Qi Refining Layer Four, Divine Sense Appears!

"This is heaven-defying! This Wish-Fulfilling Gourd is truly a treasure of creation!"

He shouted wildly in his heart, so moved that he nearly shed tears of an old man.

But after the frenzy of joy came extreme calmness.

"The possession of a treasure is a crime! A crime indeed!"

He warned himself repeatedly, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions.

However, one thing troubled Li Qingshan.

That was the fact that he had already cultivated the Evergreen Technique, and the Evergreen mana within his body had reached the third level of Qi Refining.

To cultivate the Longevity Technique, he would have to disperse his current cultivation and start over.

Li Qingshan was, after all, a hundred years old; dispersing his cultivation to start anew carried unimaginable risks.

Changing cultivation methods was by no means easy, especially since the Longevity Technique had a complex path that placed a tremendous burden on the meridians.

Yet, he resolutely decided to disperse his cultivation and start again!

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained! With a path to the heavens before me, how can I hesitate out of fear of difficulty?"

A trace of determination flickered in Li Qingshan's eyes.

He immediately sat cross-legged within the stone house and began to disperse his cultivation.

The process of shedding his third-level Qi Refining cultivation was agonizing, his meridians feeling as if they were being hollowed out by sharp pain.

But he gritted his teeth, relying on the methods of the Longevity Technique and the foundation he had previously laid to draw Qi into his body once more.

The process was even harder than he had imagined.

The Longevity Technique had a massive demand for spiritual energy, which the barren Hall of Discarded Treasures could barely satisfy.

Fortunately, he still had the two Blood Vitality Pills given to him by Ye Lingshuang.

"First-grade mid-tier, they should provide a significant boost, right?"

Li Qingshan was filled with anticipation as he tossed the Blood Vitality Pills into the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd.

The next day, two pills that were red as blood, entwined with golden patterns, and radiating astonishing blood-vitality energy were poured out of the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd.

"This is... a top-grade Blood Vitality Pill?!"

Looking at the dark-gold Blood Vitality Pill in his hand, wrapped in four golden pill patterns, Li Qingshan's eyes revealed an expression of immense excitement.

He could feel that the vast medicinal power contained within the top-grade Blood Vitality Pill far exceeded that of the Qi-Boosting Pills and Qi-Inducing Pills.

"With the help of this top-grade Blood Vitality Pill, I will surely be able to successfully cultivate the Longevity Technique!"

Li Qingshan thought to himself.

He swallowed a top-grade Blood Vitality Pill directly.

Boom!

The medicinal power, vast as a tide, instantly dissolved and surged into his parched meridians, nourishing his decaying blood, vitality, and internal organs.

His body, which felt like the withered bark of an old tree, actually emitted a faint, joyful hum under the washing of this vitality.

Supported by this powerful medicinal force, the operation of the Longevity Technique finally entered the right track.

The newly born Longevity mana carried a quality of flourishing, resilient, and enduring vitality; though weak, its quality was extremely high, flowing slowly through his body and bringing an indescribable sense of comfort wherever it passed.

The original Evergreen mana had been pale green, but the Longevity mana was emerald green, containing endless life force.

It took Li Qingshan a full half-month to completely refine a single top-grade Blood Vitality Pill.

And his cultivation had stepped into the first level of Qi Refining.

Although it was only the first level of Qi Refining, the Longevity mana in Li Qingshan's dantian was vast and boundless, not in the least bit weaker than his previous third-level Qi Refining mana.

"As expected of the Longevity Technique!"

Li Qingshan was incredibly excited; he took another top-grade Blood Vitality Pill and continued to cultivate the Longevity Technique.

At the same time, he found over a dozen Qi-Boosting Pills and a few Qi-Gathering Pills among the discarded pills delivered periodically, all of which became top-grade Qi-Boosting Pills after being enhanced by the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd.

With a steady stream of top-grade pills for assistance, coupled with the miraculous effects of the Longevity Technique, Li Qingshan's cultivation began to climb back to its peak with solid steps.

Three months later.

When his cultivation returned to the third level of Qi Refining, he clearly felt that the purity and total volume of the emerald-green Longevity mana in his dantian far exceeded what he had possessed before!

What surprised him even more was that at the roots of his white hair, a trace of gray that was extremely difficult to detect had appeared, his wrinkles seemed to have faded slightly, and a long-lost sense of strength surged through his limbs and bones once again.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Li Qingshan clapped his hands and laughed softly, his heart feeling incredibly refreshed.

He continued his arduous training without pause.

On this day, as the medicinal power of yet another top-grade Qi-Gathering Pill was completely refined, the Longevity mana vortex in his dantian suddenly expanded, its rotation accelerating and becoming more solid and heavy!

A tyrannical aura, far exceeding the third level of Qi Refining, erupted uncontrollably for a fleeting moment, only to be immediately suppressed by his Turtle Breath Technique, which he was operating to its limit, returning to calm.

Qi Refining Layer Four!

It happened naturally!

At this moment, the magical power within his dantian surged like a vast river, its density enough to rival an ordinary Qi Refining Layer Six cultivator!

The Longevity Technique's might, beginning to reveal itself!

What shocked Li Qingshan even more was that upon reaching Qi Refining Layer Four, his divine sense could now be projected outwards. Within a radius of thirty feet, even with his eyes closed, everything was as clear as if he were seeing it with his own eyes.

Li Qingshan let out a long sigh, feeling the surging power within his body, a sense of solid control over his own destiny arising spontaneously.

After a hundred years of stagnation, he had finally, in this corner of the immortal sect, glimpsed a sliver of hope for true longevity.

However, just as he was preparing to savor the wonders of Qi Refining Layer Four and consolidate his cultivation.

Clang!

The already precarious door of the Hall of Discarded Treasures was violently kicked open!

The tremendous sound echoed through the silent hall, shaking dust from the rafters.

A figure clad in red burst in with great haste, exuding an undisguised arrogance.

It was a young girl, about sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a fiery red magic robe. The fabric was luxurious, embroidered with intricate cloud patterns, clearly expensive at first glance.

Her features were delicate and pretty, with willow-leaf eyebrows and apricot eyes. She should have been bright and charming, but at this moment, her expression was spoiled and haughty due to the overbearing arrogance in her gaze.

Her chin was slightly raised, her eyes sweeping across the hall as if surveying her own backyard, filled with impatience and scrutiny.

Her gaze passed over the mountains of trash, and she curled her lip in disgust, even stepping back a few paces as if afraid of contamination.

Finally, her gaze landed on Li Qingshan, who had emerged from the stone house upon hearing the noise, his face a mask of panic and confusion, his magical power so faint it was almost negligible.

Seeing that he was a low-cultivation, aged handyman, the girl's impatience intensified, as if looking at him for another second would dirty her eyes.

"Hey! You old geezer! Yes, you! What are you looking at?"

The red-robed girl's voice was clear but carried a bossy, imperious tone. She commanded, "Come here! This young lady has something to ask you!"

Li Qingshan's heart leaped. He immediately activated the Turtle Breath Technique to its limit, plastering an appropriate expression of fear and deference onto his face. Hunched over, he shuffled forward quickly, his voice hoarse and subservient, "This... this senior sister... what are your orders?"

He could sense that the red-robed girl's aura was incredibly potent, seemingly already in the late stage of Qi Refining.

At least Qi Refining Layer Seven.

Furthermore, judging by the expensive magical artifacts she wore, it was easy to see that the red-robed girl came from an extraordinary background.

The girl scrutinized him from head to toe with a picky gaze, then snorted, "You're the outer disciple guarding this dump? Truly old and useless! I'm asking you, were any discarded trial artifacts delivered here a few days ago?

Was there a palm-sized, crimson, bird-shaped jade pendant among them? I accidentally dropped it here during my last trial, and those clueless idiots must have mistaken it for junk and collected it!"