Mortal: Starting with the Falling Cloud Sect, I proved my Dao through gacha pulls.

Six months later, inside Su Mu's cave.

"call!"

In the alchemy room, Su Mu put the last batch of refined pills into a jade bottle and slowly exhaled.

In the past six months, he has refined many unorthodox and rare elixirs recorded in alchemical texts. Some of them are used to improve cultivation, some to temper the physical body, and some are even helpful in comprehending magic.

However, due to the limited quality of the spiritual herbs available, most of the pills he refines are only effective for Qi Refining stage cultivators, and their quality is not considered high.

However, these pills were extremely popular in the sect's market. After several rounds of reselling, they not only recouped all the spirit stones used to purchase the herbs but also made an extra small profit.

Just then, a sound transmission talisman came from outside the cave, indicating that someone had arrived.

He raised his hand and took the communication talisman, probing it with his divine sense to briefly perceive its contents.

"Junior brother, are you free right now? I've found the spiritual herb you asked me to keep an eye out for."

Su Mu's heart stirred, and he made a hand seal to cleanse himself, then changed into a brand new set of robes.

As soon as he stepped out of the cave, he saw a beautiful figure standing outside the door; it was Song Yu.

"Please come in, senior sister. Thank you for making this special trip."

After the two entered the cave, Song Yu casually looked around and saw that although the furnishings inside were extremely simple, they were neatly arranged and spotless.

She casually picked a stone bench to sit down, and with a gentle wave of her jade hand, several spiritual herbs, shrouded in a faint chill, slowly floated into Su Mu's hand.

"This is the Frostlight Grass you asked me to keep an eye out for. A few plants just matured in the Cold Pool yesterday. However, the medicinal effects of this herb dissipate very quickly, so I brought it to you as soon as possible."

Su Mu accepted the several Cold Light Grasses with both hands, his eyes filled with undisguised joy. This herb was one of the main ingredients he needed for refining pills recently, and now he had finally gathered them all.

Seeing that Su Mu was quite satisfied with the few spiritual herbs, Song Yu's lips curled into a slight smile. He then took out a tea set and calmly poured two cups of tea for the two of them.

"I'm glad you're satisfied, Junior Brother. There's another matter I've come here about that I'm quite curious about."

"Oh? Senior sister, please feel free to ask any questions you may have."

Su Mu carefully put away the Cold Light Grass, looked at Song Yu, and spoke in a light and casual tone.

Song Yu did not speak immediately. Instead, he picked up his teacup, gently blew on it, and took a small sip. Only then did he raise his eyes, looking at Su Mu with a questioning gaze, and slowly began to speak:

"Junior brother, you haven't forgotten what you said at the sect market that day, have you? There are quite a few stories circulating in the sect recently."

Upon hearing this, a fleeting hint of guilt crossed Su Mu's face, quickly replaced by a look of confusion. Several stories? What exactly had these people been spreading?

"Ahem, senior sister, please don't be offended. I was forced by circumstances that day, and I only said those words in a moment of desperation."

"A hasty statement? So, it's all a lie?"

Upon hearing this, Song Yu put down her teacup and stared intently at Su Mu with a hint of a smile in her eyes.

Su Mu chuckled, shook his head, and looked intently at Song Yu, speaking with absolute certainty:

"It's no exaggeration to say that I have long harbored feelings for my senior sister. However, the path to immortality is long and arduous, and I dare not be presumptuous, which is why I have never spoken of it."

Song Yu never expected Su Mu to be so direct in revealing his feelings. Her heart was thrown into turmoil, her cheeks flushed red, and her eyes drooped in panic, not knowing where to look.

Seeing this, Su Mu took a step forward instead.

"Senior sister, I did not act on impulse. I know what you feel. But I understand that as a person with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, the sect has high hopes for you and does not want worldly affairs to interfere with your path of cultivation."

At this point, Su Mu's eyes shone even brighter, and a calm and firm confidence burst forth from the bottom of his heart.

"Without achieving Core Formation, one is destined to remain an ant! Before truly reaching the Core Formation realm, I do not wish to indulge in romantic love. Besides, the path to Core Formation is something easily attainable for both of us. Perhaps Senior Sister lacks confidence in me?"

Song Yu met his burning gaze, her heart trembled, and she felt as if she were being melted by it. She gently shook her head, her voice soft and sweet, tinged with a hint of panic:

"I, of course I believe my junior brother."

"Senior sister, do you have feelings for me?"

Song Yu raised his eyes and met Su Mu's gaze for a few breaths. Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he nodded slightly.

Su Mu couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. He took a deep breath and said, word by word, "After you form your core, would you be willing to become my Daoist partner, Yu Yu?"

Song Yu froze, her clear eyes widening suddenly, and she stammered:

"What did you call me?"

"Yu Yu." Su Mu blinked, looking completely innocent.

"you!"

Song Yu was so embarrassed that her earlobes turned bright red. Her already fair and jade-like face flushed with a rosy hue, making her so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.

"Senior sister, you haven't answered me yet."

Su Mu smiled, his gaze fixed intently on her.

In the blink of an eye, the cave was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat, and time seemed to stretch on endlessly. Finally, a sound as faint as a mosquito's buzz softly fell:

"I promise you..."

......

The years do not live, the seasons flow.

Two and a half years had passed since Su Mu and Song Yu confessed their feelings to each other. On this day, Su Mu was concentrating on refining elixirs in his cave when he was suddenly startled by a piece of unexpected news.

[His alchemy skills have gained him renown; his lifespan has increased by 80.]

Current Life Number: 160

Su Mu suddenly realized that he had refined and sold a lot of pills in the past few years, including some with unique and rare medicinal effects. Now he was gradually gaining fame within the Luoyun Sect.

"If this is how you can obtain destiny, then I'll have many more ways to accumulate destiny in the future."

Su Mu was in a great mood at the moment. His alchemy skills were already quite good, but he lacked rare spiritual herbs to refine those high-level pills.

He simply took out the array formation manual he had found from the sect and slowly flipped through it. Before long, he was immersed in it, his mind and spirit completely captivated.

The art of formations, compared to other cultivation techniques, places greater emphasis on innate comprehension and talent.

Although his spiritual sense was strong and memorizing and understanding array formation texts was not difficult for him, his progress in array formations was much slower compared to his rapid advancements in alchemy and weapon crafting.

Su Mu wasn't in a hurry; time was the last thing he lacked. So he calmed himself down and studied diligently. When he felt confused or lost, he would go to Song Yu to play the zither and drink tea together to calm his mind. Before he knew it, years had passed and time had flown by.

Five years later...

Luoyun Sect, its inner market area.

"Senior Brother Su, you've emerged from seclusion again? Did you perhaps refine some new treasure this time?"

In front of the largest shop in the market, a shopkeeper who was in the early stage of Foundation Establishment immediately greeted Su Mu with great enthusiasm as soon as he entered.

"It's just a random discovery. These are the items I've refined recently. I'll trouble you, junior brother, to follow the old rules as before."

Su Mu smiled politely, then waved his hand, and a dozen jade bottles, several magical artifacts, and several small array plates appeared in mid-air.

"These, these are all? Please wait a moment, Senior Brother Su, let me check them for you."

The shopkeeper was slightly surprised upon seeing this. Among these treasures were not only rare and highly effective elixirs, but also several top-grade magic artifacts, as well as a few small array plates for illusion and protective formations.

"This Senior Brother Su is truly becoming more and more unfathomable," the shopkeeper thought to himself, before respectfully taking inventory.

While the shopkeeper was taking inventory, Su Mu casually found a place to sit down, secretly sighing to himself.

Over the past five years, he has devoted most of his energy to the art of array formations, but his talent is ultimately mediocre, and to this day, he has only managed to refine a few low-level array formations.

Fortunately, his application of formations has become increasingly sophisticated, and now when he activates the Nine Corpse Bone Formation again, its power can be increased by one or two points.

Thinking of this, a slight thought stirred within him.

Eight years have passed since he won the sword-testing competition. During these eight years, he has lived a secluded life, focusing on his training. His former brilliance has long been concealed, and his fame has likely faded considerably.

"It seems it's time to explore the Yue Kingdom."