Longevity Technique!

Ye Lingshuang nodded faintly, saying no more.

She turned to face the Hall of Discarded Treasures, formed hand seals, and surged with spiritual power.

A scorching and powerful aura permeated the area. She condensed a mass of orange-red true fire at her fingertips and, with a wave of her hand, cast it deep into the Hall of Discarded Treasures.

Instantly, the many completely discarded, worthless, and chaotic-energy-laden remains piled within the hall were rapidly reduced to ash under the burning of the true fire, leaving behind only materials that were relatively stable or still possessed a faint trace of spirituality.

The decaying aura within the hall was also burned away, leaving the air clear and refreshed.

Having finished this, Ye Lingshuang did not linger; she summoned her flying sword and departed as a streak of azure light.

Li Qingshan watched the azure light vanish into the horizon before slowly straightening his back.

He gripped the jade bottle and three jade slips tightly in his hands, especially the one recording the Breath Concealment Technique; his withered, thin fingers turned slightly white from the force.

He turned around, walked back to his stone hut with steady steps, and closed the door.

In the dim light, he impatiently probed the jade slip containing the Breath Concealment Technique with his consciousness.

A stream of profound information flooded his mind.

"Conceal breath and hide form, let the spirit not wander, return energy to the dantian, blend into the mortal dust..."

Li Qingshan studied the technique over and over, the light in his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

This technique was not complex; its core lay in controlling mana fluctuations, suppressing one's life aura, and reducing one's presence to the absolute minimum.

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

I wonder if the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd can upgrade spells?

Li Qingshan's heart stirred, a certain speculation forming.

However, he did not rush. Instead, he committed the spells within the three jade slips to memory before placing them into the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd.

The next day.

Li Qingshan poured out the three jade slips. Brilliant light bloomed, and the slips radiated an aura several times more powerful than before.

"Spells can actually be upgraded too?!"

Li Qingshan was incredibly excited and hurriedly placed the jade slips against his brow to examine them.

Fire Arrow Technique!

Flying Rainbow Technique!

Turtle Breath Technique!

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

One had to know that the three spells Ye Lingshuang had given him previously were all merely first-rank low-grade spells, intended for those in the early stages of Qi Refining.

Yet, after being upgraded by the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd, these three spells had all become first-rank peak-grade spells, possessing peerless power.

They posed a significant threat even to cultivators at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

The Turtle Breath Technique, in particular, could not only hide one's cultivation level and resist detection by cultivators one major realm higher, but it could also allow one to merge with grass, trees, and stone, remaining completely undiscovered.

This was simply the spell Li Qingshan had dreamed of.

"If I successfully master the Turtle Breath Technique, it means that even Foundation Establishment cultivators won't be able to detect my true cultivation level. I must succeed!"

Li Qingshan became immensely excited.

This Turtle Breath Technique was truly a life-saving spell.

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

He was no longer in a hurry to raise his cultivation realm, but instead settled his heart to practice the spells repeatedly.

He felt the trajectory of his third-layer Qi Refining wood-attribute mana circulating through his meridians, attempting to suppress, compress, and hide its fluctuations bit by bit according to the methods of the Turtle Breath Technique.

The requirements for the Fire Arrow Technique and Flying Rainbow Technique were too high; with Li Qingshan's current cultivation, they were difficult to practice.

However, the Turtle Breath Technique had no such requirements.

Therefore, Li Qingshan focused most of his energy on the practice of the Turtle Breath Technique, while also concurrently practicing the Fireball Technique and Flying Feather Technique; after all, he needed methods for self-defense so he wouldn't be completely helpless if he encountered an enemy.

He sat cross-legged on the cold stone bed, his consciousness submerged within his body, cautiously guiding his third-layer wood-attribute mana to circulate with difficulty along the profound and complex paths of the Turtle Breath Technique.

The feeling was like trying to control a wild bull with a thin silk thread; every time the mana reached a critical acupoint, it would become restless and unruly, attempting to break free from its restraints and leak his aura.

"It's not enough, still just a little short..."

After a failure, Li Qingshan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. Fine beads of sweat seeped from his temples, and he felt a wave of mental exhaustion.

"The requirement for mana control in this Turtle Breath Technique is even more precise than cultivation itself. My old bones and limbs, along with this mana, aren't listening to me very well."

But he was not discouraged.

A hundred years of time had long since worn away his impatience, leaving behind only a patience as steady as a rock.

"I must succeed! Otherwise, in this Immortal Sect, possessing a rare treasure is a path to death!"

This thought was like a whip, lashing him into calming his mind and starting over, time and time again.

Months passed in a blur of repeated failures and tiny improvements.

One day, as he circulated his techniques again, the magical power within him, which had previously flowed like a stream, suddenly felt smoothed by an invisible hand, becoming as still as deep pool water.

The surging aura instantly retracted, and the throbbing life force dropped to its lowest point.

He sat there, seemingly transformed into a lifeless stone, his breathing becoming extremely long and faint, almost synchronized with the decaying air in the hall.

It's done!

A surge of immense joy and relief washed over Li Qingshan, but he immediately circulated his techniques, forcefully suppressing this emotional fluctuation as well, maintaining absolute calm.

"With the Turtle Breath Technique mastered, I finally have a foundation to stand upon!"

He slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint contained within, no longer leaking any power whatsoever.

As for the Fireball Technique and Flying Feather Technique, he had also barely managed to get started. He could conjure a small fireball, run much faster than an ordinary person, and leap three feet high, stronger than a young man.

But the Fire Arrow Technique and Flying Rainbow Technique in his mind, enhanced by the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd, were so powerful and wondrous that they made his heart ache with longing. Alas, his cultivation was insufficient, and he could only sigh in frustration.

"It seems I must eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly.

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

This basic cultivation method was truly mediocre, producing thin magical power with limited prospects.

"If the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd can even enhance magical techniques, can this cultivation method... also reach a higher level?"

A bold thought emerged, causing his heart to race slightly.

Without the slightest hesitation, he placed the thin booklet solemnly into the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd, waiting through the night with an anticipation and nervousness akin to opening a blind box.

The next morning, when he retrieved the booklet, it felt warm and smooth to the touch, like jade but not quite.

On the cover, the words "Evergreen Technique" had transformed into two more ancient and Dao-infused seal script characters—"Longevity Technique"!

"Longevity Technique?!"

Li Qingshan's fingers trembled slightly as he eagerly flipped through it.

The opening lines expounded on the path of endless life and extending one's lifespan, its methods far more profound than the Evergreen Technique tenfold!

Each level of cultivation not only produced magical power that was several times purer and denser but also subtly nourished the physical body, slowed aging, and even increased one's foundational lifespan!

Just at the Qi Refining stage, it could extend life by sixty years!