Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

In the distance, Wu Fan remained hidden behind a tree, silently watching the fierce battle between Bai Ruanyu and Liu Xi. After struggling with his thoughts for a moment, he finally suppressed the urge to help.

He weighed the options in his mind.

He was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, which was a real gap between him and Liu Xi, who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Furthermore, although Bai Ruanyu had taken good care of him in the Hundred Pill Hall, it was out of consideration for interests. Moreover, it was absolutely unacceptable for him to put himself in danger and fight Liu Xi to the death for this reason.

Wu Fan had already made his decision.

The best outcome would be to wait and see what happens, until the duel between the two ends and Liu Xi leaves.

But at that moment, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he realized something was wrong.

Bai Ruanyu lay on the ground, powerless to resist. However, after Liu Xi unleashed his flying needle magic weapon, he did not kill her directly. Instead, he unnecessarily left her suspended high in the air.

What alarmed Wu Fan even more was that Liu Xi fought extremely conservatively throughout the entire battle, showing no intention of rushing to kill Bai Ruanyu. Instead, it seemed as if he was guarding against a third person present.

Looking back, Liu Xi had "unintentionally" glanced at his hiding place several times during the battle, and he initially thought it was just a coincidence when the battle flags were planted in front of him.

When you put everything together now, it's terrifying to think about.

Liu Xi probably discovered him from the very beginning and has been on guard against him ever since!

In the blink of an eye, Wu Fan poured spiritual power into the Fire Cloud Shield without hesitation.

A burst of crimson spiritual light erupted suddenly, and the Fiery Cloud Shield instantly swelled to half a person's height, its surface covered with dense, dark red glimmers of light, and the layers of shield formation were already in place.

As expected, just as the flying needle was about to pierce Bai Ruanyu, it suddenly changed direction downwards, piercing straight towards Wu Fan's hiding place with a sharp whooshing sound.

Wu Fan was prepared and controlled the Fire Cloud Shield to meet the flying needles. With a crisp "clang", he steadily blocked the sudden sneak attack.

If he hadn't been meticulous and quick-witted, he probably would have been killed long ago if he had waited until the flying needles were about to hit him before activating the magical artifact.

Fear lingered, but Wu Fan was also shocked and furious, his back already drenched in cold sweat.

"what?"

Liu Xi let out a surprised sound, which was both astonishment at the failed sneak attack and astonishment at Wu Fan's quick reaction.

He glanced at Bai Ruanyu out of the corner of his eye and saw that she was already delirious. Then he turned to where Wu Fan was hiding and said three times, "Good! Good! Good!"

"Your reaction was swift."

Liu Xi raised his hand and recalled the flying needles. Three thin needles hovered in front of him. He then quickly took out a pill to restore his mana and swallowed it. He said in an icy tone, "But you've been hiding and watching for so long, shouldn't you come out and have a chat?"

Now that we've been exposed, there's no point in hiding anymore.

Wu Fan took a deep breath, tightly gripped the Poison Sac Bead and the Explosion Bead in his hands, held the Flaming Sun Sword firmly in his right hand, and held the Fiery Cloud Shield steadily in front of him before carefully stepping out from behind the big tree.

"It was you!?"

Upon seeing Wu Fan's face, Liu Xi was taken aback for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.

Upon catching a glimpse of Wu Fan's figure, Bai Ruanyu on the ground could no longer hold on. The dark shadows before her eyes grew increasingly intense, her head lolled to the side, and she fell into a coma.

"I never expected that we would meet here in this situation. What a coincidence."

Liu Xi spoke slowly.

"This humble one greets Master Liu."

Wu Fan nodded slightly in respect, his tone respectful yet distant, "Master Liu, I was merely passing through this place while fleeing Yunxi Market, and I did not witness what just happened. I will take my leave now and visit you another day."

Having said that, he slowly retreated, ready to deal with any unexpected events.

"Wait!"

Liu Xi spoke up to stop him, his tone growing increasingly serious.

Wu Fan immediately stopped, secretly circulating his spiritual energy, and warily stared at Liu Xi: "I wonder if Master Liu has anything else to teach me?"

A kind smile suddenly appeared on Liu Xi's face as he coaxed, "Young Fan, you saw everything clearly from behind, so you must know my identity. Would you like to join my Deng family? I know your talent in alchemy. With my recommendation, you're sure to secure a place in the Deng family, at least a position of honor. What do you say?"

"this......"

Wu Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"You should know that after leaving Bai Dan Tang, you'll become a rogue cultivator. How difficult is life for a rogue cultivator?! Even if you manage to find another shop to stay in later, it will be far less stable and comfortable than the Deng family's life."

While persuading Liu Xi, he secretly activated his cultivation technique to quickly restore the mana in his dantian, a hint of calculation hidden deep in his eyes.

Wu Fan quickly regained his senses and respectfully declined, "Thank you for your kindness, Master Liu. However, the Deng family and the Bai family are currently locked in a fierce struggle, and I only wish to find a peaceful place to cultivate in seclusion. I hope Master Liu will grant my request and allow me to leave."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xi narrowed his eyes slightly, a flash of murderous intent passing through them.

In his view, Wu Fan had an outstanding talent in alchemy and was one of the most promising alchemy apprentices he had ever mentored. Such a talent should not be used by the Deng family, nor should he be left to the Bai family.

Even if Wu Fan might not eventually seek refuge with the Bai family, this possibility should be nipped in the bud.

More importantly, Wu Fan witnessed the entire process of him killing Bai Ruanyu today. If he were allowed to leave alive and spread the news, it would be a troublesome matter if the Bai family deliberately retaliated against him in the future.

Moreover, for a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator like him, killing a mere fifth-stage Qi Refining youth would only require a little more effort.

Therefore, Wu Fan dying here is the best outcome for himself.

"Fine, if you're unwilling, then so be it."

Liu Xi's tone suddenly softened, revealing a warm smile, as if he had truly given up on recruiting him. "I hope you will not spread this matter to others after you leave today."

"I understand, young man."

Wu Fan responded and slowly retreated again, his vigilance remaining unchanged.

He could tell that Liu Xi was no kind person and probably wouldn't let him leave easily.

Sure enough, the moment Wu Fan retreated, Liu Xi saw how cautious he was, completely eliminating any possibility of a sneak attack. His eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he let out a low shout:

"Stay!"

Before he finished speaking, the three flying needles hovering in front of him suddenly accelerated through the wind, turning into three streaks of cold light that rushed straight towards Wu Fan's face.

Almost simultaneously, he made hand seals with lightning speed, and the array flags that had been planted around him suddenly shone brightly.

The next second, a thick mass of earthy yellow spiritual light surged out from it and swept towards Wu Fan.

Wu Fan reacted extremely quickly. With a flick of his wrist, the Flaming Sun Sword unleashed a crimson sword light. Immediately afterward, the sword flew out of his hand, the sword light and the flying sword locking onto the three flying needle magic weapons that were attacking him.

Before the offensive had subsided, he was already chanting incantations. As soon as the incantation was complete, a fire snake half a zhang long suddenly took shape, extremely agile, its mouth open revealing teeth and carrying a scorching wave of air, and pounced fiercely towards Liu Xi.

Just as I finished these two countermeasures, the yellowish-brown aura was already upon me.

Wu Fan dared not delay and immediately poured his magic power into the Fire Cloud Shield. The shield suddenly expanded several times, completely protecting him and forcefully blocking the muddy waves of spiritual light.

However, he was well aware of the power of this yellowish-brown light and dared not be careless. He immediately made a hand seal to cast the Fire Screen Technique, and a crimson light shield instantly formed, enveloping his body once again.

As soon as Wu Fan started casting Fire Serpent Spell, Liu Xi sensed the fluctuations in his spellcasting and, in anticipation, cast a layer of cyan spell shield around himself.

But when the fire serpent actually pounced on him, he was still startled.

This fire serpent was not only as agile as if it were alive, but its power also far exceeded his expectations.

This is clearly a spell of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator's level, with agility and destructive power even surpassing the spells cast by a seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator like himself. It would probably require the strength of an eighth or ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator to unleash such power.

Startled, Liu Xi hurriedly took out several low-grade first-tier defensive talismans and flung them out, creating several thin light shields that overlapped outside the protective barrier.

The deeper his fear of Wu Fan, the more intense his murderous intent became.

This child is also exceptionally gifted in magic. If he is not eliminated today, he will surely become a great threat in the future. He must not be allowed to live!