"Too outrageous! This Wish-Fulfilling Gourd is practically a treasure of creation!"
He cried out inwardly, so excited he nearly wept.
But after the wild joy came utter calm.
"Having a treasure invites disaster! Having a treasure invites disaster!"
He repeated the warning to himself, forcibly suppressing his churning emotions.
But there was one thing that left Li Qingshan in a bind.
He had already cultivated the Evergreen Technique, and the Everspring mana within him had reached the third Qi Refining layer.
To cultivate the Longevity Technique, he would have to disperse his cultivation and start over.
Li Changsheng was, after all, already a hundred years old. Dispersing his cultivation and starting over carried unimaginable risks.
Changing cultivation methods was no easy feat, especially since the Longevity Technique followed a complex path that placed a tremendous strain on the meridians.
But he resolutely decided to disperse his cultivation and start over!
"You can't catch a wolf without risking your child! With a road to the heavens right before me, how can I hesitate just because it's difficult?"
A look of determination appeared in Li Qingshan's eyes.
He immediately sat cross-legged inside the stone hut and began to disperse his cultivation and start over.
The process of losing his third-layer Qi Refining cultivation was excruciating. His meridians throbbed with pain, as if they were being emptied.
But he gritted his teeth and, relying on the Longevity Technique's method and the foundation he had laid before, drew qi into his body again.
The process was even harder than he had imagined.
The Longevity Technique required an enormous amount of spiritual energy, and the barren Hall of Discarded Treasures could hardly provide enough.
Fortunately, he still had the two Blood Vitality Pills Ye Lingshuang had given him.
"Middle-grade first-tier pills. They should improve quite a bit, right?"
Full of anticipation, Li Qingshan put the Blood Vitality Pills into the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd.
The next day, two pills tumbled out of the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd. They were as red as blood, wrapped in golden patterns, and radiated astonishing vital energy.
"Are these... supreme-grade Blood Vitality Pills?!"
Li Qingshan stared at the pills in his hand. They were a dark gold, wrapped in four golden pill patterns, and his eyes shone with tremendous excitement.
He could feel the immense medicinal power contained in the supreme-grade Blood Vitality Pills, far surpassing that of Qi-Boosting Pills and Qi-Inducing Pills.
"With these supreme-grade Blood Vitality Pills, I'll definitely be able to cultivate the Longevity Technique!"
Li Qingshan thought to himself.
He swallowed one of the supreme-grade Blood Vitality Pills at once.
Boom!
Its vast, tide-like medicinal power dissolved in an instant and surged into his parched meridians, nourishing his fading vitality and internal organs.
Under the wash of this life force, his body, as dry and withered as the bark of an old tree, gave a faint, joyful tremor.
With the support of this powerful medicinal force, the Longevity Technique finally settled into a steady rhythm.
The newly formed Longevity Mana carried a vigorous, tenacious quality that seemed to thrive and endure. Though weak, it was of exceedingly high quality, flowing slowly through his body and bringing indescribable comfort wherever it passed.
His original Everspring mana had been pale green, but his Longevity Mana was emerald, containing boundless vitality.
It took Li Qingshan a full half month to completely refine one supreme-grade Blood Vitality Pill.
His cultivation also reached the first Qi Refining layer.
Though he was only at the first layer, the Longevity Mana in Li Qingshan's dantian was vast and surging, not the least bit weaker than the mana he had possessed at the third layer before.
"No wonder the Longevity Technique is so powerful!"
Li Qingshan was incredibly excited. He swallowed another supreme-grade Blood Vitality Pill and continued cultivating the Longevity Technique.
Meanwhile, among the batches of discarded pills delivered from time to time, he found more than ten Qi-Boosting Pills and several Qi-Gathering Pills. After upgrading them with the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd, they all became supreme-grade Qi-Boosting Pills.
With a steady supply of supreme-grade pills to aid him and the wondrous effects of the Longevity Technique, Li Qingshan's cultivation began to climb steadily back toward its former heights.
Three months later.
When his cultivation returned to the third Qi Refining layer, he clearly felt that the emerald-green mass of Longevity Mana in his dantian was far purer and more abundant than before!
What delighted him even more was that the roots of his snow-white hair had turned the faintest gray, so subtle it was almost impossible to notice. His wrinkles seemed a little less deep, too, and a long-lost strength surged through his limbs.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Li Qingshan clapped his hands and laughed softly, his heart brimming with satisfaction.
He continued to cultivate tirelessly.
One day, after the medicinal power of yet another supreme-grade Qi-Gathering Pill had been completely refined, the vortex of Longevity Mana in his dantian suddenly expanded. It spun faster, growing denser and heavier!
A powerful aura, far surpassing that of the third Qi Refining layer, burst forth uncontrollably for a moment. He immediately drove his Turtle Breath Technique to its limit, suppressing it completely until all was calm again.
The fourth Qi Refining layer!
It had come as naturally as water flowing into a channel!
At that moment, mana surged through his dantian like a mighty river. Its sheer depth was enough to rival that of an ordinary cultivator at the sixth Qi Refining layer!
The Longevity Technique's might had begun to show!
What shocked Li Qingshan even more was that, upon reaching the fourth Qi Refining layer, he could project his spiritual sense. Within a radius of ten zhang, everything was clear down to the finest detail, even with his eyes closed.
Li Qingshan let out a long breath. As he felt the surging power within his body, a grounding sense of control over his own fate welled up inside him.
After a century of wasted years, at last, in this corner of the immortal sect, he had glimpsed a ray of hope for true longevity.
However, just as he was about to savor the wonders of the fourth Qi Refining layer and consolidate his cultivation...
Bang!
The already rickety door of the Hall of Discarded Treasures was kicked open with shocking force!
The immense sound echoed through the silent hall, shaking dust loose from the rafters.
A red figure stormed inside, carrying an undisguised air of arrogance.
She was a girl of about sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a dazzling scarlet robe. The material was luxurious and embroidered with elaborate cloud patterns; it was clearly worth a fortune.
She was beautiful, with willow brows and almond-shaped eyes. She should have been bright and charming, but the haughty look between her brows made her seem capricious and overbearing.
She held her chin high, surveying the hall as if it were her own garden, her gaze full of impatience and scrutiny.
Her eyes skimmed over the mountain of trash. She curled her lip in disgust and even took several steps back, as if afraid of getting the slightest bit of it on her.
At last, her gaze fell on Li Qingshan, who had emerged from the stone hut at the sound. He looked bewildered and fearful, and the mana fluctuations around him were so faint they were almost impossible to detect.
Seeing that he was a feeble, decrepit old handyman, the girl's impatience deepened, as if even looking at him for another second would sully her eyes.
"Hey, you old geezer! Yes, you! What are you staring at?"
The red-clad girl's voice was clear, but her tone was imperious and domineering. "Come here! This young lady has questions for you!"
Li Qingshan's heart jolted. He immediately pushed his Turtle Breath Technique to the limit, arranging just the right amount of fear and deference on his face. Hunched over, he hurried forward in small steps and spoke in a hoarse, humble voice. "M-what can I do for you, Senior Sister?"
He could feel that the red-clad girl's aura was incredibly powerful. She seemed to have reached the late stages of Qi Refining.
At the very least, she was at the seventh layer.
And judging by her valuable magical artifacts, it was easy to tell that the red-clad girl came from an extraordinary background.
The girl gave him a discerning once-over from head to toe and snorted. "You're the outer sect disciple in charge of this dump? You're old and useless! Tell me, did anyone deliver a batch of discarded trial artifacts here a few days ago?
"Was there a palm-sized, bright-red jade pendant shaped like a bird among them? I accidentally dropped it here during my last trial. Those idiots with no eyes must have collected it as trash!"
Before you continue