and quality far surpassed those made by other alchemists and talismanists.
This was thanks to the Evolving Method trait, as well as the vast sea of experience points Lu Qingfeng had invested.
"It's time."
Lu Qingfeng sat cross-legged in the alchemy room and summoned the four disciples he had taken in over the years.
Before long,
two young men and two middle-aged men entered and bowed to Lu Qingfeng, addressing him as "Master."
"You four have served at my side for more than twenty years at most and ten years at least. My end has arrived. Since we were master and disciples, these things are now yours."
Lu Qingfeng looked at the four disciples and swept out his broad sleeve. Dozens of jade slips scattered down, landing before each of them.
"Master!"
Peng Hai, Lei He, Yao Jiusi, and Ji Fu fell to their knees. Looking at their silver-haired master seated above them, their hearts were a tangle of emotions.
In the past,
Lu Qingfeng had brought them into the sect and taught them the arts of alchemy and talisman crafting. Although they had only done odd jobs, they had still learned quite a lot. Over the years, because they could not learn their master's true abilities, their senior and junior brothers had gradually left after entering the Imperial City Sect through their master's recommendation.
In the end, only the four of them remained.
Although they had also joined the Imperial City Sect, unlike the others, they rarely returned. Instead, they had stayed in Black Sand Town and often visited their master.
They had never expected any reward. They had not imagined that such a pleasant surprise would come today.
The low-level talismans and low-level pills produced by Master Qingfeng were second to none throughout Black Sand Town and even the entire Elephant King City region.
Whenever they were produced, there was never any worry about finding buyers.
If they could inherit his legacy, then at least during the early stages of their time in the Imperial City Sect, they would never have to worry about cultivation resources!
"Master, I heard that there are spirit herbs on Thundercry Mountain that can increase one's lifespan. I've asked someone to investigate, and we should have news soon!" Peng Hai looked at Lu Qingfeng and spoke.
"No need to trouble yourself."
"Life and death are fated. Why force the matter?"
Lu Qingfeng shook his head.
How could spirit herbs that increased one's lifespan be so easy to find? Even if they were found, they were not something a low-level alchemist and low-level talismanist like him could obtain.
It would be better to reincarnate calmly and live another carefree life.
Over the years, Lu Qingfeng had left Black Sand Town only a handful of times. After sending away his four disciples, Lu Qingfeng tidied up, then left Black Sand Town.
The protagonist is going to die again. Please recommend this book!
Thanks to "Take It Seriously and You Lose" for the 100-unit tip.
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