Immortality begins with upgrading buildings

Chapter 133 Breakthrough, Peak of Qi Refining!

Ji Yuan first activated all the building effects on Misty Island, and then released Tu Yue to collect welfare benefits.

He dealt with the giant toad that approached him by offering two spirit pigs.

After finishing these tasks, he went straight to the cave on the island.

As soon as he entered, he activated the Spirit Gathering Array and then took out 20 mid-grade spirit stones, piling them around himself.

The Azure Sea Tide Technique within his body circulated on its own, and soon a vortex of spiritual energy appeared in the entire cave, continuously sending spiritual energy into his body.

He picked up two more spirit stones, held them in his palm, and absorbed their spiritual energy.

To advance from the late stage of Qi Refining to the peak of Qi Refining, simply absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is definitely not enough; even using low-grade spirit stones would be very slow.

So Ji Yuan simply went all out and used a mid-grade spirit stone.

He absorbed spiritual energy into his body continuously. In order to return as soon as possible to break through, he didn't even have time to upgrade the [Enlightenment Chamber], nor did he bother to look at Jian Zong's storage bag.

Nothing is more important than a breakthrough.

……

Valley of the King of Medicine.

Inside the alchemy hall, an old Taoist priest with white hair and beard sat behind the alchemy furnace, making hand seals to start the fire.

In front of him stood a middle-aged man dressed in black, bowing respectfully.

"So, you mean that before the Nine Netherworld Cave even opened, our two strongest Qi Refining stage disciples from Medicine King Valley were already dead?"

The old Taoist priest's voice was calm, yet it exerted immense pressure on the man in black.

He quickly cupped his hands in greeting and said in a deep voice:

"Reporting back to the Sect Leader, it's not that our Medicine King Valley is incompetent, but rather that the Water Dragon Sect is far too... cunning!"

Danyangzi, the leader of Medicine King Valley, slowly opened his eyes. "Zhang Zehuai was killed by Feng Yichen, but who killed Jianzong?"

"this……"

The man in black, Dong Qing, bowed even more respectfully, saying, "We're still investigating."

"But we have contacted our own people in the Water Dragon Sect. The current information is that there is no news of Jian Zong's death circulating within the Water Dragon Sect. They... seem to be unaware of Jian Zong's death."

"We sent people to the place where Emperor Jianzong died. The energy flow was extremely chaotic. It didn't seem like a one-on-one fight, but rather like he was surrounded and attacked to death."

Danyangzi waved his hand and shook his head, saying:

"Among the six immortal sects of Shangdong, our Medicine King Valley is the most upright and honest, while the Water Dragon Sect is the most treacherous and cunning. There is no need to investigate further; it must have been the Water Dragon Sect who did this."

"What the sect leader says is very true."

Dongqing said with great admiration.

But Danyangzi's expression didn't improve much. "Homura."

"Your subordinate is here."

"You've been to the Nine Netherworld Cave, so you naturally know that the most valuable things inside aren't actually the thousand-year-old Illusionary Spirit Grass used to refine Foundation Establishment Pills. The truly valuable things are the fragments of magical treasures, or even intact ancient treasures."

"This is."

"Therefore, for the past few hundred years, our major sects have never given up exploring this Nine Nether Cave Heaven. That place... is very likely the site of the Shang Court's Daoist temple back then."

Holly was already drenched in sweat.

"However, with the opening of the Nine Netherworld Cave Heaven imminent, our Medicine King Valley's two strongest Qi Refining stage cultivators have been killed one after another. Without the advantage of the first move, we Medicine King Valley may not be able to gain any benefits this time."

Danyangzi wasn't particularly saddened by the death of Emperor Jianzong.

But what truly pained him was not being able to obtain the valuable items from the Nine Netherworld Cave.

"So, what does Sect Leader mean?"

Holly asked tentatively.

Danyangzi slowly turned around. In an instant, an unprecedented pressure almost made Dongqing kneel down. The sect leader of Medicine King Valley slowly said, "The sect doesn't lack one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators, but it lacks one or two Qi Refining cultivators who can dominate the Nine Netherworld Cave Heaven. Do you understand what I mean?"

Dongqing's eyes widened slightly involuntarily.

He understood that perfectly well.

The sword cuts through the foundation, returning to the practice of Qi cultivation.

It's nothing more than these four simple words.

However, Medicine King Valley has a more effective method... They have a second-tier pill called "Regression Pill," which can allow Foundation Establishment cultivators to return to Qi Refining stage while retaining their Foundation Establishment mana and spiritual consciousness.

Of course, this didn't come without a price.

The price is that the user will be stuck in the Qi Refining stage forever.

Just when Dongqing thought he was going to "voluntarily" take the Regression Pill, he heard Danyangzi say, "This matter is your responsibility. Remember to keep it a secret and make sure no outsiders find out."

"Moreover, the user must act voluntarily. Only if they act voluntarily can they serve us when they enter the Nine Netherworld."

"Yes."

Holly let out a long sigh of relief without any attempt to hide it.

It doesn't matter who takes this Rejuvenation Pill, as long as it's not taken by yourself.

"Also, don't forget to continue investigating the matter of Jianzong's death. The truth will eventually come out. If it were just a small group, it would be fine, but with so many people from the Water Dragon Sect acting together, it's impossible to hide it."

"Report immediately once the facts are ascertained."

"Yes."

Holly bowed again.

Danyangzi then waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

……

Also discussing Emperor Jianzong's death was Master Xuanshui, the leader of the Water Dragon Sect.

After listening to Feng Yichen's detailed report, he couldn't help but show joy on his face.

Although Xuan Shui Zhenren did not arrange for Feng Yichen to kill Zhang Zehuai, he was aware of it beforehand.

Emperor Jianzong's death was truly unexpected.

"Ji Yuan? When did he join the sect?"

"As far as I know, it should be less than two years. He comes from Yunyize Market. As for his cultivation level, I have met him, and he is only at the ninth level of Qi Refining."

Standing before Master Xuanshui, Feng Yichen... spoke the truth without daring to conceal anything.

"That's probably what you guessed. Ji Yuan fought with Jian Zong and then fled for his life, but that attracted the attention of others, and that person then killed Jian Zong."

Master Xuan Shui, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, said with a smile:

"It's good that he's dead. It doesn't really matter who killed him. It could be someone from our sect, a rogue cultivator, or someone from the Joyful Palace. It's all possible."

"Alright, you should go back now and make proper preparations. The Nine Netherworld Cave will be opening soon."

"Yes, disciple takes his leave."

Feng Yichen then bowed and left the main hall.

After he left, the smile on Master Xuanshui's face gradually disappeared.

"Ji Yuan..."

He muttered the name to himself, then took a step out and went to the ancestral hall, where he had someone fetch Ji Yuan's files.

"He came from Zengtou City, was at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and easily killed a late-stage first-tier demonic beast, thus joining the Water Dragon Sect."

"It seems he has some strength. Well, let's wait and see how he performs in the Nine Netherworld Cave Heaven."

If someone truly possessed the power to kill Jian Zong, they wouldn't be unknown in the Nine Netherworld.

As for Feng Yichen's guess... it makes sense.

However, in Master Xuanshui's view, this reasoning is not very sound.

Because when traveling the world, there aren't that many coincidences. The fact that the two of them happened to meet Emperor Jianzong on their way back after lighting the fire was already quite a coincidence.

Ji Yuan then escaped, and coincidentally, a Foundation Establishment cultivator arrived.

That Foundation Establishment cultivator dared to kill the current prodigy of Medicine King Valley...

There can't be that many coincidences.

Many things that seem impossible are actually the truth, but outsiders just don't believe them.

In Master Xuanshui's view, it was highly likely that Ji Yuan was the one who killed Jianzong.

They might just not want to be exposed, but that's fine. As long as they are disciples of the Water Dragon Sect, the rest... will be exposed in the Nine Nether Cave Heaven.

……

Ji Yuan was unaware that his name had already reached the ears of the Water Dragon Sect leader.

But even if he knew... there was nothing he could do.

At an age when you'd run away at the Foundation Establishment stage, what can you do when you encounter the Golden Core stage, the one you least want to be enemies with?

All I could do was swallow my pride and say:

"Sect Leader, I have shed blood for the Water Dragon Sect!"

A month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Of the 20 spirit stones that Ji Yuan had placed beside him, only two remained.

Fortunately, when he looked inward at his dantian, he could no longer see any empty space; it was completely filled with dantian clouds, and Ji Yuan felt an unprecedented sense of fullness.

The dantian is full.

This means that the path of Qi cultivation has reached its completion.

If one wants to advance further on this path of cultivation, one must compress this cloud of elixir and liquefy it into elixir liquid.

When that time comes... it will be Foundation Establishment stage!

"call--"

Ji Yuan let out a long breath, sensing his peak Qi Refining cultivation level... It would be a lie to say he wasn't happy, because once his cultivation reached the peak of Qi Refining, the next step would be Foundation Establishment.

But to say I was overjoyed would be a lie.

Because Ji Yuan already possesses the strength of the Foundation Establishment stage.

It's the kind of foundation building that can be hidden.

After a brief moment of joy, he was able to recall the "battle of life and death" that had just taken place.

When the Fu Bao Escape Shuttle failed, Ji Yuan naturally thought it was going to be a life-or-death battle, but after discovering the effects of Jian Zong's Fu Bao... he realized that it didn't seem necessary to fight to the death.

Because it wasn't a killer talisman, Ji Yuan's physique was strong enough to withstand it.

Even though his protective magical artifacts were almost completely destroyed in the final battle, he was actually not seriously injured, suffering only minor superficial wounds.

Before even returning to the Water Dragon Sect, he had already fully recovered.

Such is the situation, but danger is still danger. If this Jianzong's talisman were an offensive talisman, he would probably be doomed... Oh, no, if his talisman were an offensive talisman, it would certainly not have this restraining ability.

When that time comes, I will be able to use the Sky Shuttle to leave.

Unless... he has two different talismanic treasures.

One was imprisoned, the other was killed.

If that's the case, then Ji Yuan has no choice but to accept it.

If someone in the Qi Refining stage can possess two talismanic treasures, then I'm afraid the heavens are truly against me.

With this thought in mind, Ji Yuan took out Emperor Jianzong's storage bag.

Who cares if he has it or not? Let's just refine his storage bag and see.

However, this refining was not a simple process. Ji Yuan first used fire magic to burn the storage bag several times, fearing that there might be some hidden tricks on the storage bag.

After the fire was lit, he called Tu Yue in again.

Tu Yue also possesses cultivation, though only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, she can still use her storage bag, can't she?

So he had Tu Yue take the storage bags to the [Alchemy Room] and have her count the storage bags inside and put them away in categories.

In this way, even if there really is some kind of restriction inside this storage bag.

It's possible that this storage bag contains some kind of method that can transmit the appearance of the last person to Medicine King Valley, allowing Medicine King Valley to determine who killed their sect's prodigy...

Medicine King Valley will also obtain the appearance of Tu Yue's corpse.

They couldn't find anything about him or Ji Yuan.

He roamed the martial world, committing murder and robbery.

You can never be too careful.

Seeing Tu Yue carrying a storage bag and swaying her hips as she entered the [Alchemy Room], Ji Yuan also went to the [Enlightenment Room] next door.

This trip was entirely due to this [Enlightenment Chamber].

Now that the materials for upgrading the [Enlightenment Room] are finally ready, Ji Yuan can't wait any longer.

I was originally planning to level up as soon as I returned to Misty Island.

But he never expected his cultivation to break through so quickly, he couldn't wait any longer.

He casually took out another 20 mid-grade spirit stones, then focused his mind on his storage bag... There were only 3 mid-grade spirit stones left inside, but more than 200 low-grade spirit stones remained.

But if converted to a mid-grade item, it's only worth two pieces.

Damn it, if there aren't many good things in this Jianzong's storage bag, I'll... I'll draw talismans and refine pills!

Draw hard, practice hard!

Ji Yuan felt a pang of heartache for a moment, then took out the spoils of this trip: the three Illusion Heart Flowers, plus a pot of Earth Vein Spirit Essence.

The words "(Upgradeable)" were already floating after the "Enlightenment Room" on the panel.

Ji Yuan didn't hesitate any longer and immediately chose to upgrade.

As the panel refreshed, the items placed in the stone chamber gradually disappeared.

Ji Yuan then discovered that this [Enlightenment Room] seemed to be somewhat different.

He looked around at the stone walls, which still looked the same.

But no matter where you look, it seems like you can see something special about it. For example, that crack... it looks like a sword technique.

But when Ji Yuan looked closely, he found that there was nothing there.

This is like eating a magic flower... Ji Yuan thought to himself.

Only then did I look at the panel.

At this point, the [Enlightenment Room] has been upgraded to level 2 and has automatically gained new spiritual effects.

[Effect: Increases Comprehension boost to 20%. If you encounter a bottleneck, you will receive an additional 10% Comprehension bonus.]

Ji Yuan felt that his alchemy and talisman-drawing skills had reached a bottleneck, which was why he could not break through.

Now, with the blessing of the [Enlightenment Room], it is possible to achieve enlightenment.

It has increased its comprehension by 30%, so it should be able to break through successfully, right?

Next is the Level 3 Enlightenment Room.

Ji Yuan looked at the spiritual effects of the Level 3 [Enlightenment Room] as if opening a blind box.

[Enlightenment Chamber: lv3]

[Effect: Increases Comprehension boost to 30%. If a bottleneck is encountered, an additional 20% Comprehension bonus is gained.]

[Effect 2 (Clarity of Mind): Produces 1 Clarity Fruit annually.]

[Upgrade Requirements: 600 mid-grade spirit stones; one each of the third-tier metal, wood, water, fire, and earth demon pills; one branch of the Transparent Fruit Tree. (Not yet achieved)]

The first level of effectiveness is a standard upgrade.

Whether it's the increase in comprehension or the bonus during bottlenecks, it's all increased by 10%, which is nothing special.

If the second effect is good... that's a bit too strong.

Especially when considering the added "upgrade conditions".

Upgrading requires one branch of the Clarity Fruit Tree, but after upgrading, you can get one Clarity Fruit every year... Ji Yuan guessed from the [Enlightenment Chamber] that this Clarity Fruit can most likely increase enlightenment. Such a treasure must be something that people would fight tooth and nail for.

Even something like a tree branch can be propagated by cuttings.

It would take at least a century for it to mature, wouldn't it?

The result was the same; how could it possibly bear fruit without several decades or even hundreds of years?

However, one's own [Enlightenment Room] can produce 1 per year.

A scene suddenly appeared in Ji Yuan's mind... Is it possible that there is another world hidden behind his [Enlightenment Room], a world with a different flow of time, or a world with extremely abundant resources?

I gave them a branch, and they nurtured it for me within a year.

In those days, a single tree might bear dozens or even hundreds of fruits a year, but only one would be given to him, and he would be incredibly grateful to them...

You're overthinking it.

Ji Yuan discovered that even without engaging in meditation or cultivation, his mind was more active in the Enlightenment Chamber than in other places; otherwise, he wouldn't have come up with such ingenious ideas.

The Enlightenment Room has been upgraded. All that's left is to meditate and cultivate.

But neither alchemy nor talisman drawing nor the "Canglang Sword Manual" can be accomplished in a short time, so Ji Yuan simply waited for a while.

Ji Yuan only felt relieved when he saw Tu Yue walk into the house.

Even if Ji Yuan were to cultivate, he wouldn't be able to calm down until this storage bag was completely inventoried.

Murder and arson bring wealth and honor.

Killing isn't fun; the fun comes from checking the victim's belongings.

So when he saw Tu Yue come out, Ji Yuan took two steps to the stone chamber next door.

As soon as he entered the room and saw the two piles of spirit stones, Ji Yuan knew... he had made a profit on this trip!

They made a fortune.

Low-grade spirit stones are worthless, so even though there were four or five hundred of them, Ji Yuan didn't care.

The pile of mid-grade spirit stones next to it was much smaller, probably only eighty or ninety pieces.

Tsk.

They still have money.

Putting everything else aside, just these spirit stones alone are enough to make most Foundation Establishment cultivators rich. No wonder he's the number one Qi Refining cultivator in Medicine King Valley.

Ji Yuan stepped forward and casually put all the spirit stones into his storage bag.

I also took stock of everything.

453 low-grade spirit stones and 89 mid-grade spirit stones.

After collecting the spirit stones, Ji Yuan glanced at the ground.

The talismans, pills, magical artifacts, and so on had all been neatly categorized and placed by Tu Yue, so that Ji Yuan could tell at a glance what he needed.

So... he immediately picked up the talisman treasure belonging to Emperor Jianzong.

Having acquired the talisman, he infused it with a trace of spiritual energy and instantly grasped its condition.

The talisman is called "Thousand Chains". As for its effects, Ji Yuan has already experienced them firsthand, so he probably knows its effects even better than Jian Zong.

It should be able to trap someone in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, but it won't hold them for long before the opponent breaks through.

In terms of the number of uses, it's better than the Sky Shuttle, as it can be used twice.

This is amazing! We've made a huge profit! Putting everything else aside, this talisman alone is enough to make up for all the losses in this battle, such as the talismans and magical artifacts that were damaged... Selling this talisman will definitely be more than enough!

But Ji Yuan is just a thought.

You can sell talismans for spirit stones.

But having spirit stones doesn't necessarily mean you can buy this good thing.

After carefully storing the talisman "Thousand-Layer Chain".

Ji Yuan then looked at the remaining talismans. This Jian Zong also seemed to be a resource-based cultivator... He had a lot of talismans, and the first-grade high-quality talismans were counted in stacks, just like Ji Yuan's.

He glanced at the magical artifact beside him.

That explains why.

Emperor Jianzong possessed a superior talisman brush and was also a talisman master, so it's no wonder he had so many talismans.

But this level of talisman no longer aroused Ji Yuan's interest. He casually grabbed five talismans that were noticeably thicker and larger, and they fell into his hand.

A talisman, a low-grade second-tier talisman!

This is the real good stuff.

Of the five, two are Thousand Swords Talismans for attack and three are Copper Wall Talismans for protection.

Ji Yuan had already experienced the effects of the Thousand Swords Talisman; it was very powerful and had a high attack power. At that time, his bronze armor only lasted for a few breaths before it completely collapsed.

Fortunately, he was physically strong enough, otherwise he would have died from the Thousand Swords Talisman.

Thankfully, it's all mine now.

The remaining Copper Wall Talisman should have a similar effect to the Iron Wall Talisman.

They are all excellent for self-defense.

Ji Yuan didn't examine the remaining first-tier high-grade talismans in detail; he simply collected them all, intending to use them as basic attacks in future battles.

After examining the talismans, Ji Yuan then approached the numerous elixirs.

Tu Yue also very thoughtfully put the herbs and pills together.

Ji Yuan first picked up one of the long, rectangular jade boxes. Anything contained in a jade box must be a good thing!

Ji Yuan was stunned when he opened the box and saw the herbs inside.

"The Thousand-Year-Old Green Orchid!"

There's such a good thing!

Ji Yuan had obtained this item before, so he naturally recognized it when he encountered it again.

There was one plant inside the jade box, but there was another jade box left. Ji Yuan quickly picked it up and opened it again, and sure enough, there was another one inside.

Emperor Jianzong actually had two thousand-year-old Qinghui grass plants.

But he lost the Thousand-Year Illusionary Spirit Grass... Even so, it solved Ji Yuan's immediate problem... No, since he has the Thousand-Year Green Orchid Grass, is it possible that he might have a Foundation Establishment Pill?

Both Feng Yichen and others possess this.

Jianzong and he were about the same in terms of strength and record, so there should be some similarities, right?

Ji Yuan immediately put away the two thousand-year-old Qinghui grasses, then bent down to search carefully among the many pills. After only a few glances, he actually found a jade bottle with a very unique shape.

(End of this chapter)