Immortality and cultivation begin at age forty, starting with Foundation Establishment.

The daily routine of hunting monsters in the Monster Mountain Range continues as usual.

The 3,000-strong Demon Wolf Legion slowed down its recruitment.

They trained a new army by hunting demons.

Five Foundation Establishment cultivators, Chen An, Ye Hongyi, Zheng Ping, Liu Hao, and Wang Jing, each led their disciples to carry out a demon-hunting mission deeper into the Monster Beast Mountain Range.

When they encountered a second-tier demon beast, they would dispatch an elite demon-hunting team, along with several Foundation Establishment cultivators including Chen An, to fight the demon beast together.

During their battles against the monsters, the teams gradually gelled into smaller groups and developed considerable combat power.

When they go to the battlefield in the future, they won't become a disorganized mess and be scattered by a single Foundation Establishment cultivator from the enemy.

The reason why they were able to quickly train combat capabilities is due to the fact that the Demon Wolf Legion left behind enough managers, as well as the management experience accumulated over the past six months.

More importantly, Chen An and Yu Peiyao are not short of money.

The Yu family took 10,000 people, and the Shangguan family took 5,000. Both sides made compensation to the Demon Wolf Legion. Yu Lanhua and Lu Nian also left behind a lot of resources when they left.

Chen An and Yu Peiyao both currently control a large number of low-level resources.

With spirit stones and resources, the people below could see hope, so they put in all their effort and worked desperately to acquire more resources.

Wang Rulong successfully established his foundation, but his situation was somewhat special. His original realm was not enough to break through to the foundation realm immediately, but in order to break through to the foundation realm as soon as possible, he did not hesitate to use a secret technique of the soul, so that although his realm broke through, his soul was damaged.

He was lucky. In fact, many people use a Foundation Establishment Pill to force a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage before their cultivation level is stable, which ultimately leads to their death.

Wang Rulong succeeded because he had two Foundation Establishment Pills, which reduced the risk of failing to establish his foundation and gave him a chance to fight for his life.

With the war approaching, the maid Shi Ying arrived at the Monster Mountain Range with good news: thanks to the accumulation of abundant resources, she had successfully learned the early stage of second-tier pill refining, with a considerable success rate. In one batch of pills, even a mid-grade pill appeared.

Every time Lu Nian returned to the sect, he not only guided Shi Ying in learning alchemy, but also taught her his experience with second-tier pills that he had obtained from Yu Lanhua.

Furthermore, Lu Nian promised that once he learned how to refine mid-stage second-tier pills, he would definitely teach Shi Ying the pill-refining techniques, requiring only a certain price from Chen An.

After spending time with the demon-hunting team, Lu Nian and Yu Lanhua's relationship progressed, or perhaps they made a deal, otherwise Yu Lanhua wouldn't have given Lu Nian the alchemy tips left by her deceased husband.

Yu Lanhua's deceased husband, Shangguan Longhui, was a Golden Core seed from an alchemy family. Although he failed to break through his cultivation level, the resources he left for Yu Lanhua still allowed her to cultivate to the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Alchemy insights from a family of alchemists are undoubtedly treasures coveted by alchemists from the outside world.

Lu Nian has many years of experience in alchemy. After gaining insights into alchemy, he might actually be able to become a mid-to-late stage second-tier alchemist.

Chen An and Lu Nian's relationship definitely means that Chen An hopes Lu Nian can do better, ideally becoming a third-tier alchemist, so that Chen An can also benefit from it.

After Chen An gave Wang Qian the Longevity Pill, Wang Qian's mental state improved significantly, and her cultivation level even broke through to the seventh level of Qi Refining in a short period of time.

There were no unexpected incidents during the subsequent training.

In the days following the confirmation of Ye Hongyi and Chen An's relationship, she would often hide away to ponder a particular question.

Was becoming a concubine a wrong decision she made in a moment of impulse?

Or is it only in moments of impulsiveness that one truly sees into their own heart?

In the end, Ye Hongyi concluded that she felt she had seen through her own heart and that becoming a concubine was a very correct decision.

Chen An is a good person. He can help her overcome many tribulations on her future path of cultivation. The two of them support each other and will be able to stand at a higher level in the future.

Following Chen An was a choice she made following her heart, not a simple impulse.

Chen An gave Ye Hongyi a gift.

The superior-grade magic weapon, the Soul-Slaying Dagger.

This Soul-Slaying Dagger was a magical weapon that Chen An used in his early years. It killed more than thirty cultivators of the same level. The weapon was not only extremely sharp, but it could also injure people's souls. It was a rare and powerful weapon for defeating enemies.

Ye Hongyi also gave Chen An a gift.

A Xuanhuang Grass, with an age of eight hundred years, is an extremely precious healing herb that can help cultivators recover from injuries quickly. It is said to have the power to bring the dead back to life and heal flesh and bones.

The rumors are exaggerated, but there is indeed a third-tier healing pill called Xuanhuang Pill, which is made primarily with Xuanhuang Grass and dozens of other precious herbs. It is said to have the legendary effects of bringing the dead back to life and restoring flesh and bones.

However, Xuanhuang Grass is rare, and most third-level alchemists do not know how to refine Xuanhuang Pills. As a result, Xuanhuang Grass on the market is regarded as a precious medicine for treating injuries.

Only a few people who need the Xuanhuang Pill to detoxify or save their lives will seek out someone to refine this elixir.

Holding the Soul-Slaying Dagger, Ye Hongyi's eyes flashed with joy. With this Soul-Slaying Dagger, combined with her superior-grade Crimson Cloud Sword, her combat power could double.

Overjoyed, Ye Hongyi went to see Chen An that very night.

Chen An noticed a faint scent of perfume, which surprised him.

In the past, Ye Hongyi was a decisive rogue cultivator who always wore tattered red clothes and didn't care about her appearance.

If it weren't for the cleaning spell, she would probably look very slovenly.

She put on perfume, changed into clothes similar to Wang Qian's, and acted extremely unnaturally, which aroused strange thoughts in Chen An's heart.

The spring breeze was slightly hot, gently stirring Ye Hongyi's heartstrings. Her heart pounded like a drum, making the atmosphere in the room ambiguous.

Chen An stopped pretending to be stupid and pounced on the door like a hungry wolf, locking it from the inside and setting up a barrier to prevent Wang Qian or Shi Ying from breaking in.

Ye Hongyi was somewhat frightened. Her body trembled uncontrollably with each touch, as if by conditioned reflex.

The wisteria in the courtyard is in full bloom, with pale purple flower clusters hanging all over the trellis. When the evening breeze blows, the petals fall and carpet the bluestone path beside it with a thin layer.

Wang Qian and Shi Ying were playing and laughing under the pavilion in the courtyard. It had been a long time since they had chatted and laughed freely.

"Ouch! Don't tickle me, Sister Qian'er!" Shi Ying, with her hair in two buns, laughed and dodged, dropping the flower wreath in her hand to the ground, revealing a section of her fair wrist, which was still covered with a bit of ash from alchemy.

Although Wang Qian is calm and composed, she is still a young girl after all. After hunting demons for many months and seeing so many dead people, she felt depressed. While playing with Shi Ying, she also opened her heart.

After playing for a while, the two sat down in the pavilion with their arms around each other's shoulders.

Wang Qian said softly, "Sister Shi Ying, our senior brother is a man destined for great things. He will definitely encounter many tribulations in the future, and there may even be people who surpass his cultivation level and have their eyes on him."

"We must learn to share the burdens of our senior brothers and not become a burden to them."

"Sister Shi Ying, it's time for you to grow up. You don't want your senior brother to treat you like a child in the future, do you?"

Shi Ying puffed out her cheeks, looking somewhat dejected, and said, "But I don't know what growing up means! I'm only a year younger than Sister Qian'er, I'm not a child, but my senior brother seems to only treat me like a child."

Wang Qian looked up at the moon and whispered, "Senior brother is gentle and treats us well, but there are some things we need to understand."

"The cultivation world is treacherous. We can open our hearts to our senior brothers, but when we encounter others, we need to have a scale in our hearts to judge their good or bad."

"Bad people don't necessarily look bad, and good people don't necessarily look good."

"Just like this huge Xuan Yang Sect, which is a top righteous sect in the Jin Kingdom, when war broke out, it still had to drag all the rogue cultivators into it and make them risk their lives at the front."

"We have our senior brothers protecting us, but other sect disciples and independent cultivators aren't so lucky."

"You silly girl, always so carefree. No matter who you meet, you wear your emotions on your sleeve. People can see right through you. How can your senior brother trust you?"

Shi Ying let out an "oh," deflated like a punctured balloon. She thought she could rely on her senior brother forever, but she didn't expect that she would still have to grow on her own.

"Sister Qian'er, I understand."

If I don't grow up, I won't be able to have sex with my senior brother.

Three days later, a Golden Core expert arrived in a warship, allowing everyone to board and prepare to head to the front lines.

As for who to fight and with whom, that remains uncertain.

Rumors among the lower classes are unreliable. Whether they will fight a civil war within the Jin Kingdom, go to another country to fight a demonic sect, suppress a beast tide in the north, or hunt sea monsters in the south, all are unknown.

Without hesitation, Chen An and Yu Peiyao confirmed that it was a warship of the Xuan Yang Sect and then led everyone onto the ship.

Wang Qian and Shi Ying also followed.

With the existence of the Black Stone Space, as long as the two stay together, no accidents will happen on the battlefield in the future.

Moreover, it's impossible to send a second-tier alchemist to the front lines.

Ye Hongyi stood with Zheng Ping, Liu Hao, Wang Rulong, Wang Jing, and several other Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Wang Jing is Wang Pu's son. He obtained a substandard Foundation Establishment Pill, which allowed him to successfully establish his foundation in Qingyang Market. After that, he joined the Demon Wolf Battle Group.

The Demon Wolf Legion has a total of 3,500 members, and there are also more than 17,000 Qi Refining disciples and more than 30 Foundation Establishment cultivators that Chen An has never seen before on the warship.

Everyone found a place to sit cross-legged and meditate. More than 20,000 people sat in the cabin, yet it did not feel crowded at all, and there was no noise from the crowd.

When people communicate, they also use their spiritual sense to avoid disturbing other fellow practitioners.

A small barrier was set up around the Foundation Establishment disciples to prevent them from being disturbed by the outside world.

The warship soared into the air, breaking through the clouds, with a fierce wind howling. At this moment, Chen An noticed a woman standing against the wind at the bow of the warship, her moon-white robes fluttering like butterfly wings.

The woman stood tall and straight like a pine tree, dressed in a moon-white robe, the hem of which shimmered faintly in the sunlight. A silver-gray jade belt was tied around her waist, from which hung a short, entirely silver-white sword with a black tassel that swayed straight in the wind.

Chen An recognized the short sword; its name was Green Wood. The identity of its owner was obvious—it was Chen Ying, a renowned Golden Core senior from the Xuan Yang Sect.

In the Xuan Yang Sect, it's normal not to know the other Golden Core seniors, but when it comes to Chen Ying, absolutely no one is unaware of her.

Chen Ying is the one who, according to legend, became a Daoist partner with a Golden Core senior and successfully entered the Golden Core realm as a Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivator.

Chen Ying was discovered to have the talent of a Heavenly Spiritual Root at an early age, and was subsequently protected by the Song family until she reached the Foundation Establishment stage at the age of eighteen, at which point she was not known to the people in the sect.

Not long after Chen Ying came of age, she immediately became a Daoist partner with Song Qi, a Golden Core cultivator from the Song family, and her subsequent cultivation took place on Song Qi's peak.

About five years ago, when Chen Ying was fifty-three years old, she successfully condensed her Golden Core, becoming the envy of countless sect disciples.

Chen An never expected that the person leading the team this time would be this senior, Chen Ying.

Chen Ying turned to look at Chen An, her eyes somewhat cold. She casually pointed in several directions, and faint light shone in all directions.

Upon receiving the order, Chen An divided the people on the warship into four groups of five thousand men each. Chen An's Demon Wolf Legion was also given an additional fifteen hundred Qi Refining Disciples.

At the same time, four cultivators at the early stage of Foundation Establishment were added to Chen An's arsenal for his command.

It was only then that Chen An realized that ninety percent of the Foundation Establishment disciples on the warship were only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and all of them had recently broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage. They had all received favors from the sect and were required to risk their lives to complete corresponding battle merits for the sect.

The relationship between the sect and them is similar to that between Chen An and Zheng Ping and Liu Hao.

The sect provides some disciples with Foundation Establishment Pills to help them break through their cultivation levels. After these disciples successfully establish their foundations, they will receive a certain amount of battle merits in return.

The sect just wants more.