Siheyuan: A master brewer starts with a jar of bone-strengthening wine!

"The plan is a bit conservative, but it's reliable."

He clapped his hands. "After absorbing it, you can basically reach the ceiling of your current realm."

"As for that final layer of paper, you'll have to break through it yourselves. Only what you've mastered yourself will be truly solid."

Ding Lai and the others knew perfectly well: this wasn't a restriction, it was protection.

The five nodded in unison, turned around and entered the spirit-gathering array that Liu Dong had set up in advance. They each found a corner, sat down cross-legged, and got to work.

This time, the goal is very clear.

Wang Zhonggui, at the peak of the late stage of the Xuanxian realm;

The remaining four all aim for the peak of the late-stage True Immortal realm.

To be absolutely sure, Liu Dong chose to settle in a remote, dense forest: old trees, thick fog, and no human presence.

The main formation was set up on the outer perimeter, while eight smaller formations, like eight eyes, kept a close watch on all directions.

The ferocious beasts in the mountains had long been cleared out, and the floating puppets patrolled in the sky. Purple bamboo sticks were stuck in the four corners to guard the area, and even mechanical puppets of the Great Luo Golden Immortal level were squatting in the shadows to keep watch.

Liu Dong, Wei Duo, and Ting'er stayed by his side without blinking.

The simultaneous absorption of spiritual energy by the five people was too noisy and might attract attention, so he added another layer of concealment array. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary mountain valley, with the flow of spiritual energy as slow as if it were frozen.

Even if someone passes by, they might only notice that the wind is a bit damp, but they won't see anything unusual at all.

Who would dare to go in? The three men had been watching them closely, and they were ready to strike without mercy.

After all, this is no child's play; it's risking one's life for cultivation.

Fortunately, the weather cooperated this time, and the journey home was smooth for three, four, five days...

Zhang Yuxian was the first to finish. On the evening of the third day, her aura surged, and she landed steadily at the peak of the late True Immortal stage.

Ding Lai, Lei Yuan, and Qiao Yuanmu followed closely behind, concluding their practice on the fourth night.

Wang Zhonggui was the slowest, only opening his eyes on the morning of the fifth day. His cultivation was high, but his transformation was slow, though his foundation was as solid as if it were cast in iron.

In short, all five of them succeeded! They firmly established their own limits and reached the ceiling of their respective abilities.

Liu Dong let out a long breath, and the tension on his face finally relaxed.

"Great, we're just one step away from becoming even stronger."

"Next, we'll train by the East China Sea! We'll strive for a breakthrough for everyone within a month."

Actually, he had already kept those words to himself; at this rate, it could be finalized in as little as half a month.

Time flies faster than an arrow; in the blink of an eye, a month has passed.

Sure enough, all five of them reached a new level:

Wang Zhonggui entered the early stage of Golden Immortal; Ding Lai, Zhang Yuxian, Lei Yuan, and Qiao Yuanmu all entered the early stage of Celestial Immortal!

Most importantly, no one is weak or unstable; the foundation is as solid as a thousand-year-old pile.

This means that the next round of improvements can begin at any time.

Ding Lai glanced at the churning clouds on the horizon, then turned to Liu Dong and asked, "Husband, shouldn't we set off?"

"The Fusang Divine Tree is far overseas; just getting it out to sea will take a lot of time."

Liu Dong shook his head: "Of course I know the road is long, but precisely because it's long, I need to finish this round of absorption first."

He paused, his voice turning serious: "Before, we were just wandering around the beach, and the sea creatures we encountered weren't even worth mentioning."

"This time we're going to dive into the deep sea. If anything jumps out of there, it'll be enough to give us a run for our money."

"Let alone repairing it while walking, just being wary of your surroundings might not be safe."

After hearing this, everyone frowned deeply.

To be honest, no one has ever actually been to the sea. How eerie is that place?

I've only heard the legends, but never seen the real thing.

But Liu Dong never talks nonsense.

Just trust him, and that's it.

So no one asked any questions. They quietly adjusted their breathing and prepared for the next round of absorption, ready to start the process immediately.

Liu Dong and Wei Duo had already divided the remaining materials clearly within the past month, without wasting a single moment.

Unfortunately, the only usable items available right now are a few powerful demon beast cores; there's nothing else of real value to offer.

With this little bit of skill, you think you can reach the top? You're far from it.

But Ding Lai and his group didn't have time to go searching all over the world anymore; Liu Dong had already made the decision:

Once this absorption is complete, we'll set off immediately!

The current level of the Celestial Immortal is indeed not enough. Compared with the Great Luo Golden Immortals like Liu Dong and Wei Duo, it's like a small flame touching a volcano.

But self-preservation? More than enough! Why?

All four of them are single-attribute specialists, with water, fire, lightning, and earth all represented, as pure as freshly pressed oil, so their combat power naturally jumps a notch.

Not to mention Ding Lai, Zhang Yuxian, Lei Yuan, and Qiao Yuanmu, who have long been as solid as iron. When they attack together, even a Celestial Immortal in the early stage can withstand a formidable opponent below the mid-stage of the Profound Immortal realm.

What about Wang Zhonggui? He's firmly established himself at the early stage of the Golden Immortal realm. If he advances another level or two, he'll be able to lend a hand to Liu Dong and the others.

After thinking it over, there's really no need to drag this out any longer.

Liu Dong immediately distributed the remaining materials to the five people on a per-person basis.

"Listen up, everyone!"

He pointed to several gleaming, high-grade inner cores.

"Keep these for now, don't touch them. As for the rest of the miscellaneous items, eat them and practice them as needed; they're just right for you at the critical point of your current breakthrough."

"We'll talk about these 'hidden treasures' once we've settled down in that area east of the East China Sea."

"By then, I reckon you'll all be close to advancing in rank."

He knew perfectly well that Ding Lai and the other four's progress was exactly as expected.

You can steadily advance to the mid-to-late game without any problems.

In addition, sea voyages take a long time, so one can still go into seclusion, practice martial arts, and improve one's cultivation while traveling by boat.

Upon hearing this, Ding Lai and the others were overjoyed.

This means that once the ship docks, they can truly step in and join the search for the Fusang Divine Tree, no longer becoming a hindrance.

Without saying a word, everyone divided the work according to the old method and immediately started the absorption process.

After receiving Liu Dong's approval, Wang Zhonggui swallowed an earth-elemental inner core. In the blink of an eye, he soared to the peak of the late-stage Golden Immortal realm!

Why did it rise so sharply? Because it had been hovering on the threshold of becoming a Golden Immortal for a long time, just lacking the right touch.

As long as it's not a demon core of explosive power that would cause him to explode, this is something that Liu Dong, Wei Duo, and Ting'er have repeatedly considered.

The goal is clear: to get Wang Zhonggui to cross the threshold of Taiyi Golden Immortal as soon as possible so that he can become a key player.

But Ding Lai, Zhang Yuxian, Lei Yuan, and Qiao Yuanmu didn't have it so easy.

The demon cores that Liu Dong obtained were at least at the Golden Immortal level, and he wouldn't dare use the ones that were at least at the Profound Immortal level.

Unfortunately, the four of them are still stuck at the early stage of the Celestial Immortal realm.

However, relying on her status as a spirit of the Water Spirit Orb, Zhang Yuxian broke through two levels in a row and reached the peak of the late-stage Celestial Immortal realm in one go.

Ding Lai was slightly slower, but steadily fell into the late stage of the Celestial Immortal realm.

What about Lei Yuan and Qiao Yuanmu? They're similar to Ding Lai, both stuck at the peak of the mid-stage Celestial Immortal realm, their toes already on the threshold of the late stage.

Actually, this result was quite unexpected.

Especially Qiao Yuanmu, if it weren't for this collective improvement, he would be at least two minor realms lower than the others.

We were able to catch up now entirely thanks to this move.

After absorbing the nutrients, the auras of the five people completely changed:

His gaze was deeper, his breath more steady, he walked with a breezy air, and even his shadow seemed heavier.