Ruyi Sect: Hidden Cultivation

"Mahayana True Immortal".

Lu Qingfeng composed himself, genuinely happy for Mu Yuanyi. He was also curious about what had happened to Mu Yuanyi and his old friends from the Yuanyi Guild after Mu Yuanyi left Bingling World.

Hou Fei happened to be nearby, so he asked the question.

Hou Fei originally wanted to get more information from Lu Qingfeng, who was in the same star field as True Immortal Yuan Yi, but instead he gave Lu Qingfeng a lot of information he had heard online.

There was bound to be a lot of empty talk and falsehood in it, but Lu Qingfeng listened with great interest.

In return, Lu Qingfeng also told Hou Fei, in a way that was based on hearsay, what he had seen and heard during his time at the Yuanyi Guild, with some reservations and adaptations.

The detailed content and realistic descriptions left Hou Fei thoroughly satisfied.

The two chatted enthusiastically.

Before they knew it, they arrived at a branch of Mount Youyu, where there was a large hall in front of them.

"This is the Merit Hall."

"There are sect missions, as well as missions issued by Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator and Spirit Void Elders. Even if you don't have a special skill, you can still support yourself and obtain cultivation resources through missions."

Hou Fei led Lu Qingfeng into the main hall.

Lu Qingfeng observed that there were quite a few cultivators on Mount Youyu. Most of those he could see from the outside were Acquired Postnatal cultivators, with very few Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator. Among these cultivators, this main hall was the most numerous and prosperous.

People come and go, just like in a bustling marketplace.

This is the Merit Hall, and also one of the core elements of the Ruyi Sect.

"Our Ruyi Sect has a wondrous Miaofa called the 'Profound Jade Chapter.' With this technique, one can refine the body of Spirit Birth after death into a skeleton resembling mysterious jade, known as 'Jade Unmelting Bone.' Once refined, it can both enhance cultivation and aid in combat, making it an invaluable Miaofa."

"With the Jade Unmelting Bone attached to their bodies, the cultivators in the sect are most skilled in combat, and most of those in the Merit Hall are assigned to guard or combat duties."

As Hou Fei led Lu Qingfeng into the Merit Hall, he explained, "Brother Lu's cultivation is still shallow, so it's best not to take on combat or outposting missions for now. Alchemy and weapon crafting are too difficult and not easy to master in the short term. However, many miscellaneous tasks, such as guarding the herb garden, raising demonic birds, and mining, can support your cultivation."

Hou Fei was guiding and introducing Lu Qingfeng at this moment, which was also a task he had received in the Merit Hall.

Recruiting disciples and guiding newcomers.

They led Lu Qingfeng into the sect, explained the various rules and regulations, and observed the new disciple's behavior and manners.

The Merit Hall is the last stop.

After that, all you need to do is write a detailed report, submit it for filing, and the task is complete.

It was a bit trivial.

However, by guiding one person ( with Root Bone ≥ 4) to join the sect and complete all the procedures, one can obtain a bottle of high-grade pills, totaling twelve pills, worth twelve Spirit Stone Fragments.

The pay is substantial.

However, most of the qualified disciples in the surrounding area were recruited by the Ruyi Sect or taken in by other sects.

This kind of task relies on luck and cannot be sustained for long.

"This is Ruyi Talisman."

"Similar to the jade tokens of other sect disciples, it contains Brother Lu's general information, including his name, cultivation level, skills, etc. Junior Brother Lu can fill it out himself and can go to the Broken Army Hall for verification once a month."

"Besides representing identity, only by holding this jade token can one come to the Merit Hall to receive, hand in, and collect rewards for tasks."

Hou Fei retrieved a clear jade talisman from a spot and handed it to Lu Qingfeng, explaining, "When a disciple joins the sect, the first Ruyi Talisman is given free of charge. If it is lost, you will have to go to the Broken Army Hall to replace it yourself, which will cost fifty Spirit Stone Fragments. Brother Lu, please keep it safe."

Lu Qingfeng accepted the Ruyi Talisman.

Suddenly, I felt a sense of nostalgia, just like when I was in Black Sand Town in the Heavenly Fox Realm and on Mount Yuanyi in the Bingling World.

"With more players, the various systems are similar to those of sects in other realms and native immortal sects, but they are more straightforward."

Lu Qingfeng held the Ruyi Talisman, feeling a long-lost sense of familiarity, and couldn't help but smile.

Mount Youyu.

Disciple's residence.

Lu Qingfeng sat cross-legged in the quiet room, organizing his thoughts.

"I followed the Golden Silkworm Immortal Sect to find more resources for refining Golden Silkworm Gu, so that I could repeatedly improve my proficiency in refining Golden Silkworm Gu, as well as my proficiency in the 'Golden Silkworm Fate-Reversal Great Method' and the 'Shell-Shedding Grand Art'."

In reality.

Although there is still no progress in refining the Golden Silkworm Gu, once Lu Qingfeng leaves the Profound Yin Cavern, he will begin to collect various materials for refining the Golden Silkworm Gu.

They would try to use the "Golden Silkworm Fate-Reversal Great Method" to enhance the Root Bone of Lu Qingshan and Lu Qingyu before they advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

However, is this method feasible? Are there any flaws? Will the recipient's life be in danger during the procedure?

Lu Qingfeng had to figure it out one by one.

Although he successfully refined the Golden Silkworm Gu once and performed the 'Golden Silkworm Fate-Reversal Great Method' once, apart from the extreme pain and torment, his lifespan was indeed reduced by half.

But since it had only been used once, Lu Qingfeng couldn't be certain.

Only after several, even dozens of attempts, to ensure everything was in order, did Lu Qingfeng feel at ease to help Qingshan, Qingyu, and himself defy fate.

In reality.

There is no room for the slightest accident or mistake.

Since my cultivation level is currently low, I will join the Ruyi Sect to improve my cultivation level first, and at the same time collect materials for refining the Golden Silkworm Gu, as well as various Law Artifact and elixirs.

The Golden Silkworm Gu needs no further explanation.

Essential for changing your fate and saving your life.

As for Law Artifact, the other Law Artifact are easy to deal with, as I've already leveled up my proficiency with them.

Only the Dust-Veiling Banner.

This Law Artifact was obtained in the Heavenly Shaman Realm, but the materials for crafting the Dust-Veiling Banner could not be found in the Age of Dharma Decline. Now that they have arrived in the Five Directions Realm, they can finally begin crafting it.

Materials are precious in real life, so practicing in the game can increase the success rate and save on material losses caused by failed crafting in real life.

And.

Refining enough Dust-Veiling Banner would also benefit Lu Qingfeng's future plans.

Lu Qingfeng devised a strategy for the next life.

He then settled down to cultivate in the Ruyi Sect.

The Ruyi Sect does not have mandatory missions. However, disciples will inevitably have to accept missions if they want to obtain cultivation resources.

While the miscellaneous tasks Hou Fei mentioned were safe, the rewards were too meager, barely enough to sustain his cultivation. To make vigorous and diligent progress, he needed to take on guard or combat missions.

It's very dangerous.

But the returns are high.

Certainly.

This applies to cultivators who are not skilled in alchemy, weapon crafting, or other similar techniques.

Lu Qingfeng's situation was much simpler.

You can directly receive the alchemy task from the Merit Hall.

The Ruyi Sect's battles against demons and rival sects yield abundant resources, but also incur significant costs. Among these resources, elixirs are the most consumed.

There will never be a sufficient supply of elixirs within the sect.

There will never be a shortage of alchemy tasks in the Merit Hall.

However, even the small Ruyi Sect has very few Pill-Refining Apprentice, and only a handful of formal Alchemist. One of them is Second-Order Alchemist with the Spirit Void cultivation level, and the deputy sect leader of the Ruyi Sect.

One is merely First-Order Alchemist.

With two Alchemist under their command, there were only about a dozen Pill-Refining Apprentice, which was extremely rare.

Firstly, the Ruyi Sect is primarily focused on combat, possessing the "Profound Jade Chapter" and the ability to refine "Jade Unmelting Bone" to aid in battle, making them adept at offensive warfare.

There are very few traditions in alchemy and weapon crafting, and their potential is limited.

Secondly, alchemy and weapon crafting consume too much energy and are too difficult to master.

When Lu Qingfeng first learned alchemy in the Heavenly Fox Realm and the Bingling World, he put in countless hours of hard work and effort before achieving any success.

Even for ordinary cultivators with a talent for alchemy, it's considered good if they can successfully refine one out of dozens of batches of pills at the beginning.

Low-grade pills have low profit margins.

Once a batch of pills is refined and sold, it can at most cover the cost of five to ten batches.

During the apprenticeship stage, the practice involved dozens or even hundreds of batches, resulting in staggering costs.

Lu Qingfeng's talent for alchemy is extremely ordinary; he only manages to survive because the enhanced Pill Formula are highly profitable.

Striving hard for generations, for hundreds of years.

Now we're starting to benefit.

"Alchemy mission!"

Lu Qingfeng first accepted missions from the Merit Hall, earning substantial profits with an exceptionally high success rate and high-quality missions. He then used these profits to exchange for various materials for refining Golden Silkworm Gu or other magical Law Artifact and elixirs from the Merit Hall.

At the same time, he didn't neglect his spiritual practice.

With improved Root Bone, the speed of cultivation is truly astounding.

The first year.

Lu Qingfeng advanced from the True Qi Realm First Layer to the Third Layer True Qi Realm.

The third year.

Reaching the Sixth Layer True Qi Realm.

The fifth year.

Reaching the Ninth Layer True Qi Realm.

The sixth year.

Advancement to Foundation Establishment.

Before his Root Bone changed, Lu Qingfeng's fastest advancement from the True Qi Realm First Layer to the Foundation Establishment was eleven years and seven months.

With Root Bone increased to level 4, cultivation speed nearly doubled.

At the young age of twenty-six, Lu Qingfeng advanced to the Foundation Establishment.

During the spiritual practice.

Lu Qingfeng gradually revealed his talent for alchemy, becoming the third Ruyi Sect to Initiate Alchemist, and his status rose rapidly.

Collect materials.

I attempted to refine the Golden Silkworm Gu.

First failure.

The second failure.

The third time was successful.

Attempting to refine the Dust-Veiling Banner—

The project is temporarily stalled because the materials are not all available.

However, after the Nine-Strategies Profound-Hao Sticks and the Twelve Dutian Blazing Fire Divine Banners were crafted, Lu Qingfeng's strength increased significantly.

After his cultivation level improved, his combat strength was no less than that of Spirit Void Cultivator.

Lu Qingfeng was not in a hurry to leave Ruyi Sect.

Continue your practice.

Continue collecting materials for refining the Golden Silkworm Gu and the Dust-Veiling Banner.

In the blink of an eye.

Another ten years have passed.

"The young prince is so pitiful."

"Yes. As the third son of the Prince of Zhennan, he should have enjoyed endless wealth and honor, but because his aptitude was too poor to cultivate, he was thrown into this godforsaken place, Cloudmist Mountain."

"It's been sitting there for four years."

"Your Highness is too cruel."

On the Cloudmist Mountain.

Two warriors dressed in black hid in the shadows, whispering to each other, looking into the distance with a hint of pity.

A mountain road in the distance.

A boy of about twelve or thirteen years old was running. He was wearing a set of heavy armor, weighing at least several tens of kilograms. Each step he took was extremely heavy, leaving a deep footprint in the ground.

The youth was unyielding.

He was breathing heavily, but his eyes were incredibly determined, and his face showed stubbornness.

After running a lap around Cloudmist Mountain, the boy took off his armor and jumped into the Cloudmist Mountain at the foot of the mountain, practicing his punches over and over again. His sweat mingled with the pool water, making it impossible to distinguish them.

The boy practiced his boxing so frantically that he was completely exhausted before finally climbing out of the pool.

After a while.

The boy's breathing became steady.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly resting, or perhaps meditating and practicing qigong.

Only.

After a while.

"It still doesn't work! I can't feel the Qi Sensation that Uncle Hua and Master Zhao were talking about at all!"

Ding Yu opened his eyes, his face showing disappointment.

28/40 of the progress is still outstanding.