The fairy forced me to marry into her family, so I retorted by throwing myself into the Pool of Fate

"Finally got it."

Li Ping was secretly delighted and cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "This time, we are all thanks to the elder. If it weren't for..."

Mu Yusheng shook his head and interrupted, "You brat, stop with the nice things and hurry up and pay back the two hundred contribution points you owe."

"Don't worry, Elder, I've taken on the mission of guarding Xikou Market. I'll be able to pay it back in a year at most," Li Ping said.

Mu Yusheng nodded, then added, "There are many cultivators in that place, so be careful and make sure you stay alive."

"So dangerous?"

"Two hundred contribution points a year, why so many? That's the reason," Mu Yusheng said.

Li Ping kept this in mind, then bid farewell to Mu Yusheng and headed straight for his own courtyard.

Along the way, people continued to point and whisper, their eyes filled with disapproval.

Li Ping was preoccupied with the matter of offering sacrifices and had no time to think about any of this.

Upon arriving at the cottage and closing the door, a thought crossed my mind, and I found myself standing before the Well of Opportunity.

[Current donation requirements: 2x Condensed Inkstone, 1x Thunderous Ink Jade]

[Chance: Random]

[Wish Power: 1]

"The designated opportunity is a body-refining technique."

Li Ping silently recited the mantra, waiting for the power of his vow to return to zero before taking out the two offerings.

With a gentle toss, the three stones fell into the well one after another.

In an instant, colorful clouds gushed forth from the well, and a beam of blue light shot into the sky.

The strange phenomenon vanished in an instant, leaving only a blue ball of light slowly drifting towards Li Ping.

"blue?"

"It seems this opportunity is better than the Hanshui Sutra."

Li Ping looked expectant. He touched the light with his fingertips, and the ball of light instantly dissolved, revealing a piece of animal skin floating in front of him.

The animal hide is about the size of a palm, with an ancient and simple style. The title, "Yan Gang Tie Gu Jue" (岩罡铁骨诀), is written in five large, vigorous characters.

"With a 10% chance, I've won again."

Li Ping was secretly pleased with himself, a smile spreading across his face.

He held the animal hide in his hand and read it carefully.

"The black armor carries a stone, its momentum is like a mountain."

The feet take root, and the energy flows to the Yongquan point (a point on the sole of the foot).

The earth's veins are the source, and flesh and blood are intertwined.

I do not seek to soar to great heights, but only to uphold the principles of Kun (the earthly principle).

... "

This is actually a martial arts technique created by Zhou Yan?

Li Ping was surprised, feeling that he had made a huge profit this time.

Zhou Yan is no nobody; he is a true master of physical cultivation.

He practiced body cultivation alone, and his life was quite legendary.

According to the storybook, he was originally a Dharma cultivator, but after failing to establish his foundation multiple times, he switched to a body cultivator.

After that, he seemed to have a cheat code activated, and before he was sixty years old, he reached the Talisman Body Realm, which is equivalent to the Purple Talisman of a magic cultivator.

Generally speaking, those who cultivate the body will not give up the path of cultivating the Dharma, but he is different and chooses to walk the path alone.

This change of path made his body-refining journey smoother, and in just over ten years he became a top figure in the Floating Jade Sea.

After that, his deeds became legends.

Zhou Yan left a significant mark on the path of physical cultivation, and many cultivators later followed his example, focusing only on physical training and neglecting magical cultivation.

However, for Li Ping, having the opportunity well in hand, he had to pursue both paths.

This "Rock-Strong Iron Bone Secret" was something he came to understand after accidentally observing the stone-carrying alligator fighting.

This beast cultivates using the earth's energy, resulting in a robust physique that few other beasts of the same level can defeat it.

This method involves drawing upon the earth's energy to temper the muscles, bones, and skin, forging the cultivator's physical body into something resembling a thousand-year-old rock wall.

Unlike other cultivation methods that use spiritual objects to temper the body, this method does not seek quick results, but focuses on laying a solid foundation to ensure a smooth path for subsequent body refinement.

Judging from the intention behind creating this method, it seems to be specifically designed to guide physical cultivation.

With a slight thought, Li Ping immediately sat cross-legged.

Half an hour later, he had a clear understanding of the key points of the technique.

He stood up, half-squatting with his legs firmly planted, and used his magic to draw upon the earth's energy.

Instantly, a wisp of red earth energy slowly emerged from beneath his feet, then entered his body through the acupoints on the soles of his feet.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through the sole of my foot.

With just a tiny bit of earth's energy, he felt as if he weighed ten thousand pounds, and he collapsed to the ground.

Li Ping frowned, and had no choice but to force out this bit of earth energy first.

He took a deep breath, looked at the barren ground beneath his feet, and fell into deep thought.

"According to the practice, there will be some discomfort when you first draw earth energy into your body, but it is by no means as unbearable as this."

"Is there something wrong with the soil's energy, or is my body unable to handle it?"

Just as I was thinking this, something unexpected happened.

All that could be seen was the light coming from the dry well in front of them, flashing red light.

"A giant python?"

Li Ping dared not make any rash moves. Only after the strange phenomenon disappeared did he carefully approach the well opening.

The python was still bound, but compared to before, it had retracted its tongue and stopped struggling, appearing somewhat listless.

Li Ping felt much more at ease, but he didn't try again.

With a thought, the panel appeared.

[Next offering required: Crimson Marrow and Mysterious Fungus x2, Thousand-Threaded Wood x1]

[Chance: Random]

[Wish Power: 1]

"One ingredient for alchemy, one ingredient for puppets."

"I recognize the items needed for this offering, but they all seem to be of the third rank."

"It's hard to find."

Li Ping sighed softly and left the wasteland.

Back inside, he chose a sturdy spot to stand and once again drew the earth's energy into his body.

The Qi enters the acupoints, feeling like being pricked by needles, but it's much more comfortable than before.

Li Ping's expression remained unchanged as he guided the wisp of earth energy to circulate within his body.

The muscles, bones, skin, and membranes tighten and loosen repeatedly, constantly being tempered.

Half an hour later, the earth's energy dissipated.

Li Ping looked inward at his body and saw that his muscles, bones, skin and membranes had not changed at all, so the effect of this tempering was almost non-existent.

"This technique does indeed require specific environmental conditions; otherwise, it would require a lot of hard work and perseverance."

"The earth's energy in that barren soil is quite effective, but unfortunately, I can't withstand it yet."

Li Ping shook his head, deciding not to think about it anymore.

Just then, Xiaoqing's voice rang out from outside the door.

"Young master, five cultivators request an audience."

"Let them in," Li Ping said calmly.

A moment later, two women and three men appeared in front of him.

These five people were all cultivators who had accepted the mission to guard Qing Teng Island.

Li Ping glanced at them and said, "Tell us about your identities, backgrounds, and cultivation levels."

After the introductions, he had a better understanding of the five people.

The two women, from the Zhuang family, were named Caiwei and Caiyun, and were twins.

The Zhuang family is just a small Qi Refining clan that makes a living by cultivating spiritual plants, and there are many spiritual plant growers in the clan.

The two women have just entered the Dao, and they have come specifically for the position of Spirit Plant Husband.

"There's only one position for a Spirit Plant Doctor, and I can't afford to pay for two people," Li Ping said.

The two women seemed to have anticipated this. The elder sister, Zhuang Caiwei, immediately said, "Fellow Daoist Li only needs to pay one portion of the spiritual plant farmer's salary, and the other portion will be paid at the normal rate."

"Sure?"

The two women nodded firmly.

Li Ping was pleased with this and said no more.

The other three men included Xie Yu, a rogue cultivator whose cultivation level was the same as Xie Yu's—the fourth level of Qi Refining.

"With Fellow Daoist Xie's abilities, there are plenty of missions to choose from, so why did you choose to go to my godforsaken place?" Li Ping asked.

Xie Yu remained calm and said indifferently, "To be honest, I am an alchemist, but I am a newcomer and would like to find a quiet place to refine pills."

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Li, alchemy is only done in my spare time and will never interfere with island affairs."

An alchemist?

Li Ping pondered for a moment, then nodded.

The last two were disciples of the Mu family from a branch.

After introducing them and seeing that there were no problems, Li Ping led the five people out of the courtyard.