I forge immortality with a pagoda.

Deep within the quiet room, Shen Yu sat cross-legged, his palms facing the sky.

Its body shimmered with light, like the rising sun, illuminating the entire quiet room as bright as day.

His eyes were lowered, his face solemn, and a faint cloud of mist swirled around him, as if he were an immortal descended to earth, untouched by worldly dust.

Shen Yu's mind was clear, and following the key points of the cultivation technique, he focused all his attention on his dantian.

The previously erratic primordial energy now steamed like boiling water, wisps of green smoke escaping from the pores of the skin all over the body.

This wisp of smoke was no ordinary thing; each wisp that escaped carried away a trace of impurity from his body, leaving him feeling warm all over, drenched in sweat, his clothes already soaked through.

As the smoke thickened, the innate primordial energy in his dantian gradually solidified, almost becoming tangible, its profound Daoist essence appearing ever more lofty and ethereal.

Shen Yu was completely absorbed in it, feeling that the primordial energy sometimes flowed within his body, and sometimes seemed to transcend his physical body, hanging high in the vast starry sky. When it was small, it was as small as a mustard seed, and when it was large, it seemed to fill the entire universe.

In a daze, a golden bridge seemed to appear three feet above my head, connecting heaven and earth and closely linking me to this universe.

He dared not relax for a moment, circulating his vital energy along the meridians in his body.

Each breath draws in all the surrounding spiritual energy into the body.

The spiritual energy within the cave was swirling around him as he frantically inhaled and exhaled, creating a vortex that slowly rotated around him.

After an unknown amount of time, the temperature inside the cave suddenly dropped.

A thick, impenetrable aura of malevolent energy emanated from Shen Yu's body, its chill penetrating to the bone, even more intense than the gray mist at the bottom of the valley.

Thick frost instantly formed on the four walls, and the crystal-clear ice film gleamed coldly in the darkness.

Shen Yu trembled all over from the cold air emanating from within, and his eyebrows and beard were covered with white frost.

However, this extreme cold phenomenon lasted only for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before vanishing without a trace, like a dream or a bubble, as if it had never existed.

Before they could catch their breath, an aura of decay and decay suddenly spread out again.

This time, the cave walls weathered and crumbled at a visible speed, turning into dust and scattering as if a thousand years had passed in an instant.

The cave ceiling and walls creaked under the strain, and loose stones fell in a flurry.

Even more alarming was that Shen Yu's skin quickly lost its luster, becoming withered like tree bark, and his once black hair turned white in the blink of an eye. He looked as if he had aged over a hundred years, showing signs of old age.

And this imagery of the passage of time, just like before, quietly fades away after reaching its peak.

Immediately afterwards, an incomparably sharp aura burst forth, like the clashing of thousands of swords and axes, wildly roaming around Shen Yu.

Wherever it passed, it carved deep grooves into the hard cave walls, making the entire cave teeter on the verge of collapse.

Finally, the small mountain, which had endured so much hardship, could no longer bear it and collapsed completely with a loud "boom," burying Shen Yu deep within it and raising clouds of dust.

Just when everything seemed to have settled down, a blazing red light suddenly shone through the gaps between the layers of stacked boulders.

The next moment, the entire hill erupted like a volcano, with lava and rocks shooting into the sky.

A perfectly round radiant image slowly rose from the ruins, which were tens of feet high, illuminating all directions.

Shen Yu sat upright within, surrounded by a dazzling light, as radiant as the sun in the sky, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at him.

The black snakes that lived in the valley were terrified by the power of heaven and earth and fled in all directions, as if facing the end of the world.

However, this is only the beginning.

Immediately afterwards, strange phenomena occurred again in the valley.

Tender shoots are breaking through the soil on the east side, full of vitality.

Heavy snow was falling in the west, covering the entire area in silver.

Cicadas chirped incessantly to the south, and the sun blazed overhead.

To the north, withered leaves swirl and the autumn wind howls.

The scenery of all four seasons unfolds simultaneously, a bizarre and fantastical spectacle, as if one has entered a dreamlike realm.

Countless strange phenomena appeared and disappeared in a continuous cycle, and any bystander who witnessed this scene would surely be horrified, wondering if they had seen a ghost.

After an unknown amount of time, the chaos gradually subsided.

Everything in the valley seemed to have been wiped away by an invisible hand, leaving only Shen Yu sitting alone in a pure white expanse.

This white is incomparable to any other white in the world; it is absolute nothingness, the "emptiness" before the creation of heaven and earth.

In this void, Shen Yu's thoughts stirred slightly, and with a flick of his finger, specks of starlight were born, evolving the world.

With a wave of the hand, billions of living beings are born, multiply, and thrive.

He murmured to himself, "In the beginning...formless and without appearance, existing before heaven and earth..."

"I understand."

As soon as the words were spoken, the void shattered, revealing the devastated scene at the bottom of the valley once more.

At this moment, a long stream of true qi was flowing endlessly and continuously in Shen Yu's dantian.

This energy is neither purple nor white, nor dark blue, but a pure and transparent color, containing countless rays of light flowing within, as if encompassing all things in the heavens.

With a slight thought, he separated a wisp of true qi and circled it around his fingertip, pointing it at the distant mountain wall.

The Primordial Mysterious Truth broke through the void and disappeared. The mountain wall was as fragile as paper in front of this true energy, and a huge hole with a diameter of about ten feet was punched out with a loud bang.

As the true qi meandered and circulated, it was not lost in the slightest and was taken back into Shen Yu's mouth.

"What wonderful Qi!"

Shen Yu burst into loud laughter, the sound echoing across the surrounding area.

He felt his internal energy surging like the sea, more than ten times stronger than before.

He was confident that if he were to face Wang Lishan again, he could take his life in one move.

Even when facing that purple-faced giant, he was confident he could defeat him within three moves.

Overjoyed, he then tried to control the sword with his Qi.

The previous sluggish feeling had largely disappeared, and the Spirit Cry Sword rose in response to the command, hovering erratically in mid-air, moving left and right, emitting a clear and melodious sword cry, like a phoenix crying in the heavens, which lasted for a long time.

Amidst the flashing sword light, a faint glow of light flowed, echoing the true qi in the dantian.

At this moment, the sun rises in the east, and the gray mist in the secluded valley has been completely cleared away by the previous strange phenomenon.

The morning light shone on him.

Shen Yu stood with his hands behind his back, feeling the continuous flow of true qi within his body, his gaze fixed on the depths of the clouds beyond the valley.

On his path of cultivation, he has finally taken this crucial step. The road ahead may still be long, but at this moment, he is already closer to the Great Dao.

Shen Yu did not set off, but new doubts arose in his mind.

There are 129,600 kinds of spiritual mechanisms in the world, each with its own unique zodiac sign.

These zodiac signs may be mutually exclusive or mutually supportive, and some may even be governed and encompassed by the same superior spiritual force.

The categories of Chinese zodiac signs are numerous and diverse. In addition to the common Yin, Yang, Clear, Turbid, Bright, and Muddy, there are also many variations such as Fixed, Changing, Binding, Unbinding, Transformation, Cold, Hot, Light, Heavy, Hard, and Soft. These complex variations constitute the warp and weft of the spiritual mechanism of heaven and earth.

At the Kaiyuan realm, cultivators cultivate primordial energy.

This energy is a trace of innate Dao nature inherited from the Great Dao at the beginning of a being's birth. For the human body, it can be considered a supreme treasure, the root of true Yang.

Yuanqi is actually a kind of primordial true qi that is undifferentiated and all-encompassing, and has not yet manifested a specific attribute.

Therefore, the progress of cultivators in the Kaiyuan Realm largely depends on their own innate talent and aptitude, as well as external factors such as spiritual vein nourishment and the inheritance of their sect.

If one possesses exceptional talent, absorbs spiritual energy rapidly, and receives guidance from teachers and the aid of elixirs, condensing true qi within a few years is not difficult.

Conversely, without external assistance and with inferior personal aptitude, it would be common for someone to waste more than ten years in the first level of the Kaiyuan realm.

As for the latter, Zhu Jianda is a typical example.

Once one reaches the realm of Qi Refining, the path of cultivation becomes entirely different.

After a cultivator transforms their primordial energy into specific true energy through the Qi Refining Method, they need to gather and absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that corresponds to their elemental affinities to further their cultivation.

Just like the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, true qi also has different attributes and characteristics.

For example, the book "Mysterious Ice Condensing Qi Technique" in Shen Yu's hand, the Qi refined by this method is the True Qi of the Dark Abyss, which is yin, cold, hard, dark and so on.

If a cultivator practices this technique, when gathering Qi, they must carefully select spiritual energy of the Yin-cold, Yin-yang, and Yin-yang categories in order to improve their cultivation.

If one mistakenly absorbs Yang-type spiritual energy, it will not only be of no benefit but will also damage one's cultivation. If too much Yang-type spiritual energy is absorbed, it may cause damage to the internal organs and shake the foundation of one's cultivation, which can be described as causing endless harm.

Therefore, cultivators who practice Qi cultivation are always extremely cautious and apprehensive when it comes to gathering Qi.

Generally speaking, eight or nine out of ten Qi cultivators spend their time meticulously extracting and retrieving the minute spiritual energy of their desired element from the chaotic and vast spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Aside from the fundamental Qi cultivation techniques, there is another type of secret art in the world that specializes in gathering spiritual energy. It can greatly enhance the effectiveness of capturing specific spiritual energy and has always been sought after by cultivators, who often spare no expense to obtain it.

However, such secret techniques are rare and precious, and even orthodox sects of Taoism may not possess them.

Most Qi Refining cultivators can only hope to reach the threshold of Foundation Establishment by finding a blessed land that matches their own True Qi attribute and is rich in spiritual energy, and by cultivating diligently year after year.

Shen Yu possesses the Xuanqiong Pagoda, a rare treasure that can refine living beings into pure spiritual energy and seal it into pills. Therefore, he does not need to go through the hardships of spiritual energy extraction like ordinary people.

Even so, Shen Yu's main way of improving his cultivation was actually by absorbing spiritual energy himself.

Although the elixir is good, the Xuanqiong Pagoda can only be used once every three months, which is really not enough to quench the thirst.

The question in his mind was: what zodiac sign did the "Primordial Profound Truth" that he had painstakingly refined belong to?

The Taoist texts are vague, only describing it in a few words: "Formless and without appearance, mysterious and obscure, born before heaven and earth, independent and unchanging, circulating without ceasing." Shen Yu pondered it for a long time, but still felt it was mysterious and unfathomable, and found it difficult to find a clue.

After pondering for a long time, Shen Yu still couldn't figure it out, so he came up with a plan.

Why not just give it a try?

The injuries were minor, and the slight loss of cultivation was not a big deal.

Once he had made up his mind, he began to gather inspiration.

The most abundant element in this valley should be the cold, eerie, and malevolent energy.

Shen Yu activated his profound skill, and a faint light flowed from his fingertips as a wisp of pure killing energy was contained within his palm.

He examined it for a moment, then hesitated slightly.

Then, with a deep breath, the wisp of light entered his body.

The Primordial Mystery in the Dantian surged immediately, devouring the evil energy like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, and the true Qi actually became half a point thicker.

"What are the elemental attributes: cold, secluded, and malevolent?"

Shen Yu frowned, his doubts deepening.

The true qi flowing with rosy light in his dantian was clearly not of such a cold and yin nature.

Since he mastered True Qi, he has been able to sense the diverse spiritual forces in the world with the slightest thought.

Looking around now, the valley is filled with cold, ghostly energy, and close to the ground, there is still brown earth-elemental spiritual energy condensing.

Not far away, from the cracks in the mountain rocks, golden, sharp energy bursts forth, gathering into a misty cloud.

With a casual gesture, wisps of golden, sharp spiritual energy flowed forth and were then absorbed into his mouth.

He summoned the Primordial Profound Truth to rush forward, and in an instant, he refined the golden spiritual energy, and his true qi increased again.

"Hmm? Gold, even a fixed spiritual energy, can be devoured?"

Shen Yu was surprised and then tried collecting more than a dozen spiritual energy sources with different attributes.

Regardless of yin or yang, hot or cold, light or heavy, hard or soft, whatever enters the body, the Primordial Mystery accepts it all and refines it all.

"Formless and without shape, it existed before heaven and earth..."

"Since it gives birth to heaven and earth, all the energies of heaven and earth are under its control..."

"I see!"

A look of horror appeared in Shen Yu's eyes.

This Primordial Profound Truth can actually cultivate 129,600 spiritual techniques.

"Truly worthy of being a ninth-tier supreme true qi, truly top-tier in the world!"

"No wonder that magical restriction is so powerful."

Shen Yu felt another wave of fear. If it weren't for the Xuanqiong Pagoda, he would probably have died on the spot, and the immortal sect wouldn't have needed to send people to capture him.

Having grasped the mystery, Shen Yu did not hesitate any longer and pushed his profound skill to its limit.

In an instant, the spiritual energy of the entire valley surged, rushing towards him like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea.

The mountain wind howled, the grass and trees bowed low, and countless spiritual energies formed a visible vortex around him.

A month has passed in the blink of an eye.

When Shen Yu finally finished his practice and stood up, he looked inward and saw that his dantian was already quite full of true qi. If he continued to cultivate like this for a few more months, he would be able to break through to the second level of Qi Refining.

He smiled slightly; the feeling of this advancement was simply too wonderful.

Then, he ascended into the air, and his true energy transformed into radiant light that enveloped his body.

Looking around, I couldn't help but sigh softly.

This secluded valley was originally the dwelling place of the black-scaled serpent, all because of its relatively abundant spiritual energy.

Now, after his massive consumption over the past month, only one-tenth of the valley's spiritual potential remains.

A sweep of divine sense across the surrounding mountains revealed a sparse spiritual energy, which was disappointing.

"This southern region is truly barren and impoverished."

Shen Yu did not linger. He rode the Luan Hua Ling and transformed into a streak of blue light, shooting towards the horizon.

...

Half a month later, Shen Yu was using his talisman to travel to the Yu Kingdom while searching for places with abundant spiritual energy in the surrounding area.

A gentle breeze caressed my face, and the sea of ​​clouds churned. Suddenly, a flying boat sped past beside me, carrying several cultivators in flowing green robes, long swords at their waists, exuding an air of refinement.

The man in the lead glanced at Shen Yu briefly before turning his gaze back to the distance.

Shen Yu's heart stirred slightly.

This blue robe is exactly the same style as the one worn by Lu Xiong and Feng Xunqi back then.

The silhouette of a female cultivator on the boat gave him an immediate sense of familiarity.

"Lou Yanting..."

A vague name surfaced from the depths of his memory; it was one of the three people who had tricked Zhu Jianda in the past.

The other two had already perished by his sword. Now that they had met again, Shen Yu felt no emotion, neither resentment nor sentimentality.

All he knew was that his Xuanqiong Pagoda hadn't been used for quite some time...

Shen Yu's lips curled into a cold smile, and he immediately urged Luan Hua Ling to give chase.

The talisman pierced the air and within a hundred feet of the flying boat in no time.

The male cultivator on the flying boat immediately sensed something, turned around abruptly, and stared intently at Shen Yu.

In the instant their eyes met, he sensed that the person before him possessed a restrained aura and unfathomable cultivation, making it impossible to discern his true strength.

So he transmitted his voice and said, "Elder Gu, someone is following us. It's probably a Qi Refining cultivator."

From the quiet room of the ship's tower, an aged voice responded: "Go and negotiate, lest you cause any further trouble. Remember the important mission we have undertaken!"

The male cultivator responded in agreement, maneuvering the flying boat to a slow stop, turning the bow to meet Luan Hualing.

The cultivators on the boat were all puzzled, wondering what was going on.

However, they all secretly activated their talismans in preparation for any unexpected events.

The male cultivator bowed respectfully to Shen Yu and said, "Senior, we are disciples of the Canglan Sect. May I ask what brings you here?"

……

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