Cultivating Immortality: Starting from Ferrying Passengers

Chapter 227 New Insights
For the past three years, there has been no shortage of the monthly supply of one 'Imperial Jade Dew Pill'. On average, one of these pills can increase Tuoyuan's cultivation by five to seven years.

As a spirit turtle, Tuoyuan's bloodline also became higher-level due to consuming high-grade dragon blood and turtle-type spiritual materials.

Now, possessing a trace of Xuanwu bloodline, Tuoyuan's growth rate is even longer.

Logically speaking, if Tuoyuan were to cultivate on its own, given its total lifespan of 1,300 years, it would require over a hundred years of arduous cultivation to advance from the early stage of Foundation Establishment to the middle stage.

The 'Imperial Jade Dew Pill' has greatly shortened this process, allowing it to advance from the early stage of Foundation Establishment to the middle stage in about ten years.

However, just as Fang Jingxuan had worried before, without the accumulation of time and relying solely on elixirs for quick results, this kind of cultivation method is not a good thing in the long run.

Sometimes, even if one's cultivation level is high, if one's temperament and accumulated experience are insufficient, one cannot unleash their true strength.

Cultivation is not just about cultivating strength, but more about cultivating the 'Tao'. In Fang Jingxuan's view, Tuoyuan is currently lacking in many ways.

For example, issues such as the development and understanding of supernatural powers, the research on various techniques, and the exploration of one's own bloodline abilities.

These things require a long period of time to gradually understand, rather than relying solely on elixirs to quickly replenish one's cultivation level and then everything will be fine.

Therefore, after Tuoyuan's advancement, Fang Jingxuan was also considering whether he should control the supply of pills to Tuoyuan first, give it some time to cultivate on its own, and make up for its shortcomings as much as possible.

The same applies to Liu Gu. However, Liu Gu is in a better situation. Its talent ceiling can only be fully realized at the Golden Core stage. Currently, it can provide Fang Jingxuan with great assistance simply by relying on its talent. Its own problems can only be remedied when it reaches the Golden Core stage.

In short, Tuoyuan's talent is insufficient, and forcibly raising his level would be harmful rather than beneficial, while Liugu's talent is high, and it is only necessary to slow down his level after raising him to the Golden Core realm.

After reflecting on these matters, Fang Jingxuan also conducted a detailed examination of Tuoyuan's condition after his advancement. He concluded that Tuoyuan's cultivation level was more than twice as high as it was in the early stages of Foundation Establishment after advancing to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

However, there hasn't been much change in physique. Perhaps it's because a large physique doesn't directly affect combat power. The idea that the bigger the physique, the stronger one is, was effective during Qi Refining, but this view no longer applies as one's cultivation level increases.

In terms of talent, Tuoyuan has awakened a new divine power called [Water Realm]. This divine power allows Tuoyuan to unleash a water realm similar to a magic domain, the range of which depends on the magic power released by Tuoyuan.

This [Water Realm] divine power can enhance Tuoyuan's combat power by 30% to 50%, but it does not meet Fang Jingxuan's expectations. However, since Tuoyuan has awakened this divine power this time, it means that its body needs it, so Fang Jingxuan can only accept it.

The higher Fang Jingxuan's cultivation level, the more difficult it became for him to interfere with Tuoyuan's evolutionary path. Even if Tuoyuan itself did not object, its instincts did not want to. The Xuanwu body was not a puppet that could be manipulated at will. Such a will was contained in its own bloodline and was currently in the initial stage of awakening.

Although Tuoyuan signed a soul contract with Fang Jingxuan, that was before it obtained the Xuanwu bloodline. Now, as Tuoyuan's strength grows stronger, the Xuanwu blood within it is not behaving itself.

This is a test of Tuoyuan's will. If it cannot be subdued, it will not be able to gain more recognition from Xuanwu blood. To evolve from the lowest-level Breathing Water Spirit Turtle into a divine beast of heaven and earth with the body of Xuanwu, it is not something that can be achieved by simply eating and sleeping all the way.

This is also one of the hidden dangers of Tuoyuan's rapid cultivation advancement. To eliminate this hidden danger, a long period of time is needed for it to settle down. At this moment, Fang Jingxuan is unaware of Tuoyuan's current predicament. He has only initially sensed this and plans to reduce the supply of spirit pills to Tuoyuan.

Currently, most of the 'Emperor's Jade Dew Pills' that Fang Jingxuan refines are accumulated by the beautiful snake. He also occasionally gives a few to the crow Xiao Hei, the Returning Earth Beast, and the Spirit Vine Tuo Yuan. Occasionally, he gives one to the white deer. In this way, he can only accumulate about a hundred pills a year.

However, over the past three years, Fang Jingxuan has been refining elixirs every month, and has finally accumulated three hundred of them, which he intends to offer to the Serpent Beauty Lord.

Based on Fang Jingxuan's own speculation, the strength of the beautiful snake should be the sum of that of Black Crow and the Returning Earth Beast. Within a radius of several thousand miles, it is undoubtedly the strongest demon beast.

With her cultivation level, she doesn't need this pill for daily cultivation, but she still needs 'Emperor's Jade Dew Pills', three hundred of them. Fang Jingxuan could only guess that this beautiful snake wanted to use a large number of 'Emperor's Jade Dew Pills' as a tonic to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

Even these three hundred 'Emperor Jade Dew Pills' were not the main materials for him to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, but rather similar to the spiritual energy pills that Fang Jingxuan used to make up for the loss when he was building his foundation.

The real transformation that occurred must have been caused by other spiritual entities.

However, this has little to do with Fang Jingxuan. The beautiful snake offered a reward, and Fang Jingxuan reciprocated with pills; it was a simple matter of money and goods being exchanged.

After his breakthrough, Tuoyuan was instructed to rest in the dojo and guard the spirit garden to prevent any foolish demonic beasts from sneaking in and stealing the spirit herbs while he was away.

Because he lacked advanced formations, Fang Jingxuan was not entirely at ease with his dojo when he was away. Even though it was on the territory of the Returning Earth Beast, this guy was a heavy sleeper and didn't care about such trivial matters at all.

After instructing Tuoyuan to take good care of the house, Fang Jingxuan led Liu Gu to the cave of the beautiful snake.

Fang Jingxuan traveled smoothly through the two thousand miles of desolate wilderness, even managing to greet several Foundation Establishment demon beast lairs he passed.

Over the years, Fang Jingxuan has traveled to these places in search of spiritual herbs. With the companionship of the crow Xiao Hei, the Foundation Establishment demon beasts naturally welcomed Fang Jingxuan's arrival.

Because the unwelcome Foundation Establishment demon beasts were immediately ripped open by Little Black Crow, who dug out their brains and tasted them.

After killing several foolish demonic beasts, Fang Jingxuan's status rose accordingly, so much so that even without the raven Xiao Hei's company, he was very comfortable wherever he went.

Now, Fang Jingxuan is no longer in any danger in this desolate wilderness, except in the territories of the beautiful snake and the returning earth beast. Fang Jingxuan doesn't go to the territories of other Golden Core demon beasts; he is aware of this.

Upon arriving at the Serpent Beauty's Cave, Fang Jingxuan was granted permission to enter and personally meet the Serpent Beauty's true form. This flattered Fang Jingxuan, but upon entering the cave, he was somewhat disappointed, as the scene before him was quite ordinary.

(End of this chapter)