Cultivating immortality through titles, without bottlenecks.

The title of "The Immortal" of Grandmaster Chen Yangzhuo sounds impressive, but in reality, he only lived forty years longer than an ordinary Qi Refining Perfection cultivator.

He lived from 120 to 160 years old.

In fact, it also includes twenty years of merit from the "Qingya Health Preservation Technique," so the title of "The Immortal" actually extended his lifespan by twenty years.

In Wei Zhong's view, it was indeed the worst of the worst.

Wei Zhong's own title of "Breaker" is undoubtedly much stronger, and it has not yet been fully developed.

"Perhaps this patriarch's title of 'the immortal' was also due to this, but since the other party disappeared for many years, it is impossible to compare them."

"As for other cultivators with titles, I can't even meet them, and I have no chance to see them."

Wei Zhong sighed and emptied the items from his storage bag.

Many items immediately appeared on the table.

After discarding the pile of glamorous clothes that the cultivator had taken, Wei Zhong looked at the other items.

"A dozen or so spirit stones? How did this cultivator only amass such a fortune through robbery?"

What can a dozen spirit stones do? Just a few Qi-Nourishing Pills.

Wei Zhong thought to himself that he had encountered a penniless wretch, and began to examine the other items.

A low-grade first-tier magic sword can be sold for a dozen or twenty spirit stones.

There was also a short dagger, but its quality was much worse; it was at best a mortal weapon with some spirit iron mixed in.

It's only worth four or five spirit stones.

Besides that, there were only two booklets.

A book called "Ruyin Gong" is a cultivation technique, but it is quite rudimentary, containing only the early and middle stages of Qi cultivation.

Wei Zhong casually flipped through the book, and only one secret technique caught his attention.

That was the sonic boom produced when the female cultivator slapped her abdomen.

This sonic boom is only effective at close range, but it can cause dizziness and temporary vertigo.

"I wonder if I'm qualified to practice the internal methods and techniques of this cultivation method..."

Wei Zhong had no intention of investigating for the time being, and instead focused his attention on another booklet.

"A complete guide to spells?"

Although the cover says "Complete Collection of Techniques", it actually only contains a dozen or so techniques, and they are all common techniques in the cultivation world.

Among them was the earthen wall technique that Wei Zhong had broken.

Fireball, Water Bullet, Golden Needle...

"These spells are really basic."

After thinking it over, Wei Zhong decided to give cultivation a try.

Before long, a fireball condensed in Wei Zhong's hand. It was not large, only about the size of an infant's fist.

Once it hits the ground, it shatters the bluestone, creating a three-foot-wide crater.

"It has some power; breaking through a spiritual cultivation body wouldn't be difficult, but..."

Wei Zhong tentatively used this technique to break his own Iron Armor Technique.

The explosion only managed to make Wei Zhong stagger, leaving his arm charred.

Wei Zhong reached out and touched it, revealing the reddened skin beneath.

"Is this the best you can do? Or is the fireball spell too weak?"

Wei Zhong refused to believe it and experimented with various low-grade techniques. He found that only the Golden Needle Technique, with its power concentrated to the extreme, had the ability to break through the Iron Armor Technique.

"It seems that this Iron Armor Technique is not a comprehensive defense; it is easy to block blunt attacks, but it is easy to get hurt by sharp attacks."

Wei Zhong secretly memorized this characteristic.

"We'll have to be careful when we encounter cultivators who wield magical swords in the future."

Several months passed in the blink of an eye during my secluded retreat for spiritual practice.

Wei Zhong and others have been disciples for a year, and each of them has achieved considerable success.

Gu Xue has broken through to the third level of Qi Refining, and there is another fellow disciple named Meng Qian who has reached the same level.

The other party comes from the Meng family, whose power is comparable to that of the Wei family. He is the pride of the family and receives preferential treatment in terms of resources.

As for Ning Zhiyuan, he arrived at the third level of Qi Refining much earlier.

He is the youngest and has the shortest cultivation time, but his cultivation level is improving the fastest.

It is said that the opponent is currently stuck at the mid-stage of Qi Refining and cannot break through in the short term. He is studying the sect's techniques to enhance his combat power.

"Complete level three of Qi Refining? This junior brother's cultivation speed is really too fast."

"At the gathering of fellow disciples," Meng Qian couldn't help but say.

He was seated beside Gu Xue, Wei Zhong, and eight other disciples from the same year.

Although Meng Qian and Gu Xue were both at the third level of Qi Refining, they had only managed to reach that level a few days ago with the help of elixirs.

They had both just entered the third level of Qi Refining, but Ning Zhiyuan had already reached the perfect third level of Qi Refining, a difference comparable to a minor realm.

"A superior-grade spiritual root aptitude, terrifyingly so!"

Wei Zhong exclaimed in admiration, and the others all nodded in agreement.

"Junior Brother's spiritual root aptitude is outstanding, but Brother Wei's talent in medicine making is in no way inferior!"

Meng Qian's flattering words drew frequent glances from the crowd.

The Meng family were typical businessmen, owning several shops in Songlinfang at the foot of the mountain.

Having witnessed the money-making power of the Wei family's Qi-Nourishing Powder, they had long harbored ambitions.

"Not at all, not at all. I can't compare to my junior brother. No matter how outstanding my medicine-making skills are, my cultivation speed still can't match Brother Meng's."

"Besides, Qi-Nourishing Powder isn't exactly a rare commodity..."

Of those present, only Meng Qian and Gu Xue were at the third level of Qi Refining, Wei Zhong and his two fellow disciples were at the second level, and the last three were at the first level.

This is a true reflection of most people in the spiritual practice community.

The difficulty of spiritual practice is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

People like Ning Zhiyuan and Gu Xue are ultimately a minority.

Many people spend years or more to cultivate Qi to the point of perfection, and some even cultivate until old age, only to remain in the early stage of Qi cultivation, trapped at the bottleneck for their entire lives.

In the cultivation world, those at the lower levels, such as the early stage of Qi Refining, constitute the majority.

Even Wei Zhong, if it weren't for the benefits of the Qi Nourishing Powder, would most likely still be struggling at the first level of Qi Refining.

"Speaking of which, have you all figured out your options?"

"The supplies from Qingya Sect will only last for one year. After that year, there will be no more spirit stipends."

"Even cultivating within the sect requires paying spirit stones... In addition, there are sect missions to be assigned, and if your cultivation level is insufficient, the mortality rate is extremely high."

Qingya Sect is not a charity; it needs spirit stones to maintain its operation. Therefore, it cannot support its disciples on its own.

The three fellow disciples at the first level of Qi Refining exchanged glances and all replied:

"The three of us plan to leave the mountain and become independent cultivators in Songlin Village. We'll gather some resources to continue our cultivation journey..."

This is what happens when someone has no powerful backing and resigns themselves to their fate.

"Oh? These three are indeed people with a heart for the Dao. My Meng family..."

Meng Qian's words were an attempt to win them over, which pleased the three of them.

His gaze then turned to the other two cultivators at the second level of Qi Refining.

One of them was Gu Xue's follower, a rather plump female cultivator who planned to stay in the sect, even if it cost her some spirit stones, to continue relying on the Qingya Sect as a powerful patron.

As for the other person, he accepted Meng Qian's offer to win him over.

"Wei's future is surely not something we need to worry about..."

Meng Qian was right. Senior Sister Yang Chupei had privately promised that as long as Wei Zhong used his talent for medicine making for the sect, he would be exempt from the miscellaneous spiritual fees and retain his status as a sect disciple.