After some contemplation, Xu Ping still decided to keep this matter to himself.

In the future, he could only stay away from this Jiang Tian, to avoid bringing trouble upon himself.

As for leaving 'Qiu Xuan Mountain' immediately, for now, that was even less of a consideration, unless he wanted to be relentlessly hunted by the Golden Core powers, and also have his reputation ruined, a last resort that he would not consider unless absolutely necessary.

If 'Qiu Xuan Mountain' really underwent some major upheaval, with his current strength, as long as he didn't face a Golden Core or a Fake Pill directly, escaping wouldn't be a problem.

Not long after, a dozen Qi Cultivation disciples came in to carry away the offering table, tidied up, and replaced it with various Spirit Fruits and tea, lightening up the atmosphere. Seizing the opportunity, everyone began to mingle, discussing various topics.

"Recently, while in the inner mountains of the Yellow Dragon Mountain Range, I found a Star Sky Fruit, but it was guarded by a second-stage lower-grade Demon Beast. Alone, I am not too confident, is there any fellow Daoist willing to venture with me?"

A Foundation Establishment cultivator spoke up, this person was named Xu Zhixuan, middle-aged in appearance, stout in build, and an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Star Sky Fruit? That's a great item!" someone exclaimed in surprise.

Star Sky Fruit is a second-stage spirit fruit, enhancing the cultivation for Foundation Establishment cultivators and can be used in alchemy.

"Glad you know it, if it wasn't for that second-stage lower-grade Demon Beast being somewhat formidable, I would have already kept it for myself, how would it be your turn," Xu Zhixuan joked.

"We all know your cultivation is lacking...." someone teased.

"Hahaha..."

The crowd couldn't help but burst into laughter.

This entry-level ceremony went on until a feast was held at noon, marking the end.

Although Xu Ping was the protagonist of this ceremony, he conducted himself modestly, speaking little, and was completely unremarkable.

When the ceremony was over, everyone dispersed.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, would you like to come to my cave dwelling?" Jiang Tian warmly invited.

"No need, I have other matters," Xu Ping coldly responded.

Jiang Tian was slightly stunned but said nothing more.

Watching the retreating back of the other party, Xu Ping's eyes were grave: "I must quickly switch cultivation techniques, and also accelerate earning money and enhancing my strength."

He had come to realize that in this world, ultimately the strong reign supreme, nowhere is truly safe; without strength, one misstep could lead to losing one's life.

...

...

In the days that followed, Xu Ping began to close himself off, focusing on cultivation.

Switching cultivation techniques was still a gradual effort.

In the meantime, both the 'Elemental Magnetic Escape Skill' and 'Primordial Sword Skill' were successfully researched.

...

It must be said, as a second-stage escape technique, the shield technique of the 'Elemental Magnetic Escape Skill' was exceptionally powerful.

With a mere thought, he could instantly appear several dozen feet away.

And this was only at the entry level—once proficiency increased, the speed would be even swifter.

"If this reaches perfection, I wonder if it could surpass a Golden Core cultivator's speed," Xu Ping thought with a gleeful smile.

If this were faster than a Golden Core cultivator, even if 'Qiu Xuan Mountain' really had some major incident because of Jiang Tian, he would have confidence in safely withdrawing.

Of course, for now, this was just a thought; the perfection level was still a long way off.

Second-stage magic was far tougher to grind than first-stage techniques.

But this didn't matter to him, it was merely a matter of persistence which he was long accustomed to.

....

And so, time passed with Xu Ping continuously refining his skills.

A year later.

In the cultivation room.

Xu Ping opened his eyes, a warm blue light flashed through.

"Half a year comprehending the cultivation technique, half a year adjusting Mana circulation, and as of today, I've finally entered the 'Longevity Skill' entry-level stage..."

He sighed; his aptitude was indeed too lacking, taking a whole year to switch cultivation techniques.

Some prodigies might complete the switch within a month.

Opening the proficiency panel.

The original [Cultivation Technique: Five Elements Skill Perfection: ∞]

had changed to [Cultivation Technique: Longevity Skill Entry Level: 2/100]

"Next is to continue cultivating gradually."

He viewed his Sea of Qi Dantian, seeing thirty-eight drops of liquid Mana endlessly circulating, with faint patterns appearing on the surface.

This was the Mana after converting to 'Longevity Skill'; although the total amount of Mana didn't change, its quality increased by several levels!

"After Foundation Establishment, the subsequent cultivation is a continuous process of increasing the liquid Mana limit..."

"According to the 'Longevity Skill', at least storing a total of forty to fifty drops of liquid Mana inside the Dantian is required to attempt breaking through to mid-stage Foundation Establishment… If one's foundation is strong, one can store up to seventy drops at the limit before breaking through to mid-stage Foundation Establishment."

This process generally required cultivators several decades of careful tempering, though aided by pills was an exception...

While Mana consumption recovered quickly, increasing the limit was exceedingly difficult.

"I now have thirty-eight drops of liquid Mana, perhaps storing up to the limit of seventy drops before breaking through to mid-stage Foundation Establishment."

Generally speaking, those with deeper foundations benefit in both combat power enhancement and bottleneck breakthroughs.

His foundation was inherently deeper than that of ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, and with the panel's aid, storing Mana to the limit of seventy drops for breaking through to mid-stage Foundation Establishment poses no issue.

One fast step, every step fast.

...

After completing today's training, Xu Ping leisurely exited seclusion.

In the small courtyard, golden-tailed carp in the pond occasionally sank to the bottom, occasionally surfaced, playing joyfully.

The surrounding environment was spacious, except for the barren Spirit Field which seemed somewhat unappealing.

"Perhaps I should use the Spirit Field to cultivate some Spirit Medicine, which would also generate a considerable income annually," Xu Ping mused internally.

But his days were already quite packed; he really couldn't spare extra time to care for Spirit Medicine.

"Perhaps I could find someone to help care for it?" The thought crossed his mind, but quickly dissipated.

The main reason was the lack of suitable personnel.

Randomly choosing someone didn't seem very reliable either.

"Forget it!" Xu Ping shook his head, after all, it's not a necessity and the earnings were minor.

The real method to make big money still lay in alchemy.

Thinking of alchemy, a slight smile appeared on Xu Ping's lips.

Over the past year, under the enhancement of Divine Sense and the panel, he had managed to successfully refine first-rank upper-grade pills, becoming a first-rank upper-grade alchemist.

Next was refining second-stage pills.

Refining second-stage pills was quite challenging; his attempts had thus far ended in failure.

But he also felt his progress, believing that success in refining was within reach.

"Now, I can spread the word about my alchemy talent, and when I manage to refine second-stage pills, it will be logical and easy," Xu Ping smiled softly, making plans in his heart.

...

...

Half a year later.

In the training room.

Xu Ping pinched a magic technique, continuously emitting several beams of red light onto the array, which absorbed the red light, making the embedded Spirit Stones shine.

A fist-sized flame appeared under the alchemy cauldron, gradually enlarging and fiercely burning within the fire gate. Immediately, the room's air became filled with intense heat.

This was Xu Ping's specially-designed alchemy fire array.

Most alchemists used Earth Fire for alchemy; Earth Fire has a high temperature, is stable, and remarkably enduring, making it an excellent choice.

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