Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 321 Leading Figure
After signing the spiritual contract that day, Li Ji'an was given a separate cave dwelling.

This cave dwelling belongs to the private area managed by the Fifth Young Master Wu Yehua. It is not under the surveillance of the Chamber of Commerce headquarters, so it is highly private and can be arranged by Li Ji'an at will.

After probing with divine sense, then shielding with a talisman, and finally having the little fire spirit cleanse the area, I finally felt truly at ease and settled down.

"The Nine Revolutions of True Spirit..." That evening, Wu Yehua presented the incomplete scroll of "The Nine Revolutions of True Spirit" as promised.

The incomplete scroll only contained the first three chapters. Li Ji'an carefully studied it based on his three lifetimes of cultivation experience and determined that it was a codex suitable for the cultivation of the demon race.

However, only those with human form can do this.

After all, this demonic scripture was created by a powerful demon based on the immortal scripture of the human race.

The reason why humans are called the leader of all spirits is that their bodies are more in harmony with the great principles of heaven and earth.

If one cultivates using the true form of a demon, one can only follow the path of instinctive bloodline transformation, becoming extremely dependent on the inheritance of the demon bloodline, and it is difficult to reach the highest level without a true spirit bloodline.

Ninety-nine percent of the demon race have their life's limit determined from the moment they are born.

The bloodline theory greatly limited the overall strength of the demon race, making them increasingly vulnerable in their struggles against the human race.

The demon scripture created by studying human cultivation techniques incorporates the strengths of humans, giving demons with lower bloodlines the possibility of reaching the pinnacle.

According to ancient records, pure demons can take human form at birth and can immediately begin cultivating the demon race's code without having to follow the instincts of demon beasts.

However, there are no pure-blooded demon races in the post-ancient era now, so to cultivate this codex, one needs to be at least at the fourth level of human transformation.

Before taking human form, one can only cultivate according to one's bloodline instincts.

"The path ahead has been paved for you. As for whether you can break through the bloodline limitations, that depends on your own destiny." After memorizing all the fragments of the Demon Codex, Li Ji'an patted the head of the frog squatting beside him, who was looking excited.

"Quack!" The quack's eyes immediately hardened.

Little Fire Spirit also jumped onto the frog's head to encourage it.

Li Ji'an felt a warm glow as he looked at the two little ones.

However, he wasn't sure if Guagua would stay with him until the end.

After undergoing two transformations using Sacred Beast Pills, the low-grade bloodline is now only a high-grade bloodline that has undergone acquired transformation. If it cultivates according to the instincts of a demon beast, being able to condense a demon core would be the best it can do.

As for the fourth tier, those without a Heavenly Grade bloodline have little chance; only those with a True Spirit bloodline can guarantee a stable position.

Guagua has already undergone two transformations of its bloodline using Sacred Beast Pills. Even if it takes Sacred Beast Pills again, the effect will be greatly reduced and it won't be very useful.

In addition, there are too few advancement inheritances for demon beasts. This time, the Azure Blood Pill is already a rare help for demon beasts to break through to the third level of condensing demon core. As for external objects for demon beasts to break through to the fourth level of transformation, they have never been heard of in the past six thousand years. Even if Li Ji'an wanted to help it, he would have no way to do so.

As for Little Fire Spirit, Li Ji'an was full of confidence.

After all, according to ancient records, the Holy Spirit of Heaven and Earth originated at the beginning of the creation of Heaven and Earth. They are the embodiment of the Dao and are more in accord with the Great Dao than all other races.

It is naturally able to align itself with the Great Dao, but it needs the tempering of time and ample nourishment.

For the next three months, Li Ji'an and Xiao Huoling spent almost every day battling with Guagua.

Guagua had been at the late stage of the second tier for a long time, but his demonic power was relatively insufficient due to his bloodline and lack of wild tempering. This was why Li Ji'an gave him half a year to further hone his skills.

In his previous life, Li Ji'an and Guagua always stopped short of each other when they sparred, for fear of hurting each other.

During these three months, Li Ji'an went all out each time, not only unleashing his magical power to the extreme, but also using his second-tier body cultivation to unleash the Demon-Suppressing Fist to kill.

Every time, they beat Guagua until he was covered in bruises.

Of course, his reliance was on his second-tier medical skills.

The wood-elemental magic power in this life is more compatible with the medical skills studied in the previous life, and the "Yi Wood Evergreen Technique" magic power cultivated in this life has health-preserving effects, with remarkable restorative and nourishing abilities, which greatly enhances medical skills.

After each day of torment, healing its wounds greatly benefits Guagua's demonic power and temperament.

"Alright, we've done what we needed to do. You'll be able to condense your demon core in another month and a half. Take good care of yourself for half a month and don't be too stubborn. Just do your best." Li Ji'an comforted him gently after healing him again.

To reach a higher level of spiritual attainment, one's mindset is very important. However, some people are willing to risk everything to survive and must have an unwavering determination to succeed, while others prefer to relax their mind and body and let things take their natural course. There is no definitive answer, and it varies from person to person.

Li Ji'an hoped that Guagua could save its life no matter what, even if it failed, it would be fine if Guagua accompanied him for three lifetimes and died a natural death.

After emerging from the underground palace that Guagua had created, Li Ji'an took out the jade talisman of the Sishui Chamber of Commerce from his storage bag.

Besides Yao Rui's message, there was also a message from the manager of Sishui Tower about new talisman materials.

He was practically invisible within the Surabaya Chamber of Commerce, with no constraints and hardly anyone paying attention to him.

Yao Rui's message was as direct as ever, asking him if he had any magical artifacts so she could borrow them to participate in the Flying Goose Dao Discussion.

They also informed the Surabaya Chamber of Commerce that they had only promised to lend them a prototype of a magical artifact to participate in the meeting.

Li Ji'an shook his head, completely pessimistic about Yao Rui's prospects of participating in the Flying Goose Forum.

With Yao Rui's magical power and skills, she was no match for Wu Chengzhi, not to mention she didn't even have a natal magic weapon.

Without replying to Yao Rui, Li Ji'an left his temple and headed to Wu Yehua's residence.

Three months ago, after signing the spiritual contract, Wu Yishan originally wanted Li Ji'an to meet with the other nine participants from the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce. However, Li Ji'an declined, saying that he had not yet had time to recuperate after the long journey across the region. Now that he had finished arranging for Guagua, he was temporarily free of trouble.

Before long, Wu Yehua brought Li Ji'an to the Chamber of Commerce headquarters.

Of the ten attendees from the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce, apart from the second son Wu Chengzhi and Li Ji'an, all had signed targeted spiritual cultivation contracts with the Chamber. Five of them were native members of the Chamber, while only three were promising talents found by the Chamber from outside.

Three immortal seedlings, one with a celestial spiritual root, and two with terrestrial spiritual roots.

The five members of the Chamber of Commerce, whose backgrounds are quite detailed, are mostly of superior-grade spiritual roots, and one of them even has a mid-to-upper-grade spiritual root.

Overall, his natural talent isn't considered very good.

It's not that the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce is xenophobic, but rather that they simply find it difficult to sign those with even greater talent.

After all, those with innate talent above the Earth Spirit Root are extremely rare. Once a Celestial Seed is born in the domain, other merchant guilds flock to it. Compared to those upstream merchant guilds, the Jinhua Merchant Guild and the Sishui Merchant Guild are not very competitive.

The Jinhua Chamber of Commerce has been searching for promising talents in the outer regions, but they are no match for the sects and holy sites there.

Therefore, the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce did not have high hopes for Fei Hong Lun Dao; they only hoped that Fei Hong Lun Dao could defeat the Sishui Chamber of Commerce.

"Qingyun, how is your recovery?" Wu Yishan asked with a warm and caring tone, his smile unchanged.

"Thank you for your concern, Chairman. I have already adapted."

"Alright, alright, come, let me introduce you all. This is Fellow Daoist Liu Qingyun. He will fight alongside you this time, and I hope we can achieve good results in the Flying Goose Dao Discussion..." Wu Yishan introduced everyone one by one.

The group then exchanged greetings.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, I've heard that although you possess wood-type magic, your power is profound and enduring, making you more defensive than earth-type magic. I am unworthy, however, as I cultivate metal-type magic, which is the most offensive. I humbly request to learn a few moves from you." After the group got to know each other, one of them stepped forward, looking at Li Ji'an with some anticipation.

Upon seeing this, Wu Yishan was slightly taken aback, and then said, "Qingyun, this is by no means a test from the Chamber of Commerce. Xiaohu is a celestial seedling that our Chamber of Commerce dug up in the mortal world. He also has a top-grade metal-type spiritual root. We have heard that your magic power is strong and are itching to show it off. You are free to refuse."

"However, the knockout stage will officially begin in six months, so it's a good thing for you all to hone your skills against each other."

"You can rest assured that if you spar with each other, Master Lanting will be there to protect you and ensure that your foundation will not be damaged."

Li Ji'an scanned the prodigy named Wang Hu with his divine sense and then nodded.

When he was in the Biyun Sect, he specifically sought out people to hone his skills through duels, but many of the pseudo-core elders eventually refused to accompany him. This time, however, the duels that ensured his safety were to be played, which suited his wishes.

Although the little fire spirit constantly refines his magic, it would be even better to have more sparring and honing his skills.

In this life, I will strive for the highest quality Core Formation, and I must do my utmost to achieve excellence within my capabilities!

"Thank you for your help, Brother Liu!" Wang Hu was overjoyed and immediately led Li Ji'an to the Chamber of Commerce's arena.

Li Ji'an had learned a general idea about Wang Hu through Wu Yehua over the past three months. He was a golden-type celestial spirit root and the best immortal seedling discovered by the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce in nearly a century.

The training contract he signed was quite generous. After being diagnosed with a Heavenly Grade Spiritual Root at the age of fourteen, he was brought back by the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce, which not only promised to sponsor his attempt to break through to the Golden Core stage, but also to train him as a future Nascent Soul True Monarch.

He has put a lot of effort into his cultivation techniques, foundational knowledge, and the training and tempering of his character since childhood. Ten years ago, he achieved a stable late-stage Foundation Establishment, and now, after another ten years of accumulation, his magical power is not to be underestimated.

Before long, the group arrived at the arena.

It is protected by a three-tiered array.

Shortly after everyone arrived, the Lanting Zhenren, who was now guarding the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce, was already sitting high above the arena.

Master Lanting was also an investment target of the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce back then. Originally, after advancing to the mid-stage of Core Formation, according to the spiritual contract, he only needed to serve in the Chamber of Commerce for thirty years. However, after advancing to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, he lost his potential and had almost no hope of reaching the late-stage of Core Formation.

Ultimately, he chose to stay with the Chamber of Commerce as a retainer.

This is also the final destination for most of the investments made by chambers of commerce.

Unless they have great potential and can gain the favor of the Holy Sect of the Central Ten Domains, they will stay in the Central Ten Domains to cultivate after fulfilling the spiritual contract of the Chamber of Commerce.

Besides, a large portion of them, after traveling around the cultivation world, would eventually choose to return to the merchant guild.

This was Li Ji'an's first time facing Master Lanting up close, but he felt no worry whatsoever.

His current disguise as Liu Qingyun is not an ordinary disguise technique, but a change in his martial arts qi and blood, which cannot be seen through unless one is a high-level body cultivator who is proficient in the way of qi and blood.

Moreover, his current magical aura is not concealed; it is his own aura, so he is not afraid of those with higher spiritual senses than him noticing anything unusual.

"Brother Liu, in this Flying Goose Dao Discussion, the nominal leader of our Chamber of Commerce is my second brother, but in reality, it is this Wang Hu. If you can defeat him, the Chamber of Commerce will definitely reward you!" Wu Yehua reminded Li Ji'an telepathically before he went on stage.

"What reward is there?" Li Ji'an continued his petty manner.

"Our Chamber of Commerce possesses a seventh-grade magic treasure. During this Flying Goose Dao Discussion, whoever is the leader will be temporarily allowed to use it. If they ultimately advance to the semi-finals, it will be given to them as a reward!"

The Chamber of Commerce naturally possesses magical treasures, including many high-level ones, but at most, a Foundation Establishment cultivator can only utilize lower-grade magical treasures.

The most superior of the three lower-grade magic treasures of the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce is a seventh-grade magic treasure.

"Alright!" Li Ji'an's eyes instantly turned solemn.

Then, the two entered the arena, and the duel began.

As expected of the hidden leader of the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce, his metal-based magic power is incomparably sharp. When Li Ji'an faced Wu Chengzhi, he could withstand it by adding at most three layers of magic power shield.

However, when faced with Wang Hu's Golden Light Slash, it took five layers of stacks to avoid being broken through by a single strike.

Moreover, Wang Hu's magical power was even more profound and pure, and he did not show signs of exhaustion for a full half hour, which clearly demonstrated his accumulated foundation in the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Brother Liu, if you only defend and don't attack, you won't be able to fully enjoy yourself!" Wang Hu finally slowed down his offensive.

Simply unleashing magical power for attack is like shooting at a target alone; it's a very one-sided way to hone one's magical power. Only by alternating between offense and defense, especially by enduring threatening attacks, can one better hone their magical power.

On the contrary, Li Ji'an's magical power was greatly honed under his powerful killing.

However, Wang Hu couldn't help but look at Li Ji'an with new respect, as his sharp attacks were completely unable to break through his defenses.

Moreover, it is obvious that the opponent's wood-type magic has a longer duration than his own.

If one continues to expend magical power in this way, the final result will naturally be the exhaustion of magical power and defeat.

However, if the opponent's attack is ineffective, the best outcome is a draw.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, be careful!" Li Ji'an benefited greatly from this battle, and without further ado, he immediately activated his Azure Power to attack Wang Hu.

The boundless vines shot skyward, instantly blotting out the sun.

"Brother Liu, this little bit of strength is no match for me." After trying it out with his protective magic shield, Wang Hu stopped dodging and stood in mid-air, letting the vines lash out at him.

Even when hundreds of vines lashed at its shield, there was no sign of it breaking.

Li Ji'an narrowed his eyes slightly, seeing through the strangeness of Wang Hu's protective shield. The protective shield that Wang Hu cultivated was not just simple protection, but also contained hidden killing intent. When his vines struck it, before they could truly endanger the shield, they were already shattered by the hidden golden killing intent of the shield.

"Boom!" Li Ji'an made a hand seal, and the vines disappeared. Then, an ancient tree appeared in mid-air and crashed down on Wang Hu with the force of Mount Tai.

"Well done!" Wang Hu sensed the power carried by the giant tree, which was on a completely different level from the vines. His protective shield grew stronger again as he rose against the wind.

The next moment, Wang Hu, enveloped in golden light, crashed into the falling giant wooden spike from below.

A crisp "snap" sound rang out first.

This means that Wang Hu's protective shield has reached its limit.

However, the next moment, the giant tree's sharp point flew through the air, and then was completely pierced by the golden light from bottom to top.

"Again!" Wang Hu soared into the sky, looking down at Li Ji'an, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

Li Ji'an shook his head inwardly. The attack he had just used was the highest-level wood-type offensive technique he had learned at the Biyun Sect, called "Divine Wood Cone." It was the most powerful attack, but it was not fast enough. If he could not subdue his opponent first, it would be easy for the opponent to dodge it.

Wang Hu was overconfident and took the initiative to meet them, which did threaten their protective magic shield. However, he still couldn't withstand the killing intent of their magic shield and it was easily neutralized.

But with just this one strike, Li Ji'an already had a good idea of ​​Wang Hu's protective magic shield.

One blow can be blocked, but can a second blow be blocked?
A slight smile appeared on Li Ji'an's lips as he made his move again.

"Boom!" In an instant, it was as if countless leaves were falling from the heavens.

In their line of sight, at least dozens of massive, pointed logs, each the size of three people, came crashing down on Wang Hu at breakneck speed, one after the other.

"Such powerful magic!" Wang Hu's eyes narrowed, and his face became more serious than ever before.

The more powerful the spell, the greater the energy consumption. He never expected Li Ji'an's magical power to be so profound.

"Well done!" he shouted, leaping up once more.

"Crack!" The same scene occurred, the giant tree's first strike caused a crack in its protective magic shield.

However, after that brief moment of pressure, his golden aura shattered the giant wooden spike, and the pressure decreased sharply.

"Bang!" However, before the first giant wooden cone could be completely crushed, the second one had already joined in, and his protective magic shield was hit again.

"Crack!"

Until the third giant wooden cone struck, Wang Hu's protective magic shield finally gave way.

"The power is not bad, but it's a bit slow." Wang Hu dared not take it anymore and turned to leave. At the same time, he looked a little relieved. After all, although the giant wooden cone was powerful, it was still a bit slow.

"Trying to leave? Too late!" Li Ji'an sneered, his figure instantly becoming ethereal.

Wang Hu's expression suddenly tightened, and he activated his protective magic shield to its maximum.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~" In the next instant, endless vines shot out from the void.

However, the moment they touched his protective shield, they were pulverized as always.

"Haha, Brother Liu..." He was about to make a joke when his expression suddenly changed.

Almost all the vines in the sky were shredded, but one slightly withered vine ignored his protective golden light and killing intent, and wrapped itself around him.

The instant the withered vine wrapped around him, he felt a tingling sensation all over his body, not only his physical body but also his magical power.

Although it was only for a very short moment, just as he broke through that numbness, the giant wooden spike above his head crashed down.

"Crack!" This time, his protective magic shield shattered.

"The outcome is decided, cease fighting!" At the same time, Master Lanting, who had been resting with his eyes closed, appeared beside Wang Hu. A beam of white light blocked the giant tree in the sky, saving Wang Hu's life.

"You flatter me!" Li Ji'an withdrew his magical power and looked at Wang Hu, who was covered in cold sweat, with a faint smile.

What he just used was one of only two superior spells, "Vine Silk Hands." The restriction and paralysis were only the basics; the real wonder lay in extracting life force.

(End of this chapter)