Afterward, he used his spiritual sense to erase the seals on Zhang Hongxiu's and Cultivator Feng's storage bags. Inside, he found quite a few pills, talismans, and jade slips.
What caught his attention most were three spirit artifacts.
Zhang Hongxiu's storage bag contained a low-grade spirit artifact, the Mystic Origin Shield, and another low-grade spirit artifact, the Soul-Extinguishing Needle. They had probably been bestowed upon her by Zhang Yuzhen for her to use after reaching Foundation Establishment. Now, they had both fallen into Li Qingshan's hands.
Cultivator Feng's storage bag, meanwhile, contained a low-grade spirit artifact array platform, which could be used to set up a formation called the Mystic Yellow Dragon Vein Formation!
What surprised Li Qingshan even more was that he had actually found the complete Evergreen Technique in Zhang Hongxiu's storage bag.
"I've found the Everlasting True Essence Art? A complete cultivation technique that goes straight to the Nascent Soul Realm—and the Spring Autumn Sect's founding technique, no less. I've really struck it rich this time!"
Li Qingshan was so excited that he could hardly contain himself. He thought to himself,
The Everlasting True Essence Art was the cultivation technique he had dreamed of obtaining.
After all, once he broke through to Foundation Establishment, the Longevity Technique would no longer be useful. It had no subsequent stages.
But the Everlasting True Essence Art was a supreme cultivation method that led straight to the Nascent Soul Realm.
"More importantly, could the Everlasting True Essence Art also be improved by the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd?"
Li Qingshan's heart pounded with excitement.
Without the slightest hesitation, he put the Everlasting True Essence Art, the four spirit artifacts, and all the spirit pills and talismans into the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd.
His heart was filled with anticipation and unease.
He hoped the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd would prove as powerful as ever.
In the underground stone chamber, Li Qingshan held his breath and focused, his eyes fixed on the unassuming gourd on the table.
This time, his offering far surpassed anything he had put in before. It concerned not only the cultivation technique he would use in the future, but also the strength he would soon gain in battle.
He drew a deep breath, full of anticipation and a trace of apprehension, then slowly pulled out the gourd's stopper.
"Bzzz—"
There was no earth-shaking boom, but a vast aura, impossible to describe and mingled with the radiance of countless treasures, burst from the gourd's mouth. The entire dim stone chamber was instantly bathed in dazzling light. The scent of medicine, the aura of artifacts, and the radiance of Dao patterns intertwined, so rich they seemed almost tangible!
Li Qingshan's heart began pounding wildly. Suppressing his excitement, he carefully tipped the gourd downward.
The first thing to roll out was the jade slip that had recorded the Everlasting True Essence Art.
The jade slip had changed beyond recognition. Its entire surface had taken on a lustrous blue-gold hue. The writing was gone, replaced by countless naturally formed, ever-shifting, abstruse Dao patterns. It radiated a boundless Dao aura, ancient and enduring, ceaseless and unending!
He eagerly sent his spiritual sense into it.
The Longevity True Art!
Four archaic, imposing characters, seemingly infused with the fundamental principles of heaven and earth, appeared in his mind first!
Beneath them lay an incomparably detailed supreme cultivation method that pointed straight toward the Great Dao of the Nascent Soul!
Compared to the original Everlasting True Essence Art, this method was not only more complete and profound, but the nature of its true essence had also undergone a qualitative leap. It emphasized "longevity and eternal life, with true essence never perishing." The Longevity True Essence it produced was not only vast and boundless, but also possessed astonishing restorative power and resilience. Its effects on nourishing the body and prolonging life far surpassed those of the original!
This was a top-tier Nascent Soul cultivation technique, fit to serve as the treasured founding manual of a major sect!
Even its ability to extend one's lifespan alone would cause a bloody storm if word of it got out.
At the Qi Refining Realm, it added sixty years to one's lifespan!
At the Foundation Establishment Realm, it added one hundred and twenty years!
At the Golden Core Realm, it added two hundred and forty years!
At the Nascent Soul Realm, it added four hundred and eighty years!
"Excellent! What an incredible Longevity True Art! The Wish-Fulfilling Gourd truly defies the heavens!" Li Qingshan was so excited he could barely contain himself. With this method, his Dao Path lay bright before him!
Next, three dazzling streams of light flew out one after another!
The first was the Mystic Origin Shield, now a high-grade spirit artifact.
The once-unadorned shield now shimmered with radiant light. The phantom forms of a tortoise and a serpent coiled across its surface, while thick, earth-yellow talismans roamed over it like living creatures. It radiated a powerful defensive aura, as unbreakable as a fortress and as steadfast as the earth!
The second was the Soul-Extinguishing Needle, also a high-grade spirit artifact.
It had become almost transparent, fine as a strand of hair, and impossible to track. A terrifying fluctuation that targeted the soul coiled around it—vicious and utterly difficult to guard against!
The third was the Mystic Yellow Formation Platform.
The crude platform had become imposing and ancient. The formation patterns carved into it were several times more complex, and within them, a miniature phantom of a Mystic Yellow earth vein flowed and shifted.
Information flooded into Li Qingshan's mind. The formation was now called the Mystic Yellow Earth-Vein Dragon-Locking Formation. Once deployed, it could draw upon the earth vein's spiritual energy to greatly strengthen its defenses and trap enemies. It could even briefly gather the power of the earth vein to counterattack. Its might far exceeded that of the original, and it could even withstand attacks from a Golden Core True Person.
It was powerful beyond compare!
"Counting the Ice Sword I already had, that makes four high-grade spirit artifacts!"
Li Qingshan's breathing quickened. Many cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment probably didn't possess such a fortune!
With offense, defense, hidden weapons, and formations all covered, his overall combat strength had risen beyond imagination!
Next came the pills and talismans.
He poured out bottle after bottle of pills. They had originally been of varying grades, but now every one of them was plump and lustrous, with halos of medicinal light circling around them. They had all become top-grade spirit pills!
There were all kinds—healing pills, pills that restored true essence, and pills that improved cultivation. They were enough to last him a long time.
The stacks of talismans had also been completely transformed. They brimmed with spiritual energy, their patterns clear and profound, and their power far greater than before. Most had become top-grade second-tier spirit talismans. A few even emitted fluctuations that made Li Qingshan's heart tremble. They had clearly reached the precious level of low-grade third-tier talisman treasures!
"Hahahaha! Heaven is on my side! It truly is!" Even Li Qingshan, with a century's worth of composure, couldn't help clapping his hands and laughing aloud. His heart was brimming with delight!
This time, his gains were simply enormous! They were enough to turn his strength upside down!
Once his excitement had passed, Li Qingshan quickly calmed down.
He understood better than anyone that possessing a treasure invited trouble. The most important thing now was to turn these gains into actual fighting strength as quickly as possible!
He began by refining the four high-grade spirit artifacts.
The Ice Sword was peerlessly sharp, the Mystic Origin Shield as solid as a mountain, the Soul-Extinguishing Needle was insidious and vicious, and the Mystic Yellow Formation Platform had countless wondrous uses.
Refining each one took an enormous amount of concentration and time, but Li Qingshan enjoyed every moment. With each additional bit he refined, his bond with the artifact grew closer, and the power he could draw from it increased.
At the same time, he began cultivating the Longevity True Art.
Strictly speaking, he wasn't changing cultivation methods. The Longevity Technique was simply the Qi Refining Realm portion of the Longevity True Art, and both came from the same source.
The Longevity True Essence in his dantian began transforming, growing purer, more abundant, and more vigorous with each passing moment. The efficiency of his circulation through the major cycles increased tremendously. His cultivation steadily advanced, and his foundation grew ever more solid.
He didn't neglect his spell cultivation, either.
When he cast the Wood-Ether Entanglement Technique, the vines he summoned were no longer ordinary. They resembled enormous spirit-wood serpents cast from bronze and covered in profound runes. They could bind and restrain their targets, but also bite and attack of their own accord. Their power was astonishing.
His Five Elements Escape Technique: Earth Chapter grew ever more refined. He could move through the earth as easily as a fish through water, swiftly and silently. He could also merge with the earth's pulse, making himself exceptionally difficult to detect.
Most important of all was the Lesser Heaven-Veiling Secret Art, which he devoted enormous effort to mastering. It was incredibly abstruse, and progress came slowly, but with each new insight, he grew better at concealing his aura and hiding himself from the workings of heaven.
Time slipped away amid this feverish cultivation.
A year passed in the blink of an eye.
When Li Qingshan opened his eyes again in the underground stone chamber, his aura had grown even deeper, like the unfathomable sea.
He had completed the initial refinement of all four high-grade spirit artifacts and could now wield them like extensions of his own limbs with a single thought.
He had entered the Longevity True Art, completed the transformation of his true essence, and fully stabilized his cultivation at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
His many spells had also improved, especially the Lesser Heaven-Veiling Secret Art. Though he hadn't mastered it, he could now maintain it for a relatively long time, and its concealment was extremely effective.
At that moment, he possessed a top-tier cultivation technique, held several high-grade spirit artifacts in his hands, and had mastered numerous spells and trump cards.
Though his cultivation hadn't advanced much, his strength had undergone a complete transformation!
If he faced Cultivator Feng again now, Li Qingshan could kill him in an instant!
"It's time to leave."
Li Qingshan rose to his feet, a gleam glinting deep in his eyes.
After gathering everything, he quietly sank into the earth and stone and escaped toward the surface.
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