The Bustling Great Stone Village

However, the only thing that dissatisfied him was that he had not yet mastered the Cultivation Method Divine Ability abilities.

For some unknown reason, he was unable to condense External Dharma Form. He had tried every method, and even with his five clones cultivating simultaneously, there had been no progress. To date, his progress in cultivating Divine Ability remained at zero.

This made him so anxious that he was practically tearing his hair out.

A Cultivation Method is imperfect without Divine Ability; how could a perfectionist like him be willing to give it up?

Something must have gone wrong; there must be details he doesn't know.

Long Xuan frowned again, deep in thought.

It's definitely not a problem with the creation of the Cultivation Method. If the Cultivation Method were wrong, the progress would never have reached the limit of the first level. Since the Cultivation Method itself is not the problem, then the problem must lie with himself. Long Xuan's brows furrowed even deeper.

So where exactly did I go wrong? The Cultivation Method says to use Essence Blood in this way and then that way, and then that way and then it's done.

He had followed the instructions exactly as Cultivation Method, and every step was perfect without the slightest mistake. How could he not succeed? Where exactly did he go wrong? He was getting extremely anxious.

"Etc!"

Suddenly, a thought struck Long Xuan: his External Dharma Form was a phantom of some powerful being; did it need something from that being as a medium?

Otherwise, how could a physical form be created out of thin air? It would certainly lack spirit if it were forcibly simulated with soul power, and how could it transfer the power of that being?

That's not right either. Divine beasts Divine Dragon have been extinct in the Gu World for countless millennia. Where would so many mediums come from?

So how did the Long Family solve this problem, and how exactly did they manage to condense this damned External Dharma Form? Long Xuan was extremely worried.

Even if there are plenty of mediums about mythical beasts in this world, why doesn't the Long Family include this limitation in their Cultivation Method?

This doesn't make sense. If it's about preventing theft, there's no need to rely on just this one measure. He was completely baffled.

In the end Long Xuan decided to travel around looking for inspiration. If he didn't solve this problem, he wouldn't feel comfortable doing anything every day.

Great Stone Village is very large, with various stone houses standing in rows, and the roads are filled with the sounds of children chasing and playing.

The elderly woman and her husband wore smiles, while chickens, ducks, geese, and dogs roamed around, creating a warm and amiable scene full of rustic charm.

Upon arriving here, Long Xuan felt much lighter, his previous annoyance gone.

Although he was born in Great Stone Village, he didn't have much contact with the villagers, and you could even say they weren't close to him.

As an immortal being, he felt it was inappropriate to have too many ties with mortals. Gu cultivators and mortals were from different worlds and could not get along.

Humans are born, grow old, get sick, and die too quickly. If one gets too involved with mortals, one is destined to frequently experience life and death separations. Experiencing too many such things may even leave one with Heart Demon.

Therefore, both the original owner and Long Xuan chose to isolate themselves from the mortal world.

As a result, Long Xuan found many of the villagers' faces unfamiliar and couldn't recall their names. Many of the ordinary villagers didn't recognize him either and were staring at him with curious eyes.

Today seems to be a very special day in Great Stone Village. It's very lively, with many people smiling as they gather in one direction.

Driven by curiosity, Long Xuan followed the crowd to a spacious area in the center of the village. In the center stood a high stone platform, upon which stood two Gu cultivators from the Long Family, their faces filled with arrogance.

Listening to the surrounding villagers' discussions, Long Xuan quickly understood what was going on.

Today is the day the Long Family recruits handymen; no wonder the village is so lively today. I've come at just the right time.

Don't think that working as a servant for a Gu cultivator is a bad thing. For an ordinary mortal, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a Gu cultivator and change their destiny. So how could a mortal not be excited?

From the original owner's memories, Long Xuan learned that the Long Family would come to Great Stone Village every three years to recruit laborers and teach them Gu cultivation knowledge, giving these laborers the opportunity to become Gu cultivators.

Don't get me wrong, the Long Family isn't that generous, nor do they lack that fighting power.

The reason why the Gu cultivators do not engage in production is that they need a large number of mortals as laborers no matter what they do.

For example, chopping wood, starting a fire, and cooking—could Gu cultivators do these manual labor tasks? Wouldn't they need to recruit a group of mortals to take care of their basic needs?

However, there are some tasks that mortals are not capable of performing, such as cutting down Spirit Wood. Mortals do not have the strength to cut down Spirit Wood.

For example, taking care of an elder's insect chamber. The insects and Gu Insect in the chamber are so ferocious that ordinary mortals would just be food for the enemy, an extra meal. Without some martial arts skills, one cannot be competent for this job.

Therefore, the Long Family also needs a group of mortals with Gu cultivation qualifications to do various difficult chores.

It's not just the Long Family; almost all Gu cultivator Lineage do this. Every Gu cultivator's cultivation time is precious, so all matters unrelated to cultivation are left to these mortals with Gu cultivation aptitude.

Of course, this world is always secretive, and unique and core knowledge will never be passed on to outsiders. The major Gu cultivation Lineage will only teach the most basic and general knowledge to mortals with Gu cultivation aptitude.

There's no way that our secret skills could be passed on to these ordinary people from other families, even if they have Heavenly-Grade Aptitude.

This mortal possesses unparalleled, extraordinary talent; if nurtured, he will surely become Gu King, and no powerful clan will bestow upon him all their knowledge.

Remember, the power structure in this region is based on Lineage, not sects.

Each clan will only pass on its traditions to members of the same clan and surname. Outsiders without blood ties are excluded, no matter how talented they are.

It is precisely because this world is so obsessed with hoarding its own possessions that a large number of mortals have nowhere to go, resulting in more than 95% of the Gu cultivators in this world being Rogue Cultivator.

Even if they weren't taught the core skills, it was enough to make mortals in all the major mortal villages flock to it, vying to do any kind of work.

The original owner had excitedly participated in such a menial servant selection competition before, but he went happily and came back looking dejected.

He was the first to be eliminated; he went up and came down immediately because he possessed the Ten Extremity Physique...

At this moment, Long Xuan showed considerable interest in the Long Family's selection of menial servants.

He was considering whether to send a clone to plant a spy in the Long Family, to secretly use the Origin Realm to copy the Long Family's library, and to steal all of the Long Family's secret techniques.

Perhaps the key to condensing External Dharma Form is hidden in the Long Family's library. If I send an avatar to infiltrate the Long Family, it might actually solve my problem of not being able to condense an avatar.

Long Xuan thought about it more and more and felt that this plan was feasible and worth a try. Perhaps the opportunity for him to cultivate the Dharma Divine Ability lay here.

Long Xuan lit up with joy, and the worry that had plagued him for days vanished.

He looked around and found a secluded corner where no one could see him. He then released Water Clone and ordered him to participate in the Long Family's selection of servants, infiltrating the Long Family as a double agent.

So the Water Clone went up excitedly, seemingly enjoying the thrill of being a spy. However, he went quickly and came back quickly, coming down as soon as he went up, and then looking at the original body with a distressed expression.

Long Xuan was stunned. How could he be eliminated so quickly? This wasn't the script! He was the protagonist, and according to the plot, he should have been chosen as a menial servant. Why weren't they playing by the rules?

Confused, Long Xuan hurriedly checked Water Clone's memories, and soon his expression turned extremely awkward as he finally understood what was going on.

When Water Clone went up, the Long Family Gu cultivators saw that he had a Ten Extremity Physique and immediately chased him away with disdain, not even assigning him a job like cleaning the toilets.

Long Xuan was Ten Extremity Physique dumbfounded. What had he done to deserve this? Why was he so disliked, even by dogs, that he wasn't even fit to clean toilets?

It seems that the original owner was also driven off the stage for the same reason when she participated in the servant selection competition last time.

The Gu cultivators from the Long Family who were in charge of the selection happened to be from the same group. Long Xuan's familiar face was immediately exposed as soon as he went up, so he was kicked off on the spot and lost face.

Long Xuan sighed bitterly, and with no other choice, he could only leave this place that had caused him so much pain.

He couldn't possibly give up on this plan; he was determined to have his clone infiltrate the Long Family no matter what.

It wasn't just about finding the secret to condensing the Dharma Image; he was also genuinely interested in the various inheritances of the Long Family.

Whether it's the "Xuanyuan Dragon Art", "Reverse Dragon Art", "Force-Dispersing Art", or the Ascending Dragon Gu and Earth Gu in Long Qilin's hands, or the Evil Dragon Emperor Eye Old Long.

He discovered that the lineage of this great clan was incredibly powerful, providing him with a wealth of insights.

The profound and mysterious nature of this Gu cultivator Lineage's unique inheritances is far beyond what one would expect from a small place; they must have some great secrets and a remarkable background.

Therefore, he was very interested in this powerful clan and planned to send a spy in to collect all their unique secret techniques.

Then he sneaked away, and he couldn't help but praise himself for being so clever. How could he be so smart?

However, since the selection process for menial servants was not feasible, he had to find another way.

Long Xuan quickly came up with a plan and headed straight in the direction where Old Long was.

That's right, he plans to seek help from Old Long.

After so many years, he finally managed to repair the Hundred Flowers Pill formula that had almost tormented Elder Long to death. It was truly an achievement, and it made him smile for three days straight.

However, although Elder Long's Hundred Flowers Pill formula was finally successfully repaired, the materials used were clearly different from those used by Long Xuan, and the efficacy of his Hundred Flowers Pill was several times weaker than that of Long Xuan's Hundred Flowers Pill.

Perhaps it was because his mood had brightened and the pent-up frustration in his heart had vanished, but he quickly broke through and became a Gu cultivator at the Spiritual Sea Stage, becoming a rare expert in this region.

In addition, he also has the special identity of Alchemist. After he advances to the Spiritual Sea Stage, he may become Third-Grade Alchemist. You should know that there is not a single Third-Grade Alchemist in the entire Far Western Lands.

That will be when his net worth skyrockets, and his future will be bright.

Therefore, Long Xuan had a premonition that the day he would leave Great Stone Village was not far off.

There's no way a Spiritual Sea Stage Alchemist like him could stay in a small mortal village; that would be a waste of his talent. The Long Family Clan Head would definitely have another Long Family Gu cultivator take his place.

Therefore, Long Xuan to cling to the coattails of this promising Gu, so that his clone could leave Great Stone Village with him, go to the Long Family with him, continue to take care of the Medicine Garden for him, and then find an opportunity to leave after he had secretly learned everything.

But it's unclear whether Old Long will remember their past friendship, or whether he still needs menial tasks.