You're just a single demon beast? I have a whole army of beast tamers!

"I see."

The old man seemed to understand something, then tentatively asked, "How did you achieve those three lines?"

"When the lightning tribulation struck, the elixir itself was not completely absorbed."

If one can retain even a trace of calamity energy within the elixir body, more patterns will naturally appear.

Qin Shou casually remarked, refusing to say anything more.

Every time he went to the alchemy hall, he would personally refine several batches of Immortal Essence Pills.

Sometimes two pills are formed, sometimes three, but they are always kept below the third line.

Only once, when he was privately refining for the Shui family, did he deliberately produce only one with two patterns, and hand it over to them to get by.

Even so, his reputation in the Shui family's alchemy hall was already unmatched.

During this time, he took the last Transcendent Immortal Pill.

The faint aura belonging to the lower realm within his body finally dissipated completely.

From then on, as long as he did not use the spiritual power of the lower realm, it would be difficult for immortal cultivators to discern his origins from his aura.

Qin Shou breathed a sigh of relief, and even his steps became lighter.

A year later, he returned to the Celestial Energy Pool.

The old man surnamed Xun was still sitting in front of the hall, but this time, upon seeing him, he no longer put on his indifferent attitude. Instead, he took the initiative to stand up and greet him:

"You've arrived? You know the rules, so I don't need to repeat them."

Qin Shou cupped his hands in greeting: "Thank you for your trouble, senior. Is it still three hundred immortal crystals this time?"

"Three hundred." The old man nodded, took the immortal crystal, and added, "The clan said that you can be exempted from coming here in the future if possible."

This three hundred is just a formality.

Qin Shou smiled, said nothing more, and turned to enter the stone hall.

The silvery-white pool water was still swirling with fine mist, and the immortal array at the bottom of the pool was slowly rotating.

He took off his outer robe and stepped into the pool.

This time, he absorbed the immortal spiritual energy even faster.

The six acupoints opened simultaneously, like six long-parched lakes, frantically absorbing the surrounding immortal spiritual energy.

The silvery-white pool water became shallower at a visible speed, only to be quickly replenished by the immortal array.

Qin Shou closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and circulated the six orifices of the Small Heavenly Circuit, refining the newly acquired immortal spiritual power into his acupoints again and again.

For the first few months, everything went smoothly.

However, by the eighth month, Qin Shou clearly felt that the transformation within his body had slowed down.

With each additional step of conversion, the resistance increases.

In the previous year, 40% had been converted, and now, after nearly another year, it has only gone from 40% to 60%.

Every attempt to take another step forward felt like pushing against a massive stone door.

He slowly opened his eyes, already understanding something in his heart.

The further one progresses in the transformation from a pseudo-immortal, the less one relies on soaking in the pool of immortal spiritual energy; one also needs to refine one's own laws and physical body.

The Immortal Spirit Pool is merely an external object; to truly ascend to the level of a True Immortal, one must find their own Dao Foundation and fortuitous opportunity.

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Outside the hall, an elderly man surnamed Xun sat behind a wooden table, tapping the tabletop with his pipe, his face a mass of wrinkles.

Although he did not enter the hall, he could sense the exaggerated rate of energy consumption in the pool.

Over the past two years, the immortal array in the immortal energy pool has been replaced with crystals twice. The consumption of replenishing it alone is almost equivalent to several decades in the past.

"This kid, he can still swallow so much."

The old man put down his pipe and sighed, "At this rate, the clan's investment in him will probably be greater than that in cultivating a direct descendant of a True Immortal."

He stood up and walked towards the inner courtyard.

Not long after, in the inner courtyard of the Shui family, the man in the blue robe listened to the old man's report and remained silent for a long time.

"I already know what you're saying."

He stood by the window, his back to the old man, his voice calm, "You mean to say that the family's investment in him is too great and not worthwhile?"

"Yes." The old man bowed his head and said, "This person's energy consumption is several times that of an ordinary person, and he is only at the pseudo-immortal stage."

If he were to attempt to become a True Immortal in the future, the resources he would need would be enormous.

I'm worried..."

Are you worried he's not getting enough to eat, or are you worried he'll run away?

The man in the blue robe turned around, his face revealing neither joy nor anger. "A first-grade immortal alchemist who can refine three patterns, if placed in the Mu family, would be worth ten immortal spiritual energy pools."

You yourself said that this kid learned the Immortal Essence Pill in a year, and surpassed you two old guys in two years. This isn't about a large investment, but about a quick return.

The old man was speechless.

"Besides, I have already had the True Immortal Elder keep an eye on him."

The man in the blue robe walked to the table and gently tapped it. "If he behaves himself, the Shui family will not suffer a loss."

If he harbors any disloyal thoughts, I will personally order his elimination.

No matter how talented a pseudo-immortal may be, he can't escape the grasp of the Shui family.

"Very well." The old man was silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Continue to watch the pool of immortal energy."

The man in the blue robe said, "There will be no restrictions on his next visit."

I'd like to see where his limits lie.

The old man responded and left.

The room fell silent again, with only the sound of the lake lapping against the shore outside the window, gentle and unhurried.

......

Several months later, the woman surnamed Shen quietly visited.

Late that night, Qin Shou was meditating in his quiet room.

He has now converted 60% of the immortal spiritual power in his body, and the immortal spiritual energy flows continuously in his six orifices. With each cycle, he can clearly feel that his magical power is several times thicker than before.

But that's all.

In recent months, no matter how much he activated his cultivation technique, he no longer experienced that feeling of a significant increase in his cultivation level.

The effects of the Immortal Spirit Power Pool have faded, and it is unknown how many more years it will take to fill the remaining 40% through arduous cultivation alone.

As he was thinking, a very faint rustling sound of grass and trees suddenly came from outside the window.

The sound was so faint it was almost imperceptible, yet it was completely opposite to the direction of the night wind in the courtyard.

Qin Shou's eyelids twitched, but he didn't turn around. He simply spread his divine sense slowly and, sure enough, caught a trace of aura behind an old locust tree outside the pavilion.

"Since you're here, come in," he transmitted telepathically.

A moment later, a faint blue ripple appeared on the barrier inside the room.

The woman in the gray robe appeared silently a few steps away from him, just like last time, like a shadow growing out of the night.

She did not conceal her aura, but it blended almost seamlessly with the plants and trees in the courtyard. If Qin Shou had not deliberately probed, even he might not have been able to detect it.

"You've got some nerve."

Qin Shou opened his eyes. "The True Immortal elders in the clan are keeping an eye on this villa."

"No problem. I'll come when they switch defenders."

The woman surnamed Shen spoke calmly as she walked to the window and sat down. "Besides, they're watching whether you'll run away, not whether any women come at night."

Qin Shou didn't respond to that, he just glanced at it.

She was still dressed in that gray robe, the chain on her wrist hidden in her sleeve, and her green eyes gleamed faintly in the night.

Compared to last time, her aura was more solid, and she had obviously recovered her cultivation to around the late stage of pseudo-immortal.

"What do you want?" he asked bluntly.

"A hundred years," the woman surnamed Shen said. "That secret realm won't open again for at most a hundred years. I'm asking you, will you go then or not?"