Cultivating immortality through titles, without bottlenecks.

"Early-stage Qi Refining cultivators practice low-grade techniques, mid-stage cultivators practice mid-grade techniques, and late-stage cultivators practice high-grade techniques."

"It's not just the difference in the difficulty of cultivation, but more importantly, the requirements of the cultivator's magical power for the relevant spells."

"A simple mid-grade spell consumes several times more mana than a low-grade spell. No wonder I haven't seen many early-stage cultivators practicing it."

Having read the jade slip that Yang Chupei had inscribed for him, Wei Zhong finally understood.

"Master has such confidence in Senior Brother Wu, perhaps because of his magic and secret techniques."

"After all, the bottleneck in the later stages of Qi Refining is not easy to overcome..."

Wei Zhong muttered to himself, focusing all his attention on the jade slip.

Wei Zhong didn't record many techniques this time, but he was most interested in three of them.

The first is Falling Leaves, which is an advanced method of the Spring Outing Step, a mid-grade escape technique. Wei Zhong had seen Yang Chupei use it, and in terms of speed, it was indeed a notch faster than the Spring Outing Step.

The second technique is the Rejuvenation Technique, a method used to accelerate the healing of injuries and as an auxiliary treatment.

The third method is a life-or-death secret technique called "Withering and Flourishing." It is a method that consumes one's own essence and blood to forcibly restore a cultivator's mana. The side effects are severe, and it should only be used as a last resort.

Wei Zhong tried to study it, and before he knew it, several days had passed.

"These three mid-grade spells are indeed much more difficult than low-grade ones."

Wei Zhongyi rolled up his sleeves and muttered to himself:

"Autumn wind blows, leaves fall, and I follow the leaves..."

Its body suddenly floated up, like a fallen leaf swept up by the autumn wind.

Although his feet did not move noticeably, his body shifted several feet to the side the instant the spell was cast.

We went directly from one end of the room to the other.

"This technique excels at rapid advances and long-distance escapes, but its agility is slightly inferior to the 'Spring Outing Steps'..."

Wei Zhong looked thoughtful:

"No, perhaps it's because I've only just started practicing this technique and my control over its power is insufficient."

Wei Zhong went out and found a secluded spot in the back mountain, where he began to practice on his own.

An hour passed, and then it drifted down from the tree branch, its face showing emotion:

"These falling leaves do indeed consume magical power. With my current cultivation level, I can only sustain them for an hour at most."

Even if one replenishes their mana by taking pills, it can only last for a maximum of one and a half hours.

"It's enough for short-term combat, but it becomes somewhat tiring for prolonged battles or long-distance raids."

"After all, I've only just entered the fourth level of Qi Refining..."

Recalling Yang Chupei's expression, Wei Zhong understood that this mid-grade technique was indeed not suitable for early-stage Qi Refining cultivation.

Upon attempting the Rejuvenation Technique again, Wei Zhong discovered that this technique wasn't particularly powerful; it merely accelerated healing and amplified the cultivator's energy, rather than repairing injuries in a very short time.

"This move is ineffective for healing a severely injured body, but it can forcibly boost a cultivator's spirit and maintain their fighting spirit."

As for the final withering and flourishing technique, Wei Zhong merely made a hand seal, and as his magical power circulated within his body, a sense of fear and panic arose spontaneously.

Wei Zhong trembled, unable to complete the final step of the technique.

Loosening his grip, Wei Zhong wiped the sweat from his forehead:

"This is truly a life-or-death technique!"

"Sacrificing one's life essence to forcibly restore magical power is something only the Qingya Sect, with its dual cultivation of body and magic, can withstand. If it were purely spiritual cultivation, I'm afraid..."

Wei Zhong slowly shook his head.

……

"Fifth Senior Brother, you're awake?"

Wei Zhong saw Liao Yuran blink and immediately put down the jade slip in his hand:

"Please wait a moment, senior brother. I'll go and fetch Master right away."

When Yang Jingting was summoned to this room, a hint of joy appeared on his face:

"Finally awake!"

"Master!" Liao Yuran tried to get up, but the pain in his chest made him frown.

"Sigh," Yang Jingting immediately stepped forward, "Lie down and don't move around these days. Your injuries are no small matter. You won't be able to get out of bed for at least ten days to half a month."

For a cultivator, such an injury is indeed extremely serious.

"I've already heard what Changqing told you about what happened. Don't worry, Master will definitely find a way to get justice for you..."

After calming the other party down, Yang Jingting left with Wei Zhong.

"How's the elixir refining going?"

Wei Zhong slightly raised an eyebrow:

"Progress is slow. The alchemy process is much smoother and even takes less time, but the toxicity from the pills still won't go down."

Yang Jingting nodded:

"Don't rush, alchemy is a time-consuming task."

"If you could reduce the poison in just a few days and refine it into a high-quality elixir, wouldn't all the other alchemists have lived in vain?"

"We still have time; three years is a long time."

The other person turned to look at Wei Zhong, a gentle smile appearing on their face:

"As long as you can produce a high-quality Qi-Nourishing Pill, I will immediately teach you the method for a mid-grade one."

"If we can refine good-quality mid-grade elixirs, we'll be more confident in the alchemy competition three years from now."

Wei Zhong pressed further:

"South, Danhui? Master, are you perhaps referring to Medicine King Valley?"

Yang Jingting nodded:

That's right.

"The Medicine King Valley is extremely powerful, relying on its alchemy and elixirs to firmly establish its foundation."

"Not only that, the other party also holds a pill refining conference every now and then, attracting many alchemists to participate."

"Among them are not only people from my Cangwu Mountain Range, but also people from other regions, including those from Foundation Establishment and even Core Formation forces."

"Sixth Brother, if you can make a name for yourself at the Pill Gathering, even the Biluo Sect won't dare to provoke you easily."

"Master's alchemy skills, could it be...?"

Yang Jingting shook his head:

"I only obtained a Daoist alchemy lineage by chance in my early years, but I have no affinity with the Valley of Medicine Kings."

The other person smiled again at this point:

"If we had the backing of Medicine King Valley, why would my Qingya Sect remain confined to a corner of Cangwu and Nanping?"

Yang Jingting patted Wei Zhong on the shoulder:

"My master was a disappointment, and the same thing happened in my generation."

"Your Uncle Tu caused trouble and didn't end up well."

"I am also getting on in years, and my energy is limited, so it is difficult for me to take another step forward."

"In the end, Qingya Sect still needs young people like you."

Wei Zhong nodded emphatically: "Disciple understands!"

Songlinfang,

When Wei Zhong returned home and saw Zhou Ninglu, he took out a small bottle of elixir.

"Mother, this is a low-grade Qi-nourishing pill, which I refined."

Zhou Ninglu took the bottle and looked at the greenish-blue pills with delight.

"You've got guts! You've got guts!"

"However, my mother won't need this elixir. You're at a crucial stage of your cultivation, so keep it for yourself..."

Wei Zhong did not take it back, but forcibly stuffed it into Zhou Ninglu's hand:

"Mother, just take it. I'll refine as many Qi-Nourishing Pills as I want. If you need more, just send someone up the mountain to tell them, and I'll have more."

Seeing that Wei Zhong insisted, Zhou Ninglu stopped insisting.

After carefully putting away the elixir, he grabbed Wei Zhong's arm and said:

"Zhong'er, you've been cultivating at Qingya Sect for so long, have you met a suitable girl?"

Wei Zhong smiled gently:

"What are you saying, Mother? I'm busy with cultivation and alchemy; I have no time for such thoughts."

"Silly child, if you don't like the girls inside... Mother will find you a few. These days, quite a few people have stepped into the Wei family's gate..."