Immortality and Cultivation: I can extract entries from all things.

Two months later.

The tenth day after the start of winter.

Inside the thatched hut, the oil lamp flickered dimly.

Fang He sat cross-legged on the futon, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing long and even.

The spiritual energy in the dantian flowed slowly, circulating through the meridians for one cycle before gradually returning to calm.

He opened his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing in them.

Qi Refining Level 4, done!

After ten days of seclusion, taking pills to aid in the breakthrough, I finally overcame the bottleneck.

With the blessing of sixteen key terms, his cultivation speed far surpasses that of ordinary people.

While it may not be comparable to a top-grade spiritual root, it should be roughly equivalent to a mid-grade spiritual root.

This step went more smoothly than expected.

Fang He got up and stretched, feeling the flow of energy within his body.

Refining to the fourth level signifies officially entering the mid-stage of Qi Refining, representing a significant improvement over the previous three levels.

With the meridians widened by nearly 30%, the resistance to the flow of spiritual energy was significantly reduced, and the effects of the "Circulation of Qi" became even more pronounced after the breakthrough.

The capacity of his dantian has also expanded considerably, now able to hold 50-60% more spiritual energy than when it was at the third level.

He raised his hand, and a ball of blue light condensed in his palm.

Vine technique.

The azure light transformed into a slender vine, swirling around his fingertips with extraordinary agility.

Compared to before the breakthrough, spells are cast more smoothly, spiritual energy consumption is reduced, and power is also increased.

Fang He dispersed the vines and then tested his divine sense.

The range has expanded by about 20% compared to before, and its perception of the surrounding environment is more acute.

His joy did not last long; he soon regained his composure.

During his ten days of seclusion, he was completely unaware of the situation outside.

After Ye Chen left, the Qingyuan Sect sent a Foundation Establishment cultivator to oversee the situation.

There was much discussion in the market, with people saying that the man never offered any help, only kept order and reported the situation.

There are also some rumors that Chief Zhou wanted to marry Zhou Xiaolan to Ye Chen, but Ye Chen only agreed to take her as a secondary wife, and the two sides are deadlocked.

Fang He had no interest in these matters; he was merely collecting information.

Rogue cultivators are at the bottom of the cultivation world, and these things are irrelevant to them.

He was more concerned about the Dark Abyss Pavilion.

The intelligence from that day indicated a large-scale migration of sea monsters, prompting the Dark Abyss Pavilion to accelerate its operations.

The situation is changing rapidly these days, and he always feels uneasy.

Fang He straightened his clothes and took out a few spirit stones, putting them into his sleeve.

He needs the latest news.

He pushed open the door and walked towards the market.

The winter night was bitterly cold, but his steps were steady.

……

The market town was just beginning to brighten.

The streets were sparsely populated, with only a few early-rising vendors setting up their stalls.

Fang He walked confidently to Captain Chen's stall.

Captain Chen was bending over to sort through the cargo, placing pieces of seafood on the table, including seashells, scales, marine animal bones, and some strange items he couldn't name.

He smiled when he saw Fang He.

"Brother Fang, long time no see. I heard you were in seclusion?"

Fang He nodded: "Just came out of seclusion."

Captain Chen remained silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over Fang He. He seemed to notice something, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Brother Fang, has... broken through?"

Fang He replied modestly, "I was lucky; I just entered the fourth level of Qi Refining."

Captain Chen clicked his tongue twice and clapped his hands, saying, "You've already reached the fourth level of Qi Refining in just one year. I remember you have a low-grade spiritual root, right? That's quite an achievement. Looks like you've had some good fortune lately."

Fang He chuckled and changed the subject: "It was just luck. Has Captain Chen had any news lately?"

Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Captain Chen did not press him further and gestured for him to sit down on a stone stool to the side.

"Ask away, brother, I'll answer anything you know."

Fang He got straight to the point and asked about the migration of sea creatures.

Captain Chen's expression turned serious. He looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "Brother, things haven't been peaceful outside while you've been in seclusion for ten days."

"The large-scale migration of sea beasts is just a pretext. I heard that there are second-tier sea beasts leading first-tier beast herds in the outer sea."

Fang He's heart sank: "A second-tier sea beast?"

Captain Chen nodded, his expression serious: "Second-tier sea beasts possess the strength of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Although there are only a few of them, they are followed by a considerable number of first-tier beasts."

"This time when I went out to sea, I went far away from that area. Just looking at it made my heart pound."

"The sea surface was covered with countless dorsal fins, and the water columns shot up dozens of meters high. The sight was..."

He shook his head, seemingly still shaken.

Fang He frowned deeply: "How could this happen?"

Captain Chen sighed, "Who knows? Some say they were all driven out of the deep sea at once."

Fang He pressed further, "What about the Dark Abyss Pavilion?"

Captain Chen looked around and lowered his voice even further: "Brother, I'm only telling you this, don't tell anyone else."

"Some say that those sea monsters were driven away, and that the Dark Abyss Pavilion is plotting something big, but the specifics are unclear."

"But one thing is certain: they have Qing'ao Island as their target."

Fang He remained silent for a moment, processing this information.

Second-tier sea beasts led a group of first-tier beasts, with Foundation Establishment level demonic beasts at the head, followed by countless first-tier sea beasts.

Qi-refining cultivators are nothing but cannon fodder in their presence.

He had just broken through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, which was meaningless in a battle at the Foundation Establishment level.

Even with vine magic and other enhancements, they are nothing more than ants when facing second-tier sea beasts.

Fang He remembered something and asked, "Has there been any movement from that Foundation Establishment cultivator stationed at Qingyuan Sect? You must already know about this, right?"

Captain Chen gave a wry smile: "Don't even mention it, just pretend you didn't hear it."

I wonder if it's because Zhou Xiaolan's marriage deal fell through and he's deliberately playing dead on this issue.

They might even abandon us in our time of need. Qing'ao Island is just one of many islands under the rule of the Qingyuan Sect; it's hardly a strategic location.

Fang He's heart sank.

Captain Chen sighed and patted Fang He on the shoulder: "Brother, you'd better make plans soon. Qing'ao Island is probably not going to be peaceful."

"I have a feeling this storm will be bigger than in previous years."

Fang He nodded: "Thank you for informing me, Captain Chen."

He rose to take his leave, his heart heavy.

I thought I could finally breathe a sigh of relief after the breakthrough, but now it seems the crisis is closer than I imagined.

Captain Chen called out to him again: "Brother, if anything happens, you can come to me. My ship is ready to go to sea anytime."

Fang He turned around, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you."

Captain Chen waved his hand and continued tidying up the goods on his stall.

Fang He turned and left, her steps steady, but her heart heavy.

……

As I walked back to Lingtian, Captain Chen's words echoed in my ears.

Second-tier sea beasts, Dark Abyss Pavilion, Azure Turtle Island.

Did the Qingyuan Sect refuse to help those in dire straits?

Fang He kept walking, planning the way forward in his mind.

The winter sun pierced through the clouds, but its warmth was minimal.

Fang He returned to the thatched hut, sat cross-legged, and began to think quietly.

The current situation requires us to make a choice.

This patrol job at the Zhou family's house is not a long-term solution.

While there are some benefits now, it could be dangerous if a sea monster were to attack.

He knew in his heart that if a second-tier sea beast attacked, he would have no chance of survival.

Fleeing to the depths of the inland sea, far from trouble?

The thought had barely surfaced when he carefully weighed it.

The inner sea is indeed safe; the Qingyuan Sect will not stand idly by while sea monsters invade.

But how can a spiritual plant cultivator like him survive if he leaves Qing'ao Island?

Renting spiritual fields requires connections and a deposit. He only managed to gain a foothold on Qing'ao Island through his previous accumulation of wealth, but he had nothing elsewhere.

Participating in missions requires connections and trust. He had been involved in the sea monster cleanup in the Zhou family for so long and had established some foundation. If he were to move to another place, he would have to start all over again.

Moreover, the settlements of independent cultivators in the Inner Sea are not peaceful either, as there are local tyrants and power struggles there as well.

Changing locations is just starting over from a different starting point.

Moreover, their hasty escape meant they had limited savings and couldn't hold out for long.

Thirty-two spirit stones may seem like a lot to outsiders, but if one is truly in dire straits, they can't last more than half a year.

Fang He cleared his mind and temporarily put the idea aside.

The best option right now is to continue accumulating wealth within the Zhou family.

Earn spirit stones and merit points by completing sea monster cleanup missions, and learn a skill at the same time.

"Perhaps alchemy could help?"

Alchemists have always been highly sought after in the cultivation world; with this skill, one can establish oneself wherever one goes in the future.

His entries, "[Plant Affinity]," indicate that his perception of spiritual herbs far surpasses that of ordinary people, while "[Spiritual Herb Sensing]" allows him to detect subtle changes in the properties of spiritual herbs.

These two entries helped him a lot when planting the Spirit Valley.

It might also be useful in alchemy.

The most important aspects of alchemy are the control of heat and the combination of medicinal materials. The more sensitive one is to spiritual herbs, the better one can grasp the changes in their properties during alchemy.

This is his advantage.

But what is needed for alchemy?

Where do we obtain cultivation techniques, alchemy furnaces, and spiritual herbs?

How much will it cost?

He doesn't know anything about it.

Are there any alchemists in the market? Does the cultivation technique pavilion have any alchemy manuals?

How high is the entry barrier? How many spirit stones are needed?

Fang He secretly decided to find out more about it when the opportunity arose.

You need to understand something before you can judge whether a path is viable...