Proving Immortality Starting with Hextech Runes

After taking stock of Zhang Erniu's storage bag, the haul was far more plentiful than expected.

But at this moment, Chen Xu frowned slightly and muttered, "Strange..."

"Why haven't we found the Evergreen Token that Xiao Muwan mentioned?"

"Zhang Erniu used this to lure Xiao Muwan into making a move. Such an important item should be carried with one's person at all times."

"Could it be that Zhang Erniu was lying to Xiao Muwan before? That shouldn't be the case!"

After all, why would Xiao Muwan take the risk without seeing the actual product?

Could it be that I missed something...?

Then Chen Xu's gaze swept over the items scattered on the ground again, focusing on checking the inconspicuous odds and ends.

A few pieces of cold iron, a few ordinary talismans, and a palm-sized piece of... tree bark?

"How could someone who cultivates immortality collect a piece of tree bark?"

"Could it be..." Chen Xu's heart skipped a beat, and he picked up the piece of bark.

He then tried to separate a wisp of spiritual energy and slowly infuse it into the energy.

In an instant, a flash of emerald green light appeared on the rough texture of the bark.

The bark rapidly changed shape, transforming in the blink of an eye into a token the size of a palm!

The token is dark blue and has a warm, smooth feel.

The front is engraved with the powerful characters "长青" (Changqing).

The reverse side features a design of a fairy mountain shrouded in clouds and mist.

"I see..." Chen Xu's pupils contracted slightly, and he suddenly understood.

"So this seemingly ordinary tree bark was actually transformed from the Evergreen Decree..."

Suppressing his emotions, Chen Xu carefully categorized and stored away the treasures in the room, preparing to draw some more talismans to replenish his inventory.

As soon as Chen Xu spread out the talisman paper, he noticed some movement outside.

Chen Xu paused for a moment, then left the cultivation room.

At the entrance to the fishpond courtyard, Lin Miaoyin, dressed in a plain white dress, stood quietly outside.

Her eyes were slightly red, and her expression carried a hint of sadness.

Chen Xu frowned slightly and walked over: "Fellow Daoist Lin?"

"But what happened?"

Upon seeing Chen Xu, Lin Miaoyin quickly put on a forced smile and cupped her hands in greeting:

"Senior Brother Chen, I apologize for disturbing you."

"Miaoyin has something urgent to discuss with you. Please make sure you are there at 3:45 PM tonight."

Something urgent? Chen Xu sighed inwardly.

This matter is most likely related to Xiao Muwan's death...

He remained expressionless and nodded in agreement: "Okay."

Seeing that Chen Xu agreed, Lin Miaoyin visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "Miaoyin still needs to inform Senior Brother Wang, so I won't bother you any longer."

She bowed slightly, then turned and left, leaving Chen Xu standing there thoughtfully.

……

At three quarters past the hour of You (5:45 PM), in a private room at Zuixianlou.

Lin Miaoyin and Wang Tiezhu were already waiting inside.

Chen Xu pushed open the door and entered, only to find Wang Tiezhu sitting at the table, unusually silent.

He, who is usually carefree, looked gloomy and had red eyes, as if he had just been crying.

Lin Miaoyin sat opposite him, her brows furrowed with a heavy sorrow. Seeing Chen Xu enter, she forced a smile.

"Senior Brother Chen has arrived, please have a seat."

After Chen Xu took his seat, his gaze swept over the two men's faces, and he got straight to the point: "Fellow Daoist Lin, may I ask what important matter brings you here?"

Lin Miaoyin took a deep breath and took out a letter from her storage bag.

She gently placed the letter on the table, her voice trembling slightly:

"I'm sure... both of you senior brothers have already heard the news that Senior Sister Xiao... unfortunately perished during the trial."

She paused, seemingly to compose herself: "This letter was sent by Senior Sister Xiao before the trial began."

"I only saw this letter today after the trial ended."

Wang Tiezhu stared at the letter, his lips trembling, wanting to say something, but the words stuck in his throat.

In the end, he simply raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Chen Xu's gaze fell on the letter on the table, and he thought to himself, "Xiao Muwan actually left a letter?"

At this moment, Lin Miaoyin lightly tapped the letter with her fingertip, and then spoke:

"However, there is a restriction on this envelope, which requires the three of us to work together and inject spiritual power to open it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xu and Wang Tiezhu did not hesitate and worked with Lin Miaoyin to simultaneously infuse spiritual power into the letter.

With a soft click, the subtle shimmering light on the envelope's surface vanished instantly.

Lin Miaoyin carefully unfolded the letter, and a letter with slightly messy handwriting came into everyone's view:

Fellow Daoists

By the time you read this letter, I will probably already be dead.

Despite a thousand regrets... death and the extinguishing of the lamp mean that all things come to naught.

However, I have a younger sister in Yunzhou named Xiao Xun'er, who lives in the Xiao family in Wutan City, Yunzhou.

Like me, Xun'er was not well-liked in the clan.

If any of you fellow Daoists happen to travel to Yunzhou, I hope you can offer her some assistance so that she may not be left alone and helpless.

Thinking of our past mutual assistance, I have something to say that may help my fellow practitioners avoid straying from the right path.

If you fellow cultivators wish to minimize the risk of perishing during the Foundation Establishment stage, you must never rely on the Breakthrough Pill to break through the minor realm of the Qi Refining stage.

The toxicity of this pill is extremely stubborn and cannot be removed by ordinary means.

Only when one successfully establishes their foundation, and receives the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, is it possible to completely eliminate the disease.

However, if one has already taken the Breakthrough Pill, there is a 50% chance that the pill will cause a backlash when attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

At that time, at best, one's cultivation will be completely destroyed; at worst, one will die, one's cultivation will be extinguished, and one's soul will be destroyed.

If you wish to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining, you can refine the Cleansing Dust Pill instead.

The formula is as follows: three Sanqing flowers, one Jade Marrow Fungus, and one demon core each of the water and wood attributes.

This pill has no risk of poisoning and can replace the effects of the Breaking Yuan Pill.

That concludes my remarks. I hope you will all remember them.

The path to immortality is arduous; I wish all fellow cultivators everlasting success in their pursuit of immortality...

Mu Wan will not keep you company any longer...

At this moment, the private room was completely silent.

Lin Miaoyin's eyes reddened, her heart filled with sorrow. The letter Xiao Muwan left behind weighed heavily on her chest.

Wang Tiezhu stared intently at the end of the letter, unable to hold back any longer, and burst into tears.

According to Wang Tiezhu, when he first entered the outer sect, he was harassed by his senior brothers, and it was Xiao Muwan and another friend who stepped in to help him.

The three later became friends, but now, two of their friends have left one after another, leaving only Wang Tiezhu. How can he let go of this feeling?

Seeing Wang Tiezhu's tearful appearance, Chen Xu's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

He understood Wang Tiezhu's grief at losing his friend, but a sense of helplessness also flashed through his heart.

The path of cultivation is inherently cruel, and life and death separations are commonplace.

Besides... Xiao Muwan died by his own hand, and Chen Xu didn't know what to say.

What Chen Xu didn't expect was that this Breaking Yuan Pill actually contained such danger.

If Xiao Muwan hadn't left this letter, I would definitely have used the Breaking Yuan Pill to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining, which would have caused endless trouble.

After all, the probability of that erysipelas attacking is fifty percent!

Aside from those who have no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, how many people are willing to gamble on that 50% probability?

Even if there was only a 10% chance of the erysipelas taking effect, Chen Xu wouldn't gamble on it.

But as a Core Formation cultivator, wouldn't Wen Tianhe know the dangers of the Breaking Yuan Pill?

At this moment, Chen Xu recalled the scene when Wen Tianhe devoured the blood essence of his disciples when he formed his core, and a chill ran through his mind.

Could it be that the sect rewards Breakthrough Pills in order to quickly cultivate a group of disciples in the late stage of Qi Refining?

Those who successfully establish their foundation naturally possess better talent and fortune, making them worthy of cultivation.

And those who were eliminated by the backlash of the poison during the Foundation Establishment stage...

I'm afraid their fate won't be much better than those disciples who turned into blood and energy!

Of course, these are just Chen Xu's guesses.

After all, the sect distributes only a very small number of Breakthrough Pills each year, only five.

The sect deliberately avoids mentioning the drawbacks of the Breaking Yuan Pill; there must be some reason for that...