Mortal: Li Feiyu, who came from the realm of a supreme being

As winter turned to spring once again, the sound of sharp blade energy piercing the air at Huadaowu's martial arts arena grew even more chilling than usual.

As a wood-type celestial spiritual root, Han Yunshu has received so much attention and resources in the year since she entered the sect that it can be described as "completely unreasonable".

She could take almost any of the rare pills in the sect's inventory that were suitable for wood-type Qi cultivators; several Core Formation elders would occasionally "pass by" Chang Hao's cave, ostensibly to inquire about the disciple's cultivation progress, but in reality, they wanted to see this legendary Heavenly Spirit Root seedling with their own eyes.

As a result, Li Feiyu, who was portrayed as having "peerless comprehension" and was only "slightly inferior" in spiritual root, also benefited a lot, and never lacked various resources for cultivating and strengthening his foundation.

Neither of them deliberately kept a low profile nor tried to be ostentatious, but the aura of their Heavenly Spiritual Roots and "geniuses of self-created cultivation techniques" made it difficult for them to go unnoticed in Huadaowu, a place that valued martial arts.

Their style of doing things was quite different from most of the cautious Qi Refining disciples, carrying an almost self-evident sharpness and ambition. This gave their master Chang Hao quite a headache. He was pleased with his disciples' outstanding abilities, but worried that they were too "dazzling" and did not know how to hide their talents.

Li Feiyu, however, felt good about this. In his previous life, he understood that the path to true strength was not one of obscurity or sudden rise from nothing. From the Enlightenment stage onward, every one of those who could eventually ascend to the Dharma Body was already renowned in the Outer Realm, fighting their way up step by step through competition with their peers and challenges beyond their level.

While it may not be as fiercely competitive as the struggle for the imperial path or the brutal, treacherous cultivation of poisonous creatures as in the novel *Covering the Sky*, it is certainly not something that can be achieved through mere survival of the fittest. This "martial arts cultivation background" brings a logic to his actions that is incompatible with the "prudence first" approach common in the cultivation world, but it also makes him act with far fewer scruples.

However, a direct problem brought about by this "high-profile" approach is now looming ahead.

"What? You want to participate in the next Blood Forbidden Land Trial? That's ridiculous!" A harsh rebuke rang out from inside Chang Hao's cave.

The Core Formation Master stared at the calm-looking Li Feiyu and the equally determined Han Yunshu beside him, who hadn't spoken yet. He felt his temples throbbing.

"Master, this disciple truly needs this opportunity to hone myself and also to secure resources for the sect," Li Feiyu said, bowing respectfully.

"Training? Tempering?" Chang Hao laughed angrily, pointing at Han Yunshu, "What is Yunshu going to do? She has a Heavenly Spiritual Root! She's the sect's guaranteed Core Formation seedling! What kind of place is the Crimson Forbidden Land? It's a bloody arena where the seven major sects send their Qi Refining disciples to fight for their lives and compete for the Foundation Establishment main medicine! It's perfectly normal for a genius or two to die there! Which sect would let a Heavenly Spiritual Root disciple take such a risk? You'll get your share of Foundation Establishment pills, so focus on your cultivation and breaking through to Foundation Establishment is the right thing to do!"

He paused, looked at Li Feiyu, and said in a slightly softer but still authoritative tone, "Feiyu, I understand your thoughts. But although your swordsmanship is exquisite, your cultivation is still only at the Qi Refining stage. The spots for the forbidden area have already been decided. Although you two have shown outstanding performance since entering the sect, your qualifications are too shallow, and there is no need for you to risk your lives. Let's not mention this matter again!"

Li Feiyu felt frustrated. He had indeed overlooked the cultivation world's logic of protecting "rare assets".

In the eyes of the higher-ups, Qi Refining stage disciples are of course considered waste materials, but Qi Refining stage disciples with Heavenly Spiritual Roots are not!

Not only are they not consumables, but they are also important talents who need special care to ensure their growth. How could they be easily placed in dangerous places with a high mortality rate? From the sect's perspective, this reasoning is justifiable, but it seriously conflicts with his plan.

After leaving his master's cave, Li Feiyu's expression darkened slightly.

He absolutely had to go to the Bloodstained Forbidden Land.

Over the past year, he has repeatedly considered the future.

In the cultivation world, relying solely on the close-combat advantage of martial arts is no longer sufficient for aspiring to become a Core Formation cultivator.

A Core Formation cultivator's escape speed far surpasses that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, their mana shield is incredibly thick, and they possess the power of magical treasures. A direct, forceful attack would be extremely difficult.

But it's not hopeless. This is different from the real world of my previous life, where the gap between major realms is like an insurmountable chasm, insurmountable even for the most outstanding geniuses.

For cultivators in this realm, advancement in their cultivation level is more about the accumulation of "quantity." Although there are qualitative changes, they do not form an absolutely insurmountable gap.

With enough people, ingenious planning, and appropriate magical artifacts and formations, challenging opponents of higher levels is not a myth.

His journey to the Crimson Forbidden Land held three crucial significances for him.

First and foremost, find Han Li and demand a drop of the Heavenly Creation Dew. This matter concerns the completion of the Dao of Life. It's not difficult; simply find Han Li.

Secondly, it allows for the acquisition of a large number of magical artifacts. Within the forbidden area, the magical artifacts carried by elite disciples of various sects are generally of higher quality than those carried by independent cultivators outside, making it a shortcut to wealth.

Thirdly, there is the legendary Six Ding Heavenly Armor Talisman! If one can obtain this talisman, defensive power will increase dramatically, and the feasibility of many originally high-risk plans will be greatly improved.

Although it is extremely difficult to obtain, it is worth the effort to plan for it.

As for whether Han Li would need this talisman to smuggle himself into the Spirit Realm in the future... Li Feiyu quickly dismissed the thought.

If I can achieve the Outer Realm or even a higher realm in the future, what difficulty would it be to take Han Li to the Spirit Realm with me, given the life-and-death friendship between our two families?

If I were to perish along the way... what would Han Li's fate have to do with me? On the contrary, it would be a real waste to let such a divine talisman be completely consumed in the spatial storm.

The most pressing issue now is that the sect simply won't allow it.

He and Han Yunshu mentioned it several times, but Chang Hao sternly rejected it each time, leaving them no room to even report it to higher authorities or try to change the situation.

In their spare time, their senior brother Yue Qing would often come to spar with them.

Han Yunshu's swordsmanship became increasingly proficient. His "Treading the Moon and Leaving Fragrance" movement technique, combined with the flying knife skills of the Transformation Blade Dock, was agile and unpredictable, often leaving even Yue Qing, a man in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, in awe.

Li Feiyu's swordsmanship was even more unfathomable. Every seemingly ordinary move was actually a counterattack, sometimes using skill to overcome force, sometimes using momentum to overwhelm the opponent. Yue Qing was thrilled and exclaimed that his master had found a treasure.

As direct disciples of the Core Formation Elders, they do not need to perform the chores of ordinary disciples; cultivation is their top priority.

With an ample supply of elixirs, Han Yunshu's cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds.

"So this is how much elixirs can help with cultivation..." In the quiet room, Han Yunshu slowly finished his practice, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and still had a hint of disbelief in his eyes.

Throughout the year, the sect provided her with a continuous supply of pills, allowing her to absorb and refine spiritual energy without any worries, achieving a level of efficiency far exceeding that of her own arduous cultivation.

In just one year, she had stabilized her cultivation at the twelfth level of Qi Refining and was steadily progressing towards the thirteenth level.

Li Feiyu said calmly, "That's why cultivators are so eager to acquire all kinds of resources."

His cultivation speed was actually even faster. However, he only used half a year to push his "Eternal Spring Skill" cultivation to the twelfth level of perfection before he deliberately stopped.

On the surface, he switched to cultivating the "Golden Light Blade Technique" to hone his metal-type spiritual power in order to adapt to the cultivation methods of the Blade Transformation Pavilion and to further solidify his persona as a "blade technique genius".

Secretly, he devoted most of his attention to quietly gathering and purifying the primordial energy within his inner world, preparing for the events in the Blood Forbidden Land.

"I've been cultivating the path of immortality for two or three years now. It seems that as long as you have enough resources, you can advance without any training. Since we have the ability to fake a heavenly spiritual root, why don't we just cultivate the path of immortality and achieve longevity?" Han Yunshu asked seriously.

Li Feiyu glanced at her and replied, "Because the end of this road is still a sea of ​​suffering. And our goal should always be to reach the other shore."

Han Yunshu nodded and carefully noted his words. Although she didn't quite understand what the so-called other shore was, she could sense Li Feiyu's attitude. There was no need to consider immortal cultivation anymore; it could only be a tool for achieving martial arts.

At this moment, Li Feiyu's thoughts drifted deeper into the Crimson Forbidden Land.

Obtaining the key itself is not difficult. I remember in the original story, Nangong Wan and others gathered herbs first and then obtained the key. As long as the timing is right, the conflict can be completely avoided.

He didn't even want to get involved in the karma of the Heavenly Bottle, so he naturally kept his distance from Nangong Wan.

Now that I have the key, how do I get into the pagoda?

The cultivation limitations of the late Nascent Soul stage are as annoying as the "we'll explore the areas ahead later" message.

Once I reach the strength of the late Nascent Soul stage, how much value will the items inside the tower still hold for me?

What's more, there was also an old monster in the Nascent Soul stage, Xiang Zhili, lurking nearby at that time...

After much thought, conventional cultivation methods proved inadequate to resolve these troublesome issues. Even if it were theoretically possible to advance beyond one's cultivation level in the mortal world, there was no way to skip from Qi Refining to Nascent Soul or Deity Transformation.

Li Feiyu couldn't help but sigh inwardly, regretting that his natal artifact, which had accompanied him in battles for many years and shared a deep connection with him, had not been able to travel with him in this life.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have to put in so much effort, and many things would be much easier to handle.

"Looking at it now, achieving our goal still requires those special martial arts techniques... Just to be on the safe side, Yun Shu should also stop her cultivation of immortality."

Li Feiyu's mind raced, and he immediately came up with a plan.

A rough outline of a plan began to slowly take shape in my mind.

"Yun Shu," he called softly.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

Li Feiyu asked, "I need you to condense a Primordial Divine Source for me, but this will damage your foundation, requiring ten years of arduous cultivation to repair. Are you willing?"

"As long as Brother Li needs it, what does it matter if it takes a hundred years or even ten years to build a foundation?" Han Yunshu said without hesitation. "Besides, I'm going to use my Nascent Soul to perform the Heaven-Mending Technique, which is already planned for a hundred years. Ten years won't have much of an impact."

The so-called Tai Su Divine Source refers to a jade-like entity formed by gathering the primordial energy of heaven and earth through spiritual energy and refining it specifically in the ancestral aperture. Cultivators can extract the Tai Su Divine Source for others to use, but this will damage their own foundation.

Essentially, it has no effect on the cultivator himself; its significance lies in taking it out and using it.

Li Feiyu grasped Han Yunshu's hand and said earnestly, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Han Yunshu shook her head: "Everything I have now is given to me by you. As long as I can help you, I will not feel wronged at all."

Li Feiyu said seriously, "It's fine for a martial artist to have something they're attached to, but remember not to get trapped by it."

"Why?" Han Yunshu asked, puzzled.

"I've known you since you were twelve, and I've been the one teaching you to read, write, and practice martial arts and cultivation ever since. I'm the person you've spent the most time with, and you may have feelings of filial piety or longing and admiration for me. To be honest, I've enjoyed it quite a bit, after all, what man doesn't like a woman who's completely obedient?" He paused here, sighed, "But if you want to reach the pinnacle of martial arts, you can't do it this way. You must understand where your heart truly lies."

"Where my heart leads..." Han Yunshu murmured to herself.

During this period, she naturally obeyed Li Feiyu's every word, but the world was full of dazzling sights and temptations. That's why he now took a step back, half-jokingly, and once again became a life mentor to guide Han Yunshu.

All her words seemed sincere and heartfelt, reflecting her perspective on the other person, and she genuinely intended to teach. But for her now, Li Feiyu was someone she couldn't avoid, and could even be said to be her everything.

Even if you seriously ponder and go around in circles, the answer will still be the same, but it will unconsciously strengthen your belief.

Li Feiyu suddenly felt disgusted that she had such thoughts about scheming against a girl from a mountain village.

He couldn't even tell how much of his sincerity was genuine.