First achieve immortality, then cultivate immortality.

The emperor was indeed willing to spend a lot of money, fearing that Xu Mu would leave like this, so he immediately put aside all other matters and took him to see the treasury first.

Xu Mu decided to reluctantly check what good things were available before deciding whether to leave or not.

"This treasure trove is something even the Imperial Preceptor doesn't have the chance to see. The Immortal and my great-uncle are fellow disciples, making him an honored guest of our royal family. Feel free to choose whatever you like."

As the emperor spoke, he led him to the imperial garden.

This imperial garden has mountains, water, flowers, and trees, making it equivalent to a 5A-level scenic spot, but it was the emperor's private garden.

A eunuch walked up to the rocks, opened a hidden mechanism inside, and revealed a secret cave.

"The sacred spring and the treasure vault are both in one place; you may take a look together, Immortal," the emperor politely invited him inside.

Xu Mu nodded calmly, still not holding out much hope.

Soon, the two entered the cave. The stone steps under their feet, like the mountain path, had been eroded by time, covered with moss, and become smooth. They had to hold onto the stone walls and walk carefully.

As you walk deeper in, a refreshing coolness washes over you.

Xu Mu raised an eyebrow, sensing that something was amiss.

Upon entering, there was no firelight inside; the only illumination came from the luminous stones embedded in the stone walls.

All you could hear was the babbling of the spring water, and the spiritual energy there was even more concentrated than in the valley.

Yan Qing's ability to cultivate from the mortal realm was not only due to his own talent, but also clearly owed much to this cave dwelling.

The fact that the Yan royal family was able to hide such a cave dwelling shows that they have some resources, so there might really be some good things inside the treasure vault.

Arriving at the so-called sacred spring, it turned out to be just a puddle of water, with spring water dripping down the tips of the stalactites above.

Xu Mu's gaze was fixed on these stalactites.

The secret to the formation of a spiritual spring lies in these stalactites.

Yan Qing had warned him against draining the pond to catch all the fish, which likely referred to these stalactites.

However, it's not entirely true that these stalactites are magical. Like Whale Pass, they are a natural gathering of spiritual energy. The key is not the rocks and mountains, but the naturally formed "energy".

One is the terrain of mountains, and the other is the terrain of water.

"Immortal..."

The emperor, dressed in a dragon robe, appeared composed, but was actually somewhat nervous.

For him, bringing Xu Mu here was partly a gamble.

However, given the current situation, he was overwhelmed and did not want to miss out on Xu Mu, such a good helper.

At least, Xu Mu and Yan Qing are fellow disciples. Once Yan Qing is worshipped and can be contacted, he can easily find out the truth by asking.

With this layer of protection, he can have more trust.

Xu Mu reached out and caught a drop of spiritual spring water, then said indifferently, "It's really just average."

It's somewhat useful, but not worth the risk he'd take staying here for.

Seeing that he didn't like it, the emperor was a little embarrassed and quickly said, "Immortal, please move over here, the treasure trove is over here."

As he spoke, he walked to the stone wall beside him, triggered a mechanism, and opened another secret cave.

Xu Mu followed him inside.

Stone platforms were carved out on both sides of the cave, on which were placed some ancient artifacts, such as fragments of magical treasures, as well as some peculiar stones, which were indeed not ordinary objects.

Xu Mu did not understand weapon crafting techniques, so he was unable to identify these materials.

Even the emperor couldn't explain it; many of them were passed down from their ancestors, and he didn't know their purpose, so he could only let Xu Mu see for himself.

After looking around, Xu Mu picked up an object that looked relatively intact and examined it carefully.

This thing looks dark and is only the size of a palm. It looks like a copper incense burner with a thick layer of black rust on the walls, from which a faint spiritual light shimmers.

He tried to pry off the rust, but couldn't. He took out his sword from his storage bag and tried to scrape it off, but that didn't work either. He became interested.

"What is this?" he asked.

After looking at it, the emperor shook his head: "I don't know either. It's been here for hundreds of years, so it's normal for it to rust."

Xu Mu remained silent; this black rust was definitely not ordinary corrosion.

He then studied it further and tried to inject magic power, but nothing happened.

After examining it carefully, he focused his mind, concentrating his spiritual energy in a manner similar to controlling an object.

Soon, he seemed to "touch" the furnace wall beneath the rust, which was uneven and seemed to have something engraved on it.

His spiritual power slowly enveloped it, like a stream flowing over a stone statue, and every carving gradually became clear in his perception.

Fortunately, his mental strength had been honed several times and he had enough power to envelop the entire incense burner.

Suddenly, he "saw" a golden light—no, it was a golden sea that appeared out of thin air in his mind.

The next moment, fish, insects, birds, beasts, metals, stones, grasses, and trees appeared, floating and sinking in the golden ocean.

Suddenly, the view rose higher, revealing that this golden sea was actually liquid inside a cauldron, where all the illusory figures merged into one, rotating, changing, and fusing within it.

The golden ocean formed a vortex, rotating at a constant speed.

Then, with another flash of light, a yin-yang symbol appeared on the sea surface, black within white and white within black, like two fish intertwined and swimming in the sea.

Xu Mu understood now; this was the yin-yang balance emphasized in alchemy.

Ancient methods of cultivating immortality place great emphasis on the balance of heaven and earth, yin and yang, and apply this principle to alchemy.

Because the ancient ancestors created the method of cultivating immortality by observing the heavens and the earth, they believed that everything was a gift from the heavens and the earth, and that cultivating the Tao meant following the Tao, which is different from the current struggle for the Tao.

Xu Mu has never liked to compete; he prefers to live a life of ease and go with the flow.

The scene before him intrigued him, and he became engrossed in it without realizing it.

The yin-yang diagram rotated steadily until only two yin-yang eyes, one black and one white, remained, rotating back and forth and slowly approaching each other.

Finally, the two balls, one black and one white, collided and, as golden light burst forth, merged into a flawless golden sphere.

"Could this be... the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir?!"

First-stage Spirit Pill, Second-stage Precious Pill, Third-stage Profound Pill, Fourth-stage Primordial Pill, Fifth-stage King Pill, Sixth-stage Saint Pill, Seventh-stage Earth Pill, Eighth-stage Heaven Pill, Ninth-stage Golden Pill!

The highest level of alchemy is the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir.

Before Xu Mu could even ponder the meaning of this scene, the golden pill crashed into him, as if he had swallowed it whole.

Once a golden elixir is swallowed, mortal bones are transformed into rosy clouds.

Xu Mu instantly felt like he had become an immortal, experiencing unparalleled freedom, unbound by heaven and earth.

In this blissful state, I lost track of how much time had passed before the clouds seemed to transform into rain and dew, dripping onto the earth.

Spiritual herbs sprouted from the ground.

Xu Mu remembered that he hadn't started planting yet, so it was as if he had broken free from the clouds, landed barefoot on the ground, rolled up his trousers, picked up a hoe and started planting.

He didn't know how long he had been planting, but all he saw were spiritual herbs. He wiped the sweat from his brow with his hoe and smiled contentedly.

Once the spiritual herbs grow, they can be harvested.

A good harvest is truly a joy.

It was this joy that suddenly made him wonder: "How did I get here? Where's my loot?!"

It feels like picking up a pile of money in a dream, feeling happy, and then suddenly realizing it's fake, and getting furious.

The illusions surrounding them finally shattered.

A majestic voice then rang out: "There are countless paths in the world, and everyone has their own destiny. Some people like to compete and break through in battle, while others do not compete and gain enlightenment by observing mountains and rivers."

"Since you are tranquil and inactive, I will teach you the way of alchemy: farming, alchemy, cultivation, and immortality."

Xu Mu hadn't reacted yet when it felt as if someone was patting his head.

An immortal touched my head, and I was granted eternal life.