A Step Closer to the Great Cause of Immortality

Half a year later.

During these six months, Cheng Buzheng went to the Sutra Repository Tower every morning. He often chatted with Senior Brother Niu and Senior Brother Dai for a while before heading to the first floor to read, absorbing new knowledge continuously like a sponge.

In the afternoons, he would occasionally exchange news with his teammates or go directly into Closed-door Meditation.

Six days ago, Cheng Buzheng had already stopped going to the Sutra Repository Tower. He had flipped through every single book on the first floor, yet he still hadn't encountered any hidden opportunities.

At this moment, he was at the peak of Qi Refining Level 1, ready to advance to Qi Refining Level 2 at any time.

Inside his room, Cheng Buzheng sat cross-legged on his bed with his eyes slightly closed. Fine beads of sweat constantly seeped from his forehead as the surrounding Spirit Energy surged frantically, rushing into his body like moths to a flame.

Facing the swarming Spirit Energy, Cheng Buzheng could only circulate his energy cycles frantically in hopes of reducing the pressure on his meridians.

At this moment.

The meridians throughout his body were glowing with spiritual light, appearing like rivers of stars revealing their existence in the vast cosmos.

His meridians shimmered with a faint light, as if they were exerting every ounce of effort just to avoid being ruptured by the surging Spirit Energy.

The Crimson Fire Technique circulated through his body, and wisps of refined Magic Power fell into his Dantian space, only to be instantly and forcibly absorbed by the pale red vortex at the center of his Dantian.

In the blink of an eye, a tiny bit more was added to the heavy-textured red cloud suspended beneath the pale red vortex.

Cheng Buzheng did not slacken; he ran his cycles over and over again, like a tireless robot.

In the blink of an eye, night turned to day; the Golden Crow rose, and the Jade Rabbit retreated.

Suddenly, a clear smile appeared on Cheng Buzheng's face.

He sensed that his Magic Power had reached its limit and could no longer absorb even a single shred more.

At this time, a few wisps of refined Magic Power floated within the Dantian space, while the red vortex stopped spinning and stood silently in the center, as if it weren't the same entity that had previously exerted such terrifying suction.

Beneath the vortex, the heavy-textured red cloud hung suspended, unable to contain even a fraction more Magic Power.

Seeing this.

Cheng Buzheng let out a soft breath.

"Hoo!"

Suddenly.

The Crimson Fire Technique stopped following the standard circulation and began to run the Grand Circulation. This was the core cultivation route map for every Spell Technique, and it was the specific route required for every advancement.

For every Spell Technique, the cultivation route map for each level is different; the core cultivation route maps of different techniques are not interchangeable.

The core cultivation route maps are all matched with the Small Circulation Cultivation Route Map and the Circulation Cultivation Route Map.

A single mistake could destroy every meridian, and in more severe cases, it could even damage the Dantian, bringing one's path to immortality to an abrupt end.

It is like three gears of different sizes; the middle gear acts as the core circuit, governing the operation of both sides. If it is slightly too large or too small, the machine will malfunction, and in serious cases, the entire machine will be destroyed.

Cheng Buzheng slowly circulated his Grand Circulation Cultivation Route. As time passed, the red cloud with a heavy texture, which had been suspended beneath the vortex inside his Dantian, suddenly began to move.

Countless strands of Magic Power formed a giant red dragon. Like a dragon ascending to the heavens, it surged out of the Dantian space with an unrivaled momentum, circulating along the Grand Circulation through his shimmering meridians.

The red magic power dragon surged faster and faster along the grand circulation cultivation route. Seeing this, Cheng Buzheng knew the momentum had built up sufficiently and he could now attempt to break through the bottleneck of the second level of Qi Refining.

The red Magic Power dragon, carrying the aura of a ruler, slammed into the barrier within his body.

"Pop!"

A soft sound echoed from within Cheng Buzheng's body. Although the sound was faint, it was still clearly audible in the silent room.

At the barrier, that invisible wall shattered like a pebble dropped into a pool, and the red Magic Power dragon returned once again to the red cloud beneath the vortex in his Dantian space.

Suddenly.

The Spirit Energy from the outside world swarmed toward him, gathering around him. Wisps of visible Spirit Energy poured into Cheng Buzheng's body one after another.

Seeing this.

Cheng Buzheng knew this was the effect of his body being starved of Spirit Energy after just advancing to the Second Level of Qi Refining. He did not waste this rare opportunity and hurriedly began to circulate the Qi Refining Level 2 circulation route.

The Crimson Fire Technique ran along the circulation, and wisps of Spirit Energy were refined and fell into the Dantian space. The vortex, which had stopped spinning, began to rotate frantically once more, and a terrifying suction force instantly drew the energy in.

In the blink of an eye, a trace of Magic Power was added to the red cloud with a heavy texture suspended beneath the vortex.

Cheng Buzheng did not end his cultivation for the day just because he had advanced to Qi Refining Level 2. He knew that having just stepped into the Second Level of Qi Refining, his foundation was weak and unstable, and there was a possibility of falling back in cultivation at any time.

He dared not be the slightest bit careless, conscientiously circulating his Qi over and over again.

In the blink of an eye, day turned to night and night to day; seven full days and seven nights had passed.

At this moment.

Cheng Buzheng was still sitting cross-legged on the bed, cultivating, as the Spirit Energy gathered around him slowly dissipated.

He opened his clear, bright eyes. A glimmer of light flashed through them, and a distinct smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"I have been in the Immortal Sect for over half a year, and today I have finally advanced to Qi Refining Level 2. I have taken another solid step toward the great cause of longevity!

Truly something to celebrate!

The preliminary preparations have all been made. If I hadn't been on the verge of advancing to Qi Refining Level 2, I would have already been executing my mission by now. I cannot delay any longer."

Following that, he sank his consciousness into his Sea of Consciousness. The moment he broke through to Qi Refining Level 2, he had sensed a change in his panel. He had not checked it immediately at the time, choosing instead to quietly consolidate his cultivation...

Master of the Heavenly Jade Disc: Cheng Buzheng

Realm: Qi Refining Level 2

Cultivation Method: First-order Mid-grade (Common) Crimson Fire Technique (Entry Level)

Spells: First-order Low-grade (Fine) Purple Crystal Bracelet (Perfection), First-order Low-grade (Fine) Earth Escape Technique (Perfection)

Spiritual Power Value: 0

When Cheng Buzheng saw that the Spiritual Power Value on his panel was a big fat zero, his desire to take on a mission became all the more urgent.

Thinking of the mission he was about to accept, he knew that after this, the Small Plate would not be lacking in Spiritual Power Value for a short time.

Cheng Buzheng did not hesitate. He stood up, closed the door, and walked through the residential area for Outer Sect Disciples within the canyon. With a push from his back foot, the air exploded, and ripples of air currents spread out from his body.

By then, the spot was empty, leaving behind only a long dragon of air currents, much like the straight wake left by a speedboat on the surface of the sea.

Half an hour later.

Cheng Buzheng arrived outside the gates of the Command Token Pavilion. He continued to walk along the side of the road, not letting his promotion to Qi Refining Level 2 make him lose his head.

Many travelogues of cultivators recorded the miserable ends of those who became arrogant and complacent in the world of immortality.

Of course, there were those who soared all the way to the Golden Core Stage, but such examples were few and far between. He dared not guarantee that he would be one of those special cases.

Although it might be making a mountain out of a molehill, he understood the importance of being prepared for danger in times of peace. He hadn't yet reached the point of reflecting on himself three times a day, but he was striving in that direction.

This was not the world of his past life, where safety was the cornerstone and even a fistfight could get you invited for tea.

In the world of immortality, killing, arson, and grinding bones into dust were standard operations. He certainly didn't want his own ashes to be scattered by someone else one day.

The law of the jungle was played out at every moment in the cultivation world, and examples of the weak being prey to the strong were countless.

Therefore, one must be "steady" for the great cause of longevity to be realized.

PS: Setting out a bowl, asking all the handsome and dashing fellow Daoists to toss some votes in!