Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 254 Future Plans
Becoming a pseudo-cultivator marks the end of one's path to immortality in this world.

However, the moment Li Ji'an successfully formed his core, he sensed a sudden change in his vitality and lifespan.

The Foundation Establishment stage originally had a lifespan of nearly three hundred years, but because of his miraculous ability to reverse aging, it would activate when his life force began to decline, so the actual lifespan was only about two hundred years. However, due to repeatedly taking Blood Burning Pills and drawing third-tier spirit talismans, his life force declined, bringing it forward to one hundred and forty or fifty years.

If he hadn't successfully formed his core this time, he would have reverted to a youthful state in about thirty years.

However, now, his total lifespan is nearly four hundred years, and his vitality will begin to decline around three hundred years old. The losses from the Blood Burning Pill were also washed away after he formed the core.

Under normal circumstances, he could live for another 180 years or so.

With so much time available, Li Ji'an couldn't afford to be idle, even though his cultivation couldn't advance any further.

He still needs to pave the way for his next life.

The primary task is to prepare a Foundation Establishment Pill for the next life.

Previously, when he was helping the sect refine Foundation Establishment Pills, he had already collected two sets of Foundation Establishment materials, but at that time his personal condition had not reached the peak of this world, so he did not refine them for the time being.

At this moment, the fake core's magical power does not affect his alchemy, since the alchemy fire he uses relies on the spiritual flame of the little fire spirit. However, his divine sense has now almost reached the peak of this world.

With a pill fire comparable to the mid-stage of the third rank and the divine sense of the early stage of the True Core realm, he could almost guarantee a high-quality Foundation Establishment Pill and even break through to the top-grade level.

Besides the Foundation Establishment Pill, the most crucial one is the Crystal Condensation Pill.

Having already tasted the sweetness of success in this life, the effects of a mid-grade Condensing Crystal Pill are comparable to those of a top-fifty Core Formation Spiritual Treasure. If one can obtain a high-grade or even a fine-grade Condensing Crystal Pill in the next life, then a mid-to-high-grade True Pill will be within easy reach.

Now that I have reached the Pseudo-Core stage, gathering materials for the Crystallization Pill will be much easier.

Besides, he wouldn't need to cultivate any further, and with the time saved, he could thoroughly study puppetry techniques and formations.

Having accumulated alchemy skills in his previous life, he found this life much easier. For a long time, he relied on his alchemy skills from his previous life to thrive in the cultivation world.

In this life, the talisman-making skills have been greatly improved, and with the current pseudo-core cultivation level, the power of the pills is even more abundant. There is no need to consume the Blood Burning Pill to consume life force anymore, and the third-tier talisman can be drawn.

We can prepare more third-tier talismans as trump cards later.

In terms of medicine and poison, the initial purpose was only to treat the aftereffects of being delayed before the age of eight in the next life. Now that the goal has been achieved, coupled with the fact that the auxiliary cultivation of wood-type magic cannot break through the Foundation Establishment stage, there is no way to advance further for the time being.

However, puppetry is something he values ​​highly in this life, and he has long been determined to master it, no matter how difficult or how many lifetimes it takes, in order to create a spirit-possessed puppet.

As for formations, he had given up on them before when he was in Golden Glory Immortal City. Firstly, he was discouraged by Xiao Qiao and realized that his talent for formations was really lacking. Secondly, he was focused on studying talismans at the time, so he temporarily gave up. Now that he has more time, he has decided to study them again.

In addition, for the sake of Guagua's future, I've decided to take some time to study the art of beast taming. I don't need to be an expert in this area; I just need to determine the general direction.

Of course, he would not give up his greatest trump card and advantage: body cultivation and soul cultivation.

The body cultivators now have their eyes on Wu Weixiong's body cultivation technique. Apart from that, there is no other high-end body cultivation technique they have seen or heard of in the Tiancang Domain.

As for soul cultivation, given his progress over the years, he's not in a hurry for now. He can proceed step by step and steadily, since his basic soul foundation is the only thing that won't disappear after he's rejuvenated, besides his memories and experiences.

After meditating for another half day, Li Ji'an shook his head and got up.

Although it can still absorb spiritual energy into its body, the refined magical power can no longer be accumulated except to make up for the consumption of the pills. Neither the quantity nor the quality will change in the slightest.

This process made him understand the fundamental reason why the fake elixir could no longer be produced.

He then gave up all illusions and completely abandoned his spiritual practice.

There were still three months until the Core Formation Ceremony. He went straight into the secret chamber and began drawing talismans without any distractions.

Before forming the Golden Core, due to the inadequacy of his cultivation technique and the scarcity of his magical power, he needed pills to assist him even when drawing talismans of the same rank. Now, although the magical power of his pills is only half that of true pills, it has made up for the deficiencies in his cultivation technique, and it is sufficient for drawing early-stage third-rank talismans.

If it weren't for the inherent flaw of fire-based magic power being more violent than substantial and enduring, even a wood-based pseudo-core would have been able to create a mid-stage third-tier spirit talisman due to its enduring power.

A month later, the first Tier 3 Spirit Talisman without the use of the Blood Burning Pill was successfully created.

When he was preparing to replace the natal spirit talisman that had been nurtured in his dantian for many years, he unexpectedly discovered that the upper limit of nurturing natal spirit talismans in his dantian had been increased again. After many attempts, he confirmed that he could now nurture five third-tier natal spirit talismans at once.

The natal talisman he has nurtured for the longest time is a third-tier Thunderstrike Talisman, which he created after taking the Blood Burning Pill before dealing with the quasi-holy son of the Corpse Puppet Sect, Du Hai.

Having been nurtured for forty years, its power has increased by another twenty percent. If an ordinary early-stage True Core cultivator is careless, they will either die or be seriously injured.

He then tried to store the prototype of the magic weapon he obtained from Fu Hanxing, the Glazed Lamp, into his dantian. Unfortunately, he had reached his limit in nurturing five natal talismans and could no longer nurture a natal magic weapon.

Only after three spirit talismans are removed can the glass lamp be nourished by the elixir's magical power.

In the end, Li Ji'an gave up on nurturing the glass lamp.

He now possesses the Green Wood Magic Sword, which is likely a top-tier third-grade magic weapon, as well as the Binding God Rope, a prototype magic weapon gifted by Xiao Changfeng. He doesn't have high expectations for the Glazed Lamp, which is also a prototype magic weapon.

Of course, the most important thing is that this glass lamp still cannot be exposed to the light. Otherwise, if the Lieyang Sect finds out, even if he obtained it by accident because of the earth dragon turning over in the Daze Mountains, he will definitely be framed and taken back. What's more, he really did kill the person.

In the days that followed, as the Core Formation Ceremony drew closer, he did not go into seclusion again.

Sure enough, three days later, Yan Qingwan and Liu Qiao arrived hand in hand.

Xiao Qiao was very familiar with the outer peak. Although she hadn't been there for decades, she still remembered everything about it vividly.

This is Yan Qingwan's third time visiting the Biyun Sect in her life. However, the first time she only went to the outer trial hall, and the second time she didn't even enter the outer sect. This time, she has truly entered the inner sect of the Biyun Sect.

For the Foundation Establishment families in the wilderness, they are basically not qualified to participate in the grand events of the upper sect, except when they need cannon fodder.

However, this was her nephew's Golden Core Ceremony, and the invitation was sent by Li Ji'an specifically by name.

This single invitation was enough to keep the situation in the wasteland stable for at least several hundred years.

"Fan'er, congratulations! Your father will be happy for you even in the afterlife!" Yan Qingwan looked at Li Ji'an in front of her and thought of the trial a hundred years ago.

The handsome, youthful fifteen-year-old boy merged with the centenarian before them.

Real person!

She had never dared to imagine it.

She even advised Li Ji'an not to have any unrealistic hopes back then.

"A mid-grade spiritual root, practicing the same cultivation method as me, and mostly remaining a rogue cultivator... The impossible has become a reality. This is the power of human effort!" Yan Qingwan was deeply moved!

"Thank you, Aunt. I have something else to return to you." As he spoke, Li Ji'an handed Yan Qingwan a jade talisman imprinted with the inheritance of a second-tier talisman.

This was something he had promised Yan Kongyi years ago: if he obtained the talisman inheritance, he would have the opportunity to pass it on to the Yan family.

An ancient second-tier talisman inheritance is attractive to many Foundation Establishment cultivators, and even Pseudo Core Formation cultivators. Li Ji'an was unable to protect such an inheritance when he was in the Foundation Establishment stage, so he did not take it out.

Now that he's a fake Core Formation cultivator, he can completely protect this second-tier inheritance for the Yan family.

As for the third tier, it cannot be given to the Yan family for the time being, and we have to wait until the Yan family produces a peak second-tier rune master before we can discuss it.

"A second-tier talisman inheritance!" Yan Qingwan's beautiful eyes lit up with surprise after quickly browsing through it; she naturally knew the value of this inheritance. After catching up for a few days, Li Ji'an had Xu Xiaochun arrange for Yan Qingwan to stay in the cave dwelling on Dan Ding Peak, while Xiao Qiao remained on the outer peak.

After Yan Qingwan left, Guagua and Xiaohuoling couldn't wait to show up.

"Guaguagua~"

"Huh~"

They were overjoyed to immediately sense the powerful aura emanating from Li Ji'an, and jumped around him excitedly.

The little fire spirit was overjoyed and crawled into Li Ji'an's dantian, circling the blazing fire-type pill with great affection.
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Before we knew it, the day of the celebration arrived.

On this day, the Dan Ding Peak of the Bi Yun Sect was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, bustling with people and lively with great activity.

Not only did the elders and true disciples of the various peaks of the sect arrive, but the pseudo-core elders of the four major families in Cangyun Prefecture also came in person, and even the sects of Tianyuan Prefecture came to offer their congratulations.

Li Ji'an, dressed in the Ice and Fire Robe that Yan Qingwan had given him years ago, sat in the main seat and returned the greetings to each of the people who came to offer their congratulations.

"On behalf of the Biyun Sect, the Sect Master congratulates True Person Li on his great success in achieving the Core Formation and presents him with a third-tier alchemy furnace!"

Before long, the much-anticipated gift-giving ceremony began, with the Biyun Sect setting an example for those who came to offer their congratulations.

This not only demonstrates the sect's stance but also highlights Li Ji'an's status as a third-tier alchemist.

If it were a regular fake pill celebration, it wouldn't have such a grand scale.

The main reason lies in Li Ji'an's status as a third-level alchemist.

In this world, the cultivation of various arts is not directly proportional to the cultivator's realm, because cultivation is only the foundation, while skills depend more on talent.

A person who has reached the Core Formation stage is not necessarily destined to become a third-tier alchemist; alchemy talent and cultivation talent are not the same.

On the surface, Li Ji'an was originally a second-tier high-quality alchemist. However, due to his cultivation level, he had been unable to become a third-tier alchemist because of insufficient alchemical fire and weak spiritual energy. Now that he has successfully formed his core, becoming a third-tier alchemist is only a natural progression.

Furthermore, in this world, in addition to personal seclusion and cultivation, elixirs play a significant supporting role in cultivation. Moreover, as long as the elixirs are of superior quality or above, the toxicity and drug resistance can be basically ignored.

Without the aid of elixirs, cultivation efficiency is much slower.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators within the sect are doing alright, as they have no shortage of second-stage cultivation-enhancing pills.

However, True Core Formation Realm cultivators are not only those who can advance further on their path to enlightenment, but also those who can cultivate secret techniques to unleash their potential. Various third-tier pills are still in short supply.

Previously, only Master Yu Dan of the Biyun Sect was able to refine third-tier pills. The three Supreme Elders of the sect basically relied on his pills to aid their cultivation, but his efficiency was limited and the success rate was not high, resulting in a shortage of third-tier pills.

With the addition of Li Ji'an, the supply of third-tier pills will naturally be alleviated to some extent.

"Elder Tai Shang Yun Qing congratulates Master Li on his successful completion of the Core Formation and presents him with a Grade 9 Fire Jade."

"Congratulations, Elder Tian..."

……

Following that, the sect's supreme elders, including Elder Tian, ​​who had previously tried to seize the Core Formation talent for his grandson, also presented their congratulatory gifts.

With the sect setting an example, subsequent guests also brought congratulatory gifts.

During this time, Qin Henian and Qin Chuan congratulated Li Ji'an and presented him with a third-tier spiritual herb.

The Liu family patriarch, along with Liu Jiuchan, presented a bottle of quasi-beast king's essence blood.

All of this was expected. What surprised Li Ji'an was that the Lieyang Sect from Tianyuan Prefecture had also sent people.

Although they arrived the latest, they still presented their congratulatory gifts.

The gift was ordinary, just a piece of second-tier spirit bamboo, but the person who came made Li Ji'an raise an eyebrow slightly.

It turned out to be Master Fu, one of the five True Core Elders of the Lieyang Sect, and also the ancestor of the Fu family of Guanshan Bamboo Sea.

The sect leader of Biyun Sect did not dare to be negligent and, together with Elder Tian, ​​warmly received them.

However, Li Ji'an noticed that his attention was not on him at all, but rather on Qin He'nian from the very beginning.

Since the Sishui Chamber of Commerce decided to relocate back to the Wanshang Domain, the business of Tianhe Immortal City has basically been limited to the acquisition of materials, while the Qin family's Zizhu cooperation continues.

Li Ji'an realized that Qin's visit to offer congratulations was merely a side effect, and that his main purpose was to target the Qin family.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Qin Henian's expression instantly turned serious.

Faced with the Blazing Sun Sect, the Qin family, a pseudo-core cultivator family, can only find a way to maneuver by relying on the Azure Cloud Sect.

Back then, when Wanfa Palace bypassed Biyun Sect and bestowed the Qishilin Dojo upon the Qin family, it almost brought the relationship between the Qin family and Biyun Sect to a freezing point.

Fortunately, Qin Henian was wise in his appearance and gave away the Strange Stone Forest in a flash.

Moreover, the transactions between the Qin family and the Sishui Chamber of Commerce over the years have brought considerable benefits to the Biyun Sect. On the surface, the Qin family still follows the lead of the Biyun Sect and is considered a direct descendant of the Biyun Sect.

After a quick consideration, Li Ji'an felt that the Biyun Sect would not allow Master Fu to act recklessly.

Things are different now. Back then, because the Biyun Sect obtained a lot of spiritual resources from the ruins, it was able to keep a low profile and avoid conflicts with other sects.

But now, they've been exhausted from a major battle between good and evil, and in order to expand their power and influence, they will no longer back down as they did before.

Moreover, the Qin family pays a considerable sum of tribute to the Biyun Sect every year.

Li Ji'an then stopped thinking about it, and besides, it was not something he could get involved in at that level.

After the celebration, Li Ji'an saw everyone off, but ultimately kept the Liu family behind.

Upon seeing this, both the Liu family patriarch and Liu Jiuchan were overjoyed.

Among so many guests offering their congratulations, Master Li alone kept the Liu family at home, making them feel like cranes among chickens.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, please have a seat." Li Ji'an invited the Liu family patriarch into the cave and gestured for him to sit.

As for Liu Jiuchan, whose eyes were brimming with anticipation, he completely ignored her.

Liu Jiuchan is still stuck in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, his cultivation path is basically cut off, and in Li Ji'an's eyes he is just an ordinary person.

"Thank you, Master Li. May I ask what business Master Li may have with my Liu family?" The Liu family patriarch asked with a smile.

Li Ji'an nodded and got straight to the point: "I am currently facing a bottleneck in my alchemy skills, and I am quite interested in the beast pills of noble families. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Liu could offer me some guidance?"

Before he formed his core, he had no right to covet the secrets of the Liu family's beast cores, especially the formula for the clan's sacred beast core. But now, he has the right to discuss it openly and honestly.

(End of this chapter)