At the beginning, I cleaned the Sutra Library and completed the incomplete skills.

Guangji Temple, inside the Scripture Pavilion.

A young man, about sixteen years old, was standing in front of a row of bookshelves, intently reading a book in his hand.

[Fragment of the 'Zhou Tian Gathering Qi Scripture': Completing the Qi Refining stage chapters requires consuming five years of lifespan]

[Completing the Foundation Establishment stage chapters requires consuming fifteen years of lifespan]

[Completing the Golden Core stage chapters requires...]

...

[Completing all chapters of the cultivation method requires consuming three Jiazi (180 years) of lifespan]

[Current remaining lifespan: Forty years]

Looking at the prompts in front of him, Li Lan couldn't help but frown slightly.

This cultivation method seemed to have a good effect, capable of increasing the speed at which cultivators absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

But the price was too high.

Merely completing the Qi Refining stage chapters required five years of lifespan.

Li Lan didn't have much lifespan left.

With the road of cultivation ahead long and arduous, he naturally had to be careful and calculate every step.

Brushing away the dust on it, Li Lan returned the book to the bookshelf.

Looking at the dazzling array of cultivation methods before him, a trace of helplessness flashed in his eyes.

Li Lan was originally a mortal, who had traveled through mountains with great difficulty to find this sacred land of immortals, and was fortunate enough to have his spiritual root tested and obtain this opportunity.

But unfortunately, Li Lan's spiritual root aptitude was not outstanding.

As a pseudo-spiritual root with four attributes, he was at the bottom even among the mortals who joined the mountain gate together.

After entering Guangji Temple, he was sent to the Scripture Pavilion to work as a handyman.

By chance, Li Lan discovered that he possessed a special ability.

He could complete the incomplete parts of cultivation methods by consuming his own lifespan.

The power and effect of the cultivation methods varied, and the lifespan required to consume was also different.

It just so happened that Li Lan was assigned to the miscellaneous area in the Scripture Pavilion.

This place was filled with cultivation methods, pill formulas, talisman techniques, and so on, obtained by Guangji Temple disciples through various means over the years.

Because most of them were incomplete copies, few people visited this place.

He originally thought he could change his fate and become famous with this ability.

But after spending nearly a year here, Li Lan realized that this was not easy.

There were indeed many cultivation methods that he liked, but he didn't have enough lifespan to exchange for them.

Forty years was not short for mortals.

But it seemed extremely insignificant when used to complete cultivation methods.

Therefore, in order not to waste his lifespan, Li Lan had only used his ability once so far.

He completed a cultivation method called 'Mixed Yuan Five Elements True Scripture'.

This cultivation method could be practiced by cultivators with five basic attribute spiritual roots, and it was the most suitable cultivation method he could find in the entire Scripture Pavilion.

Merely the Qi Refining stage chapters consumed ten years of his lifespan.

Although the price was quite high, the effect of an excellent cultivation method was indeed remarkable.

Originally, with his spiritual root aptitude, he would have had to wait at least two or three years to step into the first level of Qi Refining.

After practicing this cultivation method, Li Lan felt that he had touched the threshold of the first level of Qi Refining in less than a year.

It wouldn't be long before he could break through smoothly.

While considering things in his heart, Li Lan suddenly heard a cough.

Looking up, he saw that an untidy old man had stood in front of him at some point.

This person was wearing a patched-up old robe, and his white hair was as messy as grass, as if he hadn't been groomed for a long time.

His face was covered with wrinkles, like traces carved by the years.

His eyes were muddy, but occasionally a faint glimmer of light flashed, making him appear quite profound.

When Li Lan saw him, he quickly performed a Daoist salute.

He respectfully said:

"Greetings, Uncle-Master Zhou."

Many years ago, Zhou Huairen was also a mortal, and he had been glorious in the sect for a period of time.

He even became the most potential outer disciple of Guangji Temple.

Later, he suddenly disappeared, and only a few disciples knew that he had settled down in the Scripture Pavilion.

At first, when Li Lan first saw him, he thought he was a hidden master like a sweeping monk.

After a long period of contact, he dispelled this unrealistic fantasy.

Zhou Huairen was indifferent and always had an unfriendly look on his face to everyone.

Only when he met Li Lan, who often came here to clean, would he barely show a little kindness.

"The Dust Washing and Entering Dao Ceremony is about to begin next month, why aren't you seizing the time to cultivate and staying here?"

Li Lan was slightly surprised when he heard this.

"Next month? Doesn't the ceremony start at the Beginning of Summer? Why has the time suddenly been changed this year?"

The Dust Washing and Entering Dao Ceremony was an annual event in Guangji Temple.

It was specially prepared for mortal handymen like them, and it was also the moment when mortals truly leaped through the dragon gate.

As long as they could successfully reach the first level of Qi Refining, they could become disciples under the outer elders and officially become outer disciples.

If they failed to meet the standard, their memories would be washed away, their immortal bodies would be stripped, and they would be demoted back to the secular world.

They wouldn't even have the qualification to sweep dust in the Scripture Pavilion of Guangji Temple.

It was said that the requirements were not so strict before, but in recent years, the number of mortals with spiritual roots had suddenly increased.

With the number of handyman disciples seriously saturated, Guangji Temple had made a strategy of survival of the fittest.

"You don't know yet? Heh, that's right."

"As a pseudo-spiritual root, you have been here for so long, but your cultivation has not improved. Naturally, they are too lazy to notify you specifically."

Zhou Huairen chuckled and explained:

"This year, more mortals have come to worship the mountain gate, and there are also many with spiritual roots."

"Among them, some talented people have even reached the first level of Qi Refining in only two months. That's why the sect temporarily decided to advance the time of the ceremony."

Li Lan understood after hearing this.

He cupped his fist and said gratefully:

"Thank you for the reminder, Uncle-Master Zhou. This junior will go and prepare."

Li Lan was about to leave, but he heard Zhou Huairen sigh heavily again, and said earnestly:

"Boy, don't think I don't know what you're planning in your heart."

"Although these cultivation methods are of good quality, they are all incomplete copies, and you must not learn them."

"You have to think carefully, this is a dead end. Once you step on it, it will be difficult to turn back in this life."

Perhaps seeing his own shadow in the other party, Zhou Huairen suddenly became a little sentimental today.

Li Lan naturally knew what he was referring to.

In the past year or so of contact, he had gradually learned about the old man's experience.

Zhou Huairen's spiritual root aptitude was also unremarkable back then. Unwilling to succumb to fate, he chose to practice incomplete cultivation methods.

At first, he did make rapid progress, and jumped from an unknown handyman to a popular disciple of various outer elders.

But later, when he cultivated to the middle stage of Qi Refining, the drawbacks of the incomplete cultivation method became apparent.

Without the subsequent cultivation chapters of the incomplete cultivation method, his cultivation stagnated.

He was soon surpassed by other fellow disciples and left far behind.

Zhou Huairen couldn't stand such ups and downs, so he hid in the Scripture Pavilion and hadn't come out for many years.

He didn't want Li Lan to follow his old path, so he said these heartfelt words.

But unfortunately, Zhou Huairen didn't know that the path the other party was going to take was destined to be different from his own.

Li Lan didn't lack the subsequent cultivation chapters of the incomplete cultivation methods, what he really lacked was the lifespan needed to exchange for these chapters.