Strength Soars Again!

Afterward, he used his divine sense to wipe the storage bags of Zhang Hongxiu and the cultivator surnamed Feng, discovering quite a few medicinal pills, talismans, and jade slips within.

What he valued most among them were the three spiritual artifacts.

Inside Zhang Hongxiu's storage bag were a low-grade spiritual artifact Mystic Origin Shield and a low-grade spiritual artifact Soul-Extinguishing Needle; these must have been bestowed by Zhang Yuzhen for her to use after reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, but now they were all Li Qingshan's gain.

In the storage bag of the cultivator surnamed Feng was a low-grade spiritual artifact formation platform, capable of setting up a formation known as the Mystic Yellow Dragon Vein Formation!

What surprised Li Qingshan even more was that he had actually obtained the complete Evergreen Technique from Zhang Hongxiu's storage bag.

"The Everlasting True Essence Art? A complete cultivation technique that leads directly to the Nascent Soul Realm, and the sect-protecting technique of the Spring Autumn Sect at that—I've truly struck it rich this time!"

Li Qingshan thought to himself, his heart filled with immense excitement.

The Everlasting True Essence Art was the very technique he had dreamed of.

Because once he broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, the Longevity Technique would be useless, as it lacked any subsequent stages.

However, the Everlasting True Essence Art was a supreme method that led straight to the Nascent Soul.

"More importantly, could this Everlasting True Essence Art also be enhanced by the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd?"

Li Qingshan's heart raced, his pulse quickening with excitement.

Without the slightest hesitation, he placed the Everlasting True Essence Art, the four spiritual artifacts, and all the spiritual pills and talismans into the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd.

His heart was filled with both anticipation and trepidation.

He hoped the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd would be as powerful as it had always been.

In the underground stone chamber, Li Qingshan held his breath, his burning gaze fixed on the seemingly simple and unadorned Wish-Fulfilling Gourd on the table.

This investment far exceeded any in the past; it concerned not only his future cultivation path but also directly related to the improvement of his combat power in the near future.

He took a deep breath, harboring immense anticipation and a trace of anxiety, and slowly pulled out the gourd stopper.

"Hum—"

There was no earth-shattering roar, but a majestic aura, indescribable and mixed with the light of various supreme treasures, instantly erupted from the gourd's mouth, illuminating the entire dim stone chamber with brilliant colors. The fragrance of medicine, the aura of artifacts, and the radiance of Dao patterns intertwined, so thick it was almost impossible to disperse!

Li Qingshan's heart hammered uncontrollably. He suppressed his excitement and carefully tilted the gourd downward.

The first thing to roll out was the jade slip containing the Everlasting True Essence Art.

At this moment, the jade slip had undergone a complete transformation. Its entire body presented a warm, cyan-gold luster, and its surface no longer bore text, but was covered in countless naturally formed, constantly flowing and evolving profound Dao patterns, emitting a vast Dao aura that felt eternal and inexhaustible!

He couldn't wait to sink his divine sense into it.

Longevity True Art!

Four ancient, atmospheric characters that seemed to contain the ultimate truths of heaven and earth flashed into his sea of consciousness first!

Beneath them was a supreme method, detailed in every aspect and pointing directly to the Nascent Soul Great Dao!

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 undergone a qualitative leap. It emphasized "longevity and enduring vision, true essence never extinguished." The Longevity True Essence cultivated was not only vast and majestic but also possessed astonishing recovery power and resilience, with effects on nourishing the physical body and extending life that far exceeded the original version!

This was already a top-tier Nascent Soul cultivation technique sufficient to serve as the treasure of a large sect!

The mere effect of increasing one's lifespan, once exposed, would likely trigger a storm of blood and slaughter.

Qi Refining Realm: increases lifespan by sixty years!

Foundation Establishment Realm: increases lifespan by one hundred and twenty years!

Golden Core Realm: increases lifespan by two hundred and forty years!

Nascent Soul Realm: increases lifespan by four hundred and eighty years!

"Good! What a magnificent Longevity True Art! The Wish-Fulfilling Gourd is truly heaven-defying!" Li Qingshan was so excited he could hardly contain himself; with this technique, his path to the Dao was bright and clear!

Immediately following, three brilliant rays of spiritual light flew out one after another!

The first was the supreme-grade spiritual artifact, the Mystic Origin Shield.

The originally simple shield now shimmered with brilliant light, with the phantom of a coiled tortoise and snake appearing on its surface. Layers of heavy, earthy-yellow runes moved like living creatures, emitting a powerful defensive aura that felt indestructible and as steady as the earth itself!

The second was the supreme-grade spiritual artifact, the Soul-Extinguishing Needle.

This object had become almost transparent, as thin as a cow's hair, elusive and ghostly. It was shrouded in terrifying fluctuations targeting the soul, exceptionally vicious and impossible to guard against!

The third was the Mystic Yellow formation platform.

The originally crude platform had become ancient and atmospheric, the formation patterns engraved upon it complex by several times, faintly forming the phantom of a miniature Mystic Yellow earth vein flowing within.

Information flooded into Li Qingshan's mind: this formation was now named the Mystic Yellow Earth-Vein Dragon-Locking Formation. Once deployed, it could not only draw upon earth-vein spiritual energy to a great extent to reinforce defenses but also trap enemies, and even briefly condense the power of the earth vein to launch a counterattack. Its power far exceeded what it was before, capable of even resisting the attacks of a Golden Core master.

It was powerful to the extreme!

"Adding the previous Ice Sword, that makes four supreme-grade spiritual artifacts!"

Li Qingshan's breathing became rapid. Such wealth was something many Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivators might not even possess!

With offense, defense, hidden weapons, and formations all covered, his comprehensive combat power had been improved to an unimaginable degree!

Following that were the medicinal pills and talismans.

Bottle after bottle of pills were poured out; the pills, which had originally been of varying grades, had all become round and full, with pill halos swirling around them—they had all turned into supreme-grade spiritual pills!

Everything needed for healing, recovering true essence, and advancing cultivation was present, enough to last him for a very long time.

Stacks of talismans also looked brand new, radiating compelling spiritual energy with clear, profound talismanic patterns. Their power far exceeded the past, as most had become second-tier peak-grade spiritual talismans. Among them, a few even emitted fluctuations that made Li Qingshan feel palpitations; they were clearly precious talisman treasures that had reached the third-tier low-grade!

"Hahahaha! Heaven helps me! Truly, Heaven helps me!" Even with the mental fortitude of a century, Li Qingshan could not help but clap his hands and laugh, his heart filled with immense gratification!

The harvest this time was simply too massive! It was enough to cause a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering change in his strength!

After the excitement subsided, Li Qingshan quickly calmed down.

He understood the principle that possessing a treasure in public is a crime better than anyone. The most important thing now was to convert these gains into tangible combat power as quickly as possible!

He first began to refine the four peak-grade spiritual artifacts.

The Ice Sword was peerlessly sharp, the Mystic Origin Shield was as heavy as a mountain, the Soul-Extinguishing Needle was eerie and vicious, and the Mystic Yellow Formation Platform had infinite wondrous uses.

Refining each piece was extremely taxing on his mind and time, but Li Qingshan never tired of it. With every bit he refined, his connection to the spiritual artifacts grew tighter, and the power he could unleash grew stronger.

At the same time, he switched to cultivating the Longevity True Art.

In fact, it was not exactly a switch, as the Longevity Technique was merely the Qi Refining stage method of the Longevity True Art, sharing the same origin.

The Longevity true essence within his dantian began to transform toward a state that was more refined, more vast, and more vital. The efficiency of his circulation cycles greatly increased, and while his cultivation grew steadily, his foundation became increasingly solid.

His spell cultivation did not fall behind either.

When he cast the Wood-Ether Entanglement Technique, what he summoned was no longer ordinary vines, but spiritual wood giant pythons that looked as if they were cast from bronze and covered in profound runes. They could not only entangle and restrain but also actively bite and attack, with astonishing power.

The Five Elements Escape Technique: Earth Chapter became increasingly exquisite. Moving through the underground was like a fish entering water—silent, swift, and capable of merging with the pulse of the earth, providing extreme concealment.

He invested the most energy into the most important Lesser Heaven-Veiling Secret Art. This method was incredibly profound, and progress was slow, but with every sliver he comprehended, his ability to mask his own aura and heavenly secrets grew stronger.

Time slipped away quietly amidst this frantic cultivation.

One year passed in the blink of an eye.

When Li Qingshan opened his eyes again in the underground stone chamber, his aura had become as deep as the sea.

The four peak-grade spiritual artifacts had been initially refined, and he could command them like his own limbs with a single thought.

The Longevity True Art had been mastered, the true essence had completed its transformation, and his cultivation was firmly stabilized at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

His various spells had also reached a higher level, especially the Lesser Heaven-Veiling Secret Art; although not yet perfected, he could maintain it for a long time, and the concealment effect was excellent.

At this moment, he possessed a top-tier cultivation method, held multiple peak-grade spiritual artifacts, was skilled in spells, and had numerous trump cards.

Although his cultivation level had not increased significantly, his strength had undergone a complete transformation!

Right now, if he were to face that cultivator surnamed Feng again, Li Qingshan could easily kill him in seconds!

"It is time to leave this place."

Li Qingshan rose to his full height, a hidden gleam in his eyes.

He packed everything up, his figure quietly merging into the soil and rock as he escaped toward the surface.