Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 110 Swallowing the Elixir to Enter the Ninth Level (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)

“Father, even if I have a talent for array formations, it is impossible for me to go from nothing to the point of being able to set up a clan protection array in just one or two years. Moreover, according to your requirements, it must be a clan protection array that can withstand Foundation Establishment.”

"At my current level and progress, it will take at least another ten years to reach your expectations."

Xu Chuan smiled and said, "Alright, then tell me where you found it?"

"Treasure Pavilion."

"Indeed, only the Great Wei royal family could produce such a grand formation. Tell me more about it."

Xu Mingxian nodded slightly and said, "In my opinion, that is a second-tier high-grade incomplete array. Although it can currently operate, it can at most defend against attacks from Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivators. It's hard to say how long it can last."

Furthermore, it's estimated that due to its incompleteness, the grand formation has several flaws, hence it's been gathering dust in the Treasure Pavilion ever since.

"I'm not boasting." Xu Mingxian raised his eyebrows slightly, a smile playing on his lips, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He chuckled and said, "I've made some progress in my understanding of formations, and I consider myself quite skilled in deduction, especially in completing incomplete formations."

That's natural!

Xu Chuan chuckled inwardly. The Nine Palaces Dao Evolution Destiny Talent is best at deduce formations.

Once Xu Mingxian has accumulated enough skill in the art of formations to reach a high level, he will surely be able to innovate and create unprecedented magnificent formations.

Completing a broken formation is difficult for other formation masters.

But Xu Mingxian is definitely worth a try.

"According to you, that's a second-tier high-grade incomplete formation. Yun Nu, are you sure you're confident?" Xu Chuan pondered for a moment before looking into his eyes.

"Yes!" Xu Mingxian replied firmly, "Give me seven or eight months, at most a year, and I will definitely be able to complete it."

"Okay." Seeing that he had made a solemn pledge, Xu Chuan nodded slightly.

“But there’s a problem.” Xu Mingxian scratched his head and said with an awkward smile, “That incomplete formation costs eight hundred spirit stones.”

Xu Chuan's expression froze for a moment, and a troubled look appeared on his face. After hesitating for a while, he said, "If that's the case, then I have no choice but to take the risk. I didn't want to continue selling pills in Tongshan County because I was afraid of being targeted."

"But the clan protection formation is of utmost importance to our Xu family."

"Tomorrow I will continue to purchase the corresponding spiritual herbs from the herb shop. By following the previous sales method, the risks can be reduced considerably."

"Thank you for your trouble, Father." Xu Mingxian cupped his hands in greeting.

"Father will take care of the spirit stones, but restoring the broken array will depend on you, Yun Nu," Xu Chuan said, placing his hand on Yun Nu's shoulder in encouragement.

"I will certainly live up to Father's expectations!"

Half a month later.

Xu Chuan and his group amassed 880 spirit stones through the sale of pills.

Aside from the 800 spirit stones for the second-tier high-grade incomplete array, the rest is enough to cover the cost of renting the cave dwelling and the daily expenses for researching arrays.

If all else fails, he can go to the Treasure Pavilion again in a while and try to sell the two Breakthrough Pills, which should be worth several dozen spirit stones.

Xu Chuan gave all the spirit stones in his hand to Xu Mingxian, who then put them into his initial-level storage bag before heading out to the Treasure Pavilion.

No one would cause trouble in the market, so Xu Chuan was relieved about his safety.

In the time it takes to drink a few cups of tea, he returned to his cave with a second-tier superior-grade array.

"Father, this great formation is called the Four Symbols Heavenly Gang Formation. It has thirty-six formation flags, divided into the Azure Dragon Formation, the White Tiger Formation, the Vermilion Bird Formation, and the Black Tortoise Formation. All four formations are first-grade high-rank formations."

When all four elements are combined, attack and defense become one, forming a complete second-tier superior grand formation. Unfortunately, the array flags of all four formations are only partially intact, while some array patterns are incomplete. I can only deduce their formations based on the intact flags and patterns.

"Just do it with peace of mind, but if needed, your father will give his full support."

"Thank you, Father. Then I will go back to my room to study."

Go, but don't forget to cultivate yourself.

Xu Mingxian nodded slightly and then returned to her room.

Xu Chuan kept a low profile for seven or eight days, neither going out to buy spiritual herbs nor selling pills, but instead honestly taking high-grade Qi Gathering Pills in his cave.

Once he had pushed his cultivation to the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining, he planned to consume a high-grade breakthrough pill.

With his true spiritual root aptitude and the help of elixirs, his breakthrough probability is as high as 70% to 80%, which can save him half a year or even two or three years of hard work.

If one were to have a mixed spiritual root aptitude, it would probably take seven or eight years, or even more than ten years, to break through from the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining to the early stage of the ninth level of Qi Refining, with only a 20% or 30% chance of success.

After consuming two or three high-grade Qi Gathering Pills, Xu Chuan felt his magical power had improved considerably.

In the later stages of Qi Refining, each level becomes more difficult than the last, and the amount of magical power that needs to be condensed is several times greater than before.

Without the assistance of resources, one can only rely on one's own day and night practice and accumulation.

As for Qi Gathering Pills, if they are only of low grade, they are still effective at the seventh level of Qi Refining. However, at the eighth level of Qi Refining, only mid-grade Qi Gathering Pills can maintain the previous cultivation speed. As for the ninth level of Qi Refining, only high-grade pills are needed.

"I will start refining pills in two or three months. I expect that with the help of refining high-grade Qi Gathering Pills, two months will be enough for me to reach the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining."

Once the Awakening of Insects in March has passed, all things begin to stir.

In the courtyard, peach blossoms were in full bloom, their pink petals surging like waves.

Xu Chuan practiced diligently for two months and made some progress in his cultivation.

If even someone with his true spiritual root aptitude is like this, it's no wonder that most of the Qi Refining Level 8 cultivators that Xu Chuan has seen are in their seventies, eighties, or even nineties.

Without taking elixirs, even with his innate talent and destiny, it would take Xu Chuan more than half a year to go from the late stage of the eighth level of Qi Refining to its peak.

"Break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining as soon as possible."

Xu Chuan glanced at Old Peach in the courtyard. He knew that he didn't have many spirit stones left, so he could only sell the low-grade breakthrough pills and exchange them for spirit stones to buy spirit medicines.

Previously, he never bought medicinal herbs from the same herb shop, and this time was no different.

Each herb shop is backed by a different powerful family, and they compete fiercely with each other, but they don't actually share resources with each other.

They all assumed that Xu Chuan or Ming Xian were just ordinary rogue cultivators who studied elixirs.

As for the extra batch of pills sold some time ago, although it attracted attention, the two of them switched identities every few days, and have been keeping a low profile for more than two months now.

Therefore, he was lucky that no one was targeting him.

Tongshanfang Market, East District.

Treasure Pavilion.

Xu Chuan stepped through the gate; there weren't many cultivators coming and going in the pavilion.

After all, they are all high-quality items and are quite expensive.

"Senior, do you have any pills or magical artifacts you desire? My Treasure Pavilion has them all." A middle-aged man dressed in a dark black robe and wearing a tall hat came forward to greet him.

At first glance, this person seemed like an ordinary shop owner, but a quick scan with his divine sense revealed that he was a cultivator at the early stage of the seventh level of Qi Refining.

He looks to be only in his early sixties.

"The Cao family is indeed wealthy and powerful. Even the manager of one of their shops is a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining."

If placed in a Qi Refining family, he would be qualified to become an elder of the clan.

"Fellow Daoist, you are too kind. I have come here with something I wish to sell to your esteemed establishment. I wonder if your esteemed establishment would accept it?"

"What?"

"Elixir."

The middle-aged man in the tall hat pondered for a moment, then raised his eyes and said, "In that case, senior, come with me. I am not an expert in pills, but my establishment has a resident alchemist. I will invite him to take a look. If it is feasible, my establishment can offer a price to acquire it."

"I'll listen to you, fellow Daoist."

Xu Chuan was led to a quiet, antique-style room. The room was simply and elegantly furnished, with a rosewood octagonal table in the center, complete with writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

A display shelf stood in the corner, with several bronze tripods and porcelain vases stacked on top of each other. Occasionally, a ray of sunlight would shine obliquely, making the surfaces of the objects gleam with the patina of time.

A couch with a brocade cushion is placed by the window. The rustling of banana leaves outside the window, along with the wisps of smoke rising from the bronze incense burner on the table, adds to the tranquil atmosphere.

The wisps of smoke also have a calming and soothing effect.

A moment later.

The middle-aged man in the tall hat led an elderly man in his seventies or eighties into the quiet room and said to Xu Chuan, "Senior, this is Master He of our sect, who is skilled in alchemy. Please take out the pills that need to be appraised and hand them to him."

Xu Chuan nodded, patted the storage bag at his waist, and a porcelain bottle flew out, landing in front of the alchemist surnamed He.

The alchemist surnamed He grasped the porcelain bottle, made a hand seal, and a pill flew out from it, hovering in front of him.

The strong fragrance of cinnamon filled the air, instantly masking the calming and soothing aroma in the quiet room.

The alchemist's pupils contracted slightly. He gently pinched the pill between his index and middle fingers, examining it closely and occasionally taking a few sniffs.

A short while later, he took out another Breakthrough Pill and observed it for a while.

After finishing, put it back into the porcelain bottle and plug it with a cork.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "This pill is not one I am familiar with, but if I'm not mistaken, it should be a breakthrough pill, specifically for the late stage of Qi Refining."

"I only inhaled a little of the elixir's fragrance, and I already felt the bottleneck at the seventh level loosen slightly. Its efficacy should be about 70-80% of the Breakthrough Pill, and it's most likely made according to an ancient formula."

The middle-aged man in the tall hat was slightly surprised, not expecting Master He to give such a high evaluation. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Master He, what do you think the value of this pill is?"

"If there were a formula for the elixir, it would be very precious."

After speaking, Master He raised his head and looked at Xu Chuan. Xu Chuan smiled bitterly and said, "If it really exists, I would naturally be willing to sell it to your esteemed establishment. It's just a pity that I obtained this pill by chance in a cultivator's cave."

The owner of that cave was a cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining, who must have died after failing to break through to Foundation Establishment. There was also an empty porcelain bottle, which must have previously contained high-grade pills of this kind.

"That's a real pity. These two are only low-grade pills, but their effects are close to those of high-grade Breakthrough Pills. They are worth eighteen spirit stones each."

“Senior, Master He is a renowned alchemy master in our Tongshan County. His evaluation must be correct. Our pavilion will accept him for thirty-six spirit stones. What do you think?”

Xu Chuan remained silent.

He himself knew that if he sold them specifically to late-stage Qi Refining cultivators who were at a bottleneck, the price could even be raised to thirty spirit stones per stone.

“Then so be it,” Xu Chuan replied, looking up.

After the transaction was completed, Xu Chuan immediately left the Treasure Pavilion. He first wandered around the market to make sure no one was following him before entering a spirit herb shop he had never been to before.

The spirit stones, which hadn't even been warmed up yet, were all replaced with spirit herbs.

After wandering around again to make sure no one was following them, they returned to their rented cave.

Then came alchemy, cultivation, alchemy, cultivation.

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Xu Chuan finally reached the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining. After resting for half a day, he sat cross-legged in his room and swallowed a high-grade breakthrough pill.

The moment the pill was taken, saliva was produced under the tongue, turning into a clear stream that flowed straight down to the dantian.

The magical power, which had been as still as a pool, suddenly surged. Eight vortexes of spiritual energy collided with each other. Fine sweat beaded on Xu Chuan's forehead, and three wisps of white vapor rose from the top of his head, indicating that the impurities in his body were being forced out.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of glass shattering inside his body. Xu Chuan's eyes flickered slightly, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, as if he were pleased.

He made a hand seal with one hand, and a blue light flowed around his body.

In an instant, the impurities forced out of the body were completely washed away.

After a while.

Xu Chuan opened his eyes, a faint blue light appearing in his pupils. His breathing was long and deep, like a silkworm's, and his sleeves fluttered without wind.

"I've finally reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. All that's left is to refine my magical power to its peak."

The peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining is the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, which means reaching the bottleneck of Foundation Establishment.

This is a bottleneck at a higher realm, an insurmountable chasm for those without innate spiritual roots, far surpassing the bottlenecks of lower realms.

The first step is to condense the Qi of the Five Elements and combine it with the spiritual roots of the Five Elements to forge the foundation for immortality.

At this time, the immortal foundation is like a rootless duckweed.

The next step is to break through the bottleneck in foundation building.

Countless cultivators who had reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining had fallen at this stage.

The cultivation world today is unlike that of ancient times; the spiritual energy is incredibly abundant, making it extremely easy to break through bottlenecks.

Nowadays, without the aid of elixirs, only those with the Heavenly Spiritual Root aptitude can break through the bottleneck with unstoppable momentum.

Those with the aptitude of earth spirit roots have a considerable chance of failure if they are not well prepared.

Once you get past this hurdle, things will be much easier, and you should be able to succeed in about two or three days.

Concentrate your mind and transform the immortal foundation into reality, sinking it into your dantian and taking root there. From then on, the immortal foundation will no longer be a rootless duckweed.

Foundation Establishment cultivators can absorb spiritual energy much faster than Qi Refining cultivators thanks to their immortal foundation, and their magical power can also be transformed into higher-quality Foundation Establishment magical power.

a few days later.

Xu Chuan's cultivation level was completely stabilized at the early stage of the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Such a level of cultivation would not be considered weak even in the Great Wei cultivation world.

However, Xu Chuan is focused on alchemy and is weak in combat. He can only wait until he reaches the Great Perfection of Qi Refining before finding time to learn various spells and increase his combat experience.

Xu Chuan went to check on Xu Mingxian. Although she looked a little tired, her eyes were bright and full of excitement, so everything must be going well.

"Father, aren't you going to ask me how things are going?"

"Judging from your appearance, Father knows that everything is going well."

“Father has a keen eye. If things go as expected, we can expect to complete the array before the annual sacrifice. However, repairing these second-grade high-quality array flags will require some materials, all of which are second-grade. It will probably cost some spirit stones.”

Xu Chuan nodded and said, "Tell me what materials you need, and I'll go to the market to look for them when I have time."

Upon hearing this, Xu Mingxian named five ingredients.

Xu Chuan kept it in mind.

At this moment, Xu Mingxian suddenly asked, "Father, you've broken through?"

"I recently broke through to the ninth level of Qi Refining, and now my realm is stable."

“Foundation Establishment cultivators are rare. Unless it concerns the safety of a family, they rarely go out. The ninth level of Qi Refining is considered top-tier combat strength.”

"Congratulations, Father!"

Seeing Xu Mingxian's excited expression, Xu Chuan smiled and said, "Don't be too happy yet. When it comes to real combat, your father is only comparable to the eighth level of Qi Refining."

"With me and my elder brother here, why would you, Father, need to personally fight with others?"

Speaking of Xu Mingwei, Xu Chuan was quite satisfied; he was the unparalleled martial arts expert of the Xu family that he had cultivated since childhood.

"I wonder if your elder brother has reached the Grandmaster level yet?" Xu Chuan said with emotion.

"If Father were still by Elder Brother's side now, with your current alchemy skills, you would probably have already reached the Grandmaster level. But now it's hard to say, since the Martial Arts Grandmaster is equivalent to the mid-to-late stage of Qi Refining, and each breakthrough is equally difficult."

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(End of this chapter)