Immortality begins with upgrading buildings

Chapter 137 [Alchemy Room: lv2]

The island where Ji Yuan and the other person were located was Chulong Island, and the nearest temple was naturally Chulong Hall, located on the mountaintop.

By the time Ji Yuan and his companion arrived in their flying boat, the area was already surrounded by layers upon layers of Water Dragon Sect disciples.

Ji Yuan naturally protected everyone in front of him.

Because there was a Foundation Establishment cultivator riding a magic weapon in the air right in front of this fledgling dragon, it could be heard from anywhere, so there was no need to squeeze too far forward.

"Junior Brother Ji, Junior Sister Du."

A familiar voice suddenly came from behind.

Ji Yuan turned around and smiled, "Senior Sister Dong."

Du Wanyi also greeted them.

But Dong Qian's thoughts were entirely on Ji Yuan. "Junior brother, your injuries have all healed?! It's so good that you're alright!"

"It's all recovered."

"But you didn't come looking for me."

Dong Qian's voice sounded rather melancholy.

Du Wanyi's gaze darted between the two of them... They had only gone out on a mission, how did they become so close?!

"I just came out of seclusion today. If you don't believe me, ask my second sister. When she came to find me, I had only been out for a short time, and then this happened."

Ji Yuan quickly changed the subject.

Sure enough, when Dong Qian and Du Wanyi started chatting, all three of them seemed to have forgotten their original topic.

His mind was completely captivated by this Netherworld Cave.

The nearby cultivators were also discussing it, and the topic was entirely focused on the Nine Netherworld Grotto.

For example, when was the last time the Nine Netherworld Cave Heaven opened? So-and-so went in, gained immense benefits inside, and successfully established their foundation not long after they came out.

They now enjoy a prestigious reputation among the Foundation Establishment Island Masters.

For example, some people have heard that certain locations within the Nine Netherworld Cave Heaven, or certain places, can produce Thousand-Year Illusionary Spirit Grass or Thousand-Year Green Orchid Grass.

Once this topic is brought up, many Qi Refining stage disciples nearby will gather around, greeting each other with smiles.

The group waited there for a while.

Du Wanyi, with her sharp eyes, spotted Han Feiyu again and called him over, bringing the four of them together once more.

The first thing Han Feiyu said upon meeting him was...

"How about the four of us team up and explore this Netherworld Cave?"

Du Wanyi subconsciously glanced at Ji Yuan beside her.

Compared to Han Feiyu, she was naturally more willing to believe Ji Yuan.

To her surprise, Dong Qian also glanced at Ji Yuan at the same time, and then the two of them silently looked at each other.

Han Feiyu also realized that the atmosphere between the three of them seemed a bit awkward, so he tactfully said, "No rush. I heard that the Nine Netherworld Cave will not open for another year. We have time to prepare."

"No rush, no rush."

If you don't abandon your plans, there's no need to rush.

After waiting for a while longer, and seeing that no more outsiders were coming, the Foundation Establishment cultivator finally spoke up, overpowering the others.

"It has been eighty-one years since the last time the Nine Netherworld Grotto opened. You are lucky to have encountered this opening of the Nine Netherworld Grotto."

"There is still a year until the next opening. Those who are interested can make good preparations within this year."

"Registration will begin on Shuilong Island in six months."

"Anyone who wants to go to the Nine Netherworld Cave can register, and the sect will organize the trip."

After speaking, the Foundation Establishment cultivator waved his hand and steered the flying boat away.

The information given was limited, perhaps only one: the event would begin in a year, and the sect would organize a unified trip.

As soon as he left, the scene erupted in excitement and discussion.

Han Feiyu then suggested, "This place is closest to my cave dwelling. How about we come to my cave dwelling to discuss this?"

The remaining three exchanged glances and agreed.

After a while.

Han Feiyu had already poured tea for the three of them.

"Actually, I have already found out quite a bit of information about this Nine Netherworld Grotto-Heaven."

"Brother Han is truly capable."

Dong Qian smiled and praised her.

Han Feiyu did not seem happy about these words; instead, her expression grew even more somber.

"Let me start with two points. First, we are all pseudo-spiritual roots. You should all know how many Foundation Establishment Pills are needed for pseudo-spiritual roots to establish their foundation. In the current environment, if we don't go to this Nine Nether Cave Heaven, there is absolutely no possibility of us establishing our foundation."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan's expression immediately turned serious.

"Secondly, the mortality rate in the Nine Netherworld Cave is very high. I have compiled statistics on the previous times. Basically, every time the Nine Netherworld Cave opens, our Water Dragon Sect sends in thousands of disciples, but in the end, only twenty or thirty of them come out alive."

"What?"

Du Wanyi's expression changed upon hearing this.

Dong Qian is the same.

Ji Yuan was somewhat prepared, but also a little panicked. "So many dead?"

"Yes, it's fraught with danger inside, and we also have to be wary of cultivators from other sects. We can't even completely trust our fellow disciples from the Water Dragon Sect."

"Once you're inside, no one will care about you; you'll have to rely entirely on your own abilities."

"If you add a little incentive, they'll be capable of anything."

Han Feiyu's words were very truthful and also very blunt.

"So I hope you all think carefully about whether to go or not."

The Water Dragon Sect has nearly ten thousand disciples, and about one-tenth of them actually entered the sect. Those who did enter were almost all wiped out. It can be said that this ratio is quite exaggerated.

After a moment of silence, Du Wanyi whispered:

"This Nine Netherworld Cave Heaven only opens once every eighty or ninety years. Once we miss this opportunity, we will basically never have the chance to enter it again in our lifetime."

"Well, even if we're still alive when it opens next time... if we haven't reached the Foundation Establishment stage, we'll basically be nearing the end of our lifespan. By then, let alone going in to snatch treasures, just surviving will be a miracle."

Han Feiyu replied.

"As far as I know, our Water Dragon Sect only allows disciples at the peak of Qi Refining to enter. If you haven't reached the peak of Qi Refining, you won't be allowed to go to the sect even if you want to."

Dong Qian also shared her information.

"It's fraught with danger inside. The sect must have gathered quite a bit of information. Perhaps they're waiting to finalize the selection before speaking to them privately?"

Ji Yuan asked in confusion.

"Most likely, the sect naturally hopes we will return alive."

When Han Feiyu spoke, he was looking at Ji Yuan again.

He could sense that Ji Yuan had also reached the peak of Qi Refining, and that his strength was already this strong when he was at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

"Now that you're at the peak of Qi Refining..." Han Feiyu pondered, "Junior Brother Ji, what are your thoughts?"

Upon hearing this, both Dong Qian and Du Wanyi looked at him.

Sensing the gazes of the three, Ji Yuan could only smile bitterly and say, "I want to establish my foundation, but I'm also afraid of dying."

This short sentence perfectly captures the sentiments of all Qi Refining disciples.

The four of them fell silent. After a long while, Han Feiyu finally spoke:

"The Great Dao is a race to be first, especially for those of us with limited spiritual roots who have lost the initiative. We must strive to establish our foundation, form our core, and form our nascent soul."

That being said, what other options are there?

Dong Qian smiled wryly and said, "How about we reincarnate again and see if we can be reborn with a Heavenly Spiritual Root? If that doesn't work, an Earthly Spiritual Root will do too. Then we won't even need Foundation Establishment Pills to reach Foundation Establishment."

"Then they might not even have spiritual roots."

Du Wanyi added a sentence.

"Actually, it's quite good to not have spiritual roots."

Dong Qian said softly.

Ji Yuan remained silent. He knew very little about the Nine Netherworld Cave Heaven, and was completely unaware of any information about it.

Of the four of them, Han Feiyu has clearly stated that he wants to go into the Nine Nether Cave Heaven. Judging from their reactions just now, Du Wanyi seems to want to go as well.

Dong Qian couldn't figure it out yet.

She is cautious by nature.

But the Nine Netherworld Cave Heaven... is just as Han Feiyu said. Once you miss this opportunity, it will be extremely difficult to establish your foundation again.

Firstly, it is much more difficult to gather materials outside to refine Foundation Establishment Pills than to gather materials inside the Nine Netherworld Cave.

Secondly, if there is struggle inside the Nine Netherworld, does that mean there isn't struggle outside?

Moreover, the competition outside is even fiercer, and they even have to compete with some Foundation Establishment cultivators.

There's competition everywhere, so why not try your luck in the Nine Netherworld Cave?

So Ji Yuan figured that in the end, Dong Qian would also go.

They couldn't reach any conclusions from the conversation, and there was still a long time to prepare—a year's worth of preparation time. So the four of them agreed to go and inquire about information on their own.

Then they agreed to meet again at Han Feiyu's courtyard three months from today to exchange information.

The brief conversation then came to an end.

Ji Yuan also took the opportunity to learn that the current head of the mutual aid association has become Han Feiyu.

He has the ability, but he is still young. Some of the more senior members are not convinced by him, so they are unwilling to participate in several meetings. As a result, the mutual aid association has become somewhat defunct recently.

Before leaving, Ji Yuan asked Du Wanyi a question.

"Brother Han earned his position as the leader through fighting. No one else could defeat him in a battle, so he was the only one who could be the leader."

"It's a pity that you were still recovering from your injuries when the decision was made to become the leader of this sect, otherwise you would definitely have been the leader!"

Du Wanyi was quite confident in Ji Yuan's abilities.

"Forget it, Brother Han is fine as the head of this group, I'm not interested in it." Ji Yuan shook his head.

"Too."

Du Wanyi nodded slightly, then whispered, "Actually, he talked about this with Dong Qian. He said he wanted to try to gather his own power through this mutual aid association, but he didn't succeed."

"It's difficult. It's a loose organization, and everyone has their own agenda and self-interest. It's not that easy."

Ji Yuan almost said that if someone like Yao Jingfeng could emerge from among the four of them who were classmates, then there were even more people in the mutual aid society.

Moreover, everyone's strength is actually about the same.

People's hearts are not so easy to win over.

If Han Feiyu were a Foundation Establishment cultivator, things would be much easier, but unfortunately he is only at the Qi Refining stage.

As they talked, the two returned to their respective cave dwellings.

Ji Yuan was still thinking about Han Feiyu... His strength had improved very quickly, which many people had probably noticed.

Ji Yuan was able to notice this because five years ago, when he joined the Water Dragon Sect, he was injured even when facing a late-stage first-tier demon beast, and that was despite being able to use pills and talismans.

But now, only five years later, he's already able to beat a group of elderly people from the mutual aid society.

He probably also has a great opportunity.

This reminded Ji Yuan of what Yao Jingfeng had said before: that Han Feiyu was very bloodthirsty...

Ji Yuan didn't linger after arriving home. His immediate priority was to earn spirit stones and then upgrade the [Alchemy Room] to level 2 to obtain the method for refining Foundation Establishment Pills.

Just as he finished packing and stepped out the door, he noticed a hunched old man standing in front of the neighbor's yard.

"Fellow Daoist Pi...?"

Looking at the figure, so thin it was practically skin and bones, Ji Yuan tentatively called out.

The figure turned around, and it really was his old neighbor, Pi Fangzhi.

Compared to before, he now seemed to have aged considerably, no longer possessing the heroic bearing he had when arguing with the child Tang Ran.

"Plan, plan to be friendly."

Pi Fang forced himself to greet them, then pushed open the door and went inside.

Ji Yuan never expected that he would actually come back alive.

The fact that the Enforcement Hall let him return means that he probably doesn't have much to do with Tang Ran anymore. At the very least, he definitely doesn't know that Tang Ran is a spy for the demonic path.

Otherwise, he probably wouldn't be coming back today.

Ji Yuan didn't take it to heart; he had only called out out of curiosity.

After shouting, he summoned the Crimson Sky Boat and left the Hatchling Dragon Island.

On the other side, after Pi Fangzhi entered the house, the sorrowful look on his face disappeared. His downcast eyes turned somewhat sinister, and his already thin body became even more hunched.

He sensed his broken body and muttered to himself:

"This body is probably unusable again. It's such a pity about that child... Sigh, we were too hasty."

"..."

When Ji Yuan returned to Misty Island, it was already late at night.

He woke up the dozing toad.

"Quack quack—"

The giant toad was overjoyed to see Ji Yuan return.

Ji Yuan did not disappoint his loyal brother, the toad. After feeding three spirit pigs, the toad's croaking became even more obsequious.

"Get ready, we're heading out in a bit... let's go get something to eat!"

Amidst the toad's puzzled gaze, Ji Yuan sat down on the spot, absorbed several spirit stones, and restored himself to his peak condition. Then, he summoned his Purple Lightning Flying Sword.

The sword points towards the clouds and rain.

The giant toad finally understood.

"Croak—"

It cried out, then with a sudden burst of strength from its hind legs, it leaped through the vast mist and landed in the lake, splashing countless droplets of water.

Since he was going into the water to subdue a demon, Ji Yuan stopped pretending and immediately summoned his Thunder Falcon Boat.

He plunged into the icy lake water.

There's no need to go too far. In this vast, misty area, there are quite a few second-tier demonic beasts. When Ji Yuan first came here, he was always very cautious.

But now that we have the big toad backing us up, there's nothing to be afraid of.

If you can fight, then fight; if you can't... Big toad, charge!

Since killing that snake demon, and with the giant toad breaking through to the late stage of the second tier, it is undoubtedly the king of this misty area.

So for the next month, aside from occasionally returning to Misty Island to recuperate, Ji Yuan spent the rest of his time hunting second-tier monsters underwater.

While working on perfecting the new magical artifact, they also struggled to earn spirit stones.

As for the home, that was naturally left to Tu Yue.

Early that morning, near an island in the foggy area.

The surface of the water appears calm and tranquil, but beneath the surface, turbulent currents surge.

Ji Yuan's Purple Lightning Flying Sword flashed past, and under the nine layers of overlapping waves, it slashed a mudfish-like monster with a deep wound that exposed bone. However, the monster did not retreat. Instead, it swung its tail and slapped it heavily.

The vine shield protected him from most of the attacks, but Ji Yuan was still sent flying.

"go!"

With a thought, a crimson light suddenly emanated from his body, and the crimson dragon that had just hidden itself stirred up countless lake waters before lunging forward.

The mud-swallowing spirit loach spat out another mouthful of mud, while simultaneously manipulating the surrounding waters to fend off the illusory dragon's attack.

Just then, the Mud-Swallowing Spirit Loach seemed to see Ji Yuan's figure charging forward again, and it quickly shrank back.

"laugh--"

The phantom image it saw disappeared, and in its place, a silver needle pierced through its brain.

It lingered briefly in its mind, then unleashed a burst of spiritual energy, instantly strangling and killing it.

Ji Yuan then stepped forward with his shield, and with a casual slash of his sword, chopped off the monster's head and took its demon core from its brain.

Seeing that the battle had subsided, the giant toad hopped and swam over from a distance.

This time, it didn't need to lift a finger to hunt the monsters.

With his numerous methods, Ji Yuan was able to successfully hunt down a second-tier early-stage demon beast even in the water.

Of course, talismans, spells, physical strength, elixirs, magical artifacts, and spiritual weapons are all indispensable.

Ji Yuan looked at the five round demon cores that had appeared in his storage bag. In the past month, he had hunted down four early-stage second-tier demon beasts alone.

There was also a mid-stage second-tier demonic beast, which the giant toad killed elsewhere.

He then looked at the pile of monster corpses in another storage bag.

Selling these should be enough to upgrade the [Alchemy Room].

Since that was the case, he didn't wait any longer and summoned the Thunder Falcon Boat.

"Hey clam, let's go!"

The big toad couldn't understand what a "pipi clam" was, but it could understand the word "go home," because as long as it went home, it would have delicious meat to eat.

After returning to Misty Island with the toad, Ji Yuan took away the spoils he had collected during this period from Tu Yue.

After resting for a while to recover his spiritual energy and calm his slightly disordered qi, he summoned the Crimson Sky Boat and returned to the Water Dragon Sect.

This time when he returned, he didn't even go to the Dragon Hatchery Island, but went straight to the Island of All Things.

He first went to the usual spot to dispose of the monster's corpse.

One is a mid-stage Tier 2 monster, and the remaining four are all early-stage Tier 2 monsters.

Because there was no demon core, the corpse of a second-stage early-stage demon beast only sold for 10 spirit stones, for a total of 40 spirit stones.

Mid-game monsters are a bit expensive, costing 20 yuan.

That adds up to 60 mid-grade spirit stones.

After selling all of these, Ji Yuan then processed the minimum living allowance she had accumulated during this period.

The talismans and pills are all gone; they were all sold out last time.

With all the spirit stones he had saved up, his total spirit stones increased to 79.

He then went to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to inquire about the two herbs, Mist-Hidden Poria and Mysterious Water Snake-Patterned Grass.

Perhaps the last Illusion Grass had already used up most of the bad luck.

All the materials needed to upgrade the [Alchemy Room] are available for purchase.

Three Misty Hidden Poria cocos and five Mysterious Water Snake Pattern Grass cost a total of eight mid-grade spirit stones.

The price is already quite expensive.

After obtaining the herbs, his panel refreshed.

The Alchemy Room has been changed to "Upgradeable".

Eager to learn the Dharma, Ji Yuan didn't even plan to return to Misty Island, but instead went directly to his residence on Dragon Hatchery Island.

Ji Yuan arrived home in the evening. After entering the house, he immediately activated the [Alchemy Room] and took out the herbs and spirit stones he had prepared earlier, placing them inside the [Alchemy Room].

On a whim, he chose to upgrade.

The panel refreshed, and there was nothing unusual inside the room.

However, a memory suddenly appeared in Ji Yuan's mind... the method of refining the Foundation Establishment Pill.

"First, soak the Thousand-Year Illusion Grass and the Thousand-Year Azure Orchid Grass in the earth's spiritual spring for seven days to remove their impurities..."

Memories repeated themselves over and over, and Ji Yuan was completely immersed in them.

He was still a little unfamiliar with the alchemy technique the first time, but as he went through it again and again, he felt more and more proficient.

It's as if dozens or even hundreds of batches of Foundation Building Pills have already been refined.

He even thought about going to Sifang Island right now, opening a pill-refining room that could ignite the earth's fire, and trying out a batch of pills first.

As for trying it, it's definitely not an option. Ji Yuan plans to wait until he has more experience in alchemy and has prepared more materials.

When it's time to establish your foundation, then go all out and succeed in one go!

He then brought up the control panel.

At a glance, he suddenly noticed that when the [Alchemy Room] refreshed, a line of text also appeared at the same time.

[The host, with the talent of a pseudo-spiritual root, has learned the refining technique of "Foundation Building Pill," and is on the verge of Foundation Building. The core Foundation Building building, the "Meditation Room" (which enhances spiritual consciousness), can now be unlocked.]

(End of this chapter)