Longevity Technique!

Ye Lingshuang nodded faintly and said no more.

She turned to face the Hall of Discarded Treasures, formed a hand seal, and let spiritual power surge around her.

A scorching, powerful aura spread through the hall. A ball of orange-red true flame gathered at her fingertips, and with a wave of her hand, she sent it flying deep into the hall.

In an instant, the many piles of completely useless, worthless debris within were reduced to ash by the true flame, leaving behind only materials that were relatively stable or still held a faint trace of spiritual energy.

The hall's musty stench was burned away, and the air grew clear.

When she was done, Ye Lingshuang did not linger. She summoned her flying sword and departed in a streak of blue light.

Li Qingshan watched the blue light vanish on the horizon before slowly straightening up.

He gripped the jade bottle and three jade slips in his hands. His fingers, thin and withered, turned faintly white at the knuckles from the force of his grasp, especially around the jade slip that recorded the Breath-Concealment Technique.

He turned and walked steadily back to his stone hut, then shut the door.

In the dim light, he eagerly sent his consciousness into the jade slip that recorded the Breath-Concealment Technique.

A stream of profound information flowed into his mind.

"Conceal the breath and hide the form; let the spirit not stray outward. Return the qi to the dantian and blend with the mortal world..."

Li Qingshan studied the formula again and again, his eyes growing brighter with every reading.

The technique was not complicated. Its essence lay in controlling fluctuations in one's magical power, restraining one's life aura, and reducing one's presence to the barest minimum.

For him, with his powerful control over his divine sense and the aid of the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd, this was exactly the life-saving technique he needed most!

"I wonder if the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd can improve spells, too?"

A thought stirred in Li Qingshan's mind, and he formed a certain conjecture.

However, he did not rush. First, he committed the spells in the three jade slips to memory. Only then did he put all three into the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd.

The next day.

Li Qingshan poured out the three jade slips. Brilliant light blossomed, and the aura they gave off was several times stronger than before.

"Spells can be improved, too?!"

Li Qingshan was overcome with excitement. He hurriedly pressed the jade slips to his brow and examined them.

Fire Arrow Technique!

Flying Rainbow Technique!

Turtle Breath Technique!

The three spells flooded into Li Qingshan's sea of consciousness, leaving him utterly astonished.

The three spells Ye Lingshuang had given him were all low-grade, first-tier spells, the sort cultivated by those in the early stages of Qi Refining.

After being improved by the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd, however, all three had become top-grade, first-tier spells, their power incomparably greater.

They posed a serious threat even to cultivators at the peak of Qi Refining.

The Turtle Breath Technique was especially remarkable. Not only could it conceal one's cultivation and fend off detection from cultivators a full major realm above oneself, it could also let one merge with plants, trees, mountains, and stones, hiding from anyone's notice.

This was the very spell Li Qingshan had dreamed of obtaining.

"If I master the Turtle Breath Technique, even Foundation Establishment cultivators won't be able to discern my true cultivation. I have to master it!"

Li Qingshan was overcome with excitement.

The Turtle Breath Technique was practically a life-saving spell.

In the days that followed, Li Qingshan devoted most of his energy to cultivating the three spells, especially the Turtle Breath Technique.

He no longer rushed to raise his cultivation realm. Instead, he settled down and practiced the spells over and over.

He felt the Wood-element magical power at the third layer of Qi Refining coursing through his meridians, and tried to follow the Turtle Breath Technique's method, gradually restraining, compressing, and concealing its fluctuations.

The Fire Arrow Technique and Flying Rainbow Technique demanded too much; with Li Qingshan's current cultivation, he could not practice them.

The Turtle Breath Technique, however, had no such requirements.

So Li Qingshan devoted most of his effort to cultivating the Turtle Breath Technique, while also practicing the Fireball Technique and Flying Feather Technique. After all, he needed ways to defend himself, so he would not be helpless if he encountered an enemy.

He sat cross-legged on the cold stone bed, his consciousness sinking into his body. With great care, he guided the Wood-element magical power at the third layer of Qi Refining along the Turtle Breath Technique's profound and complicated pathways.

It felt like trying to control a bull with a slender thread. Whenever his magical power reached a critical acupoint, it grew restless and unruly, trying to break free of his restraint and leak out its aura.

"No, still not quite..."

After another failure, Li Qingshan slowly breathed out a mouthful of stale air. Fine beads of sweat appeared at his temples, and he felt a wave of exhaustion.

"The Turtle Breath Technique demands even finer control over magical power than cultivation itself. These old arms and legs of mine, along with this magical power, just won't obey."

But he was not discouraged.

A century of life had long since worn away his impatience, leaving only the patience of bedrock.

"I have to succeed! In this immortal sect, carrying a treasure beyond imagining is a sure path to death!"

That thought lashed him like a whip, driving him to still his mind and begin again, time after time.

Months slipped by amid repeated failures and tiny gains.

One day, as he circulated the formula again, the magical power that had flowed through his body like a stream suddenly seemed to be smoothed by an invisible hand. It settled into the stillness of water in a deep pool.

Its rushing aura was instantly concealed, and the surging fluctuations of his life force fell to their lowest.

He sat there as if he had truly become a lifeless stone. Even his breathing grew so long and faint that it almost fell into rhythm with the decaying air in the hall.

Success!

A surge of joy and relief welled up in Li Qingshan's heart, but he immediately circulated the formula and suppressed even that flicker of emotion, maintaining absolute calm.

"Now that I've mastered the Turtle Breath Technique, I finally have a foundation to stand on!"

He slowly opened his eyes. His gaze held an inner brilliance, but not the slightest trace of power leaked out.

As for the Fireball Technique and Flying Feather Technique, he had managed to grasp the basics. He could conjure a small fireball, run much faster than an ordinary person, and even jump three feet high—stronger than a young man.

But the Fire Arrow Technique and Flying Rainbow Technique, strengthened by the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd, made his heart itch with their power and wonder. Sadly, his cultivation was insufficient, and he could only gaze across an impassable gulf.

"It seems you have to take your meals one bite at a time and walk the road one step at a time."

He smiled wryly at himself.

With the urgent problem of concealing his cultivation resolved, Li Qingshan turned his attention to the Evergreen Technique.

This basic cultivation method was truly mediocre. The magical power it produced was thin, and its prospects were limited.

"The Wish-Fulfilling Gourd can even improve spells. Could this cultivation method... be improved, too?"

A bold thought occurred to him, making his heart beat a little faster.

Without the slightest hesitation, he solemnly placed the thin booklet inside the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd. With the anticipation and apprehension of someone opening a mystery box, he waited through the night.

The next morning, when he took the booklet out, it felt warm to the touch, like jade but not jade.

On the cover, the two characters Evergreen Technique had become two even more ancient and profound seal-script characters: Longevity Technique!

"Longevity Technique?!"

Li Qingshan's fingers trembled slightly as he eagerly began to read.

The opening lines alone explained the way of ceaseless vitality and prolonged lifespan. The method was so profound that it far surpassed the Evergreen Technique by tenfold!

The magical power cultivated at each layer was not only several times purer and more substantial, it could also subtly nourish the body, slow aging, and even increase one's foundational lifespan!

Even at the Qi Refining stage alone, it could extend one's lifespan by a full sixty years!