I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

"Senior Brother Li, you've changed a lot in just one year. I almost didn't recognize you."

Xu Zhou took another look at his senior brother and realized that there was a reason why he hadn't recognized him at first.

Li Zelei looks so different from how he looked a year ago.

Several new scars marred his face, resembling burns and giving him a slightly grotesque appearance. He had changed into a clean, bright robe. As he spoke, he appeared much sharper than usual.

As Xu Zhou approached, he could still sense faint fluctuations in spiritual pressure.

Second level of Qi Refining.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Xu Zhou would have found it hard to believe that the person in front of him was the same Senior Brother Li from before.

"Junior Brother Xu, congratulations on officially joining Baicaotang. You have a bright future ahead of you."

Li Zelei walked over with a smile. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two found a quiet spot in the mountains outside the hall and began to talk about the changes of the past year.

Xu Zhou didn't have much to say; studying was extremely boring. Li Zelei, on the other hand, had experienced a lot that year, and the rest of the story is mainly his account.

Li Zelei recounted his experiences in the Fire Cave, saying that he was fortunate to meet some good senior brothers and was able to gain a foothold there.

Besides the dangerous fire elemental energy, the raging fire elemental energy within the Fire Cave was also extremely harmful to cultivators. Fortunately, he was only responsible for auxiliary work on the perimeter and didn't need to personally go down into the cave to search for minerals, which allowed him to barely persevere.

He also encountered several dangers during that year.

When asked about one particular incident, he only got a few words out before laughing and moving on. Xu Zhou could tell that the experience had clearly left a deep scar on Li Zelei.

"Ahem, this year has been quite fruitful."

Li Zelei looked smug: "A few months ago, after accumulating enough experience, I resigned from my position and returned. I plan to improve my cultivation level first before deciding on my next move."

"I was supposed to come back two months ago, but you were still at Baicaotang at the time, and I was afraid of disturbing your concentration, so I waited until today to come over."

At this point, he took something out of his pocket and said with a smile, "It's been a long time. I brought you some souvenirs this time."

Xu Zhou took it and saw that it was a talisman, which glowed faintly as his fingers rubbed it.

"This is a fire-repelling talisman."

Li Zelei said, "This is a standard item in the Lihuo Cave, used to save our lives. As long as it is worn close to the body, when encountering strong fire, it can be quickly activated with magic power, which is enough to resist most of the high temperature of the flames."

"It's been a year since we last met, and I didn't know what to give you. But since you've started learning alchemy, you'll likely be dealing with alchemy furnaces a lot in the future, so I've prepared something for you in advance."

Xu Zhou carefully accepted the talisman: "Thank you very much, Senior Brother Li. It's just a pity that I don't know how to reciprocate..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Zelei shook his head and said, "It's alright. We met when we came up the mountain, and the fact that we've stayed here until now is fate. Cough cough, why bother with formalities?"

Xu Zhou frowned slightly, his mind racing.

He noticed that Li Zelei had been coughing occasionally while speaking since earlier. This was clearly unusual for a cultivator's physique.

"It seems that Senior Brother Li is unwell?"

Li Zelei waved his hand: "How can you come out of the Lihuo Cave without having some minor problems? I'm already considered lucky. I just cough a lot from time to time. I brought my senior brother's fire poison into my body, and it's said that his lifespan has been shortened by more than twenty years. That would be terrible."

Xu Zhou pondered for a moment and said, "The frequent coughing is probably due to internal heat affecting the lungs. Does Senior Brother know how to cure it?"

"This..." Li Zelei thought for a moment, "The other senior brothers mentioned that we can exchange for a few Fire-Dispelling Pills. I plan to wait until I have enough contribution points before exchanging for them."

"The Fire-Dispelling Pill..." Xu Zhou nodded. "It is indeed effective. If Senior Brother Li is unwilling to exchange for it for the time being, he can consider buying some agarwood leaves, boiling them in water, and drinking the resulting decoction. That should also provide some relief."

"Is that really true?" Li Zelei's eyes lit up.

Xu Zhou affirmed, "Although I haven't learned alchemy yet and don't know the detailed formula, the medicine classic does mention that agarwood leaves have fire-dispelling properties and are one of the main ingredients in pills that relieve fire poisoning."

"Although I haven't refined it, boiling sandalwood leaves in water can still be quite effective. Besides, sandalwood leaves aren't expensive, so it should be enough to alleviate your discomfort, Senior Brother."

Li Zelei pondered for a while, then hesitated and said, "But I've heard that the best way to cure fire poison is with water-elemental pills. Isn't this sand-sinking leaf earth-elemental? Is it really useful?"

"it works."

Xu Zhou explained, "When fire poison enters the body, it is indeed best to use water-element pills to expel it. However, I don't know how to neutralize the medicinal properties. If water-element herbs are used directly, it may cause water and fire to clash, thus harming the body. As an earth-element herb, agarwood leaves, although not very effective, will not harm the body, making it the safest option."

Li Zelei was taken aback, then shook his head and smiled, "Okay, I believe you."

"I knew all along that once you joined Baicaotang, you would definitely have a bright future!"

The two chatted for a while, discussing their future plans. After a moment, Li Zelei took a deep breath: "I have some things to attend to today, so I won't bother you any longer, Junior Brother."

Xu Zhou cupped his hands in farewell, saying, "Take care, senior brother. Come again often."

"Haha, definitely next time."

Before leaving, Li Zelei looked at Xu Zhou and said with a smile, "The environment at Baicaotang is still quite nice. A year has passed, and I feel like a different person, but you are still exactly the same as before."

Xu Zhou smiled and watched him leave.

The smile on his face gradually faded after Li Zelei's figure disappeared.

Until the very end, things became somewhat gloomy.

It wasn't that Xu Zhou had any issues with Li Zelei, but rather that the other party's last words made him wary.

He touched his cheek and felt that his face was still smooth and plump, with the same texture.

Xu Zhou fell silent for a moment.

She thought she could put off the appearance issue for a few more years, but she didn't expect Li Zelei to have already noticed. Right now, it's just a feeling among acquaintances, but as time goes by, the fact that her apparent age hardly changes will soon become extremely noticeable.

One year can still be explained, but what about two or three years, or even five or ten years later?

Even if you do nothing, you will definitely be targeted.

If others were to discover that I have learned how to extend my lifespan, the consequences would be unimaginable.

This needs to be resolved as soon as possible.

He returned to Baicaotang, outwardly calm but inwardly his mind was racing, pondering how to resolve the matter.

In the cultivation world, there is a kind of elixir called the Youth-Preserving Pill, which can keep one's appearance unchanged. If one could obtain this elixir, there would naturally be a legitimate reason.

But this thing couldn't help him. The price of the Youth Preservation Pill was extremely high, and it was simply beyond the reach of a small cultivator like him who was only at the early stage of Qi Refining.

If you were to release information that you've taken a youth-preserving pill, it would actually attract more attention.

Similarly, one should not fabricate stories about consuming rare and precious herbs in childhood, as this would also arouse suspicion.

Disguise or cover-up?

It only treats the symptoms, not the root cause.

Xu Zhou rejected these ideas one by one and slowly released his hands.

Ultimately, their perspective was too narrow, and they couldn't come up with a solution. To resolve this matter, they would have to seek advice from others.

The next day, the other fellow students who had visited relatives returned home.

While they were chatting, Xu Zhou casually chimed in a few words. Having spent a year together, they quickly struck up a conversation. Later, Xu Zhou subtly inquired whether their sect possessed any methods for prolonging life or preserving youth and spirit.

Xiao Bing, with her carefree nature, laughed upon hearing this: "Junior Brother Xu is probably the youngest among us, yet he's worried about these things?"

After a few lighthearted remarks, he said, "If we're talking about prolonging life and preserving youth, then naturally we need to find longevity pills and youth-preserving pills."

The others gave the same answer, but couldn't think of any other solutions.

Xu Zhou sighed inwardly; it seemed these inner disciples didn't know much either. He'd have to ask others for information on longevity.

The in-class test will be held as scheduled at the end of this month.

After the test was over, everyone else left one by one, and Xu Zhou went to find Steward Zhang to inquire about methods to prolong life and preserve youth.

"Why are you interested in these things?" Deacon Zhang asked, puzzled.

Xu Zhou used the excuse he had prepared beforehand: "I feel that I have no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, so I only ask to spend more time studying alchemy and want to learn more about this field."

Deacon Zhang glanced at him with displeasure: "Things that prolong life are coveted even by sect elders; they're not something you should be considering right now."

Xu Zhou bowed deeply and said sincerely, "I know my talent is limited, so I want to understand it as soon as possible. Even if I can't understand it, I can give up the idea as soon as possible and concentrate on studying alchemy."

Deacon Zhang looked at him for a long time, and finally hummed in agreement: "Very well."

He said slowly, "The most straightforward way is naturally the Longevity Pill. In addition to stabilizing your appearance, the Youth Preservation Pill can also keep your body strong and, to a certain extent, prevent you from aging and becoming frail."

In addition, I remember there was a kind of elixir called the Mysterious Ice Pill, which could prevent mental stagnation in old age.

Seeing Xu Zhou's worried expression, Deacon Zhang couldn't help but shake his head: "These are all too far away for you. Even if you can obtain them, it will probably be decades from now."

"Methods to prolong life are rare and precious, and too many people want them. It's too early for you to think about these things now. There are methods to preserve youth, though. The sect should have a book on youth preservation techniques, but they cannot prolong life, and their effect on alleviating old age and physical decline is limited. They will not be of any benefit to you."

Xu Zhou was shocked. So the sect had a method to preserve youth!

Just as he was about to ask another question, Deacon Zhang waved his hand and said, "Alright, focus on learning what you have in front of you. You can think about these things about prolonging life and preserving youth after you become a true alchemist."

Seeing his displeasure, Xu Zhou didn't ask any more questions, thanked him, and left.

However, he already knew about the existence of the youth-preserving technique, and then he knew which direction to look for.